My birthday is this week, so my friend (the lady that I've been doing Bible study with for a year now) threw me a party today. We had a great time and she got me some really sweet gifts and made me a wonderful birthday cake! Considering how difficult her life has been recently, this was a huge step in the right direction and I really enjoyed myself!

The weather is decent today, not warm, but the sun is shining and it's gaining in strength, so it feels a bit warmer. Unfortunately, we're expecting 2 inches of snow tomorrow and the possibility of more on Thursday. They are even talking about people's mental health on the news in regards to this very long winter.

S and I went to see "The Other Boleyn Girl" yesterday afternoon despite the reviews we had read. We found it to be fairly decent and enjoyed it. It wasn't terribly factual, but the costumes and sets were great and the acting was okay. Of course, it peaked our interest, so after the movie we headed to Barnes and Noble for some biographies!

The weather went from being sunny and warm (it was in the 60's before we went into the theater) to rainy and cold! By bedtime, it was sleeting and raining and when I woke up this morning, snow covered the ground again. The warmth felt so nice yesterday. I'm trying really hard not to complain, but I'm really ready for spring.

I really need to get something done today, I have bookwork to do, knitting to get done, and some cleaning, so I'd better get to it.

We have company this morning and had totally forgotten they were coming. Baby L is almost 3!

I wish I had taken the camera, but I didn't. Yesterday, during chore time, hubby called me and told me that a young bald eagle was flying over the barn area so I went out on the back step and watched a beautiful young eagle soar over my head. It would have been a beautiful picture, but, well, oh well.

After writing my post this morning, hubby called me to come out and see all the eagles that were out there. There were at least 5 full-grown bald eagles. They were to far away to get a good picture, but it was cool to watch. We didn't realize that we had so many around here.

On the way back to the house, hubby pointed out how close the deer had been to the house last night (I'm such a great tracker, I walked right by on my way down to the barnyard!!).

One photo shows how they scratched through the snow to find grass to eat and the other shows scat from the deer in prospective to the back door. (Objects are closer than they appear!)

Baby is all better! This picture was taken about 1/2 hour after the one asleep in the chair. The heating pad worked!

Yesterday continued with lots of excitement around the dead deer. The coyotes didn't come back, but by late evening, our local pair of bald eagles were enjoying a lovely dinner. They were chasing off the crows and the other deer that move through there in early evening. Hubby says that they are back again this morning.

This weekends weather looks better than it has from awhile. I'm excited!!

My youngest is graduating in a couple of months. This is bringing on interesting feelings lately. Things like the "101 Dalmatians" commercial makes me melancholy, we use to watch that over and over when the kids were little. Last night Hubby, middle daughter and I watched "The Return of the King" (well, got through the first half) and it made me miss reading together as a family. I think my favorite part of homeschooling was our reading times. I loved reading out loud and discussing what we were reading. I guess it's time to wait until I can read to grandbabies.

There are so many things I'm looking forward to by having adult children, on the other hand, it's proving to be more a life change than I anticipated. In talking to others that are going through the same transitions, I'm seeing the same things. There is a feeling of facing the unknown. There are questions about their marriages, what their purpose is now, and many others. I'm praying that the Lord will give us the tools to make it safely through the transition, I know that He will.

This morning has already been a crazy morning. Last night the coyotes were thick due to a dead deer by our creek. They were howling and barking, it was awful. We kept Liberty in knowing that it would be a bad situation. This morning we figured they had all gone into their dens with nice full tummies and so we let Lib out to go potty, etc., and before long we had to get the guns out to shoot at the coyotes (they are in season, perfectly legal!) because they were chasing Liberty. I had to stay in the house so I was crying and praying for God's protection over her. She's just the best dog I've ever had! The coyotes were so close to the buildings that my husband could have thrown something at them and hit them! The guns frightened them away and Liberty is safely in the house sleeping off the excitement. She's going to have to be carefully watched until the deer is gone. The crows are working on that, too!

We've also got another baby in the house...he was born yesterday, but is very tiny and was too cold this morning, so he's relaxing in Liberty's chair on the heating pad. Hopefully we caught him soon enough.

I'd better get in the tub. The furniture repair man is supposed to be coming today to fix our loveseat and while he probably won't be here at the beginning of the time he quoted, I'd better not count on that and be ready.

I was blessed to see biblical parenting in action today.

First we visited Baby A, M, and C. Baby C is absolutely adorable! Mom is a very young mom and she and her husband have been through some fires since their marriage. Baby A was born at 30 weeks. She is healthy, whole, and full of vim and vinegar! Baby M was born about 15 months later and he too is doing very well. Baby C is just about 17 months younger. You would think that mom would be pulling her hair out, that she would be frazzled, and that the house would be a mess. You would think you might see snotty noses and crabby children. But, the truth is, it was the exact opposite! The kids are happy and healthy. The house is lived in, but clean. Mom is calm and satisfied. Her contentment is something I wish I had had when my children were her age. I so often wish that I had known then what I know now. We really enjoyed our morning with them all.

After dinner we enjoyed the afternoon with Baby A(2) and Baby K and their mom. Again, we were able to witness the joy and contentment of choosing to live biblically! Baby A is a few months short of being 2 and she is going through the touching thing and tempting mommy to respond. Mommy did respond and sometimes in a firm manner, but after every time of discipline (which was so lovingly administered!) Baby A would come to mommy and very joyfully hug her. She would laugh and smile and exhibit obedience. Mommy didn't make a big deal of the disobedience, she would just calmly mention what Baby A was doing wrong and then if Baby A chose not to obey, mommy would calmly, in the midst of conversation, administer a bit of discipline. It was such a blessing to see biblical living in action.

Unfortunately, the sweater that I made needs to have it's neck enlarged since Baby K is quite a good sized baby. Shouldn't take much to fix it and it will give us another excuse to go and visit!

The sun is shining this morning! Woo hoo! There are 45 degree temperatures in the forecast! I'm so looking forward to that!

March is just around the corner and that is always my hardest month, but I'm confident that the Lord will get me through this one too! I just need to follow the advice I give my friend, perspective, faith, and attitude! It may be March, but I don't have to give into anxiety, depression, or other negative things. I can be hopeful, joyful, because I have a God who understands.

We did cancel knitting group again last night due to the icy roads, but hopefully in 2 weeks, we'll have no problem getting together. I enjoy that time so much. Knitting, eating, and chatting! Are there any better things to do? I don't think so!

Today we are going to visit the new babies that we haven't had a chance to visit yet. Baby K is just over 2 months and baby C is just a few days old. (Baby C is Baby A's and Baby M's baby brother. Hee Hee!)

Yesterday didn't turn out quite as bad as they had predicted. There is a lot of ice and some drifting, but we're getting so used to it that it is really minor.

The weather continues to drain us all. We are expecting more freezing rain and 3-7 inches of snow today. Tomorrow, it's supposed to blow, which means that our road with blow shut again, there is just no place for the snow to go! I took J to my nephew's on Friday and drove through a tunnel of snow up by my in-laws. I could barely fit my medium-sized SUV through it, there is no way that Hubby could get a semi through there.

I just keep trying to hang on to the glimpses of sun and warmth that we get, I don't want to get into a funk emotionally because of the weather. It's so easy for me to go there and March is always my difficult month.

I am so grateful to the Lord for all the tools He has given me to deal with the challenges that we have faced over the past year. Unfortunately, we added to our list of challenges last week when our niece miscarried her baby. It's all so sad!

I didn't watch the Oscars, I hadn't seen any of the top movies, nor do I care to (except, maybe, Atonement), but I did look up the dresses. Many were quite stunning. I didn't see a one that made me go "hmmmmm".

So, today is a knitting, watching the rained out NASCAR, finishing the laundry kind of day because it's not fit to go outside again.

Obviously, it's been a very long time since I've felt like blogging. The winter has been quite long and my energy levels have not been great. Much of January and February were spent knitting and catching up with Gilmore Girls. Our roads have been awful and we've really spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. I'm really beginning to crave summer food and summer clothes!!

2007 is coming to an end. I'm excited about 2008.

2007 has been a very challenging year, but there have been many blessings that have come as a result of those challenges.

Probably one of my biggest blessings was the Lord getting me through March. This was year "7", the year, according to they cycle that my anxiety and depression runs, should have been my time to fall back into it. I started praying in just before January and asked others to do the same. March came, twinges were felt, prayers were sent up, and God provided a "diversion" to get me through that time. I am still in awe and amazement! So, despite the challenges that this year has presented-emotionally, physically, and spiritually, God drew me closer and got me through them all!

Other blessings include His guiding me to an area in my life that I've always wanted to go-counseling. It has been one of the most difficult things to do and one of the most rewarding. Despite some huge failures, we've had some successes and we've become forever linked.

There are still many difficult challenges to face ahead in the new year, but God has proven His faithfulness (as He always does) and I'm excited to watch Him work.

I don't often make "resolutions", but I do have some goals for the new year...journaling more, deeper study in God's Word with an emphasis on knowing where passages are located, more study with Beth Moore (what a HUGE blessing those have been!!), more joy, more compassion, more love. (Oh yeah, and lose weight...)

May you all be truly blessed this coming year.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!

Our sweet nephew's 2nd Christmas, he just turned one a couple of weeks ago. His little life has been upset by things he doesn't understand yet. Pray that God will do a mighty work!!

My niece and her finance. We're excited to help them plan their August wedding. Definitely something to look forward to!

Baby E in his new Dale of Norway sweater. Obviously, he wasn't enjoying it, but we were!

I know that it has been a very long time since I've posted. We have had a very busy fall. Harvest, family things, and general living. Despite some things being pretty tough, God is good! My friend, who's little girl died in February, found out that she was pregnant shortly after that. Well, just over a month ago, she gave birth to a healthy little boy! I finally finished his Dale of Norway sweater (they are very Norwegian-so it was a no-brainer!) I actually did the entire pattern according to the pattern and steeked it the other day. It went much easier than I expected and am looking forward to doing more this way-so much less finishing to contend with!!

This is our old farm truck. It has been sitting without it's engine for quite some time. Hubby and son decided that son needed the learning experience and so they spent much of the winter and summer rebuilding the engine and carb. Just a few minutes ago, son drove it into the driveway!! To many kids don't learn how to work or work with their hands these days, I'm thankful that mine is such a hard worker!

I haven't blogged in a very long time! It's not that life is boring, it's the opposite, and it's not because I didn't want to, it just seemed like every time I sat down to write, I forget everything I wanted to write!

It has been a very busy late summer, one filled with lots of change and challenges.

The biggest change was our church moving from our country building to a bigger building in town. We went from 3 services down to one. I'm praying that God will be glorified in this move and that we will follow His lead.

I'm so thankful for fall, though. I love fall! I love the cooler temperatures, the lack of humidity, the changing colors and football! It's not that I don't enjoy summer, I do, but everything changes in the summer and I enjoy getting back into a routine. We started our next Beth Moore study. That's exciting!! We have 30 women signed up for this one-Believing God. I know that He will work miracles as we learn to believe Him!

He's been driving home some points from several things that I've been studying! We are Abraham's spiritual heirs-it's all over the New Testament! I've often struggled with whether or not we could actually receive the blessings that God's Chosen People, the Jews, received, but we can! How exciting it is to watch God putting it all together! There has been so much more, but it's hard to put it into words. I just know that He is working!

I haven't gotten much substantial knitting done. I spent a couple of weeks knitting blue cords for all the Bible study ladies. Now that I'm done with that, I'm getting the lining in my felted bag, I've been working on some socks and need to get a baby sweater done.