Category Archives: The Boys

A homerun’s coming, Mom…

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It’s been kind of an overwhelming week here – still trying to handle this drought, this phone’s been dying after only minimal use, and a TON of tasks have been started, but nothing completed… 😦 Ever feel like you are going backwards??

As I was trying to get breakfast this morning, it seemed like I just kept hitting road blocks – no clean counterspace to work on, pot I wanted to use was dirty, favorite spatula was missing – I let out a big SIGH & Michael heard me. “What’s wrong, Mom?” he asked. “Well, Michael – it just feels like I keep ‘striking out’ with everything today!” He didn’t “bat” an eye – looked at me and said, “Don’t worry, Mom, a homerun’s coming!!!” Lol, lol 🙂

Wasn’t that a nice thing to say?

Thank You, Lord, for sending me encouragement from my son – a quick & fun pick-me-up! 🙂

Still was a rough day, but I had that moment to reflect on, and it made me smile. 🙂

Oh – and my “homerun”? It DID come: An evening walk alongside my best friend. Mike & I admired the beautiful sky, the cooler temp, cleared fencelines, & spent time lovin’ some calves + my favorite old cat, Blake.

Beautiful. 🙂

I think it was more like a “grand slam”!
AMEN

Hay – round bales

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This week, Mike worked with a good friend of ours, in hay. We don’t own a roundbaler or rake, so they coordinate their tasks & help each other out. While Bill roundbales here, Mike squarebales at Bill’s. 🙂

Working cooperatively is such a great exercise – really forces us to plan & try to be as efficient as possible as we consider others’ schedules.

Thank You, Lord, for surrounding us with supportive friends who are willing to walk alongside us in our farming journey. What a blessing that when You create opportunities for us to receive help, You also open doors for us to help others. AMEN

Michael & “Nanner”

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It’s official:  Banana is Michael’s calf! 🙂

I know, I know – he could easily say he has 10 calves, because WE have 10 calves…

But that just wasn’t the same for him.  I think it’s cute that he just wanted one he could call his own… (don’t tell him I said “cute”, lol)

It was a good reminder that in my “adultness”, I too often gloss over those little, “easy” gifts, like giving responsibility & quality time.  We get so bogged down trying to figure out what we can afford to “buy” the boys for gifts, that we can lose sight of the gifts around us.   Thank You, Lord, for using children (even teenagers) to remind us to slow down and just practice “being”.  Continue to open our eyes to Your Gifts which surround us each day.  And as our boys grow, may there be a part of them that is able to retain this beautiful, innocent “childlike faith”.  Perhaps children in their future will remind them of it, just as You use them for me.  AMEN

Michael’s excitement was a joy to watch when Mike told him Banana could be his – guess there’s nothin’ like having one of your very own. 🙂

They bonded immediately – she is especially loving the extra attention…

Baby Shower

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What a great day!

Mike’s sister & I had baby shower (party) here  for our future nephew on Sunday. 🙂  We had fun preparing for it, and I especially appreciated her willingness to help me tidy up our house for the big event…

Ben, Kristin, Alyssa, & Addisyn are in from Nebraska for the week, so we enjoyed an afternoon of food, fellowship, & fun.

[Click here to see where I got the inspiration for this “diaper cake”…]

Gotta say, originally, my boys were NOT very excited at participating in a girl party “baby shower”, hence our naming it a FAMILY PARTY, lol…

It became more fun for them, though,  when they were put in charge of “games”…

No typical party games here…

What did they do?  Well, potato gun shooting contest, of course! 🙂

By the end of the day, they were EASILY clearing this oak tree! 🙂

Lord, we thank You for this wonderful day full of laughter & sharing.  We praise You for the miracle of NEW BIRTH.  As our family grows, use us to reflect Your Light everywhere we go.  AMEN

Strawberry harvest begins

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Enjoyed our 1st picking of strawberries on Thursday! Paul has volunteered to be our “designated strawberry picker”. He went with Grandma at the crack of dawn to a pickin’ patch. Together they picked 12 quarts. The berries tasted good, but they were pretty small. They’ll go pick again in a couple days. We need LOTS more to make all the jam we need for a year of kefir shakes, lol!

I am so thankful that Paul likes to pick strawberries…my knee joints get angry at me when I pick, and Mike & Michael hate detest don’t like picking ANY berries, lol! (They don’t have any issues with EATING them, though!) 🙂

Paul also picked a pint of strawberries from his patch in one of the raised beds. Perhaps someday we’ll get enough from his patch so we don’t need to pick anywhere else! 🙂

Hooray – kittens at last!

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With only 2 female barn cats left to be “fixed”, there have been less kittens on the farm this year (much to the boys’ dismay)…

Our boys LOVE all the cats. And yes, each cat has (at least) one name + a story, lol! 🙂

Just this morning at milking, the boys said they thought it looked like Cloudy might have been nursing babies. So, once their schoolwork was done this afternoon, they went on a “kitten hunt”. 🙂

It didn’t take long & they found them! They were in a hay hole all the way at the top of the stack. One boy and one girl. Names are currently being brainstormed…

Clearing the path…

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One of the tasks in the milkhouse is carrying out the crates that hold all the bottled milk. These aren’t light, so strong arm muscles are a requirement. As I watched a son struggling with a full crate, I noticed how he took extra steps to avoid tripping over a bucket that had been placed directly in front of the doorway. I thought it was interesting how he never took the time to clear his path to make his walk easier. He just kept avoiding it to get out – even though that meant awkward movements with a heavy load. Me? I would have moved the bucket FIRST – in hopes of smoother sailing with my heavy load. So, I wonder, which perspective is better? Or is it not really about one being “better”, but about what our focus is on?

Since I’m older than my son, I’ve experienced “falls” from not taking the time to prepare. But I could also say that I’ve had scenarios where I’ve spent so much time preparing, that I turned the entire situation to being about me, instead of what needed done. So, while I can see the wisdom in advising my son to clear his path first, I think I should also commend him for not allowing an obstacle to deter him from his task.

Father, thank you for giving me this moment with my son. Thank you for opening my eyes to the beauty of innocence in a world where the push is for our children to be mini-adults before they are ready.  In our urgency to complete the tasks before us, help us to learn how to clear the path to You, so that the obstacles will not hinder us from the REAL task, fulfilling Your Will, not ours. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. Father, I echo Paul’s words. May Your Truth continue to make Itself evident to me as I search for You in every moment. AMEN