Soon to be summer vacation

School books put away, pencils dull and worn, paper all gone and file boxes ready for storage, BUT

there is always time for one final field trip of the school year.  

Bancrest Dairy, just seconds down the road from our house, long time friends, my very first sewing teacher in 4-H and the best neighbors. . .

Bumpy hay ride to the barn, squeels of delight from the rear of the second trailer, seems we got the bumpiest ride.  First stop, the barn to milk a cow.

For some this might be the first time ever milking a cow, or even coming close to one. . .  for others this is second nature living in our rural community.  Either way, everyone took away a special understanding of all that goes into getting fresh milk.

Little George, so very excited about seeing the cows, riding on the wagon and touching the big tractor UNTIL the milking machine was turned on.   All fingers got to feel what the cow feels when milked, and to test whether the fresh milk was warm or cold?  Any guesses?

She never once complained, she was as sweet as they come, waiting patiently for everyone to get a turn milking her. . . . . .

There was a baby calf, born just last week, that needed to be feed.  I don't think she minded any of the attention, or the fresh, yummy milk either . . . . . .  Afterward, it was picnic time on the front lawn, surrounded by all of the beautiful flowers in bloom, with locally made chocolate milk and ice cream served for lunch. 

 

Quick, pile back into the wagon for our ride back to our cars and then home for the afternoon.  What a sweet ending to our school year.

16 Summers

My gator driving, John Deere Tractor lovin' little boy may have 16 more summers here at home, but if I keep blinking those years will go by so quickly.

Just look how's he has grown.  Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

One day at a time

Life seems to pass by so quickly.  Here we are into the month of May, almost June and it seems like just yesterday it was January.  We have been busy at work here on One Blessed Acre.  There is always an abundance of daily chores to be had here on our growing farm.  Every morning the gang gets up to let the chickens out, change the beds and feed chickens, ducks, bunnies and a cat.  Sometimes they can even entice Georgie to help out.



Our newest additions to the family, happen to be two Muscovey ducks from a good friend of mine from high school.  Lindsay has appropriately named them John and Vanessa and has profusely told everyone in the family that she will be doing ducks next  year for 4-H.  I can't wait to see how she feels about this when her Dad decides to begin to wake her at 6:30 a.m. to take care of the ducks each and every morning!  Right now, she has the luxury of sleeping in!

Another hen has decided that spring has sprung and she must give us some more baby chicks - how sweet those darling chicks are to watch with their momma.  It is so much simpler when they are hatched and taken care of by momma than by artificial means through the incubator!  She currently has 14 eggs under her, so we'll wait a few more days and see what happens.  This just adds to the General Manager's farm list of things to do - "Build Permanent Nursery" in the chicken coop.  It will be a blessing to have that built for the many years to come of momma hens giving us baby chicks.

The General Manager and my father enlarged my garden, double the size of last year, when we added $500 worth of organic dirt to the soil.  This year we will be able to plant more, harvest more, and store more over the winter.  Once I began the task of hoeing up the rows, I quickly realized just how much work is involved in maintaining such a large area.  I wish I could say that my nerves and attitude were always meek and quiet, but alas, I can say that we have worked well as a family unit to maintain this new area, even though I may have raised my voice a time or two.  My Anne usually takes Georgie and Abby when they have tired of helping water the garden everyday; Hannah and Lindsay also have taken turns with them on the tire swing to keep them occupied.  We've slowly over the last month been able to get all the vegetables planted.  Now we just need some SUN and HEAT to get those beautiful sprouts sprouting.

Some summer plans we have for the yard is a hedge row in front of our main entrance.  This hopefully, will help keep the chickens in the yard and out of the busy country road,  as well as keep the younger children from being tempted to get too close to the road.  We also want to grate and re-rock our driveway so that next winter it isn't a giant mud puddle.

On a more restful note, my Dad's 75th birthday celebration is this weekend.  It amazes me that he is turning 75 because I can remember back when he was my current age.  I pray for his salvation daily; I want him to know Jesus and to be comforted by His love.  He is such a wonderful and talented father - I gave him a picture that I had seen in a magazine, in which he was able to build this beautiful chalkboard for our front kitchen wall.  I no sooner had put the shellac on it and this is what was to be had with the chalkboard.    I know that the girls will be able to enjoy this for years to come and it will be a family heirloom to be passed down for many generations.  Family is about memories and it is those things that I cherish the most.

Circle C Beginnings Review

Author Susan K. Marlow, has written a prequel series entitled Circle C Beginnings.  Last year, while serving on the TOS Homeschool Crew, I had the opportunity to review one of her other books in her Circle C Adventure series, entitled Trouble With Treasure.  She recently sent the next two books in her Circle C Beginnings to review. Susan is a homeschool mom, freelance editor and teacher.  

The girls were excited to begin the next two books after remembering how fun Andi's adventures were in Andi's Indian Summer and Andi's Pony Trouble.  


In Andi's Fair Surprise, Andi wants desperately to take her pony Taffy to the 1874 California State Fair, but her older brother and mother disagree.  So what possible fun could a fair be without her favorite pony, Taffy?  Her attitude begins poorly, but she finds once she is there that the fair turns out to be very exciting.  Even though she doesn't get to keep the prize she won, she still manages to win a "blue ribbon" from her mother for her decision to give away her prize to another little girl!
My middle girls are ages 6 and 8 and they enjoy this series.  Susan writes at a level that is easily understandable for children of these ages.  When we got to the ending of the book, I quickly realized the character trait that Susan was trying to teach her young readers; generosity.  Andi learned a valuable lesson that it is better to give than to receive - and even though we are not to look for rewards for good deeds, Andi is rewarded in the end with much praise and adoration from her mother.


   In Andi's Scary School Days, Andi wants no part of school.  She doesn't want to be away from the ranch, Riley, Taffy and Coco all day.  School means wearing dresses, sitting still, sitting next to a boy who puts a lizard on her head and watching him smoosh a fly between hands. Ewww!  To top it all off, she gets sent to the corner for something she didn't even do.  She quickly finds out running away from school is not the answer and hiding in trees doesn't help either.

Once again the girls enjoyed this book and from the book they learned about humility and apologizing for wrong doings.  We also saw that it took a change in Andi's attitude for things to begin to turn around. 

Book three and four sell as a set for $9.98 on the Circle C webpage.  Be sure to check out Susan's other books in this series, as well as the Circle C Adventure series.  They are truly a fun read for children.

My heart aches

My heart is aches .. . . . . .

She grew up too fast - her father and I envisioned her not leaving our brood until she was given in marriage to her future husband, we longed for more time to strengthen the bonds between us . . to better prepare her for life

but alas,

the world beckoned and she flew with her wings spread, ready to test if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

She left today for Nevada to live with her grandparents. .  to experience the world. . . the one we've tried to protect and shelter her from.

As she ventures out into the world, we pray that we gave her a strong foundation to stand upon, that we raised her to love the Lord, that she'll make wise choices, and that she'll find whatever she's been missing while living under our care.

She may have severed herself from our authority, but she won't be severed from our thoughts and prayers

Another teenager in our midst

She turned thirteen today. . .

a milestone achieved in a young girls heart

to call herself a teenager.

Most of today's society would cringe at the thought of having a teenager in their brood; when society thinks of teenagers often words like ‘problem’, ‘trouble’, ‘attitude’ and ‘lazy’ come to mind.

But that could be further from the truth, for I say "Praise the Lord for teenagers," especially the ones I have been blessed to raise!  It is an encouragement to me to see Anne step up in responsibility and be able to successfully embrace life and handle many situations all on her own accord, with little or no supervision from her father and I.  We are watching her grow into a very beautiful, godly woman right before our eyes. 

She loves her sisters and brother and it shows everytime she spends a moment with them.  She is more than helpful around the house taking over many chores to unburden my shoulders - she can cook an incredible Golden Ribbons Pasta dish.  She is completely gaga over couponing and has a strict "hands off - MOM" policy when it comes to her coupon binder!  Raising teenagers is challenging at times; so many mixed emotions running rampid inside of their bodies - they have to come out somehow.  It's how I chose to respond to all of that emotion and the question I keep on asking myself is, "Do I have their heart forever?"  If I have their heart, I can manage through the worst of the emotions.

I wasn't sure if she was going to make it through her "pepperoni and gold fish" stage when she was two, the stage of carrying around a bucket because she thought she'd be sick and throw-up, the stage where she sucked her fingers way too long , the stage where she just had to wear glasses even though she didn't need them because her eyesight was perfect, or even her twelfth, or eleventh  birthday, but she did and now she's going to enter another stage of her life - being a teenager!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!  We wish you so many more wonderful years.  Love, Momma, Dad, Sarah, Hannah, Lindsay, Abby and George

Another look at Coupon Krazy

Today we had an interesting comment thrown our way during our shopping trip to Walgreens.  The ladies behind us were awed at my total bill as it went from owing over $25.00 down to only owing $1.28 after all of my coupons and register rewards.  Then one of the ladies chimed in that we were one of those "freaky couponers."




As I bit my tongue and smiled back at them, I realized that there was nothing wrong with using coupons and I was saving money for my family and wisely using the gifts from God given to our family.



As we got in the car to go home and we were talking about her comment, Anne said, "Mom, we should have offered to re-shop her purchase through the store with our coupons."    That's when it finally made sense - instead of getting irritated with those who think couponing is "freaky" or "out of the norm" - we could be helping them.  

Perhaps, somehow God will give us an outlet to be able to use our new talent to help others out so that we may "Bloom where we are planted." 

So, while we are NOT buying 72 bottles of mustard, we are saving large amounts of money and the greatest gift of all is  . . . .  the bonding that my girls and I are sharing on Friday evenings as we witness to those around us with our cheerful spirits and humble presence.  Our favorite register checkout lady is Ms. Deb at Rite Aid - she has such a sweet countenance about her and we always leave with a huge smile on our faces. 

Life and goals. . .

Life just seems to keep on ticking by, even if I want it to slow down.  My days with two rambunctious toddlers and three older ones are always full of excitement.  One never knows what fun things they will get into next.  Georgie is a bundle of energy from morning until night, only briefly falling asleep in the afternoon for a couple of hours, giving us the much needed time to work through our afternoon school subjects.  He is so sweet though, and if you can corner him for a small amount of time, he will snuggle up on the sofa with one of his favorite truck books - this week's find at the library- two favorites by Peter Sis, Trucks, trucks, trucks and Dinosaur!

We are coming the end of our school year, winding down with the last few weeks of formal studies which leads us into summer and the unschooling fun that comes with just allowing children to learn on their own while they experience life.  It got me thinking about some goals that I want to accomplish this summer.   The plans of the heart are always good to have, even if the execution doesn't always transpire the way that we want it to.

Here are some goals I'd like to accomplish over the summer months:

1.     Memorize Scripture:  Each year, as a congregation, our church reads through the entire Bible, and I am sorry to admit that I have never read the Bible, cover to cover - I must humbly admit this - but my love of scripture is growing by leaps and bounds. . . I want to know the totality of scripture and be able to apply it at a moments notice.  I feel so compelled to complete this, not only for myself, but for my husband, for my family, and for my children.   So, while I am reading through the Bible, adding scripture memorization seems just natural.   So for now, I've started with Psalm 1 and I might just work my way through Psalms this summer.

2.    Enlarge our garden:   Last year our garden included 6 raised beds and this year we want to increase the size of the garden to include, not only two more additional raised beds, but also a large in ground area to plant some of the more invasive plants (ie. zucchini, brocolli, corn, peas, beans, squash) that tend to take up more area as they grow.  We realized quickly last year that our small garden was just a start and was by no means capable of feeding our family during the summer months and beyond.    This was coupled with the fact that the weather in Northern California tends to reflect a much shorter growing season, so we have to make the best of the time we have.

3.     Paint the porch and bench - this will have to take place when the weather turns warmer and less rainy of course.  I'm thinking a barn red for the bench and perhaps a dark brown for the porch - it would hide the chicken poop which if our ladies didn't hang out by the back door wouldn't be there, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  It is so sweet to look out the back door and see them all huddled close together, relaxing on the porch.  I think the trade off of having to sweep the porch each day is far less than the hassle of having them on the porch.

4.     Read two books for pleasure - It seems as if during the school year my free reading is so limited due to putting lesson plans together and reading for teaching our unit studies.  Some favorites on my list for the summer are. . . . War and Peace,  Life Management for Busy Women, Reliving the Passion, Seeing and Savioring Christ and the Dirty Life on Farming, Food and Love

5.     Save Money:  We have been bitten by the couponing bug and so far you can see our savings listed on the side bar.  We are having quite the challenge working with our limited supply of stores - with couponing it seems being in the country might be considered a penalty?  But, Anne and I are doing our best to overcome that obstacle and have had several compliments on our 6 lbs coupon binder! :)  Saving money is very high up on my list of contributing to our family's well being - ultimately, I would love to cut our grocery bill in half so that we could save for something special and maybe just a tad frivilous - not that we need a thing - God has blessed us immensely by providing everything we need . . . .but these might be fun to have  . . . . a vacation, Christmas gifts, a piano, carpet in our bedrooms.

Of course I want to continue reading and working through some math skills for each of the girls throughout the summer.   I'm so thankful that we are living our lives right here and now.  What is on your summer plans this  year?

And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here.

~Matthew 17:4

Bloom, right where you are planted

Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "For everything you have missed, you have gained something else."



Spring has sprung in Northern California and it is so wonderful to watch in amazement.  The days are getting longer and the anticipation of planting our garden is mounting.  Which got me thinking about a quote I have often heard. . .



Mary Engelbreiht's quote, "Bloom where you are planted"



After being here in Northern California for the last year and a half and struggling with trying to "break into" a small, close-knit community, I think I understand the meaning of this quote just a little bit better. 

You see, God planted the gardens and I can imagine some of the plants blooming and wondering, "Why was I planted here?  God in His infinite wisdom knew why and where the plants would bloom the best, where they would be the most beneficial and serve the most purpose.  He didn't give them a choice to plant themselves in a location that "they" wanted. . . .  He chose for them.  Just like He chose to place us in Northern California, reasons unbeknownst to all of us, for better or worse. 


Every day I feel like I am constantly falling on my knees in prayer, asking God to forgive me for my struggle with discontentment and longing for something greater in life.  What I am beginning to realize is that God will show me the way. . . the reason that He wants our family here, the "why" behind our being planted.   He will take care of me, He will be my strong tower, my everlasting hope which I can stand upon.   It is what started me journaling my "1000 gifts" - the reasons for living and breathing - the God given purpose to my life.  I want to remember every day just how grateful I am and to fully be open to His ways in my life.   I pray when I get to that end I can look behind and see a deep, straight path, right to Jesus.
So for now, I may feel like I am missing something, but God knows I am gaining something even greater.  I will be content to wait out the reason that I've been called to "bloom" here, right where I've been planted.

Bloom, bloom where you're planted

You will find your way
Bloom, bloom, bloom where you're planted
You will have your day.

Look at the flowers, look at them growing
They never worry, they never work
Look at the way our Father clothes them
Each with beauty all its own

Each with beauty all its own

Some plant the seeds that others will water
But in all things, God give the growth
Come let Him garden the flowers within you
Come and discover some you've never known
Come and discover some you've never known

Look at the love that lies deep within you
Let yourself be! Let yourself be!
Look at the gifts you have been given
Let them go free! Let them go free!
Let them go free! Let them go free!

#200 - # 208

*    dirty spoons under the dining room table, babas, wanies and shirtless boy

*     chocolate frosting, chocolate cake and Lindsay who is now no longer in a car seat

*     playing trains with George late one Thursday evening after Bible Study

*     birthday girls during the month of March

*     "Dadda, Dadda, Where momma go?"  early in the morning coming from the crib

*     ice cream cakes and eight year old

*     birthdays and another year of serving God

*     talking to old friends early in the morning - so uplifting and just what I needed

*     quilting in bed late at night for new arriving babies amongst our friends

Couponing is not for the weary. . .

After watching the TLC episode of "Extreme Couponing" my daughter, Anne and I have teamed up our efforts to saving our family money by couponing again. 

We began in January by doing several things.  First, we set a budget as to how much we'd spend in groceries and personal care items.  That being said, we also decided that just because something was on sale, a great deal and that we had a coupon for the item,  if the family wasn't going to use the item, we wouldn't buy it.  We also said that we didn't want to be "extreme" in that we'd clear shelves and go overboard and end up with a year's suppy of toliet paper (which when I think about that with six girls in the house, might be near impossible to store up!)

So we  began searching blogs for other ladies who had traveled the coupon road before us, one in particular from the show, Joanie Demer, The Krazy Coupon Lady.  She offers coupon match-ups to the weekly sales fliers, tips for beginners and videos on how to shop.  While I haven't read her book, "Pick Another Check-Out Lane Honey," it sounds interesting.

Since, logistics and lack of shopping selections were going to be a battle for us to overcome, we decided to focus on Walgreens, CVS and Safeway.  We were not new to couponing - we had tried it in years past, but simply got overly burnt out on shopping at too many stores, missing those really "great sales" and having to go back in several times a week, and driving all over the city to the different stores.  So, we knew we needed a better "game plan" this time since CVS is a 30 minute drive north and Walgreens and Safeway are a 20 minute drive south.  I wish I could say that we've come up with a "fool proof" plan thus far, but we haven't - we are still stumbling through, but it has been fun to see some of the great deals we've found - even if we get overly excited over buying laundry detergent or toothpaste for almost nothing - have you ever seen the coupon dance??  Perhaps that should be my next post - a video of the coupon dance!

I thought I would show you a week worth of shopping for us and the amount of money that can be saved by simply spending a couple hours a week clipping coupons and printing them from the internet.

So, for the totals. . .  drum roll please. . . . .

Total Spent. . . * $86.92

Total Saved. . . * $219.93

Total of all Goods Purchased. . . . .* $306.85

(We forgot to take a picture of the items we got at Target which were two packages of Huggies diapers, two Suave Professionals products, and two Secret deodorant and four boxes of fruit snacks)

This gave us a 72% savings on all of the items and we purchased 100 items this week.  If you divide that by our cost, that is less than $.90 per item.  We are so blessed by these savings and some of these items we'll be enjoying for several months.

Blessings,

Michelle



Advice from our tree

Advice from a Tree
By Ilan Shamir
Dear Friend,
Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter
Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light
Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view! 

Years ago I saw a wonderful idea on how to chronicle all of the books my children read throughout the years. . .  a wall of books in essence.  This year we decided upon a reading tree; a tree because of new growth and old, sturdy knowledge.  Each year that a tree grows, it's core trunk remains steadfast, strong and full of life while the outer branches spread far and wide with new growth.  My children are so similiar; each year they retain the knowledge learned from past years, helping them to remain strong while their tender branches are reaching forth to grow and absorb new nutrients in the way of new knowledge.

Each leaf on our tree carefully lists the name of the book read and whichever child's name read the book or had it read to them.  At the end of the year, we make a big deal of taking down the tree, sorting out the leaves and recording all of the books that we've consumed during the year.  Each year I am utterly amazed at the number of books we read and just how many interesting subjects we perused throughout the year.  This is a wonderful confidence booster if the dreaded "Homeschooling Doubt" has settled into your thought pattern.  I love nothing more than  than seeing a very long list of books read over the last year to reassure myself that the girls are learning and glorifying God.

Reading is so important in our children's lives.  If it was not so, we would not have so many great quotes about how reading takes us to places we've never been before, how it opens doors, how we meet and get to know people we have never met before. . . .  .

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

- Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

I've traveled the world twice over,

Met the famous; saints and sinners,

Poets and artists, kings and queens,

Old stars and hopeful beginners,

I've been where no-one's been before,

Learned secrets from writers and cooks

All with one library ticket

To the wonderful world of books.

     Unknown

I suppose I should get back to reading, we are enjoying another Circle C Beginnings series book, Andi's Scary School Days and an amazing classic, Robinson Crusoe.  Have you read with your child today?

Just Quiet Days

How I wish I had something amazing to post

Something so heartfelt and inspiring to cause you to ponder and wonder

Something so God spoken that His words would create that "awe" moment for you,


But, for now, I just have the wonder of our days passing by

Delighting in every moment. . .

Ever so sweet, that if I am not careful, I might just blink and miss that special something. . . . . .


As I spoke with a dear friend of ours this week, she made me realize something so wonderful.  My kids are thriving, even if I feel as if I am failing.

After each interruption to our school day, I feel I get further and further behind, that somehow they are not learning or experiencing the same as their counterparts - those in school from morning until afternoon.  Each night it is the same replay over and over again in my head - that somehow they will not stack up, per se, to those children who have spent so many hours in a classroom. 

Her "awe" moment words touched me and made me see that they are learning, even if it is in an unconventional way, that when they leave this home they will be prepared for life.  They will have meditated on God's law  day and night, they will be stronger for it.  They will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. 

And, I will have Delighted in every moment. .  . my heart is overflowing right now

Don't let your fear of failing hinder you from     DELIGHTING    in your children today. . .

Psalm 37: 3- 4

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will(I) give you the desires of your heart.

So many birthdays this month

Our month of March is crazy with birthdays.  Our Hannah's birthday falls exactly one week later than little Lindsay.  She is turning eight this year and what a blessing she is to the family.  She is so much like her father - with her deep brown eyes, her dark skin, her amazing ability to make someone laugh and her extra gentle spirit (I'm not sure her Dad would admit that he's a big softie when it comes to her - all she has to do is bat her big brown eyes and she has him eating out of her hands - so to speak)



We just returned from the monthly 4-H meeting, where all the March birthday kids had to get up in front so that everyone could sing "Happy Birthday" to them.  Her face was so red - she was a little embarassed.  She even made her momma go up, since my birthday happens to be next week.  I love how she loves her sisters and little brother and they are always busy playing something.  She's rather quite the tomboy, even though I desperately try to get her to wear her skirts and dresses. 

Her birth story was another fun story for our family, just like Lindsay's.  The General Manager was out of town when I went into labor, so he, in a panic, drove way too fast to make it back in time.  He met me at the hospital shortly after I arrived.   While the nurses were checking me in and I was waiting for my epidural, he went down to the cafeteria to get some lunch.  While I was in the pangs of labor, he was next to me eating a bowl of gumbo, calm as can be, as if I'd been birthing babies forever (she was only my second birth).  Dr. Helman and him jibber -jabbered while I was birthing Hannah.  Even today, I can almost remember the smell of the gumbo and how it was so overpowering to me while I was trying to concentrate through contractions.  Dr. Helman said, "she has a lot of hair and I could use some of it to pull her out."  Thankfully, she came out all on her own.  She was a very sweet baby, but she only wanted momma.  She was also the only baby I've had that refused to take a bottle, which meant we were inseperable for the entire time she nursed.

She is such a sweet girl and I know she loves the Lord.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her future.

Happy Birthday sweetheart!  We love you very much. . . . .

No More Carseats for her

Today is our 6 year old, Lindsay's birthday.  The alarm on my cell phone went off at 3:30 a.m. this morning waking several. Unbeknownst to all, Anne had apparently set my phone alarm to go off to remind us just how early Lindsay was born. 


When she was born, I was smitten from the start.  She was so sweet with her baby blue eyes, light blond hair and cute button nose.  She slept well, she didn't fuss much and she loved to be held and snuggled with her older sisters.  Anyone could hold her and she didn't mind.  I remember back to the General Manager's Chief Promotion, which was shortly after she was born.  A dear friend of ours held her almost the entire party while I took care of the rest of the arrangements.

Her Daddy loves to tell the story of how she was born the night before he was to attend a very important meeting with a 3-star General (he got to miss that meeting of course) and how Momma woke the neighborhood up with all of her screaming.  I think he likes this story as much as the story of eating gumbo . . .  that post will have to come next week.

We have many nicknames for our sweet girl in the middle:  Doodler (her artwork started on the walls), Wigi, Squishy, Winsey; each I think an enduring name to describe her character.  She loves playing with her sisters, everything from Barbies, Polly Pockets, house and the most imaginative one of all, prairie girls.  She's quiet natured, kind, smart as a tack when I can get her to focus and oh so gentle.  I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.

We all love you very much Lindsay.  May your day be special.

My blinders are on

I hear Pastor preaching on Sunday, about having blinders on.   Does anyone else hear the lesson he is teaching, or is he just talking directly to me?    I try to look away, but I hear him anyhow.

It is that point where we have begun to focus on something so hard . . .  that thing that WE want, but is it of God?  Does God want it in our lives . . . .  is it part of His will for us?

But, I really, really want it, you say, and I deserve it - God should grant it to me because I have been praying about it for so long.

Sitting there, I realize that I have been so easily distracted by analyzing others "blinders" that I forgot to take a look at my own.  It's times like these that God is taking us out of our comfort zone - to give us a gift - a place where we can lean on Him and know Him more intimately - something we would never do in our comfort zone.

I struggle to concentrate on the sermon, yet my mind wanders to my blinders. . . . the one thing that consumes my thoughts daily. 



My arms are so full, yet empty at the same time - I can feel the blinders around my eyes - wanting, struggling with a selfish desire to hold another little one, to smell the sweet baby "smell," to hear the baby babbles, to see the toothless smiles. . .  .  To beat the "clock" that is ticking away on my child bearing days.  That somehow, just one more child would complete my life. 

He's almost two now and he is still my baby, but reality sets in. . . he is not going to be for much longer.  What if he is the last and I never have anymore blessings - any more gifts - Children are a gift from the Lord and I want my arms so full of them!

But with these blinders I have closed myself off to God's will - it's as if I've told Him that His way is NOT sufficient or good enough for my liking.

So I come to Him, heavy hearted, repentive of my blinders - counting the gifts that I have, reminding myself to wait upon the Lord. . . Psalm 27:14  Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.   My blinders need to be removed if I am to see my gifts.

Counting gifts is about gratitude -  and I need to count these hard things too.

#190 - #198

two more baby chicks born, including one incredibly fuzzy yellow one

tendrils of curls outlining Abby's face because her hair is finally growing back from twisting it off so many times

little ones arms wrapped around my neck playing with my hair clips or twirling "myz hair"

the sound of snow falling, having it change to hail and then back again to snow

snowflakes and daffodils

cold, really cold days spent wrapped up inside

hundreds of sweet little birds landing on fences, building nests and laying eggs

a furnace that is working

patience - it is a constant struggle to attain

removing my blinders