ROOM!!

Well today is the big day. I am going to clean the kid's room. Yes it is D-Day for the toys. I have had it with them. I am bringing tubs into the house. And each child will get one tub. They can fill it with the things they want. Then I am going in!!!! Yes that is right, everything else is gone. Either Goodwill or trash. NO MORE STUFF!!! I figure if I have to clean it then they don't need it. We have way too much stuff anyways. I am illiminating a ton of clothes that I have. In fact several boxes have been taken to Goodwill already. Also am getting rid of all baby things. No need for them anymore. So I am going to be able to rest on Sunday due to the fact that my house will be on it's way to being clutter free. WHOOPPPEEE!!! The kids are grounded from TV for a while. It seems they are picking up a lot of bad habits from PBS, or maybe John Wayne so will be off of tv for a while. Not sure who that will punish me or them... I do enjoy a 10 minute shower while they watch Word World. But a mom has to do what she says she will do. And I am sure I said no more tv all weekend. Well that is my day... I am going to have my mug or two of coffee and venture into it. Oh, John brought hom from work Jockey outfits that they were throwing away, for the kids. I washed them all last night. Now I suppose Amigo, the horse they got for Christmas, is now going to be a thoroughbred race horse... I will have to take some pics of this one. What an imagination they all have. I only wish I could pretend as well as the kids do. God Bless...

Purse

OK, here is the deal.. The name of the game is "What purse are you carrying today?" What you have to do is take a picture of the purse and then the contents. Give a little story about the purse. So here is goes. John bought this purse for me several years ago. I think Christmas or birthday. I can't seem to remember. It was obviously before half of the kids were born. I use it almost always. Now what is inside is another story. Notice it isn't closing well... There is the checkbook, wallet, lots and lots of Tylenol, receipts, shot records, a stray screw(who knows what it goes to), Joe's sunglasses, a knife (didn't know that was in there), pens, lotion, a car seat buckle (not sure why that isn't on the car seat), and tons of other stuff. Ok Jennifer yours is so much cleaner than mine. Just wait, one day yours will look like mine.... Ok now let's see who can top mine.....
Now an update on my Dad. He did the procedure Monday and did quite well. The Dr. suggested surgery. So they will see his usual doctor next week and figure out schedules for that. He will have to do the surgery in Phoenix. So that is the update.
Those of you who were praying for me here is the note on that one.. I went last week for the 2nd mammogram. I have a ton of calcium build-up. So they want me to have another one done is 6 months and go from there. If it looks like it is getting bigger then at that point they will do a biopsy. So pray it doesn't.....
I better get going. I have to take Little Joe to the eye dr. today. I think he is fine but we want to make sure he doesn't have the same issue as Shiloh. I better get going. God Bless and thanks for all the prayers.

kids

Boy do I have a story. John gets home from work last night before dark... Which is unusual. So he decides to take all the children out with him to do a little post digging. I decide to stay inside and finish supper.. Occasionally I look out the front window to check out the situation... Everything appears to be cool the first few peaks. The third time I looked there were no kids in site. We round them all back up and then I go back to making supper. After I while I check again and lo and behold John is irritated and the kids are all running towards the front door. I can't even see what they are they are so covered with dirt. I proceed to laugh since John is seriously frustrated with the whole situation. I ask what happened he tells me they were burying each other in the dirt. I run for the camera and get the shot. Then, as most of you know, the alkali dirt is like chalk. I strip them all down one by one and bathe them all. John continues to finish his task and goes and feeds.

Now little Joe this morning decides he is going to play outside before he is even dressed. Which is kinda acceptable around here.. He comes back in after a bit and heads for the bedroom. He returns with an arm full of stuffed animals. I tell him he can't take them outside.. He says ok Mommy.... I turn to continue my task at hand and then about 10 minutes later he is heading out again. I take a closer look and he has stuffed all the animals in his Jammie's. As if I wouldn't notice the bulges protruding his pj's.... I just had to crack up. I proceed to help him unload and get him actually dressed. I got a good laugh out of it and I hope you do too... God Bless

Summer?!?!

Isn't this february??? I didn't realize we had to wear shorts and use sunblock in February... I even have a bit of green grass showing through... Amazing. Not that I am complaining at all. If it isn't going to rain or snow then why not have sunshine. Yesterday the kids got a bit red on the cheeks. Today I thought I would get ahead of them but they were out the door naked before I could catch up... Out here yes they can just wear only undies and nobody really gives a hoot. Of course little Shiloh is her her matching short set with her holly hobbie hair braided and her sun bonnet. I have the hardest time doing school with this nice weather. We WILL do it however this afternoon. Even I have to have some self control when it comes to being outside all day. In fact we might just do school outside, what the heck. "The Natural Classroom"... God's classroom... Any excuse I guess. Well I better get these lovely children of mine cleaned up and fed. God Bless!!!!

Weekend!

What a weekend... It was nice but rushed and by Sunday Adam was still sick and the rest of us were starting to get sick. Now we all have the CRUD!!! Except John.... Lucky guy...SO hopefully Jennifer won't have little Quintin this week... We will probably do a bit of school today but not a whole lot. We are also starting this new thing called Growing Godly Tomatoes. It is really neat. It says that our children are like tomato plants. We need to be the stakes to make them grow straight. Great ideas for sure. For me it is keeping them with me all the time so no mishaps occur. No fighting so far today. It is working great. I guess the theory is when they first start to fight or misbehave you nip it in the butt.. If you aren't right there with them you miss the opportunity and it escalades.... As they get to know better that they are not to act inappropriately, you can start letting them stray away and try it. So we will see how it works. I am up for anything at this point. These kids seem to be out of control more and more often lately. So please pray this works. We want Godly obediant children. I have the boys hair cuts buzzed and all of them have had there baths. Of course little princess got her hair braided instead of cut.... I better get some reading done with Brand. I hope everyone has a blessed day.

Friday!

What is it about the word Friday??? It just makes everyone feel great inside. Knowing the weekend is coming, not that I actually have a weekend. My job seriously is 24/7. Just the fact that it is a change of pace, a different face around (John), someone else to help out with everything around here. Just the fact that I get to spend time with all of them... makes Friday sound good. More house work to do on Fridays is always a rush, but knowing that Monday will be even worse for house work. I suppose we will all end up tired of each other again by Sunday night. But I guess that is what makes the week work, right??? We are getting the pick up fixed today. God only knows it has been rough with 2 out of three rigs broke down. Next will be Adam fuel pump. I so wish we could go back to horse drawn wagons. I know I was born in the wrong time. I hope to get started on the grandkids quilts again. I have to have two more done before John's daughter comes in March. Also plan on making new curtains for the house before then also. Not like I don't have enough on my plate, however God says we shouldn't have idol time... So just trying to stay in the word.... Wait idol time??? What is that??? Well I better get on with my day. Seems like a boring life I know, but if I told you all the crazy things that go on around here you would be surprised any of us were still alive. Like when I actually look around the corner and all 4 littel ones are on top of the horse trailer, like when Little Joe is flat on the ground and Nattie (the goat) is on top of him, when Shiloh has all her make up on and I can't really tell where her actual eyes are, or when they all have decided to dig a whole the size of a cow tank and fill it up with water, and then strip and dive in. Mind you the weather was only in the 50's that day... UGH!!! What about the time Ride decided to accidentally spill the gallon of cooking oil all over the kitchen and then take all the pots and pans out to play with... Of course all the kids decided to join in on that one. Wow that day was a serious "mom needs a moment alone day". That is just a few things that have happened in the past month. Not to mention the small things that go on just about every minute around here. I know some of you can laugh because you have older children. I hear it gets better. I better get going. The kids are WAY tooo quiet. God Bless

ANNIE!!

What a week poor Annie has had. I guess she had hook worms. Whatever that is.... So we got her doctored and now she is eating, well like a goat..... A friend of ours came out and said she is sick. Me being the great goat farmer that I am, didn't notice anything wrong... So we dewormed her and also figured out that she isn't pregnant... Which is a total bummer since that is why I bought her. I wanted to have the baby and also milk her. Oh well, I will have her all healthy by next year to breed her. Now Letty, the black goat, she is definitely pregnant. Her little belly isn't so little anymore. I wish she wasn't so wild. I am going to have to tie her just to milk her. If any of you are goat tamers let me know how to break this lady.... My first thought is to bribe her like I do the kids with candy. But the trick is to get her to come and get it... So we will see what happens this week on that note. On the other hand the little white goat is so tame she is in your way all the time. She even jumps up on you like a dog. If you sit down she wants to be in your lap. Of course she loves to eat my hair and wedding ring. They say a girls best friend is diamonds.....
I am still asking prayer for my Dad. They will do a cathider on monday into his groin and into his heart. I guess there are some risks with the procedure so that is scarey. I am just praying for healing for him and peace for my Mom.
I better get these varments up to get on with our day. With no WIND EVENT for the day I am sure this afternoon we will be outside. Lord only knows these kids have been cooped up tooooo long. God Bless

Glasses

Well today Shiloh got her glasses. It is already an adventure to keep them on her. Also to keep her from breaking them. I keep bribing her with candy and nail polish. It is working somewhat.... I am asking prayer for my dad. He has had a bad heart for some time now. But now it is only working 30% of what it should. In the last year is has diminished by 20%.. He has a bad muscle in his heart so surgery is not an option. He is having an appt with a cardiologist next week to see what can be done. They told him no more chopping wood and shoveling snow. We will see how that goes... The "WIND EVENT" is definitely here today. Although it is warm wind not cold.. SO that is nice. Well I can see that school is not getting done while I am on here so better get to crackn' the wip, (so to speak).... God Bless

Disappointments!

Disappointment... It means to fail to fulfill the expectation or hope of ??? ... Oh my goodness,, how often do I have disappointment.. I want my children to obey... sometimes they do and sometimes they do not. I want to be the perfect mom..... I tend to get so upset or sad when something is a failure. WHY??? Is it not in God's plan?? Ephesians 3:20. God knows exactly what we need. Maybe we need to be sad and disappointed at times. If we were happy all the time and everything went our way wouldn't we already be in heaven?? Saturday night Adam's jeep, which he has only had for about 2 weeks, broke down. He was so disappointed.. He had big plans with his friends and the 4-H dance. He didn't want to go at all then. None the less he went with us (hiding as we pulled in and walked into the building).. Turns out he had a great time. He even came and chatted with us a few times.. He still needs to get the fuel pump fixed, but today it just doesn't seem so bad. I got a letter from my doctor about a test that was run. The day I had the test, she told me everything looked good. I was so excited only to get a letter a few days later telling me there was something abnormal. What a disappointment...The other day we were suppose to go out to my sisters and visit. At the last minute our plans got changed. All the children were so disappointed. Shiloh actually devistated.... I guess my point is, do you dwell on the disappointments or do we move forward and trust in God??? 1 Peter 2-6 says those who believe in Him will NOT be disappointed... So we MUST believe in Him, everyday... Even when things are a disappointment. I guess I better get something done around here before the "WIND EVENT" as Marquita wrote about, hits tomorrow. GOD BLESS!!

~~CLEO~~

This is a picture of Cleo.... I suppose we can learn a lot from this old hound... She obviously is mellow.... She puts up with a lot of torture from the kids. She loves at all times... Unless she is at deaths door and then she tries to yelp for help... This is the way God wants us to be. Loving at all times. Even when our children irritate us. Even when things don't go our way. Ol' Cleo is just thrilled to have a good belly rub and to sit next to you all the time. She even gets a little excited when we are gone somewhere and we pull up in the driveway. She even runs sometimes to meet us. I am sure that she is my example... Be calm at all times. Don't start screaming and yelling for nothing. Always be ready for a good hug and smooch, in her case belly rub... I should always be patient with my children. Ready to just sit and listen. Life seems so rushed and busy, why not enjoy things that don't cost any money... One day all my children are going to be grown up and gone and I am going to miss these days so much. I want to be able to enjoy everything about my family now, not look back in 10 years and say "I should have??"... Cleo even got to go with us to have Brand. She hung out in the back yard of the birthing center. She has always been a part of our family. Who would have thought I would learn so much from a $20 mutt.... God knew what he was doing with this ol' hound when he gave her to us. Now that she is getting older she no longer sleeps outside, unless she feels like it of course... She has a pallet on the floor next to my side of the bed. John and I both put up with her loud snoring and groaning all night. She is worth it. And all of my children should be worth my time each and every day. I love them all so much... God Bless..

~~ADAM~~

What a sweet boy we have. I love him so much. He was acting suspicious when he got up this morning... I wondered "What is Up"... I just figured he was wanting to go somewhere or do something that might be questionable and didn't know how to ask. He ends up asking me a series of questions about what we were doing throughout the next few days. Then he says, I have to be at work at noon today... Usually he goes at 1:00. I said that was fine... He leaves and within the hour comes back home. Obviously I think the worst... Fired, speeding ticket... But I saw that typical little grin when he walked up to me and knew he was up to something. He had gone to town and bought John and I a card for Valentines day. In the card was a gift card for Cattlebaron for $35. He says "Mom you and John are going on a date tonight and I am watching the kids"..... I almost cried.... Now how many 16 year old actually think of there mom and dad on Valentines day???? Plus the fact that he is volunteering to babysit his, needless to say, obnoxious brothers and sister. I am so blessed by everything this boy does. My prayer for him everyday is that he will grow up and be just as wonderful to his wife and children as he is to me. I gotta love m'..... God is good once again.

My husband!

John and I have been married for 7 years. What a ride this has been. He is from Oregon. I know he must love me a lot to move all the way to NM out in the dry, hot dessert. Oregon is so nice God only knows what I was thinking by moving back here. Anyways, John grew up on the race track and on ranches. He is my cowboy!! He is the greatest dad. He loves all these stinkers to death. He always treats me well. He is very affectionate for sure. He loves the Lord which is the most important thing. He works a lot of hours each week to provide for us. He has a great testimony for sure about his past. I am sure that he has finally settled down now with us. On Sunday afternoons you will usually find him out with the horses and kids. He has pretty much given up football because he realized you won't get to watch much because of all the kids wanting his attention. Now that is a true dad...... On Saturday mornings he always gets up and makes a big pancake breakfast. The kids love it and I enjoy the break. On Sunday is the best day for me. He and Adam do my chores and give me a day of rest. Who could ask for a better husband. I can still remember the day we met. I knew I loved him from the minute we met.He stayed and talked to me for probably an hour and his pick up ran the whole time outside. Obviously fuel was not what it is now... He was so funny. I was working in a dry cleaners. He kept bringing more clothes in every day. I thought man this guy has tons of clothes... Well, he had been buying more clothes (Western shirts and Wranglers) so that he could come in and see me... What a sweetie. On August 11th 2001 we were married and by September I was pregnant. That is when the ride began for sure. This man would do anything for me I am sure. He has built chicken coops, spent tons of $$$ building a fence for what he calls my rat dog that we got from the humane society. Built me goat houses, He has always helped me with all the children. When they were babies he would even get up at night when I did. Now what husband will do that..... When I was pregnant with Ride I was so sick with my kidneys. John took care of so many things and still worked his job. Praise God for healing for sure. When the twins came we had to change the routine. Since I nursed them both we had to alternate. He was exhausted and so was I... Now that a babies days are done he is getting more rest than usual. If you can call 4-5 hours of sleep a night good. He is a special man for sure. He loves us all so dearly. I am so proud of him and proud to be his wife. I am so blessed to have him for my Valentine.

Twins!

Twins!
I always wonder why God gave us twins.. They don't run in the family. In fact neither sides have any... So why did God choose us to raise them?? I am sure that God has a sense of humor so I am sure that he is getting a good belly laugh on this one...When I first found out I was pregnant I was so upset.. No more kids I said. I am done. Of course it was all John's fault for sure... I am sure for a full month I didn't have much nice to say to him.... Then I got over it and then the big news TWINS!!! It all seemed ok after we found Shiloh,,,, THE GIRL FINALLY... I can still remember Marquita running down the hospital hall telling the guys "She's a 10, she's a 10!!!" I could only laugh because I had a great epidural. They have changed our lives so much. I found these outfits that they are wearing in the first picture the other day in a drawer. They were so small.... They were born totally healthy and almost the same weight as a single baby... What a blessing. Shiloh who is 5 minutes older. is such a girlie girl. As we like to call her "The Princess".... She loves to help mom do laundry, cooking, dishes, just about anything a homemaker does. She loves her nails painted and also the whole make up thing. On the other hand she can take Joseph down and holy cow she has this ear piercing scream..... When she gets ticked off well lets just say look out... Then there is Joseph... Quiet, laid back, hugger, smoocher..... the more sensitive caring kind... Which is what most women want out of a man..... right?? He loves to be held and rocked still. Shy around strangers for sure. Always needs mom and dad still. Which is a great feeling for us... But when you take his toys (horses) away well lets just say LOOK OUT!! He can definately hold his own when he is mad. They are both so precious and so different. And how they fit in with there other siblings is an adventure everyday... I can't imagine life without any of them. Children are definatley a gift from God and he is entrusting us to raise them in the word. Can we do it??? Some days I wonder if I am a good enough mom for all this craziness but every day is a new day and God always seems to put ideas in my mind to keep going. The twins definately fit in and I am ashamed I ever questioned God. I love them with all my heart and trust God 100% that he made the right decision by giving Shiloh and Joseph to us. God Bless!

Roller skating!

I never realized how hard it is to do something you haven't done for years. For instance, I haven't roller skated for probably 25 years. We went last night and I was wobble weeble at first... But then it all came back to me. That is just like God.... You always know what the Bible says and what God puts on your heart, however, we tend to forget for a time. I knew that if I didn't lean in the right direction and put my feet firmly on the ground that I was going to eat it big time. Same with GOD, if I don't stay firm in the word and lean on him I always end up eating it... Anyways, we had a blast... Even John skated for a time and did pretty good at it... Adam, he had fun although at his age he would never admit having fun with his family.. I did see him smile several times. Brand caught on really fast. He was cruising pretty good after a few tumbles. Ride was a little more cautious.... Which totally surprised us. He is the risk taker.... Shiloh just thought she was all that and more with her pink skates on. Then Little Joe. He was shakey at first but he was rolling in no time. It was so much fun. I wonder how sore and bruised everyone will be when they wake up.... I realize how important it is to do things as a family. We all enjoyed one another. God is so good to our family. We also got to enjoy a family that we haven't seen in some time. It was great. Today is Shiloh's eye appointment. She is not wanting to go. I think she thinks they will dialate her eyes again. They won't but why would she believe mom.... So be praying it all goes well. John is on his way to El Paso and I pray for safe travel for him. I better get going with my day. I pray everyone who reads this has a blessed day.

Always a new day!

I have to say that when I am woke up at 5:00am to take my husband to work because he pick-up won't start, that is doesn't start my day off well. Although I did get to spend an extra 15 minutes with him on the drive to work. Oh and since the children weren't with us it was almost as if we were on a date. We actually got to talk.... Of course I got to drive home alone, which may not seem like much to some people, but when you have 5 children being alone is just not an option. For me 15 minutes alone is enough. I just don't do ALONE! Then I came home and got to watch the sun rise and also had a great quiet time. God is so good. While I was sitting here having my coffee it dawned on me that however I make the day is how it will be. In other words, whatever attitude I choose to have will be how the rest of the day will be. I, for one do not need extra friction in my life... I choose happiness and thankfulness. I am so thankfull for my husband and all 5 children. John and I have great things that have happened in our life. This March John's oldest daughter, which he has never met, will be coming for a visit with her husband and three children. We are so excited and blessed to have them in our lives. It is an awesome feeling to know that there are three children in IA that call me Grandma Joy. Gotta love them. Everyday my children are such a blessing to me. Adam is so sincere about his guitar and work. I just love him so much. However, he is growing up way too fast. I am afraid he will be gone before I know it. Then there is Brand, he is so sensitive but on the other hand rough and rowdy like the rest. That kid is so smart on math and I think he may have to teach me in High School.... Then there is Ride.... Oh boy.... He is so onry but caring all in one. If he doesn't have a broken bone by the time he is 6 I will be surprised. He has no fear!!! Good or bad, humm I am not sure yet.... Then there is Shiloh, what a girl. She loves pink and doing things with Mom. She is such a helper. I am praying for healing with her eye. Then there is precious Little Joe... He is so sweet. He always says "But Mom I love you.." He loves hugs and smooches. He loves horses so much. All he wants to do is ride Amigo and Gus.. If we are inside all he does is ride the rockn' horses and play with his toy horses. He refuses to wear anything but Wranglers and western shirts. Gotta have the boots and spurs and don't forget the belt and buckle. What a kid. I love them all so much in so many different ways. Then there is John, what a guy. He has finally settled down and is actually a family man. It took him 45yrs to figure it out, however now he is great at it. He works so hard every day to provide and then on weekends tries to have time for eveyone. He loves the Lord with all his heart. Who could ask for a better man. I am so blessed. Well I better get going. Showers to take, animals to feed and kids to feed too. School is waitn' and daylight is burning.

Busy weekend!

Well another weekend has come and gone. Seems like these days they fly by so fast. With John working so many hours during the week we try to fit everything we can into two days. It never happens. We always have to settle for just a few things together.
I don't know how many of you know about Shilohs eye condition, but I will tell the whole story. She went for her 3 year check up and failed her eye exam. Last Monday we went to the eye Dr. He said she has a sever lazy eye and is legally blind in that eye. Tuesday we are going back to get her glasses all sized up I guess you could say. She will wear the glasses and a patch on the good eye for at least 3 years. We are praying God will heal her eye and make her 20/20 vision in both eyes. God is good all the time... We just have to learn patience....
If any of you know any good ideas for getting a 6 year old to sit still during school I would love the help. We only do sitting for 30 minute to 1 hour intervals, but it seems to much to Mr. Wiggle pants Brand...
I better get. Lots to do still before bedtime.