Insulation

We insulated the boy's bed rooms this weekend. Shane said
" I haven't done this since high school... I may be a little rusty, there may be a mess........" "It'll be okay" says I.... Oh, good Lord! I have never seen more of a mess. One time he actually turned to talk to me and the hose pulled out of the mesh and he completely buried me in insulation! Our storage attic backs up to the boy's attic rooms and the 100 yr old wall separating them gave way and he buried all my storage stuff. NY may be whining about their little old two foot of snow but I'd like to see them dig out of seven foot of insulation.

The hose of terror!

David filling the hopper, oblivious to the chaos he is feeding. See the buckets? Cody and I were hauling spilled insulation down to be reloaded with the vague hope that it would end up in the right place aka: the wall! this time.

Cody making another trip. Hose of terror in the back ground.

What a dirty, dirty day! I don't know what the regular insulation crew gets paid but I guarantee it is not enough! At least it wasn't fiberglass. Praise God that part is done!!!

And honey, it'll be okay....

Bear With Me...

Okay.......... I'm missing the sun. So have gone through last years spring pictures to remind myself that this too shall pass.

Spring is my favorite time of year... always so full of promise.

and warmth....

Only six more months right?

Actually, we breed the rabbits in two weeks for Easter selling and the end of January will bring out the incubators and the potting soil for tomato and pepper seedlings....

I will live to see the end of it. Just breath deep woman.

Breath deep.

Dr. Cody?

Well, I didn't get this posted last week but Cody has taken his second final for becoming a Veterinary Assistant with a 92%. He has one more to go this winter then he plans on seeking a job with a Veterinarian when he turns sixteen in May. Upon graduation he hopes to go to college to be a Veterinarian. Would that not be a feather in my hat? No Vet bills..... you don't think he would charge his mother would he?

BTW~ He trapped a HUGE Beaver a few days ago, you really need to go to his blog and check it out. www.4menoftheking.blogspot.com.

They Are Almost Here!!

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. It is dark and gloomy and cold... My animals have to live in it.... so do I. The girls get so shaggy and dirty. It really is just no fun. Yet, it is the time of the BABIES!!! At least for some of these fat little momma's. We should have our first hitting the ground right at Christmas and then they will come in groups until April. And even then there will be a few stragglers going into summer.

Huh, These pictures are all butts. I didn't get one front view.....

Here they come! Shelly's headless herd!

I laugh when they get to this stage... having six of my own I should be more sympathetic but seeing them walk on tooth pick legs and then when they lay down and just spread out like a puddle it's almost too much.
Here's hoping she doesn't burst at the seams.....

Born Again American

I watched a very touching video today Born Again American
you'll have to check it out for yourself.

My Sparky

We are still stuck in the boy's rooms upstairs. This part is over 100 yrs old. I probably already told you that. There were only two makeshift plug ins and one space heater up there. Here Shane is putting in more outlets before we insulate.

There comes a time in every Do It Yourself project when it is just no longer fun.... I hit that point this weekend. The good news is we are over half way now and things should start picking up from here. Did you hear my chuckle?

When we got all the old insulation tore down we found so much trash behind the walls... It amounted to another entire pickup truck load to the dump. It wasn't from the old boys either, it had to have been a remodel mess and they just walled it all up. It gave us an idea though, we are going to make a time capsule, there are huge spaces behind the wall and before we close them back up we will put it in.... what kind of things would be fun?

And then there was the 220 wire... We had decided to cut back a wall that divided the two rooms so it would look more open. Well, because the house was built before there was electricity all wires have been stuffed and crammed in weird places to try and conceal them.
Conceal them they did. Shane was cutting out the Studs with a saws all and suddenly there was a bright light ~ not heavenly mind you~ and the next thing I knew I was running around putting out burning cinders. He is so blessed that it didn't fry him.......

We spent the next two hours chasing the wire in the walls so we could replace it. I got to hang out in 100 yr old dust and mouse carcasses ~charming! It was enough to make a Saint swear but unfortunately there were no Saints, only us sinners and things got a little mouthy for a while. When we finished he said "There! Now that's done." I smirk "Yeah, we're right back where we started." He didn't find that too funny so I just patted his cheek and said " You light up my life, baby." He got back to cutting studs.

Tonight he is bringing home the mesh to mesh the studs. We had to fer them out another inch and a half to give enough depth for good insulation.

The Magic of Wonder

Tearing down the house!

I finally have a few minutes to get these pictures posted! Things have been crazy around here. This is one side of the boy's bedroom.... sweet little maiden of mine.... she has no idea how futile this attempt will be..........
Now I know why we didn't just build our home....
we would miss out on all the excitement that comes
with tearing one apart!


checking nails.

This boy is having WAY too much fun!



hmmm. I got the pictures in here backward.

HIPPA

A friend of mine asked this morning why I didn't blog about the handicapped that live in our home. She thought it seemed quite unloving to always leave them out of the stories.
I decided to answer her here so that every one is aware of the reason.

Caring for the disabled is our family's attempt to honor God and fulfill His hospitality command. To care for the fatherless and the widow, the stranger within our gates. Our rooms are dubbed Mephibosheth rooms in honor of King David's care for Joshua's handicapped son.

We care for any stranger that the Lord chooses to send. With our eyes fastened on heaven and our feet set on earth we strive to serve the best we can. The "earth" part and the "stranger" part is where our ideals come in to trouble..... There are laws that restrict providers from talking about their clients. These laws are so vague that one could find themselves in serious trouble quite innocently.
The adults we care for are unrelated to us and unable to give us their permission to share their stories. Because of this we have chosen to avoid all discussion outside our home about our "strangers." It's really too bad because their sweet antics would provide me with much blog fodder. But, alas, it just can't be.

You will find their presence in the occasional picture or a name that does not belong on our roll call, I don't try to hide them just simply cannot bring them into the spot light. I'm thankful my friend brought this to my attention. I would never want to appear unloving. I just simply must work within the boundaries provided for me. I know you understand.

The Water Bridge

A water bridge is used when one man's water

has to cross another man's water.

The water is late in the canals this year.

Usually we are dry by the first week of October.

I guess frigid weather can be beautiful.

In a sick sort of way.

Spring will come soon....

Well, I can DREAM can't I?

Me an' My Gang

I have ended up in a lot of pictures lately, scary as that is I thought I would share some here. I feel like the fat little Italian mother that runs around

on those old mafia shows saying "Eeeeat, Eeeeat."

And her grown batch of boys wave her off with an

"Aw maw, will you stop already?"
I get the Aw maw... too

Only mine Eeeeeat and Eeeeat!

My beauties .

My snuggle of choice for those long winter nights.

Happy Veteran's Day

Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of Veteran's day as happy. I promised I would never forget, but some days it just hurts too much to remember...........








Some days I just really miss him.

Herbs

I believe the Lord gave us herbs to heal our bodies. Working with His creation around our farm, I am able to observe an animal's God given knowledge to eat certain plants for many of their ailments.

We grow most of our own herbs for our health and healing. What we cannot grow I order from Monterey Bay. I prefer to work with the whole herb rather than pills because department store herbs are very watered down and so processed that much of the healing benefit is missing by the time it reaches your home.

This year was the first year that Grace was old enough to help and understand the purpose of harvesting and processing our herbs. When we began to create our immune boosting elixir she sat wide eyed as Bethany and I chopped and mixed the herbs.

Last night her throat was scratchy and she said she was starting to feel sick so I pulled out the immune booster. Wanting to use it as a teaching moment I said "Grace, your hard work months ago is helping you to get well now.."
She replies "It sure is and for a bunch of weeds they aren't too bad!"

.............. I'll have to try harder next year............

Moving Backwards

"“Why do women want to dress like men when they’re fortunate enough to be women? Why lose femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get more accomplished by being charming than we would by flaunting around in pants and smoking. I’m very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error…' -Tasha Tudor"

Bring it on.

I want a greater confidence in the Lord.

I shouldn't publicly say that because I know that growth is by trial. My flesh doesn't want trial, just growth. I feel like this summer I have had enough trial.... I have even caught myself whining much more than I like to admit. But what if the Lord would grant me the faith of Paul? What if he would take all the years that I rebelled against him and all the suffering I have been through and turn them around to be used as a catapult for giving me a greater confidence.

Listen to a testimony from the book of Acts.

Paul and Silas would walk a certain path as they were going to pray every day and they always passed the same damsel who had the spirit of divination. ~she was a soothsayer and the man who owned her was rich because of it. As she passed Paul and Silas she would cry "These men are servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." day after day.

One day the bible tells us that Paul was "grieved". He had listened to her declare her faith all this time and yet her soul was not free. So he turned to the unclean spirit and commanded it to come out of her and leave her alone. It did. And the damsel's owner was very unhappy because now she was worthless to him.

The owner then took Paul and Silas before the magistrates. The magistrates had them publicly beaten and thrown into prison. .....Now at this point I am certain I would have been sitting in that jail cell questioning God's motive for me.... "Uh...Lord? What did I do? You didn't want her soul or what???"

But not Paul, he was confident that he was walking the right path. He sang and prayed and then... the prison bars flew open. Paul was free to walk away. But Paul didn't flee. Part of me thinks he wanted to see the look on the guards face. Needless to say the guard and all his house "got saved." It's true, you can read all of this yourself chapter 16 verse 14-40. He was saved and baptised. Then after his conversion the guard put his money where his mouth is so to speak he took them home, fed them, bound up their wounds and cared for them. Then they do the craziest thing... Paul went back to prison.

What happens next just makes me smile. The magistrate sent a private word to the guard "Let those men go." Can you see the guard so happy ~running to Paul saying "You're free!"

And Paul leans back against the wall, maybe stretches and says "They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? Nay, verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out........."

Can you see the guards face... man? have gone daft? you're free!... but Paul waits, they will have to come and remove him publicly if they want him gone. What more could the magistrate do but humble himself to go to the prison and remove Paul?

Such Faith! Such Spirit! Such confidence in God's provision. He stood before Satan as a gladiator in the ring calling "Bring it on, Boy!"

He was beaten and imprisoned and it seemed all without cause. But God was using it...using him... to save sinners, mortify evil and in the last verse we read to comfort the brethren. If my suffering would accomplish even a tittle of that, it would be worth it.

I want that perfect peace, I want that perfect confidence. Today, I cannot list the beasts I face, that will have to come later. All I can say is~ I must be feeling my oats. I have begged the Lord to stand with me and if you were listening hard you may just have been able to hear........ one woman's heart stopping, gut wrenching whisper...........bring it on...............

Mini Moo's Two

This is silly. I did not invent blog world therefore I am not to blame but this is the second part about our mini cows even though it reads first...don't shoot the messenger, we all know things would be mighty different if I ran the world. until then scroll down for the first part! I guess about two weeks ago, Jerling trusted us enough to be let out to pasture. We had a few instances with her where the seller wasn't exactly truthful, one of those being her age, she was only a little over two years old. The second was we couldn't pin him down on a due date for her. I reasoned that it didn't matter. I had to take her to the vet and get her toes trimmed so I would have him check her and tell me how far along she was. Before I could do that however, we had a revelation... so to speak. I was walking around her, getting her use to being handled even though she was in a larger space. When I got around to her back side my heart just sunk. Our "pregnant" cow was in heat. What a complete let down. There would be no calf next spring, no milk next summer and to top it all off my bull was just a baby...it would be forever before he was old enough to breed. And you can't use just any old bull on a mini cow.

Cupid, the baby bull and he is a lover. even after we

burned his horns he wants us to scratch his sweet little chin. I'm smitten.

So, I was sitting on the flower bed watching the cows get use to their new pasture and thinking of the perfect name to call the seller when I got him on the phone. when Cody came out and sat next to me and solved all my problems.

"Don't take it so hard mom, you learned from it didn't you?"

"Son, you are talking years before we have a calf, unless I can find some one to AI her...."

"I don't think so mom. Kelly had a mini Brahma bull that he picked up at an auction somewhere. He's an ugly thing but if he still has him, he'll be small enough."
I could have kissed him but unfortunately Cody outgrew that years ago.. so I hugged him instead. Kelly does still have the bull, he laughed and laughed when I told him our story. I wish I could find the humor in it. Next Wednesday Jerling goes for a visit and hopefully she will settle. If so I will only be a few months behind schedule and the seller will be pardoned. (Maybe)

Mini Moo's

If you've been hanging out at our place lately you have no doubt been subjected to the Holverson version of Jack in the box's commercial about their.....Mini Sirloin burgers.................. we don't even own a T.V. but we know that commercial by heart. In fact it is playing through my head right now, quite irritating really.

The reason would be because WE HAVE THE MINI'S!!! I have been online for many moons watching mini cows, studying mini cows, craving mini cows. I even had an account set up for saving mini cow money.... until I let my boy on his dirt bike. Now, it's the Da.... Da.....Darrrrn Doctor account.

Something recently happened however that would catapult us from watching to working.

On a web site one seller was offering free delivery to certain areas and Salt Lake would be one of them. If I met them in Salt Lake it would save me over seven hours of drive time. So there I sat staring at my computer when David came up behind me...

"Mom, why don't you just buy those critters?"

"No money, honey."

"Fine, if they are the ones you want. I'll buy them."

"Way to undercut your momma, boy. that's low."

He smirks... "you can buy them from me when things settle down."

"And what if they never settle down, after all next summer is coming you know..I'm sure ya'll will find something to break!!!"

He finishes with a definite " Then I'll own some cows and they'll make me money and you milk."

I studied him hard, he was serious. So, that very night I fired off an email requesting info on MCP Cupid (bull) and Jerling (cow). The return email caused my heart to sing... Jerling was almost 3 yrs old and pregnant and Cupid was two months old. I had everything I wanted, we would be in the baby business almost immediately and the bull was young enough that we could really, really work with him trying to make him as "friendly" as possible before the hormones kicked in. AND he could deliver them to Logan ( closer than Salt Lake) in a couple of weeks.

I wrote back saying that I wasn't sure I wanted the bull, I wanted to talk to a few A.I. Guys first and then would decide if it was worth keeping my own bull. He immediately dropped $500 off the pair... smart move on my part and I wasn't even trying.

To make a long story short..(as if I am able to do that) After some serious haggling Jerling and Cupid arrived at our place three weeks ago. David bought one and the rest of the children pooled their money together and bought the other.

They have the sweetest temperament you could ever ask for in a cow. We are very grateful to the Lord for providing not only the means but the transportation for our mini moo's...... please stay tuned for part 2...

Safe in His hands.

Grace brought me her writing assignment this morning. She refuses to use first grade paper, she wants "normal" paper for her lessons just like her older siblings. But that isn't why I'm posting today. Today at the bottom of her lesson she had drawn a picture...When I questioned her why she was drawing when there was other school work that needed to be done she replied that she had been thinking of all the ways God protects us and this was her picture of God's hand on our home.............I have to agree, that is the most important lesson we could have learned today.

Except the Lord build the house,

they labour in vain that build it:

except the Lord keep the city,

the watchman waketh but in vain.

To heal a heart..

"Christ heals with more ease than any other. Christ makes the devil go out with a word (Mark 9:25). Nay, he can cure with a look: Christ's look melted Peter into repentance; it was a healing look. If Christ doth but cast a look upon the soul he can recover it. Therefore David prays to have a look from God, 'Look Thou upon me, and be merciful unto me' (Psalm 119:132)."
THOMAS WATSON

Behold, her mighty Oak!

I'll share a little tid-bit about myself here, I'm solar powered.
I need heat and warmth to keep this old body moving. Winter is hard, hard, hard on me. If given the option I would curl up and sleep all winter long. For this reason I have often longed to move South... send me hurricanes and flooding, give me twisters and chiggers, I'll take what ever may come but give me Heat! I know how Sam MaGee feels. However, I will never leave, the Rockies have carved themselves too deep into the hearts of my family. But if I could, oh, if I could.

One day while watching a hunting video with my guys I listened to Will Primos with his southern drawl talk about deer feeding on "A kerns" which is southern for acorns. He was in a tree stand with the sun shining warm on his back, it was Thanksgiving day!!! Suddenly I had to have an "A kern" tree, because by all common reason, it HAD to be what was causing the sun to shine in November.

The next spring when my shipment of trees came from the U of I, nestled somewhere in the box were five little oak trees.... including the roots they were no taller than my hand and as Shane held one up for inspection he said "Woman, I hope you got a good deal on these." My boys took some good natured jabs at me and my oaks. Grace, felt sorry for me and kissed their little bare branches.

I told them that when they bury me under them, they will look up to the towering branches and with a tear in their eye cry out "Behold, her mighty Oaks." And then they will tell their children about a granny who planted an oak for them to enjoy, for the deer to feed beneath, a testimony that my thoughts were with the generations to come....

I did not plant a fast growing Poplar for my immediate gratification but a tree that would live and bless my prodigy as well. Today, four years later, my Oaks are seven foot high. They are starting to be beautiful. And, we only have forty six more years before they actually start producing "A kerns"!

My vision for my future family does not end with giving them Oak trees to sit beneath however, this vision is one that I have prayed over and struggled with for almost a decade now. I want a line of Holversons that stand before God, ever ready for the battle that lay ahead. I see a work from Him that will not end with me but carry on for generations to come. If I fail to pass my vision on to my children the day will be lost ~all my effort will be in vain.

One of my favorite movies is Pendragon. It is a low budget film, hard to watch if you are only watching it to be entertained but if you are watching it to be inspired you will not be disappointed. In it there is a comment made ~ God does not call men to futility.

Futility... God does not call men to merely survive the daily grind... To struggle with bills or health or that dryer that breaks for the 20th time... He calls us to battle! On our knees, with our swords, with our mouths and hearts and CHILDREN!!!

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:

and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;

so are children of the youth.

Happy is that man that hath his quiver full of them:

they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:3~5

Shelly, is nothing. I come from one of the filthiest heritages you can imagine. I, however, pray constantly that starting at me the line will change... I am preparing a people for battle who will prepare their people for battle. My constant prayer is that one day, one day, my linage will cause Satan to turn tail and run at the mention of our name.... My arrows are being formed to reach across generations and penetrate the hearts of men long after my body has returned to the dust.

So, when you see me walk totally contrary to what the world expects or accepts. Smile, for that is the way it should be. The bible tells us we cannot serve two masters.

When you see me do crazy things like planting a four inch tree that grows so slow one questions if it is still alive. Know that I do not shine for today, and unless today matters two hundred years from now or five hundred years from now if the Lord tarries, if it doesn't matter that far ahead, it is not worth the energy I'm putting into it.

Reluctance

Out through the field and the woods

And over the walls I have wended;

I have climbed the hills of view

And looked at the world and descended;

I have come by the highway home,

And lo, it has ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,

Save those that the oak is keeping

To ravel them one by one

And let them go scraping and creeping

Out over the crusted snow,

When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,

No longer blown hither and thither;

The last lone aster is gone;

The flowers of the witch hazel wither;

The heart is still aching to seek,

But the feet question "Whither?"

Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?

~Robert Frost

Fall Colors

Fall Colors are really hard to get pictures of around here... Not that we don't have them, it's just they are usually buried under a blanket of snow. Or the storm clouds stop the sun from showing off their brilliance. The Cottonwoods in the river bottoms are on fire but don't show up in the picture. I forgot to take one of the oak trees. It's okay, they need a post of their own anyway.

The Magic of a Tree

There is tree, out in the back yard that never has been broken by the wind..... but by a swing set? Now that's another story. Our neighbor tells of a small tornado that ripped through our back yard about two years before we moved in. The tornado picked up the old owners swing set and landed it right in the middle of our tree. I think it is wonderful because as the tree healed it left a huge crotch in the middle. Perfect for a youngsters hide away. With the help of twine, clothes pins, blankets and a little imagination. The tree becomes a hiding place for a tea party, a civil war brigade, persecuted Christians or simply reading a good book.

I guess I should also mention that animals have been "hunted" with rubber band guns from the hidden limbs as well. One day as I passed under it on my way to the garden I heard in Andrew's best twang "Hold it right there little lady, I've got ya in my cross hairs."

To which I respond. "Well, go ahead and shoot if you think you can run fast enough."

Again from the hidden voice in the leaves " Yes, ma'am I see here you are allowed to pass by order of the King, you may proceed." Smart boy.

Sigh, I wish I trusted myself to climb up there and spend an afternoon with them.. I guess it isn't the climb up that I fear but the trip down. If I fell, they'd just have to dig a hole right there and roll me into it.

Hearthsong sells a pulley with a bucket for an ungodly amount of money....I have always wanted them to have one but could never justify the price..... I felt a twinge of guilt when my girls created their own for free.