Pirtle Farm

Things You Don't Want to Forget . . . .

2009-11-12T13:25:00.007-06:00

Once again, months upon months have lapsed since I've put my mind to blogging anything. I'm such a lazy blogger. I think about it now and again, but Facebook updating is much easier, isn't it?

This time of year makes me so nostalgic. I love Fall. Lately I've been watching my kids and trying to savor every sweet little moment with them while I can still call them "my babies." While looking back at old photos I'm amazed at how quickly they change and how much we forget about the little things they did and said. Like when Isaac was a baby and explored and inspected every new thing put in front of him by balancing and twisting his tiny thumbs all over it. I have no idea what that meant to him, but I was sure it meant he was going to be a genius.

Isaac started Kindergarten in August. Yes, he's only four, but he's reading and writing already and is such a smart cookie. He's so observant and absorbs everything like a sponge. I debated on officially starting school so early, but we agreed that holding him back wouldn't be good for him or us. He inherited my love for learning and he craves to be taught. I love homeschooling him because we are free to learn about whatever peaks his interest at the time. So far in addition to reading, writing and arithmetic we've cooked and baked, gardened, gone on nature field trips, learned about Bats and Owls (his favorite animals, since all things nocturnal are the coolest nowadays), the moon and space, and pumpkins, Pilgrims and Indians. We've had art days and computer days. Sometimes in our PJs. There are no rules against that in our house. ;-) He loves to speak Spanish and make it known to everyone wherever we are. No matter where we are, he is always an owl. A real owl. He flaps his wings when I lift him up and down out of the car or grocery cart and greets people with "hoo-hoos." Just don't make the owl angry.

Isabel is so verbal and imaginative. She was such a sweet, happy, tiny baby and she grew so suddenly into a tall, sturdy, mischevious little person. :-) She loves to nurture and help. She doesn't always care about her ABCs and 123s but she is super sharp when it comes to reasoning the world around her. She loves caterpillars and bugs, dirt, coloring and creating, and pretending she is in her own little royal world. She dwells in castles and wears fancy gowns. She refuses to wear pants or shoes, and only wears dresses and "slippers." Her current favorite dress is a faded, knit, long-sleeved navy blue dress with red flowers all over it, buttons and a collar. She looks like a little ragamuffin from Little House on the Prairie but I admire that she imagines herself past her tattered little playdresses into a Cinderella gown.

She carries around tiny notebooks and crayons or a pen. She fills page after page with tiny circles and scribbles. We keep a constant supply of tiny notebooks. They never get old to her.

Since her infancy, she continues to be obsessed with socks. When she was a baby, we called her "sock monster" because she was constantly snatching socks - dirty or clean - and making off with them as fast as she could. She ate them. She flung them. She pulled them on her arms. Thankfully she no longer eats them but she does steep them in her princess teapot. I'm obligated to partake in her stinky-tea parties several times a week. This morning she asked to play with her little bag of seashells. She filled her Cinderella socks full and fat with seashells and pretended they were pumpkins. Then she cuddled them and pretended they were babies. All the while chattering like a grown-up telling me how they looked and how they felt.

Her affection is so sweet. When she was cuddled in my lap with a fever last week, she touched my face and said "I lub you, Mom. You byoo-ful, mom. You go-geous." She does my mommy heart good. :-) Last night she woke crying in the middle of the night. I brought her to my bed and we whispered together for a little while. Then she cuddled to me and stroked my arm and face with her little hand. I don't want to forget things like that.

I'm thankful to have had such easygoing kidlets, they've never had problems with changing routines or encountering new people or places. However, Isaac has kept a little bit of concern since we were away from both of them for seven days during our anniversary vacation. They did wonderfully with their grandparents, but ever since, Isaac always needs reassurance when we go somewhere that I am going with him and that I am going to stay with him and that I won't be gone overnight. When we returned home from that vacation, Isaac told me "Mom, I like to see you and look at you. I like to smell you." Since then he tells me that often. I melt every time. I tell him I like to see him, too. We snuggle and I ask him "What do you think I smell like?" He usually says "coffee", which is so funny to me. He loves coffee and he usually sits with me on the couch when we're just getting up on the mornings, while I'm drinking my coffee. I guess that's what he thinks of. The other night at church he climbed in my lap and hugged me and told me he likes to smell me. I asked him what I smelled like and he said "Coffee. With chocolate and milk and sugar." These tiny things make my mommy heart so happy! Last week Isaac was teling me these things and Mike asked him "Isaac, what do I smell like?" He hugged his daddy and then decided "Hot Chocolate." We asked him "What does your sister smell like?" He thought for a minute and then said "Mud." Typical brother.

I also don't want to forget that at this stage in their little lives, my children know no strangers. Every person we pass in the aisle or in the park, every cashier who scans our groceries. They are subjected to a formal introduction and some chatty conversation. Appearance and age do not matter. And most people are amused by it. The more I think about it, the more I hope they never grow out of it. And in my quest to become more Christlike, I believe I could observe this particular lesson from my children.

Isn't it amazing how much we learn about God from our children?

Springtime on the Farm

2009-04-02T11:37:00.008-05:00

Getting the mowers ready for the season

Mom and Baby

Bucklings playing the challenge game. They love jumping on and off this sewer manhole.

My other kidlets playing the challenge game :-)

Moms and Babies relaxing

Isabel loving Chloe. Poor Chloe, she's hooked to her chain to keep her from chasing the guineas

Hmmm . . . . wonder what lives in here?

Isaac insisted I take a picture of the creek. We're so blessed to have this on our land so that our animals have fresh water all the time.

Isaac and Isabel think Chloe's new house is the greatest.

Boris looking casual and distinguished, as usual. He loves the camera.

Chloe the coonhound

Betsy recuperating. Hopefully she learned her lesson about chasing cars when she clipped the tire of a truck while going to the mailbox with me this morning. The super-nice guy felt terrible and backed up his truck to make sure she was OK. She was just a little stunned, LOL.

Speckled Hen lays her nest here every year. She has 4 little hatchlings this time around. They were out foraging, so hopefully I'll get some pics of her with her brood soon. It's precious!

This is Isaac's favorite spot, on top of the hay.

Way up there! He loves that spot!

Boris, cool as cucumber, as always.

First mowing of the spring. This was so cute. The grass is a lot greener in the front of the house.

Brenda and her baby

The challenge game. Aren't they cute? Isabel is crying in the background because Chloe ran by and her chain whipped underneath Isabel's feet and knocked her flat. Poor baby! She was OK, just mad. She climbed in Chloe's doghouse with her after that. :-D

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

2009-03-31T19:59:00.004-05:00

I've wanted to try something like this for a while, so found a basic recipe, and of course tweaked it to my likin' :-) Mike likes to have breakfast he can take out the door with him in the morning and these are great and healthy!

Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
3 c. quick oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. flax seed (I ground it in my coffee grinder first)
1/2 c. raw honey
2 tsp. blackstrap molasses
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk
*any sort of fruit or nuts you prefer*
I made this batch with raisins and blueberries, but one could also use diced apples, peaches, strawberries, bananas, almonds, pecans, etc. etc. Many yummy possibilities here! (Ooh, maybe even chocolate!) :-)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add fruit to dry mixture and stir. In a separate bowl mix honey, molasses, butter and eggs. Add to dry mixture. Add milk and stir until blended. Spread into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 25 minutes. Let cool, cut into bars. Store in airtight container.

Beef Lentil Stew and Parmesan Herb Bread

2009-03-30T17:01:00.010-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed the best Beef Lentil Stew at a quaint little coffee shop in Arkansas. It was thick and hearty and had a nice chili kick. I have been thinking about it ever since so I decided to try and make my own version. I'm very pleased with the results! Of course we can't have stew without some sort of homemade bread . . . . . so I paired it with one of Mike's favorite bread recipes I came up with a while back.

Here it is!

Crock Pot Beef Lentil Stew:
Beef soupbones (or 2-3 cans organic beef stock, or a small bone-in roast)
A big handful of thinly sliced organic carrots
A handful of diced onion
One can of diced tomatoes
1 lb. lentils
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
2 tsp. Cumin
1 Tbsp. chili Powder

Place soup bones, carrots, onion, salt, pepper and garlic in crock pot with 4 cups of water. Turn on low for about 4 hours until you have a rich stock. Add lentils, tomatoes, cumin and chili powder. Stock should cover lentils and vegetables. If not, add a little more water until they are completely immersed. Cover and set on high for approx. 1.5 hours, until lentils are cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve!

Parmesan Herb Loaf (protein packed!)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. garbanzo bean flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. herb seasoning (salt-free)
a generous shaking of parmesan cheese (shredded works fine as well)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. butter or oil
1 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients. Mix the egg and butter/oil, add to dry ingredients. Stir in milk gradually. Batter will be thick and almost pourable, like a quick bread. Spread into greased 5x8 1/2 loaf pan and sprinkle the top lightly with more herb seasoning, and another generous shaking of parmesan cheese (this makes for a yummy crumbly crust on top!). Place in 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is browned and begins to crack. Let cool, remove from pan, slice.

Enjoy!

Ummmmmmm . . . . . . . Deuses????

2009-03-24T19:11:00.004-05:00

This was an actual ad on Craigslist today:

HALF DUCK HALF GOOSE BABIES - $10
Date: 2009-03-24, 3:00PM CDT
I will have baby dueses born soon. We thought that the goose and the duck were both boys, WELL....... WE HAVE EGGS! There are eight of them. They are half duck and half goose. They will be for sale about two weeks after they are born. I will be selling them for $10 each. I am sure I will have more to come after that. I am not sure what they will look like but I am sure they will be cute! If you are interested in one of my dueses please call me at ***-***-****I will take your name and number and call you when they are ready. Thanks.

Bless her heart. I'm sure she's gotten a bazillion emails already. I hope that, by now, someone has tactfully informed her of the facts.

Ducks/geese/chickens just lay eggs. No fertilization necessary.
Ducks/geese do not cross. If so, we'd have them at every duck pond in the universe.

I wonder if she's keeping them for two weeks so they can nurse.

(kidding)

This ad did make my day, though. :-D

Free Coffee??!!

2009-02-19T21:33:00.002-06:00

Dunkin Donuts will send you a free sample of their coffee! Click here!

Can't beat that.

Isaac-ism #3

2009-02-12T18:25:00.002-06:00

Isaac burned his tongue on his dinner.

"Isaac, be careful, I told you it's a little hot"

"No, Mom, it's a BIG hot"

:-D

My Son

2009-02-12T12:46:00.004-06:00

I really need to start blogging this stuff, because I know I'll forget it as the years go by. This is just copied and pasted from an email I sent to my mom . . . . . .

Isaac has a birthday list. He is very excited for his birthday to come on the 28th. He wants:

--Balloons (red)
--Cake
--Ice Cream and stuff
--chess
--bingo
--a blue bag with a Little Einstein shirt in it (he means a blue gift bag)
--a drumpet (A trumpet, it's on order. When he opens it, he will gasp. He's demonstrated.)
--a Spongebob video game
--silly string
-- a musical hat of many colors. A purple one. (?????)

He cracks me up. He wanted me to tell him a story tonight about his birthday (he just wanted to keep talking about his birthday). So I got out the video the hospital made when he was born. He absolutely loved it. He says that's when we "built" him. He also named all the parts of his body that have grown since then. Then he said "But you don't have any kids in your belly". I told him not anymore, they already took them out.

I was narrating the video and told him he was saying "Where's my mommy!?" and his daddy handed him to me and said "Look, Mommy! Here's your Isaac!" And I said "Oh, I love my Isaac!"

Isaac narrated himself: "And I said 'Where's my sister!?' "

He chattered all the way home from church, mostly about his birthday, but he got sidetracked when he saw the big, orange moon. He asked me if he could ride an airplane. He really wants to ride an airplane so he can see the moon. He wants to sit by his dad and HE wants to push all the buttons. (You know, to fly the airplane!)

:-D

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-02-08T22:08:00.004-06:00

If only I could remember to write down everything they say . . . . .

Isaac yelled at his sister in aggravation this morning. Mike reprimanded him. Isaac said "But Dad, I'm not yelling. I'm just asking her louder".

On the way to church, Isaac and Isabel were commenting on all the tree devastation. Isabel asks every day, for every tree "Ohh NO!! What happened that tee, Mama?" And I tell her "It fell down, Baby." Isaac commented this morning, "Oh, no, we need some sticky tape for those trees!"

A little while ago, I hear mischief going on in the kids' room, where they are supposed to be sleeping. Isaac yells to me "Mo-om! Izzy has a toy in her bed! Mo-om! Can you come in here and spank my sister!!??"

The fun never ends.

Randomly Rambling and Bargainy Bloginess!

2009-01-20T14:18:00.008-06:00

I'm soooo behind. I never even blogged about the holidays, ha! Well, all in all we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas, spent with family. We enjoyed Christmas at home this year (we alternate between Christmas here in OK with my family and Christmas in MO with Mike's family). This year my parents came to our house and spent the day, we had a lovely Christmas dinner, relaxed, played games (on the new Wii, ha!) and Mom and I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Christmas night. She and I used to go to the movies on Christmas or New Years night when I was a teenager and we hadn't gone in years. I really enjoyed it.

News Years Eve weekend was a ton of fun, my mom and brothers secretly plotted crashing the big party at Stan and Nan's (my in-laws) and invited the kids and I along. So we showed up and surprised everyone. It was a blast!

Isaac, Nan and Mom. We were playing "Imaginiff". It was fun!

Oh, here's our new calf. She's demented, but cute. Here she is actually at the front of the pasture instead of running up and down the fenceline at the creek from sunup 'til sundown.

Isaac cooking dinner last week. Southwest Chicken Soup. Mmm! He's been helping me cook ever since. He even mixed up my birthday cake this year!

We've even had a ton of cousin fun since my Sis-in-law and nephew have been in town. Here are all the monkey babies.

Yesterday was such a nice day and Mike was off work, so we decided to get out and about. We drove over to Talequah and stopped at Lake Tenkiller and let the kids play. The lake was beautiful, even in the dead of January.

He was a little nervous on the bridge to the dock

Such a sweet pic

Isabel and her daddy

Mommy and Izzy

Our sweet, precious little mack truck :-D

After the lake, we decided to drive 20 miles more over to Muskogee and hit the mall and go out to eat. Isaac spotted the indoor blacklight mini-golf course. We took the kids in to play and the older lady running the desk insisted on letting the kids play for free. Mike and I offered to pay to play along with them, but she would have none of it. It was so sweet and generous of her. Isaac and Izzy had a blast. Isaac looks like a ghost in this pic! He loved counting the holes, from one all the way to 18. For anyone who doesn't know Isaac, he's obsessed with letters and numbers.

Cool aquarium at the mall! Awesome!

Oh, and I am obsessed with the Twilight series. Only one more to go. Just thought you'd like to know while I was thinking of it.

I found some awesome bargains this week! I.am.a.die.hard.bargain.hunter. I refuse to pay full price for anything. If there is a bargain to be found, I will find it. I had some birthday money (I love that my birthday falls with the BEST clearance sales of the year, HA!) so I was so happy to find my little items at the mall. Everything in the pic was $3-$4 each, with the exception of the cute pants. They were $6.25 ;-D Is it tacky for me to tell how much I pay for my clothes? Probably. Do I care? No. I love finding a good bargain. It gives me the warm fuzzies (as my mom says)

More bargainy fun! I L.O.V.E. surplus stores. One of my fav places to go is OOPS in Tontitown. I love all the home decor stuff and the food section. They actually have a great health food/organic selection, dirt cheap. So I got quite a stash last Saturday!! Then, as we were running errands today we decided to stop at the little surplus place that opened up here in town. I was so excited! Here in our dinky little podunk town, I found all this stuff!!! Organic stuff, people. Whole grain stuff. Yummy stuff.

Today is inaguration day and I've been mindful and prayerful of our nation. It doesn't matter which way we voted, we have a responsibility as believers to pray for our nation and our leaders. Romans 13:1 reminds us:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

I'm so thankful that we have a God who is in control.

I'll admit that I didn't spend anywhere near enough time praying for President Bush over the past eight years. I'm determined to set aside some time each week to pray specifically for our government.

Hmm . . . . I guess that's all I'm thinking of today. Could I be more random?

Meeting Jeremy Camp!

2008-11-17T08:50:00.012-06:00

I never win anything. Anything. So I could hardly believe it when I was caller 10 and won a pair of tickets to the Jeremy Camp concert to take place in Fayetteville on November 14th. Mike and I LOVE Jeremy Camp's music, so we were stoked! Needless to say, I was shocked when KLRC called about 10 days later to tell us we'd won the Grand Prize . . . . front row seats, a Nintendo Wii, and the opportunity to play Guitar Hero with Jeremy Camp before the concert. I was totally not expecting that!

Mike and I had been looking forward to this for weeks, so my day kind of crumbled when he came home from work Friday morning terribly sick with a cold. He felt like he'd been run over by a Mack truck and said he wouldn't be able to go with me. So I was totally bummed. :-( Thankfully, my sweetheart cousin Alisha was free Friday night, so we had quite an awesome girls' night out! We had such a great time. Jeremy Camp was truly a super-nice guy. The concert was fantastic. Our seats were A1 and A2. Front and center. Wow.

Playing Wii Bowling with Jeremy Camp. Thankfully we did not play Guitar Hero, because I was totally clueless. LOL

Alisha, Jeremy Camp, Me!

Some JBU students were there filming for a documentary project so they got footage of us playing the Wii. (And now you all will learn an interesting factoid about me -- I am a gum-chomping madwoman when I am nervous) ;-P

I Love Fall

2008-11-03T09:01:00.016-06:00

You Might Be a Redneck If . . . . . .

2008-10-31T17:49:00.007-05:00

You put Halloween decorations on your pokeweed.

Seriously, I haven't had such a goofy case of the giggles in a long time. Mike and I were in our hometown over the weekend, and were driving past a former neighbor's house. These particular neighbors have always had an unkempt lawn to say the least, and, well . . . . just strange ways in general. Mike was reminiscing (ranting) about the fact that growing up he always got jipped into mowing their side of the property line which they neglected. Mid-sentence he blurted, "Oh. I like how they decorated their pokeweed."

WHA!!!??? I burst out laughing. That had to be the most random and absurd thing I'd heard in I don't know how long. Decorated their pokeweed?

For those who may not know, this is pokeweed:

It's very common in rural areas. Rampant, in fact. It's just a big ugly weed and it gets pretty tall if you don't chop it down.

I looked and there it was. Two stark stalks of pokeweed standing in the front yard . . . . . with that fake green spiderweb stuff strung in between them. I don't know why it was so hilarious. I guess you just had to be there.

Yup, redneck. So.stinkin.funny.

A Tribute . . . . .

2008-10-31T11:16:00.011-05:00

In Memorium . . . . . .

T-bone, we knew the day we brought you to our home that you would bring fulfillment to our lives.

You grew up gracefully . . . . . (sort of).

And then you met your fate.

T-bone, we love you more today than we did yesterday. You will live on in our freezer and there will always be a special place for you on our plates.

;-P

My Baby Einsteins

2008-10-18T10:26:00.005-05:00

OK, can I just brag on my kiddos for a minute before my buttons bust? :-)

Isabel, at 21 months, can finish a peg puzzle in no time flat. We keep ALL our puzzle pieces in one basket. She can dig through and figure out which pieces go to which board. I think she might be ready for a 100 piece puzzle by Christmas. (Kidding!) She is also starting to recognize a few colors. She definitely knows "yeh-wo" , "ohnge" and "pank" (yes, she's an okie girl). :-) To top all that off, she can sing her ABCs -- er, something that sounds extremely close, anyway.

Isaac, 3 1/2, is beginning to read!! He is starting to sound out short words. He's been able to do his letter sounds for a while, but didn't understand how to put them together and I hadn't planned to push him on it for a while yet. It clicked for him this week when Isabel checked out a library book called "Quack Shack". It has 3 sections, words with the "ack", "ock" and "ick" families. Each section has several words with different letters in front. We were reading it together, and all the sudden he started spouting off some of the words before I read them!

This morning we were all 3 doing puzzles together and he started playing with his letter magnets. We did the same concept -- ack, at, og combinations, putting different letters in front of each one -- and he was able to read several words by himself!!! It's a great start! :-)

We've All Gone Nutty!

2008-10-14T15:26:00.015-05:00

This week we enjoyed one of our favorite fall traditions -- picking up black walnuts. Mike has done this every other year since he was around 12 years old. This was the kids' first time going with Mike (and mine as well). We had a great time and filled two truckloads! I think Mike has met his match and partner for the next several walnut seasons . . . . . Isabel is quite a pro :-)

Isaac's favorite part was knocking walnuts from the tree. The one that fell in this picture conked his sister on the noggin. Double the fun. :-)

Little Miss Izzy showed us up! She filled her bucket five times over!

Isaac and Daddy picking up

These are stains from the hulls, they won't fade for several days

2.5 hours and 56 five-gallon buckets later . . . . . .

Filling the hopper and watching the walnuts go up the conveyer

Isaac and Isabel watching the hulling machine

Giving our weight receipt to Ms. Gail to calculate how much we made! Isaac and Izzy are excited to get a little candy money :-)

Fun Fall Project!

2008-09-25T13:48:00.013-05:00

I was inspired to start making these t-shirt dresses when I saw something similar in a boutique catalogue. They are so easy and affordable to make, even for bumbling beginners like me! :-) Here is a tutorial:

Step 1. Start with a tee shirt of your choice. Cut off bottom of shirt straight across, to desired length. This dress will have a dropped-waist. For a higher, empire waist, cut off a couple of inches below the armpit seam.

Step 2. Cut a length of fabric twice as wide as of the bottom of the t-shirt.

Step 3. Cut off fabric to desired length, leaving 1 1/2"-2" for hem.

Step 4. Place fabric right sides together, pin and sew along each side of fabric.

Step 5. Sew a loose gathering stitch around the top of fabric. I do this by hand, it's quicker and easier than the machine, in my opinion. To do this on the machine, set your stitch length to the longest setting, stitch around, leave threads long, do not backstitch.

Step 6. Pull thread until fabric is the width of the bottom of the t-shirt, distribute gathers evenly, tie off thread.

Step 7. Pin right side of shirt to right side of fabric. Sew together.

Step 8. Turn dress inside out, turn hem twice (turn once then iron, turn again and iron). Sew around.

FINISHED!! Embellish as desired!

Recipe Time . . . . .

2008-08-05T20:36:00.004-05:00

I had some overripe bananas on the counter, so I tried a new recipe and I had to share it:
(Besides, if I post the recipe here, I won't lose it, muahahaha)

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 1/2 C. flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 C. cocoa (Of course I used a little more! It's chocolate!)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. butter
1 C. sugar (or 3/4 C. honey)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. mashed bananas

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and bananas. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine flour mixture with banana mixture and mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 1 hr. Turn out of pan and let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

It was quite heavenly.

Lessons for Everyday Life: Matthew Chapter 14 -- Isaac's Commentary . . . .

2008-07-28T20:31:00.004-05:00

This past Sunday, Isaac and his classmates learned (via flannel board) the story of the feeding of the five thousand. They all listened well, and afterward answered my questions about the story, while coloring their little pages with pictures of fishes and loaves.

This evening as I was picking tomatoes out of the garden, Isaac asked if he could have a particular tomato that apparently impressed him. He carried it around for a while, licked it, bit into it, then laid it on the porch for later. His little sister soon spotted it and snatched it off the porch. When Isaac saw his tomato in her grubby little hands, he nearly had a meltdown. "NOOOOOOOOO Izzy!!!!" I stopped him. "Hey!", I said, "It's OK! You can share it. We have more." For a split second, he almost continued, but suddenly, his tiny face changed, revealing the big connection that had just been made in his mind. "Oh. I can share. And God and Jesus. And Jesus said we can share food! I can share food." He was recalling the lesson he had learned about Jesus asking the little boy to share his food with everyone, and how Jesus was pleased when he did so. Isaac stopped throwing his fit and graciously accepted when Isabel came to him and handed over his tomato.

"Isaac!", I praised him, "You are such a good boy. You are a good listener!" It's little moments like this that make my mommy heart soar. I've been so proud of Isaac lately for doing so many grown-up, responsible things, like getting his own drink of water and making his bed. But this tops them all. I know that he is approaching an age when the Spirit is going to be stirring in him. He actually applied a biblical principle to his life for the very first time. He knew that he should share, because Jesus said to. And that's enough.

Critter Wranglin'

2008-07-21T14:03:00.008-05:00

We do a lot of that out here. Mike was moving hay in the barn and we came across a fat, black snake coiled up between bales. We didn't hesitate to see if it was a ratsnake or a cotton mouth (we have a lot of those since we're right by the creek), so we immediately went for the kill. Mike and I pulled it out as it was trying to slither down into the bales. It struck at us, and Mike asked "do you want to do this?" I really did, LOL. So he traded me the t-post for the shovel I was holding (it wasn't heavy enough) and I got rid of the stinkin' thing.

It was a good 5 feet long, as you can see. I checked its markings and went inside and checked my trusty snake website, http://oksnakes.org/. It turned out to be a black ratsnake. It was harmless and would've eaten rodents for us, but oh well. I'd rather not risk a cotton mouth hanging around in the barn where us and the kids are frequently, and where the goats go for shelter and hay. Snakes found in the barn will go without question. There turned out to be a good reason to eliminate him after all;

This momma banty was nesting just a few bales away and that mean old snake would've eaten her precious little eggs. Mike found her behind some bales. When he moved them and even raked around her, she never so much as flinched. Funny, because when I was working in the barn this spring I came upon her unknowingly and she chased me for getting too close to her newly-hatched brood. :-)

An Awesome Ministry

2008-07-01T19:25:00.006-05:00

Isaac attended a VBS this week at the little church just down the road. A group from Dallas, TX comes here every year and puts on a VBS for local kids at this church. They went door to door and invited all the neighborhood kids, and even went and picked them up in vans they brought with them. What an awesome ministry! This group of young people comes year after year to a rural area with small churches that don't have the manpower or financial resources to do a VBS, and evangelize to all these young kiddos. They brought EVERYTHING with them! It was so great! They were such an enthusiastic and sweet bunch of young people. Isaac had a great time and I was told that he was quite popular and entertaining, LOL. That sounds like typical Isaac . . . he's a stage ham. ;-) He came home with a really cool t-shirt and some awesome crafts, and he loved his classes, Jesus songs, and all his new friends. Praise God for this group of young people who blessed this community!

Life Out Here . . .

2008-06-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

I never did like the idea of a blog. I initially thought "Could I be so self-absorbed? Who would care to read the tedious details of our everyday life?". But alas, here I am! Walking around our little farmette tonight and looking at all our baby animals, I couldn't help but want to share it. Mike has always wanted a website for our farm . . . . well, here's a start!

Then there's the fact that I'm always "writing" in my head. I have a lot of musings, so . . . why not write them down somewhere? I also really enjoy reading my friends' blogs. 'Specially all my Crosswalk girls. (Gimme some pointers, ladies!) I've decided this really is no different from journaling. It is a great creative outlet. I don't care if anyone else reads this, at least I have a place to organize my crazy, random thoughts. :-)

Maybe someone will find it all amusing! :-)