Remembering Dixie

Today is a very sad day for our family. Dixie, our beloved white Lab died sometime in the night. I say our because I always called her my grand-dog. She was Stephanie's family dog, and she will be very much missed. She has actually been in the family since before Gabriel was born. Here are some favorite pictures of her.

Dixie was such a good natured dog, and she loved to mother everything. It didn't matter whether it was chickens, rabbits, cats, and Buddy when he joined the family. She was very patient, as seen by this video.

The kids have done various writings about her, but this poem written by Gabriel happen's to be on the front of my fridge.

Dixie

Dixie is a dog of little brains,

Who doesn't like it when it rains.

When the wind blows her hair away,

She is having a bad hair day.

She is getting old,

And does't like to be cold.

She loves to dig holes,

And she has a lot of belly rolls.

She'd rather be dirty than clean,

We take her for walks, but she never gets lean.

But Dixie is faithful, the much is true,

Good ol' Dizzy dog, we sure do love you.

Brittney wrote a poem about her yesterday. This morning after they found Dixie dead, she wrote this at the end of the poem...

Dixie

Faithful Girlie

We'll never forget 

The joy you brought

Dizzy

Rest in peace Dixie doo, you will never be forgotten, and you will always be loved. Good-bye old girl...

Mother's Day 2014

I know, I know, I haven't written in a while. But in my defense I really have been very busy. I get so busy living, that I forget to write about it.

We have been putting in a garden, and it's sprouting up like crazy. I'll show you...

Potatoes

Brocolli

Onions

Tomatoes

This is just a few of the things we have planted.
I say we, and I did help, but Randy is really the one with the green thumb in this household. He's been a farmer since he was just a boy at home.

Randy tilling up the garden - he loves being on a tractor!
I just stand there looking silly taking pictures.

I did try to make a scarecrow. It was a hilarious sight to see. It was around Easter time and it looked like I had a crucifixion going on at the garden area.

Funny Scarecrow

I finally had mercy on him and removed him from his perch. I know that everybody driving by probably got a good laugh from him though. And I have to say, there weren't any invaders in the garden while he was standing watch!

We just celebrated Mother's Day, and we had a family dinner at the house. 

Randy's Mom

Holly

Brittney

Weston and Stephanie (and Gabriel hiding behind)

It was a good day to be with family, and celebrate the mother's. 

More Time Than Money?

I was at Walmart the other day, because that's just the first place you go when you need anything, right? Anyway, I went the other day and I was heading for the pharmacy. As I got closer to the pharmacy line, there was another lady coming from the other direction, and I could just tell that she was heading for the same spot I was. We both met there at about the same time, and she said, " Oh you go ahead, I'm not in any hurry, I have more time than money." 

I thanked her, of course, and stood in line waiting with those words going round and round in my head. Did she have more time than money, do I, does anyone? 

James 4:13-15 says, "Go to now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and contiue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

I used to always hear my grandmother say, "If the good Lord's willing..." before she announced any of her plans. I didn't really know what that meant while she was alive, but now I know that she was a wise woman. 

None of us really know how much time we have. We may not have very much money, but we may very well have more money than time, we just don't know. Which is why we should all use our time wisely. 

The Conduit

This morning I was studying God's Word - which I am ever so thankful for- and I got to thinking...

Wait a minute, first of all, let me just say this. Usually when I "get to thinking" I just keep it to myself because I am not a person who can put my thoughts into beautiful words that make any sense. I usually trip over my tongue or lose my train of thought, and I just end up sounding like a scatterbrain. Maybe I will make more sense if I write it down. We shall see :-)

I was reading this morning in 1 Corinthians 15, and verses 9 and 10 say,

• King James Version

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

• New International Version

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 

 This is Paul speaking here, and I started thinking about how he said he worked harder than all of them, then he corrected, and said it wasn't actually him working hard, but the grace of God that was working with him.

In other words, he was saying that he was a conduit through which God was working.

• conduit

:a pipe or tube through which something (such as water or wire) passes

:someone or something that is used as a way of sending something (such as information or money) from one place or person to another

I was thinking about electricity - which I am also thankful for- and about how it gets to our house where we can use it.

You know you can build the most beautiful home, or building, with beautiful light fixtures, and the most high tech, modern appliances and they serve no purpose if there is no electricity going to them. Also you can have the electricity turned on, but if there is a break in the wiring it still can't get to the lights or appliances. Now the wiring is not put on the outside of the walls where it can be seen, but it is inside the walls out of sight because lets face it, they aren't exactly pretty, but they are necessary.

I was thinking about the awesome power of God, and how it needs to get to the lost people of this world. How did God decide to get the power where it needs to be? Through mortal man. We are the conduits that God chose to use. Now I know that my life was not very pretty before God made me what I am now, it was mired in sin, and "his grace to me was not without effect" also, it washed me clean. I know I am not a finished work yet, as that old song says, "He's still workin on me".

My prayer today is that I can stay close to the Power Source, God, and that he can work through me to touch someone who needs him. If there is a problem with any of my wiring I want to fix it. Certainly not for my glory, I would rather stay hidden, like the wires in the wall, but for God's glory, and so that his kingdom can grow.

Now I know that this is a simple thought, and I am not the first one to think of it, but it's on my mind today. This world is in trouble, and most people know it, but instead of complaining, let's try to get the Power where it needs to be. I know I'm checking my "wiring" and I want any breaks or shorts to be fixed so I can get a good flow of the Power through me!

Change of subject here. I have been busy working on several projects, and I finished one last night. I promised Chloe a new blankie, and she didn't let me forget it either. So here is the finished product, and it is already in her hands. May it keep her warm for many years...

And while I'm on the subject of Chloe, let me share a precious picture here. The last time she spent the night with me, she wanted to try her hand at knitting, like Aiden did, and here she is trying. Isn't this cute?

 I haven't gone out to visit my goats for a few days because it has been so cold and icy here. Randy said that he is really starting to be able to tell that Valentine is pregnant now, so we will probably have a new baby sometime this month or next.

The snow is very beautiful as it falls, but when you step outside, it feels like you have just walked into a freezer. The crazy thing is that tomorrow it may be 60 degrees!

All this snow has made me want to do a lot of spinning lately. Having my hands on nice, fluffy wool just warms me up! This fiber that I am working on now is Shetland wool, and when I spin it up, it feels smooshy. I don't know if that's a real word, but there it is, smooshy Shetland wool. I haven't decided if I want to leave it natural, or dye it. I can't think about that right now, I'll think about that tomorrow!

 

I'm Sad

I'm sad!

Ask me what I created today, and I'll tell you this... I created a mess, that's what I created today. While rearranging my kitchen cabinets, I forgot that the cabinet I was rearranging opens on both sides. So this happened...

and now I'm sad. I really like these little dessert plates. I picked them up at a resale shop, so they weren't expensive or anything, but they were all just a little bit different and unique, and I liked them. Now I only have 5 left. What do you do with an odd number like that? Guess I'll have to keep my eyes open for some replacements. 

Rooster's Little Ladies

Our rooster is not lonely anymore! He has seven new lady friends, and here they are.

While they are busy getting to know each other, Randy and I were busy in the kitchen. Randy stirred up some of his wonderful gumbo, and I whipped up some pumpkin bread. Our house sure smells good today! We are going to have some kids and grandkids over to share our supper tonight. Stephanie always says she can smell from her house when her daddy is making a pot of gumbo. We know better than to try to have it without her and her kiddo's here. Daniel and his family love it too. Imagine this with a big ol' slab of cornbread beside it...

All Better Now

These last few days have been very busy, but then all of my days seem to be busy. Honestly, does anyone know where the time goes these days? Seems like I get up in the morning, and before I know it, it's time to start cooking supper. Anyone else have that problem? If I had to work outside of my home, I don't know where the time would come from to do so.

Randy is working on our chicken yard. We got some little Silky chickens and they were very cute. They looked like they had hair instead of feathers. I thought I took some pictures of them, but if I did, I can't find them. Anyway, Randy decided he wants some regular chickens that lay normal size eggs, so he sold them to his sister, Tammy, who likes all kinds of animals. Right now we just have one lonely rooster. He seems content to wait for his little lady friends to arrive, but he isn't laying very many eggs! =) Handsome little guy, isn't he?

Randy sold the two horses we had, and is now looking for a dairy cow. We want to make our own butter, and cheeses.  Though I don't really know where the time is going to come from to do so =) We still have our dairy goats, but we aren't getting milk right now. We are giving Valentine a little milking break before her new kid comes into the world.

Valentine - Alpine/Nubian Mix

Surprise - La Mancha

Also been busy knitting and spinning of course. I have started knitting Randy's big thick hat. He wanted it in green of course, him being a John Deere type of guy. The pattern is on the Lionbrand website, and it's free. Here is the link if anyone wants to try it, it's a quick and easy knit. Simple Knit Crimson Hat 

I need to hurry this along, as it is freezing outside while my poor hubby is working on the chicken yard. 

I also started knitting a couple of things for myself too. The first is called Vertex Vest from Brooklyn Tweed. I will be working on this for a while, as it is made from lace weight yarn. I am using linen though, so it will be fine to wear in the summer too. I actually knitted a swatch for this one, because I wanted to know how the linen would look after it was washed and dried. Blocking it makes the yarn fluff up a little and even out a lot. It's also pretty and drapey. Can't wait to finish this one, but it will take a while to knit.

The second thing is cute little vest in Knit Simple's Knit's Plus magazine. It's called the Camel Cardigan, however I am not doing it in a camel color. I am making it with Bernat Satin yarn, and the color is rouge.

 This one won't take as long to knit since it is a worsted weight yarn. Yummy! I guess nobody could possibly tell what my favorite color is, right?

That's all for now folks!

Haven't felt good the last couple of days. But my hands have not been idle =) I have finished a hat for both Weston and Gabriel, and with the leftovers, made a matching one for the Dad, Jason. Now, of course, my hubby wants one too, and in John Deere green!

Weston

Gabriel

Jason

Aiden finally got the 4-wheeler he has been asking for, and he is having a blast with it. This is one happy little boy, and very happy to give little sis a ride too.

Whew! Finished! Party Time!

The mother in law hat is done! Yay! Hopefully there will be more cold weather so she will have a chance to wear it. Wait a minute! Did I just say "hopefully"? Oh well, it's only the first part of January, so that's pretty much a given. Here is the hat. It's very soft and warm.

I finished the mother in law hat day before yesterday, and got it blocked yesterday. I also started on Weston's hat yesterday, and worked on it a little today.   

Right now it just looks like a soft squishy tube.

But when I roll up the edge you can tell it will be a hat.

I also worked on some spinning today. I am trying to finish up this merino and silk blend. I can hardly wait to make something out of it. 

Yesterday we went to Daniel and Holly's house for Chloe's birthday party. It's hard to believe she is already 5 years old. Where did the time go?

Here she is 5 years ago being fed a bottle by her cousin, Brittney.

Chloe Ann Morris - 5 years old