Down On The Farm

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Protecting Children's Bodies....Moody Radio!

Do you have children between the ages of birth and 18? If you do, then you need to listen to this podcast from today's Chris Fabry Live show. It's dealing with Protecting Children's Bodies, talking to them about protecting themselves (even at very young ages) and how to respond to sexual and domestic abuse, and (when the time is right) talking to them about sex and sexuality, all in a Biblical worldview. Some GREAT points were made!

As a side note to this link, I have been to a couple of ballgames lately and yesterday to Mule Day and I have to say this. Please. Please, please, please, please PLEASE, I am begging each and every parent with a child under the age of 12, please keep YOUR eyes on your child at ALL times when you are at an event....even a small town ballgame. Keep them with YOU. If they are over 12, still keep your eyes on them, and know where they are, who they are with and what they will be doing.

Do you know how many registered sex offenders live in Ider, AL....in Dekalb County? In Jackson County? Look it up.....it is STAGGERING. Did you know that just this past week a man in Ider was arrested by HOMELAND SECURITY for child pornography??...in Ider. If you live anywhere else, look up your town. You will be shocked. Are these people allowed on school property? No. Do they still come onto school property?? You better believe they do. I have seen it (and yes reported it) with my very own eyes!!

The scariest thing is, the registered ones aren't even close to being the only ones. Be proactive. Be aggressive in protecting your children. Please!

http://www.moodyradio.org/Chris-Fabry-Live/2015/09-2015/2015-09-08---Protecting-Children-s-Bodies-Turning-Left-Instead-of-Right/

Monday, September 7, 2015

Happy Labor Day!

Today may be Labor Day to most of you, but in our town, It's Mule Day! Always great family fun, and for any of you who missed the Hee Haw skit we did at Grandmother's party at the Gin.......well here's your chance to see it again! Complete with Minnie Pearl, Roy Clark and the gang! Y'all come now, ya hear?!

When a farmer runs for an office how does he show up for the Mule Day parade?.....how else but this?!?!

Friday, September 4, 2015

Body 4 Believers

Okay, ya'll! I haven't posted anything on my FB page (or blog...lol) about the journey I've been on for the past 4 and a half months, but I feel like now's the time to share a little bit, and if you've seen me lately, you may be wondering what I'm taking, whether I've had surgery, etc ,etc ,etc (It's all been asked, and I'm totally ok with it...lol!)

On April 13, 2015 I woke up feeling weird. I actually felt weird all weekend before that Monday. I had been called to jury duty for that week and just thought it was nerves....I'm sure part of it probably was. Either way, I told my husband that Monday morning that if I still felt like this after I finished jury duty that day I was going to the Dr to get checked out. I felt worse. I got a scary report at the dr that day and made the decision right then and there that I was going to make a change.

Some of our friends had done the Body 4 Believers plan a few years ago and had wonderful results! I had even taken the free class AND done some promo photos for them, but never really got in gear and on the program. The thing that intrigued me most about this program was their "No pills, no surgery, no shots, no potions" approach because I know from experience that even if you take things to help you loose weight, when you stop, you gain it all back, and then some!.....and I didn't want that. I want to do this one (more) time, then live it for life.

The first month I lost 26 pounds. JUST by eating & drinking the right things. No exercise, no pills, shots or surgery. No crazy diet foods....just things I could buy at the grocery store! As of today, 4.5 months after I started, I have lost 83 pounds. EIGHTY-THREE POUNDS! I started walking about a month in, then added in other exercise and weights as I could. Not rocket science, and let me tell you, If I can do it......ANYONE can!

The best part? I don't feel like I'm missing anything and I know for sure this is something I could do for the rest of my life. My husband has lost around 40 pounds just eating what I cook, and our kids are eating much healthier things too! Win, win, WIN!

I sure don't tell you all this to draw any attention to me, or to brag on myself. The way I feel and all the energy I have is all the reward I need,...besides I'm not finished yet!! I still have a little ways to go to get to my goal! I tell you all this because I feel led to. Maybe one (or a bunch) of my FB friends needs/wants to get healthier or loose weight? Maybe this program is just what you've been searching for? You can do it!! ...and now is a great time to start! Greg has just today reduced their online course to $35! OR, you can check to see if there is a FREE class coming to an area near you at body4believer.com.

I'm going to give one of these away, I just have to figure out how/when I'm going to do it. In the meantime, as Greg would say......Have a HOT day!! I know I'm going to....and feel great because of it! smile emoticon

P.S.....now if you see me looking all raggedy, you know it's because I haven't bought a lot of new smaller clothes....YET! wink emoticon

https://www.facebook.com/180324178672325/videos/942030615835007/

Online Course Now $35.00
Posted by Body 4 Believers on Friday, September 4, 2015

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

It's What's For Dinner.......

At supper last night:
Walker (Age 5): "Mom, for my birthday party this year I want a chocolate cake, but we won't eat it until after Luke (our pastor) finishes preaching."
Me: "You want to have your cake at church?"
Walker: "No."
Me: "You want Luke to preach at your birthday party?!"
Walker: "Yes" (now during this conversation he never looks up or stops eating like this is nothing out of the ordinary, but the rest of us may have been staring at him.....)
Me: "Well, what do you want him to preach about?"
Walker (shrugs): "Whatever he wants to. I just want him to tell my friends and my family about Jesus at my birthday party."
Me: (and his daddy)..."ugly cry"

Be still my heart.
So, we'll be booking the preacher for his birthday party this year.
.....and having chocolate cake.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Remembering...

This week has brought such a whirlwind of emotions. I was able to spend precious moments Wednesday afternoon with my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Dub all to myself while we waited in the emergency room. We spent hours that afternoon talking about when they both were saved and baptized, about Carter & Lilah's baptism this weekend, the peace that brings, and about so many memories from my childhood. My sister & I spent many hours as kids at their house and they have just petted us absolutely rotten our entire lives. Since our mom got sick 24 years ago, they spent a lot of time standing in the gap for her. They rocked my babies, fussed over them, and petted them even more rotten (if that's possible) than they do Crystal & I. I can't even count how many baby blankets & booties Aunt Wanda spent hours and hours making for them, or how many hours they rocked and loved on them. I never imagined when I left the hospital on Wednesday night things would take the turn they did. The kids & I spent the entire day at the hospital on Thursday after being called in for fear of the worst. The kids were able to talk to their beloved Uncle Dub for most of that day. He perked right up when they came in. They told him they loved him and he did the same....many sweet sweet moments were shared that day, including a lengthy visit with his only surviving sister, Jean. Yesterday was heartbreaking as we knew for sure the end was near, and today, in the early morning hours I got the call to come quickly. I didn't make it back in time, but my heart is at peace. I know for sure he knew I loved him and I have a lifetime of memories that will always remind me of the love he had for me....and my babies.

Please remember Aunt Wanda, Jeanette, Scott, & Shannon in prayer in the coming days. I'm exhausted physically & emotionally, I know they all are, especially Aunt Wanda!! Remember his only living sibling Jean Frost as well. Please also remember my broken hearted babies. They have just cried and cried today. Say a special prayer for my sweet tender hearted Carter. He has a big job to do for the funeral. As an honorary pall bearer, he will walk in front of the casket.

Arrangements for WL Hancock:
Kerby Funeral Home
Visitation- Sunday 4-8pm CST
Monday 10-3
Funeral-Monday at 3

Friday, August 14, 2015

We will survive!

We survived the first full week of school!

Does that call for a celebration?!

We thought so!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

First Chapel of the year!

This school year's first Chapel service! Such a great way to start the day....worshipping with a gym full of kids, teachers, & a few parents!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Cinco de Mayo!

We spent this beautiful cinco de mayo saturday with a trip to Sweet Seasons Farm for Art at the Barn. This is the fourth year Paulette and the Manning family have hosted this event and I have ALWAYS had to work so I was looking SO forward to this year!

It was hot and the kids got a little whiny after a while, but they did enjoy a demonstration by Mr Manning with this sheep dog. He used a border collie to round up the herd of sheep in no time flat! Carter is convinced that he can train Simba to do the same thing....we'll see, I guess!

I did score some great props (some newborn hats and a great banner) and a Mother's Day gift, a CUTE little bird feeder, for GG while we were there. I also got a few good ideas for crafts should I ever decide to get crafty again.....ha! I think Simba may be more likely to become a sheep dog!

We left the farm and stopped at Mi Casita for lunch, then home for naps and playing outside.

Carter has spent the afternoon trying his best to learn to whistle. It would probably help if he had a teacher who could whistle....neither me nor Kyle can whistle enough to amount to anything! We've had fun listening to him though!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Overheard:

Overheard this morning:
Carter to Walker, (after I heard the cocking of his nerf gun): "open it wider....wider....wiiider"
Walker: "AHHH"
Me: CARTER! Don't shoot that in his mouth!!!
Carter & Walker: *wild giggling*
Mercy.

What a wonderful way to wake up!

Sweet Walker woke me up this morning singing my favorite song...He came up with it himself! It goes something like this: "Mama, mama, maaaaamaaaaa, mama, mama, mama,...i wuvvvv yooooouu." So sweet! Yesterday was a particularly tough one with a NILMSTS call, so this just hit the spot! Then in true Walker fashion he looked at me right in the eye and said, "Now I'm gonna wipe a booger on you." lol! Stinker!! (p.s...he didn't, he just likes to threaten)

I am so very thankful for my sweet little blessings!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Walker...

Dear Walker,

I haven't written a lot of letters to you here on the blog, but you'll find them ~~shoved~~ neatly tucked away in your baby book for safe keeping. As of now, you are 22 months old, you weigh 21 pounds, and your absolute favorite things in the world are trucks, tractors, and 4 wheelers. The kind you push around in the floor, and the kind you ride. You eat anything that's put in front of you and your always sure to take your time and enjoy every bite. It's so much fun to watch you taking in the world around you!

Today you got your first pair of big boy boots and you couldn't be prouder. Carter couldn't have been more proud either! He took great pride in showing you to the big boy boot section and helping to find just the right size.

We went to the county fair last night and you were so excited when you saw all the lights & rides! You jumped on every ride you could and smiled and laughed the entire time! There were a couple that you weren't big enough for yet, but that was okay too. You waved and squealed at Carter & Lilah as they went by.

You love your big brother and big sister so very much, and they love you too! I love that you can be away from each other for just a little while (like for the hour and a half Lilah has dance class) and when she comes out you greet her with a hug and a smile and a "Hi Wiwah!!" like you haven't seen her in ages! You never sleep with me & daddy, but you can be found either in Lilah or Carter's bed every night. I hope you always love them this much!

You bring such joy to our lives, Walker! I can't believe you'll be two in just over a month......I'd like to slow down time for a little while. I am so thankful that God picked me to be your mom.

I love you!

Mom.

p.s....In the above picture, Walker is "babysitting" his favorite baby cousin, Luke. I'm sure he'd like me to clarify that he's definitely not playing with a doll...lol!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

What? 9 Months?

It's been 9 months exactly to this very day that I wrote on my blog.

Good grief!

I would attempt to try and catch things up a bit, but:

1. I'm sure nobody stops by here anymore

and...

2. You wouldn't believe all that's taken place in those 9 months if I tried to tell you.

(and since no one is listening, I am talking to myself. I dont believe it either.)

However, I realize that I am failing miserably at slowing down long enough to document my children's lives and that stops today.

Does that sound believable?

I am going to do my best to at least keep a record of the goings on within my children's and family's lives.

Starting now:

Carter is now 4 years old.

Lilah is 2

Walker is 1.

People ask me how many kids I have and I say "3". That doesn't alarm them so much. Until they ask how old they are.

Then they cringe.

Carter is still Carter. Funny as can be!

Lilah is a pretty funny girl too. She reminds me SOOOO much of my niece Rachel. She even talks like her.....which is not always a good thing :)

Walker is a wild man. There is nothing he won't try. Nothing. He climbs up, down, over, and around. If he can't climb it, he will find a way to get it. He kicks, smacks, pulls hair, ears, ear rings.....whew! Wild.

And SOO sweet.

Okay, thats a feeble attempt I realize, but in that 9 months my photography business has been blessed by God in ways that still just take my breath away.....and it's Christmas....and I have to get to work or people will be hunting me down!!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

No excuse, really...

...for not blogging much lately. I have been pretty busy, but I have been slacking over here and I'm really gonna try to do better!

Whether or not anyone else reads my endless run on sentences, I do like to keep a journal of the things that go on here on "the farm" and I haven't done much of that lately!

In my last post I mentioned taking the kids to the circus, well, we did! And we all had a great time! Carter is still talking about it, and still doing some of the "tricks" he witnessed there at the greatest show on earth....so much so that I'm starting to rethink whether or not we should have taken Little Mr Imagination.

Why?

Well, just the other day I was in the bathroom that joins our bedroom and he and Lilah were dancing on our bed like they do all the time when I heard something break. I ran in there only to find that Carter had taken 3 big picture frames off the wall (very quietly) and lined them up in a row across our bed. He then proceeded to walk across them because "Mom, the man walked on glass at the circus!"

Oh,..... well, alrighty then.

Also, he is constantly doing "tricks" from the ottoman to the couch and back again, and since the moment we left the circus parking lot, there is a new requirement that must preceed each and every "performance" of said "tricks". Here it is:

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, childrens of alllllllllll ages, presenting Carter Kyyyyyyyle Piiiiiiiiike.........He can do tricks!!!"

....and after a trick or ninety, I get a little lackluster in my ringmaster skills, and he ain't havin' none of that!

Also, Lilah has a few new skills of her own......

*She talks 97 miles per hour.
*When you call her name she very unpolitely says "WHAT?" (heeelarious!)
*She don't take nothin' off her big brother, and she will bite to prove it! (not so heelarious!)
*she will eat anything and everything, and you know she enjoys it because she says "mmmm"
after every bite.
*she blows fabulous kisses!
*she gives even better real kisses....complete with smoochy sound effects! (so precious)
*she will not wear hairbows, or shoes! I take her shoes to the car with me and put them on when we get where we're going, otherwise I put them on 3 or 4 times per trip!
*She talks the most adorable baby talk to Walker. It goes like this, "jabber jabber jabber, yeah. jabber jabber jabber, oh yeah baby Caulker" (SWEET!)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something....

.....and Walker, well he just smiles and coo's and looks and smells adorable and cushy, and I love that he loves me more than anything or anyone right now. I know this phase will end, but for now, I'm basking in the fact that I am his everything....

So, since I know you've missed seeing them constantly, (unless you're on Facebook, then you're still bombarded regularly!)....I'll leave you with some pics of my little darlin's from this morning...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Just Hangin' Around......

...Finding new and exciting ways to entertain a 3 year old and a 22 month old indoors during a long cold wet winter has started to tax my imagination.

Obviously.

However, we are going to the circus this weekend so the fact that they are practicing their scooter ridin' "tricks" just might come in handy with the circus crowd! :)

Friday, January 22, 2010

It's UP!

It's up.

It's running.

I'm so excited!

I just can't hide it!

What,...you ask?

This

There are still a few tweaks I want to make, (I say that like I know what I'm doing...)

......but it's up and running at long last!

Now, I have to run because I have not one, but TWO photography gigs tonight!

God is Good!!