Thanksgiving Adventure

We love to get outdoors and make a memories hiking, biking, discovering new places, and finding waterfalls each season. We also went out to celebrate the day that J asked me to marry him! I am so very THANKFUL that he did! There has not been a day in eleven years when I have regret my decision to say yes. We had a good day at this lake-side state park with a fish hatchery and fishing ponds for kids.

Funny Caleb stories...Visiting Dolly...John Deere Boys

We had a great trip to Dollywood to see the Christmas lights, ride the train, all the kiddie rides and see Santa. Dolly had a cute parade and Jeb rode his first roller coaster! The Blazing Fury had him with eyes wide open! I was proud that he was so brave still he didn't really want to go and get back in line-ha! Dolly does a great job putting Jesus back into Christmas and we saw some shows about the REAL reason for the season. We had fun with Nana Mac and Papa D getting geared up for the holiday season.

I had a good laugh when my two-year-old described his hiding place where I could not find him and it involved 2 locked doors and me picking the locks--"it was amazing momma."

Recently, we went to a local nursery and Caleb had eaten a sucker and I looked up and he was "smoking" the sucker stick. Now, it would not have been hilarious has he not held the stick between his tiny little lips and blown fake smoke out the side of his mouth like a real smoker!!!! I looked at him and he said, "What?" and proceeded to take it out and hold it between his finger and blow smoke out...YIKES>..we don't smoke, our family does not smoke...it must have been what he took in at Dollywood last Saturday--who knew he was being entertained by the smokers? I promptly took the cig/stick.

Caleb should still be a red-head I think...he still has the temper to go with it. Today at Blockbuster Caleb was on one side looking at a picture and I moved to the other side to find the M's and he announced...Mama...and despite me saying, "yes, I am right here..." He shouts out so angrily..."Mama YOU LOST ME."

He loves to make up silly things like blabbering non-sense words to songs that he does not know--he still loves music!

He loves to start goofy things like today..."beef".."beef cake" "beefaroni"...he just keeps repeating back to me calling me those things and dying laughing...he is so silly and delightful.

We have had picnic lunches about 6/10 days now and it is so fun!

We were walking in Wal-Mart and we got close to a man in boots/hat and he yells, "look momma, he's a real cowboy." As the man passed me I said, Yes, he's a real cowboy. I know that man was proud of himself. We have been loving reading Cowboy Small recently.

These boys love John Deere stuff. They were proudly posing for me in the backyard for these shots since they were all decked out! Jeb wants to wear his boots everyday and Caleb says his future career is "riding a tractor. working on a skid steer."

Cay had trouble with the time change...yuck...we have been up so stinking early. He can watch an entire "Old Yeller" viewing while I even have time to sometimes cook supper and start laundry BEFORE we take Jeb to school--so depressing. I hate winter and just about everything that comes with it--including the darkness. Oh the darkness. ..it really cramps our families outdoor style.

Still working on trusting God...saw these quotes recently...

You have trusted Him in a few things, and He has not failed you. Trust Him now for everything, and see if He does not do for you exceeding abundantly above all that you could ever have asked or thought, not according to your power or capacity, but according to His own mighty power, that will work in you all the good pleasure of His most blessed will. You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of it?

What is needed for happy effectual service is simply to put your work into the Lord's hand, and leave it there. Do not take it to Him in prayer, saying, "Lord, guide me, Lord, give me wisdom, Lord, arrange for me," and then arise from your knees, and take the burden all back, and try to guide and arrange for yourself. Leave it with the Lord, and remember that what you trust to Him you must not worry over nor feel anxious about. Trust and worry cannot go together.

Fun with visitors...and a favorite fall recipe...

We have had lots of guests here on the homestead lately and it has been so fun!

We had our friends' kids here one day while they were having their THIRD cutie and we had fun playing with them on the farm. I find that it doesn't matter how many times we bring city slickers out there they still love petting the goats and chasing chickens with the boys! You can see them petting Elvis and helping us doctor Bella during their visit.


On one day you can see that I discovered that my two-year-old had a callous from all the "work" that he does. They like to dig, hoe, look for worms, weedeat, mow the grass, play in the woods in general and yes, he has a real callous. I could not help but laugh when he showed me his boo-boo. The other set of hands are the tiniest, cutest little hands I've seen lately and I had to paint the little perfect nails my fav color--purple!






We have been letting Sara in the lounge on the couch since it has become colder. The boys think it is so fun to snuggle with her and read books on the couch. The first night we did it we watched "Old Yeller" and Sara was just as interested as the boys. She was barking and growling at Old Yeller... it was comical.


When we play on the goat playgrounds Sherman thinks he is one of the kids. It is so funny how he climbs around with them.


Sgt is a ladies man. Chelsea just giggled when he would try to kiss her on the cheek. Some kids are scared if these big, guardian dogs (and they can be scary at first), but they are really teddy bears when it comes to humans!



























One of my favorite recipes: I don't know why I only get to cooking granola in the winter, but every winter I think about it. I made a batch when my family was over recently and it was going fast! I thought I'd share!

Granola from Becky B, and other lovely Middle MO friends!

8 c. oats, 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, 1 cup brown sugar…those are the basics but I put more or less depending on my mood…
Next you can add if you want to…coconut, your favorite nuts ( I add peanuts/cashews/pecans), nutmeg (a little), and 8c. rice crispies…but if you do use rice you might want to add another cup of br. Sugar…

Then, add wet stuff: 1 cup oil (or more if you want it to crunch well), 1 c. water (or more if you use rice crispies) …
Mix well. Spread in a shallow cookie sheet (or two) and bake on 300 for 45 mins or 225 for 2 hours or so…I have done it both ways—just check it now and again until it is as crunchy as you’d like it to be!