Captured by Sarah Photography ~ August 29, 2012

Thursday, April 22, 2010

in low gear

I could be napping (or something more energetic- ha - like decluttering and switching laundry)... but instead I'm gonna sit here a while and tell you about my week.  Aren't you glad?

I'm not sure that I have any new pictures on my camera, so unless I find some clip art or start overwhelming the blog with lighting fixtures again, it might just be a blah-blah-blah sort of post.  (Do I sound like I need a nap?)

So, let's see.  I told you it rained last week, and that meant Tim was out of the field for about 24 hours.  He spent some time with the four-legged heifers, and he spent some time with me... and the lighting consultant at EWCI in Ames.  Two hours later we had a good idea what our choices might be.  Maybe I will have to add some lighting pictures, just because some of these are so cool... almost cool beans  ;-)

I showed you the Spencer chandelier from Quorum and told you about my dilemma with the kitchen.  My intelligent hubby suggested we put a ceiling fan in the kitchen.  Oh yeah, why didn't I think of that?  (Must have been because my head wasn't on straight for a couple weeks... See my chiropractor if you don't understand how that works.)

Anyway, you all know what a ceiling fan looks like, but here's a light to hang in the stairwell...


And this for the front entry, without the chain...



Both are from Quorum's Spencer family to match the dining room chandelier  :-)  Well, I think they're cool anyway.  Oh, and here's what I'm drooling over for our master bath...
What do ya think?  We'll see how the lighting budget looks after we get the house wired.

Hmm, I forgot about the gray countertop/sink on this vanity for our bath.  With toasted sienna (brown) finish on the light?  Or should I be using the black finish in here??   I don't really want to use black, so tell me it's great with brown, if you please.



Enough about the house??  How about Daybook in reverse?  Tuesday morning I did consider doing the usual Daybook entry, but I didn't get any further than thinking about it (except this quick post)... Thoughts such as this:  "At 4:45am, it is DARK outside my window, and the birds are NOT awake either ~ even when the alarm clock is that loud.  At 6am, the birds are singing, and it's wonderful to listen to them while lying in bed.  But by 7am, the SUN is fully shining in between the blinds INTO my eyes..."  ;-)

Okay, let's talk Sunday since I don't have a clue what I did on Saturday  ;-)   On Sunday, Tim got us up for early (8:30) service so we might have a longer afternoon.  Well, we had the longest Sunday afternoon in history ~  at least in a long, long time.  The kids' choir director has been sick, so again they had no choir Sunday afternoon.  It was a nice, long afternoon! 

Monday the kids and I had our much-needed chiropractor appointment.  When we were leaving town, Miss Music Box saw some little friends playing outside their house... "Oh, Mom, drive by so we can honk and wave at them!"  So we did.  And since they came running for the road, I pulled over on their side to actually say Hello.  Then one of them convinced his mom that we were really out there, and she came out to say Hi.  Um, two hours later, we finally left them alone to enjoy their supper  =)  Thanks for the fun visit, Tania & boys! 

Tuesday, Miss Artist convinced me she really needed a new skirt this week.  We spent much of the morning looking at skirts online and discussing just what sort of skirt I could produce in a day.  The fabric also had to be pre-washed.  So, in the evening I finally began sewing it together while the six kiddos played a little plastic bat and ball styled baseball outside.  I think I was done with it by 11pm.  Sorry, no pics!  Those of you locals who saw her last night at church saw it then.  :-)

Wednesday, while I was still in the sewing groove, I finished the Cowgirl's culottes I had started several weeks ago, a skirt for the Popper,... and three more flannel blankets that had been pinned/ready to stitch for a few months(?)  Woot, woot!  And then I hit the kitchen to make bread and pizza crust.  (while remembering errands that had to be done before this morning!)

Today, some of us were up at 5am so that we could be out the door by 6am!  (Yes, that included me.)  Tim & I took Miss Artist to the airport to fly by herself to New Mexico to stay with Tim's brother & family for a few weeks.  She called a while ago to say she had landed safely in Albuquerque and connected with her hosts ~ yAy!  I know she has enjoyed "owning" a cell phone for the day... I have the texts to prove it. 

Other news of late:
  • Miss MB and Miss A both passed their tests for their driver's permits last week.  I'm going to remember not to go to the DOT on a Tuesday afternoon I hope ~ It took us an hour and a half to get through there.  (Plus another hour and a half next door at the Good Will store brought us home for a late supper that was not meatloaf and mashed potatoes.)
  • I have yet to give either of them a driving lesson.  Go figure.
  • Tim (and my brother) finished planting corn yesterday.  yAy!  Now he's pulling a sprayer instead of a planter...  but he won't be working in the field quite so late  :-)  Soybeans are next week I suppose, or after they finish spraying all the corn ground?
  • So far, 5 of 14 calves have safely arrived.  2 heifer calves, 2 bull calves, and 1 unknown b/c Mama is keeping her calf all to herself.  The newest calf belongs to Fajita, so his name is Taco  :-)  Some names are more easily agreed upon than others.
Whew.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

daybook 10

...............   B>U>S>Y>    S>I>G>N>A>L>   ............


Just a pic from the days when chubby cheeks were cute:


Sunday, April 18, 2010

a quick request for your 2 cents

...especially for my married friends, but I know well that unmarrieds can have valid opinions about marriage too!  Um, the first time I gave a devotional at a bridal shower, I was a very single woman.  Strange but true ~ that's me!  Remember that, Kari?

What's the best bit of advice or Scriptural admonition you might give a sweet niece at her bridal shower?

...in just a few short weeks.  Thanks!  You can email me, or just leave your tidbit in the comments section to bless all of my other many readers.  And you Lurkers (ie, Vickie)  can come out of the woodwork circuit panels microchips(?)  any time now ~ most comments are approved   :-)

Friday, April 16, 2010

and more pictures

It rained here yesterday afternoon... so Tim had to leave the fieldwork (yay!)  He was able to go check on the heifers and take some nicer photos.

This must be Calf Uno (No, that's not her real name...)




And the newest mama here...


Calf Dos (and Rusty the steer)...





AND, especially for Amber... here are some Black & Whites on the green grass  :-)  See, they are purdy too!


I really think it must be the grass, Amber.  It's the 'pastoral' scene.  These could be hay-burners horses and still look pretty!  ;-)  But all of these critters, of course, inspire one to say, "Mmmmmmooooooooooooooooooo" ~ gotta like that.

This is Schnoodles.  He was lying down, but he loves a hand-out so he got up to come and beg from me...




And here's one of the Cattleman, who was 'taking a break' from his housecleaning duties...


ahem... house cleaning?

Thursday, April 15, 2010

pictures

I managed to upload these photos without any space for my comments between, thus the comments all come first.   Also, it was early evening, so the lighting was past prime.    Bear with me please...

  • If you enlarge this photo you might be able to see a wee calf by her mama.  Sorry that I didn't get a better picture.  Tim found calf #2 this morning when he checked on the ladies ~ another heifer  :-)  Names are still a matter for debate.
  • The proud papa, Bullwinkle.
  • The herd as viewed from the house.
  • And, of course, photos of ductwork and Tim's PEX tubing with reflector plates, as promised ~ sort of.  Exciting, yes? 


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

daybook 9


The Simple Woman's Daybook will be posted each Tuesday ~ here.



FOR TODAY
Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Outside my window...
the sun has been up longer than I have today.
most of the yard and pasture is a lovely green.
the cattle have come for a drink - they look especially fine on the green grass!

I am thinking...
I should have called the chiropractor last week ~ I should still call today and see when they have an opening big enough for the five of us.

I am thankful for...
the fun my kids have together - really I am.
the first healthy Angus calf  born Saturday(?) ~ Tim & kids found her Sunday afternoon ~ She's a girl, and she is /s/p/u/n/k/y/

I am praying for...
Little ones Sophia W. and Kali B. both have important doctor visits today.
My dad (not so little - his 78th birthday was Sunday) also meets with a favorite surgeon today to discuss options for his torn something in his shoulder.  They are thankful for the medical care they get in Arizona.
My mom is recovering from her ankle surgery last Friday ~ Mom & Dad are thankful for friends and family nearby as they struggle to care for each other right now.
Mrs. Barnes, who is meeting with yet another French anesthesiologist tomorrow ~ hopefully this one will agree to assist in her needed hip-replacement surgery.
Tim's nephew Craig, who broke his leg a few weeks ago ~ praying for good, strong healing!  (Crack the books, Craig, not your leg!)  :-) 
[edit:  Craig finally had surgery a week ago to put a rod in that broken leg - still praying for healing!]

From the learning rooms...
The Popper finished reading her science book yesterday; the Cattleman is enjoying his new curriculum via dvd; the Cowgirl has finished her math book; the Computer Geek has the final exam left in his literature; Miss Artist has been studying the DOT book to get her learner's permit to drive which she needs for a photo ID before flying solo next week; Miss Music Box is trying to hurry through the remainder of her geometry book (to end that source of misery!)
We discussed existentialism a bit this morning in our history reading ~ the youngers are a bit aghast that anyone could be so deluded.  It is so sad for a culture to turn from hollow religion with some remnant of truth to the hopelessness of humanistic lies.  I am thankful that we know the God who is real!

From the kitchen...
I served a Lazy Mom supper last night:  frozen pizza  :-)  It was Tim's first night in the field with planting, so I wasn't very motivated.  Tonight will be meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

I am creating...
Okay, last time I should have to say this - until next year... tax returns ready for mailing, if only I could find the big envelopes I know I have somewhere...
And a list of potential light fixtures for the new house  :-)

I am going...
to take Miss MB to the orthodontist today (thus, the soft food supper) and hopefully Miss A to the DOT 
(while wishing we had an appointment at the chiropractor - Did I say that already?)

I am reading...
hmm, lately it's been the lighting catalogs.
The Winged Watchman was a fun diversion the other night (about Nazi occupation of Holland).  I started reading Bright Candles: A Novel of the Danish Resistance, but I think I will return it unfinished since I don't like the flavor (somehow it's different listening to John Wayne swear as he portrays a US officer than reading about a fictional 17yo swearing with his friends and lying to his parents...)   Aha! - just found where I'd stashed Dancing with My Father, so I can read another chapter in that!

I am hoping... 
that all is well with Tim and his fieldwork.
that more calves will be born without difficulty this week.
that somehow our preferred cabinet maker will offer a better special to reduce the cost of our kitchen.  (hoping that it is God's will we have the better-quality, Iowa-made, locally-retailed cabinets?)

I am hearing...
the CG singing/humming/trumpeting while he solves his Algebra problems.

Around the house...
I need to forget that I own a computer and deal with our collection of s.t.u.f.f.  Talk is cheap, ya know.  I have a dream:  A place for everything, and everything in its place.  That probably means a lot of our 'everything' needs to live in someone else's 'place' or a recycling bin somewhere over the rainbow...  Yoohoo, Flylady?  I can do anything for 15 minutes...

One of my favorite things...
~ ~ ~ Cheer up, cheer up, cheerio!  ~ ~ ~
the best unalarming alarm clock ever - in the form of a robin.  They also sing an evening song that could remind a person to call it a day.
God's way is the best!

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Making progress? with the same-old -- schoolwork to accomplish and organize (including 'next year'), house decisions, sewing projects always, infinite ironing...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
The Cattleman is a determined gardener ~ broccoli, peas, radishes here; and potatoes at the new house's garden.  More to come.



...and another from Miss Artist who was capturing the green grass and caught the Cattleman in the background.



Cool beans.


Peggy hosts the daybook at The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ click to find more.


Monday, April 12, 2010

cool beans

Thanks, Conny!

Here's what I think is cool today:

Today's 'verse of the day,' courtesy of Bible Gateway...

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) listen to chapter Public Domain


And the passage in Mark chapter 8 that Pastor was preaching from yesterday...

 31And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
 32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
 33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
 34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Cool beans! (as Conny says)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

13I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
 14And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.  Daniel 7

This is what the disciples of Jesus were expecting in their Messiah ~ the Kingdom now.  Not a cross.
It is not cool that we are so easily bent on having "kingdom, glory, and power" for ourselves.  But that is reality ~ apart from God molding us into the true image of Christ.  What does it mean to know "the fellowship of his sufferings" and to deny self?  As Pastor pointed out, taking up our cross doesn't require a woe-is-me martyr attitude.  God knows what level or area of suffering is required in each of our lives to enable us to glorify Him best.  God is good  ~  His grace is sufficient  ~  and Jesus knows what it means to suffer.

Here's a statement from Pastor's message to think on for a while:

God's glory is more important than my comfort.



And I thought of Kate Stoll and her physical pain....

"Don't feel sorry for me, Mom.  Jesus is with me."

♥  ♥  ♥