Texas, Here We Come!!!

Posted by Gabrielle

We are spending this week planning and packing for our ten-day vacation in Texas! We are all traveling there for Daddy's business trip, and leaving very, very early January 4th!!!

So this is to tell you that I probably won't be posting anymore until we get back and settled in...just so you don't wonder what happened to us! ;)

Many blessings,
Gabrielle,
for the Hellwig family!

Christmas 2009

Posted by Gabrielle

Finally, here are some pictures about our Christmas day! We had a nice, quiet day at home, opening and enjoying our presents and savoring our three special meals!

As usual, here is our traditional family portrait in front of the tree before opening presents!

A preview picture! Check out my photobucket album for more! I'll be adding more in the next few days, so check back!

Christmas Letter and Picture 2009

Posted by Gabrielle

December 2009

Dear Friends,

“ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.....And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-4,14

As this year draws to a close, it is remarkable to reflect on God's mercies and to see the perfect beauty He can make out of depravity, the thanksgiving He draws out of the midst of trial, and the sweetness that flows from potentially bitter circumstances.

Jesus, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” is sufficient for us to rise above our circumstances, call them all joy and lead a life of true liberty. We are so very thankful for this upward call from the Liberator of our souls.

“ But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

Some highlights of the Hellwig year included a camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains, swimming and picnics at a nearby lake, a visit from Oliver's mother, the joy of having another Hellwig added to the family of God, our first North Carolina garden, attending a Passover Seder, and many visits with friends and church family. When Christianna spent nine days in the hospital recovering from a ruptured appendix, God met us there and so graciously took care of all our needs. As it always is with God, it was a year of growth, change, and greater satisfaction with Him.

Oliver continues to freelance with Solar Pathfinder, along with developing other business ventures. It is a blessing for him to be able to work from home allowing him to better integrate our family's work and vision.

Lisa is ever learning, and very thankful for the home education movement, where she is acquiring a good education. Lessons on God's sovereignty, the sufficiency of Scripture, and the shortness of days are the mainstay here. Because Scripture speaks to every aspect of life, all of life opens up to a display of God's majesty, justice and goodness.

Gabrielle, nearly 18, is wrapping up her last official year of “formal” education. Studying Latin, Greek and Hebrew, sewing (she made the girls' dresses in the photo), writing, and continuing with her business ventures make up her days, along with photography, and, of course, reading.

She is our chief organizer, helping to keep the home and those in it running smoothly.

Timothy, 16, is considering career choices, keeping up with his lessons and his businesses. He has discovered he likes public speaking, and has enjoyed opportunities to attend conferences, helping out where he can, the latest being the Sufficiency of Scripture conference in Cincinnati,OH in December organized by the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches (NCFIC). Reading, gardening, learning some programming, and studying Scripture fill his days, along with engaging in theological debates with his sisters, and in Tinker-toy battles with three little brothers in the garage!

Arianne, 15, is chief baker, breakfast-maker, and general director of good cheer. She is in the middle of 10^th grade, reading, learning to enjoy math, and running with Oliver and some of her siblings. She is always on the lookout for a baby to hold and care for, missing the fact that Benaiah is no longer a baby!

Christianna, 13, is wrapping up 8^th grade and doing well in math, science, music and whatever else she sets her mind to do. Before her bout with appendicitis, she had progressed enough in piano to start learning violin. She and Elliot grew basil in their gardens this year, and have provided the family with plenty of pesto. Still always singing, she adds a whirl of activity and liveliness to the home no one else can provide.

Elliot, 10, has had a year of unusual growth. The Lord was working in him earlier in the year with the result that Elliot received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in May, and was baptized in October. He's progressed in maturity and mental prowess since then, along with a new tenderness and attentive attitude toward life. Still somewhat allergic to pencils, he's progressed well in math. He enjoys writing letters to people, wood working, gardening, reading and challenging Timothy to a good wrestle! He also whacks up a pretty good “mess of biscuits.”

Jedidiah, 7, is a very good scholar. Math, reading, spelling, writing, geography are all interesting and well done. Because academics come easily to him, learning to labor over things is his challenge. Paper airplanes, home-made bows and arrows, constructing tepees and forts, and cultivating and saving seeds for his future garden have filled his spare time. He's considering farming as a career, in light of his ventures in growing Swiss Chard, zucchini and garlic this year.

Tobias, 5, grew carrots in a large pot this summer, and gave one of them to his favorite deacon at our church, with whom he has kept up a correspondence this year. He nearly has all his addition facts mastered, and does quite well with spelling and reading, especially enjoying geography. He often helps Arianne as assistant baker, always ready to taste-test, mix and fetch ingredients. Giving wagon rides to the brave, playing frisbee and going for walks are some of his pleasures, along with fabricating bows, arrows, cannons, forts and woolly bear caterpillar habitats with his brother. Whenever he's hard at work concentrating on his latest task, he hums at the top of his lungs, serenading the whole house. 2010 will be a year of volume control!

Benaiah, 2, loves trucks, especially digger-trucks and bulldozers. He's decided that he will drive a bulldozer and wear a red hat and “grobs” (gloves) because, as he says, “I'm a man!” Some of his favorite experiences this year included “fwimming in a water with a jacket” (swimming with a life-jacket), “talk to Mommy in the ear” (using the phone to call Mommy when she stayed at the hospital with Christianna) and , while reciting his catechism, creating his own version of some answers: “God reveals Himself in His Word, and in nature...and in a keeper-truck (pick-up truck)!” He's a darling boy, beloved by all.

We are looking forward to the opportunities God will open up for us this new year. He always meets us where we are and brings us higher, closer to Himself, so that the creature would better reflect its Creator. He is not like us. His ways are beyond us. And He has given us His perfect, all-sufficient, comprehensive, sanctifying, light-giving, eternal Word, come in human flesh to remove from us the curse of sin by dying in our place, coming again to claim His Kingdom and His own children from the corruption of this world. The Word is Jesus Christ, the only One Who can save us from spiritual death in this world and the next. Will we stop listening to ourselves, and “let all mortal flesh keep silence” while He speaks to our souls through the Scripture, His Word to us today?

May your New Year be packed with His blessings. We love hearing from you. Please drop us a note, an email, or a comment on our family blog. And if you're ever in the area, please stop by. Our friendships with you are dear to us.

Joyfully,

Oliver and Lisa,

Gabrielle, Timothy, Arianne, Christianna, Elliot, Jedidiah, Tobias and Benaiah

oliver.hellwig@gmail.com

lisa.hellwig@gmail.com “'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that

timothy.hellwig@gmail.com has happened which the Lord has made known to us.'

gabrielle.hellwig@gmail.com So they came in a hurry....” Luke 2:15-16

hellwigfamily.blogspot.com

Some of our Christmas Decorating

Posted by Gabrielle

I've never yet posted on how we decorate for Christmas, so I thought that just for fun I'd give you all some pictures showing how our house is currently "be-decked". You're free to tell us that our decorating borders on the crazy; we know that already! ;)

Our beautiful little 6-foot plus tree! It is adorned with our string of blinking lights while the "steady-on" lights...

adorn the windows on the opposite side of the room! Is that crazy?!

Our third and last form of "lights" for Christmas is in our miniature village. The houses were given to us five older ones years ago, so we bought a bulb for the lighted ceramic tree ornament we've had for ages. It creates a pretty effect, actually.
The mantle I decorated with spare tree clippings we were able to get when we bought our tree. After putting all the branches on, I had to stick the frames back in in whatever precarious way would keep them there. Our mantle looks better in pictures than it does in real life.
We twisted crocheted chain around the banister of our stairs and adorned it with a wreath and the ornaments depicting the names of Jesus, which are hard to see in the picture anyway. As long as I remember to tighten the chain every few days, this one actually remains quite decorative.

In the midst of the holiday season, let's not forget the true reason for Christmas.

"To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet in the way of peace." Luke 1: 77-79

"...for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

May you have as many blessings and abundant joy as you celebrate this special season as I have!

Our new Christmas-Countdown Calendar

Posted by Gabrielle

One of our presents for our grandparents-a puzzle! We took our family picture and had it printed on a puzzle and are sending them a few pieces among ten installments so that they have the whole puzzle in time for Christmas.
So the pile of envelopes sitting on our counter waiting to be sent are a fun countdown calendar for us too! ;) Number 4 went out today!!! Christmas is that close!!!

"The Flood's Over, Noah"

Posted by Gabrielle

A recent torential downpour caused our little streambed in the back to fill and become a rushing stream. It was very pretty, and of course the little boys had fun wading in the water.

Elliot a.k.a "Noah"

Our flood didn't get that bad! ;)

Photo Shoot with the Boys

Posted by Gabrielle

My deepest apologies for the long silence from this end of the country. ;) We are all well and experiencing the usual Christmas business.

Following our girl's photo shoot in our dresses, we decided to do one with all the boys for various projects, and just for fun! The results were just too fun not to post! Enjoy!

Benaiah

Tobias

Jedidiah

Elliot

Timothy

All the boys of the Hellwig clan!

And a few pictures for bonus points! :)


First, we tried before lunch, but Benaiah was inconsolable and would not smile. Not even gleeful "Beebo" could comfort him.

But, we tried again after lunch and it was a breeze, especially when we added certain favored little-boy toys such as sticks and pinecones. :)

I will be posting some more soon, so "stay tuned"!

Finally...Pictures of our finished Regency dresses!!!

Posted by Gabrielle

Back in October I finished our girls' first regency dresses in three weeks, just in time for our family Christmas portrait!

I used Mrs. Chancey's Regency dress pattern, and loved it!!! It was a great learning experience, and a lot of fun to make! The biggest modification I made was drafting the overskirt pattern from some other similar dresses I've seen.

Yours truly!

Arianne!

Christianna!

All three of us! This one's going to be printed and framed for our room! ;)

~Thank you for taking the gorgeous pictures, Erica!~

Some Random Pictures

Posted by Gabrielle

Last week, I took a wonderful photography class with a bunch of other friends from our church. These following random pictures are during our practice session in downtown Wakeforest. Enjoy!





Aah...learning about the delightful rule of thirds and sweet spots, lines of focus and such!!! It was a great time!!!

Ho-hum... Another day - Another birthday...

Posted by Gabrielle

Many apologies for the delayed posting!!! :)

But...we're so pleased to announce that on October 31st Christianna turned 13!!!

Blowing out her bonfire!!!

The apple pie...

and the pumpkin pie; both were a hit!

Welcome to the Hellwig "teenager" clan, Christie! ;) I'm so thankful that you're my "little" sister and I pray God will use you in his service for many, many long fruitful years to come.

Reformation Day Preview Post

Posted by Gabrielle

I apologize for the delay in posting about the wonderful evening of celebration for the Reformation day that our church put on. It is because I have several videos of the talks that Timothy and some other young men gave on the five 'solas' of the reformation that need to be edited and uploaded, so that is taking me some time.

So in the meantime, I share a couple other pictures!

Mr. Brown reading a psalm to open our evening

Benaiah loved the time!!!

More to come soon!!!

This Is My Father's World

Posted by Gabrielle

"This Is My Father's World"

This is my Father's world, And to my list'ning ears, All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world, I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world, The birds their carols raise; The morning light, the lily white Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world, He shines in all that's fair; In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me ev'rywhere.
This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world, The battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and heav'n be one.

Welcome to Autumn in North Carolina!

Posted by Gabrielle

The days are crisp and cool now, with an occasional 80 degree day, and the trees are starting to turn their bright, brilliant colors!
Yesterday, the sky was a vibrant blue with not a single cloud in sight. It was beautiful and I had to get some pictures!

As an aside, if you get a chance, check out our new blog background for Reformation day!

A Great Evening at the Sides'!!!

Posted by Gabrielle

Friday evening we spent at our dear friends the Sides' house for dinner! Thank you for the delightful evening, Sides family!
The highlight of the evening, perhaps, was Mrs. Sides teaching us to use the spinning wheel, and spin yarn with llama wool! It was great!!!

Arianne

Christianna

And yours truly!!! ;)

Sadly, I did not get any pictures of Benaiah playing with his little friend, but a few days after, he suddenly exclaimed at the lunch table, "I love Caleb." How sweet!!!

Cute Pictures from Church

Posted by Gabrielle

I know these are back from August, but these pictures of Elliot reading to a group of little children at church was just too cute to pass up!

Noah, Matthew, Elliot, Benaiah and Susannah ~ very, irresistibly cute!!!

Some Pictures of our Garden this Summer

Posted by Gabrielle

Well, I just remembered a few pictures I had of us starting our garden this past April, so I thought I'd post them. It was a good experimental garden, enough for us to realize the soil wasn't quite as good as we thought...but that can be fixed! :)

A view of our garden area

And another view of the gardeners!

The classic farmer pose

Timothy hoeing the strawberries

This is the story of the farmer guy who didn't build a proper gate in his fence!

Good job on the fence building, but...

one thing!

When you must get in, you'll need to do a little dance over the gate. First one leg...

and then the other,

and assuming you haven't spilled all your dirt in the process, you're ready to go!

Great job, farmer "dude"!

~Garden pictures by Arianne!~

These were the first fruits of the garden: Christie's radishes in June!!!