Gospel Witness Farm

2011-10-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Change Is Always On The Horizon

2011-09-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

As anybody that visits our blog might notice, we haven't updated much lately. We have been busy with church, ministry work, regular work, house work, college and just life in general. It's not that there is not much to tell but more of just trying to find the time to tell it. To any of our avid readers please don't be discouraged and feel like we've vanished; we've just been really busy. I'm sure there will be more posts added, but how soon we're not quite sure. One thing we do know is that as we all get busier and grow older, things will change. Don't get anxious, we're not moving out of the country, running away from each other or anything crazy like that, it's just, probably a little less farming and a little more just plain ole' country living.

Anyway, stick around, we'll post some as we get around to it ...............

Children Can’t Fight Cancer Alone

2011-08-31T05:20:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know me, you are well aware that September is a very special month for our family.

Justin and Michael after making their first batch of Goat Milk Soap

As I walk through the stores, look at a magazine, and surf the internet, pink ribbons are everywhere raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness. Relay for Life promotes cancer awareness through advertisements and grand fundraising events. With all of the pink flooding the marketplace, it makes me wonder if anyone really knows that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month? I wonder if anyone knows that a “Gold Ribbon” symbolizes children fighting cancer? I wonder if people really understand the magnitude of this disease and that very little money from some of the larger organizations is given to childhood cancer research?

I am not here to say that one cancer is more important than the other, but I feel that the public needs to be more aware of the facts for Childhood Cancer. Someone needs to be a voice for our children. Will you stand up for them?

FACT: Over 12,400 children in the US are diagnosed with cancer each year. That's a classroom full of children every single day, year after year

FACT: 11 children die every single day, every single year of childhood cancer. That is about 4,000 children every single year, year after year.

FACT: Treatment is often lengthy, and always time-consuming. Some diagnoses are treated outpatient for over three years; others require lengthy inpatient stays.

FACT: Cancer is the #1 disease-related killer of children under the age of 14 years, next to accidents.

FACT: Childhood cancer is very different from adult cancer, which is why pediatric oncology is its own field.

FACT: Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant disease seen at other times of life.

FACT: Children frequently have a more advanced stage of cancer when they are first diagnosed. 80% of children show that cancer has spread to distant sites in the body when the disease is first diagnosed.

I encourage you to visit this article, “Kids Get Cancer, Too… Right?” This mom expresses some of my feelings so well. I hope you will take 5 minutes to read this article.

Disclaimer: I do not endorse or support the views on “The Journey”. The above referenced article is for information purposes only and all sources should be checked out by you, the reader and not hold myself or Not Just Paper and Glue liable.

Come back tomorrow to find out how “YOU” can help children fight Childhood Cancer.

Visit CureSearch, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Candlelighters,and others to find more facts about Childhood Cancer.

Have you ever heard of John 3:16 ?

2011-05-30T12:12:00.001-07:00

In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner as the people were coming in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers.

He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there, of a night. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay."

The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say John 3:16 and they will let you in."

So he did, he walked up the steps to the door, and knocked on the door and a lady answered. He looked up and said, "John 3:16."

The lady said "Come on in, Son."

She took him in and she sat him down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big old fireplace and she went off. He sat there for a while, and thought to himself "John 3:16.... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.”

Later she came back and asked him "Are you hungry?"

He said, "Well, just a little. I haven't eaten in a couple of days and I guess I could stand a little bit of food."

The lady took him in the kitchen and sat him down to a table full of wonderful food. He ate and ate until he couldn't eat any more. Then he thought to himself "John 3:16... Boy, I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full."

She took him upstairs to a bathroom to a huge bathtub filled with warm water and he sat there and soaked for a while. As he soaked, he thought to himself, "John 3:16... I sure don't understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I've not had a bath, a real bath, in my whole life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out."

The lady came in and got him, and took him to a room and tucked him into a big old feather bed and pulled the covers up around his neck and kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he laid in the darkness and looked out the window at the snow coming down on that cold night he thought to himself, "John 3:16... I don't understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested."

The next morning she came back up and took him down again to that same big table full of food. After he ate she took him back to that same big old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and she took big old Bible and sat down in front of him and she looked up at and she asked, "Do you understand John 3:16?"

He said, "No, Ma'am, I don't. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it."

She opened the Bible to John 3:16, and she began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there in front of that big old fireplace he gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought, "John 3:16, I don't understand it, but it but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe."

You know, I have to confess I don't understand it either, how God would be willing to send His Son to die for me, and how Jesus would agree to do such a thing. I don't understand it either, but it sure does make life worth living.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:17

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

We Love our Texas …………….

2011-05-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

It seems that a man from Topeka, Kansas, decided to write a book about churches around the world, but thought that the place to start, since he was American, would be the United States, and with that in mind, he decided to fly to San Francisco, and start working East from there.

He goes to a very large Cathedral in that city and begins taking photographs, etc., when he suddenly spots a golden telephone on a wall with a sign which reads "$10,000 a minute". Intrigued, he seeks out the priest and asks about the phone and the sign. The priest advises him that the golden phone is in fact, a direct line to Heaven and, if he wants to use it, he can talk to God directly. "Thank you very much,"says he and continues on his way.

His next stop is Clinton, Nebraska, and while attending a church there, notices that there is exactly the same type of phone, with exactly the same sign on it. Again, he seeks out the parish priest, asks the same question, and again is told that it is a direct line to God, etc.. He thanks the priest and continues on his way.

Next in Chicago, he discovers exactly the same type of phone with the same exact sign beside it; makes inquiry of the local priest and receives the same exact answer. Again, he thanks the priest and moves along.

Arriving in New York City, he goes into the Cathedral of St. John, the Divine. The golden telephone is on the wall with the same sign reading "10,000 a minute". He checks with the Dean of the Cathedral, and gets the same response.

Continuing on through many other states, he finds the same phone, same sign and gets the same answer, until, finally he arrives in Dallas. He enters a big church in downtown Dallas and behold, he sees the usual golden telephone with a sign. But THIS time the sign says, "Calls: 35 cents."

By now fascinated, he gets hold of the pastor and says to him, "Pastor, I have been in cities right across the country, and in each church I found this golden telephone, was told that it was a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to God, but in all the other churches across the country, it was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads 35 cents a call. Why?

The preacher smiles real big at him and says, "Oh, my son, that's very easy to explain. You see, you're in Texas now, and of course, Heaven is a local call from here."

Change is Constant

2011-05-02T08:12:00.001-07:00

One thing for sure, there will always be change in our lives. We took a new family picture just the other day and it really became apparent that our lives have changed. Not for the bad, not necessarily for the good but things have changed. It’s not just about getting taller, or getting more gray, or gaining a few pounds but it’s about how we look at life in general. Just a little over 7 years ago we went through the most difficult trial we have ever had to face when we lost our youngest son, Michael to cancer. It changed our lives forever. Instead of 4 it became 3. Everything seemed to change. It changed for Michael too; instead of milking goats, collecting eggs from the chickens coop and feeding cows, he is now worshipping at the feet of Jesus. That’s a change we should all desire.

Justin is now 19, finished with high school, working full time, buying his own gas for his truck (ouch) ad establishing his direction for his future. His “care-free” life of youthful leisure is now growing up quickly. Things change …..

Tammy is now seeing change at home with Justin and Mickey both working full time. She doesn’t have to chase after little dirty faces, school books and activities. She is working for PK Glitz which is a craft & art supply business so her daily activities have changed to phone calls, appointments & projects. Things change …..

Mickey is still working for the same company (almost 22 years) but is now seeing the idea of retirement on the distant horizon. We are no longer leading 4H activities so the animal skills & activities have been scaled way back. He has been feeling the burden of music ministry once again and so new opportunities are beginning to become available for this direction. Things change …..

The one thing that we can count on that will never change is GOD. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He desires our fellowship, our worship and our commitment to Him. He calls us into His service and loves us in spite of ourselves. That never changes …..

Hopefully our lives will continue to change for the good and we will always embrace change with the thought in mind that it will be used for the Glory of God. Are you ready for change ????

Happy Birthday Michael !!!

2011-04-13T18:29:00.001-07:00

Michael would have enjoyed his 17th birthday today if he was still with us here on earth. I am sure that in Heaven there is much more of a celebration going on than we could ever hope to have here. When you are spending eternity with the Father, everyday is a celebration of joy!!!

Do we miss Michael …. that’s an understatement !!! But we know that through our faith in Jesus Christ we will again someday be celebrating together as a family ….. Oh how we look forward to that day !!!

Michael Paul Malone
April 13, 1994 – September 21, 2004

New Arrivals ………….

2011-03-26T16:22:00.001-07:00

Every spring we usually have a few new arrivals to our collection of critters so this spring shouldn’t be any different from any of the rest.

Announcing the new man on the block ……. “still not got a name” …….

We just got him today – he is yet to be named – any ideas ???

And of course every year we raise 1 or 2 groups of pigs for food. I know they are so cute at this age but when they get to be 250 lbs plus – they take on a whole different look ….. like bacon, ham & sausage.

If you look real close, they are actually singing because they’re so happy to be here !!!

Nothin’ like just layin’ round being comfy ……..

The End ……. of this post ….. no pun intended !!!

Birthdays & Babys ………….

2011-03-06T06:41:00.001-08:00

Sometimes you just get busy and forget to post news but this is worthy of stopping our busy schedule and making sure it gets posted.

On February 28th our oldest son Justin turned 19 years old. We can’t even begin to express just how proud we are of what a fine young man he is turning out to be. He has an incredible zeal for serving the Lord, a hard worker, great manners and just a pleasure to be near. God has truly blessed us with an awesome young man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN !

We also have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Daisy 3rd baby (Daisy is Justin’s prize winning Jersey cow).

On March 5th at 11:00 pm he wiggled his way into our farm world and he is just the most handsome little fella ya’ ever did see. Say Hello to “Lucky” …….

Here We Go Again !!!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-04T17:48:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday (1-29-11) it was 74 degrees outside and we worked on the barn and put up some new gates in our corrals for the cows. Then just like a thief in the night BAM … it happened. Right when we thought the hardest part of winter might be over we get a whole mess of sleet, then freezing rain and then to top it all off ……… SNOW …. again !!!

It all started Monday night, 1-31-11 when the weather man said it was going to get cold, real cold. We usually get a few chilly days / nights but this was going to be down around 10 degrees they said.

Boy-Oh-Boy were they right. It started sleeting around midnight and by 7 am on Tuesday we had about 3 inches of sleet and freezing rain. Then about 9 am it started snowing and left us with approx 2 inches of beautiful white flakes. OK, good deal, it’s pretty, now lets get back to 70 degrees.

They said it would stay below 20 degrees for the next couple of days and then start warming up ……WRONG !!! It stayed below 20 degrees alright but they sneaked in an extra 4-5 inches of snow in the middle of things. Hey we live in Texas, we make our own rules and snow wasn’t in our plans.

Although it makes for some pretty backyard scenes, we’re getting a little tired of it already.

Remember When …….

2011-01-15T10:34:00.001-08:00

Years ago our family spent time in Christian Ministry traveling the United States preaching the Gospel of Christ and singing Southern Gospel music. We travelled as a family ministry and loved every minute of it. It was such a blessing to be able to go some of the places we went and meet all of the people we met. God opened doors to help people by sharing the Bible and encouraging folks along the way through the awesome power of music.

“Gospel Witness Ministries – 1998”

We never stopped being involved in ministry but our efforts were in different areas rather than singing over the last 10 years. People have asked if we’ll ever return to a singing ministry again……..

Well over the past 4-5 months God has really been dealing with us about music and singing. He is opening doors for us to do His work again. It’s not that we are specially talented and people demand to hear us sing but we have found that if we make ourselves available to Him, He will use us to further His Kingdom.

God once again has promised to lead us in an effort to share His Word through the incredible ministry of Southern Gospel Music.

Please visit our ministry website to find out more …….

www.gospelwitness.org

Winter Has Officially Arrived !!!!

2011-01-09T12:55:00.001-08:00

Early this morning it started sleeting and then quickly turned to snow and has not stopped for the last six or seven hours. It is really beautiful to watch the snow come down.

8:00 am – 1/9/2011

9:00 am – 1/9/2011

10:00 am – 1/9/2011

11:00 am – 1/9/2011

12:00 noon – 1/9/2011

It’s Christmas Time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-18T18:10:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Holiday is probably the most universally observed holiday of any we know. It means something to virtually everybody, regardless of where they’re at or what they’re doing.

For some it means old movies about sharing and caring …….

For some it means sharing time with friends …….

For some it means getting all dressed up for a family picture …….

For some it means Santa Claus will soon be here …….

For some it means warm a fireplace, pretty lights and presents …….

For some it means there’s finally an end to another hard year …….

For some it means that we are thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son …….

Whatever your reason is for celebrating the Christmas holiday, we pray that you will stop and take a minute to share some joy with someone in need and be thankful that God has blessed us with the free gift of salvation. This gift is available to anyone that is willing to ask for it. Rest assured it will be the greatest gift you will ever receive from anybody or anywhere.

May you and your family have a beautiful and blessed Christmas holiday,

Sincerely,

Gospel Witness Farm – The Malone Family

Mickey, Tammy, Justin & “Michael”

Something To Be Thankful For ………

2010-11-26T05:52:00.001-08:00

All of our family lives in other states beside Texas. We haven’t quite figured out why anyone would want to live anywhere except Texas but that’s just the way it goes I guess. So because of the distance we don’t always get to be with our “real” family during the Holidays. This year we spent Thanksgiving with some of our church family and their kinfolks. There were people there from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas several other states as well as Texas homefolk too.

The day was cold and rainy on the outside but the inside was bursting with fun, food and fellowship. We played games, shared stories, had turkey and ham and ALL of the trimmings along with more deserts than the law should allow. What a wonderful day and so much to be thankful for !!!!

A Call To Action !!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-03T17:29:00.001-07:00

Now hang on before you get the idea that this is going to be some big political statement and that we’re trying to overthrow the U.S. Government. Yes, the recent elections are the talk around the water cooler but there is much more to this than meets the voting booth.

Yes the economy is in turmoil, Yes the jobless rate is sky high, Yes Congress is passing all kinds of spending bills, Yes it seems that things are totally out of control ….. but what are you doing to help the situation?

When is the last time you sat down with your spouse, or family or friends and held a real old fashioned, Devil chasing, prayer meeting about it?

While our voice and vote is important, our prayers are more important!!!

We need to fast and pray for the leaders of this country. Even if we vote out the Democrats or vote out the Republicans or whoever we feel is causing the problems, if we don’t pray for our leaders they won’t ever stand a chance of making the right decisions for our country.

It’s high time that we get off our caboose and get on our knees to ring the prayer bells of Heaven so God will intervene and send the life changing, convicting power of the Holy Ghost to change the hearts, mind and souls of the leaders. It doesn’t matter if it’s local, state or national government, they need our prayers and they need them know !!!!!!!!!!!!

Get In The Book !!!

2010-09-30T03:30:00.001-07:00

The internet can be a great thing. I have used it for locating hard to find tractor parts, buying hay for the cows, selling old farm supplies, printing out a map so I can get somewhere and various other time saving items over the years. It can also be a cost effective and great way to communicate with someone over a long distance.

However it can also get out of hand. Of course whatever is created for good will always be twisted around to be used for wrong by the Devil. Satan has a a way of sneaking in and convincing people that it’s OK to give in a little here and there and the next thing you know …. he’s got you believing you are doing God a favor by being so busy communicating with all your friends and saving so much time by using the biggest time waster of all … the internet.

Does it sound like I’m just rambling on? Well I’m trying to head somewhere with this post …….

Get out of FaceBook and get into the FaithBook !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There’s no time like right now to spend less time on the computer chatting and more time on your knees talking with God !!!!

Jack Rabbits & Gold Stars

2010-09-12T14:33:00.001-07:00

The 2 items really have nothing to do with each other except that we just happened to see both of them on the same day.

This big eared fella came to the front yard for a visit. He lives in the trees / wooded area on our property and has become a mainstay around here this summer. From the size of the ears, he’s probably gonna be a big one when he grows up.

On Saturday, August 14th the Grayson County 4-H program held their annual awards banquet. Each year 4-H members receive recognition and awards for their accomplishments throughout the year. The 2009 / 2010 4-H year was Justin’s next-to-last year of 4-H and was a very active year for him. All year long he has been working in the 4-H Veterinary Science program. Earlier in the summer he participated in the 4-H State Roundup at Texas A&M College in College Station, Texas. He placed 2nd overall in the state in the Vet Science Competition and then placed 1st place in District 4 with his Record Book, then 2nd place in State for his Record Book.

At last year’s award banquet Justin won the Letterman Award and the Farm Bureau Leadership Award. These are 2 of the top 3 awards that a 4-H member can win and it is really something special as these are only awarded if there are members that meet all the criteria. So this year the awards banquet was filled with anticipation as they would announce the Gold Star Award recipients (the top
4-H award).

One of the main criteria to be considered for the Gold Star Award is that a member must have won at least one of the 2 previous awards that Justin won in 2009. Normally a 4-H member can win one award or the other but it’s not very common that both awards are achieved at the same time, so we had high hopes that Justin would be considered for the Gold Star this year.

We were very surprised when the first award handed out at this year’s banquet was for Outstanding Record Book which is also a very coveted award ……. and the winner was Justin !!!!

After all the Junior and Intermediate awards were presented then came the moment we had all waited for; the Gold Star. Drum roll please ………………………….

Grayson County 4-H Extension Agent Chrissy Daniels presents Justin with the much sought after and hard earned Gold Star Achievement Award.

We are so proud of Justin and all the hard work he has put into the 4-H program over the last 10 years. He is so excited to have been chosen for this award because it reinforces the belief that if a person works hard and applies themself to the hobbies and/or work they love it will payoff … big !!!

Way to go Justin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How to Weigh A Pig ????

2010-08-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that we raise a lot of our own food which includes cows and pigs. Often times people ask us how do we know when it's time to take the animal to the butcher - we politely answer with - "When they reach the right weight". Then they ask if we bring them in the house and put them on our bathroom scale or some other crazy method, so we'd like to clear up the mystery once and for all - here's how we weigh our pigs .........

Step 1 - Get a perfectly symmetrical plank and balance it across a sawhorse

Step 2 - Put the hog on one end of the plank

Step 3 - Pile rocks on the other end until the plank is again perfectly balanced

Step 4 - Carefully guess the weight of the rocks

See, now wasn't that simple ???

Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-10T11:26:00.001-07:00

These pictures were taken on the first day of summer this year. I couldn’t believe that it has finally arrived. It had been a very hard winter on me with different health issues and then the winter being so harsh. We even had snow on the first day of spring – so unheard of! I looked forward to warm sunny skies.

July was pretty warm but we also had a fair share of rain which was nice and it provided for nice green pastures. Of course the pigs enjoyed their mud hole which kept them cool.

As August approached our temperature began to rise into the 100+ degree temperatures and the “dog days of summer” came rushing in!

I’ve often wondered why they called these warm sultry days “dog days” but as the temperatures rose outside, the dogs quickly learned that the floor vents in the house were a coveted item.

As you can see, Midge laid claim to this vent and her hair is blowing with release of cool A/C from the floor.
I guess this is why they call it the “Dog Days of Summer”?

Take Your Medicine!

2010-07-30T05:01:00.001-07:00

When we had a large herd of goats and several cows we kept a farm medicine cabinet. Once we had established a good working relationship with our local veterinarian, they were happy to keep us stocked with a good supply of medicines for emergencies. We also stocked it with over the counter medicines including, wormers, dairy supplies, and common items like Pepto Bysmol and Mylanta. Doing this allows us to be able to take care of minor issues right away. Of course, these emergencies never happen during regular business hours; they usually happen on the weekends or in the middle of the night, especially when it’s freezing cold or pouring down rain.

Since we have moved and our herd has decreased in size, we no longer have a need for all of the medications that we have kept on hand in the past.

We also try to keep our animals in good health by watching their feed intake, managing our pastures, and observing each animal on a daily basis. I realize that if you have a large herd, this last one may be almost impossible.

I don’t like to be wasteful but one thing I do not mind doing is throwing away unused and even, unopened medicines once they have gone out of date. This lets me know that our animals have been healthy and we have not had any minor or major emergencies.

Now the cabinet has been cleaned out and the small amount of meds and vet supplies we need are moved into a smaller storage cabinet. We moved the cabinet from our laundry room and into the storage / pantry area and is being utilized there.

Now it is time to get busy on the remake of my laundry / mudroom!

Just Trying To Get Home

2010-07-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Justin and I went to Houston to work a Creating Keepsakes Convention for P K Glitz. We started home around 7 p.m. Saturday evening. The drive is about 5 hours and so we knew it would be close to midnight when we got home, but between the two of us, we knew we could make it.
A storm was approaching when we left and so we filled up the gas tank and headed down the road. The storm was just to the east of us and we could see the lighting but it seemed that we were ahead of the worst of it. A few raindrops here and there, but finally we saw the evening sun and so we stopped for a quick sandwich and continued to drive. As the sun began to set I began to watch the clock; only a few more hours and we would be home. Justin did most of the driving until we got just outside of Dallas; Saturday night traffic in Dallas was not something I wanted him to drive in.

The sky was now dark and the traffic began to get heavy. It seemed that the headlights were just one big blur as we drove down the highway.
I began to notice the motels along the way and it was very tempting to just pull over and rest for the night, but I looked at the clock; only 2 more hours. How easy it would be just to call Mickey and tell him we just couldn't make it and he would understand. After all, we would get up bright and early and be home in the morning; but no, all I could think about was making it home; so we could all be together again; under one roof; we would be safe. We had made it just a little further now.
The highway was shut down and it took us on a strange and unfamiliar turn; all I could do was pray and ask God to show us the way; it was dark.

Finally, a road that Justin and I both recognized and we were only an hour from home. It was the longest hour I had driven that day but I kept my eyes set straight ahead; dug in my heels; and we persevered until we made it home at 12:08 a.m.

As I thought about this drive home, I began to realize that this was much like how life is; things start out fairly easy with a few little raindrops along the way. Sometimes the journey seems long and the cares of this world begin to call us to "take it easy", "rest for awhile" but something inside tells me to keep moving forward. Then life takes an unexpected turn - something that is completely foreign - even though you know that you are on the right road, it just isn't familiar. But God, through His faithfulness, grace, and mercy, shows you the road that you are on and things begin to look familiar, you are just not going in the direction you thought you were going to go. The older I get, the harder this road is to travel, but I know I only have a few more hours to go, then I will be home, together with my family, safe, for eternity.

You will be taken to You Tube to watch this video. Please take the time to listen;
this song sums it all up.

This post is linked to some of The Places We Visit

A Handsome Man & Some Pretty Ladies ……

2010-07-11T14:04:00.001-07:00

Now just wait a minute, it’s not exactly what you think. As you might know already we have a few dairy goats that we milk. The rich, creamy milk is great for drinking, it makes awesome tasting cheese, we also make a really good soap and our pigs get to share in the extra milk.

Part of the process of having milk from our goats is they need to have a baby (or babies) before they start producing milk. It’s natures way. So each year we get the girls a husband, he comes courting (because we don’t believe in dating) and 5 months later we have babies and milk. We then milk the girls for about 10 months, they get about 2 months for maternity leave and and start the process all over again.

So let’s cut to the chase and introduce you to this year’s handsome man (actually a handsome goat). Without any further fanfare, here he is …….. Mr. Haney !!!!!!!!!!!!

Just look at those rugged features … long ears, big ole’ roman nose and those sweet lady killer eyes. Ain’t he just the bomb ? Well anyway, he is here to start swooning the ladies about the middle of August. We’ll keep you posted on how the romance turns out ……………..

Meanwhile we finally got our chicken coop done and the ladies moved in. Over the last 10 years we’ve probably had 500 or more chickens and probably just as many different chicken coops. But the latest coop seems to be the most self sufficient one we’ve had yet. It’s not real big but it will hold up to 6 chickens with 2 nests and a fold down door which makes it a snap to get the eggs. Completely made from scrap lumber we already had it only cost about $15.00 for the roof material, so not a bad deal after all.

And of course you probably want to see a picture of the lovely ladies that live there … so here they are.

We have 2 brown eggs layers - one Barred Plymouth Rock (black & white speckled) and one Rhode Island Red – we also have 2 Black Araucanas they lay green eggs. They seem to be happy with their elevated townhouse so far and don’t ever complain about the color of the curtains. They bless us with either 3 or 4 eggs everyday. Not a bad gig – we feed them; they feed us.

One more quick look at Mr. Haney. Ain’t he sweet ??????????

Revival Fires !!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-05T15:29:00.001-07:00

Every summer the most anticipated week of the year rolls around for Justin ….

CHURCH YOUTH CAMP !

For the last several years Justin has attended Bible Holiness Fellowship Youth Camp in Russellville, Arkansas. Each year the camp grows in attendance because there is a revival fire starting to burn in a group of young people. There are lots of things in this crazy world that young people can occupy themselves with but no greater purpose than to grow their relationship with Jesus Christ.

For one full week they come from all over the south to gather in an open air tabernacle and seek God with all their might. Every year there are young people that get saved, filled with the Holy Ghost and set free from the grasp of the world trying to drag them down.

Is it real ? Does it last ? Do these young peoples lives change ? The answer is YES !

In each of the the last 3 years we have watched Justin grow by leaps and bounds in relationship with Christ; each year he strives harder to be in God’s will; let God be in command; let God fan the flame of spiritual revival in his heart.

This year it seems like God is really dealing with Justin and has given him a huge burden to encourage our church members to get off the pew and get in the altar. He is really fired up about sharing the message that God is a God that demands our participation.

We are encouraged and challenged by the fire that burns in Justin’s heart. As D.L. Moody once said, “the world has yet to see what 1 man completely sold out for God can do.”

Maybe we could all use a week of youth camp ????????????

Splish, Splash, I Was Takin’ A Bath ………

2010-06-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

Most folks know that pigs need help to stay cool in the summer heat; well our pigs are no exception. What follows does not need a description or caption to explain. It’s just pigs, summer heat and mud.

And the Winner Is ………………..

2010-06-12T15:27:00.001-07:00

Justin has really been working hard over the last 2 years to learn about the Veterinary Career. He’s been working part time for a local Vet Clinic, working part time for a Veterinary Ultrasound Clinic and a very active member in the Texas 4-H Veterinary Science Program sponsored by Texas A&M University.

This past week Justin was chosen as 1 of 12 young people from across the state of Texas to participate in the Veterinary Science Skill-A-Thon competition as the 2010 4-H State Roundup in College Station, Texas.

The competition consisted of 3 categories, Written Exam, Skills Exam and Quiz Bowl. The top 5 contestants from this part of the competition would then advance to the Communication Round which would determine the overall winner.

The first contest was the Written exam ….. Justin received the top score …. and 1st place !!

The second contest was the Skills exam …… Justin received top score again …. and 1st place !!

The third contest was the Quiz Bowl …… Justin placed 6th ….. he knew the answers but the girls were much faster on the buzzer.

Justin made the top 5 high scores and moved on to the Communication Round which would help determine the overall winners. He had 15 minutes to prepare a speech on the field of Vet Medicine.

Once again he came through with an outstanding performance and received …… 3rd place !!

And now the final results would be tabulated and the overall contest winners announced.

Congratulations Justin on an outstanding 2nd place overall finish !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dr. Floron Faries – Texas A&M Vet Science Professor, Justin &
Laura Heubinger – Texas A&M Program Specialist

We are VERY proud of Justin, his dedication to his studies and commitment to excell in the area he enjoys so much – WAY TO GO JUSTIN !!!!!!!

20 Items or Less ....... NO EXCEPTIONS !!!

2010-05-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stopped at Walmart on the way home from work because I was having a severe attack of "ice cream withdrawl" ..... after all I haven't had any ice cream in almost 3 days! Anyway, I huried thru the Walmart grocery store like a kid in a candy store ...... bananas, nuts, whipped cream, strawberry topping, pineapple topping, hot fudge and ice cream because being a holiday weekend I figured we should celebrate in some manner. So I was filling my cart with enough supplies to feed homemade banana splits to the population of most 3rd world countries - besides a gowing boy has to keep up his energy and what better way than eating dairy products .... OK, a banana isn't dairy but it is sorta like that when you smother it in ice cream.

Well to get on with it, I was approaching the 20 items or less check out line when all of sudden a big shouting match breaks out between 2 sets of folks over one of them filling up the isle with 114 items !!! Now remember, right is right and wrong is wrong and having 114 items in the 20 item or less is just plain wrong. Of course I'm not sure who died and left the other that was screaming at them in charge but non-the-less it was getting really loud and heated.

So out of nowhere comes the Walmart National Security forces to calm the festering storm but not before some really nasty words flew and a few shoves transpired, not to mention the totally uncalled for outloud description of someones mother was shared with the entire checkout line.

Hat's off to the Walmart Storm Troopers for keeping this from getting too bad and getting this worked out before my ice cream melted all over everywhere ..... and then I would have had to get right in the middle of somebody too !!!

Anyway, it all ended up Ok I guess, I made it home with all of my holiday goodies, fixed a BIG ole' way too big homemade banana split and then complained because I ate too much.

The moral of the story .......... if you can't count, somebody is going to call your mother a bad name at Walmart.

So please, please learn to count so your mother doesn't get insulted !!!!

Calling Dr. Justin, calling Dr. Justin …..

2010-05-19T19:09:00.001-07:00

In case you didn’t know, Justin has been working for a local Veterinarian for almost 2 years now. He received his Veterinary Assistant Level 1 certification in September 2009 and is currently working towards getting his Level 2 certification (hopefully this fall). We are really proud of how well he has done and how much he is learning. His passion for working with animals and people is really a blessing.

Getting the medicine ready

Hold still big boy ….. it won’t hurt

And one final squirt of stuff … right up the nose … YUCK !!!

The Bible thru the Eyes of a Six Year Old .........

2010-05-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Recently a six year old child was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible. I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching???

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.

Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.

Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.

These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff.

Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.

One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and thenbarfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the republicans and pharassi.

Jesus also had twelve opossums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Sermons on the Mount.

But the Republicians and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.

He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

A Song In Your Heart …….

2010-05-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

Have you ever woke up with a song in your heart or on your mind that you just keep hearing over and over ? This morning I woke up hearing a certain song almost as real as if someone was playing it on the radio in the next room.
The Southern Gospel group Gold City sings a song called “When He Calls Me I’ll Fly Away”. It’s an upbeat song about being ready to go to Heaven when Jesus calls. This song was ringing loud in my ears this morning when the sun crested the horizon. I’m not sure why, I don’t feel like I’m “checking out” today but maybe more of a reminder to make sure I am ready to go when the time comes.
I couldn’t find a really good video of the song but click on the picture below and you’ll get the idea of what I’m talking about …… and ask yourself …… is this the song in your heart ???

This post is linked to:

Happy As A Pig In Mud !!!

2010-05-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hey what's going on over there ???? I hear pigs squealing and the tractor motor reving up !!!

Justin battles the earth with his mighty diggin machine !!!!

The spring flowers don't seem to be bothered by the chaos that's erupting all around.

Yuck !! Don't even tell me that you're gonna do that !!!

Yep, you guessed it; it's time get the pig pond ready for the boys now that summer is almost here.

Those pigs are so gross, why can't they be a little more civilized like us dairy goats ??

OH YEAH !!! MUD, MUD, MUD - WHO's YO DADDY !!!!

Can we play in the sprinkler???

Are You an "Inn Keeper"?

2010-05-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

In the Bible there is a story about the Good Samaritan who stopped to help a man that he found laying on the side of the road. This man had been beaten and robbed and was in need of some serious help. As the story goes, the Good Samaritan helps the man to an Inn where he asks the Inn Keeper to look after the wounded man until he recovers.

The story places most of the emphasis on the Good Samaritan which is fine; but what about the role of the Inn Keeper? The Inn Keeper played a very important part in helping this wounded man to recover. Obviously he fed him, nursed his wounds and looked after him until he could go out again on his own.

In today's modern times, there are lots of wounded folks and also lots of Good Samaritans; but there is an even greater need for those called to be "Inn Keepers". Most of the time you hear of the good deeds of the Good Samaritans, but you usually don't hear much about those behind the scenes (the Inn Keepers). A lot of folks want to be a Good Samaritan because of the recognition and praise that they sometimes receive, but we need to recognize the inportance of the role of the Inn Keeper as very much needed.

There are lots of ministries that are in work today that are truly "Inn Keepers". They need our support, financially, physical and most importantly through our prayer life. Do you know of a ministry that fits this role? Can you think of a way in which you can help? Maybe it's only through your prayers for the special "Inn Keeper" person or ministry.

Maybe you feeled called to be an "Inn Keeper"? It's not normally a very glamorous position but it so very much needed.

The next time you pray ...... ask God if you are needed to be an "Inn Keeper" - you won't regret it!!!

In The Kitchen Making Queso Blanco

2010-04-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

Queso Blanco

You Will Need:

1 gallon milk (I use whatever milk that I have available at the time - right now it is fresh Goat's milk.)

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Colander

Cheesecloth

Pour milk into a pot and bring to 180 degrees F. Stir the milk so that it does not scorch.

Once milk is properly heated, slowly pour in 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar and begin to stir. Milk will begin to form small curds.

You can see the whey separating from the curds. This process only take a few minutes.

Pour your curds and whey into a colander that is lined with cheesecloth

Let the whey drain from the curds.

This is what your cheese will look like once the majority of the whey is drained.

Now tie your cheesecloth and hang your cheese. (I use a banana hanger for mine. I can place a bowl in the bottom of the hanger if I need to move the cheese to a different location other than my sink.) Let your cheese hang for a couple of hours until it stops dripping.

When it stops dripping; take it down and unveil.
This is your Queso Blanco cheese!

Queso Blanco is fairly bland and "needs" something added to it and salt is a great place to start. Of course, I do not measure anything, so you will have to judge how much you will want to add.

I had some Lowry's season salt and thought that would be good as well. Once again - I do not measure I just guess how much I need.

Oh Yes! This is good! Use it on top of any Mexican dish, on your salad, or just eat it as a snack.

A Place to Call Home

2010-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Recently we have been taking care of several dairy goats for one of our 4-H friends. As you probably have seen in some of the previous posts the momma goats all had babies - in fact a total of eight babies between the three mommas.

The owners decided it was time to sell the goats for personal reasons so one-by-one they left our place to head off to a new home. Well .... a couple of them won a place in our heart so they now have a new home here!!!

We have raised dairy goats for many years and they have been a very important part of helping us to teach our boys about responsibility, sharing, happiness and of course a little bit of sadness too. These experiences have proved to be invaluable to our family life.

Justin is almost grown now and Michael is enjoying the beauties of Heaven, so these new goats that we've invited to stay on our farm are more for Mom and Dad's enjoyment than anything else.

Do we need them for food? No - Do we need them to provide a living for us? No - Do we plan to travel and participate in dairy goat shows at county fairs? No - Or any of 500 other reasons? No .......... its just nice that they are here !!

Can You Handle The Blessing ?

2010-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

I heard someone say recently that "we do great with God when we are in a trial; it's the blessings we can't handle".

It's probably more true than we want to believe.

When times are tough and we are facing a battle we always cry out for God to intercede and help us because we realize we can't do it our self. God then steps in and carries us through the fire and we usually come out on the other side; maybe a little scratched up and bruised but we make it through. We share our journey with others and tell them how God stepped in and did the work that was needed and how much we appreciate God moving in our life.

However when God pours out His blessings on us we have a tendency to get a little "puffed up" and "self sufficient", thinking we are sailing through life on our accomplishments and strength. VERY dangerous ground to walk on because we normally have the "look at what I'm doing" attitude and forget that God is really the one who is doing the driving.

God desires to bless us, but he expects us to be responsible with our blessings when they are given - not forgetting who is was that actually loved us enough to give the blessings so freely.

"God has blessed me with a great family, great job and a great hope"

not .....

"I have a great family, I have a great job and I'm saved"

If we shift our focus to the "Giver" and not the "gift" we are sure to be more appreciative of the gift and where it came from; allowing us to handle the blessings like they are meant to be !!!

Just my thought for today .......................

Two Down and One To Go

2010-04-09T02:00:00.000-07:00

As I told you previously, we have been housing some does that were due to kid. Yesterday evening Bubbles gave birth to a buck and a doe. This was her first time to kid and I felt terribly sorry for her because her experience wasn't the best. She had labored long and hard and was getting quite tired. She started to have some hard contractions when we realized that the kid was coming breech - butt first! Mickey was there so he was able to grab hold of an leg and pull it out make it a little easier to deliver. Once both kids were born, the only thing Bubbles wanted to do was sleep so I was very grateful that we were all there to help her.

Stacey sitting with Bubbles and trying to keep her calm

After Bubbles rested she decided to get up and take a look at her babies.

Bubbles is being an awesome momma now that she got a good nights rest.

How We Spent Our Easter Sunday

2010-04-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

While people were heading off to church for Easter morning service, we were piled up in the barn waiting for kids to be born.

We had taken on the task of housing 3 pregnant does for a 4-H family and while we knew that they were close to having kids, we didn't know how close until Easter morning.

As I watch these little lives make their way into this world, I couldn't help but think about how on this Easter morning, Jesus arose from the grave to us life - life eternal - if we would only service Him. It was as if God had orchestrated a special Easter morning service, just for me.

It wasn't Chloe's first time to have kids, so this girl was a pro and she knew what to do. They don't call this "labor" for nothing, and while she did have pain and labor, when those kids were born she got right to cleaning them up and has taken very good care of them every since.

Aren't they just precious??

We are into Bakin'... or is that Bacon?

2010-03-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Justin and Mickey went and picked up 3 little barrows (boy piggies) and one gilt (female piggy).

It's a pig race!

Can you believe those boys are trying to take that food away from that poor little girl????

Stopping for a drink

The little girl finally got the apple and away she went!

Introductory Veterinary Ultrasound

2010-03-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Recently Justin was awarded a class at Sound Technologies - Introductory Veterinary Ultrasound. He was thrilled because he had been wanting to take this class since the first time he visited the facility.

On March 25 - 26, 2010 Justin took the class and loved every minute! He probably never stopped smiling the whole time he was in class. (I wish he felt the same way about his school work here at home) I know he talked almost non-stop each evening after class about what all he did and learned that day.

Since it was a bit of a drive, Mickey and Justin decided to stay at the Hyatt Place across the street from the school - which was an added bonus for Justin.

On the last day, he got his certification!

The Last Day of Winter - The First Day of Spring

2010-03-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

By now the temperatures "should" be very moderate with an abundant amount of sunshine. If you don't believe me, check out this article I wrote on March 19, 2010. The very next day, March 20, 2010 - the first day of spring - temperatures began to fall and by the afternoon we actually had snow - in spring - in Texas! Of course, we were thinking it would just be a light dusting because this was completely out of the ordinary for us!

The next morning woke up to 8 - 9 inches of snow!!! I couldn't believe me eyes and I really thought I was dreaming.

Casting Your Cares

2010-03-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

s I look back over my life I am reminded of all of the trials, heartaches, and tribulations that the Lord has brought me through. I am also reminded of the many blessings that He has given to me even when I didn't deserve it.

Winter is always a hard time for me because I seem to thrive on sunshine but, here in the south, we normally get more than our fair share of the warmth. This winter has not been the case and we have had cold temperatures, more than average snowfalls, and more than our fair share of gloomy, cloudy days.

Around the first of the year I felt as though my batteries had worn completely down. I had to make myself do just what was needed to keep the house running, fix minimal to average meals, and complete my work assignments. My days ended around 7:00 p.m. - which is way out of the ordinary for this night owl - and my days would not begin until around 8:00 a.m. I finally decided to see a doctor and with the results of some minor tests, my condition was discovered and is easily treatable, but it is taking some time.

Over the last couple of months I have felt hopeless and I couldn't figure out why I couldn't move past this small trial. After all, I had suffered the loss of my youngest son due to a short battle with cancer; surely, this minor affliction would in no way slow me down - but it did!

One day I cried out to the Lord and asked Him why this was so difficult to walk through when I had been through things much worse. I kept thinking "this should be a piece of cake" but then He spoke to my heart and reminded me that He does not categorize trials by how big or small they are, because they are all of equal importance to Him. WOW! That completely put my thinking back into perspective. Just because I - a mortal human - feels the need put my trials, sins, cares, or whatever, into categories of importance, God does not. It ALL matters to Him. He cares as much about this small (to me) matter that I am walking through, as He did when He was carrying our family through "the shadow's of death".

"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." I Peter 5:7

It puts a whole new light on this verse. It doesn't mean that I should give to God whatever "I" think is important; instead, He says to give it "All" to Him. What a loving, Heavenly Father I have!

He told David:

“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

The other day, Mickey said it best, "to a 7-year old, a flat tire on your bicycle is a major event in your life". That is so true, but what if I have an important meeting to attend and I go out and find that my vehicle has a flat tire? That is when I begin to categorize the unfortunate circumstances around me. Yes, my 7-year old has a flat tire on his/her bicycle, but that can wait because now I have a problem that I feel is bigger and more important. Yes, if we both take our problems and our trials to God, He looks at them with equal value - they are both equally important.

No matter how big or small the matter may be, God still cares; and , no matter how big or small, I might think your matter may be, God still cares and is equally concerned. Isn't that amazing?

My prayer is that I would always remember to call on my Heavenly Father during my times of trials and that I could have a Christ-like compassion for others in their times of trial - "because He careth for you (me)"! Hallelujah!!!

Let us all cast our cares upon the Lord and we will all walk in victory together!!

xxx
Tammy

Signs of Spring

2010-03-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

We took a little afternoon walk on our property in the warm sunshine. Here is a glimpse of our journey.

Playing Tricks on Justin

2010-03-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

It was Justin's birthday so mom and dad got together and played a fun trick on Justin. Watch this video to find out what happened.

Let It Snow ! Let It Snow ! Let It Snow !

2010-02-13T19:38:00.001-08:00

It appears that the groundhog was right back on "Ground Hog Day" - six more weeks of winter weather. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. GROUNDHOG !!!! We got a Texas sized winter snow storm on Feb 12th.

Snow is not very common around this part of Texas so when we heard the weather report saying we might get 1-2 inches of snow we thought, "Hey wouldn't it be funny if they were right?" .............. Well we got more than 12 inches of the cold, white stuff !!!!

The snowfall broke all kinds of long standing records and sure made for some pretty pictures.

This was taken from the back porch looking out towards the barn.

More than plenty of snow to share with all the neighbors !!

This is looking out the front door.

A Bargain at Twice the Price ???

2010-01-31T06:41:00.000-08:00

One person said it was worth twice the price we paid for it .... another said we looked like a bunch of East Texas Hillbillies dragging home a prized piece of junk !!!

It's definitely a diamond in the rough .... really rough .... more than sandpaper rough for sure !!!

A new 16 foot utility trailer can cost upwards of $1600.00 so this one was a real bargain when we paid only $100.00 for it from a long time friend ( we use the term friend very loosely until we actually determine just how much work we'll have to do before it's useable). It needs some body work, welding on some of the joints, paint, wiring, tires, ramps and of course a new floor before we can even think about using it but when it's all done we'll have a good used trailer for about a $300 total investment ... we think .... we hope .... we pray ???

Either way it will be a fun project for Mickey and Justin and should be a great help to use around the farm. Stay tuned for updates on the planned total rebuild of our $100.00 project. We promise we won't lie about how much money we have sunk into it unless it just gets way too embarrassing to tell !!!!

Ft. Worth Stockshow

2010-01-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Each year we try to attend the Ft. Worth Stockshow and Rodeo and Justin picked yesterday to go since the Jersey's were showing.

This ain't no Jersey but it is a Texas icon - a Texas Longhorn! He was one of the first exhibits we saw of the day.

And here is the Jersey show. It was a very small show but aren't those cows just beautiful!

We raise pigs but not from newborn so we were all just ooohing and aaahing over these cute babies that were born on January 3rd.

Next on the things to see was the Cutting Horse competition. It is amazing to watch how easy they make this look.

Here is Justin with his two friends, Maria and Belle.

Don't they look so cute with their cow and pig ears? Actually, I thought the pig ears were bunny ears at first! Let's you know that it was a loooonnngg day LOL

It was another fun filled and memorable day at the Ft. Worth Stockshow!

The (not so) Little Drummer Boy!

2009-12-29T06:03:00.000-08:00

This year Justin really didn't know what he wanted for Christmas so it was left up to us to figure out what to get him. So people may think that we totally lost our minds - and will soon lose our hearing - but we got Justin a drum set. Both grandparents chipped in on the deal and it made for an excellent Christmas for Justin!

We ordered the drums in green but they were out of stock. Instead of waiting, we got him blue, which he was really pleased with.

We made Justin keep his eyes closed and Mickey led him into the house. He was really surprised when he opened his eyes!!!

From the look on his face, I really don't think their was any disappointment in his gift.

Justin had just gotten home from work and he didn't even bother to change his clothes before sitting down to try out his new drums.

Here he is a couple of days later. On Monday, December 28, we moved the drums into the back bedroom which we turned into our "music room". We also moved the piano back there and got a chair for Mickey to use while playing his guitar.

Chip and Midge don't mind the drums at all, but Cooper is a whole 'nuther story! LOL He barks from the first beat unto the last. Since we have moved the drums to the south end of the house and then put Midge and Cooper into their room on the north end of the house, he either tolerates the noise, or we just can't hear him. Either way, it has been a good "fix" for the strife between Cooper and the drums. :)

First White Christmas

2009-12-25T07:46:00.001-08:00

We do get snow here in North Texas but we get more ice than anything during the winter months. A white Christmas is something that most little children will wish for but it very unlikely here in the south.

On Wednesday it was 75 degrees with beautiful sunny skies, then on Thursday at noon it began to snow!!! It continued to snow until it left a white blanket across this whole area. According to the weather forecasters this is the first white Christmas since 1977!!

This is the snow accumulation on one of the porch handrails.

This is in the backyard area

Poor little bird feeder

This is just some snow covered trees that had come down earlier in the year.

It looks like we will be staying bundled up inside today. We hope you are having a very Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T04:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from all of us here at Gospel Witness Farms!

Kentucky Trip and Trains

2009-12-22T01:07:00.000-08:00

Tammy and Janelle decided to play around in the P K Glitz shop while the guys went to the train museum.

This is the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Train Museum in Bowling Green

Here is one of the train layouts

Justin is checking out one of the sleeping cars on one of the old passenger trains they had on display.

Before we left Kentucky, Justin got this picture of one of the many trains that pass in front of the home we stayed in. The house was built in the late 1800's and was originally built as a railroad inn which is why it is so close to the tracks.

So that is just a few of the pictures from our trip to Kentucky.

See you next time!!

Kentucky Trip Day 1 and 2

2009-12-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Our first major stop on our way to Kentucky was in Memphis, Tennessee. Now whether you are an Elvis fan or not, you have to admit, a trip to Memphis makes you think about Elvis.

Here is Tammy being goofy with "Flat Elvis".

Justin is still wondering "who did you say this guy was???"

We finally arrived at our destination in Kentucky and after a good night's rest, we headed to Bowling Green to tour the Corvette museum.

Tammy loved this car - well, she loved all of the cars, but this one in particular.

Mickey thought this was a pretty cool set up.

This picture was really neat. It was made up of thousands of tiny pictures of people with their Corvettes.

This is a close up of the above mural.

After our visit to the Corvette museum we stopped for some lunch then headed to Mammoth Cave. Years ago we had tried to get the boys to go into a cave and they wanted no part of it. Now that Justin is older, he decided that he would find out what all of the fuss was about caves.

Before we arrived at the entrance of the cave we stopped to visit with the deer on the side of the road. They were not afraid of us at all and seemed to even "pose" for the pictures.

Aren't they just beautiful?

Joe, our Mammoth Cave tour guide, Mickey, and Justin

Inside Mammoth Cave.

Just figured out what all of the fuss was about and is looking forward to more cave explorations.
This is the home we stayed in. It is owned by Jim and Janell, owners of P K Glitz. Isn't it just beautiful all lit up in evening?

Well, that is it for today. In the next few days, I will show you the rest of the trip.

A Firepit for $25 or Less

2009-12-07T05:54:00.000-08:00

I will forewarn you - if you live in a restricted area or have a homeowners association - this may not be a project you want to complete in your backyard.

When the farm truck needed a tire repaired, Mickey and Justin took it to a tire shop and while there, noticed that they had some truck wheels sitting around. They inquired about them, and they were given one for free and that is all it took to start this project. I must admit, when it was brought home, I wasn't all that impressed. You see, not ALL free stuff is a bargain - at least in my opinion ;)

To start off, we purchased bricks for about 97 cents each. Of course, if you had natural stone on your property or new of a place to get bricks for free, then this would drastically cut down on your cost of this fire pit.

Step 1: Start off by marking out your area that you want to place your fire pit and making sure the ground is level.

Step 2: Place the truck wheel on the area and make sure it leaves markings in the dirt. This will help you to know where to dig out the pit.

Step 3: Begin digging out the area for the truck wheel to sit down into.

Step 4: Place tire wheel down into the dug out pit area.

Step 5: Begin placing bricks around the outside of the tire wheel.

Step 6: Realize that you are now 3 bricks short and you must make another trip back to Lowe's to get more bricks. Of course, this extra trip will now increase the cost of the overall project....

Step 7: Once you have made sure you have all of the bricks around the truck wheel and the wheel now looks more like a fire pit - invite friends over and have fun!

It is Snowing!

2009-12-02T05:08:00.001-08:00

It is only the 2nd of December! Something about this just isn't right! We live in the south for a reason - maybe we haven't gone far enough south!

The ground is still a little too warm for anything to stick so it is just coming down and making a muddy mess. Justin is happy though - he likes the snow.

Fall Tomatoes

2009-11-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

The only tomatoe plant that lived through the summer was this volunteer plant that we found growing on a fence panel by the barn. We never watered it, weeded it, or anything. This makes me wonder if I we should just ignore our summer garden and it will do much better?

The tomatoes from this luscious plant have been very good and wonderful surprise for fall vegetation!

Almost Complete!

2009-11-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

After working until about 3 p.m. on Friday (Nov 6) it was time to quit. The rock quarry closed and no more deliveries could be made until Tuesday (Nov 10). The guys finished up what they could and then on Saturday they worked some more on the culvert area down front. That big truck smashed the culvert flat and so with a little engineering they got it back open so water could flow through. By the way, water is still running down front from all of the rain we had in October. A neighbor said they measured between 22 and 25 inches of rain for October. That is a LOT of rain!

This is the parking spot that Justin was working on. Doesn't it look nice? No more mud on our shoes when getting in and out of the car - at least we hope!

Looking down towards the front of the property...

...and here we are about at the half way point. You can see where the rock ended on Friday.

This is looking back up the driveway towards the house. We can't believe how well this has packed down already and made such a nice drive. Oh - and the sound this rocks make! Oooh Laaa Laaa - it makes our heart sing!

Let the Rocks Keep Silent...

2009-11-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

...while we praise! Have you heard that song before? I love it and it has been going over and over in my head ever since last Friday (Nov 6). It has been 3 1/2 years but we finally got some good solid rock delivered for our driveway and I am going to give God thanks because I surely don't want all 8 loads of rock to cry out!

"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Luke 19:40

Before we show you the new driveway, we must take one last look at the old driveway. Through this time of having a less than average driveway, I tried very hard to be thankful that we had what we did. On our property we have a vein of rock that we have been able to dig up and give us an excellent road base.

We were up at 6 a.m. finishing up a few areas before the first load of rock should arrive.

Justin loves outside work, especially when it involves using the tractor!

This is the bottom half of the driveway and where we have the most problems when it rains.

Anticipation - they can hear the truck coming up the drive but it is not in sight yet.

The truck finally arrives - an hour late - but the first load is here!

Since Mickey is the one actually paying for the rock, he was the first one to play in it!

It was Justin's job to spread the rock in our parking spot.

Finally - after getting the parking area complete - it was Justin's turn to spread the rock with the tractor.

The second load has arrived and the day begins to take shape!

I will be posting more pictures of our completed driveway in the next day or so.

The Creek is Rising!

2009-10-31T03:18:00.000-07:00

You've heard the old saying "Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise"? Well, the creeks are rising around here and there are creeks are being made in places they never were before!

This is suppose to be a little drainage ditch but it was flowing pretty good after the rain we had on Thursday!
If it gets much deeper we might be able to fish off of our back porch. Okay - so that might be a little over exaggerated, but hey - who knows anymore! At least Justin's bridge that he built this spring is working out really well and keeping our feet dry as we pass over to feed to the animals twice a day.

Today in Pictures - October 29, 2009

2009-10-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

It looks like fall has defnitely arrived. The Crepe Myrtle trees have finished blooming....

I found one bloom on the Crepe Myrtle bush that has withered and about to drop off the branch...

The Rock Roses are still blooming though. I can count on them to give beautiful color until at least December. Of course, the pink flowers are never in abundance like they are during the summer, but nonetheless, I can still view these beautiful buds...

So these are just a few of the things I observed around our little farm this stormy October morning....

Where's All The Chicks?

2009-10-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest highlights of the 4-H Vet Science Barnyard Zoo this year was the hatching chicks.

Mickey elevated the hatcher so that it had a window in the front so the little children could see the eggs hatching. It was so fun to watch the children's eyes light up when they heard a chick peeping from inside of the shell.

If you look to the far right you can see the egg in front has a chick trying to peck out of its shell.

... and he finally made it!

Here they are all running around with their brothers and sisters. We had a total of 20 eggs hatch over the weekend. That isn't too bad considering that the weather & temperatures went from hot to cold and sunny skies to pouring rain.

It's a Zoo Around Here!

2009-10-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

Here we are back at the Grayson County Fair Barnyard Zoo. The Veterinary Science 4-H Club was in charge of taking care of the animals while they were at the zoo and talking to the children and adults about the animals. Here are a few of the animals we had at the Barnyard Zoo.

Daisy (Justin's Jersey cow) was anything but happy about being on display at the Barnyard Zoo. She stomped and snorted the whole weekend. Of course, I don't blame her. Did you notice the poster that is hanging in her pen? Everyone probably thought she was a pig!

Clyde, the miniature donkey, loved all of the little children. Of course, he loved them even more when they were feeding him.

Why do they call little children "kids"? They don't act anything like these little kid goats! After all - kid goats climb on fences; always try to see what everyone else is doing; constantly being curious about what is going on... okay, maybe now we understand.

The sheep are enjoying their quiet time.

Justin's poster he entered into the poster contest at the Barnyard Zoo. The theme was "What I love about 4-H" or "What I love about 4-H Vet Science".

These are X-rays of a cat that had kidney stones. (The arrow is pointing to the stone).

That is your virtual tour of the Barnyard Zoo! Come back soon!

Barnyard Zoo

2009-10-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

This past week the 4-H Vet Science Club set up a barnyard zoo at the Grayson County Fair. All of the young people had a really good time and as usual, Justin's Jersey calves were a big hit.

Justin getting ready to get one of the calves out of its pen for the children to pet.

Justin with his calf.

Everyone seems to love the calves!

Aawww - itsn't that a sweet bunny?

I guess when you work in the barnyard zoo you got to learn to multi task!

It was a long four days, but Justin had a great time. Check back for more "Barnyard Zoo Events".

Farm Sightings - September 27, 2009

2009-10-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

We found this nest of doves living in a cedar tree very close to our house. We have walked passed these doves a dozen times but we just spotted them a couple of days ago. (They have all left the nest now).

Some of our baby calves. You can see a couple of new ones in the background. They are so pretty with all of their white spots.

Found this pretty butterfly (moth) flying around outside.

We Can Finally Cut Grass!!

2009-10-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

To some this may seem like a terrible chore, but to those of us who have spent the last three years trying to get grass to actually grow, this is sheer delight!

Of course, this also meant that we had to get a push mower.

Our big lawn tractor would not fit into our tiny backyard area so Mickey and Justin came home proudly sporting their new Cub Cadet push mower. It is just a smaller version of the bigger mower they purchased last year.

I wonder if they are beginning to change their colors? I am seeing a lot more yellow and black instead of green and yellow these days......

Is There a Doctor in the House?

2009-09-25T03:56:00.000-07:00

Every since Justin was a young boy, he wanted to do something with animals. He would quickly tell you that he was going to be a vet when he grew up, but how many little ones make that comment? All they know is that they like animals and want to play with them all day - sounds like a fun job to me. (lol)

Their is a lot more that goes into being a vet than just giving routine shots and playing with these animals - and Justin has been finding this out. The more he has volunteered at our local vet clinic the more he realizes that this is a field that he wants to make a life long career.

On September 1st Justin took his test to become a Certified Veterinary Assistant. The next few weeks he would have to wait to get his test results to see if he passed. On September 22nd, Justin was given his certificate from the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

Justin & Dr. Garner of Tri-County Animal Hospital

Justin can now sign his name with the initials, CVA1 behind it. It may not be DVM, but he has taken the first step!

And if that wasn't enough to make his day, Dr. Garner offered him a part-time job making pretty good money for a 17 year old's first job!

Justin with his Employee Handbook

Filling out his employment paperwork

When I was 17 years old, I was not afforded such golden opportunities. I just hope Justin realizes how lucky he is to be presented with such wonderful career opportunities at such a young age - I think he does ;)

San Marcos with Friends

2009-09-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Mickey and I had the chance to get aways for a weekend in San Marcos, Texas. I was to work the PK Glitz booth at the Creating Keepsakes Convention and the owners said that Mickey could be the cashier. All of this meant that we would have 4 days together - well, sort of.

Since Mickey has never actually "worked" one of these conventions, it was quite the eye opener for him and he had a really good time with all of the customers!

When the convention was over; the booth torn down; and merchandise packed in the PK Glitz van, we headed to New Braunfels to meet up with friends. We ate at a wonderful restaurant called "Mamacitas". If you are ever near San Marcos, you need to make sure you stop in for some fantastic mexican food!
I met Karen about a year ago, and she is just the sweetest lady. We need to keep in touch more than we do, but I was thrilled to at least spend a couple of hours with her.

Karen & myself

Have a wonderful day.....

Seasons

2009-09-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Living in Texas we don't have distinct seasons. Winter goes from about January - February with temps ranging anywhere from the high 70's - low 30's; Spring is from March - April; Summer from May - October; and Fall is from about November - December. That is what I consider a "normal" year, but lately the "norm" hasn't been the case. Since our season changes do not normally coincide with the calendar I never give much thought to what "season" it is, but Michael did.

Michael was always aware of everything - too much at times. He would seem to get excited about the first day of the new season which is why I find it ironic that in 2004, the first day of summer was on June 21st, the day he was diagnosed with cancer and he died on September 21st, the first day of fall.

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3:1-2 says:
To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;

I think Michael understood this verse more than I realized

When Michael first went into the hospital he was given this frog to bring comfort to him, and a couple of weeks later a sweet neighbor brought him this cute dog along with several other other items. Whenever Michael would have to go into the hospital to take chemo, he would always take the dog and sometimes the frog too.
I don't remember exactly when it was, but I am thinking it was in August when he worked on this sun catcher during one of his hospital stays. It says: "Faith - Never Give Up - Miracles Happen Everyday!"

If you want to read Michael's story please visit Michael's Journey

Back to School - for some.....

2009-09-10T03:52:00.000-07:00

We have always been a homeschooling family and that is what I have dedicated my life to for the past 12 years. It got me to thinking about different things over the years; the opportunities they have been presented with that otherwise may never have been granted.

Instead of just reading about Vicksburg, my boys have seen it. They have also toured the USS Alabama; visited the ocean, and many stops at points of interest along our journey. But homeschooling is about more than just books and learning, it is about daily life and helping others. We have visited nursing homes and helped neighbors in need. When grandma needed a "handy man" last September, Justin was able to fly to her house and help her out for a week. Definitely not something that could have been done without being homeschooled!

Right now Justin has a 3.89 GPA and he has never had to be searched for drugs, been stabbed, or had a bomb scare.

As I look back over all of the tears that have been shed through the years, I can honestly say "It was worth the sacrifice".

This is what the last year of high school looks like:

One thing about homeschooling is that the students can't come up with excuses like - "I forgot my homework" or "my dog ate my report". The one thing that can happen is this; I ordered the books a few weeks ago and I expected to get a shipping confirmation in my email when the books were shipped. On Tuesday I called to find out when the books would be shipped out only to find out they were delivered on September 3rd! Apparently they had been sitting in our UPS box down front and no one checked the box! LOL
Maybe now we can get started with this last year of school.

As each new year starts, I can't help be reminded of all of the children who will not get to start school this year - either because they are too sick, or they have left this world. I remember when Michael was in the hospital, the little boy next door to him in PICU got to go to school, but only for a few days before he died - he was 5 years old. We bought school books for Michael that year, but he never got a chance to use them.

Childhood Cancer Facts
*Each day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer
*One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20
*Although cure rates are steadily increasing, 35% of children will die
*Cancer remains the number one disease killer of children; more than genetic anomalies, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS combined
*The overall incidence rate for childhood cancers has increased significantly by almost 33% during the period 1975 to 2001
*On average a treatment for childhood cancer diagnosis is two years
*Cancer treatment can cause serious side effects that may last a lifetime
*Research on the emotional impact of childhood cancer finds that parents and siblings report even greater long term emotional impacts than the diagnosed child

Cards for Kate

2009-09-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, also knows how Childhood Cancer has touched our family and when I found this on Jennifer McGuire's blog, I just had to share it with you.

From Jennifer McGuire's blog:

"Hello, cardmakers. If you are like me, you love any excuse to make a card. And it is even better when it can be given to someone who really needs it. Don't you agree? Yep - it is time for a new Card Drive - a Cards for Kate Card Drive.

Here is some info about Kate:
About 6 weeks ago the life of the McRae family changed forever when their precious 5 year old daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Dad (Aaron) is a pastor in Arizona and he and his wife, Holly have two other children, Will and Olivia. Of course this is devastating for the whole family and many are praying for them. (Go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate to learn more about this family and their struggle). Kate has a rough road ahead of her for quite awhile. When you hear their story you will want to do anything you can to help.

And one thing we can do to help is to send cards to Kate and her family to encourage them, give them strength, and let them know how many people are thinking about and praying for them. And the most generous and kind people in the world are crafters so we thought we’d have a Cards for Kate Card Drive. This time I have two rockin' friends helping me out - Jana Millen and Kristina Proffitt. Be sure to watch their blogs for more info, etc.

Think of how much it would encourage this family to receive cards from all over the world. You can simply send the cards to me. We will then box them up and pay to send them to Kate's parents. (We have already gotten the ok from them.)

The details:
Cards can be for any member of Kate's family:
- Kate (age 5) - The sweet girl who is battling cancer.
- Little brother Will.
- Bigger sister Olivia.
- Mom and Dad, Aaron and Holly.

Cards can be anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc. (This family is a family of God, so for all you Christians out there, feel free to share messages of Faith.) Anyone can send a card - even your children!

Please write a message in the card and sign your name and where you are from. On the card envelope, please write the name of who the card is for (Kate, Will, Olivia, Aaron and/or Kate). Also, please don't seal the envelope, as Kate's parents might want to preview cards before the kids see them.

With your cards, please include a piece of paper with your name, address, email address and number of cards. We will keep these for picking out prizes. (See below.)

The cards should be sent to:
Jennifer McGuire
Card Drive for Kate
PO Box 428612
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
Please send the cards to arrive by October 1. This should give enough time for those overseas to play along. As we get enough to fill a box to send to Kate's family, we will send them. This way they don't get them all at once. And since they are having some struggles lately, the sooner we get some cards, the better.

If you want to send more than just a card (such as a gift), please just send directly to the address given HERE.

If you want to donate money to Kate's family, please click HERE. If you want to help cover the costs of shipping, feel free to include some money in with your cards. Any money leftover will be donated to the family. (But there is NO need to include money.)

And... how about some prizes as a thank you for participating? For all the cards we get, we will pick random winners of some great prizes. Click HERE for up-to-date prize info. Stuff will be added soon and often. Please keep in mind that winners will be pick based on piece of paper you include with your cards with your name and info. So, be sure to include it!

Thank you everyone,
Jennifer, Kristina and Jana"

From my own personal experience, I can't tell you how much cards and letters, and even little gifts, mean to a family that is dealing with Childhood Cancer. I know that Jennifer has some awesome prizes to give away to reward people for participating, but don't do this for the prizes, do this because a little girl and her family desperately need encouragement and our prayers.

Frogs at Sunrise

2009-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

The title sounds like some mystery novel or something doesn't it? LOL

This morning I was watching the sun rise behind the clouds and cedars and decided it would make a nice picture to put on my blog today. Now remember, it is still kinda dark in the house. I grabbed my camera and opened the door when I noticed something that looked like either an animal or a big clump of mud. I quickly closed the door (just in case it was an animal) and went to search for a flashlight. Of course, none could be found. By now it is getting a bit lighter in the house and I turned on the porch light only to discover that what I saw was gone! That pretty much ruled out the hunk of mud. About that time something jumped up on the storm door and scared the daylights out of me. I then realized it must be a frog, but how in the world did he get between the two doors?

I decided I did not want to take a chance on this fella coming in the house so I went out the laundry room door and opened the storm door and there he was. He would not move because I think he was as scared of me as I was of him trying to jump on me. I thought about getting down at eye level with this creature to take the picture but then the thought of him jumping at me when the flash went off made that thought quickly go away. I could only imagine me flying off the porch backwards with my Nikon in tow and a frog latched to the camera lens. How would I explain that one at the emergency room?

I quickly snapped this photo but now I think he was blinded by the flash because he still wasn't moving. I wasn't even sure if he was breathing at this point. I gave him a little nudge with my shoe and he went flying off of the porch.

By now the beautiful sunrise picture I had planned had disappeared so all I was left to share with you today was this picture...

And that is how the last day of August has started for me......

Disclaimer: No frogs were harmed in this photo shoot. I heard him croaking a little while after his famous leap off of the porch.

My Mom

2009-08-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

Judy (my mom) 1954 - 1994
Disease: Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Cause of death: Cancer treatment

It seems that cancer is everywher these days. It is a disease that doesn't care how old or how young you are; what your social status or race is... it just attacks you. If you survive you are left with scars, both physical and emotional - but most of the time the treatment will kill you in the end - at least that is what is has been in my family.
Three people who I love dearly have died of cancer, my grandfather, my mother, and my youngest son. My gandfather never sought treatment and died when he was 90 1/2 yrs old. My mother underwent two years of cancer treatment and in the end she died from a side effect from the treatment. My youngest son, Michael, died from a side effect of the treatment - not the cancer.
What is the answer?? I really don't know. One thing I can do for sure - make sure my salvation is secure in Jesus Christ so that one day my soul will live eternally in Heaven with my family and my Saviour without fear of death, disease, sickness.... because "everybody will be happy over there".

Love you mom!

The Grass is Always Greener...

2009-08-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

...when it is growing in your own backyard! Since we moved here 3 years ago, we have not had grass in our backyard. We have had a few weeds sprinkled around, but no grass. The first year we were here, we threw out grass seed and it started to rain it didn't stop for weeks! We had a flood that year and roads, bridges, and dams were under water. So, last year, we threw out some more, and it began to rain and washed it all away. We did this several times throughout the year, and each and every time, it rained! It got to be rather humorous. This year, we put out grass seed and the same thing happened - more rain! We decided to put out sod but our neighbors begged us not too because they thought for sure we would end up having a hurricane! After much debate over the sod issue, Mickey decided that he would try grass one more time. We put out a small patch of grass seed and nothing happened, except rain. After about a month it finally began to sprout up so this gave us encouragment. Mickey and Justin took the tiller and tilled up the entire backyard area and they put out cheap, generic grass seed. The weather forecast showed no rain for at least 10 days. Two days after they put out the grass seed, it rained! LOL Two days after that, we had grass springing up all over!!! Yeah!!!

Two weeks have gone by and this is what we have....

...GRASS!!

It isn't completely covering the ground but this is the most we have ever had!

I'm looking forward to the day we can move our lawn furniture out on this grassy area. The next project will be building a patio. Seems kinda silly to get grass growing then tear it up by putting in a patio, but who knows how long it will be before we get a patio. In the meantime, I am just going to enjoy sitting around watching my grass grow!

Beep! Beep!

2009-08-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

Remember the roadrunner cartoon character? Well, everytime we see a Chapparal Bird (commonly referred to as a Roadrunner) we say, "Roadrunner - beep, beep!"I know it is kind of silly but they are such funny birds.

On Monday morning, this guy decided to come up on the front porch and peek in the front door. When I grabbed my camera he jumped up on the railing and when I got even closer, he went running down the handrail. He did this several times and I am not really sure what he was looking for, but maybe he was seeing his reflection in the glass.

Either way, I thought this was a great close-up shot of this Chapparal Bird (aka Roadrunner) that is normally found running at high speeds along the sides of the road.

Celebrating Freedom in the Good 'Ole USA!!!

2009-07-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to get some decent shots of fireworks this year. I have had my DSLR for over a year now and I am starting to get slightly comfortable shooting in modes other than auto ;=)

After some research I found that I really needed to get a remote shutter release. I ordered one but it won't be here until tomorrow (Mon) so I was going to have to rely on my tripod and a steady hand.

I also found that what makes fireworks shots so interesting is not only the fireworks themseleves but the surroundings, i.e landscape, people, buidlings, etc. When we arrived at the Melissa firework show I was not sure where they would be shooting them off so I opted to only get great pictures of the fireworks and not worry about the surrounds, at least for this year.

I set my camera to Aperture and my setting were ISO 200, f 1/8 and thise is some of the pictures I got:

So there you have it - a sampling of the fireworks shots that I got this weekend. They may not be "professional" but they are the best shots I have ever gotten!

I hope all of my blogger friends had a wonderful 4th of July!

When the neighbors aren't home

2009-06-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

What do you do when it is hot outside; you know that the neighbors aren't home because they have asked you to help with their chores until they get back; and you know they have a pool......

You go jump in their pool of course!! LOL

This may not be an olympic size pool, but it is a lot better than nothing and that is what we have - nothing! The neighbors told us to use the pool why they are gone so we took them up on it. They have told us this before but we have never done it. With the temps well above 100 degrees for the past 2 weeks, we gladly took them up on the offer.

Now we have a problem - I want a pool of my own terribly bad! We just can't swing it right now unless God provides a miracle for us - which, by the way, I do believe He is able to do that!

Until then, we will just use the neighbors until they return.....

Down to the very last drop...

2009-06-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

When you are married to an engineer, you really never know what that person is going to scheme, plan, or just "think up".

Last night my dear sweet husband was fixing himself a salad (a huge salad - see that bowl???). He got tired of standing there trying to get the last drop of salad dressing out of the bottle so he balanced the bottle in the cabinet and closed the door on the bottle and put his salad underneath.

Yes, it worked - but what was the point??? LOL I think he went and fixed himself a drink at this point - I was too busy laughing and taking these pictures.......

First Day of Summer...

2009-06-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

It is the first day of summer and boy is it hot!
Five years ago today my life would be changed for eternity.
Michael was diagnosed with cancer.
I remember we had spent this day going from doctor to doctor until we wound up in the ER at Cook Childrens Medical in Ft. Worth and around 11 p.m. we were told they found a huge mass. I have always loved summer and the warm days it brings but somehow since that day, 5 years ago, it brings a bit of saddness deep within my soul.....

Aggie Land

2009-06-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

First of all - apparently one needs to be careful about what buttons she pushes otherwise all of her pictures could disappear off of her blog (insert red face here). Fortunately I am still in possession of my photos, they just don't appear on my blog. I doubt I will have time to restore ALL of them, so I am just going to go forward from here and learn from my mistakes.

Last week Justin competed in his first ever state 4-H round-up. He competed in the Educational Presentation category and his speech was called, Puttin' the Milk in the Pail. He did wonderful and got 11th out of 26 (experienced) participants. I told him that he did a wonderful job and that 11th place just meant that he got 2 first places (that's a mom's way of thinking, isn't it?)

So - I will leave you with some pictures of Aggie Land

The Football stadium - of course :=)

Justin's very first extension agent, Josh Brooks, presented him with his award

Justin with his online teacher from A&M

Justin was told that this room would be where he would spend the majority of his time when he entered Vet school.

Justin, inside of the school near the Admin. Offices

This is not your ordinary hay barn!

A semi truck is able to drive through this hallway to load and unload cattle

State of the art facilities!

This is known as the "Hall of Weird". Several showcases display oddities found in Texas. On the bottom left you can see a two headed calf and on the right is a deer with a large growth on its head. It is all kinda sad, but interesting at the same time.

As you can see, we deserve to be proud of our school - Texas A&M!!

A Bridge, A Strawberry, and A Storm

2009-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to title this post "Storm at Strawberry Bridge". Doesn't that sound more dramatic? Even maybe the title to a novel? LOL Well, on with my update....

What is it about boys and bridges? Mickey and Justin thought this was just the coolest project. Okay - so I think it is pretty neat too :=) This is the area where the water rushes through and makes a creek when we get heavy rains. This is also the area that we must pass through in order to get to the barn to do chores twice a day. Justin dug out the "ditch" to hopefully channel the water a little better then they built this bridge out of old railroad ties that we had around here. Once the railroad ties were in place, our neighbors gave us some T1-11 to put over the top for the decking. Eventually we want to replace this with 2 x 4's but for right now this will work. The next thing we have to do is add a handrail to the sides which we will make out of cedar posts that match our cedar fences. Although this probably wouldn't pass any of the TxDOT codes, I think they did a fantastic job and it was all FREE! I like that!

About a month or so ago I planted a strawberry plant in a hanging basket. I absolutely love strawberries! I have never grown them before and although I don't think this one little plant is going to give me enough to make strawberry jam, it sure was nice seeing this first strawberry ripen. BTW - it was yummy too :=)

Then last night a huge storm was suppose to come through our area but it split and went north and south of us. I was able to capture this view of one of the clouds. It was reflecting the light from the setting sun. I thought it was just beautiful with all of the pinks, purples, and blues. It doesn't look very big here but this was actually just the tip of the storm.

So there you have it - the saga of "Storm at Strawberry Bridge". I hope you have a wonderful day!

A Painted Bunting

2009-05-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

The most incredible looking bird has decided to make our front yard his home. I am told that this bird is called a "Painted Bunting". Talk about color - WOW! he has got it!

Another bird landed on the opposite side of the feeder and I believe this may have been his mate. She was kind of a pale yellow from what I could see. Maybe I can get a closer look since this fella doesn't seem to be to camera shy. I can't get really close but I am thinking that he is pretty used to have his photo taken because every time I walk outside with my camera he shows up! Talk about a ham....

Oh, and we have this beautiful blue bird nest. I had been wondering why the bluebirds kept sitting on my tomato trellis and then one day Mickey saw them fly into the house and that is when we discovered their nest.

I am needing to take my camera in for a good cleaning and general check-up and I am sure that is when the coolest birds will come by for a visit or these babies will hatch.

Until next time.....

Free (farm) Project - so far.....

2009-05-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

A friend of our has a split rail fence across the front of their home and on that fence are vining roses and it just looks beautiful! We decided to mimic the look but go a little more rustic.

Since we live in the middle of all of these cedars Justin and Mickey decided to use some of the trees that we have taken down or have died due to the goats destroying them. Either a double or single panel is placed in between our 5 crepe myrtles to give a fenced in backyard feel. I am still undecided about what type of vining plant I want on these fence panels but I think it is going to be very attractive when it is complete. The only thing we will have to purchase are the plants that will go on each of the panels!

Now that is what I call recycling :)

Coming soon..... some mixed media art projects that I have been working on.....

And, It's STILL Raining....

2009-05-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am having flashbacks of 2 years ago when this area flooded. A couple of months or so from now we will be praying for rain but right now I am trying to be thankful - but it is difficult......

This is my backyard! No, their is not suppose to be a small creek running through this area.

This is our parking area. Yes, I know the weeds are growing but with all of the rain it is to be expected! It is no fun to get out and weed in the rain and mud.

A Nature Walk

2009-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Remember I told you that we had a pretty rainy weekend. Well, besides taking pictures of the creek (which you saw in my last post), I also took pictures of some of nature's beauty on our way.

I really like how the flowers in the front and the background are blurred. Could I repeat this technique on purpose? Probably not :)

The Indian Paintbrush are one of my favorite wildflowers.

I really need to brush up on my wildflower names. Even though I don't know what these are they are in abundance around here and I think they are just lovely.

These tiny flowers are so pretty also but they never have any blooms in the center, they are just around the outside.

We had a time trying to figure out what these birds were. They were everywhere and finally we found out that they are Gos Hawks, commonly referred to as a Chicken Hawk.

On our way back to the house, the pigs came running. Isn't she just a mess?

This is one of my new babies that I just got. She thinks she is "Queen of the Haybale".

And last, I will leave you with a photo of this absolutely gorgeous LaMancha, Cocoa Bean.

Have a great weekend!

It all started in 1938

2009-04-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

In 1938, two of my great-aunts heard about a church meeting that was taking place not too far from them in California. They decided to stop by and check it out but they were not prepared for what they would see. Being raised American Baptist they would get a whoopin' just for tapping their toes so when they arrived at the church meeting they just sat in the car for awhile. The music was going and the building had a porch on the front. Apparently the Holy Ghost was moving in that place because a woman who was "happy in the Lord" came dancing in the Spirit out onto that porch. My aunt Helen and aunt Ruby just laughed because they had not seen anything like that before - being raised American Baptist!

Curiosity got ahold of them and they decided to go on inside and God saved their souls that night. That is how Pentecost came into our family. I can't say that each and everyone of us since that time has lived a life pleasing to the Lord, but it seems that the fire that was started at that little church house in 1938 spread throughout our family and one by one, we grabbed ahold of what my two aunts found.

Aunt Helen has been with the Lord for 30 years; my grandma joined her almost 20 years ago; Aunt Edie has been gone for 8 1/2 years; and now my Aunt Ruby has been welcomed home by her family that has been waiting for her. She has also come face to face with the one that she has served for over 70 years - His name is Jesus.

To find out more about this Jesus that my family has served please visit our family website

1910 - 2009

My last visit with my aunt Ruby and Glenda (aunt Helen's daughter) 1-28-09

Please take a moment and listen to this song

Their truly is a Hello after Goodbye..... I'll see all of you soon!

Happy Birthday Michael

2009-04-13T05:43:00.000-07:00

I miss you more than anyone in this world can imagine. You would have been 15 years old today.....

He IS Alive!

2009-04-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Farm Update + Layout

2009-04-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

I thought I would give you an update on the "new kids" although I do not have any pictures to share. Twinkie (the little one with the crippled legs) is doing fine and is now enjoying life with her big brother and herdmates. We are considering getting an adult goat in milk so that these babies will have goat milk instead of cow milk. The cow milk will not hurt them it is just that it is a little rich for them with all of the jersey cream.

Here is one of the layouts that I just recently sent to PK Glitz for their display. If they are at a show in your area make sure you stop by and say hello and check out their awesome products.

This picture was taken during the opening ceremony at the Ft. Worth Stockshow

Supplies:
Cardstock (Prism)
Patterned Paper (Basic Grey)
Twilight Embossing Glitter (PK Glitz)
Glitter Glitz (PK Glitz)
Stickers (Basic Grey)
Quickie Glue Pen
Adhesive (Ad Tech)

Have a blessed Easter weekend!

New Kids on the Block

2009-04-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

I said I was done - NO MORE - but how can you resist such sweet little kids as these??

When a friend called trying to find homes for her sweet babies, I just had to say "yes". Well, this was before they were born and I was only planning on 3 - not 5!!! And...... I figured, what were the chances of all of them being girls? My thought was this - we raise them up and then we eat them - after all they would all be boys, right? Wrong! We have 4 girls and only 1 boy and to top it all off, the littlest girl is crippled. This means that she is spending the majority of the time in the house with her splints and teaching her to walk. After you put that much time and effort into something, how could I possibly consider eating it??? It looks to me like we are back in the dairy goat business.

Twinkie (that is what I am calling her) was born very small and her legs were twisted and the hooves knuckled under. This isn't unusual although it is not common either. I have seen legs worse than this straighten right up with good nutrition and warm sunshine. I think she will be romping with the rest of her herdmates by this time next week.

Here is Twinkie with her brother. He is almost twice her size!

In case you are wondering, the little girls (and guy) are crosses between Alpine, Nubian, LaMancha, and Saanen. That is what I call diversified goats! LOL

It is never a dull moment around here.....

If You Can't Play With The Big Dogs, Then Stay On The Porch!

2009-03-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

I guess my little 4 lb Yorkie thinks he is a big dog and doesn't need to stay on the porch.

Our very large Golden Retriever, Chip, has this little (to him) toy. It is made of solid rubber and when purchased it has a felt covering, but the first thing Chip does, is tear off the covering. I guess that is his version of unwrapping his present. Anyway, Chip loves to take his toy everywhere he goes but sometimes he puts it down then can't remember where he left it. This doesn't happen often but it does on occassion.

A couple of days ago when taking a walk, Chip must have left his toy down front and when the Yorkies and I took a walk this morning, Cooper found Chips toy. Of course, he was very proud of himself strutting up the driveway with that toy in his mouth. He wouldn't even let anyone get near him as long as he had it! LOL

This is Cooper with Chip's toy. It is almost as big as he is!

Cooper finally made it into the house with his new possession. He had backed himself all the way up to the loveseat because he was afraid I was taking it away from him.

I finally did take the toy away from Cooper and gave him a chew bone his own size. I'm not sure if he was just as happy, but I am sure Chip will be grateful that Cooper found his toy for him.

Have a great day!

12 1/2 Pounds!!!

2009-03-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder what 12 1/2 pounds of butter looks like?

This is right before I put it up into 1 pound packages

Here is the empty bowl and all of the butter ready to go into the freezer.

It is always a great thought to know that you can provide for your family without having to go to the store for every little item, but it sure is inconvenient when at the last minute you realize you have NO Butter and the only way to get some is -not by running to the store - but making it yourself. When something like this happens it doesn't make sense to make only 1 pound so I gathered up all of the cream jars and in about an hour I had a stash of butter -made from scratch. While this may not be the most convenient method it sure does taste better than anything I have found in a store!

One of these days when I have an extra pair of hands, I will get some pictures of the process from start to finish. Until next time.......

That Big Bully - Mr. Winter

2009-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the windows open, and was enjoying the warm sunshine but Mr. Winter came along and bullied his way into our spring and decided to throw us some cool weather along with rain.

Now I will admit, the rain was very welcomed but the colder temperatures were not. All of this means that I have spent this past week inside and what better thing to do than to spend a little time creating!

Of course, have you ever gotten this brilliant idea and then we you finished it, it wasn't anything like you had thought? In the case of this tin - in my mind's eye it was a "WOW" project, but when I got it finished, it wasn't anywhere near the "wow" factor.

Here are some magnets I made from small tiles. I stamped with Staz-on then embossed and colored in with Bic Mark-its. The bird was just stamped with Colorbox and clear embossed. I then attached a magnet to the back of each one of them. I am going to have my crafty kids do this for a Mother's Day project. Sssshhh don't tell the mom's :)

Now for a few pictures I took today. This is looking out my front door.

1/200 f14

1/200 f14

I thought these pictures of the moisture on my front door would make some really cool textures in Photoshop.

1/80 f4.5

This is looking out my dining room window. One of the projects that is top on the list this year is to get grass growing. I wish we would have gotten some seed planted before the rain this week.

This is my week in a nutshell pretty much. Have a great weekend!

Signs of Spring

2009-03-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

I was elated when I opened my front door to find that our peach tree had begun to blossom. I couldn't wait to go out and capture this moment. With all of the bees buzzing around, I decided it would be best to use my zoom lens. Once I had my lens set, I got some really pretty shots (at least I think so). Here are a few of my favorites, unedited, and shot in a manual mode!

1/1000 f5.6 ISO 800

1/1000 f.5.6 ISO 800

1/1000 f5.6 ISO 800

I spied a tree this morning with some beautiful white blossoms. I think I will try and get a few shots of those also. If I am lucky I might even get a few birds that have been singing that sweet spring song every morning. I am looking forward to scrapping these pictures.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Wildlife Birthday

2009-03-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Justin spent his birthday at the Sharkarosa Wildlife Park in Pilot Point, TX. Our Vet Science group went on a tour to learn about the animals and got some hands on experience with exotic wildlife. The weather the week before was in the 80's but it did not cooperate with the group on this day as the temperatures pummeled to 50 with high winds. Because of this, I did not get to go because their was no way I could have tolerated being out in this kind of weather for 6 hours. Mickey went with Justin but both of them said I wouldn't have lasted more than 30 minutes out in the cold wind because even the two of them got very cold.

Justin was fascinated by the Lemurs, so much so that he purchased a stuffed "Lemur" animal at the end of the day.

This Lemur was trying to soak up as much sun as he could on this cold day.

Here is Justin playing with one of the Lemurs.

Isn't this a cute face? By the way - this is a baby Lemur

Here is Justin's Lemur that he brought home.

During the day the group was able to interact with the wildlife. Here was a kangaroo that was lying around trying to keep warm

This is a face only a mother could love!

I'm not really sure what he thought was so funny!

When the guys got home from their adventure, I had baked this cake and made some homemade ice cream.

The symbol in the middle of the cake is the veterinarian symbol

So, that is all I have to update for now. I am going to be uploading some projects I have been working on so check back soon!

Birthdays Have Meaning?

2009-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this on JeanneLee's Blog and I thought it was cute.

You Are a Mediator

You understand people well and are a natural born therapist.

A peacemaker, people always seem to get along when you are around.

You tend to be a father or mother figure to friends, even to those older than you.

You enjoy your role, and you find that you are close to many people.

Your strength: Your devotion

Your weakness: Reliance on others for happiness

Your power color: Lilac

Your power symbol: Heart

Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

This is a couple of Valentine's that I made for my guys!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 - This is the greatest love story ever told!

In Loving Memory

2009-02-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

Cookie Dough "Cookie"

August 31, 2004 - February 10, 2009

We are truly going to miss our "Golden Friend". She helped Justin through some of the loneliest times of his youth.

Calf Scramble at the FW Stockshow

2009-02-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

Justin has been waiting since he was 11 years old to participate in a calf scramble. He really didn't care where it would be, he just wanted to do it! Some opportunities slipped by due to cancellations and whatnot but his big day finally arrived last night and he would participate in none other than the Ft. Worth Stockshow Rodeo! It was like a family tradition has been revived. You see, my mother showed horses in the Pleasure Class at the Ft. Worth Stockshow and I can remember her talking about what a wonderful experience it was - nothing compared to Ft. Worth.

The barns and arena have moved since those days when my mother showed, but somehow I felt that she was really proud of Justin last night and now he has happy memories to cherish. Unfortunately I did not do so well behind the camera, and that really saddens me. Most of the pictures were blurred but I was able to salvage a few.

Opening ceremonies at the Rodeo are always so beautiful, so here is just a highlight of a couple of photos I took.

The Calf Scramble was the second event of the rodeo. I decided to put a white circle around Justin to make it easier to find him in the photos. His number on his shrt was 8 and the event was sponsored by Justin Boots and Mrs. Bairds so they gave each of them a T-shirt to wear during the competition.

Here is Justin filing in for the competition. There was about 16 kids and only 8 calves.

If you have a calf and you lose it, it becomes free game and anyone can grab it which is probably why everyone was running towards this calf.

Justin actually got ahold of a calf but someone ran into him and he lost his grip.

This one just got away. The idea is to grab a calf, put the rope halter on it, and drag it back to the square.

One last chance....
The agony of defeat. Although the evening wasn't a total loss, Justin won a new pair of Justin Ropers, a hat, and he got to keep his T-shirt.

Next year he plans on doing this again, but also wants to add San Antonio and Houston to his list of Calf Scramble events.

I will try to upload more pictures of the rodeo sometime soon.

A Golden Friend

2009-01-21T07:23:00.000-08:00

What is it about a dog? Why do we love them so? I think it is because they are a constant companion; they are forgiving; they listen to our problems without saying anything; they are loyal; and, most of all, they give unconditional love.

It is hard when a dog so young is given a bleak future. Yesterday, Cookie was diagnosed with Wobblers Disease . It is a debilitating disease and sad to watch a dog so active and full of life, lose her motor skills. Surgery is an option, but not for Cookie. We are going to try cortisone pills to buy us some time with her. So, if you come here and you see a lot of pictures of her, you will know why. She has always been a faithful companion to Justin and has helped him through some of the toughest times of his life. We are praying that the meds will not just buy us time, but possibly buy us years.

1:00 AM Fire Drill

2009-01-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yes - you read the title to this post correctly - 1:00 AM. That is not PM - like in the afternoon, but AM - like in the middle of the night! For some unknown reason one of the smoke detectors decided to go off which tripped the rest of the detectors in the house. I awoke out of a deep sleep, not to fear of a fire, but more of, "what is going on and why???" LOL Justin continued to sleep even though every alarm in the house was going off - teenagers! I don't ever remember thinking that their might really be a fire. I think somehow I can sense when their is truly danger, and when someone or something is just trying to annoy me!

Justin is finally awake, but we can't figure out how to turn the silly things off. We can't even find the breaker for them!!! We decided that we would take this opportunity to read the owner's manual that came with the house. I couldn't really think of anything I would rather be doing than reading an owner's manual at 1:00AM. The manual had electrical wiring drawings, along with all sorts of other drawings, but nothing about these smoke alarms! I kept digging through the file cabinet drawer and FINALLY, I found a little folded up paper with a smoke alarm drawing on the front! YES! We figured out how to turn them off and believe me, this was no ordinary, just push a button type thing, you have to find which one set off the rest of the alarms! C'mon - it is 1:30 in the morning.....

Finally, back in bed and back to sleep..... a little after 2:00 a.m. and they go off again!!! We know how to do this now, so it is only a matter of a minute before that horrible piercing sound is stopped.

By the way - did I mention that I went to bed with a horrible headache and it had not gone away?????

It goes off again, and I haven't got a clue as to what time it is now. We get out the vaccuum cleaner and try to take it apart and clean it really well. Aaaahhhh - that should do it. Are you kidding me???? Not in this house!! Of course, this time it gives us a little time to sleep before blowing it's alarm. Mickey finally figures out how to disable the thing and take it out of the ceiling and he lays it on the kitchen counter but this thing refuses to die. It is like a bad monster movie and yes, it goes off again, but this time, it is not the entire house. By now, the sun is beginning to rise and Mickey has also removed the battery and it has laid silently on the counter ever since.

After you have an eventful night like this, what do you do? Take a picture of the sunrise of course!

Manual 1/500 14F ISO800, Handheld

The moral of my story? Check your smoke detectors to make sure they are in working order and at the very least, know how to turn them off!

2008-12-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

Texas Snow

2008-12-16T05:48:00.000-08:00

I guess we are all starting to sing that song, "It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...." Here in North Texas we are not strangers to snow (aka ice) but this early (late) in the year??? I expect this kind of weather sometime in January and early February because the rule of thumb is that it will always snow during the Ft. Worth Stockshow. Well, Mr. Weatherman, the Stockshow hasn't started yet! LOL

Here are a couple of pictures I took from the inside of the house, looking out.

This is looking out the front door.

Here is one of our Crepe Myrtles that we planted this summer.

With it getting so close to Christmas and the weather turning so cold, I am wondering if we will actually have snow (or ice) for Christmas morning?

Leave a comment and tell me what the weather will be like here on our little farm on December 25, 2008. You have from now until December 22, 2008 to post your predictions. The first person who answers correctly (or closest to it) will get a little gift from me. If no one is correct then I will draw a name from all of the entries.

Winner will be announce on December 25, 2008

Such Pigs at Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

Are they frying up bacon at the house???

And from my title, you probably thought I was talking about us! LOL We did eat way too much - as usual - but we were very thankful for bountiful blessing that we had.

Thanksgiving was a beautiful day and we spent part of the day in our new little hideout that Mickey and Justin made. I can't wait to see this place in summer - it will be like a fortress I am sure. Even with all of the leaves falling off of the branches, it is still very beautiful - and secluded.

Mickey, Justin, Chip, and Cookie are walking back to our little picnic area.

This is our little picnic area. Can you see Midge and Cooper in thier little pen under the tree? We all just love it back here.

No outing would be complete without a few modern conveniences (notice the cell phone in hand?)

And of course we couldn't do without the DVD player. Do you think that was going a little too far???

We are still seeing some beautiful color in the foliage and so we took some time to enjoy it while we still can.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

And now - back to "Piggie Tale's".........

"Excuse me, don't I know you?"

Stella is the "Leader of the Pack"

Stella, with her assistant, making sure no one is getting out of control in the pig pen.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and we will return to our regularly scheduled scrapbook blog in just a few days.