No FF Challenge

Hello everyone!

I'm guessing by the lack of comments that not many of you were interested in the FF Challenge.....so it looks like I will not be hosting it on my blog. Just wanted to let you all know what the plan was. Maybe another time!

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China ramblings

Another trip to China has snuck up on us again - and how exciting it is. Even though I'm not going, I still get goosebumps just thinking about it! It's just incredible to think that the little guy below is going to be part of our family in a matter of weeks. After 9 months of waiting (just like a pregnancy!) I'll finally get to meet this precious little brother of mine!

He looks so happy in his pictures...I know he's being well taken care of. And I'm sure his foster family will be grieving as they have to let go of the sweet boy they've taken care of for almost two years.

So....specifics? Mom and Courtney will be leaving for China on February 25th, to return March 12th. We recently received our itinerary (click here to see it!) so all the touring and hotel arrangements have been made! Now all we have to do is count the days......I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be some of the longest of my life.

But certainly waiting for Mom and Courtney to leave isn't going to be the hardest - it's waiting for them to come back that's going to be the tough part! I don't know about you, but when part of my family is gone, the days seem to just crawl by....unless I actually have some constructive work to do. If I didn't have Isaac to watch, I'd likely tear our house apart, paint, re-finish, organize, dust, scrub, and clean every dirty corner I could find. That's the kind of project that would take my mind off waiting! In fact, I think housework is slightly....uh....therapuetic. Don't laugh!! Scrubbing a kitchen floor can be very satisfying! For me, anyway.

So...what am I going to be doing while they're gone? Good question. Here's a small list I've compiled to keep me busy:

~Make and decorate gingerbread cookies with Isaac

~Burn tumbleweeds

~Scrub floor (see, there it is again)

~Clean Mom's bathroom

~Update picture frame

~Blog (oh yes, I'll be keeping ALL of you very updated while they're gone!)

~Have a picinic

~Clean Joshua's booster seat

~Try to keep from going crazy

~Blog some more

~Eat chocolate out of desperation

~Eat more chocolate

~Do play-dough with Isaac

~Check to see if Courtney's emailed me yet

~Find out what time it is in China

~Have some more chocolate

~Scrub another floor

As you can see, my list deteriorated at the end. What AM I going to do??? Work will certainly be a BIG part of my life while Mom and Courtney are gone. If I work like crazy in the house, I'll be exhausted by time evening rolls around and I might have a chance at sleeping at night. (If you've never thought of it before, the chances of sleeping while your sister and Mom are on the other side of the world and possibly getting Joshua at that very moment are like zero.) It'll take my mind off of waiting. And as a side bonus, it will get some serious deep cleaning done that wouldn't have otherwise be accomplished.

I totally agree with what one of my friends said - "If I'm stressed, you'll find me with a mop in one hand and a chocolate bar in the other." Yep, that's where you'll find me!

Don't forget about the FF Challenge ~ if you want to join, leave me a comment! I need to see some more interest if we're going to do this!

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Feelin' Feminine Challenge

Well, it's that time again!

It's been nearly a year since I last did the "Feelin' Feminine Challenge". Although I wear skirts everyday anyway, I still enjoy the participating in the "challenge" because it reminds me to not only be modest, but to be feminine in my modesty. Remember that wearing a feed sack isn't feminine. It's may be modest, but it doesn't help you look graceful and womanly. I believe that as women, God created us to be beautiful ~ of course we must be modest in whatever we wear, but it's equally important (in my opinion, anyway) to wear clothing that enhances our femininity and lets people know that we are women. It's the way God created us. You don't see men wearing dresses, becuase that is an article of clothing that is distinctly feminine. You can't go wrong when wearing a long flowing skirt; it's so girly!

So, the point of this challenge? To wear, for an entire week, skirts, dresses, or jumpers. It may be difficult, but it's a great way to remember, every day, that you are a female. I know I've had friends who tell me that they not only look more feminine in a dress, but they feel more feminine; in other words, wearing a dress reminded them all day long that they are to be gracious, gentle, demure, and distinctly feminine in how they carry themselves.

Another aspect of this challenge is to be, what I call, "fashionably modest". Be creative here. You can be very modest and still wear pretty clothing. I enjoy mixing and matching different skirts and tops; blouses are very nice, so are vests. As I said earlier, being modest does not mean you have to wear a feed sack. (But there is definitely room in there for wearing modest jeans when doing farm chores!) Enjoy God's great gift of femininity He has blessed you with and explore the many different clothing possibilites that are out there.

(Ahem, that is, if you are a girl).

So, does anyone want to join me? It's much more fun if we all do it together. I need to know if there's any interest....if so, we'll start next Monday. Please leave a comment if you're interested; and if you don't have a blog, you can still join in! For those who are interested, just leave me a comment at the bottom of this post. And if you do have a blog, spread the word! I am going to have a place for you all to link up each day to show your outfits if you'd like, so the more the merrier.

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New Photos of Joshua

This morning we received two new pictures of our little boy....hard to believe he'll be here in a matter of weeks! Isn't he just the sweetest?

He looks so happy which is wonderful to see. He is certainly cheerful in his pictures ~ and hey, the color red looks good on him! I just know he'll make a PERFECT little brother for Isaac!

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You Know You're On a Farm When.....

So, I don't know how many of you live on a farm, but here are some tips to help you recognize if you are on one. Even a small one!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE ON A FARM WHEN:

1. Your three year old gets hay in his diaper.

2. The cats sleep on your nice picnic table.

3. Your underwear is crinkly because it dries on the line. (Sorry, but had to put that one in!)

4. You wake up in the middle of the night to coyote howls.

5. Your dogs smell curiously of skunk and you find the tail in their pen but no body.

6. Your Sunday shoes get manure on them because of a last minute chore that had to be done before church.

7. You day-dream about how many and what kind of babies your goats will have next spring.

8. An agricultural spray plane flies just a few feet above your bathroom skylight - while you're getting dressed.

9. Your porch is cluttered with muddy boots, dog food, a pitchfork, baseball mitts, and various articles of clothing.

10. Your three-year old points to the back end of a goat and says, "milk!"
11. Everyone gathers around the window to watch the horses gallop around the pen.

12. You eat a meal and realize every bit of it was from your garden.


13. You have a nice view of horse manure out your bedroom window and it doesn't bother you.

14. Your day is brightened because your goat gave more milk than the previous day.

15. Your cats and dog snuggle together to keep warm.


16. You wish you'd never planted watermelon after eating your 6th melon of the week - and more growing on the vine by the day.


And after this? I STILL love living on a farm! Really! There is no place I'd rather live than the country. I love all the experiences that go along with it. It's great. I'm sure I could add to this list every day...but I think this about sums everything up for now!

Note: I realize these pictures are totally NOT new......I have got to take some more updated pictures for this blog. And no, the baby goat you see above is not new. It's from last year. :-)

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Happy Birthday, Courtney!

Today, Courtney turns 20! It is truly hard to believe that she is this....old. (No offense to those over twenty, but it sure seems like a "grown-up" number to me! She's not a teenager anymore!)

I have surely enjoyed being your sister.....we are alike in so many ways. It's been fun see our interests differ (and come together!) in various areas. (i.e. I love goats, she hates goats, and yet we both love chocolate.)

Happy Birthday, sis! Here's to another 20 years (can you imagine being 40?). Gasp!

Anyway.

Love you ~ thanks for being such a great sister! I can't imagine life without you!

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Recent reading...

I had to share with you a most incredible book I've been reading lately. It really is getting close to ranking right up there with one of the best books I've EVER read! It covers a lot of ground and is extremely convicting.

One of the main points of the whole books is, why has Christianity become so wimpy? Where is the fire and passion that used to dwell in the hearts of saints long ago? Where is the zeal, the motivated devotion that drove followers of Jesus to actually do something great for Him? For some reason, we've grown lax and have become nice and comfy lounging on the couch of complacency.

I know this is probaby going to offend some of you....but I can't stand the typical painting of Jesus. Long hair, slightly feminine looking, pasty and pale, and rather um, un-strong (for lack of a better word). The fact is, we really don't know what Jesus looked like. But I for one, happen to think that Christ, the KING of the whole universe, was strong, muscular, manly, intimidating, burly, and everything majestic and spendid. I don't think he had ringlets crowning his shoulders!

So, consider this qoute from The Bravehearted Gospel:

"We've become so used to seeing Jesus portrayed holding pudgy babies and soothing lost little lambs that he idea of HIM strolling into the temple armed with a whip to purge it of all its fleshly error seems jarringly foreign. Or, how about when Jesus stood toe to toe with the Pharisees and called them hypocrites seven times in one chapter, as well as blind, damned, murdering serpents who were the unrighteous children of hell? This seems shocking language for gentle Jesus meek and mild....How is that even possible? The only possible explanation is that we seem to be viewing Jesus not as He was, but through some sort of one-dimensional filter - a filter that strains every last ounce of masculinity, grit, or aggression out of the historical man Jesus Christ...."

Now...since I'm not here to write a whole post bashing modern paintings of Jesus, I'll move on to another qoute. :-)

"I absolutely love the idea of the bravehearted path. It transforms Christianity from being a social club into a fellowship of the mighty. It turns mere males into men of fire, and mere females into women of valor. It's strenght, dignity, passion, power, love and truth all combined into one dynamic lifestyle and worldview. The life, tradition, and power of the bravehearted path....is governed by the life of God's spirit, living, moving, and having HIS being at the very helm of the Christian soul. And it is governed by the single thought, "For the kingdom and for the glory of my King!" in every circumstance, of every minute, of every day."

I, for one, want a life that is infused with a burning passion for Jesus; and I think that's how God meant for each of us to live in the first place. Somehow the modern idea of Christianity has strayed far from the original Master plan - and as a result, we have a dying, powerless, diluted form of faith.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you read this book ~ I know my copy is going to be well-worn throughout the years!

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Isaac-isms and more

What a warm winter we're having! Yes, that sounds like an oxymoron, but we really are enjoying great temps for this time of year. Okay, it does get slightly cold in the evenings...but other than that, it's just plain warm. We've been enjoying weather in the 60's and 70's this week, so I'm actually enjoying winter this year! Of course, that could change any moment - case in point, my last post!

Isaac has been especially cute lately. Consider this conversation from today:

Isaac: (While eating his sandwich) "Pow pow, Jon-Jon! Pow!"

have NO idea where he has picked up this language. Pow pow? Exactly what does that mean? At least he's not like throwing punches along with the words or anything. Hmmm.

I'm hoping these pow-pow's will fade from his memory. He thinks it is a HUGE joke and says it all the time ~ we are really trying to get him to stop. Apparently he thinks he's ready to start taking karate lessons.

Another of Isaac's new phrases is "Help me", and this may be said while standing on his head against the couch (a rather precariuos position) or struggling to turn on his calculator.

And another one of his favorite phrases? "New" and "old". He looked at his sippy cup tonight, which had its rubber mouth piece torn in two because of his constant chewing on it. He loudly proclaimed "New one!" We need a new one, Rachel! Ripped sippy cups aren't alowed in this home! Of course - I should have known that. Just like broken sunglasses aren't alowed, either. When I told him his plastic sunglasses were "broken" the other day, he ran to Mom's dresser, pulled out the drawer, pointed to a brand new package of 10 rainbow colored sunglasses, and declared "new one!"

Smart boy.

(Awww...that's my boy - and my goat! He's the only member of my family who would dare to kiss a goat. WAY TO GO ISAAC!)

Now, I've been accused of blogging about nothing but "Isaac and your stinky goats", so here is an officially non-Isaac and non-goat picture! I'm sure you'll find it interesting! Jonathan is trying to sell this horse, and was posting this picture on the net to show how gentle it is.

Horse fer sale: So genteel ya can even stand on'm!

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