Family Life - January and February

Hello all! Here's to another family life post! It has been a full 2 months around here with birthdays, farm, school, snow, ice, traveling, and all the other things that fill up the life of a family 10. So here goes, a synopsis of January and February in pictures. Warning - there is a lot of them. =)

January

Emma and I thrilled to get a wedding invitation from a mutual friend.

A Saturday morning breakfast meet up with some friends.

Working on the weekly menu and grocery list.

Grocery shopping and errands with some of my favorite peeps!

Meeting the new baby of a friend.

I picked back up my violin more seriously and joined the church orchestra!

Traveling with Dad and Emma to North Carolina for a visit and for the wedding of our friend.

"Mount Pilot" from Andy Griffith. 

I loved the North Carolina mountains!

Spending time with Olivia and Hope.

                                                                        February

Headed to church.

Helping Joel with some math questions.

Bible study time.

On Valentine's Day, Joel had bought 3 roses, he dressed up and on 1 knee, asked me to be his Valentine. He was so sweet, and yes, I cried. 

We experienced our big winter storm for the year. A true Kentucky storm with freezing rain that turns to ice and then snow. Ewww. God was so faithful and we watched Him work in such tangible ways.

Wet farm attire drying by the fire.

Joel all bundled up.

Olivia, Hope and I ready to go.

Hope chopping ice on the creek to let the cattle drink.

We had a calf born and to save his ears from frostbite, we cut off the top of a winter hat to cover his head.

Wednesday was one of the hardest days on the farm. It was cold and so many things went wrong. A hydraulic hose busted on Dad's tractor and it was several hours before he had a new one. This put him hay feeding after dark and the rest of us weren't done with chores either. At around 10pm we were out looking for a missing calf and while searching, we found Mammy (above) who looked like she had slipped on the snow/ice and couldn't get up. With the tractor scoop, we got her to the barn and cozy for the night. After good hay, some mineral supplements, a warm barn, and some feed, she is up and we are anticipating her calf any day now. If all those things, that we saw as such difficulties, hadn't happened, we wouldn't have been out so late and wouldn't have found Mammy and things could have turned out a lot worse. God knew and it was such a wonderful opportunity to see Him work. 

Caden feeding.

And...less than a week later, it was in the 60s! Here I am overseeing the labor and birth of our nurse cow.

Just born!

There is such a relief when the calf is up and breathing. 

Hope and Dad making her 16th birthday cake. 

Dad wanted to ice it. 

Olivia's 18th!

Blessings!

Fall in Love with Jesus Day (aka. Valentines' Day)

February 14^th can arrive with mixed feelings. Can anyone else relate? I look back over the previous year and see the friends who started dating, got married, or even had babies, and a little sigh can escape me, and sometimes a few tears (alright, maybe a lot, but who's counting, right? =).

This year I wanted to encourage my heart (and yours too, Lord willing) in Jesus and His truth, as my true Valentine; the Lover of my soul. May this day be a milestone in the year where we reestablish our purpose, our identity, our joy, our hope, our hearts in the One who desires to fully and completely satisfy us (Col. 2:10).

This year…

On the days when I don’t feel beautiful or worthy, “Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” (Isa. 62:3) and “The Lord God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)

When I feel alone or “passed over,” may we remember we have been chosen (Jn. 15:16), we belong to God (Isa. 43:1), our hearts are protected by God (Isa. 27:3), and that Jesus has promised to guide and satisfy us in the “droughts” (Isa. 58:11).

Would I trust that Jesus, the Maker, and Designer of my heart be the ONLY One who satisfies me. Only Jesus, Jesus only.

My desire and I’m sure yours as well is to fall more in love with Jesus this year. I don’t want my worth wound up in a relationship. I want to be fully established in Christ.

As my Provider – I am satisfied

As my Father – I am secure

As my Shepherd – I am cared for

As my Encourager – I am edified

As my Deliverer – I am free

As my Rest – I am comforted

As my Shelter – I am covered.

Each of you is so dearly loved. May you feel extra loved by Jesus today, and be encouraged to continue forward, walking a life of faith and falling more and more in love with Jesus.

This year I desired to encourage my fellow single girlfriends and this is what I sent to them today, with a few edits to make it    "cyber ready". =) I hope it uplifts your heart as well. 

If you are also in the season of singleness, I would be honored to hear from you and hear ways I can be lifting you up in prayer as you stand strong in the affirmation of the Lord.  

Jesus, Priceless Treasure of My Heart

My Bible heroines are the two "Marys. Both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary, Lazurus' sister, are such inspirations to me, but I have a special place in my heart of honor for the mother of our Savior. In a December Sunday message, our pastor was speaking on the astonishing announcement by Gabriel and the miracle of the virgin conception. As I once again read over the conversation between Mary and Gabriel, I was impressed with the beauty of truth lived out in Mary that the Lord had been showing me. The necessity of making and keeping Jesus as #1 in my life. 

"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city in Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus...Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee...For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word..." 

Luke 1: 26-31,34-35a, 37-38

As I sat in church reading this passage, I saw the reason Mary was able to have such faith while facing such seemingly impossible directions. God was #1 for Mary. She was looking to Him alone for her identity, needs, love, and satisfaction. She was able to step forward into the unknown of what God was asking of her because she trusted in Him alone. As I have gotten older and as a single young lady myself, my respect has grown so much for Mary being placed in such a challenging position. She must have realized the extent of what was going to be required of her emotionally and mentally as she faced the questions, stares, gossip, criticism, and loss of relationships she would undergo as soon as her condition became apparent. Despite all this, her response was full surrender to her God. 

I am challenged in my daily life of what my response is to my Heavenly Father daily directions for me. Do I respond with surrendered, loving obedience, out of a heart fully trusting my Jesus? Or is my obedience covered in doubts and fears? When do I desire to change God's directions to fit my own plan?

I want Jesus first, Jesus only. I desire my heart to be completely honed in with Jesus, nothing wavering me, no doubts belying my way, and for me to completely satisfied with the One who only can. I desire to say along with Mary, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" and then to walk in that prayer daily.

"A surrendered mind is not one which is no longer in operation. It is, rather, a mind freed from rebellion and opposition. To be Christ's captive is to be perfectly free." ~ E. Elliot

Family Life Update - November and December

November and December flew by on wings. Along with the regular routine of home, school, and farm life, fun and/or significant highlights dotted the 2 months. 

Early November, we celebrated Dad's birthday. We took some time in the afternoon to travel around the farm and testify to the Lord's goodness to our family through the farm, for all the past years, but especially 2020. Equipment He had provided, the growth of the cattle herd, customers who called "randomly" wishing to purchase cattle, unique pedigreed bulls that we have been allowed to own, etc. 

Just me and my Belle.

Office work while visiting my grandmother.

Blessed by homegrown cabbages from some friends, 
I gratefully make saurkraut.

Our Christmas picture for 2020.

Christmas looked a little different this year as a winter storm pushed through Christmas Eve night and continued through Christmas Day. Due to this, we were unable to travel as usual so we postponed Christmas with Mom's family until the weekend, Mom brought Grandma down to be with us, and we spent Christmas Day keeping everything warm and fed. 

Dad wanted to get our dog, Snoopy, a sweater during the holidays.
We popped him into it and let him ride around in the truck with us. 
Yes, he is spoiled rotten. 

Doctoring a bad eye.

The four of us (plus Snoopy), crammed in the truck to keep warm, headed to the barn. 

Christmas night with Grandma.

And so we entered 2021!

Welcome, 2021!

 

Happy New Year, everyone! And so, 2021 begins. I know there is a lot of relief as we wave goodbye to the infamous 2020, but in my quiet time yesterday, I was challenged with a different viewpoint. 

As I sat and contemplated over the last 12 months, it has, as well as for many others, been dotted with grief, challenges, unspoken pain, and difficulties never before experienced, but right alongside the challenges, I have experienced some of the greatest blessings in my life. Tears gathered in my eyes as I reflected back on all the ways the Lord showed Himself strong in my life this year. 

There are so many scriptures that could describe my 2020 year. Scriptures like Isaiah 46:4 "...I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." Psalm 55:22 "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee..." Psalm 34:10 "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." and Isaiah 58:11 "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought...".  As I contemplate over the past year, I see such a testimony of God's faithfulness, and the strongest truth I finished the year with was that Jesus satisfies everything. 

He has promised to satisfy the heart, my heart. He promised to satiate the weary soul, and replenish every sorrowful soul (Jeremiah 31:14, 25), and He has kept His promises. When I have strayed, He has called me back to Himself. When I have repented, He has forgiven freely and completely. When I have attempted to find other things to fulfill the longings of my heart, He has allowed me to find them utterly futile and has welcomed me back when my heart returned to Him. 

It has been a good year. There are scars I carry from 2020 and the challenges don't all disappear with the changing of a calendar, but I am so blessed. I am closer to Jesus than ever before. I have hope in the calling I have been given (Ephesians 1:17-20) and am secure in the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27). 

My closing encouragement is to seek out, and document the accounts of the Lord's faithfulness in your life throughout 2020 rather than focusing on the negative. We all walk away from 2020 with bright hopes for 2021, but our God has not changed. He was the same in 2020 as He is as we being a new year and He has been so faithful. Renew your mind in the testimonies of Jesus Christ.  

May you be blessed.