I just have to say, I love my husband so much. I praise God for giving him life and bringing him into this world. I can't tell you how many times I wonder how I got so very blessed with this awesome man. It is such a priviledge to be walking through life with him.
Happy Birthday Ryan !!!
Well, we decided to build a barn. I am really excited!! We have been talking about this for a while and we almost started last year on one. We decided to wait until spring and it looks like it will be started next week. Yippieee. Our plan is to use half the barn for livestock (happy, happy) and half for storage. We have a very nice Amish man building it for us.
Long term I am not sure what our plans are for the barn. The storage will be awesome and is very needed right now. On the livestock side, we are thinking maybe a hog and a dairy cow. Yes, we may get our own milk! I have been pushing for a dairy cow for a couple years, but they are a lot of work and with no barn, well, I didn't have much of a leg to stand on. I just love thinking about getting our own fresh milk, making our own butter, etc. Really it is the missing piece for us in being somewhat self sufficient. Our barn will also be used to house our various 4H projects and probably our meat birds when we have those throughout the year. Good stuff.
Some other "good stuff" (and this is the REALLY good stuff) has been some more devotion time with the older two kids. We have been listening to "Walk in the Word" recordings lately. They are really very good. They aren't necessarily geared toward kids, but Leah and Logan have no problem with them. Although we do pause it occasionally to explain or reiterate something. A couple nights ago they were talking a little bit about the end times and how we are really living a blessed time right now. Our children can choose to follow God, or not. The physical consequences of their choices are relatively easy right now. The day will come when they are not so easy. The message was not spoken in a gloom and doom tone, which I liked. It really evoked some emotions in our kids and lots of questions. There was a lot said in the 26 minute program, but we sat with the kids for close to an hour and a half just talking. We "just talk" with our kids a lot, but this was a little heavier, but very good. I think the general tone was hope and restoration, not "the end of the world is coming." I believe that is the best attitude to have.
Which brings me to another conversation......
How do you deal with the "talk" of the state of our country? I know in my neck of the woods I hear a lot on both sides. This came up some in our conversations with the kids, especially with Leah. Leah has asked me a couple different times about where I feel the US is heading. I think she is scared a bit. I don't really blame her. I remember being her age and going to church and hearing the pulpit banged about the end of the world coming. It is certainly one way to scare you in to being a "good little kid." Now that I am older, things look a little differently to me. Fear isn't really a good tactic when dealing with issues of the heart, which I believe is what Christianity is all about. Don't get me wrong, I reverently fear God. How can I not? But I refuse to live in fear or teach my kids to live in fear.
I really feel like the US is heading in a very bad direction. I think things around here are going to change, for the worse. I believe that the US cannot continue to reject and blasphamy the blessing of God for very long. God will not be mocked. The Bible tells us of a day where the Holy Spirit will allow men to have the desires of thier hearts. Right now we are living in a time, where as bad as things can be, the Holy Spirit is restraining the evilness of man. He will stop restraining at some point. That is a scary concept to me, let alone my 13 year old daughter. But you know what? I still will not teach my kids to be afraid.
God has blessed and continues to bless us, and I intend to live that way. It gets very frustrating to me (and all of my limited supply of grace) to see Christian people live as if they are not the chosen children of God. God will never abandon us and we have complete hope in Him. If God is watching the sparrow, how much more does he care about me?
So, how does this concept of God and our future affect my daily life? Well, I do like to be prepared. Yes, our hope is in God, but God expects us to use our abilities and our brains to walk through this life. I "hear" about where the economy (and the US) may be heading, and I don't necessarily disagree. I just disagree with how some people choose to live in light of this knowledge, in fear. Our family is preparing in many ways for an uncertain future. One of my favorite ways is by learning to be more self-sufficient. I guess I just feel like these are skills that we "should" have anyways. I think overall though we are trying to find a balance between being prepared for what life has for us and living our lives to the fullest. We are not always successful, but when we focus on the hope we have in God, well I think that keeps us in check.
Okay, this post got a little heavier than I was planning, so here are some cute pictures of Asher to lighten the mood.
Ok, I just love that he loves his Mickey Mouse. So cute to see him sleep with him.
"Say cheese Asher....."
"CHEEEEEESE........."
Madeline wanted a chore, I was happy to help the girl out. She now feeds the dog. Madeline is VERY task oriented. She has already told me that if we get a cow, she will milk it. She even explained how, even down to "you squeeze the things with milk gently." Ok, well, I see another chore in your future. Please ignore the messy garage (it tends to accumulate junk all winter because no one wants to be out in the cold) and the neck pillow Madeline is wearing.
Yummy chocolate cakes for Ryan's birthday. They were quite yummy, definitely a "keeper" recipe. The kids called Ryan at work on Tuesday and asked his favorite color, cake and icing flavor and animal. So these layered cakes were stacked and frosted in blue frosting with our whole family and a horse on the top. It really turned out kind of cute and the kids were very proud.
This is everyday life for our house, so I took a picture of it. I do this with the bread like twice a week. One loaf of whole wheat and two small loaves of cinnimon swirl. This is before their second rise. I love using my freshly ground whole wheat flour, but it is not rising nearly as much as I am use to. I think I might look for a new recipe.
The 3 littles presents for daddy.
Until Later!
Julie
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