Rise and Swine

Hi y'all! I hope your day has been blessed so far! After a few VERY busy weeks, I had planned for today to be a day of rest. Well, sometimes plans change. First thing this morning Aaron was off to the dentist for an abscessed tooth. Ouch! Poor thing. I feel so bad for him. After 24 hours on antibiotics we'll be headed back to have the tooth extracted. Please keep him in your prayers as he is not feeling well. Only noon and it had already been a hectic day. I had just a bit of time left to shower and show up to yet another appointment. Wouldn't you know it, just as soon as my foot hit the shower floor I heard Jonah screaming. Never a good sign. Quickly I threw on some clothes and ran to see what was going on. I was just in time to catch a baby goat! Oh. My. Goodness. A few seconds later...here comes another. I was now covered from my neck down in goat slime. Yuk! But to be honest, I didn't mind. My heart had a big smile and  I was totally in love with these sweet littl

Good morning!  I wanted to ask you all for your prayers for the precious little baby Ellianna on my sidebar.  She is having a shunt put in today at noon mountain time.  Please pray that the doctors would have wisdom...that her family would have peace...and that this little one would be protected  There is nothing more heart wrenching than watching your child suffer... knowing there is nothing you can do. I would link back to the original post - but I'm still learning how to do that kind of thing.  If you are interested in reading the full story it can be found at  prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com .  The post is entitled "Swimming makes me smile......and please pray" Thank you all for remembering this sweet baby and her family in your prayers!      Until then... Jessie  

As I watched her tiny frame float across the floor - I stopped immediately.  It was breathtaking!  Overwhelmed with the desire for my heart to be so open... to hear from God the way a child does...  completely encapsulated with His love.  Tears flowed freely as I watched her interpretation of this song.  With each movement God was portrayed.  Such an innocent display of worship.  So sweet.  So gentle.  His presence filled the room.  Once again I was held by my Savior... for just a moment.  I stood in awe...   Most of the time He speaks to my heart through the simple things of life.  My precious little girl is one way He reveals Himself to me often.  I know He desires to speak with me daily...sometimes I miss it.  I'm busy.  Too busy.  I rattle off my prayers...checking off my list of requests.  How many times do I forget to be still... and wait for Him to respond?  Longing for me to know Him more - He will grab my attention away from the distractions of this life.  And when I c

Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh... Yesterday had been a busy day, and I had forgotten all about dinner until late afternoon.  Simple and quick was what I needed...homemade pizza!  You can't get any easier.  We quickly threw together the dough and whipped together a roasted tomato sauce that is to die for.  A few hours later, the house smelled like the Italian countryside.  Everything was going as planned and dinner was going to be awesome!  Pretending I was an authentic Italian chef I hand tossed my soft, cool, dough to perfection...lathered on the delicious sauce with a few artichokes, fresh spinach leaves and onions.  All that was left was to grace the top with a generous mound of cheese.  Yum.  My taste buds were oh.. so.. happy.  I was already salivating.    Trying to do well at time management I headed to another room to finish something up, asking two of my children (who shall remain nameless) to spread on a thick layer of cheese and pop those babies in the o

Once again death has come to steal a precious soul.  We received the news earlier this week.  Knowing there wasn't much time left.. didn't make the realization any easier to accept.  He was a man of integrity and strength.  Honorable, compassionate, wise, and authentic would all be words to describe who he was.  He was our Sunday School teacher years ago.  The first time we met he made a wise crack that would serve to embarrass him for years.  At a time my marriage was falling apart he taught me much (though I never shared with him or his family what was happening... he somehow knew) and I will be forever grateful.      He fought hard.  Only in his forties... leaving behind a wife and two children it doesn't seem fair.  It was about 8 months ago when my chat box on Facebook popped up.  We hadn't seen him for awhile.  Now his only hope was to find a bone marrow match.  My heart sank.  He was so young; the epitome of health (a body builder).  At that time I was battling

Good morning!   I hope your day has been wonderful so far.   I need your help!  About a year ago I became interested in making natural soaps.  I have very sensitive skin along with a few of my children, and store bought soaps can make us break out into hives in an instant.  The natural soaps are gentle on our skin, feel amazing, moisturize, and are a much healthier choice since we know what we are actually putting into our body.  I think many times we tend to only think of the harmful things that we ingest.  But as all of you know, our skin is the largest living organ and everything that we touch seeps through our pores.   I have given my soap as gifts before and have received many requests for more.  Everyone has loved it!  After thinking about it for a bit I thought I would try my hand at creating a business for this product.  The process takes about 8 weeks.  So I wouldn't have any ready until then - but I would love your feedback on the idea.  A sample bar would cost $1.00

Before I began I knew it would be a mistake!  I was not doing well.  I had been sick - thanks to my sassy five year old who had lovingly shared her germs with me the day before.  Aching from head to toe, I felt awful.  But Ally (my oldest daughter) had been asking for my help and I had not had the time.  Now I did.  So, I went ahead against my better judgment... The agenda?  Green hair.  Now anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I have dyed my hair just about every color imaginable.  To me - hair is an accessory like makeup or jewelry.  It's fun to change and play with.  Needless to say, I am well acquainted with coloring products.  But for some reason (I'll blame it on my cold) my thoughts were a bit cloudy this time.  I began to lay out all my materials.  Comb.  Foil.  Green hair dye.  Latex gloves.  Uh oh...I only had one glove.  A moment of hesitation...then quickly dismissed.  "No big deal I got this." I thought to myself.  The truth was, it was lat

Lord, I want to be kind.. but I feel like slapping her... In my first post ever written I promised to be authentic before you as I wrote.  As I set out on this journey I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was smart enough to know at some point I would have to deal with opposition from those that did not approve of my authenticity.  This is what I was met with earlier this week.  Lies from the enemy, harsh accusations and condemnation all wrapped neatly in a blanket of "love", "concern" and "humility".  Did their remarks hurt?  Momentarily.  But more than anything it was an opportunity for me to learn.  I was reminded of how we can misuse the gifts God had given us.  If we allow envy, pride, bitterness or any other sin to pop a toe into the door of our heart and fester we have just given the enemy a foothold.  The very gifts God has given to bring glory to His name are now used for destruction instead of life. I was also reminded of God's love

Ahhh, I just love waking from a good dream don't you?  There I was..Barefoot.  Frolicking through the rolling green hills.  Filling my lungs with the crisp, fresh air as rays of sunlight beat against my cheek.  Peaceful.  Content.  What a wonderful dream. The tone had been set for a delightful morning.  Upon rising I threw on my robe, slippers and grabbed a Carmel cappuccino.  Making my way to the back porch (where I like to spend time in the mornings) all felt right with the world.  The sun was shining bright.  It was quiet in the neighborhood.  With eyes closed I focused upon all that I had been blessed with and inhaled deeply hoping to breath in the clean, crisp air of my dream.  Only to be slapped into reality by the distinct odor of fresh goat droppings.  YUK!  Poo.  Poo.  Everywhere I look there is poo.  Chicken poo.  Goat poo.  Dog, cat, rabbit and bird poo.  I live in the land of poo!  Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration but still... Enough is enough!  I put

Wow.  What a day this has been.  Busy.  Awesome!  It's amazing how God uses others to teach, encourage, and prod my heart.   His love notes to me.  This morning I sat with sweet friends, each one of us sharing our hearts (over a great cup of coffee).  Laughing.  Crying.  We spoke of many things but the word 'comfortable' continually wiggled its way into the conversation.  Comfortable .  A simple word.  A pleasant word.  It makes us think of nice things..lets face it no one likes to be uncomfortable.  But when it turns into disobedience we have a problem.  I think for most of us...I know at least for myself when I feel comfortable I need to take a step back and rearrange a few things.  Confrontation of sin and boldness for my faith is not going to be comfortable.  Most of the time love, mercy, forgiveness is not going to be comfortable.  Life is messy.  People are messy.  Loving people is going to be messy.  Though I would like to keep things neat, tidy and comfortable..I c

Demon possessed?  Perhaps.  Crazy?  Absolutely!  This is usually the reasoning of others.  A taboo few are willing to speak of...Self-injury...Cutting.  We don't dare speak of such things... especially not within the 'righteous' realm of Christianity.  Why?  Some may find this post to be disturbing.  A few others may be outraged.  But some may be helped and even if it's just one...it's worth it.  Let me assure you, it's not something I want to write.  In fact, I would love to forget that this kind of thing even exists.  I can't.  Many are struggling with this addiction.  Tormented.  Hopeless.  Desperate.  Innumerable parents, teens, churches are at a loss.  The solution - pretend it doesn't exist.  Don't ask questions.  If you know someone who is dealing with this.. turn the other way or better yet run away.  And with each silenced mouth the enemy has gained more ground.  That's not good enough.  We need to do better.  We have to do better! So,