Happy Birthday, Dearest Sarah!

Sarah arrived exactly on her due date, so why her mother couldn't get this post finished on time is completely unclear to me, except she'll just laugh and say it's normal.

What isn't normal, though, is our Dear Sarah Barah.   She made it known from day one that she was going to march to her own drum - no her own instrument - in her own timing and with whatever melody she chose at any given moment.   She was certainly a surprise a minute, but such a blessing.   These past 17 years have been nothing but a great adventure, and one that has filled our home with lots of laughter and joy. 

I have to say, though, that this past year has brought a change in our home in that we seem to be losing the little "silly" Sarah as a new, more mature (yet, still vivacious) Sarah has emerged.   There have been so many areas of maturity that I've witnessed this last year that I don't even want to begin to write them down because it brings tears of joy as well as sadness as she no longer is that little girl.   The wonderful thing, though, is that our friendship has deepened so beautifully this last year.   Whereas our trips to town might be filled with chatter before, this year that chatter has been replaced with conversations on life and God and living for Him that has encouraged ME so much.   This last year has brought about a so many changes in the way she has served the family in such a contented way that those moments almost go unnoticed.   Not completely, though, as I have had the joy of watching from afar as she's made the effort to build relationships with siblings and friends in a deeper, more meaningful way.   And her writing??   What can I say about that area but that her words are filled more and more with heart issues that will encourage and edify The Body.

Before anyone wonders what happened to our "silly" Sarah, let me say that she will never completely go away, and Oh, I am so glad about that.   There are still many, many fits of laughter that begin and end with that funny girl, and anyone who knows her will attest to the fact that laughter should have been her middle name.   How little did we know that when we named her after the Sara in The Bible (and remember she laughed, too), that our little daughter was going to give us moment after moment of laughter and giggles.  

Sarah, you truly are a joy to know, and we have been blessed to have you in our family.   Even if this note is late (as so many things have been this year), please know that the love we have for you is never ending.

We love you - THE MOSTEST!!!
Dad & Momma

Back again!! Hurray!

Hello dear friends!

I have been gone for a while, though not actually gone from my home.  I had said in the post below that I felt like I was spending too much time on the computer.  So, a week and a half of no computer period was what I needed.  I must say it was rather hard, at first, but by the end of my time I wasn't thinking about it all the time, and could really care less if I actually got on right away or not. 

Well, I am back and with news too!!  The Lord has blessed us richly this past week.  On Saturday afternoon, we got some rain.  For a good 30 minutes, it was just raining sheets and we couldn't even see the barn (which is about 130 feet away).  I would like you to try to picture what this might look like.  Towards the east, the pasture (known as Arena pasture because the Arena juts into it) has a slight valley.  There are gentle slopes close to the house that dip down, and then rise again for even higher slopes father away.  This little valley runs all the way across the pasture to the South. 

When we get large rains during this season (all of the hurricanes and tropical storms along the coast bring us moisture!) we typically have little 'ponds' in certain places.  We kids have named them all.  We have Arena pond (very original, don't ya think? ;-) ), which is at the bottom corner of the arena; Tadpole pond (behind the corrals towards the north), Banana creek (this floods the banana curved road behind the old adobe, which is north of our house), Trailer Gully (this is a spot where the waters made a small canyon of sorts right on a road leading into Arena pasture.  We got a trailer stuck in it once, thus the name Trailer gully), and many more little ponds that don't stick around long enough to get a name. 

So, Tadpole pond, as you can imagine, must have tadpoles.  Yes, indeed it does.  In fact, right after a rain, you can just step outside and hear all of the frogs croaking to one another.  Caleb and I got to run outside when the the rain had let up to a slow drizzle and got to see the frogs.  It was amazing to watch their little throats bulge out as they made the neat little rumble noise.   Tadpole pond usually get only to above our knees..  this time we had it flooded all across the road and into small Tadpole pond (that is across the road).  The pond was obviously very full..

Arena pond was more like a lake.  The whole valley was FLOODED all the way down to where it ended.  All the water started to run down to the end of the valley Southward.  This wouldn't have been a big deal except that it then decided to run across our road..  We have a fence on either side of the road as we have pastures on either side.  Well, as the water moved swiftly towards the road, it picked up any debris that might be lying around.  This then built up on one of the fences and eventually knocked it over.  The fence on the other side was totally uprooted and pulled backwards.  The wire was broken, so we had to strings of fence just lying inside the pasture where the current had pushed it.. 

Now, this is NOT a normal occurrence in New Mexico.  Rain does come, but certainly not like this.  How many inches? FOUR!   Compare this to a usual 1/2 inch a month!  Quite a different experience, I must say!

Alright, enough talking, lets get to pictures.  Unfortunately my camera doesn't take great pictures, and I can't imagine why Rebecca didn't want me to take her nice Nikon out in the rain... hmm. =D lol!

The flooded Arena Pasture:

Trailer Gully:

There was a little rock in the way of water flow that made the H2o jump over it...

Banana Creek:

A new little gully (and a little sarcasm "and they said the grand canyon was formed over millions of years... hmm")

Tadpole Pond:  If you look to the Right of where Caleb is standing, you will see this pipe coming up.  Now, only about a foot of that is showing, if even that.  Usually, and this is when we THOUGHT it was full, the water only comes half way up that pipe cage thing... so yeah.

TP flowing out into the road and over into little TP and even into the pasture beyond..

Then we have some pics of the frogs.  They had come out for mating and were making such a loud racket (though a very neat racket!) I got a few pics when their necks were bulged out...

Aren't frogs amazing??  The fact that they just hibernate under the ground until ENOUGH rains come for them to lay their eggs.. it just fascinates me!!  Just another show of our wonderful Creator!!!

Hope you enjoyed the pics.. we certainly did because it meant we got rain! Then, the next day we had even more rain.. a whole other inch!! Praise GOD!! We really need some rain for the grass to get greened up.. even now, after only a day or two after the rain, it is getting green!

Praising God,

Sarah

Give away postponed..

Hello friends!

Our giveaway is going to be postponed until the end of this week.. I have realized that I have been spending a lot of time on the computer, so I am taking some time to get my focus back where it should be.  I would deeply covet your prayers as I go through this week, because it isn't easy battling the devil and his holds over you.

So, just stay posted for a few more days!!

Thanks so much!
Sarah

Happy 10th Birthday

OK.   OK.   I'm three days late, but since he chose to arrive 3 MONTHS early, I think it evens out.  

I do want to wish my Dear Caleb a Happy 10th Birthday.   As he pointed out a few months before his birthday, when he turned 10, we would no longer have any single digit aged people in our house.   I don't think I found it as wonderful or exciting as he did, but I do appreciate his mathematical skills.  

So, Dear Son, you are wonderful gift from The Lord!!   You have such a heart for Him, and I see your heart being molded by His Word every day.   There's nothing I enjoy seeing more than you snuggled up in the chair with your Bible first thing in the morning seeking God's wisdom to start your day.   I absolutely love your enthusiasm for life.   When you tell me about something you've read in science or history, your eyes get large as saucers, and I can't help but be excited about worms and bats, too.   You have an eager attitude that's willing to try most things (except for anchovies), and you are pretty good at convincing someone to go along with you.   I appreciate the way you enjoy people of all ages, and I especially love the way you will joyfully entertain our friends' young children when you could be out doing things with the "big guys".   You are gentle and loving to all the animals we have on our place, and you have an amazing ability to not only come up with names for all 30 chickens and roosters but can actually tell them apart.

It's been a great 10 years, and I look forward to seeing how God grows you and uses you the next 110!!

We love you!!

Done..

Alright,
Polls are closed!!  Thank you to everyone who voted, and to those who spread the word!  My birthday is coming up pretty soon, so be watching for the giveaway!!

Also, here are the finalists for pre-giveaway points:

Samantha
Atlanta
Maggie
Megan ;-)
Johanna
Addie

Grace did you post about my voting polls?? Couldn't remember..

Ok, thank you everyone!! Looking forward to next week! We have some great prizes to give away! *giggles*

In Christ Alone,
Sarah

Johanna is having a 200th post give away!!!!

Hiya Friends!  My good friend, Johanna, is hosting a giveaway for her 200th post.  She is giving away some really, REALLY neat items!!!





Please go check it out and enter!  Pictures below of things she is giving away...

A very adorable and charming night light from Tea cups and Roses!

An e-pattern from Sense and Sensibility!!! ;-) That one is especially appealing to all of you seamstresses out there!

A lovely jumper pattern from Marie Madeline Studio! Along with fabric to make it!

And last, but certainly not least! A lovely pair of Purity earrings done by The Joy of Jewelry.  Aren't they lovely? PLUS you can get them for pierced ears, or you can ask them to do clip on. :-)

So, go enter HERE, or click on her button above to see more details!!

Love,

Sarah

Home again, home again, jiggity jig... ;-)

Yes, we are home!!  We left for a three day weekend to attend a family reunion (My Dad's side).  We had a pretty good time, though family members can often be rather interesting.. ;-) lol! We have some pretty crazy family members, but I guess that makes us crazy too!! lol!!

Sometimes the trip can be stressful, trying to get over there and whatnot, but we enjoyed ourselves and got to catch up on relatives.  Also neat and interesting to see everyone come together. :-)

My Grandparents house was where everyone mostly hung out.  It over looks Ute lake, which is the Canadian river.  However, because of the dam in Logan, the river has been backed up and is now considered a lake. ;-)

The views are simply stunning over there!!  If you beg enough, I am sure we can get Becca to post some pictures of our fun time. :-)  Not that she has to be begged, but it is sometimes a pain to upload photos, so she needs some encouragement. ;-) lol  There are red rocks that glisten in the sunset, beautiful gold shimmers on the water as you drink in the view from their upper deck.  The sunsets are so vivid and just add to the glory.  Last night we were able to enjoy watching a lightning storm that was miles away.  We couldn't even hear the thunder, but we enjoyed the lightning show while we visited, or simply watched with awe at God's awesome power.  He is amazing, isn't He?  I just love seeing His awesome power displayed in Nature.  You know what it reminds me of?  Have you ever seen a young couple who are dating/courting?  Have you ever noticed how the young man is usually doing things to show off to his girl? Opening the car door for her, carrying heavy things, lifting weights, arm wrestling, etc?   Well, it is almost as if God is showing us His awesome power to show off, though in a Holy way, if you follow me.  You know, the Bible is His love letter to us, so why wouldn't He show off some with His awesome nature?? Just a thought.... ;-)

Any way, we are off to watch the first movie of LOTR (Lord of the Rings).. looks like we will be up late for a few nights! Lol!!

Talk to all of you soon, and looking forward to your comments!!

Love,
Sarah

Any one else???

Because I don't want to miss the "early birds" of the give away, I want to make a list of who has done a post for voting on my side polls..

If you post this before the giveaway, you earn extra votes for the give away! There is some really neat stuff that is going to be given away, so you DON'T want to miss out!! *giggles*! I have a couple friends who are helping me out, so you can imagine the stuff we are rallying up. ;-) lol!!

So, here is who I have so far. 

Samantha,
Atlanta,
Maggie,
Johanna,
Addie,

If you have posted, please leave a comment with a link directly to that post.. if you haven't posted but I have your name on the list.. well, GO POST! LOL!! Just kidding, just let me know...

I can't wait for my birthday give away!! Well, hopefully I will be able to do it if everything goes smoothly.. lol! Knowing me, all sorts of things could go wrong...

Unfortunately, my birthday lands right on Farmers Market day! So, I will be very happy to spend the day at the farmers market, playing my fiddle and happily smiling at everyone who stops by. lol! We are planning on going to dinner afterwards to celebrate..  It is amazing how when you start getting older, birthday parties lose their... "charm"?? lol!

Love to all,
Sarah

Our new puppy!!!

Alright, I finally figured out how to convert the pictures a little smaller for the internet and have some more of our darling new puppy. :)  We haven't decided on the name yet, but we are all leaning one way.  It is a female- which I was somewhat bummed.  I was hoping for another male to "fend off the property", but a female is just as good! 

Josh and Sarah while Lady was in labor

Momma and Daughter all tired after the ordeal

Do you see little "Things" spot at the end of her tail?

We are still working on where you get the food...

Momma has settled in to life as a mother, and is doing great.  She still doesn't really like us holding the puppy, but we really try to not stress her out.  So we hold puppy when Lady is outside.  


~Other then that we are starting to do the Farmers Market in Cedar Crest for the Schwebachs, and waiting on God to sell the bit of ranch! 

Although we haven't enjoyed it on days we would like to sleep in, our rooster has been coming up to our windows and crowing right underneath them for us!

God Bless!

Rebecca

Just added...

I just added something new to my business page, Sarah's Treasures from the Past, at the top.  So, be sure to check it out!

Sarah

Bampa.. a tribute

I am a little early in getting this posted, but as we will be gone this coming weekend, I wanted to get this post done. :-)

On Monday the 12th of July it will be a whole year that my beloved grandfather (lovingly known as 'Bampa') passed away.  He suffered through pancreatic cancer for a whole year and half, maybe longer.

Bampa was not my biological grandfather, but I never thought of him as a 'step' grandfather.  He was always just Bampa.  He loved us tremendously and didn't care that we were "related".   I was able to enjoy 17 full years with him, though I suppose when I was a baby, I didn't care much!

Bampa was always so very kind.  I loved how he always made me feel important and never gave up on me.  He was always there to encourage me in my fiddle playing, book writing, and whatever projects I might be doing at the time.  His famous question was always "What have you been up to?" and it was always the YOU that caught my attention.  He never wanted self admiration.  He only cared about others around him and had such a great interest in what others were doing.  You could always try to talk about what he was doing, but he somehow always turned the conversation around so that you were once again talking about your self.

I was his little princess, though I am not the only princess he had.  However, he always made me feel like I was the most important person in the world, no matter what.  I didn't have to worry about how my hair looked, or how I dressed to get his approval.  He loved me for who I WAS, not for who I looked like or acted like.

Whenever my Nana would take me on my special birthday lunch, and he needed to come along for some reason or other, he always let me sit up front.  It was my time with Nana, not his, and he made sure I enjoyed myself to the fullest.  He was always putting me first and wasn't selfish.

Bampa always had such an interest in life.  He was always willing to learn new thing, meet new people, and go to new places.  He absolutely loved living on the ranch, and though he grew up in Brooklyn NY, he could sure fool you with his cowboy costume.  :-)

He loved working the cattle, giving the shots, running them through the chute, whatever needed to be done, he was there.

Although he lived right behind our house, not more than five steps away, I could never get enough of him.  Any time I popped up for a visit, he was always there to give me a big hug and kiss and tease me like no one else.

Any time we came home from a bull sale, all of us kids would rush up to tell Nana and Bampa how the sale went and what not.  They were always so supportive of us.

Now it is no longer "they, them, or y'all".  It is only "her, she, and you."  However, Bampa lived a wonderful life and enjoyed it to it's fullest.  There was never a dull moment when he was around.

I love you, Bampa, and miss you so much.

Sarah

Howdy..

Hello! Just a quick lil' note. :-)

Can anyone believe it is already the 1st of July?  My last day of June was spent being sick, and Rebecca's first day of July is being spent in bed, sick.  Please pray that the rest of our family stays away from this bug.  Everyone else has been taking the vitamin C and pickle juice like crazy, so hopefully they will be able to avoid this nasty bug..

Also, Caleb's birthday is just 14 days away!!  He will be turning 10.  No more single digits in our family any more!  Makes me kind of sad, yet happy to see him growing into such a Godly young man!

I reopened the polls on the side, so if you haven't voted, please do so!  I will be doing a give away (hopefully, if I can get everything done) in honor of my birthday, so keep a watch out! It will be this month....

Also, in case someone new is reading this, I am giving an extra entry for my give away to those who have spread the word about the voting polls.. So far Samantha, Johanna, and Addie have been early birds and spread the word.  If someone else has done so, but I didn't see it (or didn't remember it!) please leave a comment and let me know... I have some cute things to give away, so be sure to spread the word to get an extra entry!

Oh, yes, the gift certificate will also go for my sewing business (pictures to be put on the page soon!). So, for those of you who didn't want a knitting gift certificate, you might still want to win it for a sewing certificate!

Ok, guess that is all for now... ;-)  Talk to everyone later!

Love in Christ,
Sarah

New 'family' member!!

Hello friends!

I am very happy and excited to post pictures of our newly added addition to our 'family'. ;-)

I call him Spot, though I don't know if we have all agreed to it yet.. we did think about following Mike Wazokis wisdom: "Sully, you're not supposed to name it. Once you name it, you get attached to it.  Now, put that thing back where it came from, or so help me!"... So, without further adieu I would like to introduce Thing!

Don't you just love the little 'spot' on his tail bone??  Lady (the mother dog) had him Tuesday night.  She only had one puppy, but since it is her first time, that isn't surprising.  We are also relieved as we can't keep the little thing (or maybe we might, since it is only one...) Not sure if it is a boy or girl yet, though Becca thinks it is a boy.  I wouldn't know, as I am not the dog pro. ;-) lol!

Becca will be posting more pictures later on, but I just couldn't wait!!

In Christ Alone,

Sarah