Today I count blessings!

Today, I count my blessings.  First and above all, we have a healthy strong baby niece or nephew growing as we speak in Mama's belly.  If you look closely at the picture below, focus in on the beautiful Mama on the right.  This is my sister in law Gena, and that there bump on her belly is her first baby, who will be 24 weeks this Thursday.  Baby Tucker Wade or Ivy Grace has given us quite the scare this last week and today I am blessed to have a beautiful, strong sister in law with a healthy bun still in the oven.  I can't wait to see who baby will grow to be, I just know he will be that kid whose ALWAYS ready to go and rush everybody out the door early! ;)  In the meantime, I'm going to continue enjoying the perks of Gena's pregnancy....like how she's always ready for some good eatin'!  And Gena if you can't go eat Mexican food, I'll be sure to bring Mexican food to you!  In the meantime, I ask each and every one of you to continue praying for Gena and baby Tivy (Tucker-Ivy), for their health and comfort until that joyous September day!

 Next, I count this crazy little boy!  I love my Aiden James!  This here picture is almost a perfect capture of his always zany, fun personality!  We are blessed to have him!  We had a blast at his end of year party as you can tell!  He's proven to be an awesome student on top of it all and tomorrow will be his very last day of Kindergarten!  Even more, I count the fact that he is attending such a great Christian school, where the knowledge of Jesus Christ and teachings of the Bible are at the very core of his curriculum! 

 I count this here relationship you see in the next picture!  My kids absolutely love each other, through thick and thin, good and bad, upside down and inside out!  That's not to say they won't be the first to aggravate the other, but I do promise they're the first to include and think of the others also.  One of the greatest parts of having four children is watching their lives grow together, lean on, and love one another!

 Today I also count my wonderful friends and family!  There's no way I could picture or even name every single of you I'm grateful for.  So, I'll start and stop with you Holly! :)  It's hard being so far from so much of my family in so many ways, especially my Mom and Grandma.  I couldn't survive the day to day life of a Country Mama without my reinforcements like her!  Holly you play so many roles in our family and I thank you for being here for me and especially these kids.  We may not always know what we're doing or how to do it, but we sure are having fun figuring it out!  When we face weeks and times in our lives like this past week, you're a constant to us and a comfort to my babies, and I thank you! 

 And yes, I think this zany little personality here can be counted more than once!

 And of course I count this little man and his smile!  I count it a blessing that one of my dilemas these last few days has been hoping my stitches don't come out because I can't quit laughing at these little people!  May I never take for granted even one single moment of enjoying who they are and how perfectly complete our family is because of each and every one of them!

 And that I got to go to Aiden's first TBall game of the year!  It's so neat to see how far he's come and grown in just this last year!  His confidence is bigger his attention is longer and of course, he's having a blast!

 And to see my kids get to know their Aunt Vanessa!  I have the most beautiful, fun, greatest little sister a girl could ask for....which also makes for a very awesome Auntie for my kids!

 Yep....this here's that confidence I just mentioned!  Look at that stance!

 And up to bat!

 Look at this boy run!

 Good game #39, same number as your Uncle Keith use to be!

 Today I count this beautiful gal right here as another reason I'm blessed.  As imperfect as I am, I hope to provide somewhat of a way for her to follow in becoming a Mom!  She sure has had the best examples so far in Mom and Grandma!  At the least, she'll have at least a comical outlook from having to be in my shoes a bit with these kids!  In the meantime, I want her to see just how wonderful, beautiful, strong, and unique she is and how priceless she is to all of us because of it!  Oh yeah, and baby kitty Camry!  When Reese started staying away several weeks ago, we suspected this may be the cause.  And sure enough, today we can count a new kitten as well!

 Speaking of newness around here....meet 3 of our little pups!  Eyes are open and we have little ones sneaking off from their house here and their!  The two on the right are Gracie and my favorites!  Such pretty pups to add into the count today!  And don't forget their 4 brothers and sisters that aren't counted!

And of course....Little Lexi!  Formerly known as Spanky but renamed by Gracie, I count her injured foot in our blessings today as well.  There was a reason she was my front seat passenger at and during the end of the year party, and may I say she was very well mannered!  This poor Mama dog hurt this foot pretty bad and Gracie and I did ALOT of doctoring on her, including physical therapy on this foot throughout this day pictured!  And sure enough, her foot has been saved and seems to be functioning well.  Let me not forget to count the sweetest part of it all....in the car, on the way to the vet this day, Gracie was so worried and scared about her dog!  The next thing I know, in her sweet, nurturing voice I heard my baby girl say, "Mommy, I sink we should pray".  And we did.  I count above all, the fact that our sweet baby girl knew exactly where to turn with her worries and fear!

                                

I count this garden.  Row by row.  Seed by seed.  What a blessing indeed!

 

 I count these here 'maters!  See the reddest one on the top left?  That was my first ripe tomato ever and yes, it ended up in my mouth and was wonderful!

I count each and every part of this garden that is ready to harvest, or getting ready to harvest.  I may not be able to tend to it now, but I know there's a good place for all of it amongst us!  And I also know, and count the fact that I WILL be well and able to harvest much more to come this year! 

 I count everything about this garden, our home, and our family as a blessing more than any I deserve!  And I count the fact that when I worry and fret, when I lose focus of what's been given to me and only seem to remember what seems wrong....that the good Lord slows me down and reminds me just how much I have to be grateful for!

 I count the fact that these kids love this garden, the values, and the skills that we're trying to teach and pass to them.  And yes, to learn on my own before doing so on some of them! 

I count the fact that both snakes Tommy killed in the last week (a rattler and water moccasin) were not near or around my children.  And Grandma, before you fall over, there's a good thing here......they were both found only when the kids weren't around!  There's safety in numbers and in teaching the kids to stay away from dangerous areas!

I count this specific moment that had me laughing so hard I could barely breathe...one of them that had my holding my belly so tight just praying it wouldn't be possible to laugh my stitches out!  And my dear little Cass....this here is also for future bribery purposes although I know I'll never need to result to such measures with my sweet baby boy!  But just in case, let me explain the 'Captain Underpants' getup here!  You have discovered and decided that it's not only cool, but very fun, to pee like a big boy.  However unfortunate for our sakes, that means we have to lock you in your clothing for now!  Sorry baby, it's only for a short time and we love you!!!!

And I will also count that the Pathology report from my surgery was CANCER FREE.  Right now my pain and inability to do much is not because of sickness, but because of healing.  Healing I'm thankful for.  So, I guess that means that I need to count my pain and inconveniences as blessings right now too.  So I will.

And of course my husband Tommy!  Whose not present in today's photos only because he's hard at work behind the scenes running much of the show, catering to animals, building for me, tending the garden, protecting our family from snakes and such, and of course....being the wonderful Daddy and husband that he is.

For tonight, I will stop there.  Not because the count ends, but because I think I'll save some for another day!  You see, I had started to feel a little sorry for myself because I can't get up and do what I would like right now.  I even had a little melt down...or two to be truthful.  And then I remembered.....

My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power or Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

How blessed we are.  How unworthy am I, to ever count anything but how much we've been given.  Lord tonight I pray for protection, provision, and hope to all who have lost or are searching for loved ones due to the recent storms.  Please help me to walk a little more grateful tomorrow and to be a good steward of all you have entrusted to us.
Amen 

Five Generations of Barbie Dolls and Daughters

My Barbie dolls have resided safely in a box at my Mom's house for many years now!  We always knew I'd be saving them for my daughters one day!  Since Gracie is now beginning to collect and play with Barbies, I asked Mom to send them our way the other day!  But until we opened the box tonight with Aunt Vanessa, I had forgotten just how old and special of a treasure we've had in my family!

Gracie is so excited as you'll see in these pictures.  She's still not quite old enough to entrust priceless family belongings to, but for now, we'll pull them out and enjoy from time to time together!  Tonight we've put together a little fashion show to share with you just how neat these treasures really are!  To know some of these have gone through the hands of and been loved by, five generations of us girls!  So sweet!

Piles of Barbie Dolls!  You can't tell I have one super happy little girl can you???

Some of the Barbie doll clothes my Mom made for me one Christmas!  Even before she sent them, I could have described much of the fabrics and designs just from memory!  And like Mom told me the other day, it's neat to see how the velvet cape on the left seems to fit the newer release of Little Red Riding Hood!  I guess some stories just never get too old!

 Gracie and Grandma's skipper clothes!!!  See the wig in one of their hands?  I always thought those were so cool, and never something we had as kids.  Well except me of course, since my Mom saved hers for me from when she was a little girl!  When I said these were "Grandma's skipper clothes" Aiden got very nostalgic and said, "awww, I didn't know about our Grandma Skipper"!  It was pretty funny!

Gracie holding Barbie's adorned in clothing made by Great Grandma Betty!  And may I add that Gracie's middle name Elizabeth comes from this same Grandma Betty that we love and miss so very much!  I can't wait for her to see these pictures!



Look at the detail on this dress!  I love knowing that this same dress was made with love, patience, and care many years ago for the little girl Grandma treasures and loves so very much!




Aunt Nessie sent some of her Barbies for Gracie girl to have and cherish too!




And the oldest of them all.....these clothes were made by Gracie's Great Great Grandma Vienno!  I sure hope I spelled her name correctly.  Anyhow, I remember and could've described this green jacket to you also, as I played with all of these as a little girl myself!



And for a final thought, let me just share that this dress was one of my most favorites.  I always thought it was so elegant and beautiful!  I think this was my Peaches and Cream Barbie?  I never saw the tatter, wear, and tear that I noticed today!  She was always just beautiful!  I hope my Gracie will enjoy the princess in her like I did!  And yes, you've GOTTA love the getup on these Ken dolls!  Had to share their style for a good laugh!

Confessions of a "Farm Mama"

As promised yesterday, I'm here to update and share on our garden and chickens, amongst other things!  Let me start by telling you that if I were to lack the ability of being able to laugh at myself, I would not be able to do even half of what I do around here!  Perhaps that's been one of the most valuable lessons in Motherhood for me....to let go and laugh when all else fails!  You'd be amazed at the power such a small gesture can hold!  And on those days that everything seems to be falling apart around me, it's proven a most effective survival skill!  It's most priceless when you have three grouchy kids that stop in their tracks to look up at Mom with blank expression on their face and you just KNOW they think you've lost your mind!  And even more priceless, when the next sound I hear is the jingle of their laughter to replace the chaos just moment before!

There's nothing quite like one of those moments when one child is running around imitating jungle sounds, the phone won't quit ringing off the hook, somebody decides to experiment with markers as makeup, and on my way to the garden I step in doggie doo.......yes, this is an average day around here!  And I'm living proof that a burst of laughter is the best, and probably only cure for these frazzled nerve moments!

With that said....I have no problem sharing with you that I almost locked myself in the chicken house the other day!  Yes, I was the only one outside!  Yes, my only option would have been prayer while carefully planning an escape.  But thankfully, it was only an almost and I now know to stop the wooden latch from swinging before letting the door slam shut behind me!  So to reintroduce our much grown chickens and lonely duck, I leave you with the thought that they are probably very entertained by our daily antics.  If only we could see things from their view, I'm sure we could have our own comedy show around here! 

Now of course this isn't everybody, just a handful of our feathered friends.  Hmmm....on second thought, is it proper to refer to our future dinner as a 'friend'?  ;)  These birds are so much happier in their new home!  Can't wait to get them fully grown and have fresh eggs every day!

Here are two of our side beds, growing cantaloupe, watermelon, yellow watermelon, and cucumbers.  As you can see, I'll be spending some time this afternoon cleaning these up as they are in much need.  I've decided on a new household rule....Tommy is NOT allowed to fertilize right before he leaves for work, it is to only be done as soon as he comes home.  Once he fertilized, the garden has taken off like crazy!  And that includes the grass and weeds!  And yes, that is my new chicken house in the background....go ahead and laugh at the thought of me stuck inside of there with no escape!!!!

Don't be fooled by his good looks.....this here is the sneakiest cat in the Parish!  As to who he belongs to, it really depends on who you ask!  Tommy's Dad insists that this is his cat and we lured him up here with food.  Gracie will argue otherwise and the rest of us just love him amidst this ongoing custody conflict! ;)  Properly named Crip (short for crippled) by my father in law, this little fella' has one front foot he won't put weight on.  He's proven to be the sweetest thing, although he thinks he lives in my house.  I don't allow inside animals and I honestly can't count the number of times I've turned around to find this little guy in my house just relaxing or walking around like he owns the place!

Now let me find the little girl in all of you....excluding the men reading this that is!  Every time I look at these Pole Beans, images of Tinkerbell run through my head!  This just seems exactly like the Fairytale homes of every fairy from childhood past!  Gracie knew exactly what I meant the first time I mentioned it, as did Gena!  Just goes to show that we never outgrow those memories and pictures of our childhood!  There's a Scentsy scent that smells like my old Strawberry shortcake dolls.  And just like these beans, Gracie knew EXACTLY the smell I was talking about!  When I mentioned that it smelled like my dolls, she laughed and told me that it smelled just like her Dora dolls!

Our beautiful garden!  I can't explain how wonderful these plants make us feel!  So unbelievable that we've had a hand in something so awesome!

We're starting to see squash!  I really need to fill the Hummingbird feeders in hopes of more pollination.  And for the record, YES, we've considered beekeeping.  We'd have the honey and more production from our garden!

Two of our pepper plants.  These are such strong plants.  If I remember right, they're 'Chocolate Pablano' peppers.  I really need to do some research on what I can do with the peppers, other than enjoy how they look!

Our older tomato plants!  They're doing great!  And the others aren't far behind!  Tommy and I staked the smaller plants before he left for work and tying them up is on my agenda for this afternoon!

WOOHOO!!!!!  Look at these babies grow!  Can't wait to taste them!  First fried green tomatoes and Chow Chow to put up, then BIG RED juicy maters on my sandwiches and lots of cannin' to do!  We can't wait!

My baby girl and our pumpkins!  They've really taken off!

A good view of most of the garden!

Look at the new babies grow!  They're bigger every day!  Today I even saw one outside of this house!  Won't be long until they're running around!

Now isn't that the life???

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11-12

How much we take for granted the simplicity of this scripture and what it tells us.  Take a minute, look at these pictures, and realize just how awesome this is.  Most of our garden started from seed.  And soon we'll be eating the fruits it bears.  And all from a tiny seed.  Of course we've had to nurture, water, and feed these plants.  Not to forget that weeding out of the unwanted grass and such, along with thinning the plants for better growth.  Isn't all of that so much like life?  So much of this simple garden can be turned into a lessons on life.  God intends for us to see Him in these things, and to stand in awe of such wonderful creation!  Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

God Bless,

Jennifer

A week in pictures!

So much to share, so little time to do so this last week or so!  I've come to the conclusion that this time of year can be as busy, if not busier, than the holiday season!  I've had many moments this last week that I wish I could blog about but haven't found the time to do so.  However, my Mom has insisted that I share pictures!  So as not to be disobedient to Mom, I had to take the time today to share a few glimpses of what's gone on in our lives!

I promise to post on the garden and chickens very soon, hopefully tonight after the daylight is gone and the children are in bed!  I also plan to FINALLY figure out how to get this blog looking how I want it to!  I guess that can be one positive in the fact that I'll be in bed for awhile after my surgery next week!  I can catch up on my reading and get my blog up to my expectations!  But as for now, we hope you enjoy these moments we captured for you.....

A good view of two of our Walker dogs, and of course our little Freckles....kissing someone as always!

Gracie and I had a wonderful time at a Tea we attended last Saturday!  She loved being a part of this and we were able to share tea, brunch, fellowship, and a wonderful comedian/actress that was able to make us laugh about the daily life we live as Christian women!  Gracie especially loved all of her outrageous costumes!

Each table was decorated differently!  Gracie chose this table for us!  What good taste my baby girl has, I thought it was one of the most beautiful of them all!

What a treat!  Baby girl won the prize at our table!  She was so happy!

And to continue a wonderful day, the girls and I enjoyed pedicures together!

Matching toenails!  We wanted something different than the everyday pink or red and then Alaina had the great idea of adding the Zebra stripes!  We may just have to make this a tradition in our family!

Me and my two favorite girls!  We are blessed with such wonderful children and have the most beautiful, smart, sweet daughters we could ever ask for!

At the ball park with Daddy!

TBall practice!  If only I knew what exactly he was thinking about when I took this picture!

Soccer awards!  Aiden did so awesome in this and we all enjoyed it so much that we were sad to see the season end!  Soccer ends and TBall begins!  This Upward league was AMAZING!  Such an uplifting, organized, and spiritual way to have these kids thrive in athletics!

Our toothless soccer star!

Our first EVER harvested veggies from our garden!  We have beautiful radishes and we were so excited!

Our beautiful Gracie and Aunt Gena enjoying my mothers day gift!  Aiden picked this bench out for me and I don't think he could have done a better job!  It's perfect and I LOVE it!  The middle is a cooler so it's also a great way to relax out by the garden, which just happen to be my favorite view of all!

And I have a chicken house!!!!  Great job to my husband, from me....and the chickens!  :)  This turned out great!  We still have to add the roof, but this will have to do for now until he's in from work again!  And I LOVE how he used the tree trunks in the frame.  I've requested the same for my outdoor kitchen!

Tommy setting the chickens up in my new chicken house!!!!

And a final mothers day surprise.....Suzie gave birth to 7 absolutely perfect, healthy puppies that night!  She's proven to be a good, strong, protective Mama over these pups!  This was just a great addition to a great week....well, 7 great additions I should say!  Thank God for a healthy litter and healthy Mama dog!

 In the hustle and bustle of all of these activities in our lives, I just want to take a moment to thank God for every circumstance, opportunity, and challenge that has weaved it's way into our family!  We serve an awesome God that has freely given an abundance of love, joy, and peace for us to enjoy.  But if you're like me, I often forget to slow down and do just that!  I pray this post finds you all in a moment that you can close your eyes and be still long enough to feel our Lord working in your hearts!

God Bless!

Jennifer

Gains and losses on the homestead this last week

What busy days we have had this past week!  So much has taken place I'm not even sure where to begin.  We've added new additions to the life out here on our hill, and sadly we've lost a few little ones too!  We've had good times and some sad times.  Lots of peace, and moments of anxiousness.  But at the end of each day we've been able to thank the Lord for His provisions and protection.

It wasn't until several days after the tornado devastation of last week that I realized that God clearly spared my husband from being right in the middle of these storms.  An unbeliever would say Tommy got lucky, but we clearly see that God isn't done with my husband and this family!  Any other hitch, my husband drives the exact route of these storms home from work.  And this devastation took place on the exact day and time that he was supposed to be there, in the middle of the storms.  Fortunately, it was one of those deals where he had been scheduled to leave work early to attend a class in Houston.  Thank you God for looking out for my husband.  I'm not talking about a 'maybe' here, I'm telling you that any other hitch, the day and time were exact....there would have been no way for him to be ahead of or behind these tornados, he would most likely have been pulled over on the side of the road seeking shelter.  What little faith we have when facing life's daily trials.  No matter what has happened, my husband and family are alive and well and our home is still our home!

Now onto life here at the house......



How far I have come with our cows!  Me and this here handsome white bull have no problems at all, and I've recently been informed that I should be afraid of him.  After a little contemplation I've decided that's just silly, I'll continue to be aware of and respect him, but white bull and I are doin' fine!  This is a huge step from how I use to let the larger cows intimidate me.  And trust me, they KNOW!  I'm living, walking, talking proof that a cow CAN and WILL bully an unknowing Northern girl if given the chance and the right personality of cow!





FREE AT LAST!  FREE AT LAST!  So the piggies were set free this week!  A few weeks of good feedin' and some pretty tame pigs and it's time for them to head back into the woods!  Maybe they'll just fatten up enough to end up on the dinner table!  I regret to tell you that I didn't capture a picture of the greatest moment of all.....all the pigs running across the pasture, Freckles a few yards behind them.....and then my husband, just trying his hardest to get ahold of that dog!  It was very entertaining!

 


Louie Louie!  We're loving this new little guy!  He is so smart, just like a grown up dog trapped in a little doggie body!  The kids love him, Gracie will stay outside all day walking him around, or just watching him for the longest time!  Beautiful dog with a great personality!  We're excited to see just how this little guy will turn out when he's grown up!  Until then, I will admit that I'm having to restrain myself from spoiling little Louie rotten!  He was named by Aiden!


Okay, now how's this for cheap entertainment?  Our kids are so grateful and appreciative of everything!  We took a short little trip this last weekend and their favorite part was easily the motel room!  Can you tell?  They're so fun!  So here's the 'before' shot.....and then 'after' all of the excitement of the short hotel stay!

And sadly, I feel I must share one of the sad moments of the week along with the good ones.  We returned from our overnight trip to a very horrible occurrence.  We had just decided to set the ducks out free by the pond when we got back home and sadly, we can't do that now.  It was sad, scary, aggravating, and all around horrible to come home to a snake in with our chicks and ducks.  By the time of the discovery, we already had one less duck and the snake was in the middle of one of our little sexlink biddies.  I'm thankful this wasn't worse than what it was, but it still shook us up a good bit.  We've worked with and nurtured these little fellas way too long to lose one to a hungry predator.  Anyhow, if you look closely you can see the snake on the right of the first picture and towards the front of the second.

So as not to end on such a sad note, I'll leave you with the latest glimpses of my very loved garden!  I'm learning that when everything gets hectic or my mind gets to full of the world or events going on....I can always find hope and stillness out here!  So this is a good final place for me to share tonight!



Look at the runners on these guys!  They're very much in need of poles to climb!  The rain got in the way of that today, but hopefully by tomorrow evening I'll be able to have them on poles!  It's neat to me how they're reaching out and wrapping around each other!




And we have 'maters!!!!!  I'm SO excited!  I can't believe how they just appear overnight!  I find myself out there several times a day just to inspect!




More of my little accomplishments!

On another note, I've enjoyed some great new things from a good friend!  I've now been using a homemade dishwasher detergent for a few weeks and am really happy with the results.  I do need to adjust my ingredients to better fit our water quality (or lack thereof), but for a cost of .014 cents a load, I'm definitely NOT complaining.  And the recipe she found explains how to go about that until I get it customized to our water supply!

Another great thing I was given was my very first homemade deodorant!  And yes, I know how unsure this may sound to many of us!  But let me be the first to tell you I am SO impressed with just how great this seems to be working!  After a few days of use (and yes, I was too chicken to try it out in public the first time) I'm finding that it really works great!  I feel so much better knowing also that I'm not covering my body with an antiperspirant.  Our bodies were meant to sweat so it really does make sense that stopping them from doing so on a daily basis would set us up for problems!

Next on the agenda is homemade laundry detergent!  I'm excited for that, and excited to make my own dishwasher detergent and deodorant after I've enjoyed and used up what I have!  If you're interested in any of this,  I believe my friend found the recipes for all on two great blogs we enjoy following.  They are Homestead Revival and Country Blossom.  And no, I'm not going to go find the exact link because I hope to see you enjoy reading and browsing these blogs as much as we have! 

Lord, how I thank you for this family, this land, the opportunities you have given us, and the beauty I see around me every day!  Please forgive me for my worries, you have been so patient and faithful to remind me that you have our lives completely and fully under control!  You are such an awesome God, a faithful God, a loving God, and MY GOD!  We love You and will follow You and ONLY You the rest of our days!



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