The Best

When the ladies at our church heard about our move, they got together and decided to make us meals for a week.

At first, I didn't understand why they were bringing us meals. I felt sort of guilty receiving them. Fixing meals for your family and another family is not easy or cheap. It can actually be rather stressful.

Each night they brought the meals, I felt sooooo loved. My dearest friends were doing what they could to help bear my load. They were helping in the only way they really knew how to help. No, it wasn't easy or cheap to prepare our meals and bring them to the house, but they did it out of love for me.

Now, I understand why they did it. They wanted to show me how much they love and care about me. I am going to miss my friends. More than they know. I pray the Lord has ladies in Cartersville who will love me and care about me and be willing to show that love and care even when it's inconvenient or costly.

Another dear friend, Lisa, heard that my mom and I had TONS of errands to run tomorrow for the new house and for this current house. The minute she heard she told me to drop my boys off at her house for the day so we wouldn't have to fight them in and out of 100's of stores. Her concern and selflessness brought tears to my eyes. What a HUGE blessing that will be. My mom and I can get our errands done, enjoy one another's company, and not fight Dane and Webb in the process.

Today, I have been getting over mastitis, for a 2nd time in a week. UGH. Last night I felt SO horrible. I had a high fever, my husband was in Cartersville renovating the new house, and Webb was testing every limit. My mom and dad were kind enough to come over at 8pm (after driving 12 hours) to help me with the kids. It was such a huge help! I am so grateful for how much they help me out!!!

Today, although there is MUCH to do, I have been taking it easy to try and get better. There really is so much left to do. I know we will get it all done though, we always do.

And I certainly know, the load is easier to bear with the BEST family and friends a girl could ask for! If you have been a part of what I spoke of, THANK YOU does not begin to express my appreciation :-)

Decorating ideas!

Well, folks.

My last post I said we had a big discussion planned. We had that discussion and made yet another round of plans. We originally planned to be out of the house by Sept 30 and spend the month of Sept renovating the new house. Which would mean a TON of driving back and forth to Cartersville. Brent had mentioned that we would be spending the majority of time staying at his mom's to save on gas money. That was when it hit him. Why stay here for the month of September and pay utilities, rent, etc? We could go ahead and store our things in a storage building for a month and stay with his mom and be smart.

I wanted to say, "No" because I wanted that one last month with my family and friends, but I knew that would be silly. He was right and we would save so much money that we could put towards the renovations (or shopping for home decor. LOL).

So, we have 2 weeks to be out of the house! That's right. 2 weeks!!! I have gotten a ton of packing done. Really, the only things left are the dishes we eat on, cups, and the boy's room. After that, it will be the basement (which really doesn't need packing), the attic (which once again, doesn't really need packing. It's baby things.), the furniture, and clothes.

Now, we must pack for the storage building and then pack to live at his mom's for a month. That will be the most un-fun part of it. What should we pack to take and what should we pack to store??? UGH!!! LOL.

Right after we move out of this house, we have a beach vacation scheduled for Sept 2- Sept 9 with my parents. As soon as we get home, we will be renovating the house like crazy and hopefully move in sometime in Sept or early October. I am sooooo stoked!!!!

I have been busy looking at flooring, vanities, appliances, paint, etc. In the midst of that, I have also looked at bedding. I sold the boys' bedding and we are giving them the queen bed that is currently in our guest room. That means they have no comforter. I bought this one today and I am very pleased with it. Their room will be painted navy (I think. We have gone from navy, to charcoal, to chocolate, back to navy again. I think we will stay with navy since the bedding has been purchased.). Our plan is for guests to sleep in the boys room and the boys to sleep in the office on a pullout couch.

Brent also hates our bedding. I have to agree with him here. You get what you pay for. I bought if after we moved here and it is falling apart and we both just can't stand it. I bought it off of Overstock.com and thought I was getting a very high quality comforter. Pssh. I didn't. So, I've been looking and looking and looking and although I like a lot of things, I couldn't find that perfect one. Today, I decided to go with a solid color. Brent and I both like chocolate brown, so that was easy enough. I found one at Bed Bath and Beyond that I hope buy and then put birthday money towards it. I thought this would be a good route because I could do any colors and then even change it if I wanted to. So, I started looking for pillows I liked. That is when I came across this one  and knew I had officially found the one that would help me plan our whole bedroom. I LOVE birds. I have always been drawn bird figurines and wanted to buy them on numerous occasions, but they have never really gone with my decor. This pillow (IMO) screams my name! I looked at this pillow for about 20 minutes before deciding to accent the rest of the room with blue. I will add one of these pillows to each side of the bird pillow. I have looked at paint samples since we made the decision to move with no clue what color to use in our room. Now, I FINALLY know that I will paint our room a dark, brownish, beige, chocolaty color. I then started wondering about the fact my bathroom won't technically go with that. I decided to make the boys bathroom decor mine (since it is blue and brown) and use the extra bathroom decor with what we have currently been using in the master bath. UNTIL I found this shower curtain. I WILL be having this one. EEEEKKK. I love to decorate and I especially love to decorate when it is with things I am in love with. Our bedroom is officially bird them and colorful :D Two of my favorite things!

I think I have most of the paint colors decided. Our room is that deep, dark, neutral color along with our bathroom. The boys room will be navy. The living room and hallway will be the same green our living room is now. I love that green. Our kitchen will be gold (the same gold in our guest room now unless I find one I like better) and the boys bathroom will also be gold. The guest bedroom/office is the only thing stumping me. I had found this couch that turned into a bed at Costco I loved. But I wanted to use black in there and that couch was more brown. So, now I am thinking a black leather futon that is at Costco. If we do that, I will paint a deep grey/almost purple.

Ahhhhh. Can you tell I am excited to start on this house? It is so close. Brent heads down to Villa Rica in the morning at 6am to take his FINAL national exam. PLEASE say a prayer for him. I know he will do great, but he certainly appreciates the prayers. After that, he will officially be finished. Sunday, he will go to Cartersville and put up a privacy fence at our new place for our chickens and all. Then, he will come home and help me finish packing up. He will eventually go back down to rip up all the floors. Then, we will paint all the walls and he will put new floors down. After that, we will do the bathrooms. So much work to do, but I am really looking forward to it :D

Have a happy and safe weekend!

Renovated Hearts and Houses

It's amazing at the ways God works, isn't it?

A week ago, I was down, discouraged, and worried. Today,  I am excited, hopeful, and optimistic. God has completely changed my heart about this move. He has used so many avenues to help me see more clearly that this is, indeed, His will for me, for our family. He has allowed me to see how much He loves me and cares for me. I have a renewed sense of life. I am so ready for this journey.

Yes, there are some things that have not changed.

I am really going to miss my family and the ability they have to be at my house in 15-20 minutes. But, things could be worse. I will only be an hour away and I will be up in Ringgold every Friday. I KNOW they will be in C'ville often :-) and that we will still remain close knit, as we always have.

I will miss my friends. I know a move will not make a difference in strong friendships though and already I have made plans to stay in touch, do Bible Study, have girl's nights, visit, etc. on a regular basis with so many gals. Plus, I am trusting God to send Christian friends my way and my husband's way. Like-minded friends where we are raising our children in the same atmosphere. Where our friends don't have to filter their language to hang out with us and friends where we don't have to worry about what will be happening when we hang out together. I trust that the Lord will provide all of this and more.

I will miss our church and the fellowship we have there also. Once again, I am praying for a new home church and believing God already has the perfect location for us.

Yes, lots has changed and all for the good.

So many things are falling into place, showing us more and more how we are headed down the right track.

The last blog entry I was talking about how I wanted updates and renovations done yesterday and how in a perfect world, they would be done when we moved in.

TA-DA!!!!!

Isn't God good????

THEY WILL BE!!!!

We are getting a bit bigger loan (and the mortgage won't go up much at all). We will rip out all the floors and put new hardwood in the kitchen, living room, and hallways, ceramic tile in both bathrooms, and fresh new carpet in the bedrooms. Then we are ripping out the master bath, putting in a new, bigger, shower, a new dual flush toilet, and a new vanity. In the boys' bathroom, we are doing the same thing. In the living room, we are taking down the paneling and replacing with sheet rock. We are making an "extra" part of the kitchen into a massive laundry room and walk-in pantry AND all the rooms will have beautiful new paint.

Can you tell I am excited???

I will be super busy as we renovate these next couple of weeks. I have never done and renovation and I feel like this is super cool that we will be moving into a new house for a fraction of what we are paying for this out-dated place. LOL. Plus, it will be OURS. The freedom of not renting. I am sooooooo excited.

God has also worked wonders in the area of my heart that loves our mini farm. Yes, I still love it, but I really and truly am ok with leaving it behind. I really am. That is something only God could have worked.

Your prayers have been felt and answered on so many levels :D Thank you!!!

Lots to keep you updated on in the next few days and weeks. We have some more major decisions that await us this week. This evening we have an important little chat planned where we will discuss some big details.

I was going to post pictures, but I feel like being lazy while I can :-)

Make it a great day!

Packing and Churches

Moving.

It's an exciting/anxious/scary time.

Our goat is gone and tons of the chickens are gone. We are keeping a total of 9 for ourselves so I am handling the chicken thing ok.

I have gone through various rooms and found things we don't use and posted to sell them.We won't have near the storage space at the new house and also, the unexpected news of the move, we are trying to make some extra cash. It is amazing what all I sold yesterday and what all I am scheduled to sell today. I am sure we will have TONS more as I actually pack.

UGH.

Packing.

Not something I enjoy. Brent went and picked up some boxes yesterday, but now we have decided (I think) to not box up as much as we can. We are thinking we will drive to Cartersville 2 times a week with a load. My  van will hold quite a bit and we will start with the things we won't be using. Brent is going today to clean the carpets. Once that is done, I will go and clean, probably on a day we take a load. He also has to put up a fence (hence the selling everything we can find) in the back.

It's overwhelming. The house needs a lot of updating and remodeling. Of course, that will come in the future. That is hard for me. I like for things to be done yesterday. I want the walls painted when we move in, the trim painted when we move in, the extra walls added when we move in, the laundry room moved when we move in, etc. I am HAVING to be patient due to lack of funds. It will all come in time.

My main concern is church. I try to pray about it when the anxiety sits in, but I am really nervous about finding a good church. The church that I KNOW God has for us. One that preaches from the Word of God and challenges me to grow spiritually. One that offers the things a family like us needs and also wants. Visiting churches with little ones is NOT easy. Especially when you have one that is prone to pass out in uncertain circumstances. We visited a church in town with some friends one time and both boys had a very hard time. They were both screaming crying when we left them. It was not easy to do. So, yes. I am realllllly dreading the visiting. I pray we find a church very quickly. I am also struggling with the fact that I know nothing about the churches in the area. I have grown up and lived in this area my whole life. So, practically every church I know something about. I have an idea about ones I would never, ever visit and the ones that I would be willing to try. Maybe that is a good thing??!! I don't know. For some reason, I feel like it would be better to go ahead and be able to mark some off our list.

I had just started doing a Bible study with my dear friend before this decision was made, the decision to move. The study intrigued me, held me captive, and challenged me. That was one thing I was the most sad to give up. BUT!!!!! We have made the plans to continue and also included my BFF from Highschool and college into the mix. Yay. I am so excited that we will see each other every week. I am hopeful that since we are planning it before hand, it will be something we truly stick with. Our plan is to meet in the middle once a week at maybe Starbucks or Chick-fil-a. They are both teachers, so we will meet after school. Brent will either keep the boys or if he is working, I will drop them off at my in-laws on my way out (my in-laws don’t know this yet!). That gives me a mommy break, some friend time, and some spiritually growing/challenging time--- 3 things I am most nervous about not having :D

I’m not going to lie. Fear creeps in from time to time. Anxiety grips me so tightly that it’s hard to breathe. It’s those times that I cry out to the Lord to give me strength, to let me trust the unseen hand of God, and to stop the lies of Satan. I do believe this is the Lord’s will, so of course Satan is going to want to stop this from happening. I believe God has wonderful things in store for us and Satan does not want to see these things occur. Please pray for me concerning these things also. I could also use prayers in the emotions department. I know the next few weeks will be emotional for me. I know I may feel drained emotionally and exhausted emotionally. I need strength and excitement to be the 2 emotions I experience the most.

I know you will pray for me. I appreciate the encouragement from sooooo many of my friends and readers. The texts, messages, and prayers mean so much to me.

Until next time…..

I don't care

A man came to look at Nellie today. He fell in love with her and said he would be coming back tomorrow to buy her. Dane went up to the barn with me and fed her out of his hands, ran around with the animals, and fed all the chickens. The man thoroughly loved watching Dane in his "element".

Not me.

I felt my heart breaking in half more and more with each second.

After the man left, I closed the barn door and knelt down to be eye level with Dane. I touch his shoulders and said, "Dane, that man that just left, he is coming back tomorrow and taking Nellie home with him. Ok?"

Dane shrugged his shoulders and said, "Ask me if I care."

Not fully understanding him, I said, "What?"

He said, "I don't care. I don't care if he takes her, mom."

Then, he turned around and started playing again.

Shocked, I busted out laughing and hugged him close. I said, "Maybe God will use you to make this easier on me!"

Thankful for Dane and for God giving Dane the ability to "not care" because that was NOT what I was expecting.

Answered Prayers

What a light heart I have today!

The prayers you prayed for me and Brent have been answered more than I could have ever imagined!

I'll explain. I went to bed last night with an ice pack (terrible headache from crying and extremely swollen eyes) and a HEAVY heart. All the "bad" things came to mind the minute I closed my eyes and the overwhelming job of packing loomed in my future. I begged God to take away the negatives and only allow the positives to be on my mind. I asked for sleep. And God granted both. I slept like a rock and awoke to encouraging messages from FB friends and no headache.

Brent talked to our landlord again today, and she was planning on going up on the price in November.... God already knew that. My friend Amanda and I had planned to workout and to have a Bible study (before any of this moving mess happened). She had already studied for what we were going to be looking at. I cried when she first got here and  I explained the whys of what we were doing and the more I talked about it, the more sense it made.

Afterwards, we came upstairs and opened our Bibles to 2 Chronicles 20. Stop whatever you are doing now and read the chapter.

WOW!!!! Thank you, God for knowing what I needed to hear and see today.

King Jehoshaphat was about to have to face his enemies in a battle. King J was immediately fearful, yet he set himself to seek the Lord vs 3. In other words, he made up his mind.

King J prayed by stating facts about God and about God's past actions. vs 6-9

In this story, God told King J to not be afraid, that this battle he was in was not his, the battle was the Lord's. All King J needed to do was to listen to God and to do what His will was. vs 15

He gave exact directions and King J followed those directions. The entire way to the battle, the King and his people sang praises to God. They were no longer fearful or mad at God for sending them to this place. vs 16-17

As they traveled to the place of battle, the King appointed singers unto the Lord that were to praise the beauty of holiness, praise the Lord whose mercies endure forever. vs 21-22

Upon arriving at the battle, the vast amount of armies were already dead, the armies had killed ONE ANOTHER! vs 23-24

King J and his people went among the dead armies to get what was left and they found in abundance both riches and precious jewels which took THREE days to gather and even then, it was more than they could carry. vs 25

After the battle, King J and his people blessed the Lord for bring them there. vs 26

Then, the entire way back to their camp they sang praises to God again and everyone who heard them and saw them, knew that GOD was the One True God and they had fear--- healthy fear--- of God. vs 27-30

What I took from this story is:

My enemy is a circumstance. A financial circumstance. And a fear. The fear of the unknown and of possibilities. God has told me EXACTLY where to go and when to go. I didn't want to hear it. I was fearful. After the fear set in, I set to seek the Lord. I cried out to him. Very verbally. Sobbing. Begging. Pleading. Asking God for answers. It was at that exact moment the Lord changed my heart. He so vividly showed me the circumstances. He gave me peace and courage to announce what we are doing. We can no longer afford to live here. I know this is the Lord's plan. He knows my love for this place, the animals, the experience, etc. He knows I will only leave with some force behind it. So, he did that. He took away all forms of income and did not replace those jobs. Then, He presented an opportunity. He didn't leave me alone to question where to go. He showed me exactly where I was to go.

This story should serve as an example to me. I sat and cried and praised God through our Bible Study today. He KNEW I needed this. I needed a clear sign on how to handle this move.

This battle is not mine. It's the Lord's. He is telling us to move. The financial issues. The fear of possibilities, the unknown, the leaving my family and friends and church behind. All of that--- the Lord is going to take care of all of it for me. The Battle is HIS. NOT MINE. All I have to do is listen, obey, and continue to praise Him during this emotionally and realistically scary time. I don't have to do anything except that. He already has the rest figured out. He is going to kill my enemies-- the financial stronghold and the fears I have--- He will take care of those.

When I listen to God, He will provide more abundantly than I could ever imagine or begin to wrap my mind around. Not necessarily in a financial way, but through blessings, people, places, etc. I have no idea what this move has in store for us. I do know it is in the Lord's will though. He has told us to move. The Lord's will will not take me out of His protection or harm me in any way. He has my good in mind. He is taking me here to make me a better person, a better wife, a better mother, a better friend. I trust He will place us in a church where Brent, me, and the kids grow spiritually. I TRUST Him for that. I KNOW He is going to do it. He is going to use this entire situation to make us more like HE wants us to be. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the blessings He is waiting to pour down on us, will happen as we listen to HIS voice and move. Like He is telling us to.

In a year, we will look back and sing songs and praise the Lord for sending us into this battle and my prayer is this will be a testimony to others. When they look at what the Lord has done in our life, they will know He is REAL. He is POWERFUL. He is MIGHTY. He is EL. They too, like the people  in 2 Chronicles, will have a healthy fear of the Lord.

Adult Decisions

Well, friends. It's been a rough month.

We moved into this house (Nov 2011) and my husband lost his job. The Lord provided me with NUMEROUS jobs with me NEVER having to look for them. It was so great and He provided and took care of us.

Within the last 2 months or so, I have lost EVERY job.... except 1! That's right... yesterday, I lost another job. This whole time, I have asked God, "What are you trying to teach me from this?" With this newest lost job though, we can no longer pay the bills. So, my question turned to, "Lord, what are we supposed to do? What am I not seeing?"

The answer, so unbelievably obvious, yet something I so desperately did NOT want to see, is that we are no longer supposed to be here. Not in this house. If you cannot pay the bills (and you rent), I think it's a pretty  clear sign that, hey! This is not going to work out. We need to find somewhere else to live.

Yes, we have family that is/was more than happy to financially help us out. But that would be just WRONG! I've been looking and looking and spreading my name like crazy for a new job, and nothing. Who knows how long our family would be contributing a whole whole lot. Yes, Brent is done with school. But he has not taken his national registry tests yet. After that, he will have to apply, be interviewed, be hired, and then start when they are needing people. He could get hired at the end of Sept and not be working until the beginning of the year. Just too many unknowns with the one KNOWN (We can't pay our bills) weighing us down.

Long story short, this morning, the idea was presented to us to move to Cartersville and buy Pappy's old house. The payments would be ridiculously low. Neither one of us wanted to do that. However, the more Brent thought about it, the more sense it made. I came home from errands, we discussed it some more, I cried a whole lot, and he went outside to think. During that time alone, I argued with God, crying, screaming, and begging Him for a sign, any sign but moving to Cartersville. It was then that He revealed to me how selfish I was being. I want to stay for my family, friends, and church. But, I truly believe the Lord gives and takes away. He does both to help us be where He wants us to be. I truly feel like He has taken it all away from me to help me be willing to move where He wants me and really, to not give me much of a choice. I don't understand it. I don't want to move. But, I can see how much better this will be for us.

When Brent came in, I told him I wasn't happy about it, but he was the head of this house. If he had prayed about it and felt true peace about this decision, then I am game and I trust that peace will come with time. He's not going without me and I'm not going with my heels dragging and a bitter attitude. He said, "Ok then. We are going."

He has already called the landlord, she is being understanding and she has someone lined up to rent it. It's a God-thing really.

I have the chickens and goat on Craig's. We told the kids. They don't fully get it. Dane did ask to keep his favorite chicken and we agreed to keep her and 2 others so she has friends.

Friends, I need your prayers. My family needs your prayers. Just because we feel like this is God's will does not mean challenges are not going to come with it or that it will be easy. It is going to be sooooooo hard to leave my home and my farm life. My family. My church. My friends. My neighbors. All of it. I'm sad. My heart hurts. I've cried and cried and cried. But, I know inside God's will, I will be happy and my family will be blessed. Outside of God's will, I will not be happy and my family will not be blessed. I am resting in Him. Looking for Him to comfort me and to continue to give me peace. I am also praying for peace for my family and my kids.

Our last day here will be Sept 30.

Psalm 127

Today, we went to church.

Sundays are stressful each and every week and today was no exception. For whatever reason, there are various arguments, attitudes, and tantrums every. single. Sunday. morning. Today, was no exception.

The week has been stressful (heck, the last 10 months have been stressful), there has been bumps, twists, turns, and set-backs. There have been tears, spankings, and time-outs (and not just for the children). Yes, life has happened during this last week.

The best thing about church, ending your week (or starting, however you look at it) in the Lord's house, is being uplifted, refueled, and encouraged. Sure, the world has problems, but the Bible tells me to have peace and be cheerful... in this world I will have tribulation or trouble, but God has already overcome the world and my troubles. Today's message was just what I needed to hear, to be reminded of.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.  --- John 16:33

For whatever reason, this week, the devil has been active. He has brought with him discouragement and troubles. It has been a super stressful week. 

Our Preacher preached a message today on families and the fact that the devil is alive and well and looking to hit us hard in the area of families. He is looking to destroy and conquer things most precious to me... my family. He wants to disrupt my home. Brother Ball asked, "How Can a Home Make It These Days?"

He brought up the fact that we need to turn to the Word of God. We don't need to look to the world... the world is lost and dying... the world is F-----A-----R away from God. We need to turn to the Only One who can help us. Jesus Christ. His Word, the Bible, is still applicable and relevant for us today.

We looked at the verses in Psalm 127:

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Brother Ball reminded us all of the song, "The wise man built his house upon the rocks..." and "The foolish man built his house upon the sand...."

We all know how that ends. The man who built his house on the rocks, when the wind and waves came, his house stood firm. The man who built his house upon the sand, when the winds and the waves came, his house went "CRASH!!!"

That is the key. Our foundation. I need to build my foundation, our family's foundation, on the Lord. If I exclude Him out of my home, His protection has gone out the window. He has to be first. Not second. FIRST. 

I can't live like the world. I can't act like the world. I can't talk like the world. I can't look like the world. I can't think like the world. I must be different. I must set my foundation on the Lord to be able to withstand the storms and the trials that come my way.

If I don't let the Lord be ruler over my house, be FIRST in this house, then I am laboring in vain. It is pointless. All my efforts are pointless.

If I don't make God a priority in my home, then I labor in vain and my family will suffer.

I hope this encourages you to make the Lord the foundation for your home as well. I strive to make him the foundation in mine, yet I fail so often. So often I let other priorities come before Him and my goal is to become aware of this and to stop it now!!

Ya'll have a wonderful Sunday :D

Boo Boo's and Barns

Yesterday was the day for me to clean 2 houses. I got up and left about 7:40am and I was home at  11:30am. I tried to get home before noon because it was Brent's last day of school and he had his final and I knew he needed some last minute studying.

When I got home, the boys and I played outside.

Dane pushing Webb so I could look for eggs.

4 of our chickens scratching around in the hay that I cleaned out of their coop. Remember, Webb spilled their feed in there ;-)

We played on the back porch for a bit too...

Don't you love my rainbow colored socks :-) By the way, this is Dane making a fort!

Brent had his FINAL night of school last night, so we helped him get ready. It was so cute because he usually has to wear his EMT uniform to class. On their final night, the teacher said they could wear whatever they wanted. He wore some shorts and this navy EMT shirt I bought him. When Dane saw him headed towards the door he said, "Daddy! You told me you were going to school!" LOL Brent explained that he didn't have to wear his uniform tonight.

I did get a picture of Brent as he was walking out the door. I'm so proud of him!!!! (PS- He made a 97 on his final!!!!)

Daddy leaving for school is always a family event. We all go outside and see him off. Webb was chanting, "I anna go!!" So cute!

My friend, Amanda, and I are having a yardsale right in the center of town (LaFayette) tomorrow. It's time for the HWY 27 yardsale and she told me she was going to be selling there and to look for stuff to sale. I told her I doubted I had anything, but I would look. WOW. Was I wrong????

Just look at all the junk treasures I found to sell! The boys and I found a few more things to add to the collection after daddy left and then we got the weights ready for my friend Stephanie to come workout with me.

We ended up killing our legs and I am actually sore today (which doesn't happen often!)

Milking time is the boys favorite part of the day. We all hike up the barn together, check on all the animals, give them fresh water, feed them, and milk them (if they require that!).

We check the quail and the turkeys.

We check on our meat chickens- aka-barn chickens.

Poor Hulk. Someone didn't let him in and he was crying.

Here's Dane talking to Betsy. I missed the extent of the convo, but I thought it was so cute!

The boys LOVE to help in the chores at the barn. Dane is feeding the chickens here.

Webb always wants to carry the bucket, that held the food for the quail,  back to the barn for me.

As I was deleting 19900332245 pictures that Dane took of the barn floor, the roof, etc. I came across this picture. Yep... this is me, milking one of the goats :D

This morning, I did not make it to the barn at 6am. Webb nursed all night-- yes, I was in his room for about an hour (11:30pm-12am) and managed to stay awake so I could go back to our bed. Then, he wound up in our bed. Once in there, if I tried to pull it out of his mouth, he would wiggle, grunt, and moan and chant, "I aunt that. I aunt that. MOMMY!!!!! BOO BOO!!!" So, needless to say, he slept with his paci boo boo allllllll night long. That makes for an exhausting night for me. When I did wake up (I overslept by 2 hours), Dane was on one side and Webb was on the other. I got up at 7:30, went to let the chickens out, feed them, check their water, feed Hulk, feed our kitty's (Milo, Dude, and Darla) and then take the clothes out of the washing machine and hang them to dry. I was planning on coming in and drinking my coffee and hitting the barn. 

I no longer dry clothes in the dryer because our electric bill was/is SKY HIGH!!!! Plus, we had the barn electricity turned on a few months ago and EVERY SINGLE month, the bill for the barn is at least $10 higher than the month before. I won't even talk about the water bill for the barn. LOL. Running a farm is expensive. Even a miniature one like we have. So, all our clothes are stiff, but our power bill is reduced to some extent.  This is definitely not the lazy man's way of doing it. Instead of just picking up clothes out of the wash and slinging them into the dryer, you pull out piece by piece and hang them strategically on the clothes hanger. You don't want them overlapping one another, or dragging the floor. There is a certain place for everything. I also now have to plan laundry days out. You cannot fit more than one load on this, so I have to make sure I allot the right amount of time in the day/days of the week to get it all done. I am hoping for another clothes hanger like this one and I will put it on the backporch (screened in), then even on rainy days, I can leave the clothes out. This one needs to be outside, but I left it in for no reason in particular.

Once I got inside, I sat down to blog and drink my coffee. I had no longer woken the computer up than when I hear little feet pitter pattering down the hall. I look up and Webb comes running into my arms saying, "boo boo". 

Milking the cow and nursing your 23 month old is NOT easy. Take it from someone who has done it... on more than one occasion... So, I sat a bit longer than I originally planned. However, he is still not cooperating, so I think I will be texting my neighbor. In about 15 minutes, I need to get ready for a meeting I have in Ringgold. It's for all the parents who will have kids in the Co-op this year. I'm excited/nervous. Then, this afternoon, I have a postnatal doula visit in Chattanooga. Yes, a busy day is in store for us!

I need to get off of here and get myself ready. This blog ended up being super long due to a nursing baby and me being in no hurry :D

Ya'll have a wonderful day!

Coops and Smoothies

Yesterday was a "lazy" day meaning I had no where to be, no one coming over, and no seriously pressing things to get done on my to-do list.

The boys and I lounged around for a bit after breakfast and then headed outside for the weekly chore of cleaning out a chicken coop. In case you didn't know it... chickens are MESSY creatures.

This picture doesn't even do justice of just how gross it was(by the way--- the white is oyster shells. Webb decided the night before to dump out 3 FULL feeders I had just filled, one had oyster shells and 2 had pellets.). Dane and Webb helped me, Daddy was still snoozing away. It really isn't as hard of a chore as I am making it out to be. I shovel the floor and then hand pick up all the nasty hay from the boxes (yes, I wear gloves). I clean the coop every week. I am always so proud of the finished product, and then when I got let them out the following morning, there is poop EVERYWHERE again. LOL. But, at least it looks nice for a few hours.

My chickens always get ornery when I clean the coop. They don't lay eggs well that day and they squawk and carry on like no one's business. It must be a very stressful time for them ;-)

Here is our Araucana Chicken, who is nameless. She lays Easter eggs and they have a blue-ish green tint to them.

We played outside for a good bit after that. Dane and I swung on the swing while Webb played for a bit.

While we were outside, around 10:30am, Daddy made his appearance (this unemployment has been exhausting for him. LOL) and the boys, and Hulk, played a little football.

Someone upset him!

I would have gotten a pic of my sexy husband, but he was only in boxers... yes, that is the beauty of living on 5 private acres ;-)

Later in the day, we made smoothies!!! Our favorite. Do you like smoothies? What are your favorite flavors? I am a smoothie freak ;-) I don't know what flavor ours was.

frozen fruit

And of course, a good amount of whole milk and some ice. I don't measure any of this, I just pour and dump and blend and then pour and dump some more.

The result....

So, I realize this may not look yummy, but it was divine!!! Just ask my boys.

We did some other "non important stuff" yesterday then I decided I was making dinner and getting baths early since it was sort of yucky looking outside.

I made our family's favorite-- Teriyaki Chicken and Brown Rice. Yummy goodness right there.

Here is the recipe in case you are interested:

I cooked, the boys argued played, and Brent showered. Then, the boys wanted a picnic in the living room, so Brent and I sat alone and enjoyed our dinner.

I'm not going to lie... it is soooooo delicious!!!! You should definitely try it :-)

Well, I need to get ready and head out to clean. Pray for my husband today, it is his LAST day of school and his LAST final. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!