This Little Piggie

Growing up within city limits, I never had the privilege/fun/hard work of farm life. I was, more or less, a little bit spoiled & a girly-girl so I've had to learn A LOT since moving out & getting married. It seems I learn more & more all the time. That's a good thing & I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that I certainly do NOT know it all (contrary to popular belief).

During the 12 years that I have been married, we have had all sorts of critters. Our latest addition......pigs!

Yep, cute furry little oinkers. We are the proud parents of 3 red headed step children ~ bacon, sausage, & ham! I just hope that we aren't too attached when gulp that time comes.

This isn't the first time we have had pigs, but this time, we are going to "raise" them. YEAH, I'm excited!

Now to decide who gets the honor of not being on our plate.....


Bacon, Charlotte, & Red



Betrayed...AGAIN

I haven't had the ... *sniff* courage to write this post yet. It was too heart breaking!

Nah - I just forgot about it & (imagine this) ran out of time!

The day was Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. The weather was cold. The house was relatively quite (Austin & Makenzie had spent the night at nannie's house). So there I was, sitting at the kitchen table, minding my own business, trying to make a few hairbows. Logan was sitting in his chair beside me happily playing & babbling away. Then .... it happened ... DADADADADADADADA.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Wait, surely I misunderstood. It sure did sound like BLAH BLAH BLAH - oh wait, that's kinda the same, right?

Really? Its my face you see all day long, its me that runs to your every whimper. Is it too hard to reward me by saying MAMAMAMA? I guess I'll just settle for those wet sloppy kisses & know that in your heart, you love me more!

Could the Magic REALLY be Gone?

I just LOVE Christmas, don't you! Everyone is a little nicer, everything is bright & shiny, Christmas Carols, Christmas cookies & candy, Christmas movies, families getting together, street corner Santas everywhere you look. There is just something magical about Christmas time.

And then......the magic fades away..... 

We've been waiting for, dreading, the time when the kids stopped believing in Santa. Austin hasn't actually admitted he doesn't believe anymore, but, he sure has hinted at it.

Justin was talking to him the other day & it sounded like he was scared not to believe anymore. Austin said that he didn't think his cousins believed anymore.

Then we were watching The Elf on the Shelf video & he leaned over & whispered to me "You know those elves aren't REAL, don't you?"....

Oh, I'm NOT ready for this!

At least I still have the other 2!

.......So I had to add a link after a friend sent this to me! Its such a beautiful way of explaining the truth! Truth About Santa

Son of a Preacher Man

Do you know why preacher's kids have a bad reputation & get into so much trouble......Its because everyone is watching them closer than most other kids! I'm convinced of this. Kids are kids & will be mischievous & get into whatever they can in order to have fun.

So when you see my kids misbehaving, remember yours are doing it too!

Anyway, Austin was grinning like a possum during church. Well, ok after the choir came down & everyone was shaking hands & talking. He came back to where I was & the conversation went a little like this:

Austin said "Guess what? I asked _______ out."

I said "Really, where are you going?" hahahaha

He laughed & said "No, to be my girlfriend."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She said yes!"

"Austin, she's too old for you!"  (She's 11)

"So."

He then BEGGED to sit with his nanny (& of course this girl). Well, ok, I guess.

As soon as church was over, Austin darted out the door. GRRR - How many times have I told those kids to stay inside?! They tend to disappear......

By the time I finally got outside, he comes walking no, sauntering up to me & announced

"I kissed _______!"

"Austin! You're at church!"

"But mom, it wasn't inside."

OH, the logic there! HMMMMMMM- I wonder if this girl knows what she's in for??!!

I have always loved this song. They just don't make music like this anymore!

Are you my Friend?

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I woke up this morning with a profound sadness. As I was praying, so many thoughts were running through my head. As I was trying to wake Justin up, frustration kept creeping in. As the kids were eating breakfast, tears just rolled down my cheeks. As I walked through the house, I felt...defeated.

I don't know how else to describe it.

I have so much to be thankful for, but still I feel helpless and alone.

As kids, we place so much value on what people think of us & if we are popular & what group we fit into & how many friends we have. As we get older, we realize that the number of friends that we have has decreased. After we are grown & get married, we learn then that the number of people we thought were friends has gotten even smaller. Then as our kids grow up & become involved in some many different activities, that number decreases yet again. Somehow we don't have the time that we used to. Somehow we don't have the energy needed to put into friendships & they slowly slip away.

How many people do I really associate with that are my "friends"? I quit really confiding in most people several years ago. I have had far too many experiences where I thought someone was my friend, only to have them tuck tail & run when I needed them or to have them talk about me to the first person they saw after I left the room.

Most of the time, I'm ok with this, but for some reason this morning, it started to bother me. I miss having someone to confide in. I miss having someone drop by whenever. I miss phone call out of the blue just to say hi.

I know that the bible says in Proverbs 18:24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

I know that God is there to listen to me whenever I need Him, but sometimes I need to hear an audible voice as well.

Its 3am & Its Raining

It is 3am & I am W I D E awake. I had the alarm set for 3:30. Why you may ask? No, its not Black Friday shopping .... although, I won't be getting much sleep then either. My little Logan has to be at Brenner's at 6am. WOW! I'm sorry, that's really early for me to be up, dressed, & presentable. At least with Black Friday shopping, I can roll out of bed & put on a hat.

Yes, 6am, which means I have to leave my house around 4:45 .... "just in case". So, I took my shower before I went to bed, but I had to allow extra time to pump his milk. You see, lack of sleep is not even the bad part. I'm used to that. I have to keep my baby from eating when he wakes up. Ug  - really? That kid still wakes up every 2 hours to nurse! And all I can give him after midnight is clear liquids. Yea, so far he's not real sure what he thinks of Pedialyte, but he knows its not momma!

So anyway ... back to why......



I sure hope I see that smile today!



When Logan was born, we had to put off his circumcision because he also has a condition called chordee (caution-link has "adult" material) that needed to be corrected. His was very minor & should be easy to correct but he needed to be 5-6 months old.

Apparently this is a very common problem, but if its not corrected he can have lots of issues later in life. We all know that men don't need anything else to complain about in that area.

Oh, this is NOT going to be a fun day! So say a little prayer for us today! Pray for the Dr's steady hand, for my peace, & for Logan's comfort!

Naturally, as I started typing, I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Who's Your Favorite?

As parents, we try to treat our children equally right? We try to spend equal amounts of time, money, & even discipline. Sometimes that gets a little hard & one child will start to complain that they feel left out or that you love the other one more & that child is your favorite. No matter how much you tell them its not true, the only way for them to really believe you is through your actions.

What about kids? Do they have favorites? Of course they love their parents the same, but from time to time, one of them is the favorite.

I've been on a "oh woe is me" kick lately. I really don't think Austin & Makenzie like me as much as they like their daddy. Makes sense. I am with them ALL day long. I do most of the fussing, correcting, punishing, etc. I teach & reteach lesson after lesson. I have to tell them "Be patient, I'm helping ____". I remind them to clean up their messes. I ask them to help in the house. Then daddy comes home...... YEAH! Its play time. He gets to watch T.V. with them while I grade papers & clean up school. He wrestles with them while I feed Logan. He pushes them on the swing while I cook supper. He reads them a book while I put Logan to bed.

Yes, I can understand why he is their favorite right now, but it still hurts. Oh, I know they love me, but it doesn't change how I feel.

Then God said "HELLO, sound familiar..." Huh, what do you mean Lord?

How many other things do I put before God? How many times have I chosen something else instead of what He wanted me to do? How often does He feel unloved by me? Oh, I SAY that I love Him, but does that help after I have hurt His feelings?

Thank you Lord, yet again, for using my kids to teach me!