Hummingbird

The hummingbirds have been in full-force around my house. I've got two feeders hanging from my kitchen windows and it is so fun to watch them swarming around. I caught one sipping from the petunias which was a great opportunity to capture this lovely picture. I just wanted to share it.

Back to life

We have had a busy first part of the week. Vacation bible school was Monday through Wednesday and we were very busy with this and with company. It was so much fun and a great success, but I was very happy to get back to "normal". I'm sure that it may take a few more days to get back in the swing of things but I'm already feeling more relaxed and content. One of my favorite chores, as many of you probably know, is hanging clothes out on the line. It is just something about the air, the methodical placement of the towels and sheets, the grass on my feet, and of course the smell. All of it just sets my soul at peace, it makes me feel as if I'm providing some great service for my family, for the earth, and it connects me to those women who were doing the same thing hundreds of years ago. I am thankful that the July sun was nice and hot today, and that tonight I will sleep in a nice clean, sweet-smelling bed.

Rotten Dog

How cute is this baby? We are enjoying having her around so much. It is almost like having a baby in the house...except this one doesn't keep us up at night and we don't have to change poopy diapers. I can't imagine having a house with no animals in it. I appreciate that some people prefer not to live with animals but, I on the other hand, would feel like my home was empty without one or two furry creatures. Just the little look they give when they are hungry or need to go out, it warms my heart. They rejoice every time I walk through the door, weather I've been gone all day or for five minutes. Who else is willing to give such attention and love, just for simply being.

Oh what a beautiful morning.

We are waiting for the chicken bus to get here. Everyone was up before the sun this morning, getting our coffee and breakfast. The morning was so lovely, I had to get out and take some pictures. The only bad thing is the camera can't capture the smells and sounds. I'll be taking some pictures when the bus gets here and post some info about the arrival of our newest batch of birds.

The kids and I are going to the church this morning to help out with VBS preparations. This is going to be a hectic week with the farm work that has to be done and VBS coming up next week. It looks like we finally have a break in the weather to get hay cut, but we are too strapped in to the chicken houses that it will have to wait till next week. Sometimes this all seems like more than one family can handle. I know that it will get done. It is always good for me to have a challenge, I have to put myself in check and make sure that I'm gleaning knowledge and growth from these times and not feeling sorry for myself. It is at these times that I must surrender my anxiety over to God and just let His will be done. I know that I will never experience true joy and peace until I traverse the fires of life with an attitude of thanksgiving. For even in the midst of the fires, I can find peace if I am aware that it is my creator who is molding and making me into the person He needs me to be. I am thankful for today and my goal for this day is to face every challenge that may come my way, however big or small, with a gracious attitude. This should be quite an undertaking, but I'm sure it won't be without it's rewards.

The last couple of days have been hot and sunny. We are getting chickens back on Friday, which is a very quick turn around. This means everybody will need to be on duty so yesterday while I was out working at the chicken houses, I left the kids here in charge of the house. Kyle was so sweet to mow and weed eat for me. I couldn't pass up getting a picture of this. Rodney's dad injured his eye in a mowing accident a couple of weeks ago and told us to be sure and wear protective eye wear while mowing so Kyle was obedient and followed the safety precautions. How cute is he?? Rodney has had those safety goggles since before we were married and it always made me laugh every time he put them on (of course he always added turning his hat to the side and acting goofy) but seeing Kyle with them on just tickled me to no end.

It is good to see the sun. I'm hoping we will have a great week of working together as a family to get ready for baby chicks.

Friday July 13, 2007

I guess it is going to rain forever. I can't believe this weather. I know that God knows what He is doing, I just wish that he would explain it to me. Last year, we were starving for rain and now, we can't get a break from it. I'm not sure how we will get our hay put up with this weather pattern. Maybe we aren't supposed to.

Our chickens finished going out yesterday morning. We are praying that they do well. We found out yesterday that we are getting chicks back next Friday. That gives us only a week to be ready. We are going to be really busy around here this next week. There is so much to be done...I'm not sure how we will accomplish it all, yet somehow we always manage to succeed.

I am thankful that the rain is falling even though I don't understand it. I am happy to live on this farm even though, at times, it seems overwhelming. I am proud to be a wife and mother even when I am not sure if I'm doing it right. I am depending on God to guide my life where He wills it, even when it is frightening, for this is when I KNOW that He is moving me and guiding me to become the person that He wishes for me to be.

July 12, 2007

Well, it is feeling like July now. It is still quite cloudy and we have gotten another inch of rain or so, but for the most part it is hot and humid. Kyle and I went and picked more berries this morning. at least enough for one more batch of jam. I can't believe that there are still so many red ones yet to ripen. It is so therapeutic to be out in the berry patch finding not only beautifully ripened berries but little surprises around every leaf. Sometimes I have to politely ask bees to move so that I can pick the berry that they are on, they are happy to oblige.
I still haven't been able to hang clothes out on the line because of the weather. This is my other household chore that I find to be quite calming to my soul. Maybe today I can at least dry some sheets outside, however, this usually brings the rain.

I can't believe that it is still raining. I hope that we get a break soon so that we can put up some hay. Mom and the kids and I went and picked berries this morning. We left sooner than we wanted because of the RAIN, but we got enough to make two batches of jam. Boy is it good. I always enjoy making the jam and it is everyone's favorite to eat. I'm sure that we will be picking more. There are still a bunch of red ones out there and with all the rain and cooler weather, I'm sure they won't dry up like last year. Jam for everyone!!!

7/7/07

Today is Rodney's birthday. He is 41 today. I think that it is cool that his birthday is 7/7/07...in a couple of years Taylor will have a birthday on 9/9/09, that is too cool. We are planning on having a birthday get-together for Rodney this evening but it will probably just be our little family. There isn't anybody visiting and Mamaw is out of town. Mom is going to make him a pecan pie which is his favorite. He had one last year too. I am so happy to be a part of all of this.
I sprained my ankle a couple of days ago and am just now starting to get around good on it. It really sucks to be injured and not be able to get out and do all the things that need to be done. The swelling has gone down and it is getting easier to walk on.