My Story contest entry

My dear friend, Grace, over at Graces Garden Walk, is hosting a short story contest.  The rules are to pick a picture, and write a short story based on the picture.  Winners will be picked at the end of the contest (contest ends the 16th!!). 

So, here is my picture:  I got it off of lovely Johanna's blog, An Old Fashioned Girl.  I don't know who painted it, but I thought it was pretty. ;-)  So, picture and story! (This is only part of the story)

“Mary! Mary where are you?”

     “Here! Over by the flower bed.”
A tall, thin, and sprightly young woman came bounding around a bush to where her sister, Mary, was standing with a basket of flowers in one hand, and a handful of her skirts in the other.
    “Clara, would you stop running around like a heathen? You should try to act decent every once in a while.” Though the tone was stern, a light danced in Mary’s eyes as she watched the restlessness of her younger sister.
    “I am sorry, Mary. I will try not to run, only I just received a letter from Father! I wanted to show it to you.” Clara came closer to her sister with a spring in her step and shortness of breath from her excitement. “Look! Hand written by him, not one of his attendants.”
    Mary seized the letter and stared at it longingly. She turned it over and fingered the seal, still unbroken. “You didn’t open it yet?” She inquired of the slight figure beside her.
   “Of course not,” was the incredulous reply. “I wanted to share it with you first.”
Mary eyed it a bit longer, then handed it to Clara.
   “Here, you read.” Mary gathered her skirts about her and sat down on the low stone wall that separated the little garden from the country beyond.
   “Dearest daughters,” Clara began, after clearing her throat. “Your letters have been a great comfort to me in this time. I would have written sooner, but business has kept me from my fatherly duties. Pray, forgive me.
   “I am doing well, and hope you are the same. Mary said you were both keeping busy in the garden this year. I am glad of it, for your mother dearly loved the little garden, in which you are no doubt sitting at this moment.” Clara paused and smiled at her sister.
   “He knows us too well,” Mary commented.
Clara nodded and continued.
  “Be sure to take care of the lilacs, for your mother loved them the best. I remember how many a time I would walk out in search of her, only to find her sitting on the wet grass underneath that lovely lilac, smelling the blooms. It was then that I had the little bench built for her to sit upon when the weather was good.
    “If my business goes smoothly, I should be home in a fortnight. Though business may call me back, I will at least spend a holiday with two of the loveliest girls in England.
    “May God protect you, yours etcetera.”
Clara folded the letter and pressed it to her heart. “A fortnight, Mary! Why, that is so soon. Oh, what shall we do?” Her blue eyes lit with joy as she pranced in a little circle.
   “Calm down, Clara. It is a fortnight, and though we will have much to do, there is still plenty of time.” She smiled, though, as Clara stood still, though obviously wanting to run all around the garden with her joy.
   “Oh, alright. Go and tell Hannah to get some soup for supper. Be quick!”
Clara lost no time and had disappeared around the bush before Mary had time to finish her sentence.
    Smiling, Mary looked out over the river. It was so peaceful, so lovely. The twilight hours made it more magical, in a sense. The river babbled calmly along the banks, making little gurgling noises as it went. Blue birds were chirping from their perches, and the bees buzzed contentedly as they went from blossom to blossom, exchanging old pollen for new.
    Father was coming home! Mary smiled again to herself. He hadn’t been home in 7, no 8, oh she had lost count of how many months he had been gone. Ever since mother died, he had been going on trips more frequently.
    Standing and scooping up her basket, Mary made her way to the little cottage that they called their home. Her thoughts still on father, Mary hardly noticed the beauty of the evening like she usually did.
    She was glad he would be coming home, but being away from him for so long would put an awkward strain on their relationship. It had happened before, and it could happen again. She dearly hoped that all would be the same, but she knew in her heart that it would not. Things had to change, and though she hated change, it was exciting in it’s own way. It brought new things to life, new people to meet, new things to explore. Yet, even with it’s glories, it brought sorrow, death, strife, and hardships.
    Was it truly worth looking forward too? Mary paused with her hand on the handle of the cottage door. She smiled to herself as she heard Clara’s excited conversation with Hannah float through the windows.
   Opening the door, she stepped over the threshold and turned to look out into the twilight covered world. Tonight she would forget about the hard part of change. Tonight, she would enjoy Clara’s incessant chatter, and cherish the moments around the fire, for each moment was more precious than the last, and each one passed as quickly as the blink of an eye.

So, what do ya think???  I need suggestions for a title please!!
 
Love,
Your aspiring authoress.. ;-) lol!
Sarah

Regency pictures.. finally!!

Ok friends!! The post you have been waiting for...  Sorry this has taken so long to put up. I have been trying to edit photos, send photos to Ellie to edit, and all that sort of thing.  However, our long efforts have paid off!!  Here ya go!

Ellie- Is younger sister to Susan, rather romantic, and has learned many life lessons.  She is gentle and kind, always there for help-even if her suggestions may not always be the best for a situation- and can always listen if anyone needs to talk.  She is rarely in a bad mood. :-)

Susan- Older sister to Ellie. Is very practical in every way, and doesn't let finery rule over her.  She is always neatly kept and rarely changes her hairstyle or design of clothing.  She keeps track of the expenses and any other thing that needs taking care of (such as making sure Adele serves tea on time!)

Amy- A very sweet girl who is cousin to Susan and Ellie.  She lives with her mother, though they don't get along very well.  Amy's favorite times are spent with the "Sisters" (as they are commonly known).  She has many fun adventures when staying with them, and often learns much.

Adele- French servant to the Sisters.  She isn't very punctual, but she tries.  She has been with the Sisters for a long time and plans on staying with them.  She can take care of their every need at any time perfectly, and can often heal an afternoon of dullness with her comical English pronunciation.

I, unfortunately, don't have any pictures of the boy's outfits.  We also don't really have anything planned for them, as we are out of funds and material. ;-)  However, top hats out of foam work very well. =D I will try to get pictures of them soon...

Now, enjoy some more fun pictures!!

More details of Amy's dress.  I have to admit, I had way too much fun with this one!! I sewed it, whereas Ellie and Susan sewed their own. ;-)  Any way, I had tons of fun sewing it, and then having the satisfactory pride of taking the pictures! lol!

Susan's dress was really fun, too!! We didn't have enough red material for the sleeves (we were simply using whatever fabric we had on hand.) so we had to substitute for white instead.  I had fun getting some cool shots of her when she wasn't looking. ;-) lol!!

Ellie's dress was really fun in it's own unique way.  She sewed it, but I had to put in the sleeves and do binding.  I had fun seeing how it came along.  I always love how I can see a certain material and envision it just so, and it actually turns out the way I thought!! So satisfactory!! lol!!   Isn't she just beautiful??

My costume was rather.. interesting. lol!! I had quite a few problems along the way, and I did a lot of it free pattern, or pattern free, whichever way you want to look at it. lol!  The cap isn't really historically right, but that was all we had. :-)  And if you really want to know our secret, any fabric that is WHITE is a sheet.. hey, ya use what ya gotta use! lol!

"Oh, how do I look today??"

*gasp and groan* "I hope no one sees my face today.. " lol!!

Let's walk in the garden instead... ;-)

Ok, now just for a few pictures more that Josh took. :-) Hope this post doesn't crash your computer!!!

MY FAVORITE!!

Ok, here are some pics that Ellie snapped of me. I had brought an old book that I had brought as a photo prop.  I just started reading while Susan smiled and listened. ;-) lol!!

So, leave a comment to let me know what you think, and which photo(s) you like best!!

Well, that is all folks!! Hope you enjoyed!

In Christ,

Sarah

PS Don't despair!  The Give away is coming REALLY soon.. I am just waiting for a few things and then we will get it underway. :-) So sorry about it being late!!

**Photos taken by Ellie, Sarah, Josh

***Photos edited by Ellie and Sarah

("Phew, now I can leave and get some tea....)

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