tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37724115664324415452024-02-18T20:10:34.751-06:00Farm Livin' Is the Life for MeMelindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-77147849109345814902011-06-01T18:59:00.000-05:002011-06-01T18:59:06.500-05:00Summer has arrived!Finally, it seems as if summer has arrived. I gave in and turned on the air this week as it was just to warm to sleep well and we've all been awfully busy around here, so we need our sleep. :)<br />
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Sunday we went to St. Louis to celebrate Charlotte's first birthday. Charlotte is the first great niece on Mike's side. We had an amazing time visiting with family and sitting out in the back yard enjoying a little sunshine.....something we hadn't seen much of for over 3 weeks! On our way home, Mike and I were discussing going to a major cattle show in Neosho, MO the next day. We really didn't plan on buying anything or much anyway, but wanted to go to the sale. The boys left for youth soon after we arrived at home and then Mike decided we should head out that night and drive part of the way. After quickly finding a hotel room in Springfield we finished up chores and headed out. It is so nice to have such responsible young men as our sons that Mike and I can just go and not worry about getting someone to take care of everything around here.<br />
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After the sale on Monday we decided to drive through the edge of Joplin. Words just cannot express the total destruction from their tornado. We didn't even drive through the worst part of it and yet we still could barely comprehend it. The other thing that struck me was the amount of help that was already on-site. I cannot help but compare this disaster to Hurricane Katrina. The people of New Orleans were quite upset that President Bush did not come until 4 days post Katrina. His reasoning was that he did not want to get in the way of the search and rescue operations. President Obama didn't make it to Joplin until one week post tornado because he was in Europe. We didn't hear or read of any complaints of the Joplin residents. They were simply too busy picking up the pieces of their lives and moving forward. By Friday, one of the animal hospitals was already rebuilding. The building was framed up already and they were ready for the siding, electrical, plumbing and insulation. AMAZING! Our youth pastor has headed down as a relief chaplain this week. Today they reported that all missing were accounted for and the total count for those who lost their lives was 134. One church sign that we saw on our way out of town displayed the sermon message title, "Where do we go from here?" I truly believe Joplin will rebuild and become even stronger through this trial. There is a resiliency that must only come from the Lord.<br />
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We arrived home in time for chores and supper on Monday night. The boys had been chopping rye grass silage all day and were just a little tired. It was good to sit and just visit with them for a while. I do love this live God has blessed me with.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-75835799733720264022011-05-26T15:04:00.000-05:002011-05-26T15:04:33.989-05:00What a month....I know, I know, I said I was going to try to post once a week on here and it's now been a month. I'm sorry. Turns out shortly after that post I was offered a new job. I have spent the entire last month working two jobs plus we graduated Chris mid month. It's been a tad hectic to say the least.<br />
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Last night was my final day at the library. I've enjoyed my time there and am thankful they gave me the opportunity to work there 2 years ago. I'm also thankful that my new job is something I'm really enjoying a lot. I've started working for Missouri Land and Home Real Estate Office in Columbia. Right now I'm doing the ads and brochures for their auctions. I get to play at desktop publishing a lot! I'm thankful Kurt and Ann were willing to give me a chance at this. We've worked it out so that I'll be part time at least until we get Jesse out of high school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike awarding Chris his diploma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Chris graduated on May 14th. I really cannot believe the time has flown by so quickly. We homeschooled for 9 years with him. I never would have thought we'd do more than one or two in the beginning. Funny how God knew so much better than I. :) We had a big party for him, and, despite the weather, had a great turnout. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010-11 Mexico FFA Officer Team</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The week following the graduation was the FFA Banquet. We put some time into setting it up at the 4-H Center and preparing the food. It was so worth it. Our ag teacher, Stephanie Gutshall, was nervous about making it look good. She's a 3rd generation ag instructor and has been to a lot of banquets. Her dad came and said it was one of the best he's been to. I think emotionally, the FFA banquet was harder for me than the actual graduation. Chris was one of 4 seniors on the officer team this year. They have done a good job working together and really improving the chapter. By the end of the night we learned that Jesse was the new 1st vice president. I really cannot express how proud I am of our guys. They both put a lot of effort into the FFA program and it shows. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011-12 Mexico FFA Officer Team<br />
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</tbody></table>Last Sunday night a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. Yesterday, there were more tornado warnings our for our area than I could count. Several touched down, but the damage was so much less than that in Joplin. Sedalia sustained some sizable damage and is beginning the rebuilding process. Thankfully there were no lives lost in Sedalia. As of today, the death count in Joplin was 125. <br />
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I have so many things I could write about, but there are also many other things calling for my attention. For now, I think I'll attend to those other things and work on some future posts for you later tonight.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-35866555863846669622011-04-23T13:45:00.000-05:002011-04-23T13:45:01.521-05:00Sunday's coming!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I read a post by a good friend of mine on Facebook saying her little girl was wondering why we call it "Good Friday" when it was the day Jesus was killed. I remember wondering that same thing myself when I was a young Christian. Of course, it was an amazingly good sacrafice that only the best could give for my sins. God withheld absolutely nothing so that we might all come to Him and be in relationship with Him. Last night our church held a Good Friday service for the first time in as many years as we've been there. It really was an awesome service. We took communion, sang amazing songs with just the drum and a couple of guitars and heard a great message by our pastor. I sat upstairs with Mike since he was running the projectors. The boys got there just before service started (they had stayed back to do chores since Mike needed to be at church at 6pm). I was struck after the service at how blessed we are. It's been a week of God pointing out multiple times to me, just how good we have it with our guys. Sure we have days when it's a struggle, but you know what? Nothing good ever comes easily. Here it was Friday night and our boys had chosen a church service and then time with extended family for desserts over going out with friends. And they chose it without input from their dad or myself. I am thankful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Weatherwise, Friday was a dreary day. It was rainy and kind of ugly for most of the day. For me, those kind of days really make it hard to function. I was blessed with a burst of energy and a bit of cooking inspiration for the day. I got the entry spring cleaned, lunch fixed, supper fixed, a dessert to take along and worked with Mike on planning the tile layout for our shower. I think we may have finally come up with a plan or two that will work out for us. We're trying to use up some leftover tiles and still have a neat looking pattern that will tie the whole room together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Today I am at work (thus no pics with this post). It's been a little slow but my afternoon was brightened by a visit from a family that is so fun and positive. It also happens to be the surgeon that took out Chris's appendix 4 years ago. That's a long story for another day, but one that ends with quick forgiveness and great strides for all. Before work I managed to make breakfast and lunch for today, put up a load of dishes, reload the dishwasher, handwash a few things, change out the laundry, fold two loads of laundry and get two calves back in their pasture. I need to do a few things for Easter morning at our house. Not sure of all the details just yet, but am thinking a quick nap this afternoon might help. :) Tomorrow we'll get to spend the day celebrating the resurrection of Christ! Sunday's coming and the great outlook is right there with it! Without Christ, I could do nothing, but with Him, I can do all that He asks of me. Life is good, God is great!</span>Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-1502935274213514612011-04-18T13:37:00.001-05:002011-04-18T13:39:07.479-05:00Busy, busy Sunday. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Palm Sunday morning.</td></tr>
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Some Sundays I feel like I'm busy just getting ready for church and getting a few things done around here before cooking for the kids that go to youth with the boys. This Sunday was different for us. We had a show to go to, a gomer bull to pick up and a lot of cow/calf pairs to look at. We left home at 7 am and returned about 9:30 pm. All of us were up and going strong at 6 am. I needed to cool the roast beef I'd cooked overnight and turn it into roast beef salad for our lunch. I wasn't sure what I had for bread but remembered we had hot dog buns in the freezer that would work great for sandwiches at the show. I got our food ready and pack, the guys did chores and we were off. We stopped in Boonville to top off the fuel tank then headed on to the show that the Boonville FFA Booster Club was sponsoring. I tried to figure out what the judge was looking for by watching a couple of classes. The guys were fitting the crossbred heifer and I was in charge of letting them know when to bring her up for the show. They had her ready in plenty of time and we were just praying we had her fit to look like what the judge was looking for. Turned out that we did. She beat a heifer that has been doing really well so we were thrilled. We figured getting 1st in class was the toughest part of the crossbred division and it turned out that was right too. Jesse and Beau won the Champion Crossbred and went back in for Overall Championship drive. They ended up as the 4th overall female of the day. Not too shabby. Mike and Chris went back to fit the market heifer, Payge. Jesse competed in showmanship. No win there but honestly, he had done his winning already. There were only 2 market heifers at the show (new division for MO this year) but we did have some tough competition. We weren't sure which way the judge would go, but he chose Chris and Payge to win the Market Heifer Champion. Chris went back in for the Overall Market Animal drive. We knew we didn't stand a chance in there but it's fun to be back in the ring. While Chris washed his heifer out, Mike, Jesse and I packed up the trailer and got ready to head out. The timing worked out really well and sooner than <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-lbcD6OEsCDDsCzmGsn3BNZl1hOUNfqDcFZWU8KsVns3GGVWnIDZz_aTv5Pt5Pk1r2jw3erEhuFBdV0wkprsSikNW__DblX0LJ6bRxsjCpqtaPE4yB3RR7gXf4Dsm2bluLr4kv-Doiw/s1600/04+17+11_1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-lbcD6OEsCDDsCzmGsn3BNZl1hOUNfqDcFZWU8KsVns3GGVWnIDZz_aTv5Pt5Pk1r2jw3erEhuFBdV0wkprsSikNW__DblX0LJ6bRxsjCpqtaPE4yB3RR7gXf4Dsm2bluLr4kv-Doiw/s320/04+17+11_1013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>expected, we were on the road to pick up our gomer bull from Riley Farms near Marshall. When we got to their farm they offered to show us their spring calves. Of course we're always ready to look at cattle so off we went. We saw some really nice calves and finally got the gomer bull loaded up and were back on the road by about 6 pm. At the show we had talked to John and Patsy Watts about stopping by their place too. We don't get away to other cattle farms very often so when we're in the area we try to make the most of it. It was a little after 7 when we got to the Watts Farm. They have a beautiful lawn and farm. We enjoyed the visit and the chance to see their cows and calves. We also <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwj5XETYVS9cNY-V5vLJhMTuBXCeF5AVgmv90mkL2LW89cj2qiDyhHD9vjb5RkkaWQ1zJMd-SSJnihAwYJnS-CouuAuUCe7LMU5wT-c7IUq9ki9yTc2da3-JHQMod4JAwzWz8jEW55764/s1600/04+17+11_1024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwj5XETYVS9cNY-V5vLJhMTuBXCeF5AVgmv90mkL2LW89cj2qiDyhHD9vjb5RkkaWQ1zJMd-SSJnihAwYJnS-CouuAuUCe7LMU5wT-c7IUq9ki9yTc2da3-JHQMod4JAwzWz8jEW55764/s320/04+17+11_1024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>passed by the big sheep farm Mike's parents had been interested in buying when they were moving to Missouri in the late 70's. Mike got to tell the boys some great stories about that farm and also some stories about what the farm economy turned into in the early 80's. Was a great lesson in economics and history. When we were about an hour from home, Mike made the comment that he thought we'd have pizza for supper. Yeah, buddy. I was dialing the phone before he could change his mind. We would be driving right by our local Pizza Hut on the way home so we could just park along the street if they were busy and pick up the pizzas. The guys decided we needed 3 larges because they were all STARVING. If you know my crew that can't be good. Turns out Pizza Hut wasn't busy so we pulled in and took up about half of their parking lot with our truck and trailer. So, now when I complain about a busy Sunday, I'll have to stop and reflect on just how busy it could be. But you know what? I wouldn't have traded that long, busy day for anything in the world. I love the time I get to spend with all three of my guys. I'm so glad the guys enjoy the cattle so much, because it's an awesome way to spend some great family time. <br />
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</div></div>Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-46941074255217862792011-04-15T08:51:00.000-05:002011-04-15T08:51:29.878-05:00FFA Teacher and Staff Appreciation BreakfastI know, I know, this happened over a month ago, but life is finally a little bit slower and I can post now. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwLTNF1-cy24zbY7tR1GX3NR0FNMfCrlZkGvmedAB5uzExBDAeiiOyP47manBe4ztronSDFoMtzMXd3kr9jGBf0JCT7i1vQO8xusgImTJXyfAALIwTAGNjxQtdO0LPFrqQ0xlGza3t4s/s1600/03+04+11_0809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwLTNF1-cy24zbY7tR1GX3NR0FNMfCrlZkGvmedAB5uzExBDAeiiOyP47manBe4ztronSDFoMtzMXd3kr9jGBf0JCT7i1vQO8xusgImTJXyfAALIwTAGNjxQtdO0LPFrqQ0xlGza3t4s/s320/03+04+11_0809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The kids on the right, Bradley and Haley, were in charge of pancakes. The group to the left were chatting and waiting for serving time.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDKpdrhRG97LviqC6wAWCPPCtmZ1QorE1dQExr5KTRZzqfqC16jzXkhM3Mk7VWmz0YFEvUApAzJ7uUQPwxgwFWSaKn8VgLTg_1cV3Vw7H7mHI9SYQF5cPNH0JzT9I8Bbz6c1Yu6Ck_DQ/s1600/03+04+11_0810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDKpdrhRG97LviqC6wAWCPPCtmZ1QorE1dQExr5KTRZzqfqC16jzXkhM3Mk7VWmz0YFEvUApAzJ7uUQPwxgwFWSaKn8VgLTg_1cV3Vw7H7mHI9SYQF5cPNH0JzT9I8Bbz6c1Yu6Ck_DQ/s320/03+04+11_0810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The egg crew. On the left we have Sami cracking and beating the eggs. On the right, cooking scrambled eggs. Funny side note, only 2 kids knew how to make scrambled eggs.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-I8qAGA0F3dR8MkIE2CxBwGEPqsZ-AHjSlP4qIt8DlZa22K5TrDiErNE6m71MoRP9mTaWcqmPZy8KYY7Qp4QUKVe7rd0BWcXMD0vPUs94Ar3oFZ8VDIT_bJpHQlS758im12zcxJp1uc/s1600/03+04+11_0811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-I8qAGA0F3dR8MkIE2CxBwGEPqsZ-AHjSlP4qIt8DlZa22K5TrDiErNE6m71MoRP9mTaWcqmPZy8KYY7Qp4QUKVe7rd0BWcXMD0vPUs94Ar3oFZ8VDIT_bJpHQlS758im12zcxJp1uc/s320/03+04+11_0811.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bacon anyone? Note the male influence of cooking bacon in the shop. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4K_iDdQTUXjeO5WmaCdyNvLuM-kMm414_n_ANosZU2zLqKWRmFBtLBecvJUn6VmrZq_ZlUKdPofQuF80TwwDqfaSCmVcpe-kJVihRVWgrUHciujb5OpA3YtICdsNWnPdPVVWT03ydGc/s1600/03+04+11_0812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4K_iDdQTUXjeO5WmaCdyNvLuM-kMm414_n_ANosZU2zLqKWRmFBtLBecvJUn6VmrZq_ZlUKdPofQuF80TwwDqfaSCmVcpe-kJVihRVWgrUHciujb5OpA3YtICdsNWnPdPVVWT03ydGc/s320/03+04+11_0812.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Serving and still cooking.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYXXasC8JoWHaaUQDRdYK4GZq-DqWRfhEstvVcmIl2tvAzUglh73TVM8DcqfRI8_uYA4NwrK0K4UVhmS9riyLyaujYDOEuu3a5ms9ERHJUuL3bWLpKWoSDCWnG6WUlCkdNuHxoUhes80/s1600/03+04+11_0813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYXXasC8JoWHaaUQDRdYK4GZq-DqWRfhEstvVcmIl2tvAzUglh73TVM8DcqfRI8_uYA4NwrK0K4UVhmS9riyLyaujYDOEuu3a5ms9ERHJUuL3bWLpKWoSDCWnG6WUlCkdNuHxoUhes80/s320/03+04+11_0813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Hey, I have an order."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4JkLBMO12mqK4kA24cTukDCOeS7FnN9mYJU8EgJSF8V-JBK7j2o_Yz7KcfG6n0UxPeKh7coxBI8sPg_xRIBvaKR1mFvBcWHFimyQgq_25agVe_2S9zjFQa3AjFBrhBS-HAaug-T1LSY/s1600/03+04+11_0814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4JkLBMO12mqK4kA24cTukDCOeS7FnN9mYJU8EgJSF8V-JBK7j2o_Yz7KcfG6n0UxPeKh7coxBI8sPg_xRIBvaKR1mFvBcWHFimyQgq_25agVe_2S9zjFQa3AjFBrhBS-HAaug-T1LSY/s320/03+04+11_0814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jesse at the scrambled egg station.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopBB1iEmwDZBZj7YrW5u8QYoUAI4Y9AWGUdpSh48AwXuN3P0OBGSFEnwKO-IhPjni-dXrzRb_siY8J_L7uVfgIdMEhhPB5YoIksyk22n7hFZNe0AvAzEaZ77HbT-oHo5n_fwg44vH_ko/s1600/03+04+11_0815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopBB1iEmwDZBZj7YrW5u8QYoUAI4Y9AWGUdpSh48AwXuN3P0OBGSFEnwKO-IhPjni-dXrzRb_siY8J_L7uVfgIdMEhhPB5YoIksyk22n7hFZNe0AvAzEaZ77HbT-oHo5n_fwg44vH_ko/s320/03+04+11_0815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cooks were finishing up and the servers were busy.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjLi7qlHXDwPFJ9Sxmtd7CROZfuoN13jR2NwEJNM3yzIXyy3sqlXVN_oeGQmI21s3-sCcdXp6O3ptk-_m40v9aKzINnLfah7hj5DaBByDr6ETDWqvdGFkSyndf3hsaO3TIwKQ3bue6Bo/s1600/03+04+11_0816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjLi7qlHXDwPFJ9Sxmtd7CROZfuoN13jR2NwEJNM3yzIXyy3sqlXVN_oeGQmI21s3-sCcdXp6O3ptk-_m40v9aKzINnLfah7hj5DaBByDr6ETDWqvdGFkSyndf3hsaO3TIwKQ3bue6Bo/s320/03+04+11_0816.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Haley, don't clean that. Mom'll do it."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPF8gaF1D8BP__pmyAeS1pqdYLabGEwCR7uEchhh5Y0rg8gaMqFBaS3cTAmh1zoGIYN0fe_YUnY-7zYTkclP5sRmY62XpPQsSI_kGyv3qYMPmrGABVVLEgF_ZOGzfWr9-Em3u5UvgFiA/s1600/03+04+11_0817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPF8gaF1D8BP__pmyAeS1pqdYLabGEwCR7uEchhh5Y0rg8gaMqFBaS3cTAmh1zoGIYN0fe_YUnY-7zYTkclP5sRmY62XpPQsSI_kGyv3qYMPmrGABVVLEgF_ZOGzfWr9-Em3u5UvgFiA/s320/03+04+11_0817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Could we use any shop tools to speed this up?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The breakfast actually turned out really great. The kids learned some new life skills (such as how to run the toaster) and the teachers and staff enjoyed a good, free breakfast. We had way more homemade syrup than we needed. A few kids took pint jars home. No parents have spoken to me since. Is that a bad thing? I was asked for the recipe but the kids want to make it and sell it next year with their fruit and meat sales, so I'm not giving out the exact recipe. It does have butter, cream, and sugar in it though. I jokingly told one teacher it was totally low fat. Another teacher thought I was serious and was ready to question my ability to homeschool my sons. Lighten up! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really enjoyed working with the kids that morning. They had gotten up extra early (started cooking and preparing at 5:30 at the school) and really did put forth some effort. Some learned to be a little more flexible in how they did things (Bradley with the pancake mix and not measuring EXACTLY how much water to add) and some learned to step outside their comfort zone (Phoebe scrambling the eggs). They all learned to work together to accomplish a goal and they did it with good attitudes. Thanks guys, for a fun morning!</div>Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-52709112754047350412011-04-15T07:46:00.000-05:002011-04-15T07:46:35.189-05:00Time is flying....I feel like if I don't stop and record a bit of what's going on it will get lost in the shuffle of my brain. <br />
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Cattle shows - we've hit 3 shows now with mixed results at each. We're having fun and enjoying our time together though and, to be honest, that's the best part about showing anyway. I love the time in the truck with all three of the guys just chatting and catching up with one another.<br />
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Judging - the boys finished their judging careers yesterday. Kind of. While they may not have placed as high as they would have liked, they stuck with it. Chris even said he'd like to coach a livestock judging team next year for the local high school. Yes, you read that right....Chris said that. Allowing him to go to the high school for an hour a day for ag class and being involved in FFA has done so much for his leadership skills. I am so thankful that both of the boys are willing to use the gifts and talents God has blessed them with. Jesse is looking forward to a new contest team next year. I'm trying to convince him to try Farm Management. I think he has the business mind for it.<br />
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School - We are done. Record early for finishing bookwork. Record for motivation to keep at it. Chris graduates a month from yesterday. Jesse is looking forward to his senior year. I do not know where the time has gone. I have loved every minute God gave me with homeschooling my sons. He has blessed me greatly.<br />
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I'm still trying to figure out what God has in store for me this year. I feel like it's time for me to move back into the workforce full time, but so far every door has been slammed shut. I found another opportunity yesterday that I need to pursue. I know there is a plan and that in God's timing it will be revealed. I'm just not the best at being patient and waiting on that plan. <br />
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I've been inspired lately to write more by a group of farm wives writing blogs. Maybe I'm nearing a stage where I can carve out the time again for such fun times. I'm going to try. I'm not going to promise a blog a day or even every other day. Right now, the most I can commit to is a blog a week. We'll see how it goes and build from there.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-85488952890052456282010-09-30T08:58:00.000-05:002010-09-30T08:58:47.304-05:00Ahhh....fall has arrived.Yes, fall and spring are by far my favorite seasons. Fall gives me a break from the summer heat and humidity and yet, it's not so bitter cold. Spring brings the moderate temps back when I'm oh so ready to be back outside. Fall also is the season of our sons' birthdays and spring is Mike's and mine. We're really all about balance around here. Sort of.<br />
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Yesterday I took time to clear out some of the paperwork on my desk and bulletin boards. There's only so much visual clutter I can take before I'm ready to trash it all. I was at that point yesterday. And apparently, the guys have hit that point outside. They have cleaned out the grainery (which is now our storage area), the tool shed and are ready to start on the garage off the old house. Apparently this fall we will get that torn down along with the little house across the drive. The goal is a new shed that is large enough to house the stock trailer and Mike's good truck. We would also like to fill in the old basement so we have a more attractive yard area.<br />
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I've been trying to find open squares on our calendar to plan birthday parties for our guys. Both have major milestone birthdays this year and yet the calendar is being difficult. This week has been a killer to us as it's homecoming week in Mexico so the FFA decided to really do up a float for the parade. It's also fruit sales time and we've been gone two nights for that. And, I do still work at the library 3 nights a week and a couple of Saturdays a month. So yeah, the calendar is a bit ugly and unrelenting.<br />
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Our church called a new pastor last Sunday. Actually we called our interim to be our full time pastor. I am so very thankful that while it's taking some creative time management and thinking, our church was willing to step outside the comfort zone and try something a bit different, a bit unorthodox. You see, our pastor will continue to live and teach college classes in Hannibal. He has a passion for teaching and that is one reason he is such a good fit for our church. I can see a lot of benefits to not living right in the town where you pastor. People likely won't feel quite so much "ownership" of his time. I'm hoping this step will encourage all of us in the church to actually be the church and step into some of the roles we formerly thought of as belonging only to the pastor. I really do think it will be a time of great growth for all of us.<br />
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This post has really been random.....sorry about that. That's just kinda how my mind is working right now. Maybe I should get off here and teach our Ag Communications class about narrowing your focus before I write another blog entry. Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-81983660819345879792010-06-16T07:59:00.002-05:002010-06-16T08:56:23.721-05:00Love created by God alone.Twenty years ago today, Mike and I were married at Southside Baptist Church by Pastor Rooney from the Methodist Church in Hatton. The church in Hatton is where we were members, but it wasn't big enough for all of my family. I think we had 300 invitations mailed out. I would have to dig out the scrapbook my mom made to get all the details right. I'm not quite sure how to start down this little memory lane trip, so I guess I'll take you back to the beginning.<br /><br />In 1987 I turned 16 and got my license. There was no getting a permit before you turned 16, just going and testing for your license. In preparation of my 16th birthday, my parents bought me a 1965 Chevelle Malibu Supersport. My Dad, brother and I worked on that beast for a long time. It was not quite ready by the time I turned 16 so I drove Mom's old Chevy Caprice Classic. The thing was a boat and so not a guy magnet. But, it did give me a chance to go out on the weekends. Finally, June rolled around and we had the car finished. It was cherry red with new interior and enough power under the hood to be the envy of many teenage boys. My brother had put a cassette player in it and gave me his Sammy Hagar tape for the night. You know, you just gotta have "Red" and "I can't drive 55!" in when you're driving a car like that.<br /><br />I headed to Auxvasse because I needed gas if I was going to make it to Mexico. My brother followed me up there and bought my first tank of fuel. He also told a boy from school he'd beat the crap out him if he touched my car. It was so funny. I can still see the scene in my head. The guy walked over, was going to lean against the car (trying to look all impressive) and then my brother pipes up. I loved it!<br /><br />My brother and I parted ways at the gas station and I headed into Mexico. We used to have two Hardee's in Mexico - Hardee's East and Hardee's West. The cruising loop was from one to the other. Pretty easy to figure out by the line of cars going through the drives on the weekend. I jumped right in and made a couple of loops. I was beginning to wonder if I would even see anyone I knew. About that time, a girl from school hollered at me. The main problem, I discovered, was that I was driving a car no one had seen before, it was night and they couldn't easily see my face to know who was in there. I pulled over to say hi to the girl. I knew her face from school, but didn't really know her very well. Well, it turns out she was talking to three guys. Mike just happened to be one of them. This girl was trying oh so hard to impress a friend of Mike's. She was posing as a college girl when she was still in high school. I stood there a while listening to the two of them talk but could easily tell who I was attracted to. The quiet blonde guy who looked just as bored with that conversation as I was. Finally his friend realized no one else was talking (quite an accomplishment for him) and told us to talk already. So, Mike asked about my car. His friend rolled his eyes, not expecting a girl to know anything at all about cars. Mike and I began an hour long conversation about my car, his car, cars in general, what kind of work I had helped with, what kind of work he wanted to do on his Mustang. He had (actually still has in the shop) a 67 Mustang. It was a beast! It needed some body work, but mechanically it was more than sound. The night came to a close and all I knew was I met a great guy named Mike who drove a great yellow Mustang and I sure hoped I found him in town again sometime.<br /><br />The summer passed quickly. I was working in the hay fields for my Dad. Mike was helping his Dad farm. Thankfully, Mike's best friend, David, was a huge Chevy fan. The next time I saw Mike in town I honked at him and waved. David fell in love......with my car. So that's how the summer went. Driving around, looking for the 'Stang with the cute guy and then spending the rest of the evening talking. I have no idea what we talked about all the time. I did learn he was a farmer who liked raising cattle AND he was 19. Uh oh...parental problems ahead. My parents had a rule that I couldn't date anyone more than 2 years age difference. Gonna have to figure a way around that one. In late August my aunt and uncle had a fish fry and Mom asked a cousin whose kids went to Mexico High if she knew anything about Mike. That's when she learned he was 19. We managed to negotiate that hurdle somehow without either of us having to throw any fits.<br /><br />September rolled around and we still hadn't gone on a real date. Finally one night at the car wash David made him ask me out on a double date the next Saturday night. I knew I had my nephew's birthday party that evening but thought I could just bow out early and avoid too many questions. My sister made hot dogs and lots of other food for supper, but I was supposed to be meeting the guys at Pizza Hut. I think I ate about half a hot dog, fed the rest to their dog when no one was looking and hung around long enough to sing happy birthday. I slipped out and headed to town. During supper at Pizza Hut, I was trying to be all dignified and refined and cut my pizza with my fork and eat it with a fork only. The problem there was the crust was so hard I wasn't getting it cut and my piece ended up flying off my plate onto the floor. I was wishing I could just disappear at that point. Mike and David had a good laugh at me (and many more through the years). We went to the movie (no clue what we watched) and then cruised the loop a few times. I ended up asking if he wanted to go to homecoming with me the next weekend and the romance grew from there.<br /><br />We dated all of my junior and senior years in high school. My senior year college planning was all based on Mike. I had an offer to play Division II basketball in Kansas City at a college, but it was too far from Mike. No way was he going to be moving west. I looked at schools near his grandparents in IL. Finally I settled on Mizzou because it was close. Not exactly the way you should choose a college. <br /><br />In July, Mike and I went ring shopping. In early August, he called and asked if I wanted to go out to supper in Columbia and pick up the ring. I told my Dad I needed the night off from haying. I got all dressed up (yep, even wore a real dress) and Mike was all decked out when he picked me up. We went to Red Lobster for supper. While we were eating, the friend that he was with that first night walked over and said hi. I think he figured out what was going on, but didn't say anything. Of course, you don't have to be Einstein to know if the two of us are all dressed up and eating at a nice resturant SOMETHING must be up. I kept a close eye on the time because the ring shop was in the mall and I wanted to be sure we got there to get the ring that night. Mike, on the other hand, was dilly dallying around. When we got to the mall, he told me he needed to go to the bathroom before we went to the store! I'm sure the look on my face was utter shock! C'mon man, we're picking up an engagement ring. Work with me here! By the time he came back (completely planned timing) the gates to the mall were locked and we couldn't get in to the store. I suggested we just go up and explain to them and beg for mercy. He wouldn't budge. I began to rethink this whole plan. Was he really this stubborn? Didn't he know all that I had to arrange to get to come tonight? What was up here anyway?<br /><br />We walked back to his car with me saying very little if anything. I was confused and yes, just a bit ticked at him. We got into the car, he leaned over and said he was sorry. I said, "Yeah, ok." He asked if I still loved him. "Yes, but my Dad is going to be so mad that I took off tonight just to go out to supper with you. We're trying to get hay made, in case you didn't notice!" I'm sure it took all that was within him to keep from bursting out in laughter at this point. He said, "So you still wanna marry me? Still love me?" When I looked at him and said yes, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and said, "Good thing I've got this for you then." <br /><br />We got married the following June 16th. It's been a great life that God has blessed us with. I don't know why in the world, God chose to give me such an amazing man in my life. When we were engaged, I didn't think I could love him anymore. Then when we got married, I thought I was as deeply in love as I could get. At the births of our two sons, I thought that was the pinnacle of love. Now, I know, the love created by God between us just continues to grow, to deepen and to amaze me each day.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-33766542262466657502010-06-10T11:25:00.002-05:002010-06-10T11:44:59.507-05:00My sister reminded me that I needed to post....and honestly, I'd love to fill this post with pictures. Unfortunately my computer and this blog aren't getting along well with uploading pics right now. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with them. <br /><br />This morning we got up and going early once again. I went out and weeded and tied my tomatoes higher up on their stakes once again. All I can tell you is they love cattle manure. Here's where a picture would be nice. My tomatoes are nearing 4 ft tall and are loaded with blooms and a few little green tomatoes. I was hoping I might get to pick a few of the cherry tomatoes before we go to Jr. Nationals but it's just not looking promising at this point. I also have another sweet banana pepper ready to pick and a bell pepper in the works. The rabbits/squirrel ate all but two of my cucumber sprouts. I saw the squirrel in there the other day and called for the dog out the back door. I'm threatening to stake her out by the garden one night if he doesn't leave my plants alone!<br /><br />While I was working in the garden the guys loaded some cows for embryo transplant, a bull and the heifers for hoof trimming and headed out. They should be walking in the door any minute now telling me how starved they are. Hopefully some of these eggs will take.<br /><br />I need to sit down and make a list of all that I need to do between now and next Saturday so that I'm ready for us to pull out of here. We'll be spending a fun filled week in Spencer, Iowa! Ya, I know, party town. I looked up some info on where to find different points of interest while we're there. You know, Wal-Mart, restaurants, hospital - all the normal need to know spots. I do need to find out if they have wi-fi anywhere in town for a meeting I need to log in for. If not, I guess I'll just miss that meeting.<br /><br />Yesterday we met with the guys' ag teacher. She came out to look at Chris's SAE projects. Unfortunately, she forgot she was coming to a working cattle farm that had just gotten 1 1/2 inches of rain in about 36 hours. She didn't bring mud boots so she could only go in the barn and see what was there. Mike talked to her a little bit about Chris's accomplishments. She was impressed with all the guys do here. She did make a comment about some kids only taking ag their junior and senior years (like ours are doing). She said it'd be so much easier if she had them all 4 years. I didn't say it to her at the time, but I don't think our boys would've benefited any more from being involved any sooner. The reason they have advanced ag knowledge is because we've been doing ag at home with them. The MO State FFA organization doesn't acknowledge homeschooled students though. Therefore, in order to be able to show until they're 21, they have to attend an ag class at a public school in MO. It's a compromise on my part to even send them. It takes away from valuable hands on farm time - real learning, in my opinion. She and I are both learning the fine art of give and take.<br /><br />Tomorrow Mike's oldest niece, Rachael, and her husband, Jason, are bringing our newest great niece over for a visit. I'm making us kabobs, rice, loaded salad and maybe strawberry shortcake with homemade ice cream. Charlotte Elizabeth (nicknamed Charlie) was born May 30th, just a couple of hours shy of Mike's birthday. She'll be all of 12 days old tomorrow. <br /><br />I think that's it for right now. Time to work on that list.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-74034968487176414862010-05-27T15:02:00.003-05:002010-05-27T15:16:00.197-05:00Planning and calendar maintenance.....At this point in my life I'm wonderin if it's a genetic flaw in the male chromosome. I live in a house with 3 men and have contact with both Mike's dad and my own dad on a very regular basis. Most of our cattle customers are men. Wanna know what I'm thinking? Calendars are for women only. I finally sat down today and made out a calendar for each of our dads with all the things the boys have going on in the next two months. I had a call from one dad needing help this morning and another call from the other dad wanting them this weekend. I figured it'd be just as easy for them to look at a piece of paper and ask to be written in for a free day. Is that crazy of me? Does anyone else need this kind of help? While the boys aren't involved in a lot of outside activities, they do seem to be eating up some time in the next few weeks. And both dads want hay done....yesterday. Next week we have a day for church, Chris has 1/2 day for FFA, both have a day for 4-H and then one day for us at a show. THUD. Somewhere in there I'm sure one or both dads will need one, two or more of us to help with something. AGH~~!<br />I have papers everywhere on my bulletin boards and desk with dates. Maybe that's what I collect.....date info.<br /><br />I also got around to update two websites today. Mike's encouraging me to get that going as a side business that might eventually pay for some bills. I enjoy it a lot, can do it from home at any time and best of all, I could make a little money off it. We'll have to see how it all pans out. You know, as soon as I get it on the calendar. :)Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-42783779057509171592010-05-24T15:27:00.002-05:002010-05-24T15:41:38.578-05:00Summertime!Ahh....it seems as if summer is here. We kicked the air on yesterday due to the fact that we were having company for lunch and didn't want them to be terribly uncomfortable. Today, it's just nice to have a cool place to come in to.<br /><br />Yesterday we had our interim pastor and youth pastor and their families over for lunch. It was a fun and casual afternoon. We tried out the new ice cream maker that I bought with some birthday money. I think I have our FOREVER FAVORITE ice cream recipe. It is so incredibly easy: for 4 quarts you need 4 cups heavy cream, 4 cups 1/2 and 1/2, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 cup sugar and about a tablespoon or so of vanilla. We tend to go a little heavy on the vanilla but that's just our preference. It is so very tasty. Ahh...summer treats.<br /><br />Today we all got up early. I got the laundry finished up, got Jesse's enrollment packet filled out for ag class next year, got some stakes for my tomatoes, went to the feed store and took the truck and trailer to bring home 3 pairs that Mike wants to AI. That was all by 11 am. This afternoon I got the yard mowed and am thinking as soon as it starts cooling off I need to weed the garden, stake the tomatoes and maybe even water it a bit. I also need to pick up the pepper plants that Chris picked up for me at the FFA greenhouse. The squirrels and rabbits have eaten several of the originals I planted. They didn't touch my tomatoes though. Hmm? Picky pests. We did get to pick the first two strawberries out of Jesse's patch today. They are huge! I'd love to weigh the bigger one just to see how much it weighs but our little kitchen scale seems to be broken. Our raspberry bushes that we just planted this sping are leafing out. The lavendar bushes I ordered are beginning to leaf out a bit now too. It's so fun to watch everything come to life.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'm headed to the Amish community with my sister and mom. Should be a good time and hope to find some bargains this week.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-3464579323935659752010-05-18T21:55:00.003-05:002010-05-18T22:17:10.066-05:00The whirlwind weekend and the aftermath....So, last weekend our niece, Lara, married the man of her dream, Brandon. It was a perfect wedding for them. Nice, not overdone, not huge and just a pretty relaxed time for everyone. Then on Sunday our nephew, Nick, graduated from high school. I can't tell you exactly how many miles we put on our car over the weekend but I do know Mike is looking high and low for our next car. Sometime last week I looked and noticed our car has 274,000 miles on it. Yes, that's supposed to be a 2. It has served it's purpose and is about to go to car crushing heaven. And the only request I have is that we NOT buy another white Pontiac Grand <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prix</span>. I need a bit more variety in my life than that. Our car before this one was just like it. We started driving it before Jesse started school....he'll be a junior in the fall. So, now the search is on. Jesse believes we should just buy a Shelby GT and let him drive it most of the time. Unfortunately that's about 6-8 times our budget besides the fact that I'm sure we'd just fall over dead at the insurance bill on that with an 18 year old son and a 16 year old son.<br /><br />We had a discussion in Sunday school this week about what made America a great nation. While I do agree with the first answer given ("Our Founding Father were men of great faith and prayer.") I believe there's more to it than that. I believe our nation was founded by people not only of great faith but also of great determination to do whatever it was that God called them to. They were not deterred by hard times, lack of resources or bitterness. They simply blazed ahead and did whatever it was that God asked of them. I have a huge concern about the work ethic of the majority in our country now. It seems to me that more and more people believe they are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness at someone <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">else's</span> expense. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that if a man does not work, he shall not eat. How does that work in our society? Somehow, we've come to the idea that if you don't work, it's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">ok</span>, someone will provide the food for you. While I'm all for taking care of those who do need help, I believe most people are able to do some sort of work in exchange for food or money. The thing is, our country has fed them the line that it's not necessary. I see commercials on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">tv</span> offering options to get out of paying off the credit card debt so many have run up, how to get out of paying their mortgages, car loans, etc. I cannot find the words to express how disappointed and frustrated that makes me. IF you buy the stuff, you need to have a plan on how to pay it back. A solid plan at that. During the latest housing crisis many people found themselves upside down on their home loans. Upon further investigation we learned that many of them had been paying interest only on their loans for 5 to 10 years. They actually had no plan to repay the loan. They "thought" they'd get a better job, spend less money, etc, but didn't plan for it. When we look back historically, this country never would have survived as a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">sovereign</span> nation without men and women who worked hard and put back food and money for the future. I hope that is one lesson our country will learn for our current economic crisis. If not, I'm not sure we'll even survive as a country, much less have the strength as a nation that we had in our parents' generations.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-57272353733613201062010-05-17T11:52:00.001-05:002010-05-17T11:53:55.854-05:00A new goal for me....I'm setting a goal that for the rest of May I'll make a weekly post (minimum) and then in June I'll do at least 2 posts a week. Eventually I'd like to update this daily but we shall see. I will not count this little PSA as my weekly post. I'll get to that in just a minute.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-28438152069716925092010-05-07T17:42:00.003-05:002010-05-07T18:01:36.216-05:00Reflecting....No, I'm not looking in a mirror or a puddle of water. I'm thinking back over the years once again. Chris will soon (as in as soon as he finishes his final language paper) be a senior in high school and Jesse will soon (as soon as he finishes HIS final language paper) be a junior in high school and I'm realizing just how soon our homeschool adventure will end. We allowed Chris to take an ag class at the local high school this year. It was the only way he could join FFA and we wanted him to have that experience. I was not sure it was going to be the best thing for him, but knew at his age this could work. We bit the bullet and let him go. He has done amazingly well in his class and has developed leadership skills and confidence in the man God has made him beyond what we ever could have imagined. It thrills me to see this transformation.<br /><br />A few weeks ago he said they were going to have officer interviews. We encouraged him to apply for an office. He came home from the interviews and said he knew who probably would be president. He was right in his guess and it wasn't him. BUT the chapter chose to have an FFA Chaplin. They've not had this position in the past and I figured our school was so politically correct they never would. You know, it might offend someone. But they chose to have this office and Chris will fill that position next year. I don't think he understood what an honor it really is. And I'm guessing at 17 I probably wouldn't have either. The thing is though, they looked at the kids that applied and chose him to be the one stationed at the Bible, to guide the spiritual presence and moral participation of the chapter. To me, that means more than being the president. From the beginning of our children's education we felt that faith in God would always trump any other aspect in education. If they excell in head, heart and mind knowledge and faith in Christ, the rest is just icing on the cake. I know a multitude of people will disagree, but these are our children. We do know what's best for them. Last night as he was announced as this officer God spoke quietly to my heart that while this will be a growing experience for him (speaking and praying in front of groups of people) this will also be a chance for him to boldly show his faith in Christ in a public school setting. <br /><br />Both of the guys are going on the church's mission trip again this year. They will once again miss our county fair but they feel like the opportunity to minister to the Indian tribes in North Dakota will have a more lasting impact. I pray that they are like shining lights always, but especially on the trip. This year the plan is for them to build some playgrounds on the reservations. Young men doing manly work for God. It doesn't get any better than that. Jesse is really stoked about it now that he knows he can use power tools if needed. I'm guessing he'll find a need for them no matter what. That's my boy. Jesse has grown up so much this year and I often find myself forgetting that he's only 15. He's looking into colleges and scholarships and trying to figure out how to make his life all work out. I so remember being like him at about 16 and 17. I was even so bold as to fill out my 5, 10 and 20 year plans in my senior album. I thought I knew exactly where I was headed. I do hope the one thing he's learned that I hadn't was to be flexible. Life will be much easier for him if he has learned that little skill.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-80455899686367151752010-02-22T08:48:00.002-06:002010-02-22T08:53:53.900-06:00FFA Week - Monday (Also known as Let the Adventures Begin)FFA week. Chris is taking an ag class this year so he can be in FFA. Great. This is FFA week. OK. Today is Vehicle Day. Uh oh. Muddy truck or any tractor. OK. Let's take the 4 wheel drive. Did you know that it takes up the better part of a city street? And did you know that when the stack falls off and you have to bring it in the truck that's following you, it's hard to see due to the exhaust coming out right in front of the windshild? No? Well it is. And lastly, did you know that when your dog has been picked up by Animal Control and you let her ride in the tractor with you to school, she gets a bit nervous. She begins hiding when you enter town so that the bad doggie police won't see her? Well she does. And to think, it's only 9 am and we've survived the better part of Vehicle Day. Whew, that was close.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-53023042754160784502010-02-19T23:11:00.002-06:002010-02-19T23:29:56.197-06:00What a day, what a week...The boys ended up working Tuesday - Friday mornings this week for Mike Martin in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Curryville</span>. Monday we crammed in a week's worth of history and finished up Grammar for the week. They would get up each morning at 6 am, check the maternity ward of cows/heifers, grab some breakfast and be on their way by 6:30 or 6:45. Once at Mike's they had to feed grain, feed hay, tie calves, brush calves, blow calves and then turn them out and start over with the next bunch of calves. They would then drag back home about 12:30 or so and be READY for lunch. Chris had <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ag</span> class each day so he'd head out for that after lunch. THUD. Thursday night when I got home I noticed it was hitting them hard. They were so tired because that didn't end their day. They still had to feed hay, do evening chores and keep up with their Bible study. <br /><br />Chris had earned the right to go to the Farm Show in Kansas City with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">FFA</span> this year. We had it down on the calendar that it was on Saturday. I was wrong. It was Friday. So Friday he went to KC with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">FFA</span> and saw all the new toys and shiny equipment. Mike went with Jesse and I stayed home and did my best to do their work for the morning. Should I mention here that we are now doing around the clock checks on the maternity wards (yes, there are 2 of them - one for cows, one for heifers). I got home from work and told the boys to go on to bed about 9 pm. They were asleep in front of the Olympics anyway. I went out and checked cows a couple of times. Mike got home, checked them again and then we headed to bed....at 1:40 am. I took the 5 am check. It's normally 4 am but I wanted to stay up and fix the guys breakfast and get some stuff done. So, I pretty much slept from 2 to 5 am. I decided against doing my walking video today due to the number of times I've been out checking on cows and calves and the number of times I went up and down the stairs trying to catch up on laundry. <br /><br />Tonight I had visions of dropping into bed at 9:30. And yet, here it is 11:21. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hmmm</span>....you guessed it, someone decided tonight was the night to calve. And what a whopper of a calf it was. Chris checked her at 8:30 and she had her <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">water bag</span> out. We decided to give her 2 hours and see if she had it. I woke them back up at 10:15 and we began heading out. She barely had the feet out, so we ran her in the barn. The very same place we had kept her out of earlier tonight when she wanted in. Guess we should have listened to her. I came back up and got the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Oxytocin</span> (think <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pitocin</span> for women), the chains for the puller (forceps concept) and a bucket of warm water with disinfectant in it. The boys got her lassoed and tied off to a corner post in the pen. Chris worked hard at getting the chains double looped around the calf's legs. His feet were big. Our puller is several years old and has been used hard. It's in need of some repair and we probably should see to that tomorrow. It survived the pull and I was so impressed with the knowledge and patience the guys showed in pulling. It was their first solo pull where I just stood and held the rope. We have a nice steer prospect out of the deal that certainly wouldn't have survived had we waited for Mike to get home from work.<br /><br />So now I'm sitting here typing. Should be sleeping because I'll be up at 4 checking again. But maybe, just maybe, I can go back to bed then and get some extra sleep. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ahhh</span>, the joys of calving season.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-52843446520810384532010-02-09T04:23:00.002-06:002010-02-09T04:27:00.757-06:00Snow....I love snow. It's so beautiful and calming. And, if it's cold enough to snow, the ground should be frozen! Even better in my opinion. As I type this at 4:30 am, it's a balmy 9 degrees outside. Yet another night to be thankful for our ground source heat pump. I have a goal for myself for this month. Beginning today, I'm going to walk a minimum of 1 mile a day. I got a video to walk along with so that when it's too cold or muddy or whatever outside, I can walk in the man cave. Feel free to check up on me. I'm a notorious slacker.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-61065435619305334612010-01-22T20:53:00.002-06:002010-01-22T21:07:09.572-06:00The mud, the cursed mud, has returned.....Yes, I know it gets muddy at some point in Missouri every winter. Usually around this time or at least by February. It has been muddy for about a week now and our family has simply had enough. Our moods have turned as sour as the sickly calves stomaches. Our drugs for the calves arrived tonight and Jesse promptly treated them. He even made sure to change the needles between calves so as not to cross contaminate. The boy has surely been paying attention over the years to his vet science leader and his parents - thankfully! We finished up two chapters in his Ag Science class over the last two weeks. He knew it all and wondered why we had to cover it. I suggested it was a review. Then his brother decided to inform him that he'd have to review it next year in the public school ag class too. I'm guess he'll be an expert on beef production by the time he gets to college. Which is a good thing because he's chosen a career path......after much thought and concern he has decided he wants to be an animal embryologist. I'm doing some research as to what all he needs to do and study and he is quite excited about it. I looked at some microscopes the other night thinking it might be time to upgrade so he can do some better microscopic study. I guess I need to be saving my pennies from the library job to do that. I think it'll take roughtly 4 months of my salary to get one that's good enough. Ai yi yi. Guess I'll consider it an investment in our future embryo transfer program.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-45845095573490499162010-01-21T18:46:00.002-06:002010-01-21T19:07:11.087-06:00And we thought it was just the calves......We had our first calf get sick today for this year. We knew it would be coming with the weather swing and the dreary, rainy day. We've decided to be more proactive this year. The boys managed to get a stool sample and take it to a friend of ours who works in the lab at the University. We're trying to make sure we're just battling the elements and not some devestating infection. We called the vet. We called the animal health supply guy. We'll have the right drugs tomorrow and know now what NOT to do. EVER. That we have done in the past. Whoops. So, I headed on to work knowing that all was handled on the farm and we would know soon what we're dealing with.<br /><br />I had to stop off at Walgreen's to pick up some contact solution for myself and Chris. Judging from the few spots left in the parking lot and the line of cars in <em>both</em> drive thru lanes, I'm guessing the weather hasn't affected just our cattle. It has been foggy here for over a week. Today the fog finally broke. And then it started raining. I guess it's wreaked as much havoc on the humans as it has the bovines. I'm thankful we're all healthy right now. One calf is treatable. We've not started having AI calves yet so that's one less concern. We have about 2 or 3 weeks before we'll have to start the round the clock checks. They not actually due to start until mid February but we all know how unpredictable babies and animals can be. Since we're dealing with baby animals it'll be that much more exciting.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-76158116887674509762009-12-31T21:27:00.002-06:002009-12-31T21:44:09.654-06:00I wish I had a picture for this post.....but unfortunately, getting one would have likely ended up with me having a head injury. Mike needed some help yesterday getting up a cow who is due to calve soon. I went out on the tractor with him and Abby, our Aussie. Mike was in the driver's seat, Abby sat on the ledge behind him and I sat on one arm of the seat. Yeah, we're all about togetherness. Anyway, I hadn't realized just how deep the ruts have already gotten. You see, we got 2 inches of rain BEFORE it froze and snowed. The ground is still quite soft in spots. As we were driving along I was reminded of a trip to Worlds of Fun. I must've been about 12 or 13 when my parents took me and two friends to Worlds of Fun for a vacation one summer. There was a ride where you drove this miniture car around a track. The track had a rail in it so that you couldn't get too far off to one side or the other. That's exactly what the ruts are like in our pasture. You can't forge a new path, because the mud will keep you going where it wills. Mike did get out of the ruts at a low spot, but that's just the time that the tought of a serious head injury entered my mind. I wonder just whose idea the car at Worlds of Fun was? Could it be a former farm kid who had to help his dad one too many times?<br /><br />Then today, I was happily cleaning the house and getting ready for a party the boys are having even as I type this. I was actually running a bit ahead of schedule when Mike came to the house. "Could I get your help for a second?" Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Yeah, well, let me warn you....it never is. He wanted to get a bull out of one pasture and put him in another. He also wanted to turn several cow calf pairs out with said bull. Still sounds easy enough, doesn't it? The cows aren't used to coming to the lot for corn. Thus, when Mike walked out to the pasture with a pail of corn, they just looked at him. One or two even turned and walked the opposite direction. They certainly weren't the brightest ones and so we felt the need to tell them so. We finally got everyone headed the right direction and through the first gate. We didn't think we'd have to close that gate. We were wrong. And we were wrong because of one little rebellious calf who decided he'd go the opposite direction of everyone else, then cry loudly because he couldn't find his mommy. Yes, I told the calf just how stupid he was too. We finally get tehm all in and that's when I realize what our biggest problem is going to be. Quite a few of the calves don't have tags. Without a tag, it's very hard to match momma to baby. LOVELY. We finally finished our work and I came back to the house. Just how long did this "second" last? I figured it out. It lasted 7200 seconds or 120 minutes or 2 hours. Hmm....who exactly needs to learn the lesson here? Is it that my husband has no sense of how long a second is or is it that I feel the need to drop whatever it is I'm doing and go off on these adventures with him? I'll let you decide.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-28854691096652438012009-11-14T17:53:00.002-06:002009-11-14T17:59:35.704-06:00The latest debate at our house....I LOVE the view out our living room windows. I despise curtains. Thus, to this point, we've not had any curtains, much to the dismay of the rest of my family. So, I have finally come to a solution that should satisfy all of us. I just need the guys to build me a cornice board to hide the ugly hardware for the window treatments. And now to the latest debate. I took the paint swatch to the store with me and went through every curtain available. Keep in mind our living room (as is much of the rest of the house) is rather rustic feeling. I found a lovely rust color that plays off the cedar ceiling and trimwork and then I found a rather humdrum wheat color. You obviously know which way I'm leaning. I have hung both colors up for a vote tonight. I have a feeling hum drum is going to win out. Hmphf....We shall see.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-9135821226928377202009-11-06T22:07:00.002-06:002009-11-06T22:26:30.439-06:00I did something tonight I didn't want to....a lady who used to be in my Sunday school class lost her little girl this week to complications from leukemia. Tonight was her visitation. I cannot begin to put into words how desperately I wish there were not the need for a visitation or funeral service for a sweet little 5 year old girl. My heart is literally broken for this family. I cannot imagine the pain this loss has caused them. And yet....<br /><br />We know that Maddie is in Heaven now playing and singing with Jesus. No more chemo, no more hospital visits, no more painful sticks. How wonderful it must be for her.<br /><br />I was reminded of two other funerals as I was waiting in the line to give her mom a hug. One was a flashback of just a couple of years ago to Mike's sister's funeral. I still miss Liz terribly at times. I still don't know what God's plan is there but I still trust that He has one and that it's a good one. He doesn't need my input to make a good plan. Trust me, He's reminded me of that more often than not. The other funeral took me back several more years to my freshman year in high school, 1986. A good friend of mine died from leukemia that spring. We had gone to school together from Kindergarten on. Our little community was rocked and left hurting. I didn't understand what Heather had done that God would punish her so. You see, I didn'thave a faith in Christ at that point and didn't realize that she wasn't being punished, but rewarded. <br /><br />God certainly knows the number of our days. He also knows the good plans He has for those who love Him. I just pray He has easier plans for me.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-40545665559775431852009-10-26T14:16:00.002-05:002009-10-26T14:29:27.139-05:00The birthday celebrations are over for another year.No, we didn't plan our boys having their birthdays only a week apart when we were having children. We had our families over for desserts yesterday to celebrate. It was fun to watch 4 generations playing around together. Brock had a great time bouncing on the exercise ball then bouncing the exercise ball on the stuffed rabbit. Adrianna enjoyed all the attention she got. Phoebe enjoyed eating ice cream cake, skittles and kit kats then tried to figure out how to burn off all the sugar she ingested. Sabine and Tia enjoyed thier Rock Band tutorial given by Chris and Jesse. Not sure if I mentioned we got Jesse the Rock Band game for the Play Station for his birthday. It has been fun for everyone. Of course, my head may not agree when they have friends over to play it this weekend. LOL. <br /><br />Now that the birthdays have passed I'm turning my attention to the next items on the list.....a cattle show and sale, Thanksgiving and another cattle sale. We start and end the month of November with sales and throw in a Thanksgiving celebration here for Mike's family in the middle of it. <br /><br />Today Mike discovered the bananas that I had gotten last week. Three were left and just a tick beyond their prime. I turned them into banana muffins for them to enjoy tonight. I have no idea what I'm fixing for supper, but I know they're going to have good dessert. LOL.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-29630806610269619402009-10-23T07:48:00.002-05:002009-10-23T08:04:33.584-05:00My little baby boy.It's been 15 years ago since I had this wonderful "little" boy. I was at the hospital at this time hearing that I wasn't contracting (they didn't know yet that I was having gall stone attacks that had been happening since June) but they would go ahead and hook me up to pitocin since I was 14 days overdue. Dr. Jones joking asked me if I could deliver this baby in time for him to make it to his church picnic. The nurses got me hooked up to the pit at 8 am and at 8:05 Mike reminded them we needed an epidural. Dr. Jones came back in at 8:15 just as I was having a contraction and ordered it for me. Sometimes in the face of extreme danger, men just give in. Jesse was born at 11:30 am just as our pastor, Fred Branco, was praying for us in church. Jesse entered the world at a whopping 8# 14oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Dr. Jones assured me that by going over his due date he had actually lost weight. For that, I was thankful. I don't remember if there was a full moon or just what the issue was (maybe we had a really cold January) but the nursery was full of babies. Since Jesse was my 2nd baby and I hadn't had any complications, the nurses asked that I keep him in my room as much as possible. He was such a good baby that it really wasn't an issue. Maybe the fact that we were watching the Chicago Bears pregame on TV while I was in labor is why he loves the Bears so much. The nurses kept trying to wrap him in this little recieving blanket and his feet kept popping out the end. I think you can see his feet in every one of the pictures of everyone holding him at the hospital. Chris got to hold him at the hospital sitting in a bean bag chair. It was so amazing to watch them bond and become brothers and friends in that instant. And to watch my Daddy hold him brought so much joy. My Dad just doesn't like to hold babies. They're too small for him to feel comfortable with. Not Jesse, he was big enough for Daddy's comfort zone and they shared the same outer foot bone curve. And, as Jesse pointed out when he was about 6, they were born on the same day. Not the same date but the 23rd is both of their birthdays. <br /><br />Today, Jesse is the tallest member of our family. His feet still stick out from the blankets. He's quickly becoming the man of God that He had planned all along. He went on a mission trip this summer to North Dakota and worked with Kindergarteners. I have to think of the movie "Kindergarten Cop" when I imagine that scene. He had a great time and hopefully was a good influence on those kiddos. Jesse is a sophomore in high school and will have his mandatory classes finished this year. I don't know which direction his future will pull him, but I do know it's a bright one.<br /><br />Happy birthday, Jesse.Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3772411566432441545.post-37605111985941689012009-10-17T08:01:00.003-05:002009-10-17T08:19:49.793-05:00Time flys....I know when I was little it seemed like the years would just drag along taking forever to roll around to the next great event in my life. Maybe that's why time seems to fly now....I'm blessed with one great event after another. Let's see how I can do on an update...<br />Mike's still laid off. Mixed rumors about possible return dates or IF he will return at all. We're starting to look for some other options at this point. We've broke and sold more calves this year than ever, so that's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">definately</span> a plus. The fat cattle market is down though and that's a minus. God does wonderfully at keeping us balanced.<br />Chris turned 17 yesterday. THUD. When he and Mike are outside walking across the yard it's hard to tell the difference. Mike commented last night that it seems like it was just yesterday that we were going to the North <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Callaway</span> Homecoming Game. Yes, I know, it's been 22 years since that first homecoming. Chris has babysat my great niece a couple of times (less than 1/2 an hour each time) and it is so fun to watch him talk to her and feed her. He's gonna make a great dad someday in the future. He and Jesse are very much best friends. They get along so well and can have so much fun in even the most boring situation. Yes, it does make school interesting at times. Chris in going to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">vo</span> tech for an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">ag</span> class this year. He seems to enjoy it and is doing awesome in there. They've switched from studying <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">FFA</span> to beef animals. Can you say cruising?<br />Jesse will be 15 next Friday. He's studying for his learner's permit and is so ready to drive us where ever we desire. Never thought I'd have one <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">chauffeur much less two. Last weekend there was a Jason Aldean concert in Columbia that Jesse desperately wanted to go to. I checked early on and couldn't find any good seats at a decent price. Turned out he got some great seats on Friday for himself, Chris, and two friends for the same money I would've had to spend on nosebleed seats. Go figure. They all had an awesome time. I'm glad they were able to do and treat each other as a birthday gift. </span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Me...hmm....I now have a part time job at the children's library in Mexico. I get about 8 hours one week and about 15 the other. It's enough to cover the cell phone bill and groceries so that's good. I spent a lot of hours this August trying to get our website for the cattle up and going. Now it looks like I may actually be able to enjoy web design. I'm considering picking up a class or two here and there so that I might be able to turn that into a career in the future. We'll just have to see. I'm also working at trying to figure out what to make everyone for Christmas. And I need to work at the flowers for my parents 50th anniversary this coming January.</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Life's an adventure here. We never know what the next day is going to hold and I feel as if God gets a good chuckle out of <strong><em>my</em></strong> plans each day. <strong><em>His</em></strong> are so much better if I'll just let go of what I want or think I need.</span>Melindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15991372612424967422noreply@blogger.com2