A New Quilty Gadget!

When my Mom came through town she wanted to meet at a quilt store that neither of us had been to before.  When she said she wanted to buy me a little something, I knew the thing I wanted to get!!!

A few months ago I was in a quilt store and saw some chenille work.  It was gorgeous!  The lady told me about the technique and showed me the tool.  It looked so neat!  I've been thinking about trying my hand at it ever since.

So, now I have the tool.  I just have to find the time!

Living It

Every had autocorrect get you?  Sometimes my phone thinks it knows better than me and sends something totally different than I wanted.  Sometimes I catch it.  Sometimes I don't. This recently happened to me.  It made me laugh at first.  Then, it caused my heart to stop a moment and ponder.

It has been a blessing to have a friend reading in same book of the Bible that I am reading in.   This month is Colossians month.  We send texts every so often sharing what we are learning and how the Lord is working on us.  Sometimes I send her pictures of my notes.  I had been reading in Colossians 3 and some of my favorite verses are verses 1 and 2.  I attached a picture of my notes on "Seeking"  and "Setting" and put "Loving chapter 3!" in the text message.   But, my phone had a mind of its own and before I sent the message I noticed it autocorrected my "Loving" to "Living".  So it said, "Living chapter 3!" Wow.  What a thought.  Am I "Living" chapter 3?

Am I seeking those things which are above?  Seeking implies actively looking. Am I looking for heavenly things in my life?  Or do I dwell on the down-here, discouraging things.
Am I setting my affections on things above?  Set implies that it's a choice what I set my affections on.  How are my choices?  What am I loving so much right now that I put my affection there.

 So many thought provoking questions arise from chapter 3.  Yes, I do love it.  But, I surely want to live it, too!

National Fry Day

Not too long ago it was "National Fry Day"  Of course we had to participate!  Honestly, any reason to go get the best fries works for us! :o)

"Pidge"

We noticed a new visitor a couple of weeks ago.  When we first saw this pretty pigeon fly in our yard, we thought it was hurt.  It stayed on the ground walking around for awhile.  We almost got it to eat our of our hand.  It has such pretty brown and purple markings.

Since then, it makes its visit to our home everyday.  It walks around for a while and roosts on the playground.  Then, it will fly away.  It's so pretty!  It's always fun having visitors!

I love 4th of July!  I love celebrating our country.  I love the red, white and blue.  I love the barbecue, fireworks and games.  I just love it!  Each year at VSIBC we've had a 4th of July picnic.  This  year, since the 4th was on a Wednesday, we decided to incorporate our picnic into our services.  We had preaching and singing and eating and games.  So much fun!!

This is the second year that our ladies loved doing our "Puzzle Competition"  We buy 2 of the same puzzles.  Then, we say "GO" and the team to complete the puzzle first, wins!  It's great fun!

The kids had fun with some smoke bombs and fireworks.

Liberty did so cute.  She didn't smile, but she wasn't afraid.  She just watched all the fireworks.

Then, when we got back to our house, we enjoyed some sparklers.  They were always my favorite growing up!

Happy 4th of July!!

Fun Time!

It's always such a fun time when my parents come to visit.  They usually swing by on their way out of state.  And Micah always reminds them to come back by on their way home. :o)

We try to fit in as much as possible.  Building birdhouses and trains, baking Mom's famous Texas Sheet Cake, church activities, Apples to Apples, oohing and ahhing at Liberty, lots of food, cups of coffee just me and my Dad....lots of wonderful memories!

Come back soon Mom and Dad!  We miss you already!!

Sick Goats

Our poor little goat herd.  4 out of 6 are sick.  I mean runny nose, nasty sick.  We contacted our neighbor that has bunches of goats and owns a feed store.  Maybe we introduced Trixie too soon to our other goats.  Or maybe they just caught something with all of the rain we have had.  Who knows?  They told us to start Penicillin shots.  So, for 5 days Patrick and I have been giving our goats shots.  Not fun.  Poor things.  They are starting to improve though!  Never a dull moment around Storybook Farms!

"Shadrack"

My husband is a hunter.  When we were in our "Bible College" days, Bro. Brown taught him to hunt.  He made so many memories!  It was his dream to one day be able to have a place to go and sit in a deer stand.  God listens to your heart's desire!  He placed us in the middle of the woods!! :o)

Last  year Patrick got a couple of does.  It was nice to have meat in the freezer.  We love Venison!  We bought a grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid, and we had plenty of ground venison, as well as several roasts and steaks.  Up until that point Patrick had only ever gotten does.  But, he really wanted a buck.  Last hunting season he was excited to finally get his first one!  We decided to get it mounted with a local guy that's pretty reasonable.  It took a while, but we just got it back from the taxidermist.  He did a great job!

So we have "Sport" on the right, which is a mount Patrick's Dad had bought a long time ago.  And now we have "Shadrack" on the left, Patrick's first buck!

Off to Junior Camp!

So it happened!  Silas and Callie went to their first Junior Camp!  Now, I'll be honest....I've never been so fond of junior camp.  Josh, Beth and Brenna never went.  I feel that my babies are too little to be without their Momma for a week! :o) But, when Junior Camp rolled around, and Joshua, Tabitha and Brenna were the counselors....I knew it would be great for them.  (And their helicopter Momma,too! ;o)

They were sooooo excited!  They were counting down the days!

Micah, on the other hand, was a little sad.  He missed them and really wanted to go, too.  So, he got extra attention from Mom and Dad that week.  And from big sister Beth, too.  He ended up having a really great time!

He and his Daddy were on a Dennis the Menace kick and watched a bunch of episodes together.  They love the old black and white shows!

Beth and I had a lot of together, too.  We took a girls day and drove the long way to Ocala to see all the gorgeous horse stables.  She was happy to see some foals with their Mommas.  Then, we enjoyed lunch together.  We also enjoyed a few games of Settlers of Catan...I lost. :o( Can you tell by the picture?

And then, my campers came home with lots of stories from a wonderful week.  Callie entered the solo competition and won 2nd place!  Silas received the Spirit Award for his team!  They heard lots of great preaching and played bunches of games.  It was such a great experience for them!  Glad they could go, but so very glad that they are back!

Welcome Trixie!

Last September we had our surprise birth of two kids, Paddington and Suzy.  We didn't even know that Peggy was expecting!  We sure are learning a lot on this goat adventure. 

 For a while we were just down to Jenna and Paddington.  Then, as we looked into adding more goats and possibly making them financially profitable, we knew we needed to stick to one breed of goat.  Or maybe two.  Patrick likes the boer goats.  And they really bring the most money in this area.  Jenna is a nubian, which is a a really great breed for milking. (or so we've been told.)  That meant that Paddington was a little unusual for our growing herd. We also knew that we really didn't need 3 males.  After talking it over with Silas, he decided we should sell Paddington and look for a boer/nubian  female goat.  Even though it was his decision, it was a little hard on auction day.  I think I had a harder time than Silas!  

After Paddington was sold, it was time to look for a new goat.  We found this cutie and Silas decided that she was the one.

She was a little skiddish when we bought her, but would come to the shake of a grain bucket.  Silas named her Trixie. :o)  We let her get used to us for a couple of days and tried to pet her.  We also kept her away from our other goats to make sure she was well.

Poor thing would "baaa" for the other goats.  It was sad.  After a couple days, we decided to add her to the herd.  Of course, the 2 bigger female goats pick on her plenty.  Poor girl.  But, she's fitting right in and she loves Silas!

Welcome to Storybook Farms, Trixie!

Overcoming Worry

A Momma's mind on any given day can go to many places.  As we care for our little tribe and try to meet all their needs, our mind becomes a jumbled mess at times and full of "care" and worry.  My Silas and Callie just returned from their first time away at Junior Camp.  Oh What fun they had!  But while they were gone, my mind began to run away with worry.

~Would the van make it there safely?
~Would they be watched well?
~Would they take care of their things and body, or be known as the messy, smelly kid?
~Would they pass the swim test?
~Would they have nightmares?

And this small list is just a fraction of thoughts I experienced on the first day!!

When I began to have my devotions and I just so happened to be in Philippians 4, I knew I needed to take some time to study the verses out.  They were just for me.

Be careful for nothing;  but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  Philippians 4:6

Care.  That's what I was full of.  And God was telling me not to be.  I knew I needed to study this.  Matthew Henry said that the "CARE" mentioned here is not diligence, which is our duty as Mommas.  It's not talking about wise and due concern.  But it is a care of distrust.  It is worrying that all outcomes will be bad.  This kind of "care" only distracts and perplexes us.  It doesn't accomplish anything....it only hinders a good outcome.

So, how do I overcome having this sort of "care" and worry overwhelm me?

     *In Everything- realize that no problem is too big or too small for God.  From my children                    passing swim tests to keeping them safe, He can handle it!

     *Prayer-this is a general act of devotion. It means that our eyes are on God.  When we keep our              eyes on Him, then everything is in its proper perspective.

     *Supplication- seeking and asking for our needs.  Making requests to God.  God wants us to ask           Him to take care of our children!

     *With Thanksgiving-I heard a preacher once say, "Gratitude produces contentment"  How true!             When we are thankful for things that are causing us to worry, we are exercising our faith.  And           God delights in our faith!  And it causes His hand to move.

I knew this was what I needed to do.  That week while the kids were at camp, I tried to keep my eyes on the Lord and know that He was in control.  I brought all my cares to Him.  I told Him all about the little things, like swim tests and picking up dirty clothes.  I told Him all about the big things, like safety and being watched well.  I knew that the Lord wanted them to go to camp.  So, it was time that I trust Him with it.  Then, I thanked Him for the experience they would have.  And for working on their little hearts.  And for working on mine, too.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4: 7

When we follow God's instructions for how to handle worry, then the next verse becomes real and God gives us peace.  Peace.  Exactly what a worrying heart needs.  Especially this Momma's heart.  So thankful God gives me exactly what I need and exactly when I need it!!

By the way....the kiddos had a great week at camp.  But that's for another post!