Nothing much happening

Well there has not been much happening here. I have been sick with a terrible sinus infection. Finally got some antibiotics and some steroids and they seem to be helping. We ran out of water again this afternoon. We have had rainy weather for the last two days, but it is just not enough. The guys have been trying to get a little hunting in before the season is over with. Tomorrow will be their last day. We have pretty much just been home doing normal everyday chores like feeding and watering.

Christmas 2010

There is nothing like little boys, rubber boots and their best friends!

This is the inside of our barn at least one side. We waist nothing here, look at the reddish looking gate. They are the baseboards from Elizabeths room. We were trying to load a steer calf that was half crazy and he broke the gate and broke the top rail of the back gate so we had to fix the back one and Jeff decided to use what we had to build a new one for the stall. The wood was so hard it was hard to put nails in so he had to screw it together. So far it has held up great!

This is our sweet little Checkers he loves to have his picture taken!

Im SICK

Well I am officially SICK. I have got a terrible cold. I don't handle colds very well. I have not done much today at all. Went and got some over the counter meds and cough drops, I just hope the rest of my bunch doesn't get it. What is so irronic is I have been a germ x crazy person and look where it has gotten me! Hope everyone has a good night.

Its supper time!

farm pics

This is one of our piggies.

around the farm

We have had a pretty good day today. We weaned a couple of calves that was long past due! It wasn't tohard to get everyone sorted, especially with a little feed. Jeff and Josh spent most of the afternoon working on the well at the barn, we had some frozen and busted pipes and the pump was not wanting to work, not to mention that there is not much water in the well to pump. We are still praying for rain here. So if you are reading this I ask of you to include us in your prayers and pray for some rain for us!

The boys are out hunting right now and JC and I are staying in where it is warm and drinking hot cocoa. I think we will have chilli for supper tonight. My bunch usually does not like soup of any kind, but they will eat a real thick and hot chilli.

We are going to start on the flooring in the hallway tomorrow, I hope it goes smoother than Elizabeths room did LOL:)

I tried to take some farm pictures today, and I will try to post them tonight. It takes forever to download them with my dial up internet! Hope everyone stays warm tonight!

God Bless ya,
Tara

We have had a great Christmas. We went and saw my mom earlier in the week and we already had Christmas at Jeff's mom and dad so we didn't have to go anywhere on Christmas day. It was great! Jeff's mom and dad came over and ate supper with us. We snacked all day and then I fixed a huge roast with potatoes, corn, broccolli rice and cheese casserole, and a salad. I decided since it was Christmas that we would eat on my grandmothers china. Everything was delicious.

Christmas 2010

Here is a picture of Elizabeth and JC with our very first Ginger Bread House

Pretty Good weekend!

We have had a pretty good weekend. We went Saturday to a local state park for its Christmas tour. It is a place that is still in the 1800''s. There are lots of houses, doc. office, black smith, printing press, court houses, and churches. Everything is as if time has stood still. They decorate everything up for the holidays like it would have been then. They have people dressed in period costume and giving tours of each building. They had over 2,000 candles lit in paper bags that lined up every road and board walk. We had a great time. If I can get my pictures to down load maybe I can show some. I can tell you one thing, for no electric lights or shiny tinsel everything was just beautiful. And we don't celebrate Christmas anything like we used to! It was not all about STUFF. If they gave gifts they were usefull gifts and they came from the heart. NOT because they felt they had too. I vote to bring some of that back. We have lost what this season is all about and that is the birth of MY savior Jesus Christ! He can be your savior too if you would just let him!

OK, enough of the soap box!
We started putting up our decorations and got the tree up and wouldn't you know it I ran out of lights. For some reason I never can remember how many strings I put on it uuuggghhh!

The kids and I started making a gingerbread house tonight also. It will be real interesting to see how that will turn out tomorrow with so many little hands wanting to help! Believe it or not we have never done one. If this turns out ok we might just make this a new tradition in our home!

We have a busy week up a head. Two partys I know of and we have to make some ornaments to exchange and I have to make refreshments. We also have several other things. I think we only have one day off and I am sure something will come along and fill that up also.

God Bless Ya,
Tara

Homesteada Happenings

Well all is pretty well here on the homefront. The boys are recovering from thier colds and ear infections very well. Maybe just maybe I can get our Christmas decorations.

My littlest one is having trouble going to sleep tonight. It is almost midnight and he has come in(Im in the school room on the computer) and said he did not feel very well. I asked him what was wrong. He said his side was hurting. I just asked him what can mommy do to help you feel better. And he said" some ice cream would help make it feel better!" With puppy dog face and sweet little voice to go along. What is a mother to do!LOL;)

Guess I better go and try to get him to bed.

God Bless ya,
Tara

homestead happenings

Everything is doing fine here on the homestead tonight. Everyone is in bed that is except me! I need to go to bed, but can't go to sleep just yet. It is nice and cozy in here and I am enjoying the silence!

We have finally finished Elizabeths bedroom. It took us forever. I will try and post a few pics this week. I wish I had thought to take some before pics. She is finally sleeping in there. We have just about had a family melt down over this project. It was supposed to be a simple paint job back at the first of the year and it turned into something else. We got started and then the garden came in and all the summer activities and hubby working a lot and then when we had time we had no money! Thats always a bummer! So finally we had the money and a little bit of time. We have argued for the last two weeks but I finally had enough of it and decided to just do it my self! So with the help of the kids and the Lord I finished putting the flooring down and put up all the trim and baseboards myself and finished painting. I finished around midnight last night. Boy, was hubby surprised when he walked in yesterday and found that I had already done it! I am ever so sore. My knees and fingers are really sore from putting down the flooring. Now I feel like I can go to the next room on my list and get started with it!

Farm wise nothing much going on. Went and got a load of feed today and hopefully will get a load of hay soon. We are supposed to get a little snow tonight and in the morning. I don't want a mess, but some water of some kind would be nice. Along with that feed today I got, I had to get some water. I am ever so tired of hauling water. We have been praying for rain!

May God Bless ya,
Tara

It has been a busy couple of days here on the homestead. We had our annual Christmas parade and Christmas on the square last night. Our 4-H sold hot cocoa and popcorn. I had to help organize and get all of that together .The Lord supplied us with really nice weather. Not to cold! Just right! I was rather pooped afterwards. Today was our weekly shopping trip. I had lots of stops today. I also have a little one with a sinus infection and so he has not felt good, but has felt well enough to be very GROUCHY!

I watched a very interesting program tonight called Food Inc. I think anyone who EATS needs to see this show. It is very enlightning. It makes you not want to eat anything. I am so glad that we can grow a lot of our own food. Sometimes I don't appreciate our family's blessings in that we eat very well. Not to say that I don't buy a lot of stuff I shouldn't. I am trying harder and harder to watch what we eat and where it comes from. You know they have a pill, patch and gum and other stuff to help people break their smoking habits, they need to come up with something to stop the soda habit. Our family does not drink, smoke, dip, chew or do drugs, but we are all addicted to sodas. We eat lots of veggies, grow our own meat and I make our own bread, but the sodas are still hard for us to let go of!

God Bless ya,
Tara

homestead happenings

It has been a really busy day here. I made my first attempt at making homemade granola cereal. It turned out pretty good, but I still have a little tweeking to do on it. I made a big batch of gumbo today also. We did some school work , Elizabeth painted some more on her room and we had Church tonight. Everyone is in the bed, except for ME. I am give out, but I have missed being on this computer and am trying to catch up reading everyone's blogs. I love to read about how others live their lives. Some of theses ladies on their blogs just blow me away about all the things that they get done. They are an inspiration to me.

There is not much going on farm wise, just daily feeding right now. I hope we can add some critters to the mix soon. I would like to buy some more calves, but they are just too high right now. Hope eveyone has a bless evening.

God is Good,
Tara

Back to normal

Hello everyone out there in blogging land. I hope that maybe some things can go back to normal around here. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We sure did. We have a lot to thank the Good Lord for. I can't begin to tell you what all he has done for us this year.

Well all of the fall livestock shows are over with and the kids really done well. I believe the last post I made was in Sept. Since then we had the district and state fair. They both won grand with their heifers at the district fair and Elizabeth one supreme with hers. We had a blast! At state Josh placed in his class and Elizabeth one 2nd. She also got in the top 5 for showmanship. So over all we had a great year.

We are working on getting new calves and we will start up again in January.

We did not get to get a fall garden in. We were just too busy with all the shows and also it is still really dry here. We had some rain earlier in the week, but it is just not enough. My poor hubby worked 12 hours today and came home and tried to take a shower and barely got started when it ran out. He had to make a water haul. It takes a lot of water when you have a family of 5 to keep washed up after.

I hope to keep up with my blog for a while. We are trying to get on a routine and get farm work and school work done on a semil schedule. I am still trying to work on it. Schedules and I don't seem to work out to well.

God Bless ya,
Tara

Its been a long time

Hello out there in blogging world. I am so sorry it has been so long since I have written anything. Life kinda took over. We have been busy doing summer chores and fairs. We have had two shows so far and two more to go. The kids have done really well. At county they won supreme bull and heifer, Josh got jr. showmanship and the herdsman award. They done really well at fourstates also. As soon as we get a break we are going to try and put in a fall/winter garden. We have never done one before, so it will be a learning experience for us. We also have to get started getting firewood rounded up. It will be cold before we know it.

Gotta go.
God bless ya,
Tara

I just wanted to thank "our crazy farm" for the soaps.. They came today in the mail. The smell wonderful. I can't wait to try them. I will let everyone know what I think.

Blessings

I just want to take a moment and Praise my Lord and Savior!! We received a blessing today. It was a very unexpected one, but a very needed one. Just when you are about to fall to pieces and think that you are not going to make it, the Lord shows you one more time just who is in charge. PRAISE HIM<>

J.C. with his Checkers. This boy loves this horse!

This is a pic of kids back in the spring at the USS Razorback sub that is in Little rock.

THis is JC feeding the calf yesterday morning. He ate good then, but last night wouldn't take his bottle again. I have tried for two days to load some more pictures and have had a terrible time.

I have to buy animal feed and people feed today .We have pretty much just stayed home this week. We are trying to save money by not going so much. I have realized that a lot of our money the last couple of months has been spent from us just constantly on the road.

God Bless ya, Tara

pictures

I am going to try and post a few pics this morning.

J.C showing at our county fair year before last. He was three.

It's raining , its pouring,

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It has been raining here again today! And it has been a lot cooler! We are so thankful for the break in the heat. It is too late for the gardens, but we are fixin to start on our fall one!

I hope the baby calf is doing okay. He took his bottle this morning, but it took him a really long time. This afternoon he wouldn't take it at all and so we tried again about 8:30 this evening and he only took about half of it. His sides are not sunk in, so I am hoping this might mean that he is getting more from his momma. We have left her with him because he was still nursing on her and she kept licking him and trying to take care of him. I couln't see seperating them if I didn't half too. He took the bottle feverishly Sunday night, so I am a little worried. It is only by Gods grace that he has lived this long.

Well I did not get any of my baking done today. I apparently am out of flour. I thought I still had some in the bag, but somebody had already emptied it. So for dinner tonight we had pinto beans that I had cooked all day with a pork neck bone, and homemade chicken enchiladas with sourcream sauce. They were yummy! I also made a yellow cake, and we have already eaten half of it. No one wanted frosting, just the cake. The kids acted like they were starved when I got through mixing they all fought over the bowl and beaters! Dear hubby brought home some flour for me, so maybe tomorrow I can get some bread made.

Our extension agent came this morning and looked at the kids livestock projects. We are getting closer to the fair. We moved it up this year and it is going to be tough to get ready in time.

God Bless Ya,
Tara

RAIN

It RAINED this afternoon. Praise the LORD for his goodness and mercy! I don't won't to be selfish, but we will take some more please. It is just so dry that it soaked it all right up!

Well Homecoming went well today and there was lots to eat and the singing went well afterwards. I actually managed to get up after only a couple of hours and get everything cooked. I made a huge batch of brocolli rice and cheese casserole (using my very own brocolli), homemade chicken strips, and ranch potatoe salad using new potatoes, peppers and onions from our garden!

We recasted the baby calfs leg this evening and worked with the show calves a little. Sometime tomorrow or Tuesday or extension agent is coming to look at their livestock projects. We had a death in the church we are attending and Tuesday I am going to take food and help serve the family lunch after the funeral.

Lets see tomorrow I am going to try and make up a bunch of bisquits and sausage and try to freeze them. I would like to have something that is quick and easy. We need to start eating better and breakfast is the one thing that a lot of times we don't eat. I may also make some bread tomorrow. We are going to have spagehetti for super. Every thing from the meat to the sauce is all homegrown! (Well except the pasta)LOL I tried to talk my hubby into planting me a little patch of wheat, but he said no way! God is Good!

God Bless ya,
Tara

church

Some how in my last post not all of it got posted, it was the devil I thinkLOL. Any way Because I assurped my husbands athority and insisted on joining this church we are now very unhappy. So dear hubby has decided that after tomorrow we will go and visit the chuch that he wanted to visit two years ago!!!! Now I will let you know what happens. I am going to give up the fight and let him have it. We have just never felt like we are part of this church that we are at now. My husband has a lot of family there and I thought that the not belonging feeling would just go away over time, but it hasn't. It has been two years and we still feel like outsiders.

We seem to feel like that every where we go. Because oh my good ness we only have one tv with 3 pbs channels. We don't have one in every room and video games and the latest computer stuff. (the world is going to come to and end)LOL And when someone finds out that you are trying to live a simpler life by canning and gardening and raising your own food and raising your children under God's authority. Then they really think you have gone over the deep end.

Well I have been on my soap box long enough tonight, maybe I can go get a little sleep before I have to get up
May the Lord Bless yall,
Tara

I can't sleep

I can't seem to sleep tonight. My brain is wore out, but it won't stop running either. We are having homecoming at our church tomorrow and I am going to have toget up in a couple of hours and cook, but I am still AWAKE. This has been a long week for us. We have had VBS all week and on top of that we have had water problems. Our well has been going dry for a couple of weeks now and Friday sometime some kind of pipe busted loose and needless to say what water we had in the well was gone by the time we got home for town Friday afternoon. We spent today bringing buckets of water from the barn to use to flush the toilets with and to wash dishes. Jeff finaly got it pumped back us this evening and we now have a little bit of running water. We are going to have to be very careful with it. We went to a birthday party today for a dear sweet friend of mine's son he turned 10 and we visited a little while after the party. We used to go to church together untill we left the church and then shortley after they left the church and went somewhere else also. They seem to like it where they are now, unfortunatley we are not happy where we are. After we left we went to my husbands church that all his family attends and where he grew up in untill we got married and then he moved his membership to the one where we got married and I attended, because it was closer and I already had jobs in the church. I really pushed him into joining because I wanted to get back to WORK. He really didn't want to but I kept nudging him to MAKE A DECISION. Well let me tell you how wrong I was. I assurped his authority and now we are paying the consiquences. Untill a few months ago I would never have thought about it before I read Debbi Pearls book "CREATED TO BE HIS HELP MEET" I thought I was the good Christian wife, but boy let me tell you that after 16 years of marriage I have been badly wrong and have been a Jezabel. I have on numerous occasions tried to be my husbands concious. I have argued and pouted and all this time that I thought it was him, alot of it was me not behaving and being in my proper place. God has put me here for him and not the other way around. We women have lost our focus. The new age movement has left us with broken homes with women raising their children all alone, because we have felt that we are always in the right and who needs a man. Well I am here to tell you that I need my husband. I used to be one of those women. There are no telling how many times I have threatend to leave my husband because of something silly. It frightens me now to think that the kids and I have come so close to me tearing our family apart because I always thought that I could do it all by my self and I didn't need him or that he was always miss treating us.

Thank You Jesus for nocking the scales from my eyes.

Homestead Happenings

There has not been much happening around here lately. We are in the middle of VBS and that has pretty much taken up all of our time. I am doing the music for it and lets just say I need your prayers. We have a new projector that runs through a computer and I have been trying to use it, but the last two nights have been rough trying to work out all of the kinks. I am praying that tonight will be much better.

Well the baby calf also known as "little tuff man" is doing well right now. He is running around on his piped up leg and actual chased Elizabeth in the barn yesterday morning for his bottle. It is only by God's Grace that he has lived.

We are going to pick tomatoes and peppers this morning and try to work with the calves a little. We won't have time to get many projects started though.

I pray for some rain today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well I better get the day started
God Bless ya
Tara

Busy, Very Busy

It has been very busy around here on the homestead. We have been canning, and gardening, church camp, etc. We have had a very crazy week. We had a calf born last Tuesday that was a little too early I think. I thought he was going to die. We took him and his momma to the barn and he was like a noodle he was so limp. We started rubbing him and I got some colostrum down him. I started giving him some vitamin B shots and we rubbed and stretched him every two hours. He took a good bottle on Thursday morning, but still didn't get up. We checked on him after lunch and he was standing up! I thought all right! Well that afternoon the boys were in the barn doing some cleaning and they left the gate open to the barn and the pony got in. They started to shoo the horse out and the horse jumped over the calf knocking him down and then steped on his leg and broke it. At first I didn't think it was broke, but by Friday morning it was swelling. Friday I got some pvc pipe and vet wrap and some duck tape and made him a splint. I put it on so that he could walk on the pipe and not his leg. Saturday morning he had managed to get up and get out of the barn and we found him in the front lot with his mom , but now he had gotten snake bit under his mouth or on his jaw. I was swelling pretty fast. We have been doctoring him for the bite and the broken leg. He has been taking the bottle really well and this morning we finally caught him nursing his momma, but I just don't think she has enough milk. He was almost jumping around this morning. He didn't look so good this afternoon, but it has been really hot today. It is by the Grace of the Good Lord that he has lived as long as he has.

Yesterday was a busy day. We cleaned out the feed room in the barn and organized it, cleaned out the hen house, hauled some wood chips and filled in some holes in the chicken house where the chickens had dug out some big holes. The kids mowed and weed eated and I canned 10 quarts of tomatoes. Today I have been making blackberry jelly. I am going to work on VBS songs tomorrow. We are having VBS next week and I am going to help with the music.

The kids have also been very busy getting ready for the fairs. We are having our county fair early this year and so it has been a mad rush around here to get calves ready in time.

It has been really dry here so far. We finally got a really good rain Sunday. Our well is going dry, so we have been praying for the Lord to send some rain. Our garden is about all gone except some tomatoes and peppers. We are going to try and plant a fall garden this year. We have a family member who is willing to give us a couple of pumps to put in the pond to water with. We have been praying for one and God is Good!!! So I would like to plant a fall garden and try to get some veggies put up. I have so far put up around 50qts green beans, 30 qts tomatoes, 600 ears of corn that I cut off, 25 qts of peas, I also have quiet a few peppers that I have been drying and some I have been cutting up and putting them in freezer bags. I did not get to put any squash up because we either sold it, ate it gave it away or fed it to the pigs. Oh and I also got several gallon bags of brocolli put up. We still have potatoes we have not dug up yet we have been going out there everyother day and digging potatoes but we are eating them as fast as we dig them up. So, that is one thing that I want to plant for the fall. I read somewhere that potatoes love to be planted behind sweet corn, so that is where we are going to try and plant them along with some fall peas, and more brocolli. I would love to try and figure out a way to have fresh lettuce and greens all winter long under a hoop house of some kind. I also want to get some fall onions planted and I have a huge bag of garlic that I need to get out for next year. We did not get any okra or cucumbers planted this year. We just ran out of time.

We are seriously considering buying a couple of jersy cows to start milking out. We have about figured where we could build a milking parlor. The thought of fresh milk and cream to make butter and Cheese, just think of all the goodies that I could make! We just have to figure out how to get the funds. LOL This is something that has been on our hearts for several years now. We are praying earnestly that God will provide the way.
Well better go for now. Maybe one of these days I will be able to post some pics of all our happenings around here

God Bless Ya,
Tara

A busy day

It is finally raining here on the homestead. We have been very dry for a few weeks and every thing in my garden was dying. We did pull some more corn. They are on the floor in the kitchen. I needed to have done it up yesterday, but I had to get Josh and Elizabeth off to Church Camp. We also lost our power yesterday evening and so I did not get any of it done then, but today is the day. It is just me and little man here today and being 5 and all boy he is not going to be of much help. This rain is really going to help my garden out. It is at a slow steady drizzle right now and the ground is just sucking it up. I am feeling a little better, but I still am coughing and have some congestion. My blood pressure was really low yesterday, but this morning it seems to be alright. Pray that I can get over this stuff! It is going to be very quiet here this week with out the other two kiddos. Well I better get off here and go clean the kitchen up so I can get started for the day.
God Bless Ya,
Tara

Lots to Do

Well I have finally finished the last of the corn today, but we have more to pick if it rains some more. The corn has lots of ears, they are just not filling out like they should. We need some rain. I guess we are just going to have to invest in a pump to put in the pond so we can water everything. I am going to try and pickle some peppers and make squash relish this evening. I have felt a little better today, but I have had to take a couple of naps. We are having fresh purple hull peas, new potatoes and grilled chicken for supper. I have had the peas and tators on since this morning in crockpots. There was not enough stove room for that and blanching corn. If anyone has a tip on how to keep horse flies off of you and animals please let us know. We have been taken over. You can't even go outside without getting eatin alive. One of our horses has lost her hair on her back because they are so bad. We keep put fly spray on, but they seem to think that is something to eat!!!

God Bless ya, Tara

sick of being sick

I am sick of being sick. I have been on my antibiotics for a couple of days now and I am still feeling yuchy! And now JC is sick with this stuff. He woke up this morning with swollen eyes and congestion. I had to go get him some meds today. We need to pick beans in the morning and do some serious weed patrol, but I just don't know if I am going to be able to get up and going. We picked corn yesterday and I got half of it up and I still have another tub to go. I was going to try and finish it tonight, but I just am to tired. Yesterday we pulled corn and picked some squash and peppers and I canned some tomatoes. We have had a wonderful supper the last two nights. Josh has grilled for us. He grilled some burgers and squash and fresh corn. It was really good. The grilled squash was really good. I think we will keep having it like that for a while. the grilling sure does help with the heat in the house and here lately I have had the stove tied up with canning. Pray for me tomorrow that we may get some things around here accomplished.

God Bless Ya, Tara

Summer Cold

I don't know if you have had a summer cold, but it is not fun!! We have so much work that needs to be done and the heat is making it worse. I did not mention it in my last post but Saturday the sinus infection had literally gone into my eyes. I went to the doctor today and she gave me some antibiotics and some antibiotic eye drops. My eyes feel like they are about to pop out of their sockets. Please say a prayer for me because I have tomatoes that should have been put up today, to do tomorrow and we are going to start pulling corn in the morning. My sister in law called and also wants to come over tomorrow and let me teach her how to make black berry jelly. That reminded me I had 16 qts of blackberries to do something with also.LOL

I do have to get on my soap box for a moment though. Today while I was at the doctors office the nurse was taking my blood pressure and there were some kids just running up and down the hall way and she made a comment that she could not understand why parents let their kids just run up and down the halls like they do. I was joking to her and said well let me see if they are mine and she was very sweet and said no my children were very well contained and sitting in the waiting room behaving themselves. I thanked her, but it got me to thinking about those kids and what kind of training they have had. Just recently a dear friend gave me several books by Michael and Debbie Pearl. I whished I had had those when my oldest were young. Every parent in this country needs to read these books. I have recently done some changes in our home concerning discipline and it has made a difference. Things are a long way from perfect but they are getting a little better. I have had to pray daily for the Lord to guide me. Everyone is almost asleep and I am going to take some more meds and go get under the humidifier
Lord Bless Ya, Tara

Homestead Happenigns

We have been so busy, I have not had time to get on the computer lately. God has blessed us with an abundant garden this year. I have so far canned close to 50 qts of green beans and we have had squash, brocolli, and cabbage. The peppers and tomatoes are beginning to ripen and this afternoon we are going to check the corn. DH said I will probably get 1000 ears or more. We have added some new animals to the farm. We have a couple of pigs. They have been great to have so far. Just think all those garden scraps and extra stuff is going to the piggies. J.C got a new pony also. He named him Checkers. We also got another bull and heifer calf. We have been busy gardening, and taking care of animals. DH has been working a lot and Josh has been my garden man. He has learned how to use the tiller and he has been doing all of the plowing. He went and spent one week with my mom, and I appreciate him all the more since he got back. He does a lot around here. The Lord just continues to bless us even when we don't deserve it. We are trusting in Him to supply our needs and He always does. I hope you have that kind of trust with Him.

God Bless ya,
Tara

Busy Springtime

It has been busy here lately. We have been busy planting the garden and halterbreaking calves. We have planted a much bigger garden this year. So far it is around 2 acres and still growing. We also have new baby chicks in the brooder. I have planted 100lbs of potatoes, 3lbs of green beans 1lb of pintos,54 broccoli plants, 2lbs of corn, cabbage, lettuce, we are going to plant cuccumbers today and sometime this week get all of our purple hull peas planted, tomatoes, and peppers. Josh has been busy tearing up and burning an old building and he is using some of the better pieces to make me some raised beds for a kitchen and herb garden for the back yard. I have a lot of herbs, garlic and other things that I need to get out. We also have to build the chicken tractor pretty quick, because the baby chicks are outgrowning the brooder box. It is wonderful how God has given me a child that can help me so much. We had state testing for us homeschoolers yesterday and one of the boys there asked Josh about some movies and a certain channel on t.v. and Josh said he didn't know those, because he doesn't watch much t.v. and then they asked him if he had an x box or video games. Josh told them he didn't have those either. The boys told him they didn't know how he could live without them. Josh told them he lived on a farm and he didn't have time to do all of that stuff and that he didn't like to stay in the house. When we got home I did not even have to tell him to do anything he went and tilled the broccoli , weed eated some more and started making my herb bed frames plus fed his show bull and the baby chicks. God has given me a special gift in this little man.

Learning how to post pictures

I have been trying to learn how to post pictures. Here are a couple of pics of the kidos.

Spring has sprung

well spring has finally arrived on the farm. The last two weeks we have all been sickly. The sunshine this weekend sure has helped. We got new baby chickens in on Friday. J.C. is so excitied about them. We got 50 of them and so far only 2 have died. On Saturday. The kids had 4-H shooting sports practice. We had a good service at Church Sunday morning. We were not able to go back last night we decided to go ahead and do some garden work. We normally don't do work on Sunday, but yesterday the sun was shining and dear hubby was finally home so we decieded it was now or never. We got the potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, broccoli, and squash planted. We have decided to put in an extra big garden this year.

we had a homeschool playday on Friday and the kids and I enjoyed it really well. Last week I mentioned a friend of mine challenged me to memorize Titus 2. Well at our playday another friend had a stack of books she was loaning out and I decided to borrow them to read. Well wouldn't you know it the first one on the top was a book by Debi Pearl
"Created To Be His Help Meet" The first part of the book is about being a help meet to your husband first and foremost. The 2nd part was putting Titus 2 to work. Let me just say that anyone that is a wife and mother needs to read this book. I have made so many bad choices and did not even realize it until I read this book. God has opened my eyes to a brand new world. I have been thinking for the last 15 years that it was all my husbands fault why he is like he is. But, after reading this book I have come to realize that I have had a huge part in it. I have tried to be the boss of our home and did not even realize it. I have forced my hand in so mancy situations that I can't even count them. So let me just say right now that I pray that anyone reading this will not make the same mistakes that I have made. I ask that you pray for me, so that I may change and make a change for the better.

So the 8 things in Titus 2 : We are to be Sober, Love our Husbands, Love our children, To be discreet, Chaste, Keepers AT home, Good, and Obedient to our Husbands. The last one I will really have to work on!!;)
May the Lord Bless you,
Tara

Ready for spring

We have all been under the weather for a while. I talked to a dear friend of mine today and she asked me if I could tell her the points of Titus 2. I thought I knew them, but when she asked I went blank. She has challenged me to memorize Titus 2. So the next time she calls me I will be ready. As a wife and a mother I need to know those points by heart and to take them to heart. I have been realizing that I have not been doing my job as wife and mother that I should have. My health has been getting in the way. I have been praying earnestly for the Lord to give me a new strengt everyday to be a better wife and mom. I have realized that there are somethings that we just don't have 2nd chances at. Our children are only children once. We as mothers need to appreciate the gifts that God has given us.

On the home front

Well It has been a long week. We have not been able to do a lot this week with it being so cold. Hubby has had to work late all week even had to work Saturday. But, we are not complaining, the Good Lord knows we need the money. We have had an uneventful week. We have been trying to get caught up on school work. I had a doctors appointment Friday and had an echo done of my heart. I am still not just feeling well. Saturday I worked on the kids 4-H journals. Oh how I HATE doing those. It is like pulling teeth for me to have to do those. I make the kids help do their own journals, but it is still not one of my most favorite things to do. There is one adavantage of doing one though. You can look back on them and see all the things that you accomplished through the year and what you need to improve on. Maybe I ought to do one for my own personal self!! On the other hand maybe NOT;)

We came home from church this morning to busted water pipes. It actually got above freezing today and so everything that was froze thawed and boy did it thaw. We had to mis church tonight because of fixing the leaks. We did not get all of them done. There are still busted pipes at the barn. We did not have enough parts to fix everything.

we are going to have a busy week this week. I have got meetings and doc. appointments this week and then Friday hubby and I leave for a Fair Managers convintion. Well I better go to bed God Bless ya ,
Tara

Well all is quiet on the home front. The fire is burning and hubby, kids, and animals are all down for the night. Hubby had to work over today so the boys and I had to do all the feed and haying ourselves. We put out some extra because of the cold. They are not used to this either. We may get some snow by Thursday. We got snow Monday, but it melted as fast as it snowed. I don't like winter weather. We in the south are just not prepared for it. I remember one year we were without electricity for a whole month. It was not very fun. We still had heat because of the wood heater and I have the gas cook stove. We drew water from the well and brought it home in tubs and I dipped out of those and heated water up on the stove for baths and everyone got in quick and out quick and I just kept adding hot water untill I had to run some clean. The kids were little then and they could all share a tub, but now everyone is to big for that. We played games at night and went to bed early. We had a terrible ice storm and the kids were scared to death at night. The ice was so heavy it made trees and limbs crash to the ground and they sounded and felt like an earth quake. It took them a long time to get over all of that. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the "good ole days" but sometimes I thank the Good Lord for what we have. We are a very simple family. We only have one t.v. and it is in the den. It's a small t.v. not very big. We have a vcr and dvd player, but no satellite or cable. We just have an antenna and if we can't pick up anything we just do with out. We also don't have any video games. I just don't like those things. One of the boys has been begging for one and we are still debating on what to do. I don't have a cell phone, but my DD does. We have this computer, but it is old I really do need a new one of those. We just live a really simple life. Somedays my heart is so full of love for this life and my family it could burst. Today me and the little man put out minerals for the cows

Who ever said there was global warming ? :( Us southern folks are not used to the cold like this. I know up in the northern states everyone thinks it is probably warm here. It was 20 this morning and by the end of the week they are talking single digits. They say we are going to have the coldest temps weve had in over a decade. This old house we live in don't have much insulation so that means every one is going to have to put on some layers. The wood stove is going to have to really get to work this week. The plans for today are simple work on cleaning the house, so school work with kidos and try to get my new sewing machine out and use it for the first time. I guess I will try and make a new apron or something. I need to get some more fabric. Well I wish I could post some pictures but my computer is to old and my net is to slow and I have had a hard time posting a picture. I have a really good picture of our pond that I wanted as my background on my heading but it just won't let me. Hope everyone stays warm

God Bless ya,

Tara

Hello

Hello everyone out there in blogging world. I am looking forward tomeeting new friends.
I am a stay at home wife and mother. I have been married for 15 years now and have 3 children and one blessing in heaven. We live on a farm in South west Arkansas and are trying to make a go of it. We are also homeschooling and trying to live as much a self sufficiant lifestyle as we can.