My Sunday...

Last night my friend gave birth to her 10th blessing! Since we house church at their house we stayed home today. It has been a wonderful peaceful day. I have did some of those little things I don't seem to have time for like taking down my dried red peppers and grinding them. I have about a quart of chili powder or fine ground red chili peppers.

We had lots of milk and no jars for milk this morning so I used 3 gallons for cheese, plus part of a gallon of buttermilk for seasoning the cheese. I dumped the rest of the gallon of buttermilk into cheese cloth to make cream cheese for Thanksgiving use. I then started a new gallon of buttermilk and am allowing the cheese to flavor. I have about an hour before I cut the curds and salt. Then press and refrigerate. I love having a huge frig to store it in. This is the third round of cheese I have made. The first one I need to either wax or eat soon. It has had a week to form a rind.

The bottom pot is a pressure canner to give you an idea of the size and amount I am talking. Did I mention I have TWO cows due to calve in the next 2 weeks and 2 more when ever?

I also made three loaves of bread. I added chili powder to one since I had it ground at the same time the bread was ready to punch down. I don't know how well it will turn out. I am really liking the bread recipe that I got of the Holy Experience blog.

And since this picture was already on my camera when I went to down load the pictures I took today I thought I would include it.

Rocking grandbabies!

Great American Bus Hunt ~ Day 3 or is it 4

I have had strange men emailing me and calling me from around the country for the past 3 days. Most of them haven't read my email carefully and are trying to sell me something I totally don't want. You would think when the email says "NO 6.0 diesel" you wouldn't try and tell me how good that motor is and how much easier it is to find one. Uh, yes you can find them because the best use found for them is a boat anchor. Then there are those that try to tell me that gas is just as good as diesel. Humm I drive both now, I know the difference. Needless to say I don't listen to what ever else they have to say since they started out lying to me. Oh then there are those that didn't "notice" I specified co-pilot seat. So for I have found ONE maybe. It isn't 4x4 but it does meet most of the other requirements. We are just majorly picky. We know what we want. We have researched and continue to research. I know God will provide what He wants us to have. We have to allow him to work. So we look and wait and continue to seek His guidance in what we are to do.

In other news MJ has been "trapping" on the back side. He has our largest live trap set somewhere back there. He baited it with a can of cat food. First morning nothing, then this morning he had something! He had what the kids dubbed a giant albino raccoon. Also, known as the female pyr puppy. That would have been a FULL live trap. This "puppy" is oh 40 lbs or so already. She was very happy to see them!

Adoption news...... there is none! The case worker did get our picture book. They won't show it to them until after they get their psy eval. That is scheduled for "later" this month. I find it hard to really grasp it is real. I know that stuff can still happen and we won't get them. I try hard to focus on just waiting and being prepared.

I have been busy making socks on my knifty knitter blue loom. I have one more pair to make. I am TIRED of socks! I should finish this pair today or tomorrow. I think I have made about 8 pair. My "fishing" loom should be in any day. I want to start making me a shawl. It is my "fishing" loom because I didn't buy into all the fishing stuff on vacation. I teased DH about I was going to get me something I really wanted. So I did!

I have made two rounds of cheese. I hope they turn out. Both look good. They are aging in the frig right now. Once they have sat about a week I can either wax or I can eat. We may eat one and wax one. It takes a LOT of milk for a little cheese. I used some of the whey to soak beans in. It really does improve the flavor of the beans. I have done 2 pots in the past week and we are out of beans. I think I will use whey today to make bread. Instead of water which is what my recipe calls for I will add whey. IF I manage to get it made today. It was on my "to do " list yesterday. Still on it!

Time to get my day started! All have a blessed day!

Heart of Motherhood RetreatFebruary 5Th -7Th

Just received this today. Anyone that wants more information email me. It really is an awesome weekend of uplifting filling mothering! Great for any mom but especially those struggling with motherhood.


Mark Your Calendars for Heart of Motherhood Retreat February 5Th -7Th , 2010Heart of Texas Bible Camp on Lake Brownwood"Are you tired? Worn Out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11: 28-30 Message translation We loved you dearly. Not content to just pass of the Message, we wanted to give you our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 Message translation
Hello Everyone, We are so excited about retreat. Time is drawing close. We have a few changes this year. We're changing locations. The Heart of Texas Bible Camp looks very inviting and I think we will all enjoy it. We're bringing a variety of speakers in this year who will encourage us, challenge us, grow us, and build us up on our motherhood journey. The cost is still $99.00. All you have to do is tuck away $7.00/week. We're looking forward to seeing you all!!! We're praying for God's abundant outpouring on all of us during retreat this year. We'll be sending out registration forms in Dec.Blessings to you all Julie

I figured something out!

I am not a gardener. I don't like it! I do it because I like fresh vegetables, but I don't do it well. I don't like weeding, I don't like watering, I don't like even harvesting them. I like cooking them and eating them. I am a little slow but I finally figured that out. I always struggle with a garden. I want one, I get it started but quickly loose interest. I do the token amount, but not with heart. I truly don't find satisfaction in it. It is WORK!

On the other hand I can work all day with livestock. I can be stepped on until the tops of my feet are black and blue. I can eat dust and blow dust out of my nose for days. I can walk the cold pens checking for babies. I can milk 7 days a week, rain or shine. I may not like it when it is cold, but I don't hate it. I look fwd to baby season. I am willing to spend a lot more time out there than in the garden. I will nurture babies and feed them multiple times a day, if/when I can beat MN off of doing it.

How I arrived at this knowledge was yesterday I went to the garden to harvest potatoes. The weeds have won yet again this year. I stood there looking at the weed jungle a while and finally wondered off to do something less stressful than fight weeds to get potatoes that may or may not be hidden under all the weeds.

Last night DS called and mentioned he had bought 50 heavy bred nannies. I started doing the happy dance! This afternoon I had the kids help me clean feeders so he could order feed. Then he will bring them out here. To most people cleaning that feeder that was half full of year old moldy decomposing feed would have been much more work than weeding the garden of every weed. Nope! I supervised and dug my share of yucky feed out. We all smell like dusty feed now.

While 50 nannies may sound like a lot to me it isn't. We will walk through them twice a day at least until they have all kidded and the kids are up and going. Then just once a day. I have a feeling since he bought these he will buy more :) :) :) !!!! In years past we have done over 500 bred sheep and goats over the winter.

It usually makes Thanksgiving exciting for some as most years we have to take time out to catch a sheep or goat that is having trouble kidding either before or after Thanksgiving dinner. There are usually bottle babies to feed and this year we have a cow due the Tue before Thanksgiving and another one due the 10th. So two cute baby calves for people to mess with. Besides the fact that when I get "peopled out" I can go check the pens. :) I love Thanksgiving and all the friends and family that come but I still like to stow away for a few quite minutes during the day. A walk through the pens is always calming no matter how many tag along.

Friday already

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

That's what I have been doing. We were "selected" for 2 boys last week after much talking and emailing between us and case worker. We mailed off our "Life Album" yesterday for the boys. I have been talking and emailing the foster mom. We are waiting on approval of a waver to homeschool. It has been approved at the local level and we are waiting to hear at the state level. Boys are 7 and 10. Case worker is thinking about Christmas or New Years they should be here. I just smile and think I serve an awesome God and His timing is perfect. If He wants them here sooner..... :)

I have to admit we have been close before so many times and gotten all excited and had our dreams dashed by something beyond our control. I try hard to look at it as God closing that door because He has something better in store. I have struggled to not allow me to be excited and plan and dream to much. I may be putting beds in the boys room the night before they are to come!

As we go fwd in adoption we find the bus that we were waiting on to come back from HI isn't coming anytime soon. This company we are/were buying it from sends 2 new buses every 2 years to HI and brings the old ones home to resell. Each time the HI company holds the old buses for a few weeks to make sure the new work well. This year BOTH new buses blew their motors. So they aren't turning loose of the old buses. In fact looking at the web site where we were getting ours. It looks like the two new buses are now for sale! Anyone want a pretty blue 15 passenger bus with a new motor? The motor just happens to be a Ford 6.0 which seems to not be Ford's best design. As we look for a different bus we are finding LOTS of 6.0's and gas and not many others, none that are 4x4. So again we have to trust God and KNOW His plan is better and He will lead us to what He has for us.

In other news Thanksgiving plans are in full swing. We sent off the first round of invitations yesterday. I know we will hand out more and think of others we want to invite and I have some I need to email invitations too since I don't have addresses, but do have email. This is DS#2's year to go to DIL's families. So we will miss them. I haven't printed off my shopping list yet or my early to do list. I do need to make cornbread and biscuits to freeze. If I make and don't freeze I have to beat children off with a big stick and then have none left to freeze.

We are blessedly green! God is so blessing us with lots of wonderful rain. That leaves our road a total disaster! I keep thinking maybe we could do without a 4x4 bus, then think about getting out WITH 4wd on occasion, like yesterday morning! I am thankful for the rain, don't fuss about the mud or the road. We are blessed!

Wet Rainy Monday!

God is yet again blessing us with rain! We haven't gotten much, but it was a tad slick going to pick up grandson at the hwy. I think his mom will be able to come get him this afternoon. Unless it decides to rain hard between now and then.

Kids are busy at school. Two had test this morning. I gave them until grandson woke up to study. They must not have done a lot of studying since both "missed" the test. Meaning they made less than 80 on it and will be redoing that section of school work. Mom is so mean! It does help them learn though. S admitted that she was in over her head with school trying to get a year done in 3 months. Just to much and to hard to learn it that fast. She agreed to allow me to give her an extra month to do it. If that is to much then we will add a little more time. Even doing 3 years worth in 1 is a lot.

Grand Boys are busy playing in and out of the play pen. Tiger is outside giving kisses and mimicking K who is in play pen jail. For now he is happy in jail with all business around his jail. This morning I peeled an apple for K. He loved scraping apple off with those two teeth he has. Great entertainment for him. After that I even got him to take a nice nap. He is having teething issues and last week his idea of a nap was 30 minutes. Maybe this week that will go better too.

I really want to get my granddaughters socks made by this evening so I can give them to her. Yet hear I set. She told her aunt that she was sure the next pair I made would be for her. I had made both grand boys socks so as soon as I got a loom the right size I started on her a pair. I am using three skeins of variegated yarn all with pinks and purples and light blues in it. Should work well for her. It really doesn't take long to make a pair. It is just getting started. I have about an inch done.

Since I am working on the lap top in the school room I don't have pictures to add. I will try and add some later.

Hope everyone has a great day!

We survived, I guess..

Again CPS called to postpone their visit. This time nice went OUT the window. I lost it! I hate losing it. I became a mad blubbering idiot. Instead of trying to explain why I was mad and let mouth overload judgment I did choose a better path. I started changing, "You need to talk to dh!" . Each time she would try to explain why she wasn't coming out she got about 3 words out and I interrupted with, "You need to talk to DH!" Then she changed tactics and so agreed to come get it done. But, by then I really didn't care if she EVER came out. She still got the same answer, "You need to talk to DH!" I was NOT going there. I bet I told her 10 times before she finally just ask for his phone number. By then I was so upset I gave her my son's instead :) so she had to get it from him. Oh well! After she called DH and he explained that we had put our life on hold for three days only to again have her change plans and he could tell her exactly what happened and why I was mad. She sweetly agreed to come do the home study. I did manage to cool off enough to be nice. She did manage to call me from the hwy for me to come get her. Good thing too since the road was rather deep and slick in places :).

I have no idea if we "passed". She didn't say we didn't. She left here talking about how well my children communicate and how large their vocabulary is. She was also talking about kids so we will see if we get an email today saying we need to do this and that to "pass". I doubt she would tell me anything negative yesterday since she didn't have her car or her other worker for safety. She ask them how many siblings they wanted. This was in private. :) MN said oh no more than 20. S said what ever God brings. The other two didn't care. Later we were talking and both T and MN pointed out they wanted to be like the Duggers. I didn't say much. I answered questions was nice and basically told her the same thing S did, that how ever many God wanted us to have. We ARE working on a 15 passenger bus so ......

Not a lot else going on. I am off to do produce today. Not sure I remember how. I also get to go by the IGA grocery store. I seldom go there but they have a few things that the big stores don't carry that we use like Grandma's molasses in BIG jars. Besides it is much faster than shopping the super centers and has all the basics.