Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Cement

It was great fun pouring cement as the daylight faded yesterday evening. Everything went smoothly and it's getting hard for the cows to enjoy that end of the barn instead of the big mud hole it turns into over the winter. Here are a few pictures and then you'll find my embarassing cement story... ;)



So here's my story... When I was about 3 or 4 years old my dad was working as a contractor, he owned his own construction company until I was about 17, and was doing a job at a farm pouring cement for a grain bin. My mom brought us kids to see him at the job and when we got there he was out in the middle of the cement, it was about 1 1/2 to 2 feet deep, that had been poured. As the story goes, I apparently decided I had to go see him and stepped off the edge into this wet cement that came almost to my armpits. Well they fished me out and thankfully I was that young because they had to strip me and hose me off because cement, depending on the mixture, can burn your skin. So every time we do any cement work now I get teased pretty good about my cement swim. :)

Monday, November 06, 2006

"Home"

I like to joke that I am homeless because I don't really have one home that's "mine" right now, and really haven't for the past 5 years. But the place I feel most at home right now is my parent's home, I lived there for about 4 years after I graduated high school and was certain I'd never want to live around there but we all change right? For the past four months I've lived at this home while I've been laid off and here are a few pictures of what this home is like.



Sunrise and the first snow of 2006


Will and Mom, clearing the path in the woods.

The barn

The chickens in their new home.
The new layers
Tilling up the garden

Blessings

It's that time of year to consider my blessings a bit more than I do through out the year.Over the past 5 years I almost feel I've been living a charmed life. I have a wonderful job with an amazing family and great benefits-experiencing a different part of the state, travel, meeting neat people, etc.-my job also allows me a good amout of time to spend with my family. Anyone who really knows me knows that my family is the most important thing to me...I adore them and am very blessed that we all get along so well. I belive that because of the blessing of my job I am able to be open to helping others and filling in a gap when needed. Right now I am laid off from my job, since July, and even though money has been tight I have been able to do things that money couldn't buy. I've been a farmer this summer, something I've been serously considering getting into, I've learned alot about what it would take to make it my career and about myself as a person. I have also gotten to spend more time with my lovelies, two boys who I used to nanny for and who are very dear to me. They've gone through a very rough year and God has really been good and made it so I could be with them, and that's not just good for them but also good for my sanity as I worry about them and what they've been through. Being laid off has also allowed me to fill in at my parent's church for the past month or so as the secretary. Their pastor became ill and went into the hospital on the church secretary's last day of work-how amazing that I could be available to fill in like that at a time of great need.Today in Sunday School we talked about our "rights", those things we have available to us or we feel entitled to. It was brought up that I chose to use my time off to serve the church and how God would bless me but I feel like I've already been blessed beyond measure. I don't feel as if I am making any kind of sacrifice or that I've ever done anything to diserve the blessings God has given me. The scripture reference was about Naomi and Ruth and how Ruth gave up her "rights" to stay and take care of her mother-in-law and how God blessed her. Ruth didn't ever seem to feel badly about what she sacrificed, she did it out of love and concern for Naomi...she didn't go expecting something for choosing not to go back to her family and remarry, she simply wanted to be of service to God by caring for an old woman who had no where to go and no way to support herself. While my life isn't near as hard as Ruth's was I do feel my service is similar to hers...given without question and expecting nothing in return. I thank God that He's put me in the position I'm in...yes, it's been hard to live on less money and deal with uncertain times but above it all I know God holds me in His hands and is guiding my footsteps. I feel that my service is the only way to thank Him near enough for all of the blessings He's given me.