Category Archives: Prayers

Packing lunches…

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Since we are all together most of the time, it is not very often I get to pack lunches…so when I DO get to pack them, it’s a pretty big deal, lol. 🙂

Today, Mike & Michael are attending an all day workshop in Zoar about the basics of blacksmithing.

They needed to bring a sack lunch, which translates to: cooler full of food, in “my” vernacular, lol…

It was fun filling up the cooler! Fried (in coconut oil) meatloaf sandwiches (on sourdough bread w/ lots of butter), some of our home canned pickles + dilly beans, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies (made from doughballs I made & froze), one raw cookie doughball for Michael (of the 4 of us, Mike is the only one who prefers the “baked” cookie, lol), and 2 glasses of sorghum milk (I just added a spoonful of sorghum to each cup & mixed it up – a healthy, energy drink – an idea we learned from one of our customers…thanks, Collette!) Topped the cooler off with some Scripture, napkins, & ice packs and ta-da… Lunches complete! 🙂

Lord, I pray today will be a day full of growth for each one of us. For Mike & Michael as they begin to learn the basics of blacksmithing together, and for Paul and I as we hold down the fort here. May the physical food we eat give us the energy we need to focus our efforts on the tasks before us. And may the Spiritual food we “eat” keep us keenly aware of who You are, and that ultimately, we are working for You IN EVERYTHING WE DO. Amen

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Preg Check Dairy Herd 2012

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I have ONE WORD: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Learned today that ONE HUNDRED PERCENT – yes, 100% of our dairy girls are pregnant! 🙂

So next year, Lord willing, we should have 14 calves. 🙂

Why AMAZING? Well, if you analyze: a summer drought; a new, yearling bull; a mostly hay diet when the bull was in with the herd (because the pastures stopped growing without the rain); several heifers who never showed us any heats to mark down; and one cow (the last one to calve this year) only having one heat while the bull was in… in our “man-wisdom”, we predicted a lower percentage of bred animals. How glad we are that God has His own plan, lol…

It was fun having Dr. Travis out today (from Sugarcreek Veterinary Clinic). He’s a joy to work with and shares our love of the Lord. 🙂

If you’ve never witnessed a pregnancy check for a cow before, let me suffice it to say: you end up with a REALLY messy barn afterwards. So glad we only need to do this once a year, lol!

Our milking days are winding down for the year now…only about 2 months left! We are a seasonal dairy, which means the cows are bred within a 6-week window, so they get their final trimester “break” at the same time – the coldest part of the winter. We do this for several reasons. 1) So WE get a break to re-energize & work on fixing/taking care of things we can’t get to in the other 36 weeks. 2) So the cows get a break and can use all their energy to grow those babies. 3) Because it’s really hard for an all-hay diet to produce enough milk during the winter, and we do not want to feed any grain. 4) Because it’s risky to walk the animals (and us, lol) through our hilly terrain down to the barn each day when there is ice/snow/mud everywhere. 5) and finally, because this best mimics what it would be like if we just had one cow – like in the “old days”…

Lord, we are AMAZED with the fertility of our herd this year. Thank You for this gift! We pray for these last couple months of milking – that the milk continues to nourish the bodies it touches… For our “break” – that it be a time of rejuvenation for us + the animals… And for the 2013 calving season – that we have healthy moms who can deliver healthy calves, so we can continue our dairy cycle. Prepare us, Lord, to be able to handle the unexpected – and may we do it in a way that will glorify You. Amen

16th Wedding Anniversary – September 28, 2012

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Sixteen years ago this morning, we were married at Bethel Lutheran Church, in Bath, Ohio.

(Our scanner doesn’t work, so I took some pictures of our pictures…)

It was a misty, rainy day…but cleared up enough for a few outside pictures.  Our reception was at Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio.

We drove to the Adirondack Mountains for our honeymoon – 9-29-96 thru 10-5-96.  Stopped & stayed at Seneca Lake – Belhurst Castle on the way out, and on the way back.  Visited Lake George – Alpine Village/Prospect Mountain, Lake Placid – Whiteface Mountain/sites of 1980 Olympics/High Falls Gorge, Fort Ticonderoga, Albany, Ithaca – Buttermilk Falls, and Watkins Glen – state park.

Father, it’s hard to look at these pictures from 16 years ago without feeling a “tinge of regret” – a regret for not recognizing the darkness we were walking in.  A regret for promoting a false illusion that we were “better than” we really were.  Thank you for allowing us to still feel that “tinge of regret” – may it keep us humble – may it continue to drive us to seek comfort in You, not one another – may our marriage bonds strengthen each day as we seek to serve You together – may it burden us to tell others of our journey, to tell of where Your Hand has been both then and now… BUT, may we not dwell on that “tinge” – remind us of Your Words in Romans 8:1-4 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.  How appropriate that the verse emailed & txted to us today from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries was Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”  I look forward to each new day that You give me here to live.  There are not enough words for me to express the feelings of thanksgiving I have for my salvation, for my marriage, for our children, and for our journey.  May our worship be our walk, and may our walk increase Your Flock.  AMEN

Thought I’d end with sharing a favorite anniversary card I have in my “scrapbook”.  Shouldn’t be a surprise why I like this one, lol… 🙂

LOOK ON THE SUNNY SIDE by Helen Steiner Rice

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This is my favorite poem. My fondness for writing rhyming poems has surely been inspired by the works of Helen Steiner Rice. 🙂

As I was washing my one millionth dish today & feeling a bit “blah”, I saw this laminated magnet hanging on the side of my fridge that I had made several years ago. It made me smile – just what I needed! 🙂

Thought I should add it to my “scrapbook”… 🙂

“Thorn” removal…

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Whew.  What a week.  Yes, the picture in the poem is actually Mike’s thumb.  Part of the reason this poem was inspired was because of watching him deal with this nasty splinter.  Another reason was watching Michael deal with food poisoning the past couple of days.  As a parent, there’s nothing worse than watching your child suffer.  Another thorn, another thorn…

Mike’s thorn is dissipating, but not removed.  Michael’s on the road to recovery – but may be gun-shy of a certain restaurant’s sandwiches, lol! 🙂

Goodbye to 4 calves…

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This weekend we sold 4 of the calves: Bondini, Butternut, Macadamia, & Snickers.

It didn’t take long – within an hour of posting our ad on Craig’s list, Mike got a call from an interested family! They are fellow Christians who homeschooled their 3 boys & want to grow a small dairy herd with these calves. They already have one calf at home, and these 4 are the same age, which is exactly what they were looking for! They came back out on Saturday and took them to their new home. 🙂

Thank You, Lord, for leading this family to our ad. May these calves be a blessing to their family & farm. Help them to mature into strong dairy cows who produce many offspring and healthy milk as they age. Place a hedge of protection around this family, Lord… may Mr. Farmer be granted healing from his medical issues, strengthen his wife as she cares for him and others in her nursing career, and guide their 3 sons down the path You have already prepared for them. Amen

Abandoned kitten adopted today!

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Yesterday, friends of ours rescued an abandoned kitten left under their bedroom window.  It is unknown what happened to the momma – but what was left was a VERY sad and hungry (not-to-menti0n ADORABLE) kitten.  They brought him here…

…and we took care of him yesterday through this morning.

The level of commitment necessary to nurse kittens this young is HUGE, and the thought was a bit daunting to all of us as we considered our overflowing plates right now.  But, his tiny cries were enough to melt our hearts to do our best to take care of him. 🙂

Then, this morning, some other friends of ours were over and FELL IN LOVE with him!  He is now a new addition to their very large family, lol! 🙂

What a blessing that You sent us help, Lord!  While we do not know how long this little guy will be around, what we DO know is that he will bring many moments of joy and laughter to this loving family.  We pray for patience, endurance, strength, and wisdom for this family as they do their best to take care of this kitten.  AMEN

Musical chairs…

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We were gifted 2 very nice recliner chairs last week.  🙂

This was completely unexpected, so that made it really exciting!  It also created a little game of musical chairs… 🙂

Right after Mike & I were married (almost 16 years ago) we purchased an overstuffed chair and couch.  Over the years, they have racked up many hours of use, but the older Mike & I get, the less comfy an overstuffed couch feels to sit in.  Actually, it’s the getting IN & OUT of that’s been trickier, lol… It’s also been very difficult to move things around for a change of scenery once-in-awhile, because they are just soooo large, and we have just a tiny space.  We had often daydreamed about replacing the couch with some-type-of chairs, but that thought never went beyond a thought – until last week. 🙂

So, we removed the couch, re-arranged the room, and added the new chairs.  We have really been enjoying it! 🙂

What to do with this ginormous couch now that doesn’t fit ANYWHERE else in our home…?

Well…

As of yesterday, Mike’s sister & her husband are the proud owners of an unfinished rental house!  Isn’t that fun?  Today, Mike & the boys are taking our well-loved couch over to this new house.  What a blessing that because we were given a gift, we can also give a gift!  🙂

Lord, I thank You for the gift of our two new chairs.  I also thank You for the many years of activity this couch has endured in our home.  I pray for the new home it is now joining.  May it serve as a haven of rest for many, and may this couch be a comfort for each person who uses it.  As they sink down into those overstuffed cushions, may it remind them of the enveloping love You are always willing to surround us with.  Bless Jenny & Matt, Lord, as they begin this new chapter in their lives.  AMEN