A View Into My Life

Swede Farm's traditional Farmer's Market drink.

A View Into My Life

Cheese & Wine Reception at the 2011 American Dairy Goat Association National Show.

Yes, I Am Still Alive!

I figured it was time to sit down & blog. lol After all when you have more then one person say "Well, I checked your blog and..." or "I figured you were really busy when you haven't updated your blag in...Oh three or four months." that it is time to blog.

Now in all honesty probably half the reason I haven't blogged is because frankly I was lazy, unlike when I lived in the trailer and had a desk with the laptop always open and ready I do not have a desk in the house--four extra book cases, but no desk as of yet.--So it actually takes a thought processes (which for me can sometimes seem to much in my lazy state) of taking out my laptop, waiting for it to boot up, and the start blogging. And then there is that added step of looking for the cord on those way to often times when my laptop is dead.

There you have it one of the many excuses on why I have not blogged...I could come up with an entire post on all the reasons I haven't posted (Fire concern, new tow err....phone to play with, dairy products to make, etc.) but I won't, I'll spare the you the details and get on with more import things....

Dixie ("The baby") is now walking & climbing getting into EVERYTHING and giving the Seth a run for his money in the cute department. She loves her cheese & milk and knows where it is made, making the dairy one of the many places she tries to get to when she makes a house break.

The milk supply is never ending (or so it seems) yes, there is a limit but when I think back to the days when we only got a few gallons a day it always make me laugh...There was a time when we didn't know what to do with the milk and now there are times when we feel like we don't have enough.

The verdict is still out on what to do with the car that got hit by a deer...And apparently the verdict is still out on my sanity about hitting the deer. There are two camps of thought...1)Am I crazy for not going back and getting the deer? and 2)Am I crazy for even thinking about going back to get the deer? In the end, when people realized why I didn't go back for it they understand, me? I'm still wishing I could have picked it up.

And the biggest news in my life right now...This Tuesday I will be boarding a plain for my second trip to New York. :D While up there I will be spending a week in Massachusetts at the National American Dairy Goat Show. I can't wait as it's something I've wanted to attend for years.

Now, that's my life wrapped up--neat & tidy? I doubt it--But there it is all for you. Now to make it a goat to post more often the quarterly. lol

Where Have I Been?

Let's see....

The Rodeo ended less then a month ago, & if you remember from previous years it's a time of the year that keeps me VERY busy. This year not only was I working, but I was volunteering on one of the many committees that helps to run the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

The goats have either kidded or are coming close to kidding. As of last count we're getting close to 30 gallons of milk a day!!

My laptop was dropped in a bucket of whey a month or so ago. Linnea was bottling chocolate milk while I left to go....Well, work at the Rodeo. Next thing I know I'm getting a phone from mom telling me that Linnea had accidentally dropped my laptop in the whey. (It's a whole 'nother story on how it got to close to the whey in the first place.) I brought it in to get the rice out (another story) and to find out the total damage. Only to be told that it would cost more to replace the parts then to buy a new laptop.

I'm moving back into the house. Which I really don't mind & am looking forward to. How ever I am not looking forward to sharing a room with rodents...Which I will be doing once a week while Mort (the new pet snake) decides to eat the rat.

I think that about covers where I've been for the past month or so. :D

A View Into My Life

The Terrible Trio

A View Into My Life

When the Washer Dies...




Yep, everyone of those dryers is running and yes everyone of those dryers is filled with my family's laundry.

I am Blessed!!

We always talk about being rich, poor, or indifferent. Some people want to have oodles of many and nice things, while others want just enough to live with?

It bothers me when people say that they aren't that rich, or they had more riches or stuff! I've been know to turn to my sisters and tell them that they ARE rich and blessed beyond they're wildest imaginations! After all the have TVs, running water (warm mind you!), and oh, yeah heaters & cars! There were some kings that didn't have half of that & thought they were rich! And That's not to mention their family & friends that they have been richly blessed with.

I look back to a year ago right today and feel doubly blessed with all that God has given me! A year ago today I posted this. In which I talked about the things that had been going on in our life the first month of 2010....

When mom had headaches so bad we were worried about how it might affect her pregnancy, our washer had died, then our dryer started eating our clothes (at least that's what it looked like), our water heater broke, our stove broke, and both monitors for the computer broke.

So, now when a sister complains about not being rich or a brother talks about wishing they had something that they don't or can't have. I remind them about last year....Where we couldn't take hot showers during a cold spell, when we were limited by what we could cook--It had to be cooked in the oven or on one hot plate--Or the not so minor things, such as having to help mom who wasn't feeling well.

Again, I can look back to it and see God's hand in it all! And use it to remind myself on those days when it's not my siblings wishing for more then what they have, rather it's me who is wishing to be rich & travel the world. That I am greatly blessed & that God has a reason for what he has me doing at this time or dealing with.

It's not always an easy lesson to learn or remember, but it's there for me to learn anyways. And I AM greatly blessed! I have 11 younger siblings, as well as a dad AND mom! I have a washer & dryer, a bed & roof over my head. A stove to make hot chocolate on & warm clothes for these horridly frozen days.

I may not have money a plenty to travel the world with or tickets to every Astros' home game, but I have been blessed with books to read & a TV to watch, so that I can learn about the world & watch the Astros' games on.

I may not have grandparents in this world with me now, but I did in the past and even though they may have driven me crazy, I can still cherish the great memories I was able to make with them while they were here with us.

Now...I've just finished two things in which I was blessed with & about to enjoy some more. :D Now I've finished my hot chocolate & my laptop about to die (something many a President wasn't able to say) I'm off to bed in a warm house with blankets & Seth to keep my warm on this frigid night!

Y'all enjoy your snow or warm weather & all the blessings that God has given you this day...
Errr...Night!!

On This Day...

1419 - French city of Rouen surrenders to Henry V in Hundred Years War.
1736 James Watt, inventor of the steam engine, was born in Scotland.
1793 - French King Louis XVI sentenced to death.
1861 - Georgia becomes 5th state to secede.
1915 - 1st German Zeppelin attack over Great Britain.

Also, on this date in 1807 Robert Edward Lee was born.

Robert E. Lee for many, many reason is one man that I greatly respect. Not only did he serve his country with respect and honor he took his duty as a soldier in the army to the highest extent. He loved his family and his God even more.

When he turned in his resignation to the US Army at the start of the War Between the States it was not something he did lightly, rather according to his wife he agonized & prayed over the decision before refusing Lincoln and siding with his state since he believed "My loyalty to Virginia ought to take precedence over that which is due the federal Government".

At the end of the war when he realized that there was no way in which he could win the war & seeing that it was not an honorable thing to turn to guerrilla warfare Lee surrendered at Appomattox, thus starting a whole 'nother faze in not only American history but in his life as well.

Not able to return to the family home of Arlington thanks to it being used by the US Government he accepted the position as president of then Washington Collage where he lived out the remainder of his life with his wife Mary Ann Custis Lee.

Lee never regretted fighting for the South, rather he regretted that it came to him having to pick which side of his country he was going to fight for. As with many other families in that trying time he not only fought old friends, but family members as well.

Lee was a man that friend & family alike respected & honored. In a time when he could have been bitter, he rather set an example for his fellow officers, by setting down his gun when he realized he had reached a point of no getting out. (Not that everyone followed it, but he did set the standard.)

Robert E. Lee was and is a man to be respected, as a God honoring and country loving person.

Question Number One...

Yesterday I got a question, to be honest it's not on the subject that I thought I would get, but it works. :D

"What things did you miss while away in NY (Besides your family, and the warmer weather)? Any small things you've come to appreciate more as a result of being away from home for a few months?"

Yes, there are few things. Some of them are rather stupid & I can't believe that I'm going to admit to them, but I will. lol A couple of the things I will mention are things I noticed while up there, while there are a few that I realized I missed while driving down, and then there are those that have come to light while being back for three weeks now.

• I missed the flora & founa, sounds funny I know but I did miss it. Now I enjoyed New York's display of colors in the fall and overabundance of deer while there & to be honest this is one of those things that I didn't notice until I was driving down with Lynn. The funny part is I noticed it when I crossed the Mississippi river.

We crossed the Mississippi, I looked around for about ten minutes took pictures of EVERYTHING, sighed and with a chuckle said "It's good to be West of the Mississippi!!". Lynn, looked at me like I had grown horns and said "What ever! That's got to be one of the weirdest thing's I've heard in a LOOOOONG time!" lol Yes, I know sounds weird, but it's true!! I don't know if it was the Spanish moss or the trees. It might have been the crops in the fields or the massive oak trees, (I know it was the deer!) but I missed it & am glad to be West of the Mississippi again.

• The pitter-patter of baby & toddler feet. No, this is not about missing my family it's about the sounds of children in the house. I missed all the children noises, and I don't care if they are my siblings or not making the noise. :D A few years back when I was up in DC with my Uncle & his family I didn't miss it because they have two boys & we visited some of their friends so there was still constant children noise. There have been a few times over the years where I found myself alone and have found that I don't really like a house without children noises in it.

• Hugs, I missed the hugs. Now for me to say that is going to amaze my family because of all of us children I am number one in the "Hug As Little As Possible Club", don't ask me why but it's true. I don't mind hugs & kisses, truly I don't! I take them when given to me & give them out sometimes, but not often. I'm just not one of those people who will give you a hug every time I see you, sure once in a while you'll get a hug from me, but it's rare. (If you don't believe me ask any of my family members you care to.) I'm just not a huggy touchy-feely kind of person. But I did miss the hugs that my family hands out and that I occasionally get from my friends.

• I don't know if it's a Southern thing or just because I've grown up in Houston my entire life, but I miss the fact that I know a lot of the people where I go by name. Not just at church, market, and in my goat club. But also in the stores where we get most of our supplies and the local stores here abouts, I was gone for a while & people noticed it & I missed the fact that when I shopped I would know the people by name and they would know my name. As they checked me out or got my coffee we would chat about how their family was and they would ask about my family. It's something I really took for granted before I went to New York, but now I greatly appreciate.
  

• The way people talk and how friendly everyone is even if you don't know them. Like I've already said, y'all is accepted & ma'am & sir is expected. You can stand in the coffee line and not have people think your crazy if you smile at them or say hello. Seeing as it's how I grew up it was natural for me to do it all the time in New York, now it's nice to have people smile back at me and answer with a hi.
  

• And then one thing that I kind of forgot about, rather lost touch with was the fact that we are kind of well known in Houston. Yeah, I know it sounds egotistical, but it's true! One of my first days into Houston proves that.....I walked into the Visitor center at Houston's City Hall & I was looking at the thimbles, when the lady asked me if I needed help. I turn to her and she takes one look at me and ask "Is your dad a farmer that looks like a cowboy, with a beard and hat & y'all have goats?". Uh, yeah we own goats & I think your talking about my dad, but that could describe a LOT of Texans!! lol But, yeah it was us, because she had a business card and recognized me from the picture on the back. It's a little creepy sometimes, let me tell you!
  

These are some of the things that makes my life my life & things that I missed while away. But never really noticed before I left. Now I take more time to appreciate all of it while I'm home...Be it on the farm, in Houston, or west of the Mississippi. I enjoy it all and will enjoy it when, where, & while I can. :D

Any more questions? I still need a little help! :D

It's That Time Of Year...

When I realize either my brain is fried or there is really not that much to talk about. I think it happens at least twice a year. Most times when I don't blog it's because I'm WAY to busy to blog & I normal come on and say that, with a less the eloquently put reasons why I'm so busy.

Then there are times like this when I have nothing to post about, a couple times I've been able to make an entire post about it & complaining about my lack of writing skills & imaginations. This time I can come up with nothing except for one question for my readers--The few that you may be outside of my family.--

Is there anything that I haven't posted about that you would like to know about? Any questions you have about my family, farm, life, or believes? If so now is the time to ask them as I've partly run out of things to type about or am to busy getting back into family farm life and making soaps weekly that I'm really not taking the time to think of something tell y'all about, here's your chance to help me or get any answers to your questions...Have at it. :D

It's Good To Be Home!!

Where y'all is accepted,
Ma'am & sir is expected,And cold is anything below 50 degrees.

Where toddlers abound.
Siblings pester,
And family is everywhere.

Where my customers know me,
Market people missed me,
And church is home.

Where the Yankees are disliked,
Snow is rare,
And Nascar is the thing.

Where the city is sprawling,
The people are great,
And the coffee is at it's best.

Yes it's good to be home!