Rabbits, Rabbits, and more bunnies??

Last week we received a phone call that a friend of ours,

who knew that we had considered raising rabbits,

was selling their rabbits, hutches, watering pails,

remaining feed, and brooding boxes...and wondered

if we would be interested in purchasing them.

Well??? 

OF COURSE WE WERE!!! 



So we loaded up the van to check out the hutches

and rabbits, and before leaving we

paid the owner the asking price.

Two days later--we are making another

trip to pick up 'our purchase'. 

The guys worked very diligently to prepare the area

 that they the rabbits/bunnies would call their

'new home'.  As we left, we left

one doe that due to have bunnies due to the stress

of moving them to be too much. 

Today?

We returned to the owner's house to collect the

doe that was due and her new

bunnies. 

The whole family...

They are so sweet and so little.

So what is the purpose of adding this to our

'homestead' you may be asking yourself...

As cute as they are they will soon be

nourishment.  Mostly they will

be nourishing the dogs, but I am hoping to

expose my children and family to some

RABBIT STEW!

We will let you know how that goes... :)

June 8, 2012

Doe "mommy #3" had babies.  If you look
real close you can see a pink "shade" in the bottom/middle
- still unsure how many. 
Momma is not willing to share them just yet.

Daddy's little girl and Momma's little boy

When does this change?

How does this change?

Does it have to change?

When I moved out of my parent's house, I moved in

with my 'now husband'.

When I moved out of my parent's house, I did

not know how to do laundry-completely.

When I moved out of my parent's house, I did not know

how to cook many things.

I barely knew how to boil water.

When I moved out of my parent's house, I did not know what it

meant to keep a house or raise a family. 

As I prepared to be a wife the week of our wedding,

I know now that I had no idea

what I was getting into.

I had been 'playing' the part of a wife, but still did not

understand what it really meant.

When I brought my son home from the hospital, I did not

know how to change a diaper.

When I brought my daughter home from the hospital,

I did not know how to manage a two

year old and a newborn.

I watch my daughter with her dad and smile

because I see a sense of safety in her eyes and demeanor

that only a girl who has felt that will understand.

When I see my son open doors, offer to help, and find ways

to make himself available--I smile then too,

because I see a young man who is

caring, masculine, and

confident with who he is.

BUT....with all this being said....

As I watch my children becoming young adults I step back and  

wonder if we have done enough to prepare them

for adulthood.

I realize that we have a little time on our hands,

but not near enough when you realize that

their training, or lack thereof, can

be the difference between

whether they are ready....or not.

Is she ready to keep a home and raise a family?

Is he ready to provide for a home and family?

Society is going to tell her that being a

God-fearing wife and mother is not

glorious enough--IT IS!!

Society is going to tell him that being a good-leading,

God-fearing husband and father 

is not masculine enough--IT IS!! 

Are we being diligent enough

to raise young men and women to be ready for the role

God has given them?? 

My prayer is that when my children step into the role God has

given them that they are ready

to meet each day ready for what He has for them,

and that they never stop being

"Daddy's little girl and Momma's little boy" at heart.

I will miss them being

here everyday, but I also know that

what I will be missing is not going to be anchored in

guilt...but rather missing their company, their opinion,

their laughter, their comraderie with each other and

saturated in knowing they are doing

exactly what God has for them.

Daddy's little girl and Momma's little boy

Grandma Bonnie (Clark) Roney...new and old...

As I look around my house I notice a piece

of heritage that was left and 're-made'

for a new use. 

 Before I was born my Grandma Bonnie, my mother's mother, passed away

...so my only 'known'

memories of her are only from what I hear,

which by the way if she is not an angel

right now--she must have been here on earth--

or maybe both?? 

So then my thoughts wonder ....

"Who is most like her?"

"Whose personality is closest to her?"

"Who resembles her the most?" 

 "Who has the stories that are closest to the 'real' her?"  

 "Who can tell me what happened when she got real mad?"

"Who really disciplined the kids?"

"What advice would she give to each one of us 'kids' if she were still alive?"

"What regrets, if any, did she have?"

"What were her brightest moments or memories?"

So back to this 'piece of heritage' that I still keep in my front room...

my only heirloom from her, my own personal memory of her --

An Angel made from her old linens.

My Aunt Cathy chose to embellish these 'old' linens and make them

beautiful...needless to say I could have never imagined an

old pillow case being something so

feminine, delicate, personal, and yet so full of answer I may never have.

When I see the white of the original case,

the soft pink that 'gathers' the hands,

the 'string' of flowers that

can not be found anywhere these days,

and the dust that continues

to collect on it...

I am reminded of so many things, but mostly, I think,
it depicts, in my mind, what I picture when I picture my grandma:

A woman with pure intentions, hands reaching out in love,

 and a gentleness that may never be found again.

So it sounds depressing, but it shouldn't!!!

It should be a challenge to each

one of us to leave a legacy to our grandchildren, that we may never meet, full of

pure intentions, hands reaching out in love, and a gentleness that will only be found right here. 

Unpredictability

  Our lifestyle is beyond the description of unpredictable...
How am I handling it??? 

I'M NOT!!!

I don't even know how to adjust to it. 

I have, since having my kids, become so rigid with planning and scheduling...
so I will admit that I definitely had rom in

my life for being more unpredictable, but REALLY???? 
I decided today that I am going to, at some point, write a book to help other
RRing wives, but....
what do you write??
how do you write 'help' for RRers??
where do you start??

So here is where I am starting:

1.  Accept my husband at face value.
2.  Realize that what 'God puts together - let no man put asunder' is
God's plan for your marriage.
3.  Trust.
4.  Respect: given - not earned.
5. Respect has been distorted by media, society, and our ignorances.
6.  Be grateful for his full effort of providing.
7.  Be frugal.
8.  Quality relationships are INTENTIONAL.
9.  Romance is HIGHLY overrated.
10.  Intimacy comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors.
11.  Real agape love is not self-seeking, selfish...
12.  (I left the most important aspect of surviving the RRing life)
God as your central anchor.

I will not pretend that I didn't buy into the brainwashing idea of what 'adult life'
would be like.  Or should I say married life?? 
I was told all my life that Cinderella meets her prince charming and lives happily ever after.  I know...who believes that - right??  Well...many of us women do.  Deliberately or not...we expect a part of
that 'fairy tale' lifestyle to some extent or another. 
Living the life of a RRer's wife is not going to meet the 'fairy tale' idea,
but here is what will meet:

1.  Stability.
2.  A job that has excellent retirement and benefits.

It is all about perspective. 

If you are a RRing wife needing someone to help you thru why you can't even plan tomorrow with your husband...what about the wife who is nursing her husband thru cancer wondering if tonight will be the last night she will snuggle her husband.
If you are a RRing wife needing someone to 'fill in the gap of meeting your needs'...what about the wife who stares at the picture of her deceased serviceman who gave his life for 'her' country knowing that he is never coming home and can't stomach the thought of turning to anyone else to do so.
If you are a RRing wife that has to tell your little Jane or little Bobby no to that pair of tennis shoes that he or she wants...what about the father that has to face his children that are hungry, dirty and homeless after he lost his job, dignity, self-esteem and sense of worth or value. 
If you are a RRing wife (or mom) that does not know how to explain to little Jane or Little Bobby why daddy couldn't be at their game tonight....what about the mom who explains to her little Jane or Bobby why  their daddy is overseas fighting for our freedom and that is why he is not able to be at his or her game.

We, as RRing wives, may not have our husbands home every night to 'meet our needs' or to play with our children, but we do have one thing our husbands working close to home with a confidence that he will be home safe and sound, God willing, following that next train ride.

It is all about perspective. 

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect.

"Sprucing up"

After much attempt our June get-together

with the Shelbyville

homeschooling group was just not panning out.

So....after putting a few heads together

we decided that one our families needed some

much needed assistance.



Before lunch a few wanted to take a dip.



LUNCH!!! 

PBJs always work!!

And then out to the porch they went to enjoy your lunches... 

I think the girls out number the boys....

.....baby 'holders' were not in short supply... :)

 This is what happens when eight mommas (and their children) get busy sprucing things up. There were lots of laughs, discussing curriculum and various topics, and 'catching up' going on....Did I forget to mention that there was some cleaning involved??

One mom's comment about today was: "Can I just say how awesome it is to be one in the body of Christ...

So first century church."

We had a great time and I hope we met the goal of blessing such a wonderful family!! 

Thanks to everyone who was able to help... xoxo to all.

I am so lucky to belong to such a

wonderful group of people united with the one, true God.

birthday blessings!!!

Psalm 139:13-14 "You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt."

As I sit here one week past my 36th birthday...this was the bible

verse of the day of my birthday this year.  How fitting???

I have, for years, struggled with some of my personality qualities

(i.e. very black and white, straight-forward, opinionated--there are more,

but I only have limited space--hehe), but yesterday I was talking to a lady

that is very dear to me and she encouraged me to 'stop trying to not be

like so-so person, but to be who God wants me to be'.  I was given the

family that God wanted me to have whether I like it or not.  So my

 birthday blessing this year is rejoicing in the fact that my mom chose

to keep me--or did not choose to abort me.  We should all be so

grateful regardless of our relationship with our mothers or our

family.  Of course, in my case it is probably a good thing that she

 (my mom) could not see into the a future crystal ball...she may have changed her mind. LOL.  Haha...Just kidding!!! 

My hope and prayer is that my children have grasped that although I carried them for nine months...God knit them together for his purpose.  I am (We are) just the lucky one(s) to see his purpose evolve and grow in grace. 

Mary or Martha...again??

So why am I so hung up on Mary and Martha lately??? 

The more I learn about them--the more convicted I am about

which one I am called to be.

Mary: So easy, so adjustable, so willing, and seizes oppurtunities to serve

her God.

(Then there is...)

Martha: So rigid, controlling, demanding.

The more I learn the contrasts between these two ladies....I become

more and more aware of how much I don't appreciate Martha. 

But...I also see at the same time how much I am like Martha. 

Is this why I am not fond of her??? 

Is this why I am so hard on myself b/c I am so rigid, controlling, and demanding as well??? 

Needless to say, my newest prayer (on a selfish level) is to become more

of a Mary than a Martha....again!!!  

Luke 10: 38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named

Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s

feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the

preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked,

“Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried

and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or

indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”