It's the Most Busiest Time of the Year

November flew by and I find December is picking up speed as we go further into the month. Tis the season to be jolly and deck the halls and wishing you a merry Christmas, etc, etc, etc.

I enjoy the Christmas season. It is really wonderful. The snow, the decorations, the yummy cocoa drinks and snuggles by the fire. It is all very wonderful. What I don't like, however, is the busy hub-bub that the season seems to bring. Already I'm beginning to panic because I don't have gifts for my family yet (I don't even know WHAT I'm going to get them). Which is unusual, because I've normally got a good headstart on gifts come October. ;-) Course, I'm usually doing homemade gifts, too, so I tend to plan ahead because I know I'll need more time. This year, however, I'm already feeling a bit overwhelmed. That's ok, though. As one character from Charles Dicken's book, "Martin Chuzzlewit", says, "It's a good test on a man to see if he can be jolly with a cold and dreary job. There's no credit to be had for being jolly in a nice place like the Blue Dragon. Perhaps I'll take up a grave digger's work. That should be cold and dreary as a job. Then I can see just how jolly I can be,"

Yup. Like Mark Tappley says, it's easy to be jolly in a nice place. It's harder still to be jolly when there's lots of work or hardship going on.

So, with that being said, I'm going to work on making sure I don't become a Scrooge and let the busyness of the Christmas season make me forget the real reason we are celebrating. There's a reason why we sing "Joy to the World."

Alright, I'm done preaching to myself. As an update post, here's what I've been... well, 'up to'. :-)

First off, I finished out November with reaching 50, 000 words for the NaNoWriMo contest. Many of you have heard of this, and I honestly don't remember if I posted about it on here or not. Basically it's a national contest to see if you can write 50, 000 words in one month in your novel. It was quite a fun experience- but I'm glad I'm done with it. ;-)

December has started off quite well. It is currently snowing, which is good, since it IS December. The cows look rather funny with their 'snow capes', as I like to call them. Poor things. Good thing for tough skin and thick fur, eh?

Other things to note would be a new sewing project. Can't wait what it is, yet, but I'm hoping to share a few sneak-peak pictures later on.

Movie production has come to a slight halt with the busy season, but I think we're hoping to start back up again in January. Getting some December filming would be great, but we'll see how that goes. I try not to pack the month TOO much... else it isn't enjoyable.

Not much else to report on the home front, except I'm thinking this blog needs a bit of snow, too. Hmm... new background time?? ;-)

What's been keeping you busy this month? I'd love to hear!!

What Makes a Good Father?

When I was younger, I used to think my daddy really wasn't all that great. I mean, he disciplined me when I did something wrong, was always gone during the day, etc. I mean, I remember that I loved him, but I don't think I ever really appreciated him. It wasn't until I got older that I realized just how much he did for our family. 

I remember something that we always loved to do. When we saw daddy walking up to the house from the car, we all became ecstatic. "DADDY!!!!" We would all shout as he walked in the door. Arms and legs flying, we'd all try to hug him at the same time, nearly knocking him over. It was a ritual, almost, and something that I loved to do. I also remember that I was going to marry daddy when I was younger. I just knew it. He was the most wonderful man I knew (though I might not have appreciated everything he did). 

It takes a good father to change a baby's nasty diaper when he knows his wife is tired. He snuggles with that baby, feeds it in the middle of the night to give mom some extra rest, and realizes that that little baby's future is in his hands (in a sense). He has to raise it and take care of it and provide a loving home for it. 

There's a lot of pressure on dads. They have to provide shelter for their families, make money so we can eat and not starve, put clothes on his children's backs, and also provide protection. 

My dad does all of these things. We've always had a roof over our heads and a warm bed at night. We've never gone hungry. We've always had good clothing to wear, and we've always felt protected. My dad has done so much for us and continues to do so to this very day. He still wakes up early and drives and hour and a half to work. He works on paperwork, deals with customers, drives out to check out properties, etc. All that can be boring and stressful, yet he does it again and again all because he wants to provide for us. 

I have never felt unprotected in my home. On days when I feel upset or lonely, I simply have to go and lean on my daddy. When he wraps his strong arms around me in a hug, I feel warm, safe, and secure. I know that I have someone watching out for me, protecting me, loving me. 

One of the things I admire most about my daddy is his teachable spirit. He studies God's word so that he knows how to better himself for/in Christ. He wasn't just a 'hey, I gave my life to Christ, I'll keep on living the same way I did before' guy. He was a 'take action and move on' kind of a guy. He became a Christian and searched for ways to continue to grow in Christ. He still does to this day. He wants to become a better man, and he's not afraid to admit that he's not perfect. 

I also admire how he treats my mom. They are best friends. I love watching them tease and joke around with one another. I also love to see the tender looks he gives her, or the joy on his face when they laugh at something together. I love seeing how he cares for her in every way he knows how. However, the best thing with their marriage is seeing the difficult times. That sounds odd, but I love to see how they work it out. How my dad learns he did something wrong and works to change it. It makes me pray that I find a man like him someday to marry. I know God has a man for me (or I certainly hope so!), but I pray that he will be like my daddy in some of these qualities. 

Over the years, I've come to realize that my daddy was given to me to give me that 'man love' until my husband comes along. There is something so beautiful about a Father/Daughter relationship. I treasure every moment I get with my dad. When I'm able to spend lots of time with him, my heart tends to not 'sigh' over boys so much. I appreciate how my dad knows this and strives to make sure that we have time together on a regular basis, even if it's just riding in the car while we work cows. He's even willing to stay up all hours of the night talking with me about issues that I'm concerned about. Those are things I treasure. 

It also takes a good father to set an example for his children. It's hard to do because we are all sinners and have fallen short of the Glory of God... but, sometimes the failings ARE the best examples because we get to see how he handles those failings and what he does about it. I learn a lot when they don't fail, but I sometimes learn more when they do because they have taught me to get up, dust off, and keep moving on. 

I've appreciated how my dad loves me so much, he wants to protect me from all hurt. He knows he can't completely, but he does his best to shield me from the worst. He also knows that I want to save myself for my husband, and he encourages me by helping me make good clothing choices that don't show off my body, or too much skin. He also helps me by telling me how I need to behave around young men so I don't lead any astray and what I need to do if someone seems to 'like' me. He loves me enough to help me in those areas and shows me that he cares about it. My heart always aches for girls that I see when shopping or running errands that don't seem to have caring fathers. They don't show interest while eating lunch together, and they don't seem to take their fatherly role seriously when it comes to protecting their daughters. It makes me appreciate my father even more. 

My daddy isn't afraid to give me instructions, whether it be about how to engage people in conversation, or telling me how to drive properly. He loves me enough to do that, even if it seems hard at times (like telling me 'no' if I ask for something that he knows might not be a wise choice). 

I appreciate and love my daddy so much. I honestly couldn't ask for another. He isn't perfect, but it's through those short-comings that I see a real man and a good example for me to walk with Christ. 

I love you, dad, and I really don't know what I would do without you. :-) Love, Sarah

P.S. Sorry this is a bit 'rambling'.... just sharing my thoughts and appreciations for a wonderful man in my life. :-) 

Happy Independence Day!

Hello! I just wanted to drop in to wish everyone a very happy 4th of July!! (even though we should technically be celebrating on the 3rd!)

Today's plans include going over to my Great-Aunt and Uncles to have hamburgers and play some games. It is tradition, actually. :-)  Unfortunately we won't be able to have any fireworks because of the drought that we are in, but that's alright. It isn't about the fireworks anyway, right? ;-)

Another tradition that we seemed to have started was getting together with another family on the 3rd. We were laughing that we always get together on the 3rd (since both the dads are off from work so they can stay super late!), so we decided that we should just make it tradition. ;-)  My friend and I had a photo shoot (I might share some pictures with y'all.... ;-), then we learned some new dances for a dance that's coming up (my sister and I are calling it, so we were trying to learn some new ones!), and then did our own "America's Got Talent" show! It was lots of fun.  After that, we got our cardio workout by sneaking around in the dark trying to find the other team before they find you. (yes, our hearts were pounding through the entire thing!) Whew, it gets kind of creepy out there! especially when the coyotes start howling (and they were very close last night!). In any case, we had lots of laughs and good fellowship. :-)

Any way, We had a blast, enjoyed sleeping in after our late night, and are looking forward to the evening with family!

Do you any of you have any fun traditions for the holiday?

Also, thanks so much to those who voted on the poll I had up. The results were kind of surprising, but I am looking forward to putting up some of those posts for y'all. :-)

In Christ's Service,
Sarah

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the ladies at the ranch (us) are busy planning what foods need to be baked, made, and whipped up.  Like always, Thanksgiving is a busy time of year.  Sometimes I wonder if we get so busy that we forget the first Thanksgiving.

I know I might be weird, but has any one ever stopped to think what would have happened and where we would be now if those first early pilgrims didn't have the courage, faith, and gumption to sail across the ocean to a new life?  I suppose we would still be under the rule of king and not able to worship The Lord as we choose.

There are so many things to be thankful for.  A house to live in, a father who does a wonderful job providing for his family, being saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ, family, food in our stomachs, clothes on our backs.... the list could go on and on!

Some friends of ours set up an Ebenezer Box.  The decorate a simple box and then whenever anyone thinks of something they are grateful for, they write it down on a slip of paper and put it into the box.  I think this is such an excellent idea!  For one thing, it is extremely difficult, sometimes, to come up with things that you are truly grateful for on the spot.  So, with the box, you just simply write it out when you think of it.  All the cards are then read on Thanksgiving day.

So, as some of you might have read on Rebecca's blog,  we are going over to my grandparent's house for Thanksgiving.  I will say that it will be an extremely busy week this week!!  Josh and Becca might be heading over on Monday to help my grandparents with a few projects.  So, that means Mom and I will be doing the baking (not complaining, but it will be a bit more hectic. :-)). Well, we plan on going over Wednesday afternoon, spend that night, have Thanksgiving on Thursday, spend the night and come back Friday morning, or right after lunch.  Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, we have square dance Friday night!! So, it will be quite rushed I think.  Get home, get ready to go, head out, etc.
   However, I am still thankful.  Thankful that we have family to spend thanksgiving with and thankful that we get to go dancing.  (I promise to post pictures!)

So, what are your Thanksgiving traditions and what will you be doing this year?  (Oh, and keep watch for my thanksgiving short story hopefully to come soon!!)

Your authoress,