Friday, December 5, 2008

Ruth & Naomi's Grand Opening!

Our home business, Ruth & Naomi's Books and Media, is having its grand opening! We are having an Open House on December 5-6. Check out our website at www.RuthandNaomis.com

GNFDSSM17312557

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Cyberspace Developments: Behemoth & Homeschool View Tube

My family and I have been enjoying some fairly new developments in cyberspace.
HomeSchoolViewTube.com is an excellent alternative to the highly uncensored YouTube. All of the videos are reviewed before they can be posted and I've found many of the features on the site to be superior to YouTube. You can watch our videos on HomeSchoolViewTube.com here. It's a great place for homeschoolers to share ideas via video.
We've also been enjoying the media download site, Behemoth.com. Here, you can purchase and download many helpful resources including audio books, sermons, music and movies. Items are being added daily and often, there's a teaching you can download for free! Try it out. The first purchase we made from Behemoth.com was a called "The Photographer." We decided to buy this on the recommendation of John Moore (Heumoore Productions). It is similar to an old "gangster" movie. The main characters choose to act with courage and honor despite the temptations presented to them.


Monday, November 10, 2008

Gideon's Conflict with Coyotes

On Monday night (November 3rd), our family finished playing some board games and started our family worship a little earlier than usual. It had been an unseasonably warm day so we had the windows up. My mom was reading from the book of Jeremiah when Kate and Noah heard what sounded like dogs fighting. Gideon, our Golden Retriever was outside on his runner located behind the barn. Noah was worried and wanted to go check on Gideon. So, Benjamin and Noah put on jackets, grabbed a flashlight and headed out the back door. Noah shined his flashlight behind the barn where he saw at least two coyotes attacking our dog. He began to run recklessly towards the wild dogs and yelling at them "to get." He later said, "It was like I was in a trance. All I could think about was saving my dog." Benjamin had been screaming for Noah to "come back." Finally, when Noah was about 15 feet from the conflict, Benjamin's cries took effect and Noah ran back into the house. Benjamin had also been yelling to those inside to get the shotguns which we hurriedly did. The barn has floodlights mounted on all sides, but the switch is located just inside the door. So "armed to the teeth," we advanced together down to flip on the lights and assess the situation. Noah had seen one coyote limp off into the woods and Kate had seen another run towards the orchard. After turning the lights on, we checked on Gideon and saw that he had obviously been involved in a tussle and appeared a bit traumatized. We quickly marched back up to the house with the dog and brought him inside. We then noticed that he was bleeding and found 4 puncture wounds. The poor boy was very quiet and it took a couple days for him to bounce back to his usual happy self. We believe that when the wild dogs first attacked him, that he fought his way to the inside of his dog house where he'd have his backside protected from attack. As a result, he found 4 punctures on his furry, disheveled head.


We then gathered together and talked about what we should have done differently and what we should do with the dog in the future. We also gave thanks in prayer for the safety of us all. We couldn't believe that the coyotes would have had the audacity to charge into our yard. We had heard them getting closer for a few weeks, but we had never even seen one around. The next morning we called the vet and our local conservation agent. The veterinarian's main concern was infection in the punctures. Throughout this week Gideon hasn't been outside unsupervised. The wounds aren't infected and are beginning to heal. The agent said that the coyotes probably attacked for territory, not for food. We were somewhat glad of this, because they wouldn't be likely to attack any small children unless it was for food. We don't like for the coyotes to think that our yard is included in their territory, nor do we want our dog to constantly be in danger. The agent told us to feel free to shoot the aggressive varmints. We've gone outside every night, armed with a shot gun, to watch and listen for them. If we finally get one, we'll be sure to post it here.


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Rascally Squirrels

Rascally Squirrels from J. Andrew Wong on Vimeo.

The squirrels have been attacking our bird feeders, but instead of shooting them with a gun, I've been shooting them with a camera!

Snake Finds His Dinner: A Toad

Snake Finds His Dinner-A Toad from J. Andrew Wong on Vimeo.

In Genesis, we know that the snake was cursed to crawl on it's belly. Watch as this snake has just captured his dinner - a toad - while slithering through our yard.

The snake is a common garter snake. Garter snakes are carniverous and give birth to their young. Their lifespan is only about six years. Thankfully, they are harmless to humans.

ApplePickin'


We are blessed to own an apple orchard with about 56 trees. We enjoy giving apples to our neighbors and friends.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Canoeing


After owning it for 9 months we finally got to try out our canoe the USS Providence. Our family enjoys canoeing and we had a grand time on the lake. Can't view this video? Click here to view this video on HomeSchoolViewTube

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Costumes: By Benjamin...




Benjamin is definitely our make-up and costume designer.  I'm not sure how he comes up with his costumes, but he does and they can be very funny. If puts on his costume adds some makeup and an accent he can be a pretty believable Russian or Mexican or a Cowb...

Up & Down the Mississippi

We recently took a cruise on the "Tom Sawyer" up and down the Mississippi River. The "Tom Sawyer" is a steamboat looking boat that would have been used in the 19th and 20th Century.  This boat features three decks a dancing floor and bandstand. During the two-hour long ride a tour guide and the captain pointed out landmarks and gave some background history about St. Louis.


  

Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo

The newest Jonathan Park volume in now available! However there is a twist. "Jonathan Park Goes to the Zoo" contains one-hundred 2-minute snippets about animals. This is a great tool to learn more about God's creation from a proper worldview. You can even listen to this while at the zoo as a substitute for the anti-God evolutionary teachings of the signs and staff. Let the animal kingdom come alive as you listen to these engaging CDs and learn more about animals. A full index of all of the animals covered in this 4-CD set is available at The Vision Forum website.
  

Sunday, August 3, 2008

R. M. Ballantyne

    Recently I have been enjoying the historical adventures of R.M. Ballantyne. These wonderful books are full of stories of courage and exploration as the heroes faced seemingly impossible odds of fatigue and discouragement. Ballantyne was a 19th Century author who traveled over the world. Ballantyne's book, "The Coral Island" inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his famous book, "Treasure Island."
    I greatly enjoyed reading these exciting tales. In just over a fortnight, I devoured close to 3,000 pages of inspiring history. I think my favorite Ballyntyne book is "The Giant of the North" where a team of English explorers travel to the Arctic to find the North Pole."
Visit BallantyneTheBrave.com for more information.
                                            

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Defending Your Faith Conference, Branson, MO


While attending the conference, we stayed at a condominium right on the beautiful Table Rock Lake.
Benjamin caught a few fish in his spare time.
We also enjoyed other activities such as shuffleboard, miniature golf and swimming.




   








   

   Last week, we traveled to Branson, Missouri to attend the Defending Your Faith Conference by Answers in Genesis.  The amazing line up of speakers, Doug Phillps, Ken Ham, and Dr. Voddie Baucham challenged and equipped us in defending our faith.  Buddy Davis was also there leading us in singing songs.           



   
  

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Russian's Revenge

Our cousins, Paige and Eli, came over to spend the day recently. We decided to put together a short movie. We had a good time planning and acting it out. Guess you could say this is a modern version of putting on a backyard play. Of course, Andrew (GallantFilms.blogspot.com) then had to put in about 20 hours in editing the video, dubbing in the sound and adding sound effects. Some of the sound effects were actual recordings of when we were out target shooting with our guns. See how acting upon revenge never pays in the end. Click play and check it out.

Midnight Burglar

We made this movie in one night!

We made this movie in one night!
We made this movie in one night!

The Fight of Freedom

I really had fun adding the sound effects to this video.


Reporting from Cherry Tree Hill City...


Note: We really do love the country (and their inhabitants), but after watching this video you may get a wrong opinion. We'll have to do a movie where the "country boy" is the hero.
We really do love the country (and their inhabitants), but after watching this video you may get a wrong opinion. We'll have to do a movie where the "country boy" is the hero.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Small Town News Report

We really do love the country (and their inhabitants), but after watching this video you may get a wrong opinion. We'll have to do a movie where the "country boy" is the hero.

The Little Princess


Starring:
Princess- Megan
King/Father- Andrew
Lord Nimp- Benjamin
Prince- Noah

"The Streetbike"

This is a short video showing Noah on the 49cc Streetbike that we bought. Some of the camera shots are taken from the back of a dirt bike.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Costumes for a short play

The Wong brothers put on a play this evening.


And the moral of the story?
The way of the transgressor is hard...

Just a little bit silly...



Friday, February 15, 2008

The Ladder Project


Above: Watch Noah build his ladder in fast motion.

To the Right: Noah's finished project.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

We're Cooking Now...

Valentine's Day brought a welcome delivery to our home.




The old stove lasted for 28 years, although only one burner was still working.








Glass cooktop, digital controls, convection oven, and five "working" burners!
Now we're set for many more years of home-cooking.