The Pfizenmaier Tales

A day off of school means work!

2012-02-09T21:33:00.000-06:00

If you live at our house and have a day off......this is what you get to do in your spare time. Except for me of course. I'm too busy being the maid, nanny, ~~accountant~~ and chef that I don't ~~have~~ get to go out and slave away. I would much rather be in the kitchen baking something for my many offspring and my Cowboy for when they come in after a long stretch of chopping wood and stacking it. BTW this is cheating at wood cutting. :) It splits the logs for you.

This is the youngest offspring that is posing by the stack of wood that he did not stack. :) This was a snow day that we had awhile back. Actually it was before Christmas, back when we actually had a winter. Notice the boy with no coat is the one that isn't working. Hmmm. Time to go back to the house Mr. G.

Oh, look the dog is actually home and is posing for a picture. It must have been a day off from his traveling expeditions. Nice to see you home Rowdy. Our house is in great need of a paint job. Please offer any color ideas in the comments. You can't see the red barns in this picture but we do have a splash of color on the farm. So next time we have a day off from school or on some weekend come on out for some wood cutting and experience the benefits of living off of the land!

Christmas Tip #4

2011-12-23T09:23:00.000-06:00

After reading in Luke chapter 2 the story of the birth of Jesus, one key phrase jumped out at me. Luke 2:7 says "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Can you imagine going to a house (or hospital) and being in labor and the guy at the door telling you, "Sorry, I don't have a room for you, but you can use the barn" (or the extra bed in the hospital basement). Who knows how it was actually stated, but it doesn't really matter. It made me ponder the idea of us this present day still not having room for Him in the inn, our hearts. Isn't it daily that we have the choice to allow Christ to flow through us? We are the inn and He is the guest. This Christmas I pray that you will allow the true spirit of CHRISTmas to flow through you and your home. Make room for Him by focusing on Him more than all the preparations to be made. Yes, you still have all the preparations to do but you have a choice how you do them. When you find yourself all stressed out, you have wandered from the truth. Recognizing that and refocusing will get you back on track. Try to figure out the motive of your heart. Why is it so important to have everything just so? Are you trying to impress others possibly? The gifts that you give or the party that you host does not define who you are. The relationship we have with Christ defines who we are IF we allow Him. I hope we all can try to impress Jesus instead of our earthly families with the gifts that we give and the celebrations that we host (or attend) this Christ filled holiday season.

May you find your Merry in this holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry CHRISTmas from our family to yours!!

Christmas Tip #3

2011-12-17T10:14:00.000-06:00

In eight days on Christmas morning, children all over are anticipating ripping open packages to see what they 'got' this year for Christmas. Tangible gifts that costs us oodles of hard earned cash. What if they opened an empty box? A box full of an intangible item. What do you think their reaction would be? Well I think I know what my children might say. It wouldn't be a proud moment that is for sure. What if we packaged up a gift of love for someone who just needed to be loved. Maybe they're going through a tough time making bad choices and just need that someone to be by their side knowing that they are loved no. matter. what kind of choices they do make. Or how about a gift of forgiveness. You know that everyone needs forgiveness. Someone in your life will always need the gift of forgiveness for we all fall short don't we? We can't love perfectly. Isn't it in our shortcomings that we point to the one who loves perfectly? The one love that draws us to our knees? The Spirit of love, joy and peace that devours us when we decide that we believe.

There are so many ways to give for Christmas. Ponder each person that you usually buy a gift for and decided what kind of an intangible gift that you could also give them. As you're wrapping the actual gift, throw in something else that is unseen. Then act out your choice of intangible gift so they can feel the difference. Your new years resolution should then be to continue your intangible gifts through out the whole year. The Spirit of Christmas is a Season of Christmas. As a believer in Jesus, Christmas isn't just in December. Let the people that you surround yourself with know with your actions that you are truly a follower and not just a believer. For even the demons 'believe' (and shudder) James 2:19. You know the saying, 'actions speak louder than words'. Love purposefully and intentionally. Forgive freely and completely.

Christmas Tip #2

2011-12-14T08:13:00.000-06:00

As Christmas gets closer and I'm still pretending that I have all of my shopping done, I realize that I really don't want to finish my shopping. It's probably more out of the reason that I don't have time, but inside I just don't agree with the giving out of 'wants'. Sure I love to shower my kids with gifts, but I have a hard time when their list is a mile long (actually it's shorter but just really heavy due to all the electronics they 'want'). I love giving the surprise gifts. Giving when the reciever has no expectation of a gift. Giving when you expect nothing in return. Or, even giving when they have no idea who gave them a gift. (The only time it's ok to be sneaky) :) There are so many different ways to celebrate Christmas. A blog friend of mine Tonya, celebrates Jesus's birthday by reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning and giving three gifts. See here. Santa doesn't come per say although he is not 'outlawed' either. The three gifts represent the Three Kings' gifts to baby Jesus. Frankincense: A gift for spiritual growth. Myrrh: A practical gift. Gold: A gift that fulfills a want. Thank you Tonya for a wonderful idea! (If any of you have another neat idea, please share in my comments!)
My Christmas tip #2 would be to be creative in your ways of giving all year long. Do not over do Christmas by giving too many wants. If you've already bought all your gifts, try saving one or more back and give them unexpectantly sometime through out the next year. Also, let the holiday season be a 'holiday'. Holiday defined by Webster is this: A day set aside by law to commemorate (to honor) a special person or event; a day set aside for religious observance; a day free from work; any day of rest. Did you get the last one? Any day of rest. Rest. A cessation of all work as defined by Webster. So if we celebrate Christmas as a holiday season then we should rest in the reason for the season. We shouldn't work so hard to make Christmas, Christmas. We should let Christmas be CHRISTmas. We should rest in the fact of why we celebrate Christmas and not all the details to perfect our holiday experience. So what if you don't have Christmas napkins. Don't run all over town looking for 'just the right ones'. Spend that time being thankful that you actually own a car that you are physically able to drive and have the money to go get such a thing. This reminds me of the story of Martha and Mary. Are you Martha the one "distracted by all the preparations that have to be made" (Luke 10:40) or Mary the one "who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said"? Luke 10:38.

Are you a Martha or a Mary?

Christmas tip #1

2011-12-07T06:09:00.001-06:00

This time of year can get so crazy. Has anyone else noticed or is it just me? It's so easy to get 'vacuumed' (my kids' new word for sucked) into all the decorations, the gifts and all of that bologna. (my new word for crap). For my end of the year resolution, I'm trying to speak more appropriate in front of my many offspring. (they actually do learn most things from their parents) Oh, and the biggest is to not be late anymore. ~~Ya, right~~. Anyway back to the tip. My tip (which I tell my kids they can leave on the dining room table for when I clean up after them) is to just take day by day and enjoy it and everything else that God has blessed us with that very day. It's too easy to look ahead and see all the activities that we have to partake in. The goal is to not be stressed (which is desserts backwards ya know) at the end of the day but to be overwhelmed with gratitude. When you are overwhelmed with gratitude, you are supernaturally joyful and have a center core of peace that is ONLY God given. Have you ever been there? It's a place that you chose to be everyday. It's not a place where you can get to one day and stay for days. You have to purposely get in the car and drive there each and every day. That is a difficult task my friends. It's like a kid going to the candy store everyday. Once you've been there you want to oh so bad go back everyday. But it's like the directions to the candy store got lost or scratched from your memory. You have to purposefully seek the directions again to obtain that wonderful feeling of joy and peace.

So, what are the directions you say? Well, it's easy, although different for everyone depending on what street you start out on. Go down to the corner and turn off of Grumpy Avenue (or ItReallyIsAllAboutMe Road) onto IChooseToBeHappy Street. Then travel about two blocks or miles whatever it takes (but don't forget to look for the God blessings along the way) to ItsAllAboutJesus Avenue. Travel for long as you want and then you will eventually travel into TheAttitudeOfGratitude Resort without even knowing you arrived. Remember though, it's a daily drive but the drive doesn't ever get boring. It's all in how you see it. Look for the blessing in the disappointment. It is there. Don't let your expectations of a perfect Christmas suffocate your ability to see CHRISTmas for what it really is. A big birthday celebration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

HaPpY BiRthDaY to the Blog!

2011-11-13T09:00:00.001-06:00

I just realized that The Pfizenmaier Tales is 3 years old!! HaPpY BiRthDaY!! Wow, celebrating three years of blah, blah, blah. lol Hope to continue to bore you through my deep thoughts and tales of our rambunctious boys!! I hope to post more as we slow down from a busy fall of football, farming and family!

See ya soon.....until then enjoy these pics my Uncle Phil took at Easter. The funny behind these pics is a) I was off gabbing and missed out have a family photo (imagine that, me talking??) and b) if you look really close at Grady in most of these his ZIPPER is down!! haha

The Moving Birth Day

2011-10-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year where we are shifting cattle from here to there and everywhere. We moved only about 25 mamas and 20 babies back home so we could 'work' them. Since it was a smaller group, we just brought them by trailer load. Other wise Cowboy likes to play 'cowboy' and move them on the ground with horses and 4 wheelers. When we got to the pasture, one ole' Hereford was starting her laboring process. It turned out to take longer than all get out for she did NOT want to follow the rest of the herd. Cowboy had to follow her all over the pasture to get her to mind and in the process ended up loosing his cell phone. If any of you know Cowboy, he goes through these things almost like underwear. Well, almost. :) So here are a few pics to highlight the day. Some of them are my kids goofing off. Oh, and if you are sensitive to gross photos of mama cows having babies....then you might want to skip some of these. There are a few included. :)

We're getting ready to start.

Here they go down the road to go into the other entrance.

Cute calves. :)

This mama was telling me something......

And this mama was saying something by her actions......

This is a Hereford Cow. Looks like a bull but she's not! (looks mean too)

This is my dear Gster playing kick the football.

This is my dear Gster putting a target out there for his brother.

Above is Colton holding the horse and below Wylie playing in the water.

We got 'em cornered.

Cowboy sorting.

Wylie found feathers and wanted them in his hat.....

See how they are avoiding the trailer....they wouldn't go in. They are goof balls. They circle around each other.

Colton thinking....'oh really mom'?

Ok, first of sensitive material....see how the tail is sticking out? That is a sign. Baby coming soon.

First view of the hooves. If you ever wondered how calves come out.....

See the nose?

The body

And the rest of the limp body.

Baby was barely moving and Cowboy came just in time. (like usual. He like has an instinct)

A little tickle of the nose will arouse a newborn and make 'em sneeze!!

This is just a few minutes after Cowboy tickled his nose.

Awww, I need a bath!!

These babies get up with in minutes of being born. Amazing.

Or at least *try* to get up. They're so cute when they fall over.

She did it!!

Milo (grain sorghum). Comes in white or red. Sooo pretty.

Soybeans.

Gster strikes again!

Loved the sky colors and the dust from a truck on the road.

Guess who's baacckk

2011-10-09T09:22:00.001-05:00

Well it's been exciting and overly busy around here. It is definitely the busiest time of year on a farm with everything that goes on. And guess who's back in town???

Yep, the ole' cows are in from pasture that we send them off to during the month of May. It's been kind of noisy here with all of the mooing. But it's one of those comforting sounds that you just get used to right away. Kind of like a **sigh** yep, all is right with the world today. :) We don't send all of them off but keep a handful of them around here. And this summer, they were a handful. We literally got phone calls daily for a couple of weeks saying 'You have cattle out'. My Cowboy was saying very ~~nice~~ colorful things after a couple of days. He'd have to start off (or end) his day doing a time consuming job of finding them and then fixing the fence. That's when you know it's time to find another place for them.
One of my ~~little~~ cowboys is starting to become a blogger I think. He was out helping his Dad do the morning chores and was on the 4 wheeler hollering "Mom, where's your camera?" So he went and got it and took all of these cattle pics. Now if I could just get him to writing......

Then we have a service boy in the making. Check this out. I went in to get Cowboy his soda and came back out to see my ~~baby~~ cowboy doing this:

Nothing like jumping on top of things to get a job done. He still needs a little practice for I had to look around a few spots on the way home to see. :) I just didn't have to guts to 'fix' it in front of him. He worked so hard!!

Just check out those cute little wranglers......*sigh*

Yes....I'm still alive.

2011-10-01T19:50:00.001-05:00

Well, I really am still alive. I think. Hold on, let me check my pulse. Ok, yes I am. I guess I've been missing in action. My brain has been spinning around from activity to activity and I hardly know where I am let alone who I am. Wait a minute. I had to go look at myself in the mirror. I'm pretty sure it's me, but with the bags under my eyes and dark circles and more wrinkles everyday I had to check. Geesh. Is this what life is really all about? Total chaos?
I've had several posts lingering around in this mop of a mess brain of mine but just haven't taken the time to type them out. One of these days......but anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that my ticker is still ticking, my house is still a mess BUT.......I've been taking showers in our NEW bathroom since the middle of JUNE!! I've been waiting to post the 'final' pics until the window got trim. The trim is all stained and has polyurethane but just needs cut and nailed. Have any of you women ever used a nail gun?? It is the COOLEST thing. I'd become a professional nail gun user if I could and just go from house to house fixing those silly jobs that no one does because you never have the right finishing nails on hand. We borrowed an air nail gun from one of my favorites and my husband then had to go and buy one himself. I didn't even mind cuz then I can use it whenever I want to!!! ;) I had a blast one afternoon doing a few jobs that my better half put off for the last 6 years. If ya wanna try one out, give me a call. I'll get ya hooked on one.
This has got to be the most random rambling post I have ever done. I tell ya my brain is like a record that skips. It jumps all over the place frequently. Anyway our cattle came home today from pasture that we rent out in western Kansas. My husband is busier than an OCD person cleaning their house for the 5th time in a day. He knows more about those cows than he does me. I asked him if I could have an ear tag with a number so he'd know just as much about me. It's amazing how these ranchers know the things they do. He can tell you what color of calf a cow had, how much it weighed (approx) and what kind of temperament it has. Not only from the current year, but from all the previous years. If a cow could have a favorite color he'd know that too. I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what my fav color is but he did send me 16 roses for our sixteenth anniversary in Sept so he must remember that he has a wife!! So if you see me supporting really big earrings.....look closer. They might be ear tags. :)

The Rowdster

2011-09-01T13:02:00.000-05:00

Our dog "Rowdy' has been a fairly good dog. He has a problem though. He likes to run away. It started a few years ago when he was just about two years old. (He's 4 now I think). Rowdy was growing up and his hormones were getting the best of him. We didn't have any other dogs to 'play' with so......he went and found some. He would first go to our neighbors just a few miles away. Then he just kept going and ended up 7 miles away in Clifton. We then heard that Rowdy was a daddy. The problem though out all of this is Rowdy doesn't know how to come home. It's a one way trip for him. It was becoming a huge problem for he would run around Clifton all day and go to the school and play with the kids at recess. The school would call and say they had a visitor and chuckled for it was funny that our dog would 'follow' the kids to school and play with them. Then it became not so funny. The school would call and say 'your dog is here again, could you please come and get him? He's jumping on all the little kids'. (It was a grade school) So we started chaining him up at night for that was when he'd leave. That worked for awhile. But Rowdy is not a dumb dog. He learned how to pull that 'choke' chain right off. And then off he went. And then off we'd go to town to pick that lil' rascal up.

We then decided in his best interest to have him 'fixed' thinking this was the whole problem. For you know once you get the taste of something you can't get enough. :) And, since he had a few pups to call him dad, we didn't feel like we were depriving him of anything. So Rowdy became an 'it' and Rowdy STAYED HOME. For about six months that is.

One day it all changed. He was in the house on the back porch (this was a 'no-no' for him) and one of the boys was reaching up in the closet for a baseball bat because they wanted to play ball. Any smart mom keeps those kinds of things out of sight for you don't ever want your boys to have fights and anyway you get the picture. So as he was reaching for the bat it ended up falling down from the top of the closet and landed right square on Rowdy's nose. Poor thing yelped and ran off. We didn't see him the rest of the day. In fact we didn't see him again until we drove to Clifton to pick him up the next day. And then it started all over again.

He's found several 'new' homes to stay at over the last few years. But recently he has found a really kind gentle older lady to pester. She really likes him and she told me so and she also told me that she'll leave food out for him. (might be part of the problem?) He is a really nice dog. But he is a large dog and has a tendency to almost knock kind gentle older ladies over while he's trying to get into her house. **sigh** Sure hope I've taught my boys better than I have this darn dog of ours.

So we are at the point of what do we do with this dog? Cowboy doesn't believe in chaining a dog up all day for what is the point of having a dog? We got a new chain, collar and spike to use and he's now being guarded very closely. We've let him off the last few days for it's so hot. But we decided we'll have to chain him up alllll day since we can't always remember to chain him up before bed so he won't take off again at dawn. Does anyone want a really nice, friendly, neutered dog who loves to have his tummy scratched?

I forgot to mention how Rowdy got his name. His full name is actually 'Rowdy Raymond Pfizenmaier'. Which actually happens to be the name that Cowboy wanted to name his last boy we had. I just really had a hard time naming my child 'Rowdy'. It was ok until a nurse at the hospital told me the name of her dog was 'Rowdy' and then the fact that he might live up to the name really made me think about it. So we decided to use Grady Griffin for our last boy and save the name Rowdy in case we had another baby by accident some day. :) The middle name Raymond actually goes really well with the name 'Rowdy' for that's the name of my rowdy father! :) Love ya dad!!

He really really is a sweet dog. We would really love to find a new home for him. I don't think he'd run off from your house for once he gets somewhere....he doesn't leave! He's half border collie and half Australian Shepard. He makes a good guard dog, that is when he's here to guard the house. We always know when someone is coming down the drive or the cows are out.
Think about it......

The First Day....

2011-08-19T08:29:00.002-05:00

Well today is the (sniff) first day (sniff) of Kinder (sniff) garten for my (sniff sniff) baby boy. In some moments it's happy tears and most are sad tears. I just can't believe that my baby Grady is so old. It is also the first day without Daishi here. He left yesterday morning and is on a plane as I type. I came to one conclusion yesterday and today. Boys and goodbyes are non existent. At the 4-H building yesterday where all the families met one last time to send off their Japanese student, all the boys were in a group talking, laughing and carrying on. The girls on the other hand were hanging out with their host sister and most were tearful or sad looking. It's just cool that it doesn't make a difference from what country you are from but all of our bodies are the same (hormones/emotions). It's one more piece of evidence that God is the creator of all things and made us in the image of Him.
Here are a few pics to reflect the last few days:
(as I'm eating peanut butter M&M's for breakfast to make me feel better)

This morning before school.....gee Grady doesn't look excited for his first bus ride does he? :)

Down at the corner where we get on the bus. Colton 8th gr. Levi 6th gr. Wylie 4th gr and Grady Kindergarten. Boo hoo . Does anyone have a tissue??

My baby Grady around 9 mo. I'm really not for sure (4th child syndrome) but he has a summer outfit on so it had to be before his 1st birthday (November bday) :)

A family photo before Daishi left for Japan. I'm not sure if he'll miss us. We might have been a little much for him.

All the delegates before they drove away to Rock Springs for the night.

Just a little fun. They looked like they were ready for dinner. Little do they know they might BE dinner soon! lol

This is all I have left to occupy me during the day......crowing roosters. (insert pout here) I think I'll go eat more peanut butter M M's for breakfast. No one here can tell me that I shouldn't eat M M's for breakfast because the house is (sniff) empty. (sniff sniff)

The Last Several Hundred Hours......

2011-08-15T23:30:00.000-05:00

I've become a little lazy on the posting of the blog lately....Sorry Daishi's family! He really is doing well and has met several Japanese boys that he might try to stay in contact with! This home stay has really OPENED my eyes to several behaviors of my family. WOW. I've come to realize that just because you are five years old and starting Kindergarten in a few days it doesn't mean you can rule the roost. Or the fact that you don't need naps when you're five. You just don't WANT them. And five year olds have really loud voices. Really loud. Guess there might be a reason I quit my elementary teacher education and became a nurse. For when you are a nurse and take care of five year olds, they usually have something to cry or be loud about. Just sayin'!!! Don't get me wrong here. Five year olds still snuggle and have adorable little looks and kissable cheeks and the best bear hugs.....sigh. Ok. Here are a few pics from the last several hundred hours of our lives:

Well the creek is good for something isn't it? Daishi did not want to participate in this dirty fun!

They had a ball. Mud ball that is ;)

The beautiful dirty waterfall.

Another host family's family hosted a pool party for all of the delegates! Look at the view, it's amazing!

Some of the host mom's visiting about their new memories.

Seeing all of these Japanese boys in the pool having fun made me realize boys are all alike no matter what country you live in!

Junya staying out of the splashing fun.

See they are all alike! It must be on that Y chromosome.

We watched several storms move in but most were at night.

Junya and Daishi eating hot dogs that they cooked over the fire pit!

Heating up marshmallows to make smores'

Cooking their cold dogs over the hot fire.

Playing pool in my parents basement. Junya was amazed to find there was a room below the main level of their house.

Daishi giving his 'shot' at pool.

We've had an interesting and fun time. We can't believe that 23 days has gone by and Daishi goes back to Japan in a few days. Daishi has had an education on tired 5 year old boys! Poor boy probably feels we're the most dysfunctional family alive. Oh well. It was a true picture of how we live day to day. Nothing more. Nothing less!

More photos

2011-08-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Junya.

Here are a few more photos from this week. Daishi cooked for us one day and it was REALLY good. The sauce that you dipped your noodles in tasted like beef jerky! And, we had to use chop sticks. Did you know that five year olds can't use chopsticks? Apparently not mine anyway. One is of the tent we put at at dusk. They slept in it for 3 nights. It was soooo hot too. I thought they were nuts. And swimming again. What else do you do when it's so hot? :)

The Last Few Days.....

2011-07-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

Well life is busy and we continue to press on everyday for the busy day ahead of us. We've not really done much out of the ordinary. We've been trying to live 'normal' since Daishi is here. lol. I, um haven't hollered as much at the boys as I usually do. I have that 'nice' mom tone that my boys look at me weird for they never usually hear it as much. :) And, they haven't fought as much for they don't want to make Daishi feel uncomfortable with a lot of loud voices. Instead they have just given each other that 'extra shove' when they walk by each other or slap on the back etc. It's actually very interesting to see how your family changes when a different scenario takes place. I'm sure in the next few days all of this will wear off especially since I just talked about it. :) Here are a few pics of the last few days.

( I had a terrible time loading these. They were in order! )

Trying to make something.....

Corn on the cob!! Daishi likes!!

Daishi enjoyed fishing too!

Wylie reaching up to his pole. I like this one.

Daishi.

Pic of half of the pond. The sun was just right for the reflection.

My favorite thing in the world.

Levi, Bailen and Colton across the pond.

Putting up a tent at dusk after fishing.

Putting up a tent is harder than it looks!

Daddy is teaching Grady a thing or two. Not sure he's taking it all in though. :)

The Water

2011-07-25T07:56:00.001-05:00

We decided to go swimming yesterday because well.... it. is. so. hot! Then after we got home the water decided to follow us home and it fell from the sky! We had a terrible time keeping our outside dog outside for the boys kept opening the door to 'see' the rain. Our dog Rowdy does not like storms. He could go and hide in the barn, chicken coop or grainery. But no. He sits in front of the doors waiting for opportunity to dash into our house when the door might open. Of course it always does. Anyway, here are a few pics to highlight our day:

Splashing fight.

Mr. G I'm sorry I always get you with your eyes closed. Still cute none the less!

Daishi and Mr. G

Levi getting ready to 'attack'....

Colton, Wylie and Grady

Grady took these last 3 with this one from our front door. The wind blew hard.

Check out the flag....looks like it might detach and take flight.

Daishi waiting out the storm with Mr photographer snapping shots.

To Daishi's family in Japan:

私はあなたが Daishi の上に更新を楽しむことを希望します。我々はここで彼を持っていることを楽しんでいます。

The New Brother

2011-07-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

We added a new brother to our family for the next 26 days. He came all the way from Japan just to stay with us. (like he knew where he was going) :) If he really knew he might not have wanted to come to our wild house! jk His name is Daishi Kato. He is a VERY nice, kind and a gentle boy. He's 12 years old. More pics to come throughout his stay. Communication has been interesting today, but he is soooo tired from his trip.

This is when we picked him up today.

This is the whole group of kids that came on this voyage. There are four girls and the rest are boys.

Later~

The Package Deal

2011-07-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

I was having a 'life' talk with one of my many offspring awhile back. Not 'the' talk, but about motivation and such. We have difficulty with motivation and initiation of anything at our house. Which definitely includes myself. I used to call myself a lazy perfectionist. (actually I still do) I like things 'so' but am too lazy to make 'so' happen. (unless I get angry.....) So somewhere I came up with this package deal thing while trying to encourage that particular offspring to pick it up a notch. And you know the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it pertained to myself too. Everything is a package deal. Life. Sports. School. Being an adult. Being a child. Everything. In every aspect of every 'deal' there is good/bad, positive/negative or however you want to look at it. There are things about every 'deal' that are NO fun to do. For instance being a child you sometimes have to do chores. Of course no child at my house likes to do any of those. But it's part of the deal being part of a family. Or playing football you have to run your butt off in the heat and go to practice during the week. It's part of the deal to play on the FB team. You have to have motivation even when the going gets tough. Or how about this thing called 'life'. We all have sufferings etc. that we go through. It's not always easy and sometimes we feel as though we got all the bad deals available. But, (that darn but always shows up ) :)

it's just part of the deal.

We don't get to sign up for which deals we get. Although we do have a choice in how we deal with them. We can harbor anger or bitterness or own laziness. Or we can accept those 'deals' willfully and KNOW that there is a God that is bigger and He is always on our side ready and willing to help us 24/7/365. (you just have to ask BTW) You have to learn to accept the bad with the good. Situations are only as good as you make them. You can host your own pity party (like I have for years) or you can find that mustard seed of faith and nurture it. You can put forth that effort or you can selfishly withhold it.

Overall the 'talk' went well with my offspring who is a lot like me. I saw some improvement with his effort and all I had to do was mention 'package deal' when there was something he didn't want to do and he'd realize that he had to do this for it was part of the 'deal'. It also has worked well for me. There are so many things that I do not enjoy doing but 'get' to do and it's made me realize that I do have choices. It doesn't pertain to doing/not doing something but with my attitude that I do it with. What 'deals' are you dealing with that could be dealt with better?

The Wheat Harvest

2011-07-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, wheat harvest. Something we're soooo excited to get going.....and soooo excited for it to be over! We've had a blessed harvest and hopefully will be done either today or tomorrow. I've taken a *few* photos to highlight the week. ( The definition of *few* is different in my dictionary! ;) ) We've had several extra helpers out helping us. I'll try to name the cast of characters from this chapter of harvest. :)

Brother-out-law helping us drive wheat to town (cuz this gal doesn't drive that big rig.)

Two peas in a pod. Levi and cuz Dalton. Just love this photo. Levi was the grain cart driver and even got to drive the combine on his own a short time or two. Dalton was a bale mover in the skid loader. He even learned how to drive a stick shift. That was an entertaining moment!!

Dumping time. Line em' up!

The boss of this whole expedition, father-in-law Carl.

Now here's Double Trouble. Cowboy looks like he's on a mission!

Colton moving the tractor/sprayer to the next field. We've been spraying, swathing, raking, baling and cutting wheat all this week. Colton got to drive the combine all by himself this year. Sure hope you don't have to have a license to drive one of those things......

HOT!!

These are smart cows. They know how to cool themselves off.

*sigh* This just melts my heart. I just want to kiss those cheeks.

Our wheat with the hay field behind.

Our hay that was absolutely uncooperative. Usually the hay isn't that brown when you bale it. When the hay was ready the baler wouldn't work. When the baler was ready, the hay was too dry. Humidity is a guessing game to have just the right moisture to make a bale.

Cuz Bailen. He went solo for the first time driving Gpa's combine. Need I say excited??

Can't forget the baseball games. We had ball games 4 nights this week. *ugh* is all I can say. Or actually bleacher butt!! Wylie was disgusted that anyone would schedule baseball games in the middle of harvest!! He helped by moving lots of bales in the skid loader and well possibly a truck. (But don't tell Uncle Allen the deputy sheriff.)

Late night pizza break!! 3 large pizzas gone in a flash.

Mr G sneaking a drink from the cooler. It. was. hot. Note the boots/shorts. :)

What a beautiful sunset.

Little zoom action. This was last night. The colors where AMAZING! These are the God blessings that we're suppose to take time to look at!! God is all around if we just take the time to "Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Wow, if you made it to the end of these congratulations for perseverance!!

Missing the Point

2011-06-28T08:01:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered how all the different denominations of faith ever came about? How or even why did people ever split into little 'mini' churches at one time?? I haven't taken the time to 'research' the thought (and probably won't) but, sometimes I catch myself thinking why do we have all the different denominations when we all worship the same thing, JESUS?! Why all the 'small' differences?? Why can't we all come together as 'one' and worship our Lord Jesus Christ? When I really think about it, it just seems goofy. It must of been at one time (remember I really don't know) that there were people that argued about the 'small' stuff so they branched off and started a new kind of church. Maybe it would be interesting to research the matter, but I really would rather focus on researching the Bible. I have enough trouble doing that!! :o) Have you ever thought that maybe, we are missing the point?? We don't belong to that group of believers for we don't like the way they worship. Or we don't like the old fashion hymns that this church uses. Or how about that new contemporary music that that church calls worship music. Or even the fact of how this church might baptize, do we dunk or sprinkle??

Does it really matter??

Jesus just wants our hearts and a daily relationship with Him. He wants us to know Him like he already knows us. All this other stuff is just stuff (I'm definitely not saying 'stuff' is not important). It boils down to where our focus is. The problem is if we focus on the differences more than we focus on Christ. If we're growing in our faith and daily relationship with Our God and Savior and the focus is on Him, then it doesn't matter where you go to church. Religion is not a routine or even a decision of 'yes, I do believe'. It's all about what you do with it. Making it a daily habit of getting to know the Creator of ALL things in a more intimate way. Acknowleding that the world doesn't revolve around yourself and submitting yourself to His will daily. That is so much easier to type than it is to live it out. And believe it or not, Christians still make mistakes. I used to have a hard time when a so called 'Christian' acted in a certain way. It took awhile for God to show me that it was between Him and that person and I was not to judge them. It was my job to love them instead. And you know what, it's made my relationship with Him grow deeper not having to worry about what others were doing wrong and it looking bad towards 'Christians'. God is bigger than that and can handle people being naughty. He has a way of making ALL things work for the good of those who love Him. (Rom 8:28 NIV) Just dig a little deeper and find out for yourself! It just takes effort, motivation and selflessness. Which by the way do not just come to you.....I learned that the hard way too. It's a choice everyday that you make when you get up on how you're going to live that day. Are you going to live for Him today or yourself?

The Mess part III

2011-06-22T00:18:00.000-05:00

Today was a very progressive day in terms of bathroom/laundry room. I wonder if God ever thinks the same way about us? Anyway, I'm having a hard time deciphering weekdays from weekends since the boys are not in school anymore. Today totally felt like a weekend especially since Cowboy was home working on this ~~never ending~~ project. It was such a fun day. The boys hardly fought which is rare and I know they're sleeping well tonight. Everyone was part of a different project. Here are a few pics to highlight the day:

Beamer Bob got the job of redoing the mailbox.

He worked for quite awhile sanding away the old paint. What was left of it I should say.

Here it is almost done. He had fun doing this too. Maybe he'll be a carpenter? I have him pegged as a computer person. Like on the Geek Squad!

These three hoodlums got to paint the fence. They were excited until they remembered......

how long the fence really is. This is the project that Cowboy worked on at the beginning of the year. He welded alot of metal this spring. This is one that took the place of the bathroom project.......

Can you see them? They did pretty good!! Three cans of paint later.

They wanted me to get a pic of their hands......looks like they missed a few spots too.

And I wanted to get a pic of their faces....and jeans. They must of forgot what they were painting a time or two.

Bossy Bob painted his hands and then thought it'd be funny to paint his fingernails black.

This was Bugger Bob's project after we paused for a station identification and ate lunch.

Here is Cowboy cutting lots and lots and lots of trim. It looks like he's going to cut his fingers off.

It's coming together!! Working on the trim.

Got the baseboards in and need to get the window yet.

This was my job and I think I might be staining in my sleep tonight. I can't imagine building a house and having even MORE trim to stain and poly. My new nickname I think is Polly.

This will probably be the last to get done. I got it painted but we're so focused on getting that shower done before harvest.

I will be having another cleaning party soon. No one showed up for the last one. So I thought I'd try again! lol Maybe I'll have a family gathering and surprise everyone by making them clean before they get to eat! lol

The Beauty of Creation

2011-06-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

I just love sunsets or sunrises. The beauty of them just makes me so peaceful and in awe of God. After all He created the earth for us so it's up to us to slow down long enough to 'see' it. Isn't life about what you see and how you perceive it? Why I keep myself so busy I have yet to figure out. I'm the one missing out when I am so caught up in 'me'. Last month I ran outside with one of my offspring and caught a few pics after looking out the window at the radiant colors that I saw out of the corner of my eye. They're not all that great but I hope you enjoy them. I also added a few from the other night when we had an 'electrical' storm right above our house. The night the wind blew sooo hard that the soccer ball that had been stuck in the tree for over a year fell out!!

The Big Brothers

2011-06-14T11:51:00.001-05:00

Today Mr. G hit a milestone in life. He learned ~~finally~~ how to ride a bike!!! You can see the excitement in his eyes. Cowboy has tried for a long time to teach him how like he did the other boys. But, Mr. G just didn't quite get it. Given his personality, I think he was just scared to crash. (kind of like his mother possibly). Here are few pics to highlight the wonderful moment of his 5.5 yrs in life! :) Big brothers are sure good to have (of the time anyway!) ;)

LOOK MOM, I CAN RIDE!!

HEHE, WATCH THIS........

TOTAL CONCENTRATION!!

OOPS.....SMALL LITTLE CRASH

UGH....I CAN"T GET THIS PEDAL THE RIGHT WAY

I THEN NOTICED THESE BEHIND MR. G. DO YOU THINK THEY FEEL LEFT OUT?

The Progress

2011-06-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Well the bathroom project is on the down hill slide! Yay! Amen!! Here are a few pics of the two rooms after painting the walls and ceiling. The floor might go in soon and then we can set the toilet and place the vanity/sink into place and wa`la! A finished bathroom!! This project has made me thankful of regular ole' dust. I can not stand that white dust from mudding and sanding sheetrock. It is everywhere and then some. If any of you are looking for something to do........I'm still painting this entry way and then DUSTING. Any takers? :)

This is the wall that we added. The other side is the laundry room.

My tiny bathroom!! I've been teasing Cowboy that I get the first shower! He begs to differ!

The toilet hole. And a...get this....laundry shoot door that my kids can play restaurant with. ;)

The other side of the 'restaurant'. Hope to get some shelves in the corner.

And the clothes are already piling up. I had to cover them so the ceiling paint wouldn't make poka-dots on them.

The Springing of our Hearts

2011-06-08T07:58:00.000-05:00

Technically it is still Spring, even though it's June!! The evidence is all around us that Spring is still here!! Green grass, leaves on trees and full bloom flowers. Daffodils, tulips and many more. It is a promise from our heavenly Father of renewing growth. But with any season,

It is all about how we see.

What do you see in your heart? What is springing up in it? Joyfulness? Forgiveness? Thankfulness? Or how about the not so good stuff of bitterness, selfishness or unforgiveness? How is the 'dirt' in your heart? Are these things able to spring up through the crusty dry earth? Or is your dirt now soil and softened so things can grow easily and abuntantly? Dirt is made into soil by tears of joy or even sorrow. Soil isn't usually crusty and dry after it gets wet. Soil is always soft and tender like even though it might become dry. Make soil by cultivating with God's word and watering it.

So if your busy making soil....at the same time it is also a time for cleaning! We love to clean out things that have taken over our houses during the winter months. It's a good time to clean out our hearts of things that we don't need any more. Like that bitterness towards that someone who really hurt you. Or that anger over that something that wasn't really something at all. Or how about disbelief. Not believing that God CAN take care of that problem that has been around for too long to remember. Spring is a time to shine things up. Wash those windows of your heart. Or even open a window to your heart so you can feel the breeze of the grace and smell the rain of forgiveness that's lavished upon you.

Here are my pics (that I took with different settings??) that I couldn't get loaded from my wilted flower vs watered flower. It's amazing the difference isn't it? Yet that is how we all wake up every morning. In need of Spiritual water for THAT day. Why do we insist on going through our day wilted and nothing to give, when we could water our hearts spiritually and be abundant. What are you watering yourself with?

The Rain

2011-06-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of the mud and water that are lingering around our house this morning after a night full of a few rain drops! We only had 3.5 inches last night but yesterday afternoon we had 2.4 inches. I know my sister had more than that and MANY others!!

My tomato plant doesn't look good.

That water doesn't belong there!

Or this water.

Well, this used to be a crossing.

But now it's a little river.

Or just a big gap now that will take a days work to fix.

What is it about boys and mud. He just had to try to walk in it.

The creek right beside our house. Sure hate to get too close and fall in.

The white caps are the fence posts under water.

My mailbox that needs .....well....soemthing.

Our pad. :)

The Flower

2011-05-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

This morning I was out watering our flowers in the 40 degree weather. You'd think they wouldn't be wilting, but I guess all flowers need water at some point! lol I haven't been paying attention to them as much for it isn't 'hot' yet so they shouldn't need it as often, right? Apparently I wrong once again. = ) I had some difficulty with 3 particular flowers that are wilting waaay to often. I even dug them up a few days ago and replanted them. It was then that I noticed their roots were really short. It made me ponder the idea that we are all actually like flowers. We all need 'water' to live. But more than that we need spiritual water to survive the journey we are on. Jesus says in John 4:13-14:

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I woke up a bit wilted this morning. I was thirsty and very dry. I needed that spiritual drink from the get go but sometimes your thirst mechanism doesn't tell you that you are thirsty. That is a sign of already being dehydrated. I felt like one of those flowers that are very needy for water. I'm not good with flower names, so I can not give you an example. (I googled and still couldn't come up with one.) I would much rather be that flower that is easy to grow. You know the ones that can withstand the heat and dry spells. I guess those are the wild ones usually. I want to be the wild flower, beautiful but yet tough. Although, my Cowboy considers most of those wild flowers 'weeds' maybe I'd better not.
This morning really made me consider how deep my 'roots' are. Are they in shallow soil that needs frequent watering? Or are they rooted deeply and can withstand a little bit of drought before totally wilting away? We are alot like flowers, aren't we? What kind of flower are you?

The Exceptional Day

2011-05-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

The other day we had a very interesting day. It all started out well but gradually started to gravitate towards the unusual part of it. It began while I was at work and got a phone call right before lunch from the school nurse saying one of my boys had gotten his finger caught in a door way and ripped open his finger. She didn't think it was worthy of a stitch so we went with that and she bandaged it up. So the rest of the day goes on. I then got another phone call. This time from my Cowboy asking that we come home as soon as we can after I get off work for he needed a ride. Ok, that's cool. Nothing unusual about that. It's starting to be that time of year when I make lots of trips from one field to another. So I get off work and gather my offspring from various places. Which is a tough situation some days. They never want to go home. Never. No exaggeration on that either. So we're on our way home driving on Hwy 24 getting ready to turn. We turn the corner and I push on the gas like anyone else does when they're driving. My car felt like it reared up like a horse. Twice. We all looked at each other and one of the offspring says....what in the world was that? I replied ' Umm, I didn't do that. The car did.' The car kept acting a little funny but kept going. So we get to our corner and turned. It did it again, but not as bad. I thought, ok there is really something wrong here. My husband is not going to like this. So we pull in our drive and it still funny but not bad. The three youngest offspring jumped out and Cowboy jumped in. We left them home for I'd be right back. So we go about 2 miles and the car started acting funny again. I said 'See Cowboy this car is not right. It's been acting like a horse all the way home rearing up and everything' He wasn't having the best of days and wasn't excited to hear such a thing come out of my mouth. So the car gets slower and slower and then just DIED. I just started to laugh out loud. Cowboy was cussing. Oldest offspring was kind of chuckling himself. I was laughing for I had sandals on (it was the day it was 95 or so) and sandals aren't made for walking. Then it dawned on me that the 3 most eligible drivers in our family were sitting in this dead car that wouldn't restart. And we were 2 miles from home. So Cowboy called on the next one in line who is no where near of age to drive. He gave very specific directions to Bossy Bob pertaining to his truck. He was not to drive over 20 mph. And he was to make sure his brothers weren't behind the truck when he backed up. I said to Cowboy "Really? Did you have to say that? Thanks for putting that thought in my mind" It took forever for him to get there. Of course going 20 mph it takes more than 2 min. to go 2 miles. And I was just for sure that he had ran over Bugger Bob.
He finally came and we piled in the truck. I asked Cowboy what he thought was wrong with the car. He says " I'm not sure, but could it be out of gas??" Hmm. Well, considering the gas gage does NOT work, that could be a yes. But I always reset the mile thingy and I hadn't even gone 300 miles yet. So I didn't think it was the gas.
We went and got gas anyway from home for it'd be the quick fix. We filled er up and guess what. The car started! I was fairly embarrassed. Cowboy says "maybe you should fill up after 275 miles instead of 325." So off we went to give Sassy Cowboy a ride to his destination. We're almost done with our expedition but I had to go and pick Cowboy again. So we're finally on our way home and I get this text message from Bossy Bob saying that Billy Bob might have broke his toe because the horse had stomped on it. Billy Bob is the offspring who got his finger caught in the door earlier in the day. It just wasn't his day. He is a lot like my little big sister. She used to always have something like that happen to her while we were growing up. So we scdadled home to find the toe to be just fine. I told Billy Bob that he was going to have to go to bed now for I didn't want anything else to happen to him today!
Moral of the story is...get your gas gage fixed if it's broken AND if your car rears up like a horse....you might be just about out of gas!!

The End

The Mess part II

2011-05-06T23:04:00.001-05:00

Well two years ago, we started a remodel job but it was over about as quick as it started. No one really knows why other than it just wasn't the right time to finish it I guess. I could elaborate on my opinion but I sure would hate to bore you. I rarely have an opinion let alone share it with anyone, but I am learning to do that..........especially with having boys!! Anyway you're sidetracking me. This isn't about me having an opinion. :) This is about a remodel job that recently fired back up. **sigh** Talk about a mess. Here are a few pictures of "The Mess part II". Click here for part I (two years ago) And here for a pondering thought .

Here we go:

Future laundry room with old vanity. (for sale with top even)

Same room different view. There will be a wall to block off those patio doors.

Diggin' in!

Wylie doing something....

Boys just LOVE to tear things up!! They wanted to do more!

The floor finally out. Cowboy killed a snake this day also!!

Shower base and drain in!!

My small small bathroom that I miss oh so much!!

Old old old floor. (out of order)

This is how we are living. It absolutely is no fun. My washer and dryer do not make good islands!

Anybody need an old dryer?? What a mess!!

We're living in the living room just like we're suppose to!! ha

Even our deck is a mess.

Not sure how much longer I can tolerate all of this mess, but it sure is worth the end product!! If any of you see me and I seem I little off, now you know why! Dust is everywhere and so is everything else. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel but it's right about now that I want to take off on a full sprint to finish it. But now farming is starting to steal my cowboy. It better watch out for I've learned a few good moves from those boys!

The Word

2011-04-29T07:37:00.000-05:00

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path".

I read this verse this morning and light came on for me.   You know the 'ah ha' moment kind. The kind that I felt God speaking to me. Like 'hello-do ya get it now?' To me this says...the path is dark and narrow, but here is my light to lead the way. I say dark for you wouldn't need a light if you were able to see the path. I also say narrow for Matthew 7:14 says:

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

To live a life pleasing to God, we have to purposely spend time learning what His Word is. It is that simple. Read His Word. His Word is a light for our paths and a lamp for our feet. To keep us from stumbling on our path of life. The wider our paths are, the more crooked of a walk we can have. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking like a drunk. One step here then stumble to the right. Even taking a step back then just standing still to gather my sense of direction.  But, the narrow road leads to life. There isn't much room for stumbling for there isn't much stumbling taking place. For we have a light leading our way. That gate is narrow. I don't think we'll be allowed to climb the fence right beside the gate either.

1 John 1:5-7 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another...."

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

So to summarize: God is the word, the word is a light unto our paths and if we are not using that lamp for our feet then we are in darkness on the wide path that does not lead to God. The simplicity of all of this is reading the Word.   To purposely and intentionally walk in the light and daily gathering that manna to supply all of our needs for the walk on the narrow road. If it's that simple then why don't we do it? Life is busy but we still have the choice to crack that bible open and read it. Find yourself an accountability friend and get yourself in His Word! It is the only light for the path which you are on. So, is your path wide or narrow?

The Moving Day

2011-03-29T11:18:00.001-05:00

It seems like I like to post a lot of photos of us moving cattle. Well, here are some more! =) This time of year we like to act like real cowboys and move them around from field to pen. These pics were taken earlier in March when it was still really cold out. Oh yeah, it STILL cold out isn't it? Sorry that I tried to confuse you. Or maybe it's me who is confused?! lol It's not like it's Spring or anything and it should be warm. Anyway.....

Here's Cowboy getting the first horse out.

A little help from dad every now and then sure helps.

Our nephew always comes and helps us. He loves it!

Cowboy getting the horse ready to ride.

Billy Bob and Beamer Bob get to ride the 'modern' horse.

Whatcha doing behind there Mr. Cowboy?? Too much coffee? =)

My Cowboy. He seems to have the look of "put that dang thing away".

Rounding up the stubborn ones.

These two brats WOULD NOT COOPERATE.

Still not cooperating.

Hand signals.....got to keep your eye on the Cowboy.

Still being a brat, the calf that is.....

Far away view. They cut across and I have to drive around the section.

It's a grainy pic, but it was from half a mile away.

The horse will win everytime!

Levi's cow had a limp and he had to follow her by the trees.

Yes, you need to keep going forward. The hay coming is not for you though.

When one goes....they all go....the wrong way!

Almost to the pen, several hours later.

They found the hole.....it seems to be harder than you think sometimes.

All done!!

Mr. G finally getting his turn on the 4 wheeler with big brother.

The Manna

2011-03-20T23:29:00.001-05:00

Do you ever feel like your just wondering through life like the Israelites did through the desert for 40 yrs? Whining and complaining about what God hasn't given you. (my bathroom) Things you feel you deserve or want so bad that whatever it is, it has become a idol in your life? (It's been two years and I think I deserve to have it already) Do you own belief or disbelief that God can supply everything for you spiritually on a daily basis? Or do feel like it's a one time commitment and you've already decided "I'm in" and that's that. Well, maybe I'm the only one. But my guess is I am not. In Exodus 15 and 16, the story is told of people, just like you and I, doubting God to where He is taking them and stretching their faith at the same time.

The Israelites were led into the desert by Moses. By the third day of no water, they became a little testy. (man I know I would've been) Then they found water, but it was bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and He showed him a piece of wood. After he threw it into the water it became sweet. Ah, can you imagine how GOOD that tasted??? Especially after 3 days of nothing. God has a way of making us dependent upon Him sometimes doesn't He? They were then led to another location. These people grumbled again against Moses and said they would've rather died by the Lord's hand in Egypt where they were in their comfort zone of sitting around eating pots of meat and all the food they ever wanted. My personal opinion would be that most people (including Christians and myself) are in this category. It's so much easier to stay where you know what is what etc. But,

Faith is like a rubber band. It's no good unless it's stretched.

So after all the complaining, once again, God heard them and told them that he would supply meat at twilight and bread every morning. So that night they feasted on quail and the next morning a layer of flakes that were like frost appeared on the ground. They were told to gather as much as they needed, but (why is there always a butt??) no one was to keep any until morning. Well, guess what these silly people did. They didn't listen. They kept part of it until morning and it was full of maggots and had an odor. They didn't believe what God had said.

God will supply us daily with our needs, if we keep our faith and place our complete trust in Him.

I'm in the process of writing a surrender letter to God and committing to daily place my faith and complete trust in Him and where He is taking me. God can only lead us if we're following him. We can't walk in front of or even beside Him. I've been on my own agenda and getting my fix on Sundays and Wednesdays and hoping I can store what I gained until the next time. I'm not daily gathering my manna. And ya know, I think I smell a stench. (I really do actually in my gutted bathroom) I just hope it doesn't take 40 yrs. to figure this out. (Or for my bathroom) What about you? How often do you gather your manna?

The White Stuff

2011-03-19T23:34:00.001-05:00

Sure hope we're done with this white stuff. But it sure is beautiful!! Here are pics of our farm covered in a blanket of snow back in January. Tomorrow welcomes Spring!! Yay!!

The KC Trip

2011-03-01T12:30:00.000-06:00

Here we are bright and early heading to THE CHIEFS game!! We swapped my nephew for Mr. G. We thought maybe he'd have more fun playing with his cousin. And the nephew helps us farm in the summer so we thought we'd pay him back for all his hard work.

My boys had never seen a city before. So we had to take a few photos.

Here's the momma's that went. The group was from the boys' football team.

And the Dads.

A zoomed pic of the kids. :o) Proof that they actually went.

Family photo minus Mr. G.

Me and Cowboy minus the cowboy hat. (what a goofy smirk I have)

The nose bleed section. But we had a lot of fun!!

Yes, Cowboy you really want to be here!!

This is Cowboy meets City. AKA hubby gets out of town!!!

I think the back ground words describe it best. (note the ipod in hands)

I snapped the photo just after I told Bossy Bob that I forgot to order an extra chocolate shake for him.

As were heading to the truck we stopped to pose with the American Hawk. (just can't bring myself to say it any other way. I'm a WILDCAT!!!)

This was waaay back in November, but I'm just getting caught up with all my photos. :o)

The Surprise

2011-02-21T07:40:00.002-06:00

Doesn't he look sweet and innocent?? (I'm talking about the dog.) :o) We'll actually he's not that innocent but he is sweet. That's a whole another post. Mr. G here grabbed a hold of my camera while we were moving cattle the other day. This is what I found when I was reviewing the photos. This isn't the first time either. See here. Not sure what this says about his future career when he grows up.

Maybe an actor?

A monkey hanging upside down?

A duck?

A pouting puppy?

A lip syncer?

Aw, come on mom. I had fun!!

The Intentional Life

2011-02-17T09:47:00.001-06:00

Have you ever told a friend the famous line of "we need to get together sometime"? To then realize weeks later that you never have?  Or that you would pray for them and hope that you'd remember? Or have intentions to call that person who lost a loved one just months ago just to see how they 're doing, but put it off because it just didn't work into the schedule that day? I guess what I'm getting at is we are all full of intentions. Intentions to help, pray, fellowship or just to do good.  The definition of 'intention' from Webster's is:

n. A plan of action; purpose, either immediate or ultimate.

I'm realizing that I always have intentions to do this or that, but what I now see is what is missing: A plan of action. I want to purposefully fill my intention. But first I have to have a plan. I have to have action.   Do you notice the word act in that word? One has to act out the intention. Webster defines plan:

v. To have in mind as an intention or purpose. n. A scheme or method for achieving something.

Well, I'd have to say that I tend to have a lot of schemes but maybe not methods.  I've always defined schemes as a negative thing. Someone who was up to no good. A schemer. But am I a schemer for having in mind an intention or purpose, but not following through? Hmmm.

A person has to...remember this from last year?....deliberately determine to form a resolution with courage that is a firm decision of a course of action. (you really have to read that slow) This has been lurking around for over a year in my heart and I still haven't got it. I posted this over a year ago. Intentions have to be deliberate. You have to purposely pursue that intention with a plan. I'm not saying you should plan your everything, for being spontaneous is sometimes needed to fulfill a purpose. But if one truly means what they say, you need to deliberately, intentionally follow through. We get busy, we forget for we have hundreds of other things on our minds. But do you think that this is how God intended life to be like? Too busy to keep our word? Or to spend time with that friend who really needs a encouraging friend? Are you walking the walk or just talking the talk? Webster again defines deliberate:

v. To say or do something intentionally; to plan in advance.

There is that word again. Plan. I've never been a planner. I tend to 'fly by the seat of my pants' per say. Being spontaneous is my way of life.   If it floats my way then it must have been meant to be. I've never been a go getter, a person of purposeful intention for something. I think it's why it's been so hard to pursue my faith. You actually have to put effort into it. You have to deliberately seek the Lord. Knowledge doesn't just come to you...or float your way....you have to purposely seek it and obtain it. I hope that I can intentionally live my life for Christ by deliberately seeking Him.   I'm planning time every morning to seek him (but not beat myself up if it doesn't happen) and I'm going to intentionally spend time in the Word. I'm going to deliberately be a friend to someone who needs a friend. I'm going to stop saying and start doing by purposely fulfilling my intentions. I've kept myself sooo busy, that one day just bleeds into another. I don't realize how much time has gone by sometimes. I want to define my days so I can tell them apart. I want to seek purpose for each day. Not just wait for it to 'float by'.

This is going to take a lot of effort and energy, but is it not worth it?

Proverb 16:25 NIV "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

I don't want to get caught up in what seems right to me. I want to know what is right by seeking God and having Him show me through his Word. It's a purposeful choice that one has to intentionally choose.

What is your choice?

The Tub

2011-02-05T09:55:00.000-06:00

This morning while my youngest was taking a bath (and it was cold one mind you) I was having to prod him along to get things done. Not an unusual thing. He was laying flat on his back and I noticed that he fit perfectly in the tub. His blond head just touches one end while his ten little toes the other. I can't believe my eyes. When did this happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was only half as big? I know it was. Well maybe a few months ago anyway. Babies are not that big. Then I realize, he is not a baby. Of course, I already knew that. But he IS the baby of the family. Doesn't that count for something? I'm realizing how fast time goes when I look at how big my boys are. I pictured lil' G being being one of those spongy things that you put in a glass of water and they expand when they absorb the water. I know that's what happened. The water made him double in size and when he gets out, he'll shrink back to half the size. But then he got out. And it didn't happen. :o( I was saddened. Although it is rather fun to see the boys grow up, I just wish the time would go by slower. I think they are helping shape me just as much as they are being shaped into lil' big people. My oldest just turned 13 three day's ago. In five years he'll be graduating from high school. Now that is crazy!!

The Christmas tree hunting guide

2011-02-02T07:43:00.000-06:00

This is a guide on how hillbillies (or rednecks) get their Christmas trees. No one was injured during the making of this hunt, but a few extra trees might have been. Not all made the cut after they were 'cut'. (pun intended) :o)

First and foremost, you must have a snowball fight the day before you go. You just do. It actually helps if you have a little more snow.....but if you don't have any just use dirt clods. And maybe trash can lids for protection. :o)

Then you load up on a 4 wheeler. All of you. How ever many of you, you can make it work. It might not be safe, but I'll guarantee it's a fun memorable day!!

This tree is an example of one maybe for your deck or front porch. Not house material really. You could actually use it for your pet!

This one is waaaay tooo big! Not house material either.

This one well, we thought we could cut it up from the bottom and make it work. But, it didn't work.

Then, you must I say, must play king of the pasture. Must. Not sure who won.

Here she is! Our tree that we picked.

And finally, this is how you must haul it home.

And this whole scenario must take at least 2 hrs. or more. It wouldn't be as much fun if you spent any less time roaming the country side on a 4 wheeler with 6 people and a dog.

One last tip, be sure you wait until hunting season is over OR go before. You wouldn't want to be mistaken for a deer now would you?

The Car Keys

2011-01-27T06:38:00.001-06:00

Usually in the morning I have one of the boys go out and start the car to warm it up so I can take them to the corner to get on the bus. It wasn't any different this particular morning. Wylie went out and started it up for us. We're always pushing the line of being on time. Is that hard to imagine? ~~Yes~~. Surely not. So we all headed out to the car after scattering around quickly for our backpacks and coats. I reached for the handle to get in. What in the world. It's frozen shut already? I wiggled and wiggled the handle. It wasn't budging. So I tried the back seat door. It's not opening either. Neither did the other doors on the other side. Hmmm. It wasn't until then did I realize.....we were locked out. With the car running. So since we were ~~probably~~ a minute late already I quickly started the big beast. The one with a big V10 engine that needs a few minutes to run to realize it's really running. And, the windshield was all iced over except for this small area around the rear view mirror. Well, she didn't get much of a warm up this particular morning and we had to go. So we went down the road with me trying to see out of the top center of the wind shield. By the time we got to the corner (2/3 of a mile).....you can probably guess. The bus was gone. It was not even in site. Usually you can see the blinking light in the dawn of the morning. But not today. Usually I just catch up with it (yes this has happened only ~~once~~ a few times) :) The roads were still kind of bad and I couldn't see the bad road anyway, so we headed back home. I thought I could just get ready for work early and take them in to school. And make them pay for it later. :) So we got home to shut the car off and realized that the spare key to the car was at my parents house. In Clay Center. 14.5 miles away. So I came up with plan C and called my dad. Aren't dads great? I asked him to meet me in Morganville and swap the key for the boys and take them to school for me. He agreed. Thanks Dad!! I finally got the car shut off after it running for only one hour. The moral of the story is....keep more than one spare key in various locations. Especially if you live in the country!!

The Transformer

2011-01-23T11:31:00.004-06:00

I was putting my children to bed the other night at an ungodly hour. It was well past midnight. I really try not to let my kids stay up that late for they turn ugly the next day. They transform into something from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Well, almost. It's usually no fun anyway. But (there's always a but isn't there?) we were having a fun evening with some fun people. But usually when you sacrifice sleep for fun, you pay for it. Or the kids pay for it. That's what happened at this ungodly hour that night. I was briskly tucking them in to get them to sleep quickly.

Then it happened.

This momma transformed into this monster that sadly visits our house too often. I realized that something transpired earlier in the evening while all these boys were running around unsupervised. I didn't like what I saw and literally came 'unglued'. Of course the lack of sleep on my part came boiling to the top and I lost it. Not sure what I lost or if even I had something to lose. But I wasn't a happy camper anymore. The fun had ended. I was like that chainsaw tearing up my children's spirits. (It was BAD. I was throwing clothes and toys across the room all the while lashing mean, mean things out of my mouth.) I went down stairs and Cowboy says....'what was that all about'? I explained nicely and heading back up. He says 'don't forget to breath'. So I sighed really loud. :) I went to bed and just laid there totally disgusted with my transformation. Wow, what a beast I had become. Why do I have to become a beast? Why not a gentle kind princess? Why do I let loose? Why has my tolerance level gotten so low? Why has crossing that line become so easy? I used to hate myself after one of these incidences and then get stuck in a pit with negative thinking. But God has shown me that I'm still lovable even when I'm a monster. Not that he likes or approves of that monster, but he's not going to turn away from me because of my monstrous animal like behavior. I was literally a lion that escaped from his cage and was devouring the precious spirits of my boys' hearts. They didn't deserve what I gave them for what had happened was not that big of a deal. Talk about making a mountain out of an ant hill.

Isn't that what we like to do?

Make mountains out of hills?

I know sometimes our journey in life feels like a mountain. A difficult steep climb with obstacles and falling rocks. It might be a good idea to know who you are following in that climb. The rocks from their imperfect journey might hit you in the head and knock you off. Or, there is a experienced climber who can make it to the top without ever slipping. No rocks will ever fall on you. He's even so experienced that he can reach down and pull you up or hold you steady when you get stuck and can't find anything to hold on to. You just have to ask.

The Bloom Book Club

2011-01-23T09:46:00.005-06:00

I'm not a book reader and really never have liked reading. Just ask my mom. Or my sister. But getting older and being more 'mature' (ha) I've learned to appreciate the knowledge it can offer. I came across the web site incourage.me and have fallen in envy to all the wonderful writers. They recently just joined the Bloom Book Club and are partnering up together now. I added a button to the right that you can click on if interested. And let me tell you.....you should be!! The two gals that 'run the show' for the book club and Angie and Jessica. Angie has a blog that I have the button to also (on the right) called I'm a Sunday. (Also Bring the Rain.) The book they are starting in a couple of weeks is Ann Voskamps One Thousands Gifts. I'm almost as excited to read this book as I was getting married or having my babies. Almost. This writer is SO gifted. She takes the everyday struggles and some how puts a God twist to it. In reality, the twist is always there....but I usually can't 'see' it. She 'sees' it and writes about it. You would be a different person if you spent time reading some of her posts.
There is still time to order a book......so I challenge you to join me in this adventure! Leave me a comment if you are willing to join me and we can do this together!

The New Camera

2011-01-19T07:38:00.000-06:00

Well.......she got a new camera. Watch out. Lots of new pics to bore you with. I've had it since Oct. but my computer wasn't compatible to upload them. So.....I have about 400 pics to share. Just kidding. Not all at once. But here are a few to highlight the last few months........

Football!!! I love this one....looks like they're taking a knee to pray.

#27 is mine

"But....But I had him down right there.....no Buts Levi!!

Fall harvest 2010

Helping do something....I never really know......

Helping Gpa Carl do.....again......something

Wylie turned 9! There really is a cake in there :)

Beauty from my back door.........

We actually left the county and went to a KC Chiefs game!!

This is Cowboy meets City..........

Grady turns 5!! Look at all the different personalities shining.

Cowboy and all of his SISTERS......there are even a few missing!!

I'll post more later....I was just overwhelmed with excitement and HAD to share a few. This is only the beginning! lol

The New Rules

2011-01-11T11:16:00.003-06:00

My boys are not happy with their mother or father today. We decided that we needed some rules on their new electronics. Wow. Not a fun day for them. Or us. They didn't take the new rules so well. But there are other rules too, that we announced today. Words. Words that don't elevate or encourage will be 'prosocuted'. It seems that the more you 'tolerate' or ignore bad things, they really don't go away. That's the easy way out. I've been really bad about that. If you don't positive reinforce something, it's not suppose to keep happening, right? Not really. It seems with our children, that it makes the problem bigger. For too long, we've not been taking care of sassyness, complaining, arguing, name calling or especially back talking. Waaay toooo loooong. To hear "you retard" is not that unusual. Or "well, he did it first". Or "everyone else gets too" "I never get to". How about the "that's not fair". What is getting the worst is the older two boys trying to reinforce what I just said to someone else. Like they are a parent. These things might be totally normal, but they don't need to be the normal everyday conversations within the walls of this house.
With all of this, I would have to admit that I like to 'stir the pot' just as much as they do. Real grown up, I know. But I have this built in sarcasm that just won't leave me alone. It comes racing out of this ugly mouth of mine before I have a chance to stop it. Most of the time. The other times, it just feels good. Not right, but good. I'm working on self-control. That is an unending situation. I've come to the conclusion that most parents are just kids in a grown up body. We are still learning as we go. No one handles these situations perfectly, but some sure have a better grip on it than we do. So, if you see soap on the corners of my childrens mouths or callouses on their fingers from writing sentences.....you know that we're trying to be consistent in our ways. And if you notice that their abs are a 6 pack or their triceps are bulging, then you know they've been very naughty and have been doing many sit-ups and push ups. I told my husband that I was going to make up some consequences for him too if he didn't straighten up. He didn't think that was as funny as I did. :o)
If you have any consequences that work well for your family....please share!!

The New Year

2011-01-02T11:05:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!! I'm amazed each year how fast the year goes by. Actually, January through May go rather slow and it picks up in May with planting, then harvest, baseball and putting up hay.   Finally, it slows down after fall harvest and many football games right before Thanksgiving. I remember growing up that all the years seemed the same. Now a days, it seems like none of the years are alike. I suppose it's do to having children?? They are forever changing and growing. Their mouths get bigger and louder....and the fights get bigger and louder...and the clothes get bigger and more expensive! :o)
To re-cap the year 2010:
January: Colton played basketball for the Clifton-Clyde Jr. High and had many games.
February: Colton turned 12.
March:
April: Levi turned 10.
May:   Started planting fall crops.
June: Planting & harvested wheat. Baseball. Baseball. Baseball. I started a new job.
July: Put up a lot of hay. Baseball. FB camp.
August: Almost went to Colorado. Boys started a new school in Clay Center. FB begins!! More hay.
September: Celebrated 15 yrs of marriage!! Lots of FB games. More hay.
October: Fall harvest and drilling wheat. Cows home from pasture. More FB games.
November: Wylie turned 9 and Grady 5.
December: Had a New Years Eve party. (Last one was 15 yrs ago.)

The word(s) (or theme) of the new year for me are: No fear and thankfulness.  I'm starting a family gratitude journal that we'll do around the table at supper.  My children are far from being grateful and I'm going to MAKE them be! :o)  (ha ha if that's possible) But it's worth a try. I feel life is about perspective and how you see it. What you do with it. By having an attitude of gratitude, you can look at things and see the good and be positive. Other wise it's down into the pit for a pity party and life ends up not being fair. Which we all know it's not, but to be captivated by that way of thinking is really 'pitiful'.  :o) I'm also tired of being captivated by fear and having it control me at times. The year of 'no fear' and thankfulness! May you have a blessed year and may you see all the blessings that God will bestow upon you and your family!

The Mary in your Merry

2010-12-18T09:54:00.000-06:00

It seems like this time of year we (at least I do anyway) tend to think of Mary more often. She is the mother of our Lord after all. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine what she felt when the angel appeared to her that day? Saying "Do not be afraid, Mary (are you kidding me?), you have found favor with God". I would've been looking around me for another Mary. Knowing myself I would've been a doubting Thomas and reacted differently than she did. Mary responded "I am the Lord's servant, May it be to me as you have said." Wow. I don't think I could've kept my mouth from saying that little, for I tend to talk even more when I am nervous. (Scary thought, I know) Then again, this is why God found favor in her, for who she was. He knew her heart and how she would respond even before she did.

In our small group the other night, we read this passage Luke 1:26-38 a couple of times to let it resonate in our hearts. A friend spoke what she picked up from it. In the passage before (1:5-25) when the angel appeared before Zechariah to say "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,..." Zechariah responded (like I more than likely would've) "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years". He totally was doubting what the angel said would happen. What the angel says in response is what gets me. "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."(emphases mine) I think sometimes I need reprimanded to gain a realization of how much I doubt. And my boys would really love it if I couldn't speak anymore!! I would be a permanent mute mind you for how much I doubt. My friend was comparing the responses from Zechariah and Mary. What a contrast. Believe or doubt. When we believe that there is a God and believe in His Son, we need to believe the Word of God. We need to know the Word by reading it. You might not need a church to be 'saved', but you do need the Word of God to truly believe. Mary found her merry by trusting and believing. May you ponder these ways and truly find your merry this Christ filled season.

The Joy

2010-11-05T09:39:00.000-05:00

Have you ever woke up one morning (or several) just grumpier than all get out? Or even wake up feeling numb? What happens during the night that changes one's mood? Why does one wake up 'happy & joyful' one day and 'mad at the world' another? I do not have the answer to that. I only know it happens. To me. Too often. Although I have learned how to recognize it immediately, I just pray to God. I tell him I'm struggling already today and ask him to help me not be this rotten mooded human being. Or that I could really use some joyful emotion today. I used to not recognize it and just be horrible for the whole day, making everyone miserable with me. I'd chalk it up to hormones. But then it'd happen at a 'different' time of the month and not 'the' time of the month. I couldn't figure out why. So I quit trying. I started dealing with how to not be that way. It's amazing what I realized. It's a choice. Sometimes we choose to stay grumpy because it feels good! I have no idea why, but it does. Sometimes we feel like everyone else deserves our unhappiness. I mean if you can't be happy, why should anyone else? Or sometimes it's the other joyful happy one that makes us even grumpier. The bottom line is, we do choose our mood. We might wake up gritchy, but we do not have to stay that way!! We do not have to let the enemy steal our joy! I've been rather 'numb' lately. I'm realizing that it's also a choice to not feel anything. You have to make an effort everyday to feel. It just depends on what you pursue. I've been so busy working and running around. I have not been pursuing my faith. I've been pursuing how I can't handle everything that I'm doing. I've been fixated again. It's another word for captivated. I've been captivated in a negative way of thinking. I've been my own God again and you'd think I'd know by now that it just doesn't work that way. If one could follow every negative thought with a positive one, in particular a thankful thought, you would absolutely find your self in a better mood.

Psalm 126:3 NIV "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy"

Psalm 119:147 NIV "I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word."

Psalm 51:12 NIV "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

The Names

2010-10-21T06:53:00.001-05:00

I don't know why, but we all have "Bob" names. I really don't know how it ever started, but I used to tell the boys when they were asking for something: "Well, is your name Bob?" And they would reply "No" So I would say, "Well I guess not then". They finally caught on that if they said "Yes", I might say yes. Well, I would just turn it around then and say "Well, if your name was Wylie, then yes, but you said it was Bob, so sorry." Then last winter during Christmas break, we really got Bob crazy. So here are the names: Corey is obviously "Big Bob" and me "Mamma Bob". The boys' names go along with their personalities. Colton is "Beamer Bob" for during baseball he beamed ALOT of people. Levi is "Bossy Bob" because well, he likes to boss people around (including his mother). Wylie is "Billly Bob" for is is very silly and it rhymes. Grady is "Bugger Bob" for he likes to, well you can figure that one out. So, we're the Bob family now!

Have a blessed day!

The Accident

2010-10-15T07:20:00.000-05:00

Why do we as humans always look to blame something on someone else? Why is it our first reaction to find the fault in others, when in reality it lies within ourselves? Yesterday morning on my way to work around 0540, I was in a hurry for~you'd never guess~I was running late, ~~for the first time in years~~ again. Anymore it's the story of my life. Actually~I'm always blaming my husband that he rubbed off on me and it's HIS fault. lol Geez, there I go again 'passing the buck'! So anyway, back to yesterday early morning~I was backing out of my parking stall in the drive way. The one I've parked in for five years now. The one that no one else should park by. I heard this terrible sound. Like metal scratching or bending. I stopped and pulled forward and said ~~oh no~~ oh XXXX. Grady says, "what mom?" I say "Oh mommy just backed into daddy's feed wagon that he parked too close to my Excursion." I got out to assess the damage and went in to tell the 'Big Bob' that 'Mamma Bob' just hit his feed wagon. His reaction was......"Is the feed wagon ok?" I say, "Yes it's ok. It doesn't have a scratch." Then I say something like....."well if you wouldn't have parked so close to my vehicle....." He just looks at me like....your nuts. I'm thinking I'd just better leave or this could be not fun. So, I went on my way yelling out the window....it's still your fault. Just kidding. I didn't, but I sure felt like it. I actually then came to the conclusion that it was probably, more likely than not, my fault. I was the one who honestly didn't even look before I backed up. Why is it so hard for humans to confess that it was our fault. My fault. I'm still trying to get used to the idea. :o) So the moral of the story is......look before you back up! AND~take responsibility for your OWN actions. Nobody else's!! And remind your spouse to never ever park that close to you again!!

The What If:

2010-09-28T09:52:00.004-05:00

WHAT IF:
we as christians actually stood up for what we believed?
we actually got out of our comfort zone?
we didn't care so much about what people thought of us?
we were actually 'cool' if we did do the above?
we died tomorrow? Would anyone miss you?
you lost everything? Would you still have a grateful heart?
you kept a journal of thanks? Would you see all the blessings around you?
you took just a few minutes a day to pray EVERYDAY for your children?
you felt so captivated by all of your sins?
you were free from captivation? (you can be!)
you didn't depend on others for your peace, joy, happiness or sense of self worth?
we quit playing God....for just one day?
we actually acted on our 'good intentions'?
we loved people for who they were, not who we want them to be?
my boys didn't have to sock hunt every morning?
you actually are what you eat? :o)      (right now i'm a candy corn!)
cheese was never invented??
I wasn't so random?? Maybe we'd all be better off?? :o)

What are some of your what if's.....please share with me in my comments!

The Merry-Go-Round

2010-09-20T06:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows how much fun a merry-go-round can be. Or there might be a few who know how fun a merry-go-round might not be. Sometimes you fall off and bones are broken or bruises are made. I was pondering (yes, again) how life is sometimes like a merry-go-round (m-g-r). It seems the younger you are~the slower it goes. When you are young, you don't have the strength to get it going fast. So, when you do fall off, it might not hurt as bad. Then again, it depends on who you're playing with! As you age and get stronger, this m-g-r (life) gradually goes faster and faster. Right about now I feel like I'm spinning really fast. Although falling off at this point would really hurt, I still have the energy to get back on. And my playmates (my family) are really fun to play with. The ride can get bumpy sometimes and you want to get off, but if you do you'll miss out on this game of life. The activities that keep you busy are what spin the m-g-r faster and faster. So to be safe, it's worth taking away activities so you can slow down the ride and actually enjoy the ones you enjoy the most.
The center of the m-g-r is what holds it up. If you didn't have a solid center core~made up of strong, durable metal, it wouldn't be able to hold itself up. It made me realize that we all need a center core also. If we didn't have something solid, powerful, secure or stable we would probably not be able to withstand the ride (life). Everyone actually needs the same center core, but not everyone uses the same exact model. For some it's power. Others the need to 'fit in'. Money. Control. The list could go on forever. There is a book that says where to find the best core. The amazing part is, the core is not even for sale. You can't earn it. It's a free gift that anyone can have. No strings attached. Have you figured out yet what this center core is? This core is our daily faith and relationship with our Savior. Having the wisdom and knowledge of God in our hearts to live this life with us. To guide us. To hold us up when our m-g-r is spinning out of control. And boy can they spin fast! All other cores will break when the speed or weight gets too heavy. They are weak. God is the only core that can handle anything. Imagine the most powerful, knowledgeable, forgiving entity as our center core. For "if God is for us, who can be against us??" Romans 8:31b We have to intentionally make a choice of how fast or m-g-r will go AND what our center core will be. What is your center core made up of??

James 3:17 NIV "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. "

The Lingering Question

2010-07-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

We've been so busy this summer, as I'm sure most everyone has. But I've had this question lingering in my mind the whole summer. As we were driving to Belleville up US81 for a baseball game, we met all these cars just cruising down the road. It made me wonder where all these other people were going. Were they going to ball games like myself? Or possibly work? Or even maybe going on a vacation. I've struggled with what it looks like to 'live for Christ'. I've been so spoiled for the last several years working only when it's convenient for me. No set schedule. Just whenever. Talk about having your cake and eating it too. (It was good cake by the way.) :o) Now with a new job, I find myself being ~~alittle~~ very put out by not having as much control over my time. I can still set my own hours, but I'm expected to be somewhere so many days a week. Still good, I know. The lingering question is: who do I really live for? Is it my own agenda? All these 'things' I think I need to accomplish in a weeks time. I mean could living for Christ actually include ALL these baseball games? And going to the pool? Or even trying to squeeze in time (selfishly) with a good friend? So many questions I have and such little time to ponder. For I'm so squished by laundry, boys and baseball, work and farm stuff. (oh and possibly cleaning, but it's way down on that totem pole) With all these questions, I feel I've come to the conclusion of this: If you're doing what you feel led to be doing and are doing it as if you're doing it for Christ then just maybe you're living for Christ. Life is about relationships and people. Within all of our busy activities, usually there are people involved. If a person can model Christ and be a witness for Him in the midst of ALL the different things that occupy our time, then maybe, just maybe that's a fragment of what it is to live for Him.

Col 3:17 NIV Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Psalm 25: 4-5 NIV Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

The Life

2010-06-06T08:32:00.002-05:00

Well, the summer is up and going. We're playing baseball two nights a week. I'm starting a new job in the next few weeks and Corey is farming the dirt like crazy!!! We are SO behind with our planting that it's been very stressful. I've never been one to wish away time, but I sure hope the next month goes by smoothly. We've also made a decision to send our children to Clay Center next year to school. The only reason being convenience. I will be working at Country Place Senior Living and my hours will be very flexible. Grady will be attending preschool at our church three afternoons a week and I'm planning on working during that time. Then I'll be able to bring the boys home after all of their practices and start homework and supper. I'll hopefully be able to spend most of my mornings at home which is my only productive time anyway. We'll see how well it blends together. I will still work one day a week at the Cardiac Rehab and one/two mornings a month prepping cataract patients for their procedure. I really enjoy both of those things. We are entering the next phase of life with Jr. High and I'm ~~not sure~~ not in any way ready for it. I want to freeze life 'right now'. We are still teenager free and baby free!! I mean this is the life!! I don't want to dread the next 10 years, but my third child will graduate in 10 years and that's alot of boys entering puberty, driving, not going to parties and more testoserone. In 10 yrs my oldest will be 22 and I could very easily be a 'Gma'. Yikes. The G word. I love Gmas, don't get me wrong. But me?? I'm still in my twenties and that just can't happen! :o) Anyway, life sure does go by faster and faster. Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather and remember to take time to thank The One who blesses us with it!

Oh, my camera is out-of-service per a certain youngest part of our family so I can't bore you with any pics for while........but I'm saving my pennies!

The Cattle

2010-05-17T08:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I've recently learned how to make slide shows........so, you're going to have to bear with me. It's kind of fun. We've been working LOTS of cattle these days. I shouldn't include myself in the "we", for I spend the whole time sneezing while I'm in the barn. The good Lord sure knew what he was doing when He blessed us with 4 boys. They can help and I don't have to! :o) I am usually the number writer that is sneezing in the corner with my shirt pulled up over my nose. All that dust gets stirred up and boy do I pay. Anyway, this year almost everyone got kicked by a calf. Colton took one in his heart area and got a nice bruise. Nothing like a precordial thump to start the day. Levi got kicked in the stomach and decided he'd write numbers for awhile. Wylie got kicked in the leg and so did I. Grady isn't allowed in the pen! He was napping eventually anyway. :o) So what does that say about us?? It means we're chickens with short arms. We're scared to get too close to the calves and our arms are not long enough to push and be far enough away to not get kicked! Our nephew Bailen and Levi love to ride the horses and help out while the lil' wee ones play in the dirt or climb the fences. It sure makes for good memorable times. Hope you enjoy the photos (you 'll have to pause the music on my blog on the right hand side.)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Reminder Letter

2010-04-28T07:21:00.002-05:00

Dear Self,
I just wanted to say a few things to you. I think you've forgotten a few things and need some reminders. Did your mama not teach you that others come first? I mean where are your manners? It seems you've been serving yourself first instead of others. And yes, 'others' include the people in your house. :o) I know mama's need time to themselves~BUT~ you've gotten a little out of hand. That computer of yours ~well~ it might just get taken away. You will survive without checking your email 20X/day. Seriously. Oh, and when you do, do things for others~make sure your heart is 100% in it AND do it cheerfully. I mean why do you act differently at home than you do anywhere else? For Paul said in Colossians (3:17) "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him". Remember the other day when you pitched that fit for having to clean up for the millioneth time because "no one cares enough to do it themselves"? Well~honey, that wasn't giving God much glory now was it?! Just keep Jesus in the front of your mind and thoughts and you'll do better. I'll be keeping tabs on you......

PS Oh, and don't forget that a Thankful heart is a Happy heart!

Colossians 3:23 NIV "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

Philippians 2:14 NIV "Do everything without complaining or arguing"

Colossians 3:2 NIV "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."

The Freedom

2010-04-25T16:40:00.001-05:00

Do you ever get trapped in the thinking that "if I was only"..........a better person...did more for others....less selfish....read my Bible more....taught my kids more or did more for them .....God might actually approve of or even love me more? These feelings captivate people so often. Including me at times. It seems I go through phases when I struggle more than other times. It's these small things and ways of thinking that really hold us stationary, almost frozen in time. Those thoughts keep us focused on ourselves and not on The Cross and what was done for us. What was done for us? First of all, it's the most ultimate sacrifice ever known to man. We were such sinners, that God couldn't allow us around Him. A sacrifice had to be made for the atonement for our sins. He sent Jesus to DIE in place of US. It's the greatest gift of Mercy and Grace that we either accept or deny. Second, it creates freedom for anyone who wants to take faith in the cross. No one is ever good enough for God the way we are and we can't earn his approval by doing good works. God meets us where we are. We don't have to become a better person before he'll 'accept' us. Good works comes as a result of our freedom in Christ. We naturally want to be more like Him and do good things. If a person would focus EVERYDAY on what was actually done for us and not what WE have done or not done, we could live in total freedom. Not freedom to do whatever we want mind you. But, freedom from captivation. Freedom from the lies that we too freqently believe. Freedom to love the sacrifice the way He deserves to be loved. Freedom to share the supernatural peace that is lavished upon us with any and everyone else. Freedom from comdemnation. We can find that freedom daily if we focus on our Savior and quit fixating on our struggles. It's a choice we all face everyday. Choosing to believe that God loves us for who we are, not who he hopes we'll become someday. Whatever struggles you might be facing today, just know that our God is bigger than anything. He has his arms wrapped around you. He doesn't just give us what we can handle. God helps us handle what we are given, IF we ask him to.

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast"
KJV "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."

The G-ster AKA Tator

2010-04-13T17:16:00.002-05:00

This is what happens when a certain 4 y/o takes off with your camera without you knowing. There were many more of his feet, chickens and brothers in the bath tub, but I won't bore you with those.... :o) Apparently, (which is now his 'new' word to use) he likes to make faces, capture them and then giggle at himself. This boy is a apple from the Frigon tree!

The Circle

2010-04-10T23:21:00.001-05:00

Imagine your life as a big circle~you are in the middle. Everything around you is in that tiny circle. Kids, work, husbands, laundry, meals, practice, grocery store, friends, homework, bills, dishes........you get the picture. Not much room in that circle for all of that. This morning, I had a vision of something I've been asking: What does it look like/feel like to love the Lord with ALL my heart/soul/strength. To carry my cross daily and follow the Lord. I invisioned me and my life as sort of a realm encirculating me. (Is that a word?) Anyway, I then saw myself step out of that circle and fall to my knees worshipping/praying to the Lord, while "life" continued to go on. I felt the Lord showing me that when I'm taking the time to seek him, I'm doing what he asked. When I'm frustrated during the kids' bedtime and take a few moments to seek him first (before I lose control)~~I'm stepping out, seeking him, following him and trusting him for control. I'm outside of my circle and in the heavenly realms where it's peaceful and quiet. His question a few posts ago was~~"Are you willing to drop everything and pursue me?" I feel like he was showing me that is what we are doing when we do that many times a day. Not just once a day. But all day. You're dropping everything and pursuing Him. When you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, happy or sad etc., take a moment to step outside of the circle to pursue the One and Only who can give you peace. Give Him praises for everything. Find His word that you've hidden in your heart and speak it to him.
As you're seeking, you are learning. As you're learning, you are growing. As you grow spiritually, your love grows too. It's a wonderful, peaceful circle that is held together by the Holy Spirit. The goal is to keep it moving. What are you doing to keep it moving?

The Dear Mr. Fear

2010-03-29T07:42:00.002-05:00

This letter has been a long time coming. Has anyone ever told you that you are not even real? You are: False Evidence Appearing Real. You are a lie. So why do you think you own any part of me? You've made yourself appear so real to me millions of times.....and I'm tired of it. You don't even exist but I make you real. You 'appear' to me at the most enabling times. You know the perfect, weakest moments to jump in front of me. But guess what I've just realized?! You won't like this, just like Mr. Anger. Christ, as in Jesus Christ, lives in me. So, next time when you 'appear' to me, just an FYI. I have a strength that is in me that is from Jesus. His strength is made perfect in MY weakness. You don't stand a chance against us. You have made me so debilitated by your 'false evidence', that I couldn't even ask for help. Out of fear. You are so done with me. I'm praying for all the others that you think you own. Quit feeding off of me~for I'm DONE feeding you. The Bible says: resist the devil and he WILL flee from you. That would be you. You belong in the pit with your other co-conspire, Mr. Anger. I'm resolving to turn my fear into FAITH: Fighting Against Invisible Tormenting Holds while Fearlessly Applying Incredible Truths Happily.

Isaiah 41:10 NIV "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 26:3 NIV "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you."

The Fear

2010-03-23T08:20:00.001-05:00

I have this on going fear that is paralyzing at times. I know it's sort of a mother thing too, but it also seems to be spiritually related. I ~~sometimes~~ frequently sense that if I move forward in my faith, something will happen to one of my boys. It's like satan is keeping me, by the use of fear, to stay right where I am spiritually. He is taunting me. I've imagined so many times, 'how' it might happen and to which one. My inner sense realizes what is going on and still wants to pursue God with a passion, but then this fear is made bigger. He snuffs out my passion~~he loves it. I hate it. The other day I read another's blog that referred to the scripture of Abraham and his son Isaac. God tested Abraham to see if he would actually do it. Sacrifice his own son. Abraham obeyed, but God didn't allow him to actually do it. He was testing his obedience. Last night I was having that fear again. This story popped into my mind. The verse that I've mentioned before came to mind too. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" Deut. 6:5 NIV I've been asking myself what does that feel or look like? To love God that way? Then I felt God showing me another verse about loving your parents and children more than him and not being worthy. Matt 10:37-8. I sensed him saying 'bad things may or may not happen, but regardless~~ Do you love me more than your 'boys'?? Are you willing to drop everything and pursue me~no looking back?? Are you mine?? Head level that is easy. Heart level~that is difficult. In a sense I feel God is testing my obedience with my own fear. The question is, are my own fears bigger than God?? I think it's time for another letter, this time to Mr. Fear.

The Chores

2010-02-27T08:58:00.001-06:00

Grady has his one chore to do everyday. As you might be able to tell......it's gathering eggs! He usually takes an old ice cream bucket out and brings them in. He likes to count them and tell me how many he gets. He's not scared of the hens at all and just reaches in to grab them while they're still sitting on them. Every now and then they will peck at him but he just giggles. We've also had two sets of calf twins so far and we're having to feed one of them for some reason or another. Usually Colton feeds the calf, but when they're at school Grady and I go out to feed the cute little thing. The chicken on the can is sneaking some food. Someone forgot to put the lid back on after doing his chores. Not to name names, but I think it might have been Levi or Wylie. Levi pipes up as I'm typing this and reports that it wasn't him! :o) Sure hope it warms up soon. We're already getting 16 or so eggs a day. I imagine that we'll be getting more when it does. Fresh farm eggs for sale........

Random photos

2010-02-24T22:40:00.000-06:00

These are photos that I have taken over the last few months. I have this thing for sunrises and sunsets. I'm almost ashamed to say that three of the above photos were taken while I was driving down the road! I know that sounds terrible, but when you're already late to work it's your only option! :o) I'm going to start saving my pennies for a really nice digital camera someday. By that time, they probably won't even have digital anymore. It'll be something even better!

The Disbelief Turned To Truth

2010-02-16T10:29:00.003-06:00

A few favorite sayings (that I'm not sure where they came from) are: You're a product of your choices and you reflect what you believe in. You also reflect the love you feel. I used to tell my husband that our marriage is what we put into it. If you don't feel loved~one tends to pull away. Some unknowingly turn to others to find that 'love' feeling. Some even become hardened by bitterness and anger. It is a constant effort to make someone feel loved, but the fruit of your effort is sweet. I reflected upon this phrase differently the other day: 'You reflect the love you feel'. Then I thought about God's love. We tend to get 'stuck' in our journey, the path isn't always clear on which way to go. Sometimes we just stall. I can't say I've always felt 'loved' by God. Especially when I'm fixated on all the reasons why He shouldn't love me. (anger, no self-control etc.) But I've realized, all of this is a part of my journey. It's not a path that I took that led me astray. It's God transforming me into me. When I'm beating myself up over behaviors that are displeasing, I'm not feeling that 'love' feeling. I'm not reflecting His love but owning disbelief. Not believing that 'I am who God says I am' is essentially saying that God is a liar. When I truly believe that 'I am who God says I am', I have the ability to reflect that love to others. My spouse, children, friends and even co-workers. You are who God says you are. Don't believe the lies that you are any less. We are made in the reflection of God. We all have a different journey, the choice though is yours who leads it. Your spouse and friends can not completely fill the need of love. Only God can lavish us with His grace and make us complete.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (emphasis mine)

1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!...."

The statement "I am who God says I am" is from Beth Moores "I'm Believing God" bible study series.

The Goodbye

2010-02-08T08:52:00.003-06:00

Dear Anger,
I'm so very tired of you thinking you are a part of my life. Please leave this soul immediately, or you will be escorted out by the One and Only. You're going to be sorry you ever picked me to try and sabotage. My Savior has already finished it. It is over. History can NOT be changed. You were kicked out years ago when the One and Only became a part of me. Where have you been hiding? Why did you think you could hide and not be found? You only show yourself while I'm in my own home. Around my children. How dare you try and become apart of their lives. You lurk around waiting to devour the next prey. Well~need I repeat it? It. Is. Finished. Those words mean that I'm no longer alive to sin~~but to the One and Only. Dead. To. Sin. I've been unknowingly choosing to participate in your evil ways. Well~ I've realized I have a team member that is a Savior. He will save me from your evil ways. Two on one. Go ahead and just put that ugly tail between your fat legs and RUN. You'll be sorry if you don't. WE ARE FINISHED. You are no longer a resident in this soul. GOOD.BYE!

1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect...."

Romans 6:11 ESV "So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."

Romans 6:14 ESV "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

The Book

2010-01-20T09:08:00.004-06:00

Recently, I've been really annoyed by the way my children are acting. It's not like they are angels the rest of the time. But you know how when you 'see' something that needs fixed, you 'fixate' on fixing it? Well, I was at church on Sunday and this book caught my eye. So I checked it out real quickly so I could read the chapter on "respect". That seems to be our BIG issue these days. So, I'm about 1/3 the way through the whole book. (It seems to be a good book) It's titled Boundaries with Kids by Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend. Would you believe that my children can sense that I'm reading a book about them? They've stepped it up a notch on the 'lets annoy our mother' step. It's like Satan knew what I was up to and decided to put on the heat. I guess maybe that's how we really grow sometimes. I've also wondered if we all just need some sunlight?? Do I have an AMEN here? Maybe THAT would make a difference. I've even thought about having our whole family visit a tanning booth, just to get those artificial UV rays. Do you think that would be considered child abuse? LOL Actually, maybe it's just me that needs to be not as irritable and maybe they wouldn't seem so annoying! :o) The book has a reality check though. It refers to the fact that we as parents have to act within our boundaries first, so our children can mimic our actions. That one kind of hurt me. But, I picked myself off the floor and will keep reading. :o) They have a good point, "children need to know that their problems are their own problems, no one else's." That is a hard statement to swallow when you might be a parent that likes to 'fix' things for their children. The book is written around "Laws" that need to be taught. For instance "The Law of Sowing and Reaping". Letting reality be a consequence for choices they make. Anyway, does anyone else have children that are bursting at the seams?? I think they need to extend PE class and recess to half the day until the sun comes back to us. I think it might have gone on vacation. But praise the Lord, the fog seems to be gone today!

The Fog

2010-01-17T20:08:00.005-06:00

This last week we had fog for about 2 days straight. We're talking, all day fog. Not the kind that dissipates when the sun burns it off. It made me think how sometimes I feel like I'm in a fog myself. How I need the 'Son' to burn it off. Actually, I think I'm in a fog daily until I specifically take the time and invite Jesus into my daily routine. (Oh, and probably that cup of coffee with my half & half, one scoop of hot chocolate mix and that dab of pure cane sugar) :o) A person has to...remember this?....deliberately determine to form a resolution with courage that is a firm decision of a course of action. (My own thrown together definition) You have to purposely make that initiative to ask God to help guide your day, everyday. I've had a hard time thinking, I shouldn't have to do this daily. I decided way back to have Jesus in my life, isn't that good enough? But I've learned it's just not that easy. We have too many distractions that tempt us to not take the time and invite Him in. We're so stinkin' busy, that we say I'll do it later. Satan just loves that. I went through a period when EVERY time I got up early, so did one of my children. I felt very discouraged. But, my new found stubbornness has helped me ride through the temptation of just skipping that time in the morning. I say new found because my husband and children taught me how to be that way. Really, they did. I'm not sure who I'm trying to convince, you or me!? Anyway, the bottom line is....daily....routine....of prayer time....clears the fog.

Isaiah 7:9b "..If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

The Ranch

2010-01-09T20:15:00.010-06:00

We have a name for our ranch, even though we're not incorporated or anything. Rafter P Ranch. We found a place that could make up coats, shirts and hats etc. with our logo on it. My husband, Mr. Rancher even had a brand made for the cattle that we use. Oh, how that job stinks. I love to help with working cattle, but the smells of the barn always send me into a sneezing frenzy. But sometimes, I suffer through it.
Last Sunday we moved cattle a few miles in the frigid cold. We used the 4 wheeler, tractor and a pickup. Here are a few photos that cap the day and of our brand that is on a hat.

This is our dog 'Rowdy'. He's seems so serious. He's really not. Very playful. He'll even jump on you if you hold still long enough.

Sorry these are all mixed up. Kind of like me sometimes. Mr. Rancher is getting the snow off of the electric fence so those wonderful cows won't get out. Like they did one other time and we got sued. That's a long story.

The cows took off through the neighbors wheat so Mr. Rancher followed them with the 4 wheeler to keep them in line. He kind of looks like a lost cow doesn't he? They sure didn't want to move very fast.

This is right when they decided to go 'off roading' and into the wheat. My eldest son is driving the tractor and wagon. Sure can't believe he's old enough.....

This is Mr. Rancher making sure they stay on track and don't stop in the milo stalks to take a snack. I'm pretty sure Mr. Rancher didn't stop either.

He likes to snack too.

Oops, you're going the wrong way Ms. Cow. They came out, and then probably thought "Oh, no. I know what your up too. I'm going back."

This is the cows being teased that they might get some feed. Not. Sorry ladies, you'll have to follow the green wagon to get a snack after you get to your new home.

They must be thinkin' 'Who are these people and what are they up to?'

Here's my eldest driving into the gate to gather his hens...oops I mean cows.

Cheese! This is the G-ster doing what he does best.

This is THE Mister Rancher giving everyone their instructions on what to do. And what NOT to do. Can you repeat that please? :o)

The two peas in a pod strike again. They are like twins. Fight like 'em too.

Our Logo on a hat.

Sometimes I complain about living on a farm/ranch, but 99% of the time, I LOVE IT! But sometimes that 1% crops up more than it should. And then when my husband complains of being cold, I remind him that he CHOSE his profession and he'll just have to take the good with the bad. Actually, I just tell him to 'suck it up and take it like a real man.' :o) I think those are the times that he wished he would've interviewed me more intensely before we got married. Just sayin'.

The Resolution

2010-01-02T08:39:00.003-06:00

Happy New Years! (Oh, and Merry Christmas) It's that time of year that everyone thinks about change. Why we wait until now, I'll never know. Resolutions. What actually is a resolution? A rediscovery of a solution? (ha, my quirky way of thinking) Merriam-Webster defines Resolution as 1. The act or process of resolving. 2. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination. 3. A resolving to do something. 4. A course of action determined or decided on. Synonym = courage. Resolve is 1. to reach firm decision about. 2. to form a resolution; determine. 4. consult;deliberate. Synonym = decide. So what I get from that is: a deliberate determination to form a resolution with courage that is a firm decision of a course of action. Whew.
I usually don't ever have a New Year's resolution. Why, I don't know. Too lazy probably. Sometimes it takes a LOT of will power to fulfill those resolutions. I've never been strong with will power. Anyway. On my way home last night I was listening to KJIL and Greg Laurie was on. He spoke of Matthew 10:37-38. Ouch is all I have to say. "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." He then related the verse of Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Well right about then I realized I was not worthy. How many times have I chosen my husband or children over God. Or even myself. Like not spending my prayer time in the morning for I'm too tired. Or not taking that meal to a family whose mother/wife just had surgery or had a baby, for it wasn't convenient. Even not buying that extra something for that someone that the Spirit pressed oh so lightly on my heart. (being to busy to hear the gentle nudge) The list could go on for awhile.
We are to love God more than anything else. So, I'm deliberately determining to firmly love my God first and foremost. I'm going to quit trying so hard to 'be'. I'm tired of trying to figure out how to be better at everything. I'm just going to live life as it comes and pray that I 'see' what it is God wants me to see and do. I'm going to start living in the present, not the past or future. Yes, I'll make some plans and goals, but I don't want to live 'within' them. A person can get so caught up in how they want to 'be'. I just want to be worthy. That means taking up my cross daily. Dying to myself on that cross daily.

Matthew 16:24 "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me"

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails"

The Heart

2009-12-16T08:14:00.005-06:00

I work usually one day a week in a cardiac rehab. Working here has made me feel like a hypocrite. I wasn't exercising but I was exercising other people to give therapy to their heart muscle. I wasn't practicing what I was preaching. Hmm, made me think about it a little more. But in more ways than one. This morning (while I was exercising) God made me think about spiritual exercise and comparing the two. It wowed me. We all know the benefits of exercising, but lets review. :o) Hang with me here. It overall makes us healthier by increasing blood flow, prevents build up of plaque in our arteries (which can cause blockages that decrease blood flow), increasing strength and endurance and even makes us just 'feel' better (releases endorphins).
So for a moment let's pretend the heart is the heart. Ok, got that? :o) But our blood is God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Exercise is the Word. Plaque is sin. The electrolytes plus oxygen and glucose (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus)are the Fruits of the Spirit. Strength and endurance are faith and hope.
If we would exercise our spiritual heart on a daily basis, we could have balance. The electrolytes are important in maintaining body fluid volume, nerve and muscle function and cellular balance. Oxygen and glucose are for feeding the cells. The fruits of the Spirit are important to our bodily function also. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. Notice that blood (which is the Trinity) carries all these elements. If we exercised our heart which is reading His Word, it would maintain balance with our fruits of the Spirit (electrolytes), increase the Spirit (blood) flowing through us, help prevent sin (plague) from building up AND that just makes us 'feel' better by releasing those endorphins which in turn increases our faith and hope. I don't know about you, but I just LOVE it when He shows me these types of things. These thoughts didn't come from me, but the Spirit. So, I challenge all of YOU to exercise both spiritually and physically. Both are important, but don't let the phycical part be more important than the spiritual. We need our spiritual bodies in heaven some day, but our physical ones will just rot away. So, this analogy is an answer to my previous post. Having the balance comes from Him and only Him! Don't wait for the 'New Year' to start new habits..start today. MAKE time to read His Word. It's well worth the balance.

The Balance

2009-12-12T06:54:00.003-06:00

I've been pondering how a person acquires balance in life. How do you not have too much pride, but enough to not be in a pity party? A person can 'beat themselves up' daily on the sinful natures they hold. Like hollaring at their children out of anger and for loosing control. (eh hem, me) I can go for days, beating myself up over actions that have come and gone. I feel like a terrible parent, let alone a person sometimes. A person who claims that Christ is her Savior. Why do we (I) let ourselves allow sin to stake claim over our (my)life? God reminds me daily (I have it on a notecard on my desk) by a quote by Lee Strobel. "Instead of fixating on your struggles, focus on your Savior". I've posted this before. It's not old news. But it definitely needs to be 'new' everyday. So why do I have to think I'm bad, to make me feel like I'm humble? I don't want to think I'm (too) good, and be prideful. Where is that balance? How do you find that on a daily basis? I find myself searching God's word for the answer. Which is part of the plan, don't you think? It's not going to just 'come to us' without involving Him. The creator of man wants us to seek Him all the time. He wants to give us peace through His Word.
I've realized that God chose my children for me. And He chose me to be the mother of each of my boys. He already knew what kind of mother I'd be to these boys, and He still gave them to me!!! So, I find peace that even though I'm not that great of a mother most of the time, I was meant to be the mother of these boys. God does love me. Even when I feel unlovable. Let your treasure be God's Word. God will always provide what it takes to do whatever it is that He is calling you to do or be.
"For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also" Luke 12:34 NIV

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;" Psalm 34:18-19 NIV

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" Ephesians 4:2,3 NIV

ThankFULness

2009-11-22T21:41:00.006-06:00

Here is what I am so truly blessed with and I'm full of thanks. My family. Sometimes I wonder who is shaping who. They teach me a thing or two, and hopefully I'm doing the same for them. We haven't had our family photo taken for almost 3 years. We had them last done at Christmas right before Melissa passed away. Thank goodness our family hasn't increased in numbers!! :o) Grady will be 4 on Saturday!! He told me today it was his BD for he got to count his pennies at Sunday School today.
I hope everyone will take time to be truly ThankFUL for what they have. We're going to do something different this year to prepare for Christmas. Our church had a thing where we put together a 'Jesse Tree'. Each day starting Dec. 1 you place a felt image on a felt tree and read from the Bible verses that pertain to the image for 25 days. Hopefully, it'll reinforce the reason for the season. Boys are hard to get involved with ANYTHING. They just want to rumble and tumble and have fun! Anyway, I hope you all have safe travels and good fellowship time with your families!

Blessings,
Arianne

Sweet Swap

2009-11-09T13:03:00.009-06:00

Krunchy Krazy Korn

8 0z. pkg. puffed corn puffs (they come buttered or cheese and look like popcorn)
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine margarine, syrup & brown sugar. Bring to boil, then cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add baking soda & vanilla. Stir until foamy. Pour evenly over corn curls. Mix well. Place in roaster or cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool completely on waxed paper or greased foil. Click HERE for the inspiration for my recipe.

Same boots...

2009-11-08T23:16:00.005-06:00

These are pictures of all four boys wearing the same cowboy boots and a hat. It was fun to try and remember to do that with each child. I'll probably keep those boots forever. Levi's pic didn't turn out all that well but at least I got one! :o) From left to right, Levi, Colton and Wylie the bottom one is Grady. Wylie just celebrated his 8th BD on the 3rd and Grady, my baby, will be 4 on the 28th. I can't believe how fast time goes by. If I could freeze them, this is the age. I don't have a teenager and I don't have a baby. They all can get dressed on their own and can even fix themselves sandwiches if they're hungry enough! (even Grady!!) If I could only freeze my age too! :o)

Finally a hint.....

2009-11-07T18:06:00.002-06:00

Well the last few weeks I feel like I might be getting on to something. One of the blogs that I follow had a youtube video about gifts that Jesus gives us and not being able to see past the gift. Always wanting more or something better. Then I read in a book the very next day...."Instead of fixating on your struggles, Focus on your Savior" (Lee Strobel) I've realized I totally have been fixating on my struggles and emotions and not on my Savior. Not that emotions and life don't matter....but they shouldn't be the focus of my thoughts. I've been asking God to show me what has been holding me up. Why I can't 'get' it. Well he's pretty much showed me, it's ME. My focus was so much on changing myself that it's all I thought about, me. Another blog, by Ann that I follow, shared "It's my own inflated sense of self importance, the elevation of my work, my agenda, that keeps me from prayer communion~it's called idol worship." I hadn't let myself think that I was idolizing myself. WoW! It is what it is. If it looks like a duck and quacks like one.....it probably is one! Right? :o) The wonderful part about all of this is....God's grace and mercy. He meets us where we are. We don't have to become 'better' before we go to Him. We don't deserve His mercy and grace but He is always there waiting on us. Waiting for us to submit our elevated selves to Him. Go friends and humble yourselves before our Great God.

1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time" NIV

Psalm 3:34 "He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble" NIV

Philippians 2:3 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." NIV

What keeps me busy

2009-10-18T23:13:00.005-05:00

This is what I've been busy doing. Wylie played flag FB and today was his last game!!!! He's the 3rd from the left standing. He had a blast pulling all those flags off the last 5 weeks. Colton and Levi have one more tackle FB game this saturday and then we'll slow down some!! They have already played 8 games.
This is Mr. Levi's laceration that he earned while off of school last Monday. He rec'd 3 stitches and a ear full from his mother. He and Wylie were in a tree trying to cut off the 'little' branches with pocket knives (that their mother didn't know they had) so they'd have a seat on the 'big' branch. Wylie actually cut his thumb just minutes prior to this and we watched Levi ride his bike up the drive with his left arm hanging to the ground. He was trying not to get blood on himself!
This is the begining of our harvest last week before all the rain. My camera just doesn't seem to catch the beauty of the colors. The combine is cutting, tractor and wagon, tractor and drill, semi and tandum with the seed wheat and a pickup. The silo is my father-in-laws.
Corey's birthday was a few weeks ago. Next is Wylie and then Grady. Grady is excited to have 'one down and one to go' for he knows his b-day is coming after Wylie's. Corey has quite the smirk. I must have said something funny! :o)

The Remodel

2009-10-15T08:16:00.004-05:00

In pondering the fact that our remodeling job on the bathroom has been absolutely non-existent in the last six months. The bathroom looks no different than the day it was (mostly) gutted than it does today. (April 6 to be exact) :o) I been calling the space "wasted space". We're still able to use the toilet but Grady won't go in alone....."the big spider might get me". (not to mention the snake that came up through the floor awhile back) I have to stand in the door way every time he goes potty. I can't stray away or he screams at me. Oh, I can't forget this wasted space also has an odor that I can smell all day long. (There had been a leak and the sub-floor has rotted in spots.) Anyway, this morning I was praying about the whole bathroom thing. Like why can't this just get done?? When?? It made me ponder the idea of how God might view me. Am I non-usable?? Do I reek of foul odor?? Or worse, am I just wasted space?? Do I give God glory with things that I say, do or even think? Not that a bathroom can do these things but the fact of having a wasted space rather annoys me if I think about it too long. Am I annoying God by not surrendering to Him? By not submitting to Him daily. Being too busy to make the time to spend in His presence? Being my own god. I'd have to say He would say 'yes'. He is probably pondering the same question about me. When will she finally let me be God? Why does she think she doesn't need me? If we could just take to heart that we are a product of our choices. We reflect in our actions what we believe in. Lots of people 'believe'. Even satan believes and shudders. But, believing is having faith. In James 2:17, he says, faith without works is dead. So, we need to do something with our belief. We don't need to 'do' to be saved, but to 'be' alive we need to act on our faith. I need to be more faithful with my faith. Maybe I'm the actual remodel job here, not my bathroom. :o) It's just a thought.

The Snake

2009-09-09T20:15:00.004-05:00

This has been a summer for snakes. I'm not sure why, maybe the cooler temps? This one was in the chicken coop (chicken poop as Grady says). The boys came screaming "there is a snake" over and over. So, I found my shovel and went in. I wouldn't say I am NOT scared of them, but I can kill them. Especially when my kids are around. I actually killed 3 in less than a week. This was the biggest. Some of you might have heard about the 'one' in my pantry. He looked just like this one. I'd like to think they're the same one, but....I know better. The one that was in my pantry came up through the floor of my gutted bathroom. Yes, it's still gutted if you remember back in April I posted some pics of what I found when I came home one night after work. ANYWAY......the snake in the pic had just eaten an egg and you could see it just behind his head. I took liberty to place the shovel directly behind the egg (I like to get them behind the head) and accidently cracked it. He didn't get to enjoy that one. The boys enjoyed seeing the yolk come back out. Sorry, that is disgusting, but you must understand that I live with boys. And, lots of them! :o) I find myself being less girly and more like a boy all the time!?? :o) :o( The boys also had their BB guns thinking they could shoot at him. Did you know that BB's just bounce off snakes? :) This one, Wylie shot in his mouth to try and kill him. It was funny, he says "I got him" and tried it again and again.... . oh my. Boys are fun! :o)

Happy Anniversary!

2009-09-02T07:43:00.005-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my husband of 14 years today! I can't believe how fast time flies! We been through many good times. It's hard to believe we have four children, (until I come home anyway, then reality hits me in the face. LOL) These are our children and they call us their parents. What a privilege to know that God entrusted us with his children! I pray we have many, many more years together. I hope we can do something to celebrate, but we're so spontaneous that time will tell I guess. Life is very busy right now but some things you need to take time for, right? Take time to remember the freshness of your love with your honey. There is no reason it can't still be like that, right? A marriage is what you make it. It reflects what you put into it! So, go and make your man feel loved and needed. Dote on him and see how he responds. Love him for who he is, not who you want him to be. Just love, love, love.....life is too short.......and forgive him for whatever he might have done/not done, like God your Father does YOU! :o)

The New Fort

2009-08-26T22:33:00.004-05:00

The boys' cousin Bailen came out quite abit this summer to help 'farm'. For all their hard work, Corey said he'd help them build a new fort up in the trees. Well, they picked the biggest tree. It is huge. As you can see in the top photo, Corey is in the bucket of the skid loader and it's up all the way. In the 2nd photo, you can see Colton's bright shirt. He is sitting on the floor of the 'fort'. It now has sides on it to prevent falls, but you won't be finding me up there. I'd be the one to fall and break something.

The Shuckers

2009-08-26T22:20:00.006-05:00

These boys were my corn shuckers this summer! It was absolutely great! They had a system of picking the corn, hauling it to the house on the 4 wheeler, shucking it and then to me. They got to go swimming afterwards for the reward.

Notice the chicken in the wheel barrow. They would just hang around for the corn. They got fed real well those days, then they had diarrhea and hung out on the deck. I'm still not a happy camper. Have I mentioned that I do NOT like chickens??!!

We had 7 boys that day and they are all cousins. Hopefully they will not remember the worst and will come again next summer! :o)

The Weeds

2009-07-18T10:08:00.013-05:00

Well this morning after spending my quiet time and then going out to the garden, the good Lord hit me over the head again. He sometimes speaks to me while doing things (like when I'm motivated :o) ) (please read the previous post first if you haven't already) I decided it was time to pull some of those terrible weeds that are getting huge. (I mean up to my shoulders tall) He then proceeded to flood my mind with all these thoughts on weeds, sin, roots etc. I kept thinking, you have to put forth effort to get change. And boy do I want to change the look of my garden. And then I realized I wanted to change things about my heart too. My mothering. Being a better wife.
Gardening really relates to all areas of life. I think the number one rule of pulling weeds is: you have to pull the root, otherwise it'll be back again. If we don't remove the sin in our heart, the root of it, we'll be visiting the same sin over and over again. It goes to show that you can't do a quick fix on making things look better either. Mowing the weeds in the garden only shortens it and makes it look better. Kind of like going to church makes you feel better but does it make you act better? You have to get at heart level to make changes and mowing the weeds (which is surface level) will not do it. You have to pull the root. You have to go below the surface. You have to open your heart which is hard to do. Some of us have built 'forts' and hide out but sometimes the tree needs to get cut down for it's dead.
The longer you wait to weed the garden, the bigger the weed. Then it becomes the main growth in the garden. Same as sin. It can become so normal in our everyday life, that it doesn't seem like sin. The rest of the garden has weeds, so it must be 'ok'. If a person can weed a garden frequently and get rid of the BIG weeds (or the biggest sin causing our downfall, although one sin is not any bigger than another sin) then usually you'll just have small weeds to maintain. They will always be there for no garden is weedless. Just the same as we are not EVER sinless.
I had some HUGE pig weeds that were up to my shoulder. I had to really work hard to get them out by the root. One of them I had to dig in the dirt with my fingers to break the little roots coming off the main root. I finally got it, but it made me think that sometimes we are attached to our sin at the root. It is hard to change. Sometimes a sin has led to other sins and are feeding them. This is a major up root and can be life changing. (sometimes a lot of 'dirt' can come up or even knock you on your butt when you're pulling so hard)
Sometimes you have to move the garden to another place for the soil is not good soil. Beth Moore says that satan has 'dirt' on all of us. It is up to us to turn that 'dirt' into 'soil' by Gods Word, prayer and being like Christ. When life's storms come, and we know they will, the tears that are shed will water that soil and it will bear fruit.
Life is a journey like gardening is a process. The journey makes us who we are. There has been but one journey that was a straight path. And there was one garden that didn't have any weeds a long time ago. We can thank Adam & Eve someday for the weeds they started that day they ate the forbidden fruit!
Well, I'm heading back to the garden to continue weeding for the job is just never done. May you have a blessed day.............and go pull some weeds!
~
Matthew 13:38-39a "The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil."
Matthew 13:41 "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil."

The Big M

2009-07-16T20:14:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered where motivation comes from? Are you born with it or do you acquire it? I've recently discovered that mine has disappeared. I've been waiting for it to "return". I feel I've been so busy with life this summer, that the big M decided to take a hike. I've come to the conclusion that I AM LAZY. Yep, lazy. To some, maybe that's no surprise. To me, it's a slap in the ole face. My get up and go has got up and left. I'm so "lazy" that I don't even take time to measure ingredients in a recipe. (Yep, looks about right) I'm not a shopper, for you have to exert time and energy. It's just pure frustrating to me, for I don't have fashion sense, so why waste the time. (I wear hand me downs from my sister) :o) I don't keep my house up very well (who can with 4 boys) but it's because I'll have to do it again anyway, so why do it so many times and be even more frustrated? Perhaps it's just the fact that I'm obliviated with exhaustion.

Or do you think the big M is a state of mind or even an emotion? Does having fear, being stubborn or being excited drive a person to accomplish something? Or even anger? I've cleaned my house many times in record time because I've been angry. Something drives a person to be ambitious. Have you ever wondered why some got it all and you were left for scraps? You know like the last one always picked for the team because they're too slow? I think I needed too much extra M so the good Lord said, "Well, we'll work on that when the time comes" :o)

I've realized that all of this relates to the fact that I've been so caught up in MY life. I've put my faith on the back burner lately. I've been so tired, that I haven't been getting up early to read my bible/devotions. Do you think it's possible that faith and motivation go hand in hand? God showed me the other day while I was walking by my VERY weedy/grassy garden that sometimes Arianne, you have to weed it. Actually, frequently you have to weed the garden or else it'll be taken over by weeds or grass. Even when you don't have time. You have to put forth effort to get a change. That is how our spiritual life is also. We have to daily water it with the Word to grow. We also have to pull weeds by spending time in the Word and using the Word to keep our focus on Jesus. Matthew 6:33 NIV states "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This verse was talking about not worrying about what you will eat, drink or wear. I think everything will line up accordingly if we first seek Him. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that I'll be setting my alarm to get up early so I can first seek Him. I need my big M back and I have a feeling that it might return if I get my spiritual act together. Proverbs 6:9 "How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? " Ouch.......how's that for a kick out of bed? :o)
Grace to all~

Harvest

2009-06-30T08:20:00.007-05:00

Colton is driving the grain wagon. His cousin Bailen came
out this year to help also and is with him.

Future Farmers of America! Wylie and Levi hang
out while the real farmers prepare for cutting.

Getting ready to cut for the day with our OOOLLLDDD
combine. But, hey it's paid for and usually works! :o)

Corey sleeping???? No, the trailer brakes never want to
work like they're suppose to. It's really hot under there too.

This was one of the most beautiful sunsets I had seen in awhile. My camera didn't catch the true colors that were actually there. We are getting closer to being done, but still have several days of cutting left. Hoping to miss the rain, but we also need it for the other crops. I'm trusting God for his plan is perfect. I actually got to cut wheat last Friday (for the first time in 16 years) while my father-in-law finished planting milo. Other than the odor in the cab of the combine, it was a really fun day. Maybe someday I'll get to do it again.

Thankfulness

2009-06-11T07:34:00.004-05:00

After reading several blogs that talk about being thankful and thankless, I've decided to challenge myself to be the 'ful' vs the 'less'. I want to give God glory in all I think, say or do. I feel like when we are the 'less', we are not giving God any glory. We are in fact not seeing what He blesses us with on a daily basis. The saying goes "Less is more". In this case, less is not more. We take for granted that we'll always have a house to live in. Shoes to wear. Hot water. Clean water. Hot food. Choices. A bed to sleep in. Some of these things have become so expected that we just plain forget to be thankful for them. A blog I follow of Ann Voskamp has 'The Gratitude Community'. Take a moment a read her words. http://www.aholyexperience.com/2006/11/gift-list-thousand-things.html

Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." A daily challenge for myself would be to have a thankful heart. A thankful heart IS a happy heart and a full heart. I want to find my treasure there. In my thankful heart. God is everywhere. He surrounds us. Take time daily to see Him and what He has given you. Find a piece of paper and just start writing things you see~hear~smell. The sound of children playing happily.....the tune of the birds singing....the scent of a bouquet of flowers....the smell of dirt, that grows....the beauty of a garden. Add to it daily. Take it with you where ever you go and add to it throughout the day. You'll be amazed at what you haven't been seeing. When you find yourself being on the grumpy side, stop and read over your list. It's a simple task with reaping benefits. I resolve to be thankful. How about you.....?