Belated yet again....

I laughed when I read my cousin's blog and found that she procrastinates. I guess it runs in the family as I have procrastinated and find myself writing another belated birthday wish. This one goes to my oldest child. Rebecca turned 17 this Monday, and I am in an emotional state of depression. Where did the time go?? If I'm enjoying her so much, why is she growing up so quickly? What can I do to stop the flow of time?? Nothing. That's the depressing thing - in a bitter, sweet sort of way.

I can honestly say that I have not had a little girl Rebecca living in my home for some time. Instead, I look at a lovely, young lady who continues to grow daily into a young woman after God's own heart. She blesses her family with her smile, her servant's heart, her cheery attitude, her sense of humor, and her willingness to reach out to those who are hurting. It has been so precious to me to have had all these years at home with her. I know that we started out to homeschool for academic reasons, but I am now realizing the blessing of spending time with my children as they grow and mature into young adults far outweighs any academic gain. I am so enjoying seeing our relationship change from being one of mother/daughter to one of best friends who also happen to be mother/daughter. What a joy that is and will continue to be for many years to come.

This last year has brought excitement as she acquired her driver's license which has meant that Mom has had to start letting go - hard, hard to do. However, it didn't take long for me to be able to see the benefits of having another driver in the family. I'm just so thankful that she takes this new responsibility so seriously. She is very careful when she's out there which I appreciate, and I am enjoying being able to do other things like read a magazine article as we tootle down the road to music lessons. It won't be long before my dear child will one day be Queen of her own home (if Prince Charming can get past her body guards :)). Until that time, I am going to just keep gathering these wonderful memories and storing them up for that day when I'll need them. Happy, happy day, Sweet daughter!!

Happy Birthday Young Man

Hate to say it - but I am EXTREMELY belated in wishing Joshua a Happy Birthday. I don't think he even noticed because unfortunately, this year we all celebrated his 12th birthday being sick with the flu. He was down for a week, and I don't think he even ate two bites on his big day. He has since enjoyed his gifts and will celebrate later this month with a few friends, guns, lots of ammo and clay pigeons! It's nice to have children who can go with the flow.

Besides being flexible - which is an absolute must if you're going to be a rancher - Joshua has really grown into his own this year. He is wearing a size 11 shoe - yes, you read that correctly. I might also add that's not a youth size but a full grown man's size!! He definitely has his daddy's feet and hands, and he's proud of that. He has his own herd of cattle that he helps to care for not only financially but by planning the breeding and selling of the offspring. He also received a high honor this year at the county fair. He won the Novice class (youngest group) in Showmanship for showing cattle. This meant that he received a ribbon and went on to compete against the winners of the Junior and Senior classes - one of which was a 15 year old and a 19 year old. Both of these other exhibitors had shown cattle for years, and the chances of a novice beating the older ones is pretty slim. No big deal. However, the judge was so impressed not necessarily with his showmanship but with the information and knowledge that he had about his heifer and her breeding. So, rather than awarding one of the older more experienced youth, he named Joshua the Grand Champion in Showmanship. The thing that impressed Joshua the most, though, was that the judge said he was not only a showman but a true Stockman. What a compliment for a young man with his own little herd. :)

We are truly proud as we watch him grow and become the man that God has made him to be. We know that God has big plans for him, and we look forward to seeing him continue to grow in maturity, wisdom, and patience. We LOVE you!!!!!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life

Happy Birthday to the best friend in the world - my wonderful husband!! After today, John and I can proudly say that we have both spent more of our lives on earth married to each other than not. That's kind of exciting when you think about it. Yesterday was 21 years of marital bliss, and John turns 42 today!! He's pretty excited about that fact, too. We are prepared for our traditional breakfast in bed (for some reason, though, John didn't order monkey bread, hmmmm), and we will go around the family and share what we like about John. It may take a while for us to get through our lists as everyone has been giggling and whispering about what they're going to share when it's their turn. This has truly become one of our favorite traditions in our family - to bless the birthday person by sharing what we like about them. If you've never done that, I highly recommend it.

I also would like to thank Harry and Dixie for giving me this special man. They poured their hearts into him and made him the person I've been able to love and enjoy these many years. Thank you for giving me the love of my life!!

Happy Anniversary

Believe it or not - and I'm not sure I can - today we celebrate 21 years of marrital bliss - well, we argued about whether or not they were all blissful years. :) Actually, we both agreed that we've had a few rough years because we were both so darn stubborn - imagine that. Our children love when we talk about those years and share that had we not been, we might not be together now. We were both too stubborn to ask for the divorce and determined to wait for the other one to ask first. Yes, that was us. I can look back now and Praise God that He showed us another plan for our lives and our marriage. We talk about this every year on our anniversary because we want our children to know that there may be struggles, there may be disappointments, and there just might be a few bumps in the road when they are one day married. However, there is One who wants to be a part, if they'll let Him, and when He is it is wonderful!! John and often laugh as we recount those years and realize just how close we came at times to throwing in the hat because it just was too hard or it seemed that it would be easier to quit than to pick up the pieces and try again. Now, we can't imagine any other choice for ourselves. Those years of working- truly working -toward the couple we are today was well worth it. We pray that our own children can walk away with some wisdom gained by our own mistakes and one day be able to say - HAPPY 21st ANNIVERSARY!!! I love you more today than I did 21 years ago and much less than I will in another 21 years!!!

Sarah turns 14

Here I am a day late - yet again. The story of my life, but I'm thinking this may just be the way things go with all these young, busy children I have growing up all around me. I am here to wish my dear daughter a very Happy Birthday as she turns 14!! I can't believe she is that age, but as I have watched her mature and become such a beautiful, Godly young woman these past few years, I can't believe I'm blessed to be her momma. She has blossomed and has discovered ways to serve and love others above herself, and it is so obvious that her heart belongs to Our Lord. We laughed tonight as we went around and did our traditional "what I love about the birthday person". Sarah is just not the same young lady that she was a year ago let alone a few years ago. Numerous comments were made on what a servant's heart she has now as well as how her attitude is so positive and compassionate. I know that this is the work of the Holy Spirit in her life as she continues to become more devoted to God, and I can't say enough what a blessing it is to have her in our home and to know that we shall be dear friends forever. I look forward to seeing how Our Lord uses her as she continues to grow closer to Him and finds ways to reach out to others. Of course, we must be honest and share that one thing she still reaches out for is an animal just wandering around in need of some lovin'. Her love for animals is something she will never outgrow, I'm guessing. She enjoys snuggling with kittens, cats, dogs, the chickens, the ducks - even her steer, Buddy, has become the recipient of many strokes of love. She still doesn't enjoy being around the bulls (and at 2000 lbs. each, who can blame her ). She continues to enjoy playing the fiddle and entertaining Momma throughout the day as well as sitting and sketching the sunsets and mountains around us. I am looking forward to one day reading her books as she publishes them, but in the meantime, I enjoy the privileged position of being her editor.

We Love you sooooooo much!!!!

Happy Birthday

I'm a little late (well, since he came early, I figure I can be a little late every now and then......). I still want to wish my handsome, young man a Happy 7th Birthday!! I can't believe it's been 7 years since we were given the biggest surprise of our lives - a baby a little over 12 weeks early! God certainly blessed us in a big way, and we are grateful that He was in control the entire time. A bit early, a wee bit small, but oh, wow, not so anymore. He is missing a tooth here and there, has lots of scratches from this cat or that kitten, a few mosquito bites from hunting tadpoles in the pond, and all the other stuff that goes with a 150% little boy. He is truly a blessing and as everyone agreed the other night, he always has a HUGE hug for anyone that needs it - which is usually Momma early in the morning. This birthday has probably been a little more melancholy as he's my baby, and I definitely am not ready to move completely out of the baby stage. However, he insists on growing up, so what choice do I have?? Actually, if I'm going to be honest, I hope he gets a job soon as it's getting harder and harder to keep him in clothes that are long enough. Good thing he doesn't care about fashion. Lucky for him, neither do the chickens and ducks. You heard me; chickens and ducks. This little guy is happiest when he's holding some kind of bird. He will be showing a Deleware hen, Black Australorp hen, and a Rouen duck at the county fair this year, and I have a feeling he'll be hauling one of those birds around the entire fair just so he can snuggle with them. He is up in the morning and ready to head to the barn just as soon as I let him. These birds have certainly been a motivator for him to finish house chores as he much prefers the barn chores. I'm just thankful he's here and so healthy, and if he wants to strengthen his immune system by loving on those birds, that's fine with me.

Kill the iPod

This was a great article!! I have to say I agree with the place where our society is. I've been there. I'm still there.

Our tv met an untimely death a few weeks ago, and I can't believe the withdrawal our family went through, and we hardly watched the thing. We don't have cable. We don't have our must die weekly shows. We hardly watched the news except for weather. We watched videos or school curriculum pretty much, as we really would rather play cards or read. However, when the death of the tube came, we mourned more than I thought we would. Somehow, without us even realizing it, we became addicted to entertainment, even if it was in a small way. It's been nearly a month, and Caleb just told me today that he doesn't even miss it anymore. WOW!! It took 4 weeks to get past he addiction!! However, I still can't say that we sit and just relax and let our minds dwell on nothing. How many times does God tell us to sit and wait. He never says, "Go entertain yourself for a while until I get back to you." No, it's usually, sit and wait, be still, wait upon The Lord, etc. Well, we own one iPod only because John won it, and then it sat on our shelf for nearly 6 months because we just didn't really know what it was good for or how to use it (what techies we are :)). We might not kill it, but after reading the article, I do want to focus more on each of us spending more than our morning time in solitude. Quiet. Stillness. Waiting. Patiently, waiting.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/beta/god_article.php?id=7302%20&print=true

Chickens, chickens, who's got the chickens

We are now gearing up to bring on the chickens. I am really excited as I love fresh eggs fried in bacon grease in the morning. Not politically correct, but it's my favorite way to eat eggs. So, we are venturing out in the chicken world and trying to learn as much as we can. There is a lot to learn. I remember Granny having chickens, but I didn't learn a thing at that time in my life other than you shouldn't poke a stick at the chickens (not one of my nicest moments in life ). If any of you know anything about chickens and care to throw some advice at us, please do so. Rebecca is taking the chickens on as her 4-h project, so she has been doing most of the research - or as she puts it, she's been "pecking" everybody's brains. We are looking forward to the eggs and possibly at some point, we'll even look at raising broilers just to butcher them. Joshua is begging for turkeys, but one fowl animal at a time, please.

By the way, I've had calves in the tub, and I just finished having two cats neutered on my dining room table. Yes, you heard me. We had the vet out fertility testing bulls, and as we mentioned we needed to bring the cats in to be neutered, she offered to take care of them right then and there. They are recovering in the bathroom right now, but I thought I would just add one more bizarre thing that has occurred in my home. If anyone had told me 20 years ago this would be my life, I would have laughed until I passed out. At least no one can tell me they told me so!!!

PS - we did put a trashbag and old blanket down for the procedure, and I have used a washcloth soaked in bleach to clean that table. I might be up for trying these strange things, but I am all for sterilizing after....... I wonder if any of you will still come join us for a meal????

Birthday spa

Hippo Birdie Two Ewe - that was the song my family sang to me as they brought me breakfast in bed. I was given coffee with heavy cream (whipped cream, actually) apple turnovers, eggs over medium, roses in a vase (silk roses in an old wine bottle, but I loved the creativity :)), cards and cards and cards. Then, everyone grabbed their plates, and we all piled on the bed and enjoyed our meal together. That was a wonderful way to start the day. 14 years ago when I started this tradition with my children, I had no idea it would come back to bless me as it does every year. I can remember when they were younger and couldn't cook, yet, they would always make sure Daddy bought Captain Crunch cereal and bring me a bowl of that for breakfast (I confess I do like that sugar filled cereal ). I am still wearing the smile I've had since this morning. Children are truly a blessing from The Lord!!

Now to the spa, we have had 3 calves enjoying our luxurious set up here at the J-C Bath and Day Spa. So far, all are doing well and back with Momma. I am posting some pictures so that everyone can see that we really have had calves in our tub and sleeping in front of our fire. The calf last night was so precious. The children had all gone to bed, and John and I were reading in the living room. The calf stood up precariously and then started bawling for his momma. Since no one came to him, he started walking toward John and me. We loved on him but had no nourishment (we try to make them wait until they go back to momma so they are good and hungry). He then proceeded to bump into the furniture all over the living room and dining room until he finally came back and plopped on his blankets. John and I just laughed and laughed. What a sight! When you're in the area, do come by for your own special treatment!!

Feeling like Job

It's very easy to praise God when things are going well, but we are beginning to experience just a taste of what Job must have felt (nothing more than a taste, maybe only an aroma....). We have had an abundance of snow that has made it difficult to get to the cows. We have run out of hay reserves and can't find any at decent prices. We have had 1/3 of our calves die (that's bad when a normal year is only about 5%). Plus, the dishwasher is giving us fits along with our water softener (and we really, really like our water softener). Now, while we are already feeling down , we find ourselves dealing with a transmission on the 4x4, feed pickup that has chosen this moment in time to begin gagging and taking it's last breath. We don't know how much longer it will work for us, but we are really starting to worry. As John sat the other night wondering what we were going to do as we won't have money from bull sales until late March, early April, I couldn't help but wonder what went through Job's mind.

He endured more than we've even begun to fathom, and yet, he continued to praise God. How often do I praise Him when things are going well - lots of rain, lots of grass, an air conditioner that works, vehicles that work, school going smoothly... etc..... How often do I praise God when I burn the bread, have a stuffy nose and just can't seem to get things done? Not often. Now, here I am finding myself anxious about so many things that I just can't control (that's a whole other issue), and am I easily praising God? I must confess, no. I immediately cry out to God, which I know He does want us to do, but I'm crying like a big baby because things aren't a bed of roses right now. Why is it so difficult to cry out to God with a voice that praises Him for all the things I do have? For all the health we are blessed with? With a family that is willing to work hard together? With friends that are willing to offer their hands wherever needed? With a Savior that was willing to lay His life down for mine? How did Job do it?

Did God show Job He loved him more than He shows me? Definitely not. Was Job less materialistic than I am? Maybe. Was Job's a closer walk than mine has been lately? Probably. Or maybe Job just chose to praise God no matter what. Job's walk was probably much closer than mine has been lately, and because of that close relationship he felt with God, Job knew he could trust God to only allow what was best - even if Job couldn't understand how all of those events could be best. Job knew God's character so well, that he knew God would not desire to harm him or hurt him in any way - it goes against God's character. Often, I've lived through difficulties and wondered how it could be best - such as with Caleb. We can look back now and see that it was best that Caleb was not only conceived when he was but born when he was. At the time, though, we simply had to trust. We are now facing another one of those times. We don't know what the best is going to be out of all of this, but we can trust that God's character has not changed. He is still a loving, righteous, just, giving, caring, compassionate God that desires nothing for us but what is best. Maybe what Job did was to make a conscious CHOICE to praise God no matter what - not because he felt like it, but because he knew that was the best he could give to God. That's what we will try to do, too.

Now, Here Comes the Sun!!

For the first time in I don't know how long, I woke to the sun shining brightly. There were no clouds in the sky at all!!! We are praising God and are beginning to feel the warmth pouring down on us to melt this snow. Yesterday, we woke to a dead calf right outside the kitchen window. Poor thing was born in the night with the chilling winds. Next to that calf was another calf just born that morning and struggling to get up and move around - which I had a hard time myself with the fire for warmth. My children watched that other calf all day to make sure he stuck with momma and was moving and nursing. As much as I hated losing the other calf, I shared with John last night that the good from that loss was the desire it placed in our children to watch even more carefully on the other calves out there. Numerous times they would go search for the calf and felt satisfied when they saw it nursing or snuggling with mom. The desire to care for those less fortunate in any way is something you can't be taught from a book but have to learn through experience in one way or another. I hope yesterday planted one more seed for them.

Also, we are still baffled by the deaths of a couple of these calves and have come to the conclusion that the crows may have killed them. Apparently, after talking to some of the other "older" ranchers around here, the crows have been known to go right down and attack a calf and kill it. After a calf is doing well, often the mom will go looking for a little nutrition, and that's when they come in. So, now we're not only on calf patrol, we're on crow patrol. I always found those birds to be a little creepy (maybe it's a Poe thing, who knows), but now I may be finding a valid reason to dislike them. We'll keep you posted..........

Here it comes.....oh, please let them be wrong

Here is my contribution for the day. Below is a little verse I've quickly written while looking out my window this morning. Sometimes these things just come to me in a weird sort of way. This one is sung to the tune those wonderful BeeGees sang, Here Comes the Sun.

Here comes the snow, Little Darlin’.
Here comes the snow, and I say, it’s all wet ( da da da da da da)

Little Darlin’, it’s been so long since we’ve seen grass.
Little Darlin’, I never thought the white could last, but
Here comes the snow……….
Here comes the snow, and I say, it’s all wet……

We are praying that we only get 1-2 inches this time as we still have not seen the ground (except the mud on the road) since December 28th. That's right-3 WEEKS!!! YIKES! It's not that we mind the snow, but it sure does get expensive when you have to feed 3-4 tons of hay a day. We are almost out of our entire winter stock of hay because feeding 21 days is more than we normally would. John tried finding some more around here, and there is none. What he did find was running 133% increase over what we paid a few months ago. We do have lots of cubes, and they love eating those (high in protein, sweet tasting little cigar shaped food supplements), however, too much is a little hard on their systems without the roughage of grass or hay. So, we continue to pray for the snow to melt and more hay to be found at a more reasonable price. It has just been funny to be in this situation after all the rain we had this last year. We ended up with so much left over grass on the ranch we were actually looking forward to winter for once because there was plenty for them to eat - go figure.

However, on a brighter note, we have about 8 calves on the ground so far, and today is actually the due date for calving to begin. God is so caring and good. He knew that we really needed to see those sweet babies out there to remind us that things do not come to stay - His Word always says, "And it came to pass". Life does not stand still even when we are in a panic, and He once again brings forth new life. So far, Rebecca's herd has increased by a little bull calf. She plans on raising out her calf and selling it next year as a yearling (they learn the value of that dollar early and good business practices as well). Sarah's herd has increased as well with a little heifer. She is happy about that because it means more potential calves in the future. Joshua is still waiting......

I am also grateful for a huge wood pile, lots of meat in the freezer (guess what kind???), food in the pantry, games on the shelf, and lots of great company to fill up the next few snowy hours. What more can we really ask for. Even when we can look one way and possibly become anxious and overwhelmed, we can always turn back to Him and be reminded that He is in control. It's almost as if He says, "These are my cows, and I'll take care of them. In the meantime, go enjoy your family, eat some good food, play some games, read some books, sew some quilts, and trust in Me." Ahhhh, now how easy is that...

Let it snow!!!!!

I hope all of you had a Blessed Christmas as you focused on the gift of Our Savior. I also pray for God's abundant blessings on all of you in 2007.

We ended and began the years with lots and lots of snow. More snow than I remember seeing in a long while. Here are some photos the children took. We ended up with 22" at the house and up to 4 or 5 feet in certain parts of the ranch. The cows would like to have been given B & B treatment, but we were not willing. :) Wonder why! John was able to get to the cows and feed hay as well as cubes, and he eventually got them all moved closer to the house in a smaller pasture. We were thankfully not calving, but we will begin in another week and a half. So, I am preparing the bathtub for cold calves if this weather continues throughout the next few months. If we do have a calf in the tub this year, I promise to post the pictures. Ahhhh, the life of a rancher's wife. If only I'd known..........I'd still have married that wonderful, handsome fella!!!