Trixie's Travels...

Where was my mind?

Did I really think things through on this one?  Was I even thinking at all or just holding nothing back to pursue a dream?  Did I count the cost? Do I want to know the cost?  These are all valid questions that I am posing to myself at this moment.  

I could spiritualize it all and say that it is a character building experience.  But I won't.  It is, without a doubt, a character REVEALING experience.  There have been things that have taken me for a loop in life, especially since I have been a Christian and those loops have always been other people.  

 

This, this life right now, has nothing to do with other people.  It has to do with this little family inside these walls, with me, with a bunch of animals, a garden, a house.... a dream.  

I didn't grow up anywhere close to living an agricultural/farmer life.  I was blessed to live every summer in Montana and "play" with that life from a distance, but I was also a kid and life has a different outlook during those years.  

Most days end with me exhausted, a new bruise and the thought of what I didn't get done that day....like laundry or a meal where we all sit down together to eat.  I juggle between schooling my kids, cleaning house, paying bills, trying to follow everyone's schedule/appointments, feeding about 90 animals, gardening for future food for us and the animals, planning Mom's Night Out, prepping/organizing for Children's Ministry or whatever else might break, crash or die.  

Crazy?  Yes.  Disappointed? No.  Since the end of February we started a brood of about 50 chickens, a flock of 15 turkeys to be processed for Thanksgiving,

raising a pig for butchering,

and a small herd of dairy goats for making cheeses and soaps.  

How can I forget the ducks?

This does not include the 60+ plants to landscape the front yard or the 35+ berry bushes and a few grapevines that have also planted themselves on the property.  We also planted 15 fruit trees/bushes.  Since our property came with absolutely no fencing we have run three full rolls of ranch fencing

and we still aren't done marking off the individual pens.  It feels like we should own stock in Home Depot, Lowe's, and Tractor Supply.  

Any knowledge we might have, is because we spend a good portion of our sleeping hours researching the internet and finding out that everything we do or feed the animals will kill them but thankfully God is greater than that and everyone is STILL alive and well and growing.  The couple of farm friends we have keep us encouraged enough to keep going, at least me.  

So why am I writing all of this?  Because Hot Rocks said that this blog was really just for me and him.  My family likes to keep tabs on us too...with all the stuff going on phone calls just don't happen like they use too and they can find out what new animal showed up on the porch or what they might be eating if they come over for dinner after they read this thing.  

Hot Rocks still works full-time, goes to school full-time for his Master's and serves in the Army Reserves.  

A person can be strong and persevere through things but what happens when that strength wears out?  When you are all by yourself and a big piece of lumber lands on you, what do you do?  Do you chuck your tool to kingdom- come because you are exhausted, worn out, alone?  Do you smile at the animal and think "It's o.k., you will be dinner soon enough?" or do you see that it is character being revealed?  

Ummmm...just to confess... I did not chuck my tool nor did I think about eating my goat, but I did yell loudly WITHOUT cussing. I also did not think about my character, honestly, I rarely do but God keeps showing it to me anyways and I just keep ignoring it.   I think I am in denial about things that He is showing me.  It means more work....work that needs strength.... strength that I do not have....but do I really need strength to change or just faith and some time?

I know the answer to that one but the question really remains .... am I going to have the faith and give the time up?  Has God ever disappointed me when I have come to Him?  Has He ever NOT given me strength for another day? How much time do I really lose from the One who made it?

I will just leave this post at that....a question for myself.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The" Camera Bag

Karrie and I LOVE our Crumpler camera bags!  She had found them first and was the best sister ever and sent me one too!  They have been with us everywhere for the past couple of years and honestly, I don't know that I would ever get another bag unless of course it was a BIGGER bag!

 

 

Karrie's bag had fallen off the rock while we were in Sedona and it just turned out to be a picture perfect moment!  

Who wouldn't like a bag with the name of "5 Million Dollar Home".  Basically, anytime you tell someone what kind of bag and the style it is, you are reminding yourself of how you are profiting the makers of said bag.  They end up with the 5 million dollar home and I/we/you have a cool camera bag! Now, isn't that just plain American?

I couldn't resist putting a "slogan" on the picture - it is such an advertisement type photo.  Granted, there isn't some gorgeous model holding the bag over her shoulder enticing everyone else to purchase a bag like this so that they can look like that too, but I think it cries out rugged, dependable, all-terrain. Kinda like, I can carry this bag ANYWHERE and it will serve it's purpose plus some.

With this kind of post, maybe I should get an upgrade on my bag or something??? LOL!

What can I say??? I LOVE this bag!

 

My Super-sized Latte....

Have you heard how Starbucks is trying out a new size in some areas?  It is a 31 ounce iced coffee drink.  It's true!  Look here if you don't believe!

Since I am not a huge Starbucks fan, sorry, it's true.  I decided to stay home and make my own. 

 

I gave myself a double shot and had to use my biggest canning jar but...

TA-DA!

A Good Laugh

I have things to post about but this one just struck me as funny.  For whatever reason, this morning before we left for church, I ended up reading the post that I had done about Papa.  Tears were shed and a smile appeared on my face and I continued on with the morning.  

My hair was doing crazy things - I mean CRAZY things and this one side was like on super {POOF!} mode, so I took a couple of bobby pins and wrestled down the wild hair.  "Ok", I thought, "not to bad - better than super {POOF!}." I felt like my hair wanted to revert my high school days.

The noodles will come together.... just give me a minute to explain.  

My Papa was a man of very few words, rarely did anything negative leave his mouth towards me and especially not towards Nana.  I lived with them during my 6th grade year of elementary and one morning I decided to do something different with my hair.  

I had LONG straight hair back then and there wasn't really a whole heck of a lot that I could do with it - I mean, I lived in Montana and with my grandparents for cryin' out loud and nobody really cared what you looked like.  

BUT, this one morning, I decided I needed to do something really different because you know.... I was from California and all - I pulled one side up with a barrett and went downstairs to have breakfast with my grandparents before school.  

As I sat down to have breakfast, my Papa looked at me and said "Trina, you look like a hooker with your hair like that."  I had never heard him say anything like that before in my life.  I wasn't devasted, but I was taken aback. Nana suggested that I pull both sides up- kinda even things out.  I obliged, ate breakfast and went off to school.  I never wore my hair like that again (that I know of)...at least.... not until this morning.  

As I drove to church this morning, that whole scenario played again in my mind.  Laughter randomly broke out as I toodled on down the road.  My hair remained up on the one side, memories had played out again and the smiles kept coming.  

Thank God for good memories - life is to hard not to have them - even if at the time they seem a little odd!