Spend the Thyme Farm

I'm Still Here!

2012-02-07T09:53:00.000-06:00

I'm still here!

I'm still alive!

I haven't been able to blog for what seems like weeks!

BUT, the great news is our Scout is almost - if not entirely - recovered from his laminitis.

There is our boy eating his mash!

I have learned SO much by joining the Equine Cushing Insulin Resistance Yahoo Group. There are over 10,000 members and they have such a vast, vast base of knowledge.


That's the goal - NO laminitis!

I hope to be back blogging this week about what has been happening here on our little farm.

God is good, He has heard our prayers, all is well.

All joy and Glory to Him,

Hope you are having a good week!

Marianne

Important Matters

2012-02-01T20:53:00.001-06:00

It has been almost two weeks since I have posted here.

But there is a reason.

Our 13-hand pony, Scout, has been sick.

Allison and our Scouty Boy!

Out of the blue - we didn't see it coming.He came down with an unexplained case of laminitis - mild founder.

I was heartbroken for him.

Scout and Lea - she takes such good care of his feet!

So, I have spent hours and hours researching, working with the girls to care for him, talking to vets....living, breathing not much else but our Scout.

Lea put special pads on his feet to make him more comfortable. He is very tender-footed right now and these pads are miraculous!

Cutting out his new pads.

Scout's new foot pads that we duct tape to his hooves - ahhhhhh!

Real comfort!!!

But, the good news is that he is well on the road to recovery - getting stronger and healthier each day.

God is good and He has heard our prayers.

More tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping in.

All joy for Scout!

Marianne

The Family Cow

2012-01-21T10:10:00.000-06:00

Ah, the joys of the Family Cow.

(Picture compliments of Google)

I have watched enough historical documentaries to know that this was once most likely the norm. Every homestead or farm grew their own vegetables, kept chickens, possibly raised their own meat, and most likely had a family cow.

In this day and age of commercialized dairy, who wouldn't want to have their own cow?

With all the stories you hear about how the huge, industrialized, commercial diary cows are treated, what they are fed to produce the most milk, the hormones, antibiotic-laced feeds and more. I, personally, am not a milk drinker. The taste of it has changed for me. However, I love yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, hard cheeses, butter - you name it. Quite a bit of our diet consists of these very products.

Can you imagine making all this from your own cow???

I can!

But, I can also imagine the work involved. I believe I would enjoy milking a cow twice a day - I am always home and happiest out in the barn. I can imagine having this cow become a member of our herd that I love and enjoy. I am, however, a little unsure and a wee bit overwhelmed about the needs of a cow, the need to calf to continue to produce milk, not to mention how large an animal it is. With big animals come big vet bills. I know that personally from our horses.
Gosh, and then what do we do with the calf. We couldn't even give our kittens away.

I have studied horse nutrition and believe our horses are fed an excellent diet that helps build a healthy immune system and know that their nutritional needs are completely met. But what about the nutritional needs of a dairy cow?

But I know nothing about a cow. We have cows all around us. Our neighbor to the north is a dairy farmer. He is probably the hardest working young man I have ever met. Up at dawn to milk, chores and fields to care for during the day, and milking until the sun goes down again. He is to be admired, that is for sure!

So where does one find out about keeping a family cow....Google and FaceBook to the rescue!! Yep, Google and Facebook. Obviously, one needs to proceed cautiously when using these modes of transportation for one's research. So I tread carefully through the vast sea of information to be sure!

But let me give you an example. I am "friends" with Dr. Melissa Shelton, DVM on Facebook (which means nothing more than the fact that we don't personally know each other but have become acquaintances - LOL). She recently posted that her cow had just had a calf. She is a holistic veterinarian out of Minnesota. Her practice is the Crow River Animal Hospital. (BTW, if you have animals- whether large or small, you should sign up for her newsletter HERE, her newsletters are awesome and so informative.)
Anyway, I commented on her FB post how cute the calf was and would she be able to give me any references or resources to owning a family cow. WOW - did she ever! She sent me over to Keeping a Family Cow forum which I signed up for and have found is an invaluable resource. Viola - there you have it. I was on my way to researching this endeavor.

Here's another example: A good friend of mine (actually somebody I know), saw my post on Dr. Shelton's FB page and sent me a private message about a vet that she knows of that is only 20 minutes from my farm. She says that he is very "Family Cow" friendly and really encourages this path.
How about that!
Even just googling "the Family Cow" popped up all sorts of homesteading blogs where you can read firsthand family's experiences with this.

Take this picture for instance. It popped up in my Google Image search for the family cow. A very cool blog post. Check it out HERE, at Joy 365.

So there you go! The mighty power of the internet!

I am not saying that this is going to happen tomorrow. I need to do my research and find out if this really is something we could take on and afford. I always, first and foremost, want to be a good steward of the finances that God has given us to work with. He has blessed us immensely and I want to be respectful of that. However, considering the fast pace that our organic journey is leading us on, I think this is something to consider.

Since the shear size of a milk cow overwhelms me so much, perhaps a little Dexter - they are awfully cute and produce less milk than a standard Holstein.

Aw, isn't that the sweetest site. That could me - yes, indeed!

A lot to think about, to pray about, and to research. But it seems worth the effort to me, that's for sure.

Have a wonderful and joyful Saturday!

All joy~

My Perspective is Changing!

2012-01-12T10:20:00.002-06:00

This past weekend, we watched a GREAT movie - and I mean a GREAT movie. It is called King Corn.

It was funny, informative and worth the time invested. In a nutshell, two young men, just graduated from college, decide to travel to Iowa (from Boston) and grow an acre of corn and follow the journey from planting to harvesting to where it would go from there. Sadly, their corn went into High Fructose Corn Syrup.

You get the picture - it is the story of how our nation has become SO dependent on high fructose corn syrup.

It really is a great movie and I encourage you to watch it.

There are other movies out there that offer up how we have moved to industrialized agriculture, how poorly our meat products are raised and produced. There is one movie that I rented from the library, but couldn't bring myself to watch. It is called Food Inc. Read the reviews and decide for yourself. It was a little to "out there" for me. Plus, I didn't believe that it gave us a true picture - that it had an agenda, if you will. And I don't watch those kinds of documentaries that are trying to make a political statement.

I know that beef and chicken are not just another shelf product. That they come from living animals and are processed for our consumption. However, I don't like to watch a movie that is made just to impress upon us how poorly these animals are treated. I am sure they are, however, we - as a family - are out to change how we support that industry.

Anyway, what really made a difference for me was watching King Corn. I do believe that every American should be aware of how our food consumption and production is changing.

I am not a foodie kind of person - however, I have tried to cook and serve relatively healthy food to my family. We have always had a garden and I am not one of those moms that buys case loads of Pop-Tarts and Twinkies because they are on sale and convenient. (Although we have been known to indulge in a random Ding Dong or Ho-Ho now and then!) :o)

We certainly consume our share of junk food, but I am seeing that change too. Just recently, Lea, my almost 18-year-old was munching on a bag of Cheese Flavored Ruffles. She happened to look at the list of ingredients and noticed they contained MSG. She never touched them again.

Now this doesn't mean that we won't ever eat junk food again. However, we are finding great alternatives. Did you know that Lay Classic Potato Chips are gluten free and are made of potatoes, salt, and oil - that's it! No MSG, no HFCS, no other additives (I was gonna say crap, so now you know what I was really thinking! LOL!

Since we started to expand our gardening efforts here on the farm, we have also expanded our canning efforts. We make our own salsa with all the ingredients grown in our gardens. We made our own concord grape jelly every year from our own grapes. We have made our own fresh apple cider, applesauce, freeze our vegetables and more.

No, this is not our garden.

Just a Google picture - but is sure resembles ours - lots of grass right up to the plants.

I fail miserably at weeding!

Since watching King Corn - my eyes have really been opened. After watching it last week, I went to a Woodman's Grocery Store, as they have a huge organic produce section. I filled my grocery cart with organic vegetables, my first purchase of organic Stoneyfield yogurt, lots of fruit and other products that did not include high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). That was tough! Everything has HFCS! Everything!

What has happened to our corn industry??

With all the thousands of acres of corn - much of it is not even edible off the stalk! Long ago, when farmers put in their crops, those crops were for their consumption - to feed their families.

I am so disheartened that the government now subsidizes many of these same farming families to produce higher yielding crops. Now, I completely understand that farmers have to make a living. And that they have to produce what the nation is demanding. So, no blame lies there with them. However, it is our great United States that has turned away from what is healthy and good for us and filled our shelves with processed food and convience meals!

This makes me very, very sad. Yet, on the other side of the coin, I realize that we can fight back, we can make a change, we CAN do something about this.

And our family is happy to get caught in that current of better living, healthier eating, and changing what we want from our local farmers.

We have always swam against the tide. My poor girls have endured going against the cultural current. Thankfully, they are old enough now to be grateful for it. That wasn't always the case! We claimed our Christian way of thinking, we home schooled the girls, we don't have Direct TV or Dish Network, we just recently got a cell phone package. We were always the "freaks" by the opinions of our extended family. But we didn't care - we love our life! (And I think our extended family is now understanding that maybe we weren't so wrong after all!)

If you know me, you know I like to coupon! However, I am finding that there are less and less coupons that I am using towards my food purchases. Recently, a blog that I really and enjoy and follow, The Prairie Homestead shared that she didn't coupon. Now I understand why, and she pretty much hit the nail on the head. In all fairness, couponing has changed the way I shop and forever will - and for that I am grateful. And I do use coupons for cleaning and personal hygiene products. Although, I suppose that will be next on my "to do" list of using more natural products. But I am seeing a change in the way I shop now and sadly, my coupon binder is shrinking. There aren't many good coupons for organic foods, much less produce and meat. But, like I said, it has changed the way I meal plan and shop, so I am finding I can still save money.

One last thing that I would like to share is a really great book I am reading. It is called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I have had the book for probably over a year and I would read a little here and there. I just didn't really resonant with my lifestyle. Well, I guess my lifestyle must be changing, because now, I can't put it down.

Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, the book is an enthralling narrative that will open your eyes in a hundred new ways to an old truth: You are what you eat.

So, with that I will begin to wrap up my thoughts and leave you with this:

1. Watch the movie King Corn - really, you will be glad you did.

2. Read your food labels - you will be shocked how much HFCS is in everything we eat.

3. Read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - an informative and entertaining read!

And with that, my friends, I will now jump down from my soapbox. I hope I have encouraged and not discouraged, that I have been positive and not shed too negative a light on what we eat, that I have inspired you in some small way.

Join me on my quest for better living and better eating!

Blessings and joys!

Marianne

P.S. Come and join me on a Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead!

When it's Cold Outside

2012-01-10T07:44:00.000-06:00

I had this grand plan.

It was perfect.

All scheduled and ready to go.

So what happened??

Well, as usual – I suppose life got in the way and got busy.

See, my plan was to have the entire first floor of the house finished – well, almost finished by Christmas – that would be BEFORE December 25th.

Back in September, **sigh** yes September, I was going to have the downstairs bathroom finished.

That would have included painting, putting up the remaining trim and some kind of window treatment.

Well, the bathroom did get painted – no trim, no window treatment

Then, in October, I was going to finish the kitchen. Finish taping, mudding, sanding, and painting the kitchen ceiling. Then we would install the baseboards, and trim out the windows.

At least the ceiling did completely get done. Taped, mudded, sanded (ugh – what a job), and painted. No trim or baseboards.

Before you know it, it was going to be November. This was the month I was going to finish taping, mudding, sanding, and painting the ceiling, and install trim and baseboards.

Same story as the kitchen, just a different room. No trim, no baseboards. BUT, the ceiling looks wonderful!

Finally, in December we would finish the office that adjoins the living room. This was the month I was going to finish taping, mudding, sanding, and painting the ceiling, and install trim and baseboards - you get the picture.

Here we go again, same story as the kitchen AND living room. No trim, no baseboards. BUT, the ceiling looks just as wonderful as the living room and the kitchen!

Now in all fairness, the ceilings ended up being a HUGE project. We finished (that would be taping, mudding, sanding, and painting) the ceilings of three large rooms, plus a dormer up in the master bedroom and 7 or 8 other small miscellaneous walls in the house.

We are ALMOST done with finishing the drywall in the house - really close - like 95% close!

Gee, we so should have called our farm “Almost Finished Farm!”

But, you see, I had this plan; it was all scheduled out on the calendar, nice and neat and tidy.

So here it is the beginning of January - and it didn't quite happen as planned. I am trying to be optimistic and just move forward, but I am a wee bit disappointed.

I know that come winter, it is the perfect opportunity to hunker down, read books, spend time doing inside projects. It is a time to focus on things that need to be done inside.

And the upside is, it is still January. But you see something happened this winter that hasn't happened in a long time - not since we moved here. It has been one of the mildest winters on records. Today -- it is going to be 50 degrees outside.

It's January - we should be in the middle of a blizzard!!!!

I do sit and admire my fresh, new ceilings, but oh how I wish we could have installed the trim and baseboards.

Then again, it's only January - come on cold and snow - I need you to set in soon so I can finish up my inside project...... that is, until the seed catalogs come!

Have a great week!

Marianne

A Barn Hop!

2012-01-02T08:04:00.000-06:00

Because I am not yet awake,

and because I love to see what everybody else is up to....

....grab a cup of coffee and join me on a

Homestead Barn Hop over at The Prairie Homestead!

Marianne

Welcome 2012 - Keep Calm & Carry On

2011-12-31T20:06:00.000-06:00

This is it - the end of 2011.

A year blessed by God's hands upon us.

How He truly watches over our family,

our farm,

our animals,

our very lives.

He is so good and caring and protective of our lives.

As the year 2012 is less than 4 hours away,

I have concluded to adopt the following motto for the year to come:

I have run across this saying numerous times this past year

and can't think of a better attitude to have to bring in the new year.

May you be abundantly blessed by our Father above. Happy New Year!

Blessings and Joy!

Marianne

For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the LORD,

plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Panning & Organizing vs. Planting & Weeding

2011-12-28T19:28:00.006-06:00

I know, yesterday’s post sort of began to cross over into the topic of gardening.

Am I already thinking about next year’s gardens??

Well, not too much, but sort of, well, um, maybe ….. OKAY YES, I ADMIT IT!!

**whining voice**

You see,

the seed catalogs are coming in and they are all glossy,

and pretty,

and shiney,

and full of flowers and vegetables!!!

How can one not think about next year’s gardens!

We have actually had a wonderful winter – well, you won’t hear that from my girls, but as an over-50 adult – I’m sure good with it - but.....

They want snow!

As for me, I am pretty darn happy with these temperatures that have been hovering right around 40 degrees!

Even though I am still in the Christmas spirit, and my house is still full of Christmas decorations, and my counters are still over-loaded with Christmas cookies – I am beginning to dream about spring!

You know, it’s funny, having a horticulture student in the house, I have really dropped off from doing a lot of the gardening here at home.

I have pretty much given her carte blanche when it comes to the flower beds and the vegetable gardens.

Getting older, unfortunately, does have some drawbacks. Like hours of weeding on your knees sure can become painful. Or planting seeds while bending over (because said knees have become too sore to kneel while planting-LOL).

It is okay that I don’t do nearly as much planting as I used to.

Because I have learned that I love the planning and organizing stage just as much as the planting and weeding stage!

Going through all the seed catalogs, deciding what to plant in the vegetable gardens, shopping for seeds - I think this has become one of my favorite parts of having our gardens.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to get my hands dirty. I am just finding that raised beds and container gardens can be just as rewarding as the huge plots we plant.

I guess I will leave those sprawling plots to Allison, my horticulture student extraordinaire!

So for now, it's back to reality. Tomorrow it is, again, going to be in the 40's. It will soon be time to take down the Christmas decorations - which will make my home look sparse - which does make me sort of sad. The house is always at its best when decorated for Christmas!

January and February will be a time of enjoying those glossy seed catalogs, starting our seeds indoors and waiting.

Waiting for the promise of spring.

May you have a joyous New Year's weekend ahead. While most are waiting for the clock to strike twelve, I'll be snug in my bed dreaming of spring!

Blessings and Joy,
Marianne

Phenology

2011-12-27T18:13:00.000-06:00

I was reading my current issue of Hobby Farm Home - this is one of my favorite publications. Along with Hobby Farms and Urban farm (also produced by Hobby Farms.)

These publications just get me excited. Excited about garden, farming, animal care, home products, you name it - I'm usually inspired by it.

But just recently, I came across this article about Phenology. I can't say that I had heard of this term prior to reading the article. Although, I did know about its meaning - I just never knew it had a name!

Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate.

Now that is a nice fancy Wikipedia explanation for the term, but I better understand it like this:

In other words:

"plant corn when the oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear"

~or~

"Plant your peas when you hear the spring peepers"

~how about~

"When dandelions are blooming plant beets and carrots"

~and~

"When elm leaves are the size of a penny plant kidney beans"

"When the yellow forsythia and crocus are blooming, it is the time to

prune roses and fertilize the lawn."

And that is just the tip of the iceberg! There are many, many others and you can find some of there HERE.

The practice of phenology is best described as the correlation between an anticipated event (such as us planting a seed, or hunting for a wild edible) and an event that occurs in nature.

For instance, if you hear “peeper” frogs, it is time to plant peas. These sayings are rooted in scientific observations such as effects of barometric pressure and other natural occurrences. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that this moves these observations well out of the realm of common folk wisdom.

I was shocked at how many of these sayings there were; they were all SO fascinating! Plus, I am finding, this could be a very good way for me to know when and how to plant many of the vegetables we put in our garden every year.

Go figure, who knew?!?!?!

I have fond memories of my dad in the garden. He was a true advocate of organic gardening long before it became so popular! I can remember him spouting out these little sayings and I also can remember thinking he was a few cards short of a full deck!

Apparently, many gardeners still follow many of these phenology indicators and observations today.

Many very well known gardeners and gardens alike. Take for instance, the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London. Apparently, the only way to truly understand nature's patterns is to keep long-term records; and is seems Kew holds the top spot for this kind of record keeping.

The Kew Botanical Gardens in London - absolutely stunning.

More of Kew. Look at the walkway they have at the tops of the trees!

Kew's phenological work spans 200 years! Now that is impressive!

And it's not just famous botanical gardens. According to this article people such as Thomas Jefferson, Aldo Leopold and Henry David Thoreau are examples of a few famous people who are known to have kept excellent records.

You know, I have gardened since we bought our first home back in 1987. I thought I knew quite a bit and considered myself quite well read on the topic of gardening.

Well, it just goes to show you that you never stop learning.

Hope you are having a wonderful week and some of your thoughts are starting to drift over to planning next year's gardens! I know mine are!

Blessings and Joy!

Marianne

The Tradition of Cookies

2011-12-22T08:04:00.001-06:00

When I was growing up, my mother and I always made cookies at Christmas.
We would make these interesting Fruit and Nut Drops. I remember the containers of the candied cherries, pineapple, and I am not sure what else. That was Mom's favorite - not mine by a long shot. We would also make Spritz and Pecan Crescents.
That was it.
Simple, but yet still made the house smell so good and it made very fond memories for me.

I can remember the kitchen table lined with wax paper and as the hot cookies came out of that old 1960's Hotpoint oven, they would line the table like soldiers. I have two older brothers and they would come sneaking through the kitchen right at that precise moment when those cookies were still warm.
Mom would scold them and and my Dad for dwindling the supply that were meant to be shared on Christmas Eve and Day.

I have carried that tradition on through the years with my girls. Since they were little (well, even before they were born), the week before Christmas we would bake. A different cookie pretty much is baked on each and every day the week before.
This year is no different.

Every year our "list" is always a little different.

Who will be chosen to be included in this year's baking extravaganza!

Weeks before, the girls and I comb the cookbooks looking for something new to try. We might add a new variety, but we always have our tried and true ~~

Ah, the Spritz cookie. One of our favorites! That makes the list every year!

Let's not forget the perennial favorite - the Peanut Butter Blossom!

This year we added a Chocolate Mint Cookie - this was pretty darn good!

The Sugar Cookie pretty much is right behind the Spritz in the family favorite line up!

Oh my land - these will make you faint!!

They are shortbread cookies from Ina Garten's cookbook.

THREE sticks of butter go into one recipe. They are to die for!

The last to be baked today is another one of my favorites ~ the Pecan Crescent.

It is one of those cookies that just melts in your mouth as you bite into it!

We will be baking those today!

Wishing you warm, delicious sounds and smells as we come closer to the Christmas weekend.

Have a glorious day!

Hope you are doing something wonderful with someone wonderful!

Blessings and Joy!

Marianne

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were greatly afraid.

Then the angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid, for behold,

I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior,

who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:8-11

Holiday Reading and Eating!

2011-12-17T11:21:00.002-06:00

This time of year, I treat myself to something very, very special....Holiday Issue Magazines!

I know, that probably sounds a little odd. But I just love all the special issue magazines at this time of year.

There are home decorating, cooking, crafts, gardening projects...oh my, the list just goes on!

Seems that at every turn, whether I am in a grocery store, the wholesale club, the book store, the drug store - there they are .

All shiny and glossy and covered in the most beautiful food or Christmas decor pictures you could ever imagine.

So, here are some of the ones I have treated myself to this year!

* * * * * *

Oh my land - who could remotely pass up Better Homes & Gardens

Special Christmas Publication.

If you haven't ever seen it you simply must take a gander!

Now this one was just for fun.

I have never purchased any Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks,

but have heard such rave reviews about them.

This little publication was quite lovely as it not only had wonderful recipes,

but also lots of fun crafts to do for inside the house and outside.

Nope, I don't subscribe, nor really even like Martha Stewart.

But this one just jumped in my cart when I was checking out!
I believe it was the very beginning of the Christmas season and I loved the look of that tree!

There are some very beautiful, simple, and inexpensive Christmas ideas inside.

An annual favorite - Mary Janes Farm.

I really can't afford an annual subscription, so I treat myself once a year!

Okay, so you are probably wondering what a nice Midwestern gal is

doing with Southern Living Christmas.

I purchased it while we were in Florida.

It has been a fun read, awesome southern cooking recipes,

all made with so much buuuuh-ter,

and a nice little reminder of our recent trip to Florida.

Whoa Nelly, this is the Taste of Home Christmas Edition

- just kill me now -

the recipes are amazing!

I have bought one every year for I don't know how long.

Where Women Cook!

Oh, how this has become a favorite - but oh so expensive.

So, again, just once a year!

I know, you are probably saying, "how much have you spent on magazines??" Probably too much. On the upside, I usually buy these at Sam's Club and all their magazines are always 30% or more off. But, as I said, they are a once a year treat and I keep them forever. They are like mini cookbooks, crafts books, inspirational books - you get the idea. So I save my egg money and splurge a wee bit on myself just at Christmas!

Now here is a very good thing - if you decide you want to ever take a look through any of these, I do believe they are actually available at your local library. Or better yet, come on over for a cup of coffee and I would be happy to share them with you.

Have a wonderful weekend. I pray you are enjoying the blessing of this wonderful Christmas season.

All joy!

Marianne

I hope you will join me on a Christmas Homestead Barn Hop at the Prairie Homestead!

Home Again, Home Again

2011-12-12T20:33:00.001-06:00

We have been home for 4 days now and I just today feel like I am catching up.

Our flight back from Florida was uneventful and that is a good thing. However, I am always surprised that even though it is just a 2-1/2 hour flight from Florida, we spent 9 hours traveling home - yep, NINE!

We left our hotel at 5:30 in the morning, drove a little over two hours to the Orlando Airport, waited for our flight, spent the 2-1/2 hours in flight, husband Scott picked us up, drove two hours and arrived safely at our little farm about 2:30 in the afternoon - oh, and not to mention we gained an hour coming home.

Lea's next course will most likely be in May....in Pennsylvania....we will be driving!

It was exciting to fly, since it had been 20 years since I have flown and it was Lea's first flight.

But, Lea and I agreed, even though flying was fun, we love to drive.

Anyway, I wanted to share some of the highlights of our trip. Our five days were packed full of classroom time for Lea, yet we still managed to have a wonderful trip filled with little side trips and fun-filled moments!

Flying above the clouds - beautiful!

The Atlantic Ocean - water as far as the eye could see!

Lea and I with our feet in the Atlantic!

My beautiful girl!

These beautiful donkeys greeted us each and every day!

Just hanging out together!

Well, the hotel pool was lovely - even though we never swam in it!

The natural springs were breathtaking! Even the scuba divers enjoyed them!

Manatee Springs - although we didn't see any manatees this trip!

My favorite little shop run by the sweet two German ladies!

Lea's Class working outdoors

The state parks and springs were so incredible!

There we are! We had so much fun together!

There was a mule farm and among the herd was a Fjord Mule - amazing!

Ya buddy - that is one of the local B-B-Q's - notice the pig on the roof!

Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico - a very fun evening!

Williston - the town where Lea trimmed at the horse rescue.

The sunrise driving to Orlando.

Whoa, that's a lot of roads! Help Lea, which one do I take! LOL!

The palm trees really were so cool - I think I might miss them!

Only in Florida - palm trees and poinsettias!

Home sweet home - Ah, Illinois farms!

What a welcome site - red barns!

A trip to remember, that is for sure!

Blessings and joy!

Marianne

The Blessing of Purpose!

2011-12-09T10:33:00.003-06:00

Lea and I are home! We had safe travels since the moment we left our hotel. All in all, it took us 9 hours from hotel to farm! It was a long day that started at 4:30 in the morning until we reached our farm about 2:30. God is so good as He protected, watched over, guided us all the way back.

First and foremost I have to say how WONDERFUL it is to not only be back home, but to have a purpose here on this little farm. My oldest daughter, Allison, summed it up perfectly this morning, "what a blessing to have a purpose in life."

To be home, letting the horses out, putting hay out on the track, getting hay ready and weighed for tonight's feeding, cleaning stalls, tidying up the horse's paddocks - it is invigorating to be "back to work" here on our farm. So often in the past, I would complain that we would have to go out in either the cold or heat to rotate horses, we would have to make hay, it's too cold out, we would have to head out at 8:15 at night to do final hay and check on everybody in the barn - including the chickens.

But, somehow, when you are away from it and spending your day idle, it has made me so appreciate the blessing of having a purpose here. Of having work to do, of having a family to care for, a home to make welcoming and safe. I am finding myself thanking our Lord today in a very big way for his provision of purpose!!

On Wednesday, our final day in Florida found Lea herself at the Horse Protection Association of Florida to spend the day trimming the rescued horses at this facility. Her group of course attendees traveled with KC LaPierre to take their knowledge and put it to the test. Under the careful eye of KC and his wife Robin LaPierre, the students worked with the horses and covered areas of study that included safe and respectful horse handling, trimming, balancing the horse's feet and applying the code of ethics and the performing the HPT Method of trimming. The essence of Applied Equine Podiatry is the conscientious study of the equine foot, always striving to expose it to proper environmental stimuli, making every effort to promote proper structure and function, as we progress toward achieving high performance.

I don't have a lot of pictures of her trimming the horses as I didn't want to be an interruption in their work. But here are a few shots of the facility.

The main barns

One of the shelters

Main entrance

Here comes Lea (on the left) heading out after trimming

Lea had a wonderful older gelding that she worked with named Buzz. While some had a bit of a hard time with him, Lea connected right away and was able to provide a safe experience for him. As one of the certified DAEP's came over to check her work she told KC that her (Lea's) trim looked good and he promptly replied, "well, she's a natural." (Sorry, mom's brag moment there!)

And she is a natural. God has given Lea a gift with animals that travels far and wide. Whether it is our cats, our horses, our Australian Shepherd, Casey, we had for 14 years. No matter the animal - she is able to connect.

So, all in all it was an incredible week. A memorable week that Lea and I got spend together driving, laughing, putting our feet in the ocean, eating weird local food, and trying to squeeze in little side trips here and there.

I am so very, very grateful to God and must give Him all the praise and glory for His hand in our week. For His hand over our farm and Husband Scott and Allison, for His hand in every activity of each and every day!

Thank you so much for following along, sharing your comments and being a part of our week.
I hope to post a lot of pictures tomorrow and share some of the many highlights of the week.

But for now, it's back to farm life. Perhaps a little less exciting, but certainly full of purpose!

All joy and happiness to you for the weekend ahead!

Marianne

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;

for without Me you can do nothing.

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;

so you will be My disciples.

John 15:5,8

...And the Goings and Comings

2011-12-07T10:11:00.000-06:00

Well, first of all, let me apologize for all the typos and unclear sentences in my post yesterday. I must have had WAY TOO much coffee prior to typing. I usually try to carefully proof my posts, but my mind must have still been parked back at B-B-Q Bills!!!

Alright, now that I have that cleared up, on to what I have been doing here in the south.
Yesterday my comings and going, today the goings and comings!

Yesterday I spent the good part of the day running back and forth to Lea's course dropping her off, picking her up, etc. However, I was able to take care of a little bit of business during the day. Had one more stop to make at my new favorite little shop, Point of View, picked up a couple little trinkets, then headed out to find a mail store that offered UPS.
I, of course, being the over-achiever that I am drove all the way south on our main road here trying to find this mail store. Low and behold, it was right across the street from our hotel. I am such a ditz sometimes! If only I really did grow wiser with age.

Had a fun chat with the owner of the mail store, retrieved a big brown box and packing peanuts. Seems that Lea and I will be going home with more than we came with.
Oops!
She needed some extra trimming tools and I kept telling her that we should get them here so that we don't have to order them from home and pay shipping.
Duh, now I have to ship a box home!
That's okay, I will be boxing up her tools and some of the souvenirs we bought and ship them off to Northern Illinois since now we don't have enough room in those suitcases! Guess I won't be saving too much on shipping after all. Oh well, gotta do what you gotta do!

Now last night, next to our trip to the Atlantic Ocean, was the highlight for me and I think for Lea too (next to her trimming course).
I was able to talk Lea into a little road trip last night. I know that her days are long with her trimming course, so I always want to be understanding in case she would just like to head back to the room to relax. But she was a burst of energy last night and since she got done a little early with class, off we went.
We headed south to a small town called Cedar Key. It is right on the Gulf of Mexico.
We grabbed a pizza from Pizza Hut, jumped in the car and off we went. I was SO hoping that we would get to the Gulf before the sun set, but we were about 20 minutes too late. The drive was only about 30 miles, but seemed like it took 5 hours. Well, it didn't take that long of course - only about 45 minutes. I was beginning to doubt that this was a good idea as we drove because it was getting dark, there was nobody on the road, and you know how your imagination can go wild when you are in a foreign place and it is getting dark!

However, once we reached our destination, all those worries quickly vanished! What a charming, charming little town!!!

Main Street

The type of housing in Cedar Key - how charming!

The Seabreeze Restaurant - famous!

I think the fact that we got to Cedar Key after dark had its advantages. Everything was not only lite up for the evening, but also for Christmas. It was just so pretty!

We could still see the Gulf, dotted with little islands and small resort cottages everywhere. It was absolutely charming. Clean, tidy, lovely people, the smell of water and fish permeated the air. It really felt like a vacation spot. We jumped out of the car, and walked along the Main Street that was dotted with quaint shops and restaurants. Actually, many of the buildings reminded me of pictures of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Two story buildings with lots of character and charm!

Oh what a wonderful evening we had. So worth the drive and what memories we made!
We made the drive back, got to our hotel and couldn't stop talking about what a wonderful experience it was.
So far, for a trip that was supposed to be just focused on Lea's Trimming Course, we sure have managed to squeeze in a few little sight-seeing trips!
Ah the memories we have made! I just so wish the rest of our family was with us. Husband Scott and Allison would have loved this!

Today, Lea is at the Florida Horse Protection Association Rescue sight. Her class is there to offer their services of barefoot trimming for their resident horses. We set out early this morning, I dropped her off and she will spend the day there. I can't wait to share with you tomorrow about her experiences with the rescue horses. What a blessing to be able to help out such a worthwhile organization.
Thanks for following me along on this journey. Hope you are enjoying reading about it as much as I am sharing it.

Have a wonderful day and I will catch up with you tomorrow once we return to the frigid temperatures awaiting us back on our little farm in Northern Illinois
Blessing and joy always!

"The Mom's" Comings and Goings

2011-12-06T09:48:00.003-06:00

Since arriving in Florida and now being affectionately called "the mom" among the trimmer group, there just hasn't been a spare free moment.Which is not what I expected. I thought I would be lounging by the pool reading one of the THREE books I brought.
But not so - and that is okay! I am here to support Lea and that is what is important.
The first full day found me grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart.
Did I think I would have to shop there, no, but it is "the" place to do your shopping and it is about 2 blocks away. Now, I honestly don't like Wal-Mart; I think of it as a necessary evil. However, even with that said, they have the best prices on the dry goods my family needs, so I go where I can save the most money.
Since this was "the" place to shop in the area - off I went.
All I can say is oh my, oh my!!!
I believe I have found the WORST Wal-Mart on this planet. It was clean and all, but the people - where do they come from I wonder! I did my business and I got in and I got out. Did what I needed to do!!
I have definitely learned this, when a Wal-Mart cashier "greets you" (if you want to call it that) and they say "how are you today," it is best to reply "fine" and leave it at that. I am in the habit of usually saying "fine, and how are you!" BIG MISTAKE!!!!
I have had such an array of answers to my "how are you" that I am not even going to print them off here. Suffice it to say - only answer questions from Wal-Mart employees with a one-word-statement - that's it!!
Okay moving on, after I got Lea to class, went grocery shopping, then went and picked up Lea for Lunch, we ate, took her back, came back to the hotel to finish unpacking groceries, tidied up the room, and then headed back out to pick her up. Driving back and forth to Lea's class is pretty much my routine each day. Three trips back and forth - lots of drive time means plenty of time to sip my coffee, see the sights (which aren't many-LOL), and relax - sort of.
Sunday - well, that was an adventure. When Lea and I left for the morning, I saw all these scratches on front passenger door of the car.
What!
Oh my land, I thought for sure someone had tried to break in to the car the night before. I called the rental car company and they said to get a police report. Okay, easy enough, I see 911 on my hotel room phone, so I dialed it.
Oh dear, that was not the thing to do!!! Up comes the clerk from the front desk pounding on my door. She was so out of breath thinking there was some emergency I thought she was going to pass on right there on my doorstep! Apparently, when someone dials 911 from a room, they get a big 'ol red alarm warning at the front desk and they are to immediately go the the room.
I laughed so hard, but felt so bad! The clerk had a good laugh too.
Well, I could bore you with the details, but long story short is that, according to the police officer, apparently the scratch marks on my little Aveo had been there for some time. He could see little bits of rust, so the break-in didn't happen on my clock! Called the rental car company back and all is well.

Geesh - who 'da thunk! So, that was my morning on Sunday - action packed.
Honestly, I don't remember what I did on Sunday afternoon after all that morning excitement.
Monday, I popped in to some of the local shops - another oh my moment.
Now, I have to tell you, this is not exactly a big tourist spot in Florida. So, I use the word "shops" with hesitation.
But, I did find the cutest place. It is called the Point of View shop and is run by these two VERY German ladies. Their accents are as thick as the swamp water down here! So I had fun discussing my last name, Henze, which according to them comes from who-knows-what-area of Germany. They were fun, they were cute, they were so hospitable! Bought a couple little things to take home to Husband Scott and Allison as our way of thanking them for taking such good care of the farm and animals.

For lunch yesterday, during Lea's break, she and I ran to Manatee Springs State Park so that she could see the natural spring there. It is SO beautiful. I will have to post more about the springs here later. That is the one absolutely wonderful thing about this area. The natural springs are a sight to behold!

Last night I talked Lea into eating "local." Oh my, this was so funny. Lea does not deem any of the restaurants down here worthy of her attention. They are different, I will say that. Let's see, we have:

B-B-Q Bills
Bubba-Ques
Howie's Hungry Something or Other
Bar-Be-Que This and Bar-Be-Que That
and the list goes on.

No Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden, no national chains in this necks of the woods!
I have seen a lot of cars - consistently - at B-B-Q Bills - so I figured that was the safest bet! I was determined to try a local B-B-Q spot!

Yep, that's the real deal - there she is!!

So I convinced her to give it a try. Bar-be-que's down here are a bit different. They smoke everything!!! So, I brought back to our room a B-B-Q'd pork sandwich and half a chicken. It was good, but let's just say that will be our first and last attempt at local food! I am sure we will look back and have a good laugh at our local food adventure!

Today, Tuesday (it is Tuesday isn't it??) I am again just making little stops here and there and will probably try to actually sit, read a book, and take a big deep breath.

Because in a couple of days, we will be in full swing getting back on a plane and heading home.
Tonight, I am going to try to talk Lea into heading out to the Gulf of Mexico. There is a cute little town (or so I am told) called Cedar Key. It is only a 40 minute drive, is right on the Gulf, and is supposed to be quite a little tourist stop.

We will see. After last night's attempt to get her to eat local - not sure how adventurous she is feeling!
Hope your week is going well. Will post another update tomorrow and let you know if I was able to convince Lea to take a little trip tonight!
Happy Trails!

Greeting From Sunny Florida!

2011-12-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is right - this blog post comes to you courtesy of my hotel in sunny northern Florida!!I have not been able to post too much as we have been so busy preparing for our trip. Last Friday, Lea and I boarded a Southwest Airline 737 headed south.

From Saturday to Wednesday of this week, she is attending a course in Old Town, Florida for hoof trimming. She is attending the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry under the guidance of instructor and founder, KC LaPierre. She is in the middle of her course work so that she may become a DAEP - Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist. Upon graduation, she will also be a MAIEP, or a Member of the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry.
Lea is also taking a required online course. Once she finishes this week's course, she has two more courses to complete and then anticipates graduating in August, 2012.
A very exciting time for her!

That is KC LaPierre on the left instructing students

Yep, that's KC LaPierre

So, what does the mom do while said daughter in in class all day?? Believe it or not, I have been going non-stop.
We arrived Friday at about 1:00 in the afternoon. We secured our rental car and headed north. We made a short stop at Panda Express for lunch and then went due east to Daytona Beach! The weather here is incredible. It has been in the mid-70's, sunny, light breeze - wonderful.
We arrived at Daytona Beach mid-afternoon and stood in the Atlantic Ocean. Lea's first time! It was crazy windy and quite chilly on the beach, so that made the waves come crashing in. It was exciting to see the ocean, however, the area itself has become quite run down. Oh, there are some very lovely hotels, but the majority is in much disrepair.
Now, I haven't been to Daytona Beach for probably 25+ years, but it just isn't how I remembered it. It was cleaner and tidier back then.
But, we didn't care, there we were, two gals from Illinois standing in the Atlantic Ocean!

Picture compliments of Google Images - but you get the idea!

We made a quick stop in a "surf shop" to pick up a few trinkets to bring home and then headed north on Highway 4.
Oh my goodness - this was an interesting two hour leg on our journey to our hotel!
I somehow cannot describe what it was like driving on this Florida highway in the dark. But, it was sort of like driving down a hallway - pitch black - bear warning signs everywhere - no lights - no other cars - for almost two hours!

We made it safe and sound to our hotel on Friday night, got settled in and then first thing on Saturday morning, Lea was off to her course. She has 2 days of classroom time, 2 days of trimming on cadavers (yes, you heard it right - cadavers) and then the final day the class goes to a local rescue and trims up their horses for them. A busy, busy week.

Later I will write up a post about what I have been doing. Seems there hasn't been a dull or quiet moment since we arrived. Hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead.

More to come later about what the "mom" has been doing (I am now affectionately called "the mom" around the trimmer group!).
Happy trails - until later!

So Very Thankful

2011-11-25T14:58:00.001-06:00

Reflections of the life I am so very, very thankful for ~~

For our farm and the animals that make it come alive!

A beautiful table set by my oldest daughter - always done with loving care.

Christmas decorations that make our home glow -

always done with love by my youngest daughter

Our kitchen is the heart of our home

The simple things we have collected over the years make our home so special

The music that comes from our piano fills my heart

My Aunt's silverware that we use on special days

that was given to me and that will be handed down to our girls

The penny inside my Aunt Silverware case dating back to 1944 -

the year she was given this Silverware by her loving husband
just back from World War II.

My youngest daughter, Lea, is quite the photographer. She loves to capture moments of our life together here on this farm. As I was looking through the pictures of Thanksgiving and the days leading up to it, my heart was full of thanksgiving. So very thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with.

2011-11-24T08:41:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for so many things

- not just today -

but everyday

I am thankful for my Lord and Savior

I am thankful for my incredible family

I am so thankful for this beautiful farm
and all the special animals we have

I am thankful for my many wonderful friends

And I thank you for following along on my journey here on our little farm.

Thank you always for your kind words of encouragement and inspiration.

I wish you the Lord's abundant blessings on this Thanksgiving Day and always.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

.

When the Going Gets Tough......

2011-11-22T09:08:00.002-06:00

...The Tough Get Going!

I truly can't think of a better true story to share at this time of Thanksgiving.

This past month a local family here in Northern Illinois have been fighting a battle. A battle of the unseen, a battle of epic proportions, the battle of cancer. The warrior of this battle is a wife, a mom, a woman who has touched her community ten-fold. Carol is a local realtor that has been at the forefront of the Sycamore area for more than a decade. Along with her husband, Glen, they have two sons - they are a typical American farming family.

It was time to bring in the harvest. But, I am guessing, it was going to be a tougher task this year for this family. Well, you can imagine how the farming community pulled together to help them out. It was nothing short of something you would see in the movies. The community pulled together and brought in the harvest.

You can read about their story HERE. Take the time to read it - it will make your heart swell with emotion.

SIDE NOTE: I just found out today (Tuesday) that this story will air on NBC's World News at 5:30pm CST on Wednesday, November 23rd. Hope you will tune in!!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

How humbling it is to look at the hand of love extended to this family. Makes me stop and think about what we should be really grateful for - the gift of friends, of family, of faith.

Join me at the Homestead Revival Barn Hop today. A great way to meet and greet with other homesteaders!

Being Patient in an Impatient World

2011-11-20T08:14:00.003-06:00

It is that time again - the Christmas shopping season. All I see everywhere is "Black Friday." People will get up in the middle of the night to "get the best deals." I hear people talking about which toy is the best this year and a "must have" for their children.

I see children already having temper-tantrums about what they want.

Funny how it is never over what they need.

As the girls and I were shopping the other night for Operation Christmas Child, I overheard a conversation between a mom and her toddler about all the toys she "wanted" for Christmas. The mom gently listened and told her daughter that she needed to be patient for Santa to come. Let's just say that suggestion didn't go over too well! Said toddler was fit-to-be-tied that she wasn't going to cart home all the toys she pointed out to her mom - that very shopping trip!

And it doesn't stop there. It isn't just the toddlers who want it all now - but us adults too. We were watching home movies the other night. It was when the girls were so small and we lived in our first house back in the early 1990's. While watching, memories came flooding in how my mindset was "I want it all now" concerning matters of our first home. The best furniture, the best window treatments, the best home decor. I wanted it all and I wanted it immediately - I had to have it - I had to keep up with my friends who also had their first home. That cost us dearly with large amounts of credit card debt. Lesson learned!

The last couple of years I have first hand felt and witnessed the love, grace, and guidance of our Almighty Father. I have felt His hand in our lives - directing us, asking us to be patient.I have come to believe, with all my heart, when the Lord says no - it is because He knows best. Often times it is also because He has something much better in mind for our lives. Too many times has the Lord said no to a specific prayer request of mine, only to reveal His plan in full spendor - His plan that ends up being so much better than anything "I" could have planned!
I can honestly confess that when God says no, when God doesn't answer my prayer request, when God closes that window - I am content. I am content to wait, because I know the He has something better in mind for me and my life.
I always tell my girls when a trial comes along, when the door is shut, when we didn't get what we wanted and asked for - to be excited. Yes, to be excited, because God must have something so much better in mind for us!

God's faithfulness has never depended on the faithfulness of his children. He is faithful even when we aren't. When we lack courage, He doesn't. He has made a history out of using people in spite of people.

The feeding of the five thousand - it's the only miracle, aside from those of the final week, recorded in all four Gospels. Why did all four writers think it worth repeating? Perhaps they wanted to show how God doesn't give up even when His people do.

When the disciples didn't pray, Jesus prayed. When the disciples didn't see God, Jesus sought God. Then the disciples were weak, Jesus was strong. When the disciples had no faith, Jesus had faith.

God is so much greater than our weakness. In fact, I think it is our weakness and lack of patience that reveals how great God is!

We must remember that God is faithful, even when His children are not.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
         But the LORD upholds the righteous.
          The LORD knows the days of the upright,
         And their inheritance shall be forever.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
         And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Psalm 37:17-19

And my God shall supply all your need

according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Let us be patient and wait upon Him!

I pray that your Sunday is filled with the Lord's glory.

.

The Joy of Giving

2011-11-19T14:59:00.000-06:00

This past week, the girls and I went shopping!!!

Nope, we didn't go to the mall.

Yikes - that's scary - we don't even like the mall!

We didn't come home with loads of beautiful bags.

Way too many bags here!

We didn't buy anything for ourselves.

It was time to shop for Operation Christmas Child!!!

What is Operation Christmas Child?

So glad you asked!

OCC is a shoebox ministry that is supported by The Samaritan's Purse Organization. To participate, you take an ordinary shoebox and FILL it with school supplies, personal hygience products, toys, books, a few sweets, clothing, notes of encouragement; as much as you can fill and still get a lid on it. There are drop centers all over the United States. You drop off your shoebox and away it goes. To third world counties, poverty stricken counties, everywhere there is a need. The children that receive these boxes, over 86 million of them since 1993, are so grateful for such a small donation. These are things these children might not ever receive in their lifetime.

Here are some pictures of children receiving their boxes:

Such beautiful, grateful children

Oh dear, look at that sweet face!

For over 40 years, Samaritan's Purse has done their utmost to follow Christ's command by going to the aid of the world's poor, sick, and suffering. They are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. This, in turn, earns them an opportunity to share the Gospel, the Good News of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

It is SO exciting to think that we are putting a smile on one child's face.

All we did was go to our local Wal-Mart, grab a cart and two plastic shoebox-size containers. We decided to purchase plastic containers that the children can reuse for other things. Then, we started to fill them up! We bought socks, t-shirts, pencils, colored pencils, a sharpener, coloring books, paper, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, a snuggly plush animal. a nice little bag of lifesavers and small toys! We found such a great, inexpensive assortment in the back of the toy department. Then, before we closed the box, right on top we enclosed a letter with a picture of our family. We even enclosed an postage paid envelope and some paper in hope that they might write to us. Our gifts were for 2 girls, ages 5-9.

Oh my, what fun we had! I don't remember the last time the girls and I went shopping like that! We will run out for a pair of jeans, or run here or there for some necessity. But, to leisurely shop for a young girl was just too fun for words.

I probably should have posted about this some time ago, as this year's shoebox deadline has come and gone. For more information about OCC, just click HERE.

I hope you might consider this for next year. Especially if your kids are grown and you just missing shopping for toys and cute little children things!

Hope your week was awesome and this weekend is even better!!!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things.....

2011-11-15T18:19:00.004-06:00

Yes, that is "that" song from the Sound of Music. I just thought it would be **snappy** for today's blog title.

We, as a family, decided to ditch satellite TV. No cable, no dish, just that boring little antennae on top of the television cabinet. We don't watch a lot of TV because, in our opinion, there is not much worth watching. However, we do love movies as a family. We all have our favorites.

Lea loves medieval historical fiction, fantasy films like the Narnia series, definitely at the top of her list is early 19th century English drama and any kind of horse documentaries.

Allison loves war, historical fiction, action, adventure with a dash of early 19th century English drama thrown in.

Husband Scott is a Trekkie, loves action/adventure and tolerates all our movies interests.

Me, I love anything Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell and then to throw a real curve ball - romantic comedies.

Anyway, last night I was going through a favorite website. It is called IMDB, the Internet Movie Database.

It is a catchy little website site that our family seems to use all the time.

Word of caution here, as with any internet site, of course, you have to be careful. They cover movies from all facets of the movie industry. So, I know there are "Restricted" as well as "G-rated" movies that are highlighted. I do recommend the site - it is loads of fun, just please be careful!

You can look up filming locations - this is probably our favorite thing to do - oh, how we love to look up all those wonderful Jane Austen movie filming locations. You can look up actors, directors, film trailers. You name it, I am sure they have it.

I was flipping around looking at movie reviews when I started to think about my favorite movies (as mentioned above). I confess, yes, I love romantic comedies. You know, boy meets girls and they live happily ever after. It just takes roughly 2 hours of ups and downs, break-ups and reconciliations, in and outs to finally get to that happily ever after. I had fun looking up my favorite movies, reading about some of the actors, looking at filming locations, and watching some of the trailers. Yes, watching trailers of movies I have watched over and over a gazillion times.
Here are a few of my favorites!

Classic, classic movie! Loved it in the '80's, still love it now! Diane Keaton is wonderful, so witty and hilarious. Good clean fun!!! My family cringes when I get this movie out - NOT AGAIN!! LOL

Another winner in my book. Mostly, I just love the house. I want my house to look like hers. Yep, that is Diane Keaton again - are you seeing a pattern here?

Cute, cute movie. J-Lo does a great job.

Kind of corny and a bit of a sleeper at the box office, but really cute. My favorite part is when Hugh sings "Pop, Goes my Heart." Very 80's!

Oh, just kill me now. What a GREAT movie. Allison and I watch this all the time. Julia Ormond is stunning in this movie, just stunning!

I debated whether to include this movie. The idea is lovely, but the relationship between Cameron Diaz and ---whoever that guy is -- is borderline....how shall I say - risque. We fast forwarded through their intimate scenes. Let's just say that they make out a lot. Even though it is PG-13, I think I should be closer to R. But, on the up side, I loved Kate and Jack Black. And just to see Kate's English cottage makes it worth a peek.

Oh, cute, cute, cute movie!! These two are GREAT together. Love Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant is a sweetheart. Very fun movie. Oops - but there is one scene that another female actor shows up in her underwear - they so could have left that out - just fast forward through that part!

How fun are these two. The ultimate romantic comedy. Sweet, funny, and a great girl's night movie! Because, "Stev (with thick Italian accent), he is the one!"

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie. I love it! It is so sweet, so funny, so fun to watch! Love it! And no warnings! Yea!

So there you have it. My favorite romantic comedies! I really enjoy these movies.

Now, I am a Christian, God-honoring woman. And I know that some of them have kissy-face scenes, one a girl in her underwear, and I am sure I am forgetting something to warn you about. So, for that, I apologize, in advance, if anything offends anyone; please know that is not my intention. In this day and age it is hard to find 100% clean movies. But, over all, these movies are pretty safe, fun girly-night movies to enjoy.

I hope this upcoming season, you dig out some of your favorite movies, grab a warm blanket, grab a girlfriend, make some popcorn and enjoy some laughs. Or suspense, or drama, or a great documentary. Home for the holidays is a great time to watch some movies with family and friends.
Hope you are having a great week.

I Like This Time of Day

2011-11-11T16:52:00.003-06:00

Yes I Do!It is about 4:35 in the afternoon.

The day is done!

It was a wonderful day - the entire family was home - for the whole day - and that doesn't happen too often!

But there is something wonderful about this time of day. The day is winding down, most of the flurry of activities have settled in and it is time to take a big deep breath - and head count!

Chickens - all six - in their coop with fresh water and food - check!

For having such stern faces - chickens are really so delightful!

Kittens (well, really cats, but we still think of them as kittens!) - fresh water - food bowls filled - litter boxes cleaned - everybody in for the night - **screeech** - WHERE IS MOHAN!!! Search party departs looking for the last of the boys. Allison hollars out - "I'll turn on the hose!"

Turn on the hose??? Yes, Mohan usually comes running when he hears the hose - he loves water.

Sure enough - here he comes out from under the corn crib. "Naughty boy - time to go in!" He gives me a purr as I carry him into the house.

Yep, here is Mohan - actually here he is in one of our bird feeders - oh dear!

Yes all the cats come in - even our outside semi-barn cats. Too cold at night, so they all sleep in our sunroom together. They have for the past 3 years and it works out nicely! Keeps everybody safe too. We have coyotes here and I do believe their favorite toy is the local cat! So, in they all come.

Now, let's try that again - Cats? - check!

This is Sami - can't you just see her raising her paw to say "here" when I do kitty roll-call!

Horses - stalls are cleaned - paddocks cleaned up - feed mats swept - water buckets cleaned out and refilled with fresh water for the night - all horses ready for the barn? Check!

Eddie letting Diesel know it is time to go in for dinner!!

So far, in my daily mental checklist I have: chickens, cats, horses - oh yes, one more thing.

Girls! Everybody is home, all road travels are done, everybody is in and safe and warm - check!

Oh how I love these girls!

The girls used to laugh at me because as I would go through my end-of-the-day checklist, they were always last!

So, as the day slows down, I look back on all our activities, think about what is for dinner - I realize how blessed I am to have this tired feeling. Because the feeling is a good one - of a day's activities filled with our farm, our animals, our family. We settle in our favorite chairs after dinner reading books, writing blogs, watching a movie and all I can think is - Life is Good!

Join me at the Prairie Homestead for a fun-filled Homestead Barn Hop!

Have a great weekend filled with special times!

Even the Fields Have Turned

2011-11-07T16:42:00.003-06:00

We don't usually have any kind of "rush hour traffic" out here. The most common traffic hold up will usually be a tractor or combine. I was behind a tractor the other day, driving quite slowly and enjoying the scenery as I was waiting for the tractor to turn.

I suddenly realized that the fields have all changed. Gone from that vibrant green of summer to tans and browns and in some cases, black - where the soil has been turned.

The fields are bare - just waiting for the first snowfall. But there still is such a beauty about them.

Our road has been busy today. Our dairy farmer neighbor has been bringing in bale after round bale. Eleven at a time, trailer after trailer.

The round bales being loaded up on the trailer.

All stacked neatly in rows - being stored away for the cold winter months.

I think there is a beauty to the fields after harvest is done. They stand, vibrant in a different way, against the many colors of the turning trees.

The contrast of color and plowed field

Today, Lea took a walk and captured some beautiful pictures of what is left of the season. I hope you will enjoy these pictures as much as we love living amongst all this beautiful scenery each and every day. It it this time of the year that makes me love living here the most.

The moss is still green at the base of this tree.

Even this Chinese Lantern has lost it's color. A remnant of a wild flower mix that Lea once scattered.

The wasps are even gone. Surely they will be back.

Our zebra grass has set seed and become a stunning fall ornamental

The last blooms of a fall mum

The vibrant colors of our Indian Corn from this year

The last of the wild asters still blooming

Hoping your day is filled with God's beauty and abundance!

A Very Special Relationship

2011-11-06T08:18:00.002-06:00

Following up on yesterday's post, I have had several requests to see my friend, Steve's, video that he put together that was set to the Jon Schmidt music.

This video is so wonderful and I have to point out that Steve was working on accomplishing true unity with his horse. He is at a clinic with Karen Rohlf who is the driving force behind Dressage Naturally. You will see that he hits on exactly the right connection with his mare and at that point Steve dismounts. He does this to "honor" her effort in completing some of the tasks he was asking of her. This simply leaves me in awe. Because, in my opinion, this is exactly what a relationship should be between a horse and rider - partners in harmony - mutual respect - a dance.

He has so much respect for his mare and shows that by dismounting and praising her. A rare moment that you don't often see horseman do.

All too often I see people riding with the thought process of "what's in it for me." It is awesome to see the horse acknowledged for a job well done, an effort made!

Way to go Steve, way to go!!!! I stand and applaud you! Thanks for the inspiration that you always give and the excellent natural horsemanship that you exhibit.

Enjoy!

And with that I wish you a great week ahead and I hope your life's journey is filled with this kind of inspiration!

Paying it Forward

2011-11-05T08:55:00.004-05:00

I got such a great e-mail from a friend I have made in the UK.
We have never met, but somehow became good friends through a horse forum we both frequent and, of course, Facebook.
He sent me a note just to thank me for some music that I posted as a status one day. He saw that I posted a YouTube video of a favorite musician of ours, he listened to it, loved the music so much that he went on to use it in a video he made of himself and his horse.

He was so grateful for the music I shared, he wanted to be sure to not only thank me, but to also let me know that it was because of me that he was inspired to make this video of his horsemanship journey. Here is the music video. It is by Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson. These are two very talented guys!

I was just so astonished that he took the time to write to me. How kind and thoughtful.
This left a lasting impression on me and made me realize I need to be sure that I always take the time to thank the people in my life for contributions that they have made toward my life journey.
I have always been a pretty grateful person, however, I know there have been times I probably should have been more assertive in my thankfulness.I know that I personally sometimes just assume the person knows that I am grateful – but do they really? Did I make a point of really telling them or showing them my gratitude.Probably not always.
Since I received this e-mail, I have made a real effort to be sure to thank people, give people the recognition that is due to them, and continually show gratitude.
I am amazed at what that does for folks.
I am amazed how people react when you go the extra mile to express how grateful you are to them for whatever contribution. Their reaction alone makes it so worth it.

While I was driving in to work the other day, the road I was on was under construction and down to one lane. I made a point to wave and thank the guy who was directing traffic. The look on his face was priceless! I could actually see that he was shocked that somebody would thank him for directing traffic!

It actually was kind of funny!

I am finding myself doing a sort of mental inventory of people I may have not shown the appropriate gratitude towards. I am trying to make a point to “catch up!”

You know, it is interesting, I learned a valuable lesson from this -- how good people feel when you just make a little extra effort to let them know they had an impact on your life – by either just saying thank you, showing gratitude, or reciprocating in some small way.

There is so much turmoil in the world, it shows me that at the core, I do believe people are good and showing them a little extra gratitude and kindness makes the goodness simply radiate from them.

A good thing to remember this upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas season.

Give the gift of gratitude!

I also hop you will join me at the Prairie Homestead for a Homestead Barn Hop!

Gathering Eggs

2011-10-31T20:46:00.000-05:00

The temperatures have taken a sudden turn to the lower end of the thermometer these past couple of days. With November just hours away, today I suddenly realized that the year is nearly over.

I was out in the barn gathering up eggs and it simply dawned on me how quickly time passes.

I watched the hens running about, cackling and pecking and flapping their wings. The winds were cold yesterday and they all stayed huddled together in their little lean-to's. They have a lovely, warm coop and outside they have what we affectionately call their ghetto lean-to's. The first summer we had our hens, it was hot and that sun just never gave up. So, the girls and I gathered up some old saw-horses and nailed a top to them and three sides. Viola - a little chicken lean-to. They don't look too pretty, but they seemed to be the hens favorite place to hang out during the day. Every summer, I vow to make them "nicer" ones. But, they are happy and the time just flies by too fast and before you know it, November is just hours away!

As I was gathering the eggs together today, I was thinking about all the gathering we do as mothers. We gather up our children to shuffle them off to school, or pile them into the car to get to one appointment or another. I find myself gathering up piles of papers or piles of laundry. I gather up dirty dishes through the day and socks and clothes that find themselves forever lost from the laundry pile.

Funny how one little act of "gathering" can take your imagination and thoughts in one hundred different directions. All the years spent gathering the many aspects of our lives and how quickly that time seems to pass.

So, as I go to bed tonight and it is October, in the morning it will be November. And before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here. And it will be time to gather up the family to share a feast and a day of Thanksgiving. It will be a day of gathering up memories and sharing them around the table.

See, I told you that this little act of gathering eggs took my thoughts in a million different directions.

I guess I am just having one of those days of thankfulness. Thankful that I have the ability to wake up every morning, go about my farm chores, be here for my daughters, and then gather the eggs at the end of the day.

Those simple acts of gathering is what makes my heart soar!

Blessings to you and joy for the day,

Oh How I Love Them!

2011-10-27T10:19:00.005-05:00

I recently became a fan of a guy by the name of Mark Meyers on FaceBook. He is the founder of the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue. Just this past fall, he rescued over 100 donkeys from the Hawaiian Islands. I don't know the full story of "what" was going to happen to them - but obviously they needed new permanent homes.

Here is a wonderful video you simply must watch to experience what this big, brawny man did for these tender souls. God bless him for what he does. I pray for him every day that God will give him the strength and perseverance to continue to save these beautiful creatures. If only I lived closer and had more room, I wish I could take some of his rescues. Some day, I am planning on adding more room to our existing barn. And as soon as that happens, I will bring more home.

You will love this video - but first, before you play it, scroll down and turn off my blog music. The song to this video is heart-warming and you shouldn't miss it!

As we continue through this year with the economy not changing much, I see more and more stories of horses and donkeys that need rescuing. I, sadly, am not one of those people that could work for a rescue organization. I support them whole-heartedly, but ask me to go to a scene where animals have been abused or neglected, I just can't do it.

However, that doesn't mean that I don't keep a watchful eye open 24/7! I intentionally purchased a cell phone with a camera on it - just in case. I carefully watch the animals around our area for neglect and abuse. These animals have no voice. And once you put a fence around an animal - it becomes your responsibility to feed it, water it, and give it shelter. I hear all to often people saying, "oh, they survive in the wild just fine - I can leave them out in this field." Well, that field now has a fence around it - it is not the wild.

It took years for me to get over the fact that Deisel, our little mini hinny, was abandoned in an open field for a year, left to starve. I thank God everyday that He brought Diesel into our lives. What those people that left him to die missed. He is SO smart, so willing, so loving, so mischievous, so playful. If only they took a little time and tried to see things from his perspective.

This is our little Diesel - he is a mini hinny and the love of my life!

Okay, sorry, I am off my soapbox. This really is supposed to be a happy post about our beloved little world of the donkey! What I have discovered, that as much as I love horses and have owned them since 1976 - I have come to truly love the donkey. They are completely different from your standard equine - horse that is. They are sort of like the Border Collie of the horse world. Smart, smart, smart!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to share the video of the Hawaiian Donkey Rescue that took place earlier this year. Plus, post a plug for the wonderful world of donkeys. If you have space, and are looking for a companion - you know what my suggestion will be. Give a donkey a home - you won't ever regret it!

Hugs and Joy to you today!

Well, it is All Finished!

2011-10-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, we finished one of our most challenging renovation projects yet!
We had so much unfinished drywall on our ceilings and walls that we just "learned to live with."
But after SEVEN (yes 7!) years, enough was enough.
Because most of the unfinished drywall was the ceiling, I now know that is why we kept putting it off! What a job!
The week before, I searched any and every YouTube video I could find on finishing drywall. Eureka, I found a good one! So, I armed myself with YouTube, found this guy named Shannon - from Minnesota, eh! And he had some great resources on taping, mudding, sanding, and priming drywall.I began this past Saturday and did a coat of thin drywall mud on Saturday, one of Sunday, and the final coat on Monday. Oldest daughter Allison, sanded on Tuesday. Bless her heart, because Lea and I were not wanting to do that part at all! Oh my gosh - the dust!!! Way worse than I thought - it seem to fall and drift for two days - even after cleaning it up, I kept having to dust surfaces. However, we really made an effort to keep up with the dust and clean each time we finished an area - that made a HUGE difference! And finally, husband Scott primed everything on Wednesday. Not only did we do the ceilings of three very large rooms, but also a half wall in the girl's landing, the back stairway, a little nook in my bedroom, AND the linen closet - whew!
I find it incredible how much we did in just 5 short days. By Wednesday night we truly all were exhausted. However, looking back now, I am glad we just hit it hard and got it done.
My girls are so amazing! How many teenagers, aged 17 and 21 do you know that would jump in and help so much. At every turn, they would ask, "what can I do now?" I am SO blessed by such a loving family!
So, here it is, all finished and cleaned up. What a wonderful feeling! All that is left is trimming out the windows and installing baseboards. Then we can lay carpet - the grand finale!
Here is a little peek at all we did!

Living room - love those ceilings! Isn't that crazy to be happy about ceilings!

Full view of the living room.

Office complete with Husband Scott!

Yes that is a metal duct work pipe - still to be closed in! LOL

Kitchen!

Kitchen! Yep, more duct work that has to be closed in. Thankfully, we are hiring someone to do that!

Little alcove in my bedroom!

Such a sweet little spot. Can't wait to put up pictures.

That's all for now. Hoping you have a glorious fall weekend! Thanks for stopping in.

Blessings and joy always,

Windows and Drywall and Paint, Oh My!

2011-10-17T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well, the new windows are in!

The front of the house looks so much better.

I’m not quite sure when we decided to do this. We have been getting estimates for these windows for 18 months – yet to find one we could afford – and now, here they are, all installed and finished!

Back in 2004/2005 we had a garage built by a wonderful young man named Josh that was just starting his construction business. We got his quote and decided to hire him to build the garage. He had several helpers, but one guy, named Todd, came out the day they erected the four walls. I remember how meticulous he was and how fast and efficient he worked. Well, about a month ago, out of the blue, Todd walks into the bank where husband Scott works. They caught up on each other’s lives, made some chit-chat about families, work, etc. Then Scott remembered that he had his own plumbing business and asked him if he was still in business and did he do any other construction work – BINGO!! Todd gave give him his hourly rate to “help” Scott install the windows – looks like we are in business. A week ago Scott noticed that some better than average windows were on sale at our local home improvement store and thought maybe we should buy them. Before we knew it, the windows were bought and husband Scott and Todd had them installed in less than four hours.

They are lovely. Plus, we are having our first pretty chilly westerly winds and the inside front of the house is nice and cozy warm. Huge difference!

On top of the new windows, I am in the middle of finishing the first floor of the house by Christmas. There are four rooms – the bathroom/laundry room, the kitchen, the office, and the living room. They all needed finishing work done in them. Well, the bathroom/laundry room is done. I finished the drywall, sanding, priming and painting. Both girls jumped in and they were a huge help!

Wow – what a difference a little paint makes. It was so rewarding to listen to all the oh’s and ah’s from the girls. Two new windows and a newly finished and painted bathroom – who would have guessed that would have triggered such responses. Makes me realize that this is so worth doing. I think they are as tired of the unfinished house as I am.

This week I am finishing up taping and mudding the ceilings in the kitchen, office, and living room. I am going to think of all those oh’s and ah’s from the girls and that is what will inspire me to keep on goin’!!

Hope you have a great week ahead full of all this autumn spendor!

A Biscuits Worth of Inspiration

2011-10-13T21:33:00.000-05:00

A very dear friend of mine

sent this to me via e-mail.

I loved it so much

that I wanted to pass it on.

I hope you will find as much comfort in it as I did!

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner everynow and then.

And I remember one night in particular when she had madebreakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago,my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits infront of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed!

Yet allmy dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how myday was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but Ido remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eatevery bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Momapologize to my dad for burning the biscuits.

And I'll never forgetwhat he said:

"Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if hereally liked his biscuits burned.

He wrapped me in his arms and said,

"Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired.

Andbesides – a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people.

I'm not thebest at hardly anything,

and I forget birthdays and anniversaries justlike everyone else.

But what I've learned over the years is thatlearning to accept each others faults,

and choosing to celebrate eachothers differences,

is one of the most important keys to creating ahealthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today.

That you will learn to take thegood, the bad,

and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feetof God.

Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to giveyou a relationship

where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship.

In fact, understanding is thebase of any relationship,

be it a husband-wife or parent-child orfriendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keepit in your own."

So Please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

And PLEASE pass this along to someone who has enriched your life.

Be kinder than necessary

because everyone you meet is fighting somekind of battle.

I hope you are blessed by this as much as I was!

Have a great day!

Fall Clean Up, Winter Prep, Tying Up Loose Ends

2011-10-06T10:10:00.001-05:00

We have been blessed with some amazing October weather. Actually, I think the horses think it is probably a little on the warm side for their liking. It has been in the high 70's and might even reach 80 degrees by the week's end.With that comes a busy time of cleaning up gardens, prepping for winter, and definitely tying up loose ends. The entire family is home this morning which is really nice. We all walked around and make mental lists of things to do.

This past week all the horses had their teeth floated. If you are not a horse person, that simply means that they had their teeth checked, the vet balances them with hand rasps, and makes sure their bite is where it should be. It is a hard day on them, especially since they all have to be sedated to do the procedure. But prayers were answered and everybody is in good shape.

Here is our sweet little pony Scout being SO good for the vet!

Scouty is all done, still looking very sleepy. Eddie is keeping a watchful eye until it is his turn.

Ed's turn. He is such a good boy and even took his sedation shot like a pro!

A very sleepy Eddie.

Diesel has a few dental problems and will probably loose a couple teeth within the next year. Sadly, whoever owned him for his first ten years of life did nothing in the dental department. Mini's tend to have a odd-malformed mouth as it is and couple that with no dental work - ever - means he has a few issues.

A very sleepy mini hinny!

But he is in good hands now and between us and our vet, he will receive only the very best dental care there is. We spent the afternoon in lawn chairs in the barn keeping a watchful eye until everybody had come out of their sedation.

God is so faithful. He watched over everybody and all went well.

Next on the fall clean up list is cleaning out all the old tomato and pepper plants. Allison has been busy cleaning up and putting on a last layer on the lasagna gardens. She had great success with these gardens this year and if you would like to know more, just travel on over here to read the post about it!

We are also looking to move our muck heap as it is getting unsightly. I know, odd topic to post about, but that is farm life for you. Where there are horses ~~ there is poo!

When husband Scott borrowed our neighbor's tractor, he was able to move probably half of it and reduce our pile significantly. Now we have to finish moving it by hand. That would mean wheelbarrows and truck beds. A couple hours a day and it will be all done.

We are going to build compost-like bins to contain it. We should have done that long ago.

There are a lot of things I would do differently if starting over. But, those are the valuable life lessons we all need to learn - wiser and better for it!

Same thing for the chickens. Coop cleaning, new shavings, winter heat lamps installed - all done.

Probably next week will start to put up snow fencing. With the winds we experience here in Northern Illinois - snow fencing is a must. I would rather put it up in 70 degree weather than wait until November when it is 40 degrees out.

Rolls and rolls everywhere on the farm.

Finally, we are also going to replace our front windows. They are old, drafty and need to be done. God has provided a great source of help in the form of a young man who actually helped build our garage. He just showed up one day while Scott was at the bank. There he was - and looking for work. Thank you Lord for Your provision once again.

Did you notice that there is no mention of raking leaves! We used to live in a lovely home on 2 acres in the WOODS. That meant hours and hours of raking. Well, not here thank you very much! I know I battle the weeds a crab grass that grow all summer long from the abundant sun, but open space means no raking of leaves - whew!

And I am sure there is more to the list - but I won't bore you will all the details. I am thinking that all that works offers up a nice reward to our local apple orchard.

Edwards has the most wonderful shops!

All I can say is YUM!

I can smell the cider donuts from here. Plus, cheese and pumpkins and cider and fudge....oh the list goes on. Have a great week, may you blessed and have abundant joy!

Family Management Binder

2011-10-02T09:19:00.000-05:00

I have had the responsibility of elder in my family since 1990.
I didn't ask for the job, it just infused it's way in to my life.
It is not always an easy task, but I think of family as the most important part of my life and when someone is in need, there simply are no options.

There isn't the option to say, "I don't feel like it."
There isn't the option to say, "I'm too busy."
There isn't the option to say, "Why doesn't somebody else do it."
There just isn't any option except to take on the responsibility that God puts before you.

Since then I have cared for my father until he passed away from cancer, my elderly aunt who quietly passed in her sleep - she was 96 years old and led a joyful, fulfilling life. And now I am caring for my 90 year-old mother who stills lives on her own.
I have all her papers in order ~ her power of attorney, health care power of attorney, her living will, and we are in the final stages of putting her will together. Her life is pretty much all tidy and in order for me to take over when her life becomes to much of a challenge for her.

I am sure you all know the story of the cobbler's children that have no shoes. This old expression feels very current to me. It refers to the fact that a busy cobbler will be so busy making shoes for his customers that he has no time to make some for his own children.

I realized that my own house is not in order. What would happen, should God call husband Scott and I home sometime - together. Now, I am not trying to be morbid or think the worst or think of the glass half empty when I should look at it half full. However, this is something that hit me that I do need to take care of. Even if just one of us as parents were to pass away, could the other step into that person's shoes and carry on family life without skipping a beat?

Sadly, the answer is an obvious no. I have been busy being a wife, a mom, a part time worker, a horse person, a caretaker to my mom, but do I have my life in order so that this family could continue to run like clockwork? Again, the answer is a resounding no!

I wanted to share a webiste I happened to find from a FaceBook friend that I have enjoyed very much. It is called The Better Mom It is primarily focused on new moms and moms of young children. However, I have found inspiration there even being a mom of a 21 and 17 year old. Within the walls of this lovely website I found myself reading a post about The Family Management Binder.

This is the best idea I have seen in a long time!

All I can say is WOW! This gal, Amy Bayliss, really got it right. Talk about organized! I read through the post and while some of it does not pertain to our family - like the information sheet for small children, there was a wealth of ideas and information I could put to use.

Therefore, this weekend, I decided it was time to get my house in order. To help myself, my husband and our children through what would be a difficult time.

Today, in honor of how much I love my family, I am going to devote this day to them. To organize and put together our own Family Management Binder. It will be a binder that any one of our family members can pick up and our entire financial, historical history will be at that person's fingertips.

This is what I plan to include:

Each person's bank accounts - that would be us parents and our children. Name of the bank, accounts numbers, and passwords for internet access.
Retirement fund information on each of us parents. Complete again with internet access passwords, account information, and contact information. Plus copies of summary sheets.
Where our safety deposit box is and where the key is!
What is inside our safety deposit box.
Names and phone numbers of family and friends to contact in case of medical emergency or deaths. I know your probably saying - "don't you just have a phone book to use." Let me assure you, during a time of grief, somehow those number just seem to disappear.
List of Social Security numbers and Driver's License numbers.
Credit cards that are still active and have balances. Complete with internet access passwords.
Mortgage information.
Car and house insurance information.
List if monthly bills that need to be paid.
Animal identification and information including vets and trimmers.
Family doctor and dentist information.

**Note: When I say "information" I include our agents name, car VIN numbers, accounts numbers, everything and anything that pertains to that specific item.**

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I plan to have as much information as possible all included in one binder so that "our life" will be easily accessible to anyone that needs it.

Husband Scott and I have even gone so far as to ask our eldest daughter who she would want to help her should she find herself alone trying to pull together the farm and keep it running. She has made the choice of someone who is Godly, caring, and she is comfortable with. I will contact that person and be sure it is okay with them.

Notice I mention internet access passcodes. This one is important. We all have websites, online bill payment sites, and many internet areas that we frequent. We already have a 2 page Excel spreadsheet with all this information - user names, passwords, and the such. Now I just need to update it, clean it up, and organize it so that any one of our family members can access it easily.

Now I know that I am blogging about one binder that carries pretty much our life's private information. With that comes a high security risk. Especially posting here on the internet. However, I believe this is such an important issue to share it is worth writing about. Therefore, precautions do need to be made to keep this binder safe! 'Nuf said - keep it safe! Safe in a place where it cannot be compromised in the wrong hands. I think that is what safety deposit boxes are for! Hiding it in the house just won't cut the mustard!

My day will be filled with family, horses, gardening, fall clean up at my mom's, and finalizing my Family Management Binder. I hope this inspired you as well to keep your financial and historical life in order.

Have a blessed Sunday. May God walk with you today and always!

Blessings and Joy!

P.S. Please join me over at The Homestead Revival for other preparedness ideas for your family and home!

And The Rain Came Down!

2011-09-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

I has been raining here all day.

I mean non-stop pouring since about 2:30 this morning.

As in the length of the ark is 300 cubits,

its breadth 50 cubits,

and its height 30 cubits."

And it is time to start building because

IT LOOKS LIKE THIS RAIN IS NEVER GOING TO STOP!!!!!

Allison was off to classes most of the day, so Lea and I have been home just taking care of things. We have been in and out more times then I can count doing one thing or another for the horses.

They are stuck in their stalls because the rain and wind is off the chart! Plus we hear little rumblings of thunder here and there and that is the last thing we need is for somebody to get hurt.

They are such good boys.

They don't really like to be locked up.

Even though their stalls are 10x12 with no bars so they can play with each other over the walls. We also give them nibble nets (which are slow feeders) to keep them busy. Luckily, they LOVE their nibble nets, so that helps past the time.

The upswing to this very rainy and windy day is that when we are not dashing out to check on the horses, I am getting a lot done inside. I spent about 2 hours cleaning up and organizing paperwork.

No, that's not me - but it sure feels like me! :o)

Then, right before lunch I finished putting the last coat of mud on the downstairs bathroom wall. Tomorrow I can finish sanding and we are ready to prime.

Yep, that is pretty much how I feel about mudding - notice the enthusiasm!!!

Can you imagine having to do this! Thank goodness it is not my house!

As I posted a few days ago, I came up with this list to finish the downstairs of the house by Christmas. And I am determined to git 'er done!

So, while it is crummy outside, at least I am motivated to finish up odd jobs inside.

How about you? What is happening on this dreary Monday in your neck of the woods! Whether it is sunny or rainy, I sure hope it is a good day for you!

See you tomorrow!

Nachusa Grasslands

2011-09-24T17:57:00.000-05:00

Living in Northern Illinois is very flat and mostly corn and soybean fields.

But not today!

Allison and I headed south to visit Shannon, a friend that Allison went to college with. She and her family purchased a lovely 5-acre farmette that backs up to the Nachusa Grasslands.

Now, I had never heard of this natural prairie prior to knowing Shannon. I have lived in Illinois all my life and didn't even know it existed (pretty sad, I know!). However, it is lovely! It is some of the only virgin prairie land left in Illinois. A very rare find and a true thing of beauty.

Nachusa Grasslands consists of 3,000 acres of prairie remnants, restorations, and reconstructions located between Oregon, Dixon and Franklin Grove, IL. Remnant prairie knobs were protected from the plow by an unfarmable overlay of St. Peter Sandstone. Starting in 1986 with the purchase of 250 acres, The Nature Conservancy has gradually recreated a vision of 1800 Illinois' mosaic of prairie, savanna and wetlands. Hundreds of dedicated volunteers have collected seed to replant former corn and bean fields.

A group of Allison's school chums all met up at Shannon's for a day of food, fellowship, and hiking and I got to go along!

Here's the gang! Lucy, Deb, Kristy, Shannon, Allison, and Debbie

Finding a rare specimen, no doubt!

As far as the eye could see - nothing but grass and beauty!

There is a wetland area and even a wooded area.

The beautiful day for a hike

Tall grasses everywhere

A little bright spot of color among the waves of grasses. Allison, what was this called?????

Hills and valleys - or I think they are called knobs and valleys

Heading back to base camp - aka, Shannon's kitchen for dessert!

It was a beautiful fall day and was perfect for a hike, a visit, good company, and good food! And, of course, the icing on the cake is that Shannon has 2 horses. Tuesday and baby River. River is only 5 months old and is quite attached to her new friend Tuesday. Taking a tour of the barn, her new home, and seeing the grasslands made for the perfect day with my daughter!

A good time was certainly had by all!

Hope you are having a glorious weekend!

Blessings,

My Happy Place

2011-09-22T10:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my full day to work. Every Wednesday I work all day. But I get an hour for lunch and actually look forward to it.

It is completely my time.

Oh, sometimes I have to run errands for the family, but I do try to guard that time as time for me.

One hour, carved out of the week, to do anything I want to do.

Well, one thing I LOVE to do is stop by a favorite garden center called Blumen Gardens. It is located in Sycamore, IL, and if you are ever in the area, you HAVE to stop there.

It is my happy place!

They play calm instrumental music, there are barn-like buildings and an old factory to wander through. There are ponds, there are plants, there are decorations for your home and garden. The people are lovely and helpful. I even asked about job openings there yesterday. I could work there and it would be good for my soul!Here is a little glimpse of why I call it my happy place. Come and take a walk with me.

A little dog house for the owner "Joel" complete with a green roof!

Flowers are everywhere!

This is part of an old factory and the inside wall of a courtyard area.

I have wanted this old rusty desk for YEARS!!! I want it for my kitchen - maybe someday!

Lights and crystals hang by the windows capturing the sunlight - they just sparkle

A new line of handbags - so pretty, but so expensive!

So, now you see why it is called my happy place. I love the old factory that probably was home to some manufacturing company and they have turned it into a peaceful, spacious area that offers up all the lovely home and garden items to buy. There is always a water feature that adds to the ambiance.

They even have a garden/tea room you can rent for weddings, showers, parties. Husband Scott's annual bank Christmas party is usually there and it is a wonderful atmosphere for celebrations.

It always give me hope that maybe someday, when the time is right, I could have a little shop like this on our farm. My dream is to have a small farm building and also a place to hold classes.

Maybe someday.

Until then, I have my happy place that is just a quick drive away. Whenever I am feeling blue or just need a place to de-stress - this is it!

I hope you have a happy place. I would love to hear about it.

Have a glorious day!

Canning Surprises!

2011-09-21T20:10:00.002-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been nothing short of canning fury!

We put up almost 30 pints of salsa. Oh my goodness, I have never chopped, diced, whirled, and simmered so many vegetables in my life. BUT, well worth the effort! All I can say is YUM! And lo and behold, Lea – who never eats salsa loves it. Great way to get those vegetables in!


S-A-L-S-A!!!

Then this past week the concord grapes were ready. YIKES, can you say bumper crop! We picked a huge tub and processed probably 25 pounds of grapes first into juice, then into jelly!

First the Juice!

We then picked another 25 pounds of those little purple orbs and are getting ready to finish making our second batch of grape jelly this week. I think upwards of 30 pints of grape jelly should tide us over for the year!

Then the Jelly!

Finally, we had some grapes left over so we thought we would make grape juice for drinking.

Easy recipe I thought, loose grapes in the bottom of the quart glass jar, ½ cup of sugar, top it off with boiling water and water bath for 15 minutes. Didn't happen!

The very interesting thing that has happened this year is that some of my jars were breaking during the bathing process.

The bottoms broke right out!

I have been canning since the mid-1980’s and have never had this happen. First the bottom of a jar of salsa broke off while it was in the bathing water.
Do you know how gross salsa looks when it breaks open in a huge pot of boiling water. Well, I simply won’t go into detail here – you can imagine!
Then this past week the same thing happened to one of the quart of grape juice. I can see maybe one jar, but then another. Was there something wrong with my jars, something I did – I had to know!

Google to the rescue!

I searched and searched and honestly could find no apparent reason for the salsa explosion. However, I did figure out (thanks to Google and You Tube) what I probably did wrong with the juice. It was a series of little things that led to it’s demise!

We carefully put all the quart jars in very hot water while we got everything ready. We put the whole grapes in (which were cool - oops), then the sugar, and then the boiling water. I thought I had it timed just right for when the water would come to boil in the big 'ol canner pot. But that darn water - WOULD NOT BOIL!! So, we kept filling the jars and then it happened - oops, we set them on the counter - not on a towel. That counter must have been just cool enough to bring the temperature down - a little too much!

What were we thinking. Well, I wasn't because I was too busy trying to get the canner pot to boil!

Anyway, it did finally boil and in went the jars and then there was a pop, then a grape ~~~ came floating to the surface. Uh-Oh! That's not good. I knew then that I wasn't going to go looking for the broken jar. I turned off the heat and walked away. We left it to cool down and then investigated. Sure 'nuf - there it was! The bottom blown right off. Well, since none of the jars bathed for the time they should have we abandoned ship on that batch. But, that's okay - lesson learned.

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

They are not casual guidelines, but there is a reason that Ball is so detailed in their directions **snicker, snicker** I knew that! I just got a little bit lazy and didn't pay attention. Silly me!

As this year's canning activities come to a close we have lots of salsa and grape jelly to enjoy! Maybe next year there will be juice too! And just think, before you know it - the seed catalogs will be out. And we will begin planning for the season to come.

I hope your day has been filled with joy and laughter. Thank you so much for stopping by!

then I will give you rain in its season,

the land shall yield its produce,

and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Leviticus 26:3-5

Blessings always,

Barn Hop!

2011-09-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

Join me today on a Homestead Barn Hop!

It is really fun to travel around and see what other homesteading folks are up to. We have been busy in the kitchen this weekend canning grape jelly. More on that this afternoon. Until then, grab a cup of coffee and take a spin!

No Sugar - Can it Be Done??

2011-09-16T08:34:00.002-05:00

I was at work yesterday afternoon and a friend and I were discussing the idea of taking sugar out of our diets. We had both read a recent post by Ree Drummond on her Pioneer Woman Website. It you scroll down to the end of her current "Confessions" post, she talked about a friend she ran into. She was sharing how different and wonderful this friend looked - “You look great! What did you do?” The woman said that she took white, granulated, refined sugar out of her diet. Ree states in her article that she saw real visible differences in this woman - all because she took sugar out of her diet.

Ree Drummond - too cute for words!

Imagine that!?

I mean really imagine that. That is much, much harder than it sounds. So, my friend Bridget (who I work with) and I starting discussing what we would have to take out of our diets to do this. Let's just say it would be.....LIKE EVERYTHING!!!

My morning breakfast usually consists of coffee (and lots of it) with cream....and SUGAR! I like 1/2 a bagel which has, you guessed it....SUGAR in the list of ingredients. Thank goodness the cream cheese doesn't have sugar in it. Although, that would be kind of gross - a cream cheese breakfast. So, I am thinking a nice healthy salad for lunch - but wait - every dressing on our shelves - even the low fat or fat free ones - have SUGAR in them.

I was shocked at what I found:

Bread and bagels

Some Pasta and most pasta sauces

Cereal (even good old fashioned plain Cheerios)

Crackers

Pretty much all salad dressings

Most cookies - duh!

Almost all bagged snacks - some potato chips were okay
Soups
Jams and jellies
Ice Cream (whaaaaaa)

And the list goes on. I suppose pretty much any pre-packaged, not fresh food has sugar.

Talk about being clueless. Have I gotten that complacent with what I eat to not adequately read labels - YES, I have! Hence, the fact that I need to lose 40+ pounds!

So, for fun (not sure this will be fun), Bridget and I are trying our hand at eating a no sugar diet for one day.

I remember reading a great article about a very overweight woman who went to Over-eater's Anonymous and her counselor asked her (while she was melting down) - "could she do it for just one day?" She said yes and went on to lose over 200 pounds - way to go girl!

Anyway, my point being, can I do it for just one day - sure. But so far, it is 8:05 in the morning and it is proving to be difficult. Most things I eat for breakfast have sugar in them. Dang!

My daughter made a nice bowl of hot oatmeal with raisins in it....I tasted it....not sure....I must be the only person on the planet that is not wild about oatmeal. It's gooey!

So far it is just coffee - guess I will eat an egg.

I am now trying to plan out my day without sugar. I do have some pasta that does not contain sugar, so looks to be pasta with a little butter and Parmesan cheese for lunch. Snack this afternoon will be fruit, and haven't even begun to think about dinner.

I am beginning to see a little trend in what food I would eat - fruit, vegetables, pasta, butter, meat, cheese - OH DEAR! Not sure I want to go down the high protein road - I am a real stickler for eating low fat. Sorry, I am from the camp that does not agree with the Atkins diet. Those high protein, high fat diets just don't make sense to me. Sure, you might lose weight - all the while you are clogging the daylights out of your arteries.

Ya, no!

Bottom line - I guess I will have to find the fine line between lower fat and lower sugar. Hmmmm......that sounds like moderation..... yes, moderation seems to be the key - as it always has been and always will be. Amen!

Hello - that's not rocket science, is it?!

I will let you know how Bridget and I do today. However, I already have a confession to make - there is this nice little bag of M&M's in my desk drawer at work. :o) Hee-hee!

Have a really nice day today. Hope you are enjoying this wonderful time of year!

May God bless you always,

Lists, Lists, Lists

2011-09-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

As I was saying the other day - where does the time go???

We moved here in 2004 and I remember saying,

"oh, we will have the inside of this house finished in 2 years!"

Well, it is now SEVEN years later - and we are still not done!I have begun to hang pictures on unfinished drywall! However, on the bright side, the time we have spent cleaning, renovating, constructing has mostly been outside. And, hey, that is where we spent the bulk of our time. So, I am not going to beat myself up over this.

Outside, we have completely fenced the property, put in fencing for a pasture, put in more fencing to put in a dirt track for our fatty horses, built on to our existing corn crib to house the horses, built two chicken coops, put in way-too-many-to-count gardens - both flower and vegetable, painted outbuildings, constructed horse paddocks and then expanded them. - WHEW! Okay, I am feeling a little better about what we have NOT gotten done inside the house.

Now, inside the house we have accomplished way too many tasks to even begin to list.

But, I am going to share a little secret with you

-- come in closer, so I can whisper --

**whispering**

we start many projects,

get them done about 85%,

run out of steam and money (mostly money),

and we don't finish them

we just sort of live with the unfinished project.

There, I said it! I confessed. I admit it.

I have to laugh, when we bought this place it was sold AS IS! And I mean AS IS! The lovely old couple were living in the back half of the house, because the front half was gutted, unfinished, had no heat, and a light bulb here and there.

But, when we walked through this house, as unfinished as it was, I could completely visualize what it COULD be. I knew it would be awesome!!! And we are almost there!

Husband Scott is tired. Tired of renovating, tired of constructing, tired of spending money!

I understand that and have come to realize that if the INSIDE of the house is going to get finished - the girls and I will have to take it on. Now, I am not complaining. This is the third house we have lived in and I do believe husband Scott has had his fill of home improvement!

So, this weekend I created lists. You can't imagine the lists I made up. But, these are good lists. They are little cubits of "to do" things that can be accomplished on my two full days off - Monday and Tuesday - and the girls have offered to help me.

And by golly, Gomer, I think we can do it! I truly believe that if I can stick to these lists, work about an hour or two each Monday and Tuesday - the first floor will be done by Christmas! Well, almost done, but at least ready for carpeting and that will be the grand finale!

Then, after Christmas, I can start the upstairs! And, I think by mid summer that will be done as well!

I am so excited.

So, I made up my lists last Sunday. They turned out great! Completely do-able!

Hmmm! Monday and Tuesday have passed and I wasn't able to begin the lists.

Guess I will start next week! Really! Things got in the way this week! Yes, indeed - next week!

On the upside - I did completely organize all my bills, filed, worked with my elderly mother on her POA and her will, cleaned the upstairs linen closet, the game closet, the upstairs bathroom cabinet, and cleaned out all my gazillion piles of magazines I didn't think I could part with.

So, see, I did get some very important things done - I will call it my ........ "pre-to-do-list."

Yes, that is what it is! There you have it! Really!!!!

I hope you are having a great week!

Blessings and joy,

A Day to Remember

2011-09-11T09:24:00.001-05:00

Terrorist attacks can shake the foundationsof our biggest buildings,

but they cannottouch the foundation of America.

These acts shatter steel,

but they cannot dentthe steel of American resolve.

America was targeted for attack becausewe are

the brightest beacon for freedomand opportunity in the world.

And no one will keep that light from shining.

President George W. Bush

September 11, 2001

This is a day to remember all those that were thrown into one of our nation's worst disasters. So many that woke up that morning not realizing that their lives would be forever changed. That all of America would be forever changed.

Our prayers are with those who suffered losses,

for those who were at the front line to help everyone and anyone,

for those who lives were forever changed.

My God bless our nation and may our nation continue to bless God.

if My people who are called by My name

will humble themselves,

and pray and seek My face,

and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

A Whirlwind of a Week

2011-09-10T17:54:00.002-05:00

It is Saturday already, isn’t it.

I am not sure where the days go.

I thought since Lea graduated last May that the days would be lazy, unhurried, and the pace would slow down.

That since we were not gearing up for school this year, my days would be filled with reading, leisurely gardening time, horses, and coffee with friends.

SNAP OUT OF IT!!!

That is not reality!

(Remember when Cher slapped Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck

and told him to "snap out of it" - that was so cute!

That is SO how I feel - gotta snap out of it! :)

I work part time – just 1 whole day and two afternoons a week – to help pay for the horses and other odds and ends that creep into one's budget when one has college aged girls. Well, this past week I took the week off to drive Lea to a hoof trimming course. It was about 45 minutes away. So I would drive her there in the morning and come home - then leave to go pick her up and come home.

I sort of lost all the time in between the drives and on what I am not sure what! Husband Scott was home too, so we did get some odd jobs done. It was wonderful to be home - I love being home. However, back to work I went this past week and here it is Saturday again.

Okay, so where am I going with this - I suppose this post is sort of like my week off - scattered!

Anyway, the GREAT news is that after Lea finished her hoof trimming course she made the decision to become a Certified Equine Podiatrist! She will be getting her certification through Institute of Equine Podiatry which is based out of Florida.

KC LaPierre, who is the founder of this institute, not only teaches courses in Florida, but also travels across the country teaching.

Lea took a course back in 2010, and then again this past August - both were hosted right here in Illinois. This year is when she decided to go for the certification. She will complete her education requirement by the end of 2012 and will then be known as Lea Henze, DAEP (Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist). She will be working with horses for her career - for the rest of her life. It is her dream come true!

Here is a little shot of her during her course:

KC giving her a little direction on her trim.

KC looking on as she completes her trim

This is a great overview of what her future will hold!

In order for her to get all her courses in, she and I will be heading to Old Town, Florida in December. This is the headquarters for the institute and she will be taking another course there. Then next year she has just two more courses to go and will also be finishing her online coursework as well.

So, Lea is on her way to beginning her degree program, Allison is in the last year of her Horticultural degree program - no wonder my head is spinning!
I hope you are having a GREAT weekend, filled with God's abundant provisions!
Blessings always ~

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-09-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Some time ago I posted about Ag-Lime being the 8th wonder Ag-Lime being the 8th Wonder of the World!

We have used it so many places here on the farm. From smoothing out the horse's paddock to eliminate the mud, to putting in a sidewalk in front of the house.

This year for my birthday (last August), all I wanted was a load (10 tons worth) of ag-lime. We have the nicest little canopy area that our outside table and chairs sit under. But let me tell you what a pain it is to move it every week to mow under it (sometimes twice a week if we have had a lot of rain).

Knowing how expensive a deck would be - thousands of dollars - and how expensive a concrete patio would be - more thousands of dollars - my first thought went right to Ag-Lime!

Well, Husband Scott came through and our ag-lime was delivered earlier this past week. Here is a little photo tour of the whole operation and what we did!

Prepping the site with cardboard and paper to keep the weeds out.

Here comes the ag-lime

10 tons worth

Ready to be spread out!

All smoothed out!

Canopy is in place, aka "the gazebo"

Allison, the horticulturalist, putting in the potted plants

Lovely!

Lea helping out and adding the shepherd's hooks

Complete! Low cost, functional, and very inviting!

There you have it! I love that the ag-lime only cost $90.00! Scott did buy some landscape timbers to hold in the material - but they were not expensive either. My girls keep saying it feels like walking on the beach. It will harden up after about a month - but it will still look wonderful!

Hope you are having a GREAT weekend!

I feel like Julia Child - Except for the French Cooking

2011-09-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? It is such a wonderful film. And my personal favorite character, of course, is Meryl Streep as Julia Child.

Remember the scene where she finally met her long time pen-pal friend Avis? It was such a beautiful meeting of two people who had been friends for decades, yet never met. They became the truest of friends simply through letters, phone calls, pictures. They shared their lives with each other - yet never met. It is such an inspiration friendship.

I sometimes feel that way about the many, many wonderful people I have met in cyber-space (sorry, is that a dated term? Oh well!). Are you not continually amazed at the wonderful people you can meet on the internet.

I have met kindred spirits on horse forums, through Facebook, and more importantly, right here on this little farm blog. Sharing farming and homesteading ups and downs, joys and failures, and family tales that will last a lifetime.

I am able to keep in touch with Lea's Kindergarten teacher, Cheryl. I have met a wonderful woman named Gayle who shares my passion for mini donks. So many others that I know only through their blog names, but come and visit, leave a comment, give encouragement, share a laugh or idea.

I know we all must be careful about "those other folks" who drop spam in our e-mail, who might seem a tad suspicious, who simply send up a red flag when we see the name or address. But, they are few and far between. I do still believe that people are all really good and decent at their core. Any hey, who really wants to stalk a middle-aged, menopausal, hot-flashing woman. Not many, luckily.

I never in my wildest dreams thought I would meet so many people, at this point in my life, right here as I sit in front of my keyboard. So many blogs, so many caring people with such a willingness to share so much.

So, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your friendship! I pray for you all and hope that someday our paths will cross. Until then, may you have joy in your lives and thank you for sharing that joy with me.

See you all tomorrow!

It's SO Quiet

2011-08-29T13:47:00.001-05:00

Well, I spent some time looking for the camera.

I wanted to share pictures of our hay that was delivered this past weekend

I know that probably sounds pretty boring, but it is exciting for us here on our little farm. A building full of hay is a good thing.

Anyway, I just had to jot this down and share. Lea, who is usually home, is off to a 5-day intensive Hoof Trimming Course this week. It started last Saturday and goes through Wednesday.

So this morning, Allison is packing up and getting ready to leave for classes at her community college and Lea is packing up and getting ready to leave for her course.

This was SO weird!

We have home schooled for the past 9 years - nobody packs up in the morning to "leave for school." Scott is the only one who packs up to go to work.

This week I took the week off from work so that I could drive Lea back and forth to her trimming course. Since I was off on vacation this week, Husband Scott also took the week off as well. Thinking that way, we could spend some time together, get some projects done and he would be here to help with driving if need be.

Husband Scott and I just finished lunch together - alone. It feels so odd. We chatted about this and that, then he collapsed in the chair and fell asleep, and I read the paper - boy do we sound old.

So, right now I am sitting here at the keyboard and the house is silent. They are both gone - both my girls. Nobody banging around the kitchen, nobody slamming doors coming in and out, nobody calling for me to come and look at something for the hundredth time, nobody playing the piano, nothing..... ...I don't like it.

It is too quiet. Is this what is yet to come when my girls leave home for good.

Have your kids left? How does one handle this?? This is right up there with bringing home the new baby - uncharted territory.

Oh my! Not sure I will handle this very well.

It's Monday

2011-08-29T11:27:00.001-05:00

It's another Monday!
Monday's can be so depressing, overwhelming, over-tired from the weekend!
But not today my happy campers!
Head on over to The Prairie Homestead for a fun and exciting Barn Hop. I love when the Prairie Homestead sponsers these little trips around cyber-space. It is so fun to see what all the other Homesteaders are up to.

So, while I get my act together and take some pictures of our shed full of hay to share, grab a cup of coffee and head on over!