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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Life In A Shoe Giveaway!

Hey everyone!! Sorry it's been so long since I posted :P I promise I'll do a longer post soon :) Right now I want to tell you about the Life In A Shoe giveaway! Go here: http://inashoe.com/2011/11/giveaway-flexi-clips-from-lilla-rose/ to enter their FlexiyClip giveaway! I loooove giveaways, don't you??? :)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

My Testimony

So I've been wanting to write this post since forever. I'm sure all of y'all have felt that so many people have had great and miraculous testimonies and miracles happen to them and then your own life has been dreary and uninteresting and blah blah blah. I feel that I'm one of the blah blah blah people. Except that I did have a turn around when I was about 13 years old. Something happened to me, to my mind set, that made my stubbornness (at least some of it lol!) turn into determination to do the right thing. No it wasn’t a vision or anything miracules, but it has certainly made a difference in my life.
I have always been stubborn and adventurous - those were my two traits that could instantly describe me. I was worse when I was in my 10-13th years. And though I'm not proud of it I used to dream of the day I could be on my own, make my own decisions, wear my own clothes MY way, date, party, etc. Typical 13 yr. old I guess.
Well back when I was about 13ish, I was with my Mom headed into town earrrrrrly one morning. We had the radio on 89.1 FM and were listening to a christian talk show featuring a couple named Ludy. At first I was just focused on the trees passing by out the window and trying to catch a little nap before we got to town. But then I started listening to the couple talk about purity, how they met and fell in love. I half-listened for awhile but got more and more interested so I finally opened my eyes and sat up and really listened. I admit that I have been and still am to some degree, a tomboy. But what girl doesn't like a little romance? The way the Ludy couple, Eric and Leslie, talked to each other and told about how they met and found out each other was "the one" was just so romantic and fascinating! I couldn't help but listen and not want the show to end.
Anyway, they talked about how they behaved and kept themselves pure even before they met each other. I can’t remember everything that they said now but I just remember how amazed I was. They talked about how they wanted to give whoever they married their whole self and not a broken heart or a used body. The kept their mind, soul, and body pure for the one they would marry. They even wrote each other love letters! They wrote to someone who they had no idea would receive those letters. Actually I can't remember if they both did or it was just Leslie.... But anyway, after they were married they gave the letters to the receiver they were meant for. When they wrote those letters they had no idea who they were writing to. And once they were married and found out who the receiver was, the letters were perfect. I thought that was silly at first but now I think it's pretty cool!
It was then that I decided that with all my power I’d keep myself pure and unblemished for my future husband. I’d wait for him. However long it took. Though a painful thought ---> if I never do get married I’ll have kept myself pure and untouched for the One who really matters.

All girls want to be admired and feel attractive. Even the worst tomboy has that girlish instinct somewhere deep down. And as girls we can be admired for many things: attitudes, personalities, kindness, compassion, gentleness, etc. You get the idea. Another few things can make us attractive, especially to the people we most want to be attractive to: guys. We can be attractive with pretty faces, figures and forms. And the world seems to think that those last few things are more important than the former traits I mentioned. And the world also seems to think that the more you reveal of your body, the more attractive you are. NO! Proverbs 31:30-31 says: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.” So if you’re young and pretty and attractive, and you’re vain of your beauty you might be admired for a few years, maybe even many years. But people will begin to see through your fake charm and your beauty will slowly fade away. And what will be left? A haggard, nasty old woman. That NO one likes. And what you did in your youth will be returned to you. So if all you did was flit around from guy to guy and waste your time being a flirt, when you’re old you will have nothing but sad memories. And most likely a broken heart from the man who you thought loved you but he was only infatuated with your beauty and when that faded…he did too. Any man that marries you only for your looks is no man at all.
Yet, as a young woman who fears God, no matter how you look, if your main focus is to serve and please Him, then you will have no worries. When you’re old and worn out, you will have so many people who will return the good and the love you gave them when you were younger. And most likely, you’ll have a loyal man growing old with you. Loving you for who you are, not who you were or what you looked like.

I don’t know about the rest of you girls but so many times I’ve come close to tears when thinking about how unattractive I seem. I would sit and long for someone besides a girlfriend of mine or family to tell me I was beautiful. For someone to say I looked great and not just that “God thinks I’m beautiful.” Yes, I know He does but everyone wants someone in this world to think of them as truly beautiful. But then, after I’ve been depressed long enough, I lift my chin and remember that if someone doesn’t like me for who I am then I don’t need to long for their approval. I am who I am and I don't need to change just to impress someone. If I do end up marrying someone, he needs to love me for my own personality, temperament and my own self.
What I’m trying to say is that if you walk through the mall in skimpy clothes revealing to everyone what your figure looks like yes, you will most likely get several glances from the guys and feel attractive. But what kind of guys are you attracting? The ones that once they have their fun with you they're off to another. But if you walk through the mall in your long skirt and loose blouse the “play-off” guys won’t bother you. But you’ll intrigue Godly young men who are interested in you. Not just your figure. They will be attracted to you because you’re keeping yourself to yourself. And as those boys get to know you and you get to know them, the right one will step out sooner or later. And guess why he’ll love you? He’ll love you for being you. Not for your figure. And then, once you are married he’ll appreciate you keeping yourself covered and no one else in the world knowing what you look like except him. If you’re the girl in the skimpy clothes you’re showing everyone what you’ve got and there is no surprise for your husband. If you get one.

I met a very interesting older lady in Goodwill a few weeks ago. My mom and sisters were helping me to pick out a party dress for a birthday party I was going to that Saturday. Our only trouble was finding something pretty and trendy, yet still modest and covering. So as we went through the dresses my mom pulls out this pretty dress and asks what I think. Honestly, it looked like an older lady’s Sunday dress from the 90’s. So I wrinkled my nose and said, “Nah, it looks too old ladyish.” Then all of the sudden this lady that had been browsing nearby popped over and gasped in an over-exaggerated tone, “Oh my goodness! Did she just say what I think she said? Old ladyish??? Why I never! And here I was about to ask her opinion on this frock. Wait, she probably doesn’t even know what a frock is. It’s an old lady word.” Mom and I couldn’t stop giggling. The lady was just teasing, I knew. And I instantly liked her. As we continued to browse the store we ran into her more than once and she never let that “old ladyish outfit” go! Haha it was too funny. Well we all ended up checking out and walking out into the parking lot together. We explained about looking for a modest party dress and the lady totally understood. We got on the subject of modesty. She told us how hard it was to find clothes for her granddaughters because everything was too tight, too short, too low, too seductive, etc. Even for little girls! We don’t often just run into people who have our same views and it was so refreshing to agree with everything she said. Finally we reached the point of separating to go to our separate cars. The lady bent down to talk to the twins and also looked up to make sure I was listening. She said she was going to tell us something in case we didn’t listen to our mother. This is what she said:

“You know how you like to get presents all wrapped up and secret? You have no idea what’s in there. It’s so exciting to open it and see what’s inside for the first time right? It’s no fun if you already know what’s inside when you open it. That’s how your body should be. Wrap it up good so the boys don’t know what’s inside. You only get one chance to unwrap it. When you get married your husband will be so excited to  be the first to open the present, and excited at having no clue what’s inside. Remember, keep it all wrapped up.”

I thought it was the PERFECT analogy. I really liked her. What she said was soooo true! So I want to beg of my friends and other girls who struggle with modesty and feeling attractive. When you pick out a dress with a low v-neck…or skin tight jeans that show your form…or a dress that comes above your knees revealing your legs…think about if you’re unwrapping yourself too much. Will there be anything left for the gift receiver? Will he be surprised? Or if he happens to be there that day you wear a particular dress what will he be attracted to? Your figure? Your legs? Or will he be focused on your face and what’s inside that makes you so beautiful? Think hard about the next outfit you wear. Guys can’t help what they’re attracted to. Yes, they can use some self control and try not to lust, but we can make it so much easier for them if we cover it up! And you may be thinking that I’m no one to talk about it. I admit some things I wear may or may not be what you personally would wear. But I always try my best to stay wrapped up. I want to be attractive but I don’t want to reveal anything that needs to stay wrapped. It’s not my time to bloom yet. But if you’re getting down and depressed  – like I’ve been so many times before – and thinking that being modest means you’re not attractive stop and really think. Who would you be attracting with a revealing clothes on? A play-off guy. Who will you attract wearing your modest clothing? The man you will love you for you, share the same interests and probably the same beliefs. And those who think you’re weird to dress that way, forget them. They don’t matter. You don’t want them around you with that attitude anyway. Believe me, you’ll catch more eyes dressing UNLIKE the world than you will trying to blend in. So remember girls, keep it wrapped up ;)







I hope this blog post encouraged you. If so let me know! Comment and share your thoughts! J

Monday, September 12, 2011

No, It's Not My Shop But It's Still Great!

Sooo, I know four other Rachels (actually one is a Rachael and one I don't really know but I'm hoping to meet her this week! haha.) Anyway, 1 of these wonderful Rachels opened up her own online store selling jewelry and pretty things that girls like ;) I love supporting small/hometown/friend's businesses and this falls in the category of a Friend's Business. So will y'all help me help her? Support her super cute little store and help it grow!!!! :)


Friday, September 2, 2011

Bowling Partay!

Oh yes! It was as fun as it sounds! I often feel like I'm the one always being given to and invited places but I'm never giving back or hosting get-togethers so I finally cooked something up. Mom bought extra Ace's Bowling coupons just for me! Isn't she sweet? ;) So I could invite some friendses! I wanted to invite them all! But I could only pick four so finally I sent out invites to my dear friends Danielle, Kristen, Molly and Esther. The time was set for 12:30pm and we were gonna have pizza for lunch and everything! Funses!

And guess what else??? Mom let me drive ALL the way to Montgomery! For the first time in about 2 and 1/2 years since I got my permit! I also got to run some errands so I got practice in changing lanes, pulling through drive thrus, and scaring Mom hehe. Btw, did I mention I was doing all this in a 15 passenger van? I know, I'm awesome ;) LOL But Mom said I did good and I felt really confident, obviously since she had to keep telling me to slow down ;)

So we got to the Bowling Ally on time and Danielle and her mom were the first to arrive! We sat around and talked for a little while and then headed to the pool room to play while we waited on the others. Danielle said she stunk at pool and I know I do but she turned out pretty good! Of course I blame it on distraction of looking for the other girls ;) Esther and her mum were the next to arrive just as Danielle shot her last ball in. Yeah, she won :P We chit chatted ab it and then Molly popped in with her mum! Not long after Kristen swept in with her mom. So we all tittered and chattered while the moms congregated in the corner in their own circle ;) Us girls got all caught up first so we were more than ready when the moms finally broke away haha. 
We got lane 15 and started the first game. I couldn't believe how good I was at first! I got a strike on my 2cd turn! I think.... Anyway I guess it was the adrenaline of excitement ;) Danielle got in there and just blew everything out of the water lol! She could swing that ball, just sayin :D Kristen is so gentle and soft that she rolled the ball so softly I wasn't sure it would hit anything but she rolled it so straight!! We all tried rolling like her but I guess only Kristen could perfect it :D Esther looked like a cutie from the 50's with her full white skirt and the bowling shoes :D She's always so pretty :) Molly was soooo cute with what I call her "foot thing". You know how you're supposed to get your right leg out of the way and so you like curl it behind you? Well Molly would just do her foot and it was just the cutest little pose! haha! Anyway, everyone was better than I was at bowling lol but we all weren't the absolute best. So I called us the Loser League haha! Nah, we weren't that bad. But Danielle was the only won who broke 100 so I guess you can figure out who won the first game ;)
The second game we were all worse. Weird I know. From the second frame for like 8 frames I got zero!!! I was stuck at a 6 for over half the game! :P Anyway, Danielle won again and Molly and Kristen tied for second I think. Or maybe it was the third game we played that they tied. Anyway, Danielle won all three LOL Actually 2 and 1/2 games cuz while we were in the middle of taking turns rolling the 15 lb ball the game cut off and our two hours were up :(

So the moms kept on chatting while us girls trooped over to the pool room and played some more pool. Oh! We also tried the Boxer machine! I was the most powerful at about 940 I think (children, it was NOT from spinach ;) hahaha Just go milk your cows lol). Which I was the second smallest girl there I think so I was surprised! Molly wanted to try the dart board so I lent her 50 cents and we never figured the stupid machine out so I joke around and teased Molly that she owes me 50 cents hehehe ;) She's so fun to tease :D  Ohhh! Then there was the pinball machine and I won't even go into that hahaha. The girls know what I'm talking about ;)

Ah but finally the fun had to end :( Though we had to drop Kristen off at her house so we got to visit a little longer :) That was fun. Then from Wal-Mart I drove home. After stopping by Russell Do-It where I got my cowgirl hat!!! Whoo hoo! I'm authentic now! You know what I gotta do now? Dress up - gotta get me some cowgirl boots - and go saddle up Latte hahaha!!! (For those of you who don't know, Latte is one of our cows lol)

Anyway, so thank you for reading and thanks girls for coming to the bowling party! I had a "ball" ;) he.he.he

Below are some pics of our funness :D



The AWESOME Loser League ;)


Esther!



Me :)


Danielle with the 15 lb ball


Whew! Talk about heavy!

Haha she thought it was heavy too!

Molly actually hit 3 pins with it!


Had to post this Molly. Your expression is too good :D

Sweet Kristen


Cute Molly

Awesome Danielle

Pretty Esther

Just me ;)


One of her um...interesting...poses...



I can just hear her now... "I'll pay you back! I promise!" ;)

Pinball!

More pinball! We couldn't lose! It was hilarious!

 A couple of edited pics, you know me ;)



Me and Esther :)

Ta dah!!!

 Hope you enjoyed them! :D

Saturday, August 6, 2011

A Little Of This & A Little Of That

Ok, so it way past time for me to post about something but my life has been pretty boring lately so I'll post a little of this and a little of that to make it all one big interesting post! How does that sound??? Ok, weird ;P

Saturday night and Sunday night I went to go see Found At The Well - a play that a friend of mine directed and put together and several of my friends were in. It was absolutely superb!!! I loved every minute! Special thanks to Big Bro Adam for taking me again Sunday night ;) Saturday I went with the whole fam and my good friend Danielle. Had a blast :)

Then Monday and Tuesday were so boring and uninteresting I didn't even write a paragraph in my journal. Except Monday I had a pretty bad headache. Dunno what's up with that...

On Wednesday though I got my hair cut!!! Not shorter, but just layered. I had gone through my "snip phase" where I was dying for something different and cutesy - my facebook friends can testify to that haha! But I want to grow it out again because I figure as I get older (and hopefully one day a mommy) I won't have the time or patience to deal with long hair. So if I want long hair, it's got to be now. I also always imagined myself with long hair when I get married. A little strange, but hey, everyone can dream right? ;) So yeah, I'm growing it out again. I got it cut after an Ashley Olsen picture. When it was all done though, it didn't look too much different except for the first layer or two. But omw, it was SO thin! I was devastated at how thin it was!!! I might have gone ahead and chopped it off and felt a lesser sense of loss. My hair had finally regained some of it's thickness from the last time I cut it! Now it's so thin I can't even put it in a clip without it slipping out. Buuuut, once I washed my hair and dried it, it looked better. Of course my right side is perfect but my left side is stubborn and just droops. Grrrr! But anyway, so yeah I have a somewhat new look. It's ok :)

On Thursday I went and got my first EVER pedicure!!! My super Mom got her first one too haha. We had gotten coupons for it otherwise *choke* we'd never have had the wonderful experience. I can't believe people pay that much just to be pampered!!! Personally, I was reluctant to even get a pedicure in the first place because I'm so embarrassed of my feet! I mean, I go barefoot 24/7, especially in the summer! Even last Winter I hardly had on socks. Plus I run around outside barefoot sometimes. That'll toughen your feet! But anyway they took us back into the quiet serene room where two foot bubble baths were going. The lady who was in charge of me told be to go ahead and sit down and soak my feet. We each got to sit in this big comfy swivel chair and put our feet in the bubbly water! Ohhhh it felt so good. Our feet soaked awhile and then the ladies came in. I was SO relieved for the lady who did mine when I saw she had gloves on. Believe me, I knew my feet weren't pretty! So after doing all the dirty work and cleaning and scrubbing my feet, she shaped and clipped my toe nails and massaged my feet and lower legs. It felt great! I hate massaging other people's feet - unless they have clean socks on - but I love having my own feet massaged :D
Ok so then she puts this gray clay mask on my lower legs and got out these HOT towel to wrap my legs in. The first leg she wrapped was ok and she asked if it was too hot. Since it wasn't I told her it was fine. It was. When she put the next towel on my left leg OH MY WORD! I thought I'd been permanently scarred when the towel seared into my leg! Ai yai yai!!! I bit my bottom lip and I'm sure my face got red but I wasn't about to complain, especially after I just told her that it was fine! After a few moments it finally cooled but gee wiz! Whew!
Next she painted my nails. Now, when we had first come into the room she immediately told me to sit down and soak my feet but Mama's girl told her to pick out a nail polish color. Well, I couldn't exactly get up and go pick out a color with my feet soaked. So I figured I'd just tell the girl what color I wanted and she'd know best which shade was best, blah blah blah. HA! I won't do that again. Mom picked out her color and then got to her pedicure. I decided I wanted to be bold and do bright scarlet. So the lady picks out a few shades of red and holds them out. I didn't really like either but went with the brightest. So that's what she did on me. It looked pretty good and then she let me get up and put my feet under this little fan dryer thingy. Mama had gotten started after me so her girl was still chatting and working on her feet. When my feet were done I got up to go look at all the colors. And to my dismay I found a gorgeous variety of colors! It hadn't looked like that many from where I was sitting and most of them looked like they were pink and red. Well, I immediately found this beautiful shade of bright scarlet with sparklies! I was so frustrated that she hadn't held that shade out! Or let me know to pick out  my color before I soaked my feet! This color was MUCH brighter than the ones she'd held out! Grrr! The shade I had on I had at home anyway! Well, I'll know better next time. My feet were soft and smelled good and I had a great, neat paint job done. I'd enjoyed it, why get miffed about a shade of red? Mom had picked out a pretty pink color but she's more into darker colors so she wasn't sure. Her girl tested the pink on one toe and then when Mom wasn't satisfied she picked out a metallic purpleish pink. It was gorgeous and totally Mama. So she got that one. I liked her color better than mine but then I took a breath and scolded myself for being so snippity and ungrateful. I'd had a good time and gotten pampered. That was good enough.
Well, then we checked out and realized that we'd both gotten Spa pedicures when Mom was supposed to ge the 1 hr. Spa Pedicure and I was supposed to have gotten the Classic Pedicure - which was a little cheaper. Then I was going to get my eyebrows done at the mall. But since they'd given us both Spa Pedicures we went ahead and paid for it and I didn't get my eyebrows done. Which was ok, I mean it's no biggy. But gee, they should've paid more attention! But we even went to the mall afterwards and got Chinese food so that made me feel better :) Mmmm!

On Friday I literally spent ALL day - give or take a few hours - on Math. Ugh! I'd gotten stuck in a few areas and called my second adopted mother ;) to help me out since she was such a math wiz. I was on the phone with her for over an hour! Then spent more time trying to figure out different equations. Gee, I mean  whoever invented Algebra and Trig and all that should've kept their "magnificent discoveries" to themselves. I could give them a few bonks on the head. No every one is a math fanatic like them or Momma B!

And then today our AC went out. Yeah. I was sooooooo hot!!!  And so stinkin' humid!!! Plus I woke up with a bad headache. I was all sticky and my hair was an absolute disaster. Which I'm not a fashion queen here but by the end of the day my hair was so limp and pathetic I just looked nasty. Of course I showered and that felt pretty good. It had rained too and I went out there to stand on the deck and cool off! Whew! Tomorrow is going to be sooooo humid...I hate to even think about it. While playing Risk with the kids we had four fans blowing on us. I could kiss the inventor of the Air Conditioner!!!! Now there is someone who put his/her time to good use! ;)

So anyway, maybe my week wasn't too boring. I just can't wait to get my car and be a little more social you know? :)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Talk About Weathering The Storm...

7:55AM. I moaned and rolled over in bed, fumbling for my alarm. I hit snooze for 5 more minutes. I'd gone to bed on time last night, 10PM, but didn't feel sleepy until 11PM. So much for my exhaustion issues. I tossed and turned for another 45 minutes. Just as I was drifting off, my golden retriever puppy, Elsie, starts whimpering. Urgently. She needed to make an urgent trip outside. Quickly. Once that was taken care of and she finally fell asleep so that I could fall back asleep it was nearly 12:30AM. So nope, I didn't wanna get up this "early".
8:00AM. I turned the alarm off but curled back up. Elsie was starting to wake up, I doubted she'd let me sleep much longer anyway. I did NOT want to go milk that cow. She was stubborn. And annoying. And...and...disgusting. Not for the first time I ask myself why we even have cows. Oh yeah, I remind myself, major saving on milk. Plus it tastes better. But then, is it really worth the extra work? I guess so. I throw back the covers and make myself get up. I wake Joshua up because he's my milking partner. I let Elsie out to use the great outdoors and find that it's drizzling but it's not stormy at all. Weird. I bring Elsie back in and find Josh waiting for me. He wants to know why he's milking and not Mama.
"She has a headache, Josh." I explain. He's grumpy now. "How do you know?" I try not to feel exasperated. "Maybe because she's not awake and getting ready to milk right now? Because she told me last night that she did? Or maybe I know because she was awake at 4 this morning." "All you had to do was tell me that." I'm frustrated now. We need to get going. "Josh, I know what I'm talking about, I don't just say random stuff. Now while we've been here arguing, you could've been getting the bucket of water ready." He stalks off. I finish getting the gallon container and milking cups. Don't worry, we're friends again in five minutes. That's just how brothers and sisters are ;)
I decide to take Elsie with us this time. She and Latte (the cow) don't get along too well but I'm going to let her run around free so if Latte charges her, Elsie can get out of the way. I feel sorry for Elsie. She hates the picket line, she's too mischievous to stay in the kitchen, and she's not fully potty-trained so she can't roam the house. And I can't let her loose outside unless I'm with her. I take her for walks twice a day, but I'm in my senior year of high school and I've got to get school work done. So I decide to let her roam around while we milk and hopefully Latte doesn't have a fit.
We wait a little while for the drizzles to stop and then head up to the Back Pasture. The Front Pasture has a milking shed but the back doesn't. I can't wait until we move them to the Front again! But for now we make do. The dark clouds are rolling in and fog mists around us. We need to hurry if we want to stay dry. I carry the bucket of water and Josh carries the box of supplies. Cleaning Latte is a big deal lol. Anyway Elsie is so happy to be free and running around sniffing everything. She finds a um...*cough*...fresh cow patty. And a...well...*gag*...a little snack. I shudder every time she...yeah.
ANYWAY Latte, as I previously mentioned, is very stubborn. She kicks and messes and gives us plenty of grief. But probably the worst inconvenience is that she won't have a milk let down unless we let the calf nurse. This means that, to get the highest amount of milk that we can, we have to milk her first and usually we get about quart. A very precious quart because we definitely work for it. Since her milk hasn't let down all the way it's very difficult. It's like wringing out a rag that's hardly wet. Definitely defines the muscles in your hands and arms! A drizzle has started back up. Great. I'm tired and now I'm going to be wet and tired. Elsie keeps popping into the pen and we have to chase her out or risk Latte having a "cow" ha. ha. Funny right?  Ok maybe not ;) But Elsie ain't allowed inside with Latte because the last thing we need is Latte tearing out of the stall...again. But Elsie picks up pretty quick and runs around but stays within sight and gives up on coming inside.
After we get our desired quart, we back Latte out of the milking stall halfway, rope the calf - who is HUGE now and almost as stubborn as his mama (literally, we've had him drag us across the the pasture while we hang onto the rope! No joke) - and let him nurse. After about two minutes we pull him off which, let me tell ya, is very difficult. Usually takes two people. He's big and strong and stubborn and HUNGRY. He doesn't want to leave her. One person tugs and strains on the rope and the other slaps him on the rump. We prevail and get him out of the pen and move on. Elsie is interested in him and that keeps her preoccupied for a little while :D We wipe Latte's teats off again and now milking is like wringing out a sopped rag. Ah, so easy! Even still, it's not as easy as our other cow Nutmeg who's half Jersey. And SHE isn't as easy as HER Mama, Ginger, who's a full Jersey. Latte is 3/4 Angus, 1/4 Jersey.
Anyway, back to the subject, the rain is falling heavier. It's funny too because Joshua brought up his bulky "waterproof" coat. I had asked him why. "So if it rains, I'll be dry!" He cheerfully explained. Well, he turned out to be the smart one I suppose. I'm just out there in my rolled up jeans, and spongebob t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. The rains keep on and I'm getting soaked. "Hurry!" I call to Joshua. His little hands are pumping as fast as they can but it's not really fast enough. I already switches sides with him while we were working on the first quart. Latte is the hardest cow to milk and Josh is the smallest milker. It's funny to watch him though, he's way cute ^_^. So my side is somewhat done, but the rain is just pouring down. And then I realize, we're getting more milk than the usual a-little-less-than-a-gallon amount. We have a little less than a gallon but the froth from milking has filled up to the top. And we still have a ton of milk left to milk! We need another container. Josh and I are laughing hysterically at milking in the rain. He looks like a wet cat with his not-so-water-proof jacket on and the hood clinging to his wet face. I weigh the options. THE two most important things about a milking cow is to keep her (1) healthy and (2) keep her milk supply as high as possible. To keep her supply up you have to milk every drop out. Then the calf gets what you couldn't get, thus raising the supply. Yeah, it's complicated but you get the idea. To keep her supply up or to raise it we need to milk her out. And for some reason we are suddenly getting a major load of milk today! So on one hand is: We're already wet, we're getting a ton of milk, and Latte - for once - is calm. On the other hand: we've got the usual amount, more actually, we're soaking wet, and we want to be done. Finally I decide....We need another container. "Josh!" I laugh. "I'm going to run back to the house real quick and grab another container. Keep milking!" His little hands are still pumping furiously as the rain pounds down on him. "Okay!" He calls back. I dart out of the pen and call for Elsie. She comes bounding alongside me as we dash through the pasture, out the gate, and into the van. I drive down to the house, burst out of the van and Elsie leaps down beside me. We run up the steps and into the house. I need to put Elsie in her crate. So we run through the house (GASP I know lol) and I pop for a half a second into David's room. He's got his huge headphones on listening to music while he does school work. Gianna and Mama are still asleep. Christie is doing her school work. "Hey, put Elsie in her crate real quick? I'll be back in a minute," I gasp to him and then run back into the kitchen. I'm out the door when I suddenly stop. Did he hear me? Growling in frustration I go back to check. Elsie is still standing in the hall, wet. I peek into David's room again, he's totally oblivious. "David, can you-" He can't hear me with that stupid contraption on his head. "DAVID, can you put Elsie in her crate for me?" Nada. I step into the room and bang on his desk. His head pops up and he whisks the headphones off. Finally! "CanyoupleasetakeElsietohercrate?I'llbebackinalittlewhile!" And I'm out the door with just his shocked expression to tell me he'd heard ;)
Back outside the rain hasn't let up. Poor Josh! I get back up there and run back to him with the container. He's only gotten 2 cups since I left. But he kept at it! :D "Ok ok I'm back! Move to my side and let me milk your side. It's more full." He obeys and runs around Latte to my side that's pretty much empty. Whoosh! Whoosh! After I wiped off my hands and got ahold of her teat I had four cups (which is a full container which means I need to empty into the gallon container) quicker than you can blink. Then Latte decided to get stubborn. She steps forward and her left back leg covers the entire left side of her udder. Josh can't milk. If he gets her to move it could risk her kicking my cup or my arm. "Just leave her, Josh. Wait until she moves on her own." So Josh is doing nothing but sitting in the rain! hahaha! I empty twice and STILL she has more milk. Why did today have to be "overflowing day"??? The rains pours and now a wind has picked up. I empty again. A roll of thunder sounds. Uh oh. Time to go! "Okay Josh, we've got enough for now. Let's go!" We quickly pack up everything and let Latte out of the stall. My hair, shirt and jeans are soaked. Josh's pants and jacket are soaked. Everything is wet. We close up the gates and hurry as quick as we can to get out of there. Once in the van we sit back and breathe. Whew!
And all I had wanted was to sleep......

Friday, July 1, 2011

A Week Of House Sitting

Hey everybody! I've been away for a week house sitting for a dear friend, Miz Trish and her husband :) I had a grrrrreat time! I took care of her two horses, Candeloro and Coco, their two doggies, Koa (a golden retriever/husky mix) and Sugar (a verrry sweet german shepherd), and her wittle gway tabby kitty cat, Mia.

The only part I didn't really like that much was that I had to get up at 5:30am to feed the "kiddos" ;) Miz Trish had said I could go up at 6:30am but I wanted to keep her old schedule because she has to feed them at that time before going to work and I didn't wanna mix everything up. But I really didn't mind because I got to go back to sleep when I was done ;) So let's see...I'd get up and feed the doggies, then let them outside for awhile, let Mia outside with me while I fed the horses and then I'd walk the dogs. You know, it really does feel good and cool early in the morning! Anyway, then I'd go back inside, eat breakfast and jump back in bed haha ;) Oh the other thing that dampened my vacation was I had to do school work :P blahhhh *NOT FUN* I can't wait! for graduation!

But another cool thing they had at their house was Dish!  And they had TVLAND! Those of you who know me well know that that is very exciting for me hahaha ;D So I got to watch Gunsmoke and Bonanza everyday. I was very happy. And do ya know? I saw the episode of Bonanza where Ben meets his third wife/Little Joe's mother! I'd never seen that one before lol. Now I've gotten pretty addicted hehe ;)
Okay, then here's something funny that happened lol :D I was watching Gunsmoke and they had to track down this guy with hound dogs. So Sugar was laying on her bed by the TV dozing off and on. And suddenly the scene comes on with about ten hound dogs howling like crazy. Sugar lifts her head and pricks her ears, listening. Then she turns and looks at the TV and started watching the show!!! Once the dogs were quieted she went back to sleep mode but it was SO funny watching her watch the TV. I was wondering what the dogs were saying that caught her attention like that :D

I went up to the pasture on Sunday and Candeloro let me brush him down, comb out his mane and french braid it! He's sucha good horsie! He would nuzzle me with his top lip, it feels so funny haha :D The doggies let me brush them out too and now I know what it'll be like when Elsie has her full coat in ;D
Oh but it was even funner with Candeloro when I was mending a few parts on the fence line. He has such a fun personality. I wish our cows were more fun like that. Ah, oh well. Anyway, when he got used to my being up there he comes up to check everything out. So he nuzzles the fencing, then me, then he checks out my back pocket where he knows I hide carrots ;) But all he found were the wire cutters and tried to take those twice! It was sooo funny! Watching that top lip of his nuzzle everything was just crackin' me up! And then he checks out the fence to make sure I did everything to his satisfaction. He's such a silly boy ^_^ Oh and you know what else he did before I left? I can't remember what day it was but it was like a day or two before I left. He grinned! I am NOT kidding! He did! He lifted his top lip and lowered his bottom lip and just grinned this big cheesy grin! It was SO cute :D

I went and visited home Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon. Adam ran by and picked me up. See he was also house-sitting for Miz Trish's daughter. I house-sat for her daughter once and that was fun too :D But anyway, they don't live that far apart so Adam could just run by and get me and then we'd go home. Friday night we all watched MacGyver - oh yeah! :D Saturday afternoon we all played Monopoly which we haven't done in forever. It was a lot of fun until Adam and David formed the "Tyrant Corner." Little mischievous buggers. I was the second or third one out. I could've gone on but I was getting tired of it, you know how long Monopoly can run. I got to play with my wittle Elsie which I enjoyed :D Then it was back to my charges :)

Haha, but anyway so my house sitting days were filled with school work, funny four-leggeds, a little TV and a few chores. Ahhh, it was so much fun :)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tribute to Magnificent Molly!

So yesterday I went to a birthday party at the park for my awesome friend, Molly! Her Sweet 16th. Want to know how we met? No? Well I'll tell you anyway...
It all started last summer when I was auditioning for a Play. See, we have a friend who's a gifted dancer and director and she's written and organized Plays for the past several years. So this would be my 2cd Play with her. When I got the cast list I found that I had gotten the part of Zibiah, an over-the-top and very rude and selfish mother. *sigh* I know, it's hard imagining me that way but... Haha, I'm KIDDING ;) Anyway, I realized that I would be splitting the part with a girl named Molly. I was like, "What? How's that possible?" Well when the 1st practice came around I found out. Since there would be two practices a week and three performance nights, Molly and I would each have one practice a week and then she'd get two of the performance nights, and I'd get one. So needless to say I was a little disappointed. But then I met Molly. Actually our "daughter" (in the Play) introduced us ;) And I immediately liked her. She was so sweet and friendly, seemed a tad bit nervous like me. But as the practices proceeded we warmed up very quickly and I didn't mind sharing the performance nights with her at all! So if we had never split our character, I would never have made such an awesome friend! Or we might have eventually met and all that, but working together and goofing off together, we really got close. Now we call each other, "My Other Self" ;)
So, that's the background story! It'd be about a year that I've known her now and I was very pleased to be invited to her party :) I knew there'd be Ultimate Frisbee going on but decided I wouldn't play that day - which did indeed shock a few of my friends haha. I love to play it, but I'm just soooo terrible! And I have no one to practice with at home so I really don't get better :P Otherwise I'd be awesome at it haha, jk ;) Anyway, so I decided to get "prettified" and be girly for once. That was fun too. We played a few card games and did plenty of chit-chatting and socializing. Played a few heated games of Spoons and I found I'm terrible at that too! :P I just needed a warm-up is all *sniff*. Anyway, haha, we had pizza and this AMAZING cookie/cake that was just to DIE for. Also I got to catch up with all my buddies that I hadn't seen in over 6 months, since last fall. Wow...was it really that long??? That's wrong. It's a SIN to stay away from friends that long! Well anyway, me and my "baby sister" - she's fourteen now but I've known her since she was five ;) - got to catch up a lot which I really, really enjoyed.
Then we had to deal with the crazy boys that had come :P Two of them decided it'd be "fun" to leap over the picnic tables and scare us girls half to death. Of course I announced that if they fell and killed themselves I'd laugh - nooo, really  I'd cry but you don't tell THEM that! Then they pulled a few prank phone calls which was hilarious to watch and listen to ;) Oh, and how could I forget the War of Junk? Catapulting napkin balls and leftover cookie from spoons and then tossing water bottles and empty coke cans at each other. One poor guy got hit in the head/face three times! Of course that didn't daunt him at all. He's too crazy to back off in a losing battle ;)
Around dusk us girls went to go sit in the grass and sing while Molly played her awesome guitar - which, btw girl, you never showed me how to play ONE chord! :'( waahhh!!! I'm kidding, Molly ;) I <3 you. Then the crazy guys decided to play frisbee over our heads but we ignored them and they finally found something else to do ;) The bugs weren't too too bad but when I had ants crawling all over my skirt, and I'm pretty tolerant of bugs, I decided to get up and go get another piece of cookie! I felt awful because then the parents started packing up and the guys came back from playing frisbee in the "proper" place and the girls headed back and everybody started leaving!!!! I was like NOOOO! Ah, but I guess good times must end huh? Well not for me! Because I got to go home with the birthday girl!
We ate a little more cookie - yeah we're bad ;) - and chit-chatted for awhile before Molly and I got on her Wii. Let me tell you what I am soooo glad none of y'all, save Molly, were there cuz I. was. AWFUL! Haha, hilariously so. When I got tired of trying to figure Nintendo out, Molly put on Just Dance and that was even more funny! We sure burned off that cookie and pizza! Or not ;) Of course I was getting mad at the stupid thing because see, you get points if you swing your arms this way and that the way they do on the TV but I mean gee! How hard is it to throw your hands up and back down? All I got was "ok's" and X's  while Molly's over there rackin' up points getting a bunch of "prefects" :P LOL I could've won AFV though, I'm surprised that show doesn't have hardly any videos of Wii "incidents" haha. But then my Mommy came to pick me up and after a bit more chit-chat we finally left. It was a fun fun day :)
So Molly, here is my post, dedicated to you, my comic-superhero-partner-other-self ;) I <3 you girl!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

A Little About Me

Well, I have a blog now! To tell you the truth I didn't think I'd ever need/want one. But I love to write, in fact my favorite school subject is Language Arts, though I still can't seem to perfect it :P So please excuse any grammar issues! I'm glad you can't hear me because I also have a knack for mispronouncing words! I guess being raised in the south you're just simple. If it looks like "Metallic" then it's pronounced "Met-el-ic" instead of "Met-AL-ic." (By the way, I never said it like that, my brother did lol) And who ever thought to put a B at the end of lamb and climb??? Probably a foreigner. HA!
Anyway, so I have a blog to share my thoughts and ideas and to once in awhile "publish" a little story. I've been writing stories since I was like...gee...11 or 12. I'm very protective of them though so I never let anyone see them. Not even my best friends or mother! I don't know, I guess I'm just afraid to. But I've decided I can't be my own critic forever so posting a story here and there is kinda a big step for me. I want people to be HONEST about what they think about it though. Don't ooo and goo just to make me feel good if really you're thinking, "My word, she actually POSTED that???" I really, really, REALLY admire honesty.
Which comes to the point of this post - me. Ha. Ha. It's mostly to let you all know who I am, what I think about certain things, and kinda get the "feel" of my personality. Then I'll post the interesting stuff ;)

So, already in my bio you know that I've been home-schooled all my life down here in AL, as well as all of my siblings, and that I hope to be a stay-at-home, homeschooler mom if I am blessed enough to get married and have children. I like homeschooling because the schedule is very flexible and you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn - I'm a sleepyhead. The cons of homeschooling is sometimes having the schedule TOO flexible makes you lazy. And you don't get to see your friends at school everyday. In fact you really have to plan a get-together if you ever DO want to see them haha! Or accidentally meet them in Wal-Mart ;)

Adventure-seeking. That's got me written ALL over it. Though I've surprised myself lately on how hesitant I'm getting. Maybe I'm getting too smart for my own fun? lol. Here's a story to get the idea of how I am in this area:
When I was 1 and my brother was 3, my Mom took us to the McDonald's play area. Everyone knows those slides can be pretty creepy when you're this itty bitty baby...and when the slides shock you and your hair frizzes out for "no reason." So my brother, well let's just say he's a bit more of a thinker than I am ;) He's always been that way. So he decided the slides were too scary. But little me, well I go climb right on up there! And then......I think about how scary it is! Of course Mommy is too big to come get me so finally Adam decides he must save me and he climbs up there to help me down. Isn't that sweet? But there's an idea of how I am: act first, think later lol ;) Sometimes good, sometimes REALLY bad.
So anyway after MUCH contemplation, I have finally decided that being an aircraft pilot can be exciting and adventurous forEVER! Not just the first year or 1-5 yrs. Flying a plane can't EVER get boring, right? I thought about Nascar but my mom really didn't favor that idea and who wants to go around in big circles all day long? The speeding is what I wanted! But airplanes can go that fast or faster and they actually GO somewhere. Plus there's not really anything to crash into hahaha :D So I'm safe ;)

Let's see...what else? Oh! Probably the #1 thing I believe in passionately (besides God of course...I guess that would make this #2 then...) Ok. The #2 thing I believe in so passionately is purity. I'll write my little "testimony" in another post but basically when I was about 12 0r 13 this couple named Ludy inspired me in the best possible way. I realized that keeping myself mentally and physically pure for my future husband was the absolute most wonderful thing I could do for him.  It is kind of depressing...no, it's REALLY depressing to think about the option that maybe I was meant to be single all my life. But if that is true then I still would stay pure before God because it's what's right. I believe you should do what's right even if there is no reward.

And now my hobbies. I love, love, LOVE to read! When I'd get in trouble, my mom would (*cough* WILL) take my books away. I mostly like romance novels, especially in the 1800's setting. I love Amish books too! And movies. Of course growing up with three boys most of my life I can really get into their movies too like The Patriot, Last Samurai, Ip Man, etc. Haha. But I adore Jane Austen too (can I get a cheer for "Emma"???) and Little House on the Prairie and those types. Mysteries are really awesome too!
Sewing and crocheting! I love both. I like to CREATE things, not mend them though ;) But I have to follow a pattern because I'm not really a creative person which I hate. It's like after age 5 imagination goes off :P For me anyway. I have some REALLY creative friends who are just like, "Oh I turned my old jeans into a purse!" and "Look! I drew Leviathan!" and "my old necklace broke so I turned it into earrings!" And I'm just like, "I donated my jeans to the thrift store, I drew a cabin on a hill, and when my necklace broke I kept it in the 'fix' bag where nothing ever gets 'fixed'." Haha. I have a fourteen year old friend who creates dresses out of the blue. Designs and SEWS them together with NO pattern! DRESSES!!! You know, the long, complicated clothing we wear? And I'm soooo jealous ;D Why can't I think to do cool stuff???
Dogs - Golden Retrievers in particular - are my favorite animal. In fact about a month and a half ago I bought a pedigree Golden Retriever puppy who is the absolute love of my life right now. Her name is Elsie. I just love, love, love her to pieces! I hope to breed her someday :)
I really love family time and doing things as a family, though I also love outings with my friends. But family bonds are just SO important to me. I've wished soooo often that I had been born a hundred years ago or so, even 50 years ago, just because back then everything seemed to revolve around family and respect. More than today that's for sure. I had a friend point out to me though that I need to quit wishing for something I can have or a place I can't go and figure out why God has me where I am. She's very wise ;) I love to reenact though! I've only been a part of one civil war reenactment but I had a "ball" haha ;) There twice where I looked up and all I could see were folks walking around in their period clothing and acting their part and I let myself believe that it was actually real. It was soooo wonderful.....

But anyway, as for my life recently we had a calf born, making our "cattle herd" a total of...400! Without the two zeros ;) So we have Nutmeg, Latte, Moo and an unnamed calf. Moo is Latte's calf. Get it? Moo-Latte? Ha. Ha. No, not funny? Ok :P Anyway, we milk Latte and should start milking Nutmeg pretty soon (anyone want lessons?). I really do like to milk, I just hate getting up so early to do it. Though Mom has gotten pretty lenient and we don't have to get up until 8am. And we're only milking once a day right now. I've  learned to REALLY appreciate calves when milking their mama though. If you don't have calf, but you have a milk cow, PREPARE to devote your LIFE to that cow! Can't GO anywhere, can't DO anything fun, always watching the CLOCK just to milk, milk, milk :P I wanna horse...at least you can ride those... But I guess I'm a REAL cowgirl because I milk a cow. Why do people call girls and boys who ride horses cowgirls and cowboys? Don't...don't answer that. It's rhetorical. They call them that because cowboys used to rides horses while the herded the cattle (a.k.a - cows). You knew that already? Well fine then. You know it again ;)

Well! I guess that's about it for tonight. Hopefully you get a general idea of who I am ;) More fun starts tomorrow! Orrr the day after......(;