Good Ole' American Round-Up

This has to be the highlight of us living here...our friends whose boys are part of the round-up crew invited us to come watch the spring round-up! What a fantastic insight into the American Cowboy way of ranching. We were fascinated at the skill this took.

My husband, myself and our oldest son were invited to join in the round-up - we all have a greater respect for those who have been doing this for years.


Yep that's our boy holding down a calf to be branded, castrated and given shots...had to hold on tight!
The boys, one in a white plaid and the other in a darker plaid, are friends of ours - they are gems in our eyes and we really enjoy being around these young men.

No you're not seeing double...that's our son at the rear and yes that's his mom at the front....it was exhilarating to be able to actually hold a calf down...makes me want to learn more about ranching....so much more!

Here our son is with the young man and young gal that have been doing this round-up for many years and they are the ones that encouraged both myself and our son to get in there and help...glad they did!

Watching on the sidelines...look at those great pink boots from the Lord...a good friend of ours found them at the Goodwill in perfect condition!

Thank you to our friend for the thoughtful gift for our daughter who had been saving to purchase pink cowgirl boots!

I really enjoyed watching the cowboys and cowgirls rope up the calves - it was beautiful to me...wish I could do it...maybe someday you'll see me out there roping!

Pretty in Pink.....

Thank you to the Tacoma family for thinking of us and including us in the Spring Round-Up. It was a fantastic day.

Hope you enjoyed a bit of good ole American history...an American art!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! We had a wonderful day filled with surprise flowers from my husband to our brunch being paid for by gentleman at another table...He said to me "Your family was such a blessing to be around and your children are so well behaved that it really blessed me and I wanted to bless you so Happy Mother's Day". I cried at the kindness of this man. May the Lord's face shine brightly on him.

Now for a Mother's Day Tradition...we have ever since we became parents gone to get either flowers or some other plant that needed planting...this year we planted three flats of strawberries down in the berry patch that my husband is working on. You can see we had a delightful time.

As you can see our cows came down to the patch to see what we were up to...don't worry there is a six foot deer fence around the patch. The first picture is of our "boss" cow, Ruthie, looking for handouts...our very own Northwest Trek...

I trust the Lord showered each of you with a memorial day. Happy Mother's Day and thank you for stopping by!

Weekly Update

Here is our princess...in her very first garden. She staked and laid the string - just like daddy taught her to do! She has squash, strawberries and flowers planted. This was probably the beginning of always having a garden...forever more!

Just look at that great grin.

44 years young...a fun and relaxed day was spent to celebrate this great man's birthday.

He's passionate about the truth of God's word, gardening, farming and his family...

Happy Birthday to you!

Not a very good picture...but we made Bulldog Cupcakes...as one day my husband thinks he is going to own a pair of English Bulldogs...Max and Daisy! Humph! I'm not so sure about the idea.

A Treasure for Our Knight

So here is our "knight" with his treasure. He is always the first one done with school and outside to discover bugs and hopefully something really "cool". Well today was the day that he found a real treasure...this blue tailed lizard! That bright blue was striking - the pictures do not do it justice!
Our Creator is so full of imagination and awe - how can we not acknowledge Him in all we see and experience...

A Few Firsts

A few of our spring firsts!

Here are the farm boys getting the tractor and harrower ready to plant our first planting of grass/oat hay. I even heard that our "knight" was able to drive the tractor while my husband stood on the harrower to help move the seed along...not too safe and I was glad I didn't see that stunt!

A first horse ride for our oldest young man. He is riding Hondo....a huge horse of almost 17 hands...massive but gentle guy!

First time for mom to adorn the "extra-large" bee suit and help with the bees. Here we are looking for eggs so we can force a split and gain a few more hives.

We did loose two hives over the winter but our other two hives are 50,000 strong. They were really buzzing around...amazing enough we didn't get stung.

Aren't chickens funny...they were so curious if we had "snacks" for them.

Sping is Here...Maybe

We woke up to this "spring" morning to snow falling...Happy Spring! It snowed most of the morning and then the sun melted it all away.

Love the fashion? Our maiden has been saving her money that she gets every week for helping milk the cows...she wrote a list of her needs and wants and this pink cowgirl hat was the first on the list! She was so happy to find that the store that had it was having....A SALE! She wears this with everything!

Next on her list is pink cowgirl boots then the horse of course!

Bubbles - I love bubbles....there is something nostalgic about them.

Look at this lovely house...wish it were mine! It reminds us of a huge doll house. I want to say that this house is well over 100 years old. I love driving by this place and thinking of what life must have been like in this house...wouldn't it be fun to restore....maybe the Lord has it in His plans for us...just maybe...or maybe we could build one just like it! Places like this fascinate me.

Thank you for stopping by...Happy Spring ya all!

A week in the mountains...

Farmer boy gets a chance to drive through the woods on this Artic Cat "toy". What fun that was for him!

Here is our calf...all grown up now! Duchess is getting ready to be de-horned by this local "cowboy". It took all of 30 seconds, a large heavy duty wrench and a horrific amount of blood that I decided not to share...If you really want to see the gory pictures I'll e-mail them separately to you...

SPRING IS IN THE AIR...And with spring comes an overwhelming feeling of needing to be outside...not inside doing bookwork! So today we did our weekly spelling tests looked up the different types of evergreens and headed out for an hour and half hike into the mountains...it was marvelous! A great find were the bones - which the children thought were fascinating! I think the favorite thing about this hike was the huge rock formation we came upon. It was a great hike, a perfect way to get the "spring fever" bug tamed!

Here Farmer Boy and Little Man are standing between two different evergreens that are prolific here...Hemlocks and Pines.

See the curved trunk at the bottom.

Happy Spring to you...thanks for stopping by!

My Life on a Taffy Pull: Job-As in the book of the Bible

This is a wonderful post and I just had to share - be encouraged...
My Life on a Taffy Pull: Job-As in the book of the Bible

Target Practice....What Fun!

For those of you who have an older brother you might know what these little brothers are experiencing...great fun! Not to mention the brotherly bond that is happening here...just look at our youngest grin as big brother patiently helps him shoot the BB gun....I was so impressed when I walked over to the "gun range" as older brother was going over gun safety rules, what is expected of them at the "gun range" and so forth! Because he taught them to be respectful and serious while using a gun they were and had a wonderful time...and thank goodness no one lost an eye!

I have to brag a moment here...This young man is a marvelous big brother. He amazes me sometimes and is so caring towards his younger siblings...

Thanks for stopping by!

Future Farmer of America

We were so blessed today! After a long day at the library we came home to this sitting outside our little place...a tractor for the boy who loves, loves, loves tractors...this was such a blessing to him and to me as I just felt so loved by the Lord! He knew that we would like, not need, but desired a fun bike for our little man to trek around the trails with us and He provided it...









Some other things I'm pondering is this...why do you suppose many who claim to be Christians shy away or try to avoid conversations about scripture? I have been amazed at this as I really felt the Lord put upon my heart to take my word with me to the library and share what I've been reading and what the Lord is doing in my heart. I felt I was to share with one lady in particular...she listened but was quick to tell me that she has read the Bible from cover to cover...when I asked her if she reads it daily she said "Why no...besides I prefer the Aramaic translation...you know the language that Jesus spoke..." I was flabbergasted...and asked her what she was talking about? She went off to explain and really lost me...she didn't want to discuss scripture, what the Lord is doing in her life....she wanted to discuss interpretations etc..., I tried to encourage her to read the Word and be filled...I shared with her that we really think the King James is the best and she would really glean from it...

I asked my husband later about this and he explained to me that first of all...Jesus didn't write anything down and second the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Koininea Greek...not in Aramaic language...it was written so that Jew and Gentile could learn, be convicted, and redeemed through the Word of God...

I wonder what your thoughts on this are? I am going to keep bringing my Bible to the library...following the Lord's leading as I know they don't reject me...they reject their Lord...I also stand on this promise that His word can not return void....

Shouldn't the Word of the Lord consume us? Shouldn't this be what we are passionate about? Shouldn't the truth be what comes out of our mouth most of all to whom all we meet? Shouldn't we be ready to give and answer in season and out? Shouldn't we be speaking His Words to everyone we meet?

Many happy blessings to you and your family...God Bless all of you!

Let Your Guard Down...

Hmmm let me see...Let my guard down? Sure why not - after all it is a movie recommended by someone trustworthy right?

These words have been ringing in my head all week long as we foolishly followed them...and went against everything we have cultivated in our family...and everything that God puts in His word... We borrowed a movie on the good word of a very trustworthy young man.

So we put it in and I was busy cooking and heard a few remarks...than a few more...then my husband turned it off....we viewed it together and were shocked at what was in the movie! Many, many "not so funny" comments and other things that maybe a young man might over look and not "get" but Satan certainly "gets" it....after all his goal is roaming around seeking out whom he may destroy and devour! I was so glad that my husband turned it off...it may have encouraged our sons to head down a very dark and lonely path...and might have left our lovely daughter wondering if she was really "lovely".

God's word commands us to be on our guard against ungodly things, to think about things that are pure, to(as moms) be the keepers of our home...and the list goes on! My husband and I stand convicted and will keep our guard up...even when it comes from a delightful young man who may not have seen what we saw or heard what we heard in the movie....

I want to challenge each of you, the keepers of the home, to be on your guard...seeking the word and asking the Lord for guidance and direction! Keep your home in line with what God's word says - it is so important!

Simple Ponderings

Purpose...Homeschooling with purpose...life with purpose(not to be confused in any way with the fad of the "Purpose Driven" stuff). A few weeks ago a friend and I were e-mailing and she mentioned that some families whom she knows don't really seem to have purpose for homeschooling the children...they just are "getting them through" the school years.

My friend has plans for their children way into the future...plans to help them in what they are interested in right now...even though it may change....several will be doing on-line college courses to get them ready for the life God leads them...I was amazed at the insight, intelligence and wisdom in this...gearing school right now towards future interests...amazing concept. They still do the required basics but they are always thinking..."what do I need to help them accomplish the long term goal" They have set many home schooling goals and the children love it and thrive under it....something else to ponder -setting reachable goals!

It got me thinking on a CD we required our oldest to listen to before he was given his Covenant Ring. It was "What to Expect From Your 12 Year Old". I remember being shocked at how many young men, ages varying from 9 on up, were purposeful in their life and accomplished many good things for the Lord.

I've been pondering that for a few weeks now and wondered if I was just "getting them through" school....sad to say but I think that maybe yes...no purpose other than finishing school which in that there really is no value, hope or promise of a bright future.

So this last week I've really asked the Lord to show me what I should be focusing on. You know what He has showed me...to know my children deeper and then to school them accordingly.

I want my children to be so thankful that they were home to learn instead of feeling like they missed out...I really believe the Lord has laid this on my heart - especially at the critical age of our oldest son...who is really thinking about what he wants out of life. I've encouraged him to begin saving for his "all-in-one" farm he wants to start.

Of course this is all in pale comparison to the great purpose we all have...to raise our children for His glory to build His kingdom! This is by far the most important thing we could ever do...I've even counseled a young mom who was overwhelmed at the prospect of home schooling to start with just reading and studying the Bible.

May the Lord keep us and guide us as we seek His best for ours and our children's lives. Thank you for stopping by.