Our Day of Miracles

For some reason I find it hard to find the time to sit down and write, but like a long lost friend I always return here to share the biggest stories of this life I am blessed to call mine.

We woke up late, too late to make it to church on time.  It was Father's Day and we had plans to meet friends for brunch, an adult only time to catch up with a couple that has shared life with us for the past 23 years.  The sun was already beating down on us.... it was going to be another hot day.

It was a slow morning for us, just taking the time to relax and appreciate the time we were spending together as a family.  The boys decided they wanted to go ride their dirt bikes before the heat of the sun chased their fun back into the house.

I heard the bikes start up and drive passed the house on their way to the back of the property, their adventure for the morning just starting.  I had taken a shower already and was slowly getting ready for the day.  Some time passed and Kevin decided to jump in the shower before we had to meet our friends.

The shower turned on, Kev jumped in and a moment later I entered to continue getting ready. I had shut the door behind me and I hear "Mom...Mom" with a soft knock to the door.  I open it and there stands Tyler with his helmet on looking at me with eyes that weren't focusing. The portion of his face that I could see was white as a ghost.  "Mom, get this helmet off me." His voice was barely a whisper.  "Ty, what happened?" "Mom I fell." It was at that point that I got scared and realized something happened.

I yelled at Kevin in the shower to come help me, I knew that if I didn't get Tyler sitting, he would be laying on the floor passed out.  I was struggling to get his helmet off, but those things are so dang tight and he is taller than me now and I wasn't having any luck with it.  I started peppering Tyler with questions and Kevin jumped out of the shower and raced to us.  Kevin had his helmet off in an instant and I still trying to figure out what happened to him, we quickly got him sitting on the couch.  It was there that we saw it...

"Tyler, are you in pain anywhere?" I don't remember who asked that question, I think Kevin did.  "My arm hurts" he said in a small voice.  I remember vividly his arm laying on the armrest of the couch, looking up at Kevin and saying "we are going in." No question that he had done something to his arm, no question that with all my medical knowledge and love of healing the body with the gifts God gave us, essential oils and nutrition, that I was not the who would kiss this hurt from my son.  I wasn't going to be the one who could take this hurt away and help it heal.

Kevin said "we need to make a splint somehow."  I told him to go out to the granary and get a piece of wood that he can rest his arm on.  He then said "we need to make a sling somehow."  Jilli who I didn't even realize was in the room with us, pipes up "I got an idea!" Off she ran to her room.  Honestly at this point things are a little fuzzy.  Kevin somehow managed to finish his shower in record time (he had been clothed with a towel this whole time) and make a splint for Tyler out of two thin pieces of wood, then taped the ends with duck tape to soften the edges so as not to hurt Tyler's delicate arm.  Jilli came down with a scrap piece of fabric that we used as a sling to support the splint.  I ran outside to find out where Micah was and to somehow try and get Tyler's dirt bike back home.

As I was running towards the back of the property I see Micah slowly trying to push a dirt bike that had large chunks of earth wedged in it all over the place.  I asked him if he was okay and he said yes, then he asked if I could go back and get his bike, it was by the edge of the woods.  I ran to grab his bike and ride it back to the garage all the while trying to figure out where this accident happened, I couldn't see any evidence of where Tyler fell.  With the grass gardens that where all over Tyler's bike I figured it would be easy to spot chunks of earth missing... but as I scanned the area, I saw nothing.

We quickly got Tyler buckled in the car (it's been years since I had to buckle a child in) and raced off to the Emergency Room.  Once there x-rays were quickly taken, Kevin went back with him to have those done. They were back in our room in 5 minutes and Kevin said, "Oh yeah, it's broke."  The X-ray had cause Tyler quite a bit of pain. His adrenalin was dying off and his body was now starting to come to terms with what had happened.  He started feeling nauseous, he needed to lay back on the bed, he started to feel cold.  The nurse gave him orange juice, saltine crackers, and peanut butter to try and get something in his stomach (he hadn't eaten breakfast). When he started feeling dizzy she went and got him a coke to spike his sugar up.  We had a good laugh how he had to go to the hospital to get a "death drink", that's what I refer to pop as, I stopped buying pop so the kids only get it when we go out to eat now.  **The removal of pop, which is just one of many forbidden foods, was eliminated from our house after Kevin's encounter with the ER and follow up doctor's visit... that is another story I'll have to write about.**

After the ER doc received confirmation from the Orthopedic Surgeon to just splint it and he would set it in the office, Tyler was splinted and we left the hospital the nurses commenting to us separately on how Tyler was the most polite 12 year old they had ever seen.  It was a proud parent moment, that even in excruciating pain, my son was respectful and polite.

The doctor had told us that once Tyler was in a splint, his pain would drop, his arm would feel better being secure and I think she was right because as we were walking out to the car, Tyler started joking with us again.  At this point it had been over 4 hours removed from the accident, 4 hours of not one single joke from Tyler.  If you knew Tyler at all, you would know that he communicates with jokes, that's his language and for him to not utter one small joke, you know he isn't himself.

We arrived home and Tyler was feeling well enough to walk us back to the site of the accident and show us what happened.  We have farm irrigation ditches that cross our property and that of our neighbors.  Just before the woods start there is a ditch that runs right along the tree line.  I will not be able to explain this with mere words, you would have to walk the land and see it yourself to grasp not only what happened, but also the miracle that took place that morning.

There is a line of trees that 'T' into the irrigation ditch that runs along the tree line.  There is a space thats big enough for the tractors and trucks to drive between the trees and ditch.  Tyler was turning, going a little too fast, hit sand and wasn't able to turn tight enough.  He was heading for the ditch, there is tall grass that is on the side of the ditch, Tyler thought that he had turned enough that he cleared the ditch, so he straightened his tire out to go straight into the woods where he would turn around and catch up to Micah who was just ahead of him.  But the tall grass concealed the end of the ditch and his front tire just caught it and into the ditch he went.

The ditch is a good 4 ft deep, on one side of it lay concrete blocks to "hold up" the side.  Those blocks have probably been in there for eighty years and are breaking, so there is a lot of jagged edges.  As Tyler flew into the ditch his bike fell on his legs, because his arm had broken in the fall, he had no strength when he tried to push himself up to get the bike off of him.

This is the point that I start to see the miracles... 1st, in how Tyler fell, he didn't hit one piece of the concrete, his head never hit a thing.  His helmet still looks brand new.  2nd, Micah, my sweet big hearted son, who was riding ahead of Tyler somehow, over the loudness of his bike engine and the helmet that deafens the noise, heard Tyler's bike turn off.  He had his bike stopped not 50 ft from where Tyler went into the ditch.  3rd, He ran to his brother, pulled the bike off of him and helped him get up out of the ditch.  These bikes aren't huge, but there is definitely some weight there and Micah is still growing into a man, he maybe tall, but that is what his body has been putting all it's energy into... not into growing muscles yet.  4th, Tyler was able to walk himself all the way home from the back of our property without passing out.

I want to share just a glimpse of the brother Micah is... He not only heard Tyler's bike turn off, he didn't even question whether or not he should keep riding, he stopped to make sure Tyler was okay.  Then after pulling his brother out of the ditch and sending him on his way home, he pulled that bike out of the ditch and pushed it back to the garage.  Folks, that not a little distance and pushing a bike that is full of earth and not rolling easily, in the heat, was the work that only a determined person can do.  Honestly, I think I would have left it there and drove the truck out back to get it.  As he pushed the bike back he started to notice that Tyler was leaving a trail of gloves and goggles.  Ty had taken them off one by one on his way back to the house, he was tucking them under his broken arm (which he had no idea was broken) his arm of course had no strength and dropped the items as Tyler placed them there. Micah picked up all those items and carried them back with him.  As we were at the hospital, Micah went back out in the heat and slowly started to remove all the clumps of dirt and grass from the bike, trying to clean it up for Tyler.  We never asked him to do it, he never told us he did it... Later in the day when we went to go look at the bike, I didn't know which one had gone in the ditch because it was all cleaned up.  Micah had to come tell us which one it was and thats when he told us he cleaned it up while we were gone.  Micah became more of a man that day, not only making quick decisions, assessing a very scary situation, using muscles God has yet to bless him with, working hard to get all the bikes/gear back home, cleaning up the mess, and never asking or being told to do a single thing.  Age never dictates if your a man or not, actions do.  I have seen boys finally become men in their 40's and I have seen boy's become men in their early teens.

Fast forward 4 days to Tyler's doctors appointment with the orthopedic surgeon... they took another X-ray when we arrived, Kevin went with him again and as soon as they were back with me Kevin said "it looks way better than it did."  When the doctor came into the room, she said that interestingly enough, the bone popped itself back in place (5th miracle) and so he didn't need surgery!  They cast him and we were sent on our way.  We are to go back the second to last week of July to get the cast removed and for a brace to get put on (thats only 4 weeks from when it was cast)!

Tyler has not once complained about being in a cast, he hasn't complained about all the things he can't do, he is always trying to figure out a way to do things himself.  He even is going to attempt cleaning a house with me next week because he said he needs to start earning money again. So, we are going to give him the easier tasks and see how his does.... Oh have I mentioned he broke his right arm!  That's his dominate arm, but it's a good thing that he is pretty ambidextrous.

Although, this accident caused a broken arm, it could have been so much worse and even though a broken arm in never fun, we can totally see God's hand weaving it's way through the day and all that happened.  We can see His arm of protection that surrounded our son when we weren't there to protect him.  We can see how he opened Micah's ears to hear Tyler's bike when it stopped, how he gave him strength.  We can see Him even in how he put Tyler's bone back together with out the assistance of the doctor.  I am sure many people would think I'm a little off my rocker with all these "God sightings", saying that I'm looking for miracles where there isn't any.  My response to them would be...

Come walk with me, let me show you where it happened.  Then lets take a little ride on the bikes so you can hear... or better yet... not hear the other bike while we ride.  I'll even let you push one bike all they way back to my home without earth gumming up the gears.  Lets sit and let me tell you about my Father, the one who was riding right along with my boys, as it all took place.  The one who helped lift, the one who walked besides my son as his body was broken and hurting.  If after all of that you still can't see that miracles were surrounding us that day, and the days that followed, I will send you on your way, praying that God will open your eyes in His perfect time to all that He has done in your life and all that He is doing for you because even though I claim to be His daughter... you are His child too, even if you don't see it yet.  I will pray that He will also open your ears, like He did Micah's on the bike, to hear His voice whisper how much He loves you...



 

Spring Time

I need to follow up on my last post back in February... Yikes that was a long time ago!  My leg is healed, Praise God, and I have full range of motion back!  I was told it could take about 8-9 months to get back 90% of my range of motion, but it only took about 2 months.  So thankful that I was healed!

Spring has sprung here on the farm.  I have flowers peeking their heads up, leaves that are starting to unfurl, I have lots of seeds started for my garden and even some plants planted in the garden, chickens that have ramped up their laying, and kittens... yes KITTENS!!

Earlier this spring we had a roller coaster ride with our cat Phantom.  Long story short, he licked something toxic, and then ate a nerf dart that got lodged in his intestines.  He was touch and go for about 2 weeks.  He had 2 major surgeries and lots of drugs to try and get him better.  The vets were all amazed that he pulled through.  About a week before all that happened, he "got together" with Clover (Jilli's girl cat).  We were hoping that she was pregnant because quite honestly he didn't think he would make it (he had been in kidney failure even before any of the surgeries).  

Great news all the way around, Phantom made it and Clover was pregnant!  Last Wednesday (April 27th), Clover gave birth to 6 kittens in an hour and a half!  It was a very exciting night for Jilli and I.  The boys weren't really "into" the whole birth thing and only wanted to know how many kittens we had.  It was a pretty depressing week since Tim, Melissa, and Lina were all here and we weren't really able to spend any time with them since there was a lot of sickness in our house.  Jilli and Kevin didn't even get to see them :(  So these babies were our little blast of joy during such a disappointing week.

The babies are so cute! Clover is such a good Momma too!

Each kitten is a little different, except there are two that look to be twins and they came one right after the other one, but who really knows.  One of the black kitten's two back feet have white tips, one black one has white on it's tummy, then there is a tiger cat that looks like it's daddy Phantom, and then a light gray baby that looks like Clover's sister Sparky (Micah's cat that was killed by a car).  I am already seeing personalities coming through which is so amazing to watch!

Later this month we will add to our flock of chickens with 6 more chicks.  Looking forward to increasing my flock since I am having a hard time keeping up the demand for their eggs!

I love this time of year when everything starts to wake up and new life is born, such an exciting time!  I'm looking forward to sharing more of our little kittens as they grow and our new chicks when they arrive!

Blessings!!

Healing Up

I have been a little out of commission for the past few weeks.  I took a bad fall and was unable to walk for about 3 weeks.  I am getting around better now, however my leg is still quite sore and doesn't allow for a full range of motion yet.  When blogging I sit on a hard chair and well... I just haven't been able to stand the pain of sitting on it for any length of time.  That is the reason why I haven't updated my blog lately.  Hopefully I will be able to put up a new post soon!  Lots has happened here!!!

The Adventures on the Farm Continue..

Last night Micah went to go look for ice cream in our basement freezer.  He came running back up saying there was something flying in the basement.

Who was going to go investigate this situation?  Let me set the stage...

The family stood in the kitchen, 4 had wide eyes and the "I'm not going down there look" on their faces.  The decision had been made without a word being spoken, it was up to me to go down into the dark basement to discover what was flying around.  I armed myself with the first thing I could think of that I might need to "take care" of the situation... an empty pizza box.  Yup, I went armed with a pizza box.  Sadly, my weapon of choice, a tennis racket, we do not own.

I lead the troops back downstairs.  Kevin grabbed a pizza box too, and I was really proud that he and the kids followed me down as my backup.  I told them all to stay low, bats usually fly towards the ceiling, and we started searching to see if we could find this black-winged flyer.

We came up empty handed.  Couldn't find that creature anywhere.  As we come back upstairs Micah was a bit worried about the bat.  He says "doesn't bats carry rabies?" I asked him what the other name for rabies was, he replies "hydrophobia." It is so fascinating to me that after we learn about something, life has a way of bringing it back up.

We had watched Old Yeller a few weeks previous and then just the day before we learned all about Louis Pasteur. He was a French Chemist that discovered a vaccine for anthrax and Rabies (pasteurization is named after him as well).  He was thrown into a situation where a Russian doctor brought a little boy who had been bitten by a rabid animal.  Pasteur had a choice to make, either he could walk away from this little boy and the boy would die, or he could try to save him with the vaccine he had been working on which could kill the boy or save his life.  He opted to try and save his life.  Pasteur has quite an amazing story, he was made fun of most of his life for his beliefs of washing hands, boiling medical instruments, and vaccines.  But he believed in what he was doing and never gave up... his unwavering determination saved thousands if not millions.

Anyway, this is the second time someone has seen a flying creature in the basement.  Both times the witness came running back up instead of staying and seeing where the bat went.  Bats can fit through ridiculously small holes/cracks, for those of you that haven't seen my basement... basically my whole basement fits that criteria!

Even with the bats, I'm thankful for this old house and the adventures we are having here!
 

2016

We made it through 2015... what will 2016 look like?

Yesterday the kids and I read a story about a little boy named Charlie.  Charlie was a boy who was spoiled by his parents.  His father asked him to help with harvesting the oats.  Rain was coming and they would lose the harvest if they didn't get it done in time.  Charlie went out to the field and ended up causing all kinds of trouble.  He hid tools his dad needed, he disobeyed what his father told him to do.  His father finally told him to leave.  As Charlie left he screamed, his father dropped what he was doing and ran to him.  Charlie laughed.... as you can probably guess, this story was like the boy who cried wolf.  Charlie did it two more times and both times his father found him laughing.  Then Charlie screamed and jumped up and down over and over.  His father saw him an decided he was just pretending again.  He left him alone.  Charlie kept screaming and jumping, screaming and jumping.  Finally his father went to go see what the fuss was all about.  Charlie had stepped into a yellow jackets nest and was being stung hundreds of times.  Yellow jackets had gotten under all his clothes and were stinging him all over his body. 

The story about Charlie is a true one.  It happened in the 1860's.  Charlie survived, but his body bore the marks of his disobedience.

This story had so many lessons for us to learn.  I could go on and on about the herbs used to bring down his fever, the mud that was smeared all over him to bring down his swelling.  Yellow Jackets are very interesting insects if you really study them (which we did yesterday).  We had our own run in with a yellow jacket's nest in a straw bale in the barn.  When Kevin moved it he was attacked, but he got away with only 4 stings (we thank God for that, it could have been so much worse). But the lesson that touched my heart the most yesterday was Listening and obeying your father.

The 5th Commandment is Honor your Father and Mother so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.  Charlie's parents never taught him how to honor and obey them.  They allowed him to throw fits and get his way.  During all of his acting up his father did not once discipline him.

Most of you know that I am a big stickler for obedience.  Drives me crazy to see children deliberately disobey their parents, throw fits to get their way, whine to manipulate situations.  I am not perfect, I am not the perfect parent, but I have strived hard to lay a good foundation of obedience for my children.  Why? Because not only does it make life so much easier, my children are (usually) a joy to be with, but it also lays the foundation of listening to their Heavenly Father and obeying Him.  

In this world that is so upside-down I think the word "obey" has so many negative connotations.  People hear that word and immediately their hearts start pumping and rebellion is stirred in their souls.  We are a people, a culture, that wants to do what we want when we want.  We don't want anyone else telling us what to do or how to live.  I get that... trust me, a rebellious spirit is strong in me.  However, when your in a loving relationship, when you know that other person has your best interests at heart, you want to obey.  

A kind word turns away wrath... often with my kids, all it takes is my tone of voice and a kind word and the anger is diffused, the misunderstanding is resolved and my kids are happy to do what I have asked.  Obeying isn't a negative thing.  It a good thing.

Being obedient often times keeps us safe.  When I tell my children to look both ways before crossing the street, it's important they follow by instructions.  Especially on our street!  When I tell my child not to touch the pan on the stove or the curling iron on the counter.  It's to keep them from burning themselves.  If I tell them not to look at the TV when a horrible commercial comes on, it's to guard their eyes/mind from things they just don't need to see.  When I tell them to put on their lifejackets before swimming in big waves in Lake Michigan, it's to keep them from drowning.  What parents wouldn't set out guidelines for their children to follow to keep them safe?  Same is true with God.  He gives us guidelines to keep us safe.

By not doing what his father had instructed, Charlie had stepped out of God's protection and covering for himself.  I don't know if Charlie learned a lesson from his actions, I pray he did.  We all have walked away from the covering of protection at some point in our life.  Some of us quickly come back, some of us take a lot longer... 

Looking ahead at 2016, there are a lot of very real and scary things that are coming our way, as a country, as a world.  It is my prayer that my family and friends be living in the Will of God.  Or I could say living in obedience with God.  For there is no safer place to be.  Just like a child, I don't know all the dangers that lurk in this world ( fast cars, hot pans, strong waves...), but my Father knows and he will call a warning or give instruction to me if I need to be brought back under his protection. 

God will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.  Psalm 91:4

May you see God's protective hand over your lives this year, may you find safety in His will and may He bless your life in ways you could never have imagined.

~Lyn

Our Family Pictures

Family pictures.... UGH!  It doesn't matter who you are, how old your children are, they are always work to get a good picture.  What makes a good picture?  It is different for each family.  Most people like everyone smiling at the camera.  Thats what the typical traditional family picture usually looks like.

It's been over 2 months ago that my friend came out to our house to take our family pictures.  It's been 5 years since our last one.  How did so much time go by without taking one??  Oh, I remember... It's STRESSFUL planning family pictures.  Organizing outfits that everyone likes and will wear, getting a time everyone can be together before the sun is to low in the sky, making sure everyone is ready to smile for the next hour... the list goes on.

Let me give you a snapshot of my three very different children.

Micah- I will stand where you tell me and smile when you tell me, lets just get this done as quick as possible.

Tyler- I might stand or sit or squat in the area around where you want me, I might smile or make a funny face or give you a blank stare.  I will joke and make it much more painful for Micah who just wants to get done, because that makes me laugh and smile and that's what Mom wants from me, a nice smile.

Jilli- I will stand where you tell me and a few other places that I think would be cool.  I will smile when you want me too and also give you a serious face, and a half smile.  I will make slight adjustments while your taking pictures to make sure we get the best angle.  I am happy as long as the camera is taking pictures.

Now throw in Kevin who is more like Micah but with a little more patience for Tyler's antics.  Then there is me, who is more like Jilli because you can never have too many pictures, but lets not have this take all night and lets just listen and follow the photographers instructions because she knows what she is seeing.

As you can see, it's a recipe for a disasterous photo session, but that's the dynamics we are dealing with and honestly, I got a lot of really great pictures (despite all the crazy) that I am having a hard time deciding which ones I want hanging on my walls.

I do want to share my favorite with you.  Back to the whole "traditional family picture", I am not like most people.  I would hang this on my wall because it is exactly what our family looks like right now.  However, the one reason I might pick a different picture to enlarge and hang is because there is one head that is missing.... but if you know Tyler, you know that this is the most perfect picture EVER.  His head isn't in it, but everyone knows that he is the center of attention and making everyone laugh.

So there is a sneak peek at our family picture.  I will probably share more as I slowly choose my favorites, and maybe, just maybe I'll update the pictures on my blog!

Blessings!!

Missing Cats and My Ladies.

I promised I would be writing more... so I'm going to try and stick to that.

Thursday night we all went to bed like any other night.  We woke up the next morning and WhiteSocks was no where to be found.  We didn't think anything of it because he is often off hunting in the morning.  As the day went on and he still wasn't around we started getting a little concerned.  By the evening we were all upset, because it isn't usual for him to go missing all day.

Friday night Kevin and I put the kids to bed then went driving in the neighborhood across the street looking for him.  This is the same neighborhood that he went to the last time he went missing.  We couldn't find him.  Saturday morning Kevin went hiking in the woods behind our house looking for him.  Then we walked through the neighborhood as a family calling and looking for him.  Saturday night Kevin went driving again and at one point he did see a cat in an open field.  He jumped out of the car all excited that he found WhiteSocks, but it was a black cat that went running away as soon as he heard Kevin's excited calls.

Sunday morning dawned and Kevin and I got up early to go looking for him again.  Kevin went out in the garage to go start the car and get it warmed up when he noticed a very thirsty kitty drinking water and then going after the kitty food.

The kids were all up getting ready for church when we all heard Kevin come flying in the door hooping and hollering holding WhiteSocks.  He had been missing for 48 hours.  Where did that stinker go??  PopPop said he went to see his girlfriend, we just laughed until.....

Last night the boys were at youth group and we had to go pick them up.  It was dark, we hopped in the car and turned on the headlights to see 3 pairs of glowing eyes looking at us.  Two pairs were belonging to our beloved WhiteSocks and Phantom (his brother), the other pair was belonging to a cat we tried to rescue 5 weeks ago, we named her "Momma Cat".  

She was a ferrel cat that had been living in the city.  The people who's deck she had been living under, wanted a better place for her and her daughter "Boots" and also Momma Cats brother, "Uncle".  We took all three of them in, but Momma Cat bolted within minutes of arriving on our farm.  We thought she was long gone.  Well.... she is back and causing a little bit of jealously between WhiteSocks and Phantom.  

We have no idea what to think about the new situation, or how this is all going to play out.  Last night we locked all our kitty's in our garage so that we knew they wouldn't run off in the middle of the night.  We are also investigating gps tracking system for our cats.... I know, I know, they are just barn cats but Kevin cannot handle anymore missing kitties.  So, our "barn cats" will probably be going high-tech for Christmas.

We also have some exciting news and it comes in the form of brown EGGS!!  Yup that is right, my ladies are starting to lay!!  So far we have collected around 27 eggs.  I think only 3 or 4 of my ladies are laying right now.  

Each morning is kind of like a redneck easter egg hunt.  My chickens don't follow the norm when it comes to chickens.  They don't roost up high at night and they don't like to lay their their eggs in their nesting baskets.  They are forming little "nests" on the ground in the coop and laying the eggs.  Which can be rather difficult to spot being that there is all dried leaves in there as "bedding".  All the brown colors makes the eggs quite camouflaged.  Then we have one chicken that prefers to go up high on a wood shelf and lay her eggs there.  Nice soft place to lay... NOT!

I can't tell you how rewarding it is to have fresh eggs just a few short steps from my backdoor.  I will have to take some pictures of where the girls are laying their eggs to show you.  One of the awesome benefits to having my own eggs is that I can keep them on my counter.  No more taking eggs out of the fridge and letting them get to room temperature before baking!!  I can't tell you how many times I set out to bake and forget the eggs in the fridge and scrap the whole project because I won't have time to let them warm up before I have to leave.  

Quick farm lesson... When a chicken lays an egg, there is a protective coating around the egg called the bloom.  It keeps bacteria from getting through the shell.  Commercial eggs you buy from the store have all had this bloom washed off of it.  That is why 1. you have to refrigerate your eggs and 2. you are more likely to get sick off of raw store bought eggs.  Also, it takes weeks to get an egg from the chicken to the store, so it's already pretty old by the time we have a chance to buy them.  

Isn't the bloom amazing?!  The more I learn and experience, the more in awe of God I am and how he cared enough to create the bloom to protect a little egg, except that bloom not only protects the egg, but it protects me from getting sick from an egg riddled with bacteria!  Mind blowing... Creator God in all of his wisdom created the smallest of details that impacts so much!  

That's about all for today.  Hope you enjoyed the cat saga... and the farm lesson, I'll keep you updated on any latest developments.  

Blessings!!

Catching Up, It's Been Awhile

Wow, I don't think I have ever gone this long without blogging.  Time slips away and I, for some reason,  never sit down and write.  My days are taken up with my children, lessons, farm chores, regular household chores, cleaning homes, baking, and anything else that needs to happen.

New things that have happened here on our farm:  WE HAVE HEAT!  Some of you know that our furnace/air went out early this spring.  All of the duct work had to be removed because it was just an awful example of a homeowner special.  Because we have to basically put in a whole new system, it will cost a.lot.of.money.  Money that we don't have right this minute.  Now I'm gonna be honest, I never thought to pray for a furnace, I prayed for the money for the furnace, but not specifically for a furnace.  Then on the second Sunday of November, we had missionaries come and speak, one of the things they talked about what how they pray for everything.  So I thought, well, if they can pray for all those things, maybe I should pray for a furnace, so during prayer time, I prayed for a furnace.  After church Kevin went and talked to the heating and cooling guy to touch base with him about our situation.  He in turn tells Kevin that they just removed a furnace that the heat exchanger cracked on it.  It was still under warrantee so the heat exchanger was replaced for free, but the homeowner still wanted a new furnace so they removed the fixed furnace from the home and they were wondering if we would like it installed in our home.

On Thursday of this past week, our new to us furnace was installed.  It's a little redneck, we don't have duct work yet, so it blows hot air into our basement and the heat just rises to our main floor and the upstairs, but it is keeping our house fairly warm and we are so grateful for the furnace and the men who installed it!

Last year at this time a woman from our church was talking about her trip to Africa and she said, in Africa they serve a Big God.  God is everything to them.  Here in America, we don't need God, because we have everything.  Here in America, we put God in a box and don't ask him for the big things.  Lesson learn.  I'm gonna start praying even for the things that seem silly, like a furnace!

Yesterday, we took a drive as a family.  We like to just wander around and see where we end up.  We drove by a sign that said "The Only Possession You Can Take With You To Heaven Is Your Children."  Wow, that one really hit me.  That one little sign put things into perspective for me very quickly.  They are the only thing on this earth that I have a potential to take with me when I die.  My heart is meditating on that... it's an overwhelming thought to me.

Romeo had to have surgery to remove a fatty tumor that had broken open and was bleeding.  Today I had to bring him back to have his sutures removed and have the vet look at him to make sure all was healing ok.  Which it was.  I am so thankful that it wasn't any big deal and our Romey is doing great! I can't imagine losing him yet.  He is such a GREAT dog!  He loves our cats, chickens and children!  He brings so much love and joy to our family.

I have more to write, but time is again slipping away and we have things to do and places to go.  I will try harder to make a point to stop and write.  I have so much to share...

Blessings!

A Daddy and his Little Girl

Most important relationship in a little girls life is the one she has with her Daddy.  Momma's have a huge role, but the Daddy, he is the one that has the biggest influence on his little girl.

Jilli and I have a beautiful relationship.  She is so much like me that I get worried at times.  I pray she has some of her Daddy's great qualities and not so many of my short comings.  She is as happy cooking and baking in the kitchen as she is out in the barn cleaning it or playing with the animals.  She will make a wonderful wife some day.  But as much as we are together and as much as we do together, it's her Daddy that she looks to for acceptance and worth.

The smile that Jilli gets when her Daddy tells her she looks beautiful is nothing like the smile I get when I tell her she looks beautiful.  The joy she bubbles over with when her Daddy tells her she has done a good job has no comparison.  You see, her Daddy is the man, the man who's job it is to show her how a man should treat a lady.  It's her Daddy's job to show her how it feels to be well cared for.  It's her Daddy's job to give her a picture of what she should look for in a husband.  And it's her Daddy's job to give her a healthy picture of the Love that her Abba Father has for her.  I think that's the most important job a Daddy has... to teach his daughter about her Heavenly Father and the love she feels from her earthly father doesn't even compare to the love her Heavenly Father has for her.  It's  the most precious gift a Daddy can give his daughter, the gift of knowledge of her Father God.

So any time I see the special spark between a daddy and his daughter it puts a smile on my face.  I love to watch daddy's love their children, especially their daughters.  I see my brother as one of those Daddy's that has that special relationship with his little girl.  She lights up his life... even at 5am when she wakes everyone up because she is ready for the day to start!  I have several videos that I took of Tim and Lina together that I still watch and smile.  One in particular was when Tim had his guitar and was strumming a song on it and she came right up and started dancing and then she tried to strum the guitar and he changed the chords as she "played" the song.  It was so sweet to watch.  I am so disappointed that I only took a quick picture with my phone of the two of them.  Like I said I have videos of them playing the guitar, and at tumble class playing basketball together.  I took this picture the first day I arrived.  Lina was a little shy around me at first and so she had tucked herself close to the person who she knew would keep her safe.

It didn't take her long to warm up to me though.. she was throwing balls at me and laughing in her mischievous way not long after I took this picture.

Sweet Face

Over the course of my New York posts you will see the many faces of Lina.  Every one is adorable but don't let her sweet face fool you!  This little girl has spunk and an adventurous spirit that is hard to contain!  She will also let you know when she doesn't like something you are making her do.  It's a good thing I have gone to battle with a few strong wills in my 13 years of motherhood so I was not taken by surprise the first time we had a disagreement.  It's all about learning boundaries.  Most kids test those boundaries, they need to, they are trying to figure out their place in this world.  If I wasn't tested by a child I would worry about that child.

The key to the testing, is very basic.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

The other day I was sitting with a group of Moms.  One of them has a little girl who is 2.  She is adorable little blond hair blue eyed bundle of sugar that turns very opinionated the minute her Momma tells her no.  As soon as the little girl starts to object (by making loud noises, crying or even throwing an object) the Momma tries to pacify her by giving her other options or giving into her tantrum.  One of the other Momma's swooped in and very quickly told this young mother that her no has to be no.  You can't be wishy washy, give in or allow the child to throw a fit and get their way.  My Mom watched this all take place and in her very loving way told her that this other Momma was right.  You need to place boundaries around your kids, it takes work, especially if they have thrown a fit and gotten their way.  But the blessings in the long run outlast the work right now.  There is nothing I love to hear more than when someone tells me that my children are polite and well behaved.    I can't tell you how many waitresses have come up to Kevin and I and said "your children have been the most behaved children we have had in here in a long time."  Now my kids aren't angels, and Kevin and I aren't that great of parents.  We just followed the ageless advice of "let your yes be yes and your no be no." It's amazing how that one piece of parenting advice can change a whole family dynamic.  Once your kids know that no is no, there isn't fits of rage, there isn't screaming and throwing themselves on the floor.  I have seen some doozies over the years and walk away shaking my head because really, that child doesn't feel loved when they get their way.  It might be a momentary gloating, but really deep down they want boundaries, they want structure, it makes children feel safe and loved.

Well that was a rabbit trail I hadn't intended to write about... Let me show you some of the cuteness that I had to photograph.

We were getting a little reading in before nap time, but she is such a silly thing that she kept squealing and laughing.

Warning... the pictures that follow are are almost to cute to handle.  Her sweet face just begs to be kissed!

Love that little girl....