Déjà vu, irony and sweets

Dh was in a car accident this morning (yes it was a year and 3 days ago) . . . this time none of the kids were with him, thank God! Some cows escaped their fence and came running out onto the highway (yes I am fully aware of the irony). As dh tried to avoid the brown cow, he slammed into the black cow. She flew over the car and was last seen slowly walking away. The local police officer made it out and verified what happened, took pics and secured the scene as they waited for the deputy to arrive. Dh believes the car is totaled, guess we'll know more later. Please keep us in your prayers, especially DH as he has to be on the road so early in the morning. :( I don't think I'm gonna be catching up on my sleep after all :(

In other news: stay tuned for our next blog giveaway and review :) The kids and I have been busily working on hot process soap making, lots of baking and fun gifts to share. If you still have someone on your list that you haven't found a gift for, here are a few of our favorite homemade gift ideas from across the web.

1. Hot Chocolate on a stick (with Marshmallow)

2. Marshmallow Bonbons

3. Cream cheese chocolate fudge or peanut butter fudge

Lots to tell

Oh boy where do I begin. About a week ago I got and email from a dear friend that told me that she knew of a family that had a van they would no longer be needing. I had all but given up on a van at that point so it was quite interesting. I admit I was hesitant to hope and a bit skeptical because I knew our finances weren't so great. We decided to trust God and call anyway. Dh called and told them what we could do and a little about our farm, they would need to discuss it and get back to us. Two days went by and no one called so we figured they needed more and were alright with that. We certainly would want more if we were them so there was no hard feelings. Strangest thing happened, the called the next day, I initially though it was a counter offer. After all they are a larger family too (9 kids) and they seemed to really want to help us. We talked for some time and then we started to talk animals, turns out they were very interested in a butcher hog and a beef calf, I got those - check. They had recently service the van, before being blessed with an upgrade of their own and the out of pocket set them back a little (we've all been there - at least 1 of my children will have to be a mechanic because seriously they are very well paid). Imagine my surprise when the amount he asked for was less (you read that right) then half of what we had offered, oh and they were willing to deliver it since we had no way to pick it up. I'm pretty sure at that moment you could have knocked me over with a feather. I could hardly contain myself, I called everyone I could . . . you know dh, my sis and mom because those are the only numbers I have memorized :P I was apprehensive to even believe it, I mean this could really be happening, we could finally be getting a 12 passenger van for us to be able to get around as a family.

Saturday rolled around and no one called or came. To add to the excitement, I started seeing signs of labor - very unexpected. I called dh and had him come home as I wasn't very sure what to do, baby wasn't supposed to make an appearance for another week based on my history. We called the hospital and of course my dr was out of town (assumption made based on her never returning any of the calls). The dr that dh spoke to advised that I should come in to be checked as a precaution. Well, I guess God had other plans because try as he may dh was not able to get me there. The truck would start and then I would be close to it and it would shut off and not start back. For 4 hours dh worked trying to get it going for us to go (I had conceded well before that). We went back to the house and the dr called just as I walked in, so I got to chat with him for a bit. I can honestly say I am very glad that I wasn't in labor having to deal with that guy. He even threw in the classic "you don't want to end up with a home birth" LOL!!! Imagine his surprise to know that we'd btdt, lol. He admitted he didn't actually know the stats and had only ever observed 1. I explained that baby was still moving fine, there was no pain or contractions and no bleeding and my water hadn't broke, so with no way there we'd stay put unless something changed. (After all, 911 was always an option if something started and I needed to get there).

Well the next phone call was from the family with the van and they apologized for not calling sooner, their day had been . . . hectic is probably an understatement. They'd come by the next day after Church. I was just glad it was not a dream :) The kids an I were SO excited and practically counted down until the proposed time and no one showed. We were heartbroken . . . at least for a couple hours until they called and apologized, life with 9 kids got a little crazy and they were running behind. :) Imagine my surprise when I walked outside to see . . . we'll I'll let you see for your self.




Yup, that's right it is an exact match to our truck, in fact, aside from the eerily matching paint job, it is also the make and year. To which I have to say, the patron saint of automobiles must be working some serious overtime. DH was still at work so the kids and I waited patiently. The family that came were so wonderful, we hope to get to know them better. It's nice to meet real people, they even brought us treats, how could they know that apples are a HUGE hit here, along with jam and cupcakes? (Might have something to do with having 9 kids but I choose to think otherwise, lol).

Once they left I opted to take my long overdue nap. When I woke up I chatted with several midwife friends and they reassured me that for me this was not very early at all as I was only a week sooner than my normal. That was very comforting and it seemed that the dr must have felt that way too as he didn't seem too concerned about it. That night our little guy (JM) was born and we were all thrilled. He was an ounce shy of my smallest baby and an inch longer than her. He latched on very well and is nursing like a champ. It was wonderful to see how God worked it all out so that we got the van just in His perfect time. :) Well I know you are dying to see him so here he is . . .

You.Can.Win! lol

Last night a facebook friend posted a link to a sweeps page, bored I opted to give it a shot, I mean why not. :) The initial sweeps were fun and it is amazing how much those games can become addictive like a slot machine but without the use of cash, just time. I had a blast and would you believe it I actually won something, lol :) Play-doh is hosting a "You.Can.Win!" game and even gives a free code for those of us not willing to spend anything to enter. :) You get 3 tries per day for 1 of the 10 $50 visa gift cards and you are also entered for the grand prize of the $5000 shopping spree :) Click here to read the Official Rules of the game.

It was nice to win for a change, hopefully you can too :) Enjoy!

Praise and thanks

Yesterday was . . . SO today I opted to gain perspective, so I am reposting the last lecture video that I posted 2 years ago. May we never forget this wonderful message.



I thank God for His love, grace and mercy that has been poured out on us this last couple weeks. It is His strength alone that has allowed us to carry on and we praise His name. Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.

Irritation

So we got our septic pumped a few days ago and the guy says "you didn't need to get it pumped yet, you probably could have gone another 6 or 9 months". Turns out there is a clog in the line somewhere between the house and the septic tank and though he tried to snake if for the septic side, he was unable to reach it. :( DH was able to borrow a snake and is working on trying to snake it from the other side. This process is long, slow and ewwww :( This is where I get to be thankful that we only have 1 bathroom I guess . . . I'm still working out that pep talk as you can tell.

A huge praise: DH is getting to move to an earlier shift and will once again be home before bedtime, YAY!!! Of course it also means that his days off are now all wonky and are no longer together (at least for a couple months as a co worker is on maternity leave) but, it will be nice to have him home at regular hours again :)

I feel old, hear me out, I have entered my 3rd trimester and the few days a week that I do go to help out at work are killing my back. Yesterday I was barely there 7 hours when I finally had DH come get me, almost 24 hours later and I still feel it everywhere :( Oh what I'd give for a nice whirlpool tub right now . . . I'm going back to bed.

Summer Birthdays are over :)

Yesterday we celebrated our final summer birthday :) Baby girl (GH) celebrated her 1st birthday in May, along with DH who is getting old, lol. My youth was celebrated next, followed by SL, our now big 5yr old, he is becoming quite the little helper :) And finally, last but not least, IL celebrated her 3rd birthday in style, as we had my mom, sister and brother in law in town, a rare treat :) Pics to be uploaded soon.

My mom, sis and brother in law have blessed us with a living room remodel, it is going very well, it is amazing how quickly a room can be transformed. The experience is very humbling and I wish there were more that I could help with, as it is DH is giving up a lot of sleep to try to help and thankfully AR is able to assist. The kids are eager to get to see it, but have tried to stay nicely in the dining room. It is sometimes overwhelming for them and they come sneak little peaks but that's to be expected. :) No, I absolutely did not take before pics, but I do have the before pics from when we bought the house. :) I'll upload them as soon as we get done.

NB: Sunday is the final day (until midnight) to enter the Cast Iron Skillet giveaway :)

The truck

The local Ford dealership had a big promotion and while listening to the radio we decided to take them up on it. The guy said "we have 5 cars for $1". I figured he was full of it and asked dh to call anyway. Well wouldn't you know it they just happened to have 1 left, a red and sliver, 1993, F150 extended cab. You could have knocked us over with a feather, lol. We explained our situation (we are an hour away from them) and the guy said he would do his best to "hide" it for us. Dh drove down to take a look and he had done just what he promised, it was ours. Sale price $1 . . . of course then they add the title and "processing fee", but for less than 500 we have a truck free and clear. :) GOD IS AWESOME!!! He took care of every detail we had talked and thought about. The mechanic in town took a look under the hood and said that there was even a new alternator. :)

I survived week 1

The week is practically over and I have survived. I am really excited about work and am learning a few new things along the way. I'm so psyched that I have even begun to reconcile our bank statements :)

This week we were surprised to find 18 eggs on the side of the nesting box, lol those crazy chickens. We will need to fence the yard when we get our refund as the free rangers keep wandering into the road and have been getting hit :(

We got a great deal on hay from our regular hay guy that should take us nicely into March. The cows are very happy about this development as it means they don't have to wait for a good deal at the sale barn anymore. Hay is cheapest at the sale barn when the weather is not too cold, but very expensive if it is really cold that week.

We are looking at our options for transportation as I have the only vehicle and that means that we will start to lose our source of pig food. :( I don't want to have to grain them exclusively, so we will need to find a cheap but reliable vehicle.

Saturday is my sister's birthday, I made her an infinity scarf . . . actually it's not a true infinity scarf as there is a seam. I don't have circular knitting needles so I did it as a regular scarf and sewed the ends. :)

Defining Self

Today I tendered my resignation and not a single member of management asked me to reconsider. I became more and more devastated as the day wore on and as I drove home. The thing about a long drive home is that it gives you time to think. I called dh and my sis and neither seemed sympathetic to my plight. I felt lost.

I sat outside after taking some watermelon to the chickens and gently was reminded of God's love. In that moment I realised that I had allowed myself (and by extension my self worth) to be defined by my job and almost completely the body of work I have done to this point. That they (management) seemed to reject it (me) and that I would no longer be there was a total blow to my ego and self esteem.

My dh had had a really tough time walking away from Wal-Mart and I didn't get it. Today I got it. Today I realised that I am happy to define my self by much higher standards than a paycheck or a single job. The work I do as a wife and mother are more lasting and rewarding than I could ever find anywhere else.

The work we do on our farm is more important to our growth spiritually and emotionally. In the year that we have been here we have all grown closer to each other and to God. It's not glamorous as being a Tax Analyst but I've never been the glamorous type anyhow. ;) I don't know what comes next and I'm excited to find out.

I am/was good at what I did, but I will be better being more than just that job. I don't need a fancy title to have value, I don't need a huge paycheck to have worth. Things will be tough and money will be tight and we will be happy working and being together. Thank you all for your continued prayers for our family.



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Praise and Prayers needed

The toddlers appear to be healing very well, the younger is 2 today and her pain seems to have let up quite a bit. I spoke with my bosses boss (Bob) today and he felt that a compromise is doable, however we are both aware that this will be an uphill battle to convince my boss and his (Bob) boss. Please pray, it will take a small miracle to get this through. He proposed working from home 3 days a week, I am very pleased with his response and I am praying that he will be able to get agreement from them tomorrow. (My boss will/should be back in town tomorrow).

DH or for the purposes of this post, since he said not to mention it (lol) HD (lol) got a 8 inch cut on his head from the chicken coop roof yesterday and we are praying that it will not be anything more serious than a little scar.

The hens did a wonderful job last week and surpassed expectations and laid at full capacity (110 eggs). I have practically sold and bartered all and hope the other layers begin laying soon. I am really happy with how they have been doing, though they seem to be taking a little break this week.

Treva is due to calve any day now and I am praying that it will be uneventful, this is our first Jersey birth and sometimes they can have trouble with things like milk fever etc. Please keep her and her baby in your prayers.

I want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and prayers that you have given my family. We are really touched that so many have taken the time to remember us, the emails and comments were a welcomed surprise.


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Bungee Cord

The bungee cord is a great invention and a useful tool on a farm. It should be noted however that they should be replaced every year. We have been using bungee cords on our gates since we moved here. It was easy to operate even one handed. This morning dh came home to find the gates open and the cows sitting by the chicken coop. In a way it was almost like daring him to try to stop them from escaping. When he got to the gate he found the bungee cord broken and on the ground. He locked them in with another and we left to make deliveries in town. Please pray that they love it and refer us to everyone they know ;)

Anyway, I got my tags done on the way home and given that it was the hottest part of the day we thought nothing of not seeing the cows immediately. That is until I suggested we go over there, that's when I saw it. The bungee cord was just hanging on the gate as if they had taken it off and left it there. They weren't by the chicken coop this time, they were split up, with Judd and Treva in the neighbor's corn behind us and Lot and Quinn across the street in the wheat field. NOT GOOD!!

I drove down the side street where they were and Quinn and Lot began to take off into the field, I was getting stressed. Dh got out and they turned back to the road. They walked for a bit and crossed the street once they saw Treva and Judd. Dh continued to follow them through the neighbours corn and as he'd get a couple moving along, 1 would fall back and stop. He'd go and get that one and it would start all over again. I am thankful that he stayed calm the whole time. In fact he dropped Treva and Judd off by the barn as the boys ran off toward the east pasture. I walked Treva and Judd into the third corral. Not five minutes later dh was bringing the boys back in. Treva and Judd walked out of the third corral and I walked the boys into it and locked them in.

Treva and Judd are now happily in the barn and promise not to cause any further problems. :) Quinn has already made his way to Buttercup via the small opening between Corral 2 and 3, much to the dismay of Lot who is 2 inches taller and many more inches wider, lol. I have talk to them both and explained that they will meet the butcher sooner rather than later if they break my fence or gates. I'll let you know if they listened.

The chickens are laying rather slowly right now :( I am a bit discouraged. I know that the heat is a factor and I received a lovely tip via email from someone in Wichita:

I was just reading your blog and I thought I would let you know what I do to combat heat stress in my flock. I always give them watermelon as a snack because chilled it helps cool them down and contains a lot of water. I also freeze gallon milk containers as well as juice and 2 liter pop bottles, it doesn't do much for the air temp unless it is in the hen house but they will gather around them to cool off. This seems to help.

I am thankful for any tips on keeping my girls cool so that they can lay well again :) Feel free to send me tips on anything you can think of, I enjoy learning from other. :) I will also post tips for everyone in a series of posts.


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Back to Work: Day 1

Well I did it. I woke up, took a shower, fed the baby and went to work. Dh brought her to visit the skeleton crew at the office - long weekend and all. I sorted through the 1000+ emails, sadly no exaggeration. I discovered that my annual review was scheduled for today. YAY! NOT!! Whatever, I have been fighting with them all year, what's one more day, even if it is the first day back. Not new actually, it's better than the last time when my first meeting was scheduled to chew me out for not getting all the things they wanted done. Even though I had gotten the intermittent FMLA approved my "attendance issues" were used against me, again whatever. He talks about knowing the reasons behind the issue but never mentions it in the printed review, jerk. Unable to find any critical errors from the last year he uses one found while I was out on leave, that affected 1 customer from the entire state of NC. Funny how non-critical that seems, considering how many customers we have there and the fact that the error was not made by me. Can you tell I'm a bit ticked off? You know me so well :)

The rest of the day was wonderful. I bought some tops right after the baby was born that were a size too small, they didn't fit yet but I planned to lose the weight in time for my return to work. This morning I put one on and not only did it fit, but it had room, lots of room even in the arms, YAY!!! I have lost 32 pounds so far and I feel great. I am glad that I have stuck with Weight watchers and hope to be more consistent with my T-Tapp. I am hoping to start walk/running once I am a bit lighter and settle into a routine with work, home and farm.

Thank you all for your encouragement and continued prayers. Did I mention that my boss will be gone all month, it should be a nice transition back into work without the horrible pressure. :)



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Sunday

AR had a game yesterday and a double header today since his team made it to the next round (not sure what that's called in baseball). The downside is that it takes 2 hours one way to get there so it's been a long weekend. I stayed home with the others and dh and him went to the game.

I have been taking care of the animals with HG, a great little helper. She is the egg lady and checks several times a day for me. She never tires of it, I think it's because she loves getting to go outside - even if it is hot as heck.

The bulls have found a way to get out, not too sure where yet. IT is strange since they were on lock down and the back barn doors have not been disturbed. I think it may be the garden fence that is getting pushed :( That will need to be fixed this week.

In other news, I saw what I thought was a fox yesterday again, I googled it and it's a coyote :( I am fairly sure that that is what attacked poor Dusty and the 1 half eaten meat bird we found a few weeks ago. Of course I was all the way over by the chicken coop and it was down by the house when I saw it. I had the 2 middle children and got scared that IL might wander outside looking for them. I left the water running and kept them close as we went back to the house. I wish I had had the shotgun with me :( I am worried that the meat birds will not be safe as they free range all day but I am hoping that Sammy will keep them safe.

I asked dh to bring home some ice cream as it was a humid day, though not as hot as it has been. We still have not put on the A/C, I am holding out for as long as possible. We have 4 fans running at full blast all day and when it gets nicer out we open the windows. It has bee ok so far, I was really surprised to see the temp read 104 yesterday, it felt much cooler. Anyway, i was listening to dh with the kids and heard him say, "you're not licking ice cream off your sisters face." I laughed so hard. The toddlers are so funny, I am always surprised with the things they come up with.

Well, I put of the inevitable for as long as I could. Tomorrow is my 1st day back to work. I am thankful that it will only be a 3 day work week and 4 next week. It will give me a chance to ease back into the swing of things and let me keep enjoying the baby for a bit longer. This is dh's last week and we are so excited. Things will be tight but we will be stronger for it. God has always provided and our struggles have brought us closer. Keep us in your prayers as we try to launch this business and get the farm to a sustainable place. The Lord seems to be growing a customer base and I am going to try to keep up with it. :) Praise God for His many blessings.



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Scortched Earth & God's Grace *Pics*

Dh went to secure the back barn doors when he noticed some smoke in our east pasture next to the house. It was a strange place to see smoke as we don't do anything on that side yet. But there it was huge flames engulfing the weeds and as he dove in circles trying desperately to knock them down and put them out, he noticed that the fire had spread further back towards the pole barn. Realising he could not do it alone, he called 911.

While all this commotion was going on I was sitting peacefully in my room posting pics and checking email. I was completely oblivious to the whole situation, I didn't even smell any smoke. The children ran into my room and announced that the fire department was here and I immediately got up. Then they told me that they had already put out the fire, I was a bit more frantic now as I was not aware of any fire. They took me to the window and I could see the trucks right next to my room still spraying water, though there was no more flames.

I thank God for his protection and mercy. Pics to follow.




UPDATE:
And of course with all the smoke dh never saw the mud and now the car is stuck, UGH!!






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Moving in faith

For the past few months we have been praying about a business opportunity that presented itself. We have recently been working on the business plan and have since opted against borrowing money to get it started. We will try to go into this debt free, but we were not sure where we would find the money. We prayed about that last night and this morning the answer was there. We were so thrilled.

I was chatting with a friend about some recent articles I had felt led to read and they all had to do with sleep or the lack of it. I began to realise that my hubby has been going without for far too long and I had been seeing the effects for sometime. I was conflicted as I didn't know what I was to do with this information, I describe it as the feeling you get when something is on the tip of your tongue but you can't quite get it out. I knew it was there but what was it I was it.

Figuring that it would eventually come to me I put it aside and began working on the money. I called the company and was not very pleased with what they had to say, the options were very clear; either dh quits his job and we get the money or we could lie and they will give us less than half. Well, my God doesn't operate in lies so dh is putting in his notice tonight. Oh and as I thought about it further I realised that it was the answer I was trying to figure out with the sleep too. I serve a funny God :)

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Working though the details

I decided to start a business but wow are there a lot of little details. This post is short and is mainly a praise report, we were able to get the well fixed, we got a new washing machine and dishwasher and a much needed lawn mower. God is good and He surely provides.

It's my Birthday!!! YAY!!

Happy Birthday to me :) Today I am 30 and I must say it feels like took forever to get here, lol. I have never really understood the problem people have with getting older, personally I don't mind it so much. I could do without the extra aches and pains but I am thankful to be rid of the aches and pains of childhood too. I have lived life to the fullest as best I could and may few (if any) apologies for it. I hope not to lose that willingness to risk it all for the things I feel passionate about. Hope you have a blessed day today :)

A year ago today

We signed the papers for our little farm. As I sit here listening to Sammy bark at who knows what, I remember the joy that filled us and the anxious feeling that carried through till it was all done at 4pm. God is great, His love is endless and His grace is sufficient. I wish you every blessing this fine day and pray that neither your house nor mine, be disrupted by chaos. :)

On a side note, our well pump is having some issues, and we are going to have to have someone out to take a look. Please pray that whatever the problem, it is one that can be easily (read: cheaply = cost, not quality) be repaired/replaced. :)

Oh and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SWEETIEPIE!!! She was our first calf:)

Stories that give us hope :)

How 1 Autistic Young Man Runs a Business
By Nancy Shute

Joe Steffy is off to Overland Park, Kan., this week to do a PowerPoint presentation on his business, Poppin' Joe's Kettle Korn. He's a 23-year-old small-business man with a goal of $100,000 in sales by 2012. Joe also has autism and Down syndrome and is nonverbal. When he gives his talk, he will push buttons on an augmentative speech device to deliver the words. His audience will be parents who fervently hope their own special-needs children will be able to work, too.


Joe's parents, Ray and Janet, didn't agree with the school district assessment in their home town of Louisburg, Kan., that said Joe would never be able to work or live independently. "I'm one who can easily get ticked off," says Ray. "That ticked me off. We saw more in Joe than that. We set out to prove to the school that he had capabilities." They came across kettle corn while on a trip to Alaska and realized that all that popping, scooping, and serving suited Joe's love of work.


The path to Joe Steffy's success was not an easy one; Ray Steffy worked closely with Dave Hammis, an advocate for self-employment for people with disabilities in Middletown, Ohio, who trains business owners, government employees, and parents on how to make use of state and federal programs. The Steffys wrote up a business plan and helped Joe secure $25,000 in grants from programs like Social Security Administration's Plan to Achieve Self-Support program (PASS).


In 2005, Poppin' Joe's Kettle Korn was born. Sales have grown from $16,000 in 2005 to $50,000 in 2008, both from selling at festivals and from delivering popcorn to local outlets. Joe has five part-time employees, and his parents help out with driving and other tasks. "Pop and everyone that works with him knows whatever Joe wants to do you let him do, because he's the boss," Ray says. "If he wants to pop, he'll shove Dad out of the way and pop."


If the business stays on track, it should be grossing more than $100,000 in three years, and the Steffys are seeking a business partner who can work with Joe to manage the business. Joe is no longer on Social Security disability payments; instead, he pays state sales tax and state and federal income tax. He rents his own house and is helped by caregivers who are paid by a state program.


"It's been hard work, from the standpoint of physical work," says Ray Steffy, who is 67. "But a parent with a child like Joe has a choice. You can either kick in and do this kind of thing, or you can sit and fret emotionally with the amount of energy, worrying about what's going to happen to them."


The payoff for that effort, as far as the Steffys are concerned, has been priceless. They see their son make a local popcorn delivery, accept payment, fold it, and put it in his pocket. When he walks out, his dad says, Joe looks 3 inches taller than when he walked in.

Story Courtesy of Yahoo News

He ALWAYS provides :)

Have I told you lately how funny God is? No? Well, HE is. Dh has been wanting the really warm jumpsuits that they sell at Wallyworld but they were so expensive. Last week we were excited to see them marked down to $25, but then found ourselves unable to afford it. We were bummed :( When payday rolled around we were excited again, until we got there and found that they were sold out. :( I got a call from Dh on his way home from work and he immediately proclaimed, "Today is a great day, God is good". Half asleep, I agreed and attempted to go back to sleep, but he kept talking. Turns out they got more of the jumpsuits in an marked them down yet again to $15 and the warm jackets were marked down from $35 to $11, he got both :) Now he can finish out the "Swing" season and put them up for next winter as planned. :)