Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge him,and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Cow Check-Up


It's already been ten days since we moved our twin cows to the pasture in Mathis.  For the last couple of days we've been trying to figure out a time to run by there and check on them.   Today was a warm day so we waited until things cooled off outside a bit and then we took a ride over there.   Johnny decided to let Penny ride along in the back of the truck.  We really didn't intend on taking Honey with us, but after being pulled out of the back of the truck, she immediately hopped back in.  So, we decided to give it a try and pray she didn't hop out and get hurt.  She did not.  Whew.

Several times in the last few weeks Johnny has been taking Honey, Penny and Caleb for a ride around the neighborhood.  Penny loves going for a truck ride and it seems Honey is beginning to enjoy that also.  Of course, Caleb's reasoning is that he gets to sit in the back of the truck with them.  Don't panic folks, dad is creeping along at a very slow speed.

Here are some photo's from today's cow check-up:

Honk the horn and they come a' running:

The red one in the center is one of our twins:

And here's the other twin, the white one in the center:

We brought some cubes with us and Johnny tossed them all around on the ground for them to snack on:

Caleb gets a little more brave all the time.  Today he really wanted to get out of the truck and stand with dad.  Johnny and I were very cautious because rattlesnakes have been since in this area.  We want to keep Caleb safe, but let him have fun, too:

Here's our girl again.  Johnny said he thought she looked like she was doing good, maybe a little better than the red one.

I received confirmation that yes, this cow in the center, with the black and bits of red swirled in, is the mother of our twin girls:

Here our red one, staring me down:

Johnny let Caleb ride in the back of the pick up through the pasture land and until we made it back to the main rode.  Every time I looked into the side mirror, he had his arm wrapped around Honey and a sweet smile on his face.  I held my arm out the window and tried my best to capture a snapshot of it, without dropping my camera on the ground!

Here he is feeling the wind on his hand and trying not to get dirt in his eyes:

Here he has his arm wrapped around Honey and he looks so sad, but it really was only because of the dirt flying around and getting in his eyes:

See what I mean?  I tried to get his smiling face, but at least you can tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he's having a blast!

When we dropped the cows off ten days ago, our nephew Bryan tried to get Caleb to drink water from the well.  He didn't want to.  But for some reason today he wanted to give it a try so dad pulled over to let him.


Back in the truck and one more smile for the road.....

This was the first time Honey had been further than the end of our block.  Johnny stopped for gas on the way there and said she was shaking like a leaf.  I laughed a little bit and said, well, the last time she had a long ride in a vehicle we brought her home and the time before that, someone threw her in a ditch.  I know dogs supposedly don't have long term memory, and I'm certain she was nervous because she was doing something she'd never done before.  I think she really did enjoy it once she calmed down....

Until next time....

Love and blessings,

Pam



Friday, April 27, 2012

It's a Wrap!!

I think one of Randy's favorite parts of school is his theater class and the drama department.  If there are auditions for a play, you can place your bets that Randy will be there.

The play they competed with for the 2012 UIL Competition was Teach Me How to Cry by Patricia Joudry.

Randy had the part of Mr. Henderson, a salesman, husband, and father who didn't seem very successful at his job, which caused his family to move around a lot.  I was able to capture a snapshot of him after the play was over.  No flash photography during the play!!

The play choice this time around was very dramatic.  Lots of emotional scene's and I guess if you think about the name of the play, was meant to lead some of the characters towards crying, or trying not to cry.

Randy as Mr. Henderson:



 I tried so hard to get a group picture.  But, the lighting was bad and I just couldn't not see well enough to know that my camera wasn't in the best of focus.  Needless to say, every group shot I took ended up fuzzy.  I'm putting them here anyway, so we can at least admire the cast of kids through the fuzz.




I'm really proud of Randy and of course the entire cast for a job well done.  

In His Name,

Pam





Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cows on the M-o-o-o-v-v-v-e-e-e

With the current prices of hay and the lack of grass in our own pastures, we've opted to move two of our cows to some pasture land in Mathis.  The twins are hang out with my brother-in-law's cows and we also hope that they will get bred in the process.

Here they are just before the move.  Getting big aren't they?  They sure are a pretty set of heifers.



Loading up - my brother-in-law, Harold and Johnny as they try to work the twins into the cattle trailer.

It only took a few minutes of cajoling to get them in there.

After arriving to the pasture in Mathis, it only took a few honks of the horn to "call" the other cows.  It's was interesting watching them - - as they watched us.  Haha!

A pretty group....


They were sure were curious about the trailer.  Or maybe it was our girls inside they were inspecting.

Once the guys unloaded the twins, it didn't take long for them to run off into the brush.  Ours are the one's in the center-right of the picture - the white and red one.

This heifer was a very curious one - came up close, checking us out.

If I remember correctly, this is the momma to our twins.  I asked if they would remember each other, but the guys just shrugged their shoulders uncertain.  ;o)

We followed them on down the road a piece to the water-hole.  Caleb wanted to see that they found the water.

One donkey in the mix.

And here was our last peek at our twins before we left for home.  They found water and seemed to be pretty happy hanging out with each other, amongst the others.

It's my understanding that we'll leave them there until August or early September.  It's important to move the cows out of that pasture land before deer hunting season starts.   Our goal is to drive out and make sure all are well about once every week or two.  

Walking with the King,

Pam



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Just What You Need When You Need It


If you are a believer, you have undoubtedly witnessed the power of God at some time or another during your Christian walk.  He is a Strong Tower.  He is our Counselor.   He is All-Knowing.  He knows what we are going to think before we think it.  He knows what we are doing to say before we say it.  And He knows how we are going to act before we even act it.  It's what He does.  He gets all up in our business.  He's reading our "mail."  And when things are good, we love that don't we?   It's fun to share the Good things that happen in our lives with others.  Spread that Good News.  It's what we are supposed to do - share with others and help bring them to the Lord.

What about those times when the picture is no longer rosy?  Or the light at the end of the tunnel seems oh so far away?  What about those times?  It's for that reason I share this story with you.  I feel a little bit vulnerable.  But, my hope is that God will use this in the same way He uses everything else.  For Good.

One of God's biggest desires is that we draw closer to him.  Especially in the midst of our troubles.  We all have troubles.  They vary in their degree of intensity and they come and go in waves.  At all times we are to hold fast to our Lord while letting Him guide and carry us through it all.  For God doesn't promise us a life without trials.  But, He does promise to stand strong with us during them.

Do we always do it?  Hold on tightly to Him?  I don't think so.  For me, the times when I let go are becoming more rare than the times when I am holding tightly TO Him.  But, they are still there.  Of course, I can only speak for myself, but were I a betting person I'd be willing to say that I would not be standing in that line all by myself.  It's human nature.  And, I'm certain that sometimes our distance with the Lord is there before we even realize we've let it creep in.  

What does it take to draw you back in?  What circumstances have happened to make you realize there is a little slack in your line between yourself and the One we are supposed to keep our faith in?  For me?  It was a roughly torn, bright orange slip of children's construction paper.  Huh?  You ask....

Well, Relay for Life was last Friday.  We (our family and church family) walk in Relay for Life every year in honor of those we know and love that are fighting cancer, those that have fought cancer and won, and those that have fought cancer and lost.  There are always goodies to buy and support the cause, but I do like to take a small ice chest of water and G2 just to have.  That afternoon I pulled out our small ice chest only to remember that its cloth exterior had begun to leak the last few times I'd used it.  The last thing I wanted was a puddle under our ice chest at Relay.  So, I found myself in Wal-Mart, seeking out a small, compact sized ice chest that I could carry.  God was surely with me on this day.  In a very special way.  First aisle I looked, first chest there was perfect.  I grabbed it and a bag of ice and was out the door.  Yes, I did stop to pay for it first......

When I got to my car I opened the ice chest.  I wanted to get the beverages inside it so they could begin cooling off.   Inside, laying on the bottom was that bright orange, small scrap of paper.  With a wrinkled brow I picked it up and read the chicken scratch handwriting:

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober be vigilant, because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom He may devour. 

1 Peter 5:8

I read it once.  Then twice.  Then a third time.  Then I looked up and around the parking lot as though maybe someone was watching me, or I might capture a glimpse of the one who put that paper in there.  All right God, I thought.  You are reading my mail again....Sigh....

It that moment I realized the line between God and myself was definitely slacking.  Hmpf, I said to myself.  I sure didn't like some stranger pointing that out to me.  And then in the next breath I sighed a deep sigh and smiled.  I'm sure I shook my head a little bit, too.  That stranger didn't point anything out to me.  He/she had obeyed God and God used them and their scrap of orange paper to give me a shake.

I've had a couple of battles going on inside me lately.   You know, some of the usual ones dealing with self image and stuff like that.  One battle in particular is not something I can personally fix.  Its not directly my problem, but it is a burden I am carrying because I am a Christian.  I wish I could fix it.  I wish I knew the answer to that particular battle.  We don't always have the answers though.  It's when we don't have the answers that we cannot let ourselves become discouraged.  In that discouragement, the devil takes a foothold, and he only needs a small space to start working.

Some time during the last couple of months I'd let go of the notion that God could fix this particular battle.  In letting go of that notion, I was also, for the first time in a very long time, letting go of God.  Whoa....did I just say that?  Really?  I just said that out loud?  I would never have thought that would be me.  But it was.  

I was letting myself listen to the devil.  Peck, peck, peck....He was pecking away at me and I was crumbling beneath his methods of destruction.  I'd dropped my Armor of God.  I'd dropped my life-line to the One who can fix it and win the battle.  It's up to me to keep the faith, STAY IN THE WORD, and hold tightly to Him.

Let me say that I will never be perfect.  I will never hold up to the expectations of others.  I will never understand why some people say what they say and do what they do, hurting others and leaving a path of disbelief and shaking heads behind them.  

Most importantly, I will never defeat the devil and his pecking by myself.  The bible tells us Who will fight that fight for us.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

Be still and read the Word.  Be still and listen for His reply.   Be still and trust in Him.  So today, I cried out to the Lord (literally) and handed over all my "things" to Him.  My head is back in the game.  I've picked up my Armor of God.  And you know what?  It feels really good.  I can't understand how I ever put it down in the first place and let the devil in.

The battles are still there all wrapped up nice and tidy in a pretty box with a matching bow.  I don't see a sign of them going away any time soon.  But, I'm not fighting them anymore.  I'm holding fast to the One who can fix them......my trust is back with Him.

Walking with the King,

Pam


Sunday, April 22, 2012

It's a T-Ball Game

T-Ball is definitely fun to watch.  As I write this post, Caleb has already had 5 or 6 games, or possibly more.  Busy times lately and my posting is not up-to-date.  Unfortunately, the pictures I took at his first t-ball game did not turn out.  My camera decided to focus on the chain-link fence instead of the cute kid I was trying to take pictures of.  I didn't take the time to look at the pictures closely and it wasn't until I downloaded them to my computer that I saw all the fuzzy pictures.  Pilot error for sure.

At this age, all t-ball pictures tend to look the same, except the opposing teams shirt color changes every once in a while.  So, I told myself I wasn't going to go crazy and take tons of picture.  Therefore, I didn't see that all my pictures were fuzzy until game three was already upon us.

Here are some of my favorite high-lights from that game.
Caleb on 2nd base
Caleb still on 2nd.
Okay, I know, fuzzy fence, BUT he is coming in to home plate - so had to post this one anyway.
Our little 1st baseman.
It's a catch!
Back on 1st!!
Our little pitcher!
In position and ready to go!
Back at bat with a great swing!
And a hit - - so off and running!!
Waiting on 3rd base!
Here they are telling the other team "good game." 
I will surely post most pictures.  We are only about 1/2 way through our season.  I've take a few more pictures, but not tons.  ;o)   I am so impressed with these little ones.  They have improved SO much since the first game.  The coaches are all doing a great job with them.  Until next time....

Walking with the King,
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Pirate Night

On April 4th the Sinton Little League held Pirate Night at the Sinton High School Stadium.  A little leaguers were invited to attend for a short and sweet ceremony.  Well, let's just say this.  It was a hurry up and wait, short and sweet ceremony.  The poor coaches had to keep a slew of little kids in order, in line for an hour, for a two minute celebration on the field.   This is one of those things we can probably say we're glad we did it.  Once.  ;o)

Small picture but Caleb is the second child from the right.  He and all the other 1st base players followed the 1st baseman for the Sinton High School team out to 1st base to stand with him.

Here he is trying to greet and keep his kids together.

Hats off for the Star Spangled Banner.

Hats back on when they were done....

And you just gotta love the coaches for this.....keeping all the kids together.....holding hands in a line.  I love it!

A huge billboard outside the stadium for one of Sinton's finest - - -


Like I said, it was fun to do, but not sure we'll make this an annual event.  ;o)  I had the easy job of sitting in the stadium stands waiting to watch the ceremony.  Johnny had the pleasure of assisting in keeping all the little kids together.  Big SIGH when it was all over I'm sure.

Walking with the King,
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