Happy Birthday Sarah!!

At her 18th birthday tea.

Yes.   I am late.   But in all fairness to myself, I don't WANT to post this birthday wish.   Why?   I am just not ready to have Sarah turn 18.   It's that simple.   When did I give her permission to grow into this lovely, young woman that graces my home with her smile, her laughter, and her creativity?   When did I say it was OK to mature and learn to serve GOD by serving others around her?   When did I give her the go ahead to defend her faith with love and compassion with those around her?   When did I say that my sweet little girl could be anything but that sweet little girl??   If I did, then I'm getting awfully forgetful......

I don't suppose it matters if I ever did give her permission because she has done it anyway.

If it must happen, let me at least rejoice in all the blessings that I see in this event.   18!   18!!  18!!!  How in the world did that ever happen??   It seems only yesterday that you were placed in my arms with that "stick-ed up hair" of black.   Oh, how I remember you choosing your own attire as soon as you possibly could only to sneak off and change into something else.   Then, listening to you give "speech" lessons to your brother when you still couldn't say those words correctly.   I still smile when I think of those days.  

Your hair doesn't stick up anymore, you don't change your clothes several times a day, and you can speak loudly and enunciate beautifully, but the one thing that hasn't changed is your ability to make me smile.   From day one you chose to exert your own personality into our family and be who YOU wanted to be, and I am glad to see you still living comfortably in your skin - regardless of what others think.  

Encouraging the cast before the play.

Performing as "Aubrey Simpson - aka, The Chicken Lady"

Performing as "Cinderella - aka, The Chicken Lady"

What a treasure you are as you love people of all ages - young and old - in such a beautiful way.   

Enjoying time with friends.

Harvesting at the Schwebach's farm.

I see you growing in your love for Our LORD more and more every day, and as much as you might think I don't notice, I do see you growing in all those areas you desire to become more like Christ.   I love knowing that no matter where GOD may take you, you won't be going alone because you choose to keep HIM first in your life.   As Paul said, it is pure joy to know that my daughter is walking with The LORD.

I also love the way you desire to serve.   Your heart is willing to help friends, neighbors, grandparents, siblings, and even your dear parents.  

Serving her favorite Queen.

Always stay focused on HIM and march to the music HE places in your heart each day.   I love you so very much, and I do rejoice with you as you grow one year older - even if my selfish mother heart would desire to keep you 'wittle' a bit longer.

That smile that fills my heart.

I love you!

Momma

Turning 11!!!

Today is a wonderful day in that we are blessed to celebrate 11 years with Caleb.   What a ride it's been, and I mean that in the best way possible.

He started out on shaky ground being born 28 weeks early and weighing in at 2lb 14oz and 15 inches long......but he's more than made up for lost time.   We figure he'll outgrow all of us, and that's not some small feat (or considering the fact he wears size 11 in men's shoes, maybe I should say "small feet").

The best part of his tenacity and persistency from birth is that we are here today enjoying every bit of him.   He is happy and content 99% of the time, and if he is a little "blah", then just find some animal, place it in his lap, and you have an instant smile on that face of his.

He loves anything that moves out here - the calves, the cats, the dog, the chickens, the ducks, the rabbits, the birds, the fish, the frogs.......like I said, anything that moves.

He also loves school.   He enjoys every subject (some more than others) and especially likes sharing what he's learned.   He can entertain anyone for hours with his imagination, big expressive eyes or just sitting at the piano making up songs for your listening pleasure.   He is also great with children younger than he is.   We can't decide whether he just likes having someone to boss around or something else, but I secretly think he just likes people!!

This is school........really......

Caleb, we love you so much and are so glad that GOD has blessed us with these wonderful 11 years.   As much as I hate to see you getting older, I am enjoying every minute of it because you make it so much fun!!

Love you mostest,

Momma

Gardening is my cross to bear.....I think.....

Bizarre title, I realize, but I didn't know how else to put that....

I love vegetables.   I love fresh vegetables.   I love to grow my own vegetables so that I can eat them really fresh.   I am NOT a good gardener.  

Don't be mistaken, though, because I try to be.   Every winter I read at least one book on gardening and try to learn something that will help me in my endless quest to acquire a green thumb.   Usually, I have some success.   I mean, who can't grow zucchini, right??  I always have a zuc plant that does well, but the tomatoes, melons, etc, are a challenge.   Now, my dear husband will say that my garden does well until I find the first snake in it.   Then, it's all over for me.   (I have an extreme phobia due to a childhood incident.   I am better now, but I have been known to shove one of my own children the direction of the snake to save myself.   That's their exaggerated version, but sadly, it's probably not far from the truth.)   However, since I have children who are willing to help me and protect me from snakes, that hasn't been as much of an issue in the last few years.  

I have tried all kinds of methods - square gardening, container gardening, large, small, with plastic covering, with elaborate watering systems, with a hose, with pvc pipe.   The better question is what have I NOT tried.   I have also planted plants inside early as well as purchased seeds and plants at the store.   I'll try anything to get my garden growing.  

Now, I must share that the one plant that has eluded me since moving to this cooler, mountainous area is okra.   It doesn't like the cooler night temps but thrives in the eastern side of NM where I grew up.   This year, however, I decided I would plant inside.   That sounds good, right??   However, transplanting them has been an issue in the past.   So, I decided I would start them low in the cup and add soil around the stem as they grew in hopes of strengthening the stem.   It worked!!  Those plants were strong and beautiful when I put them in the garden.   They even endured these horrendous winds we've had until the last week or so.  

Then, hurrah upon hurrah, I went to the garden Sunday afternoon to find that I had okra pods on my plants!!   There were enough pods that within a week or so we'd be able to enjoy some fried okra, lightly coated in cornmeal, salt and pepper and fried to perfection - one of my absolute favorite foods.  Now I have to grow my own okra to get this because the pods have to be nice and firm.   I also should note this is not the battered version which you get in the store or restaurants.   No, this is sliced okra, dipped in a milk/egg batter, and lightly rolled in cornmeal/salt/pepper.   It's totally different and oh, so good.   So, you can imagine how my salivary glands kicked in.  

Then, Monday morning, I went out to check on my dear little pods to discover.......the neighbors steers had pushed through their fence, walked a mile and a half up our road, entered my garden and enjoyed a midnight snack.   They ate my okra plants, my sunflower heads (which were just starting to flower), ate some beans, ate my okra plants, stepped all over my squash plants, pulled up my watering lines, ate my okra, stretched and twisted my plastic and did I mention they ate my okra plants??  I can not tell you the emotions that ran through me.   I ended by just wanting to stand in the garden and cry.   What a blow to all our efforts.   What a disappointment after all the time and love we put in those plants.   After surviving the heat, the wind, the replanting, etc, they grow and produce only to be eaten by the neighbors steers.  My children went and found out where they escaped from, fixed the fence, and Caleb promised to get the BB gun if they ever came back, but none of it would bring back my okra plants.  

After I had time to get over my disappointment and ponder the whole situation, I couldn't help but see some life applications.   I wondered how disappointed GOD must be sometimes.   HE nurtures us, cares for us, waters us, fertilizes us, and just as we seem to be growing and signs of fruit start to appear, we allow something or someone to come in and mow us down.   We allow those truths that HE has given us to be destroyed by some well meaning friend, or worse yet, the enemy.   We don't stand strong and protect ourselves by turning to HIM.   We instead listen to the arguments given us and fall away.   We have been reading in Hebrews these last many weeks, and I have been struck by the strong admonitions the writer has given to stand firm and not fall away.   (Hebrews 6)   Just like those plants, we will face perils and attackers that seem overwhelming or unconquerable.   Unlike those plants that had no one to protect them, we have someone who will hold us in HIS righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:13-14).   We simply need to turn to HIM during those trials and difficulties.   For HE says in Jeremiah 32:27, "Behold, I am the LORD, the GOD of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" 

Nothing is too difficult for HIM - not unbelievers, scoffers, satan, or the occasional "steer".

Prayer

Every Believer prays....or at least they should.   It's so easy, though, to quickly throw the prayer out and not really ponder whether you mean it; whether you believe GOD will answer it; whether you even acknowledge when HE does.  We have had different seasons in our lives when we've been very purposeful about writing our prayer needs in a journal, and it has been so uplifting to be able to scratch those needs off as GOD answers one way or the other.   We recently realized that we had not done that in a while, so we wrote out our list of needs and wants and have been lifting them up to HIM to allow what HE wants to happen.  

HE has blessed us with showing us how HE cares for all of our needs - big or small - by leading us back to those items and showing us how HE is answering those needs.  We have not had to buy feed in months - which is nothing but a miracle because we have been feeding 3x/day on the same load of feed since February!!   Not only that, but in May, we started doubling the amount we fed each time so we've really fed longer than normal, more than normal, without needing to refill our supplies.   My heart has been rejoicing with the woman and her jars of oil when Elisha asked GOD to care for her needs.  

We had to buy gasoline recently for the tank at the ranch, and we were blessed to order from a company that never would answer our calls on when they would deliver.   So, we went back to the company we had used before.   The reason we didn't go to them to begin with was that they were generally so much higher in price.   GOD cared for us, though, in having a delay in our ordering from them so that we ordered the day they dropped their prices by about 40 cents!!   That's significant when you buy in bulk. 

We received rain yesterday!!  We had 3/10 of an inch over several hours so that the rain was nice and gentle which we needed with our parched land.   In town, you can keep your yard watered so that it doesn't really matter if you get a downpour.   Out in the pasture, if matters because a hard rain after months of no moisture (since late November) usually results in erosion.   GOD answered that minor prayer and is building up clouds for more today. 

We have struggled with our wells keeping up with the cows for the last two months, and now we have all the tanks full with the storage tank almost half full.   No leaks anywhere, and the leaks that had been repaired are holding nicely.

I have a phobia of snakes, and even with this dry weather, the only snakes have been spotted by my much braver children.   That means they deal with them before Mom even has a chance to panic - and this is a HUGE prayer request of mine!

We know that HE's not done answering our prayer needs as we still have many more on our list.   I really just wanted to share a few that HE has answered to encourage you as you have needs that you may be discouraged about.   GOD answers our prayers often before we even lift them up to HIM, but I know that HE desires to be in communion with us about ALL our needs AND wants just as I want to be in communion with my own dear children about all their thoughts.  

Why then do we wait so long to lift them up to HIM or for me, to write them down?  I can vocalize those needs, and HE hears them.   There is something different about writing them down, though.   You are willing to have them be made known to anyone that stumbles across that list.   I also believe that it allows you to be in partnership with GOD in that you are showing more commitment when you are willing to write them down.   We'll be a very minor partner because we can't fulfill ANY of those needs, but we can be in communion with GOD by sharing our wants and needs in a more purposeful way. 

In the end, I know that through the years I have been so blessed not by the answers HE's given to my list of prayers, but by the time that I've spent in a deeper conversation as I DISCUSSED those prayers with HIM.   I'm so very glad that I was reminded of that little thing because the benefits continue eternally......