Mom's Birthday!!!

It is my mom's birthday today!! I hacked her blog (heheh!), so go on over and comment if you would like. :-) 

Unfortunately, her day didn't go quite as well as we wanted, but oh well. We've had leaking pipes, frozen pipes, etc that have kept us busy the last couple of days. Finally finished thawing out one pipe. I think the cows are happy to finally have water again! It was bitterly cold, though!!! I'll probably do a post about it because what we did to fix it was pretty funny... :-) 

Anyway, despite having to work on that, I think Mom has enjoyed her birthday so far. Dad is on his way home with Rudy's BBQ (the BEST BBQ around!) for supper. It's a rare treat (usually on birthdays or Mother's day- yeah, that place is EMPTY on Mother's day!), so we're looking forward to it. :-) 

Maybe I can actually snap a few pictures.... :-) 

Water, water, and more water!!!

It seems that lately we just can't seem to keep the water in the right place on the ranch- which is in the water pipes and water tanks! Not flooding all over the place. If you didn't guess, we are dealing with lots of leaking pipes again. It pretty much goes like this: fix one, find another that's broken, then find that the one you just fixed broke again, then you find a new one, etc, etc....

Dad and Josh were up super early yesterday morning trying to work on one. When they came in for lunch, they were still have issues with it. So, I ended up heading out with Josh to finish fixing it while Dad and Caleb continued to take down our large arena. Josh got down in the hole first to glue one pipe into another, then I ended up having to get down into the hole to fix the other side (I didn't really know what I was doing, but Josh stood by telling me what to do, so that helped. ;-) By the way, I was only getting down there because Josh was rather tired from working all morning and I wanted to give him a break. He protested a lot because he didn't want his sister getting down there for no reason if he could do it himself. Such a gentleman!!). Anyway, I was standing in 7 inches of water... or at least it felt that deep! I know it came past my ankles. Thankfully my boots and pants got all the damage. Oh, and we were just a little muddy... wish I'd had the camera to take pictures! We must have looked pretty funny... :-)

We're 'disassembling' the arena because we are going to use the fencing to build a set of corrals in one of the pastures. Unfortunately, fencing costs a LOT of money. So, when you're not using the arena and a couple other pens anyway, why not just take them down and reuse them. Now, that's what I call being 'green'. ;-)

Dad had Monday off (due to the holiday), and is taking today off as well. So, we had a nice 4-day weekend to work on stuff around the ranch. Things are always piling up that need to be done. *sigh*. I guess that's part of the fun, though. I think I'd really hate it if we didn't have anything to do! ;-) Unfortunately, we were planning on taking down the arena/building the corrals this weekend, not spend it fixing pipelines. Goes to show that we don't know the ways of the Lord and can't plan our day exactly as we would like! :-)

Anyway, I wanted to drop a little update on what we've been doing. Also, I've got some great posts coming up that I can't wait to share with you all. The new puppy is doing well, still hasn't got a name... he doesn't seem to mind too much, though. ;-)

Some exciting things coming up, so stay 'posted' (haha) so hear about those soon!! :-) 

If You Want to Know Me a Little Better...

...then you might scroll through these pictures here. They pretty much describe me. Courtesy of my sister's Pinterest! ;-)

 (If anyone has seen me get into a 'giggle fit'- as my family calls it, then you can definitely believe this one...)

These were just cute/funny.... 

 

 (His face!!! He's all over Pinterest with different captions. My favorite: You mean to tell me your name is not mother?)

Hope that gave you a few chuckles! Have a blessed weekend!!!

Newest Member to the Ranch

Just wanted to share a few pictures of the newest member to the ranch! He is an adorable little German Shepherd cross pup. We think the other mix might be Husky, but not sure.

He is just the cutest little thing. Bandit doesn't quite know what to think of him yet, but Licorice (the cat) has already established the fact that he does NOT like this new monster thing. ;-)

 

Haven't come up with a name yet, but the ones floating around are Marshall and Smoky... though those might not make it to the 'final' name choosing. His little tail curls up, kind of like a pug. I'll try to get a better picture of him sometime, but for right now he's too busy exploring and playing to keep still (thus the slightly blurry pictures). :-)

Just Your Typical Day on the Ranch ~#3

I'm back for another 'Day on the Ranch' post! This was a really funny day because, in all honesty, I was really hoping that something 'interesting' would happen... ha, um not a good idea!

The day started out just fine- except for a  funky stomach-ache that I had. The boys and Dad took the tractor and started cleaning all the grease off of it. Our tractor has basically been 'pouring grease' from some leak, but it's so dirty on the outside (grease and dirt mix really well to make an awful mess) that they couldn't get to the engine very easily. So, while they were busy power-spraying all of that nasty stuff off, Becca and I took the feed truck and headed out to pasture. Our mission, which we chose to accept, was to get all the cows brought down to the house corrals in order to sort a few of them off. We needed to get the bulls out, and some other cows, which had jumped fence, back into their rightful pastures.

The cows came easily (they do so love the yummy goodness that comes from the feed truck!), and we soon had them all in the corrals. Unfortunately, two cows that we needed jumped the 'low spot' in the fence, and went right back out to pasture. This was dealt with fairly easily because one cow was tame enough to just go back in. The other, which wasn't our cow but one that had gotten into our pasture, was extremely skittish and timid. As soon as we starting walking towards it, that cow high-tailed it out to pasture as far away from us as possible.

Josh came out to help us sort the cows, and we got that done fairly quickly. We pushed the bulls to a different pasture, and then loaded the other cows that needed sorting into a trailer to haul them up to pasture. They are cows of some folks who are leasing land from us, and they got into the wrong pasture.  

(To those who might have read this earlier, somehow the internet didn't save the rest of my post. So, here it is, and sorry about that!)

After sorting, Becca and Josh hauled the cows mentioned above back to the pasture they were supposed to be in, while Caleb and I worked on getting that skittish cow in. After multiple tries with no luck, I remembered that always works, or at least calms you down: Prayer. So, I began praying that the cow would go in. Sure enough, there it went. I forget that God helps us even with the smallest things. So, lesson learned! =D

Caleb and I then hauled our cows back up to their pasture. Poor things, they had walked a lot that day! On our way back, we met Josh and Becca, also coming back from their trip. They told us that we had a leak in a pipeline that needed to be fixed. So, we went home and started gathering thing to fix it. Some young men that we church with, Mitch and Wes, ended up coming by.  While Becca ran into town to pick up a few things for Dad, we went up to the tank. Mitch came with us, and Wes stayed to help Dad.

Once we got up there, we found where the pipeline was and started digging. We also found out that frozen mud is VERY cold and VERY hard to dig through. So, while Mitch chipped away at it with the ax, Josh shoveled, and I scooped water out. Kneeling in the freezing mud was no picnic, neither was dipping your hands in icy cold water. However, the task was finished and we began to fix the pipe... Oops, forgot the saw. So, Mitch and Caleb headed home to get it while Josh and I finished 'cleaning' off the pipe from all the mud.

Mitch came back and said he had a very distressed passenger in the truck. I looked over, and there was the cat, sitting calmly as you please, looking out at the new world around him. I guess he had jumped up on the back and got caught up there when Mitch came back up. In any case, he didn't seem too distressed, and rode very calmly all the way home later on. And, he still hangs out around the vehicles, so obviously he wasn't too traumatized by his experience. ;-)

After we got the pipe cut with the saw, we went to get the spare piece and realized we were missing the rubber seal (or whatever it was... once the guys start talking technical stuff, I pretty much feel like Captain America talking to Iron Man or Bruce Banner). So, we had to go home again, only this time we all went. It was way too cold to stay out there! Once we got there, I stayed home and cleaned up while the guys went back out to finish fixing the pipe.

Later that evening, the rest of the crew cleaned up and Becca, Josh, and I headed into town to meet with a friend to go and see 'The Hobbit'. It was a very neat movie and I really enjoyed it. Although, I found out that I can be very expressive during the movie... ;-) Lots gasps and sighs of relief, I guess.

Today while checking tanks and feeding, we found out that the pipe was broken again, and something else wrong with an air valve further up. So, tomorrow's work is cut out for us, I suppose! ;-) However, it makes for fun days with lots of adventures.

2012: A Year in Review

Hello! I thought it would be fun to put a few of my favorite things about last year down on 'paper', per se. It's kind of fun to look back and see what you've accomplished (also not fun to see what you DIDN'T accomplish...)

2012:

I turned 19. Kind of a big deal, and kind not....

Officially Graduated and Celebrated (hopefully I'll post pictures of it sometime this year... :-) 

 

I co-hosted a fun fashion show with a dear friend

I finally began the process of getting my books published (after much prodding from the Lord!, I finally took action... ;-)

I have made many mistakes and learned from them.

I have read 12 books... hehe, yes, that's a lot for me. 

Our family had a vacation after 6 years. It was such a wonderful time to get away from the ranch, the stress, and everything else and just relax and enjoy family time!!! 

I got to call and talk on the phone with a friend who lives really far away

I accomplished a few things off of my huge bucket list.. yeah, I'm not a big one for actually finishing things.. or perhaps I just overload myself. Hmm... 

I reached over 100 followers on my blog- you guys are awesome!! 

I worked at the State Fair as an Assistant Superintendent in the Creative Arts building

I took on a house cleaning job to help make money for my book publishing

Participated in two drama plays (I got the play the villain in the last one!!) You can go check out a video over here

I started teaching fiddle to three wonderful students

Called my first dance (that was fun, but also boring because I didn't get to dance!)

Started working on the Secret Project

Did Some posting on my Writing Blog

 

Made a scrap quilt top with some dear friends (we all have quilts-lap size- made out of scrap fabric from our own stashes)

Learned more in my walk with the Lord, though I had many failings

What I'm planning to do/what will happen in 2013:

Buy a laptop

Finish the Secret Project and reveal it to all of y'all

Do another Bible reading challenge

Memorize Scripture more

Get my books published and sell them at the New Mexico Home school Convention

Possibly go up to the Colorado Convention and sell my books there as well

Continue to grow in my walk with the Lord and learn to trust Him for absolutely everything

Hopefully visit some long distance friends

Finish the quilt top I made last year (still have to quilt and bind it)

Do some hair tutorials or post a Vlog

Possibly host another Fashion Show

Participate in Drama 

Do a Writing Series on my Writing Blog

Maybe Make Another long list of things I'd like to do! ;-) And then hopefully get them all done... 

Read at least 18 books- hey, that is a lot for me... hehe! :-)   

Maybe do some photo shoots...  

What are some things that you are looking forward to in 2013?? What are some things that you're glad you did/accomplished in 2012?

Christmas Quiz Answers!!!

Wow!!! I was very surprised at the big response I got with the Christmas quiz. I'm very glad, though, that y'all also found it an interesting quiz. I couldn't believe how many 'hollywood' answers I gave. Well, now it's your turn to see what you got!!!

I'm posting the answers down below. My mom had the biblical side of the answers somewhere, but we can't find them, so I'm going to do my best to remember... or I may not try at all.. ;-) hehe!

Q: 1. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were:
 B. engaged

Mathew 1:18 (engaged would be the modern term for 'betrothed')

Q: 2. When Mary became pregnant
E. both B (Joseph wanted to split up) and C (Mary left Nazareth for a while)

Mathew 1:19, Luke 1:38-39

Q: 3. Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
C. Caesar (was that the early IRS??)

They were going for the Census

Q: 4. Joseph's family was originally from:
B. Bethlehem

Luke 2:4

Q: 5. For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph (walked, rode a donkey, etc)
D. the Bible does not say

Q: 6. Who told Joseph to name the baby Jesus?

C: an angel of the Lord 

Mathew 1:21

Q: 7. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
D. none of the above

There is no innkeeper in the Bible. It simply says that there was no room at the inn. Luke 2:7

Q: 8. The baby Jesus was most likely born in a
D. house

This answer is based off of historical accounts of where animals were usually kept in a house, or in modern terms, a 'lean to' right next to the house with a small, long window where they could feed them and keep them warm. I imagine that having the animals inside the house helped with your heating bills! ;-) 

Q: 9. What animals were present at Jesus' birth?
D. the Bible does not say

Q: 10. What is a manger anyway?
B. a feeding trough

Q: 11. When did the baby Jesus cry?
B. whenever babies usually cry

When Jesus came to earth, He was made human. Human babies cry, so it is likely that He cried as well.

Q: 12. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
B. one    

Just one actually spoke directly to the Shepherds, and then the rest joined him. 

Q: 13. What sign were the shepherds told to look for?
 C. a baby in a manger

Luke 2:12

Q: 14. Just what is a 'heavenly host?'
C. an army of angels

Q: 15. What song did the angels sing?
D. none of the above

"...and there appeared with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and  SAYING..." Luke 2:13

Q: 16. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
B. the wise men

Only the wise men saw the star (see Q.13)

Q: 17. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
D. the Bible does not say

Mathew 2:1 It simply says Magi (or wise men in different translations). 'men' would indicate more than one, but it never specifies how many for sure. However, there were the three gifts.

Q: 18. What in the world are Magi?
D. astrologers

They say this because astrologers would have better noticed a new and bright star as opposed to some king from the east... or been intrigued enough to follow it!

Q: 19. When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they found him in:
B. a house

Mathew 2:11

Q: 20. For about 250 years after Christ's birth, Christmas was celebrated
D. not celebrated at all

Alright! Now you can go and check you answers on the other post (I published all the comments) to see how you did! It really is funny. :-)  I'm thinking that, since I got a great response on this one, that I might do another quiz. This would be on Christmas songs. Anyone up for the challenge? 

I pray everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that y'all will have a wonderful rest of the week!! 

Christmas Quiz #1

Hello lovely readers!

As we get nearer and nearer to Christmas day, the stress level seems to hit the top of the charts as we try to rush those last Christmas gifts, finish up the last bits of wrapping, and hope you don't run out of ingredients for all the Christmas baking that you still have to do.

In all of the bustle, we tend to lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. Even as Christians we can sometimes get 'wrapped up' (excuse the pun) with the gifts, the baking, the things to be done, etc, etc. It isn't easy to sit back and just think about that very first Christmas. That holy night when our Savior was born. can you imagine what it must have been like? What was going through the minds of those Shepherds when they saw their Messiah before them? Did they realize that He was actually going to DIE for them, or were they like the rest of the Jews, thinking He would be powerful and smite their enemies? What about the wise men? Did they really realize WHO He was? Who that babe would be when He grew up? I mean, they knew He was the Messiah, but could they have really known Who and What He would become?  And Joseph! What about Joseph? As he gazed down at the babe in Mary's arms, did doubtful thoughts run through his mind? Thoughts like, how am I going to raise the Son of God? What kind of a father can I be to him? How can I give Him the training that He needs?

Then there was Mary. The woman who had carried this child for 9 months, knowing that she was going to give birth to something so special, so wonderful. How humbled she must have felt when that Angel first told her these tidings. How in awe must she have been? Did she realize that those tiny feet had walked in Heaven? That the little voice, now making nothing  but baby noises, had once commanded Angels? Did she realize that when she was kissing his little cheek, that she was kissing the Son of God? Below is the song that asks those very questions. Mark Lowry wrote this song, and, although there have been many different versions out there, I think his is the best.


Alright, to see how well y'all know the Christmas story, I'm putting up a quiz. Now, there are a few rules that you need to follow, so please be sure to read them below. :-)

1. You must answer these off the top of your heads NO LOOKING in your bible to find the answer. Answer as honestly as you can remember and no cheating. This is just for fun, so let's try to keep it that way. :-) I promise I won't share your answers with anyone.

2. You'll need to write the answers in a comment. be sure to number each answer to the question (ex. Question #1: Who was Mary? -you would put- Answer #1: a. She was the virgin who gave birth to Jesus Christ.

3. You will then submit your comment. I WILL NOT be publishing them, just so y'all know. Otherwise it might give answers away. :-) I might decide to post them after the quiz is done, but if you don't want yours posted, please be sure to say so.

4. Spread the word about this!!! It will be fun to see your friend's and family's answers! :-)

Just so y'all know, I didn't get all of these right. So, no pressure. :-) Also, I recommend that you write your answers down somewhere else so that when I post the correct answers, you can go back and check them (in the case that your comment wasn't published). :-) Alright! So here it goes!

Question #1: When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were:
a. married            b.engaged
c. just friends       d. none of the above

Question #2:  When Mary became pregnant...
a. Joseph Married her      b. Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c. Mary left Nazareth for a while    d. and Angel told them to go to Bethlehem
e. Both B and C              f. Both B and D

Question #3: Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a. Herod             b. An angel
c. Caesar            d. The IRS

Question #4: Joseph's family was originally from:
a. Jerusalem        b. Bethlehem
c. Nazareth         d. None of the above

Question #5: For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph...
a. Walked          b. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey
c. Took a bus     d. The Bible does not say.

Question #6: Who told Joseph to name the bay Jesus?
a. Mary            b. the chief priests and scribes
c. and angel of the Lord.    d. Herod the king

Question #7: What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a. There's no room at the inn    b. I have a stable out back
c. Both A and B        d. None of the above

Question #8: The baby Jesus was most likely born in a:
a. cave            b. tent
c. stable          d. house

Question #9" What animals were present at Jesus birth?
a. cows, sheep, and camels   b. cows, chickens and donkeys
c. lions, tigers, and bears       d. the Bible does not say.

Question #10: What was a manger anyway?
a. a small shed       b. a feeding trough
c. a place to keep hay    d. a Greek term for a nursery.

Question #11: When did baby Jesus cry?
a. when He saw the wise men       b. whenever babies usually cry
c. when the cattle started lowing     d. no crying He makes

Question #12: How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a. A multitude        b. one
c. two- Gabriel and Michael    d. who knows

Question #13: What sign were the shepherds to look for?
a. a star over a stable   b. a barn outlined with Christmas lights
c. a baby in a manger    d. both A and C

Question #14: Just what is a "heavenly host"?
a. an angelic choir    b. the welcoming angel in heaven
c. an army of angels   c. none of the above

Question #15: What song did the angels sing?
a. "O Little Town of Bethlehem"    b. Handel's Messiah
c. "Glory to God in the Highest"   d. none of the above

Question #16: Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
a. Mary and Joseph     b. the wise men
c. shepherds     d. Both B and C
e. None of the above

Question #17: How many wise men (or magi) came to see Jesus?
a. one        b. three
c. Twelve      d. the Bible doesn't say

Question #18: What in the world are Magi?
a.Persian tribal kings     b. men of a sacerdotal caste
c. magicians          d. astrologers

Question #19: When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they found Him in:
a. a stable         b. a house
c. a church        d. an inn

Question #20: For about 250 years after Christ's birth, Christmas was celebrated on:
a. January 6       b. March 21
c. May 20         d. It was note celebrated at all.



Alright! Write down your answers, put them in a comment, and post it. Now be sure to tell all your friends. :-)  I'll be posting a couple other quizzes in the next day or two. I'd hoped to get this done several days before Christmas so I had more time... however, it is what it is. :-) This year has been slightly wacky for our family. Mostly just that we haven't been able to do all the 'traditions' we normally do. However, it is wonderful to know that even though this Christmas season might be different, our Savior never changes. :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

So Close, Yet Still So Far to Go

I sometimes feel like I've made great progress in my walk with Christ. I feel like I'm finally beginning to understand this or that and I feel elated with my progress. Guess that should be the first sign that I'm not as far as I think I've come! However, I will say that I do tend to know when I've grown more in the Lord. It shows itself in many ways, usually small things here and there. Maybe I don't just yell at my brothers when I'm mad at them. Instead I'm able to bite back the cutting words and speak gently, or at least with more kindness than what I would have done earlier! Or perhaps I feel more like serving my family one day, or maybe when I don't grudge about housework when I feel like I've done everything. In any case, I believe God is faithful to let us know that we are growing, that He loves us, and that He is proud of our determination, dedication, and hard work.

Yet, somehow I still feel like I'll never reach my goal. My goal of becoming more like Jesus every day. I have my setbacks and cringe, after I've yelled at a sibling, to know that the Devil has prevailed once again. I know that a lot of folks have said, 'well, we'll never be perfect, so there's no use trying'. Believe it or not, we can be perfect. Now before you exit out of my blog thinking that I've totally lost it, let me explain. I've been reading a book called 'Hungry for More of Jesus' by David Wilkerson and have found a lot of his thoughts have spot on. One of the things he said, though, was that we can be perfect. We need to strive to be more and more like Jesus. Well, if Jesus was perfect and we can be like Him, then we can be perfect. Now, unfortunately sin has entered the world, so we 'can't' be perfect because of that, yet we can strive for all we are worth to be so.

One of my newest revelations that God has shown me recently is to trust Him in ALL things, the big and the small. I was laughing one day, thinking about my 'business', if you can call it that. For a couple of months now, I've been cleaning house for a couple. It's a wonderful job for me because its something that I can do, and it isn't far from where I live. I was thinking how nice it would be to get another house to clean in the nearby area. I've got several things I'm saving up for, so why not? I began to fret and worry about how I was going to go about asking for house cleaning job. You might think, 'well, do the same thing you did to get the first one'. Ah yes, well that was totally a God thing. My brother and I ran into a friend at the grocery store, visited for a few minutes, then went on our merry way. Little did I know that God was answering my prayers-prayers to find a job so that I would be able to get my books published. This man went home, told his wife (who had just lost her other cleaning lady) that he had seen us, and didn't think much of it, I imagine. However, she did and the idea came that perhaps I would like to clean house. We had attended church with them for many years a while back, so we knew them pretty well. She liked the idea of having an independent, trustworthy young lady cleaning her house. So, she called me up and I've been cleaning ever since. Any way, that was obviously a 'God thing', as I might call it.

Well, there I was, worrying about how I was going to get another house, when it dawned on me. "Sarah," that little voice said. "What do you think you should do? You should trust God! He'll bring another house if He wills it. Now, you pray that He'll give you an answer, and then sit back and watch." I chuckled to myself, realizing how I really hadn't been trusting God! I trust Him to bring me a husband, tell me how to live my life, and yet I forget to trust Him about the little things in life. How foolish I am! Ah, thinking I've made leaps and bounds, yet still suffering great set-backs. I will say that, although He hasn't shown me the answer to my prayer yet, I know that He has heard me and will answer in His timing.

So, I've been trying to work on trusting Him more on the small things, as well as the big. He has proven to me over and over again that He has it under control and that nothing can stop Him from doing His works. He has surprised me with enough funds to publish my book, has blessed me with the knowledge of the next step that I'm to take, and has shown me His unending love and mercy. How can I continue to doubt that He will take care of me? It is something that I am still learning, I'm afraid. However, I am glad to know that He IS working on me, and that He loves me enough to keep pushing me beyond my limits so that I continue to grow in Him and His love.

It gives me strength to know that I still can strive to be perfect like Christ. I won't get there on my own, but God will continually guide me and give me what I need to make it through.
Just a few rambling thoughts from a learning student. :-)