Some things you may not know about me....

1. My husband is monocular--meaning he only has one eye. After a cliff diving accident gone awry, he had his left eye removed. My husband always had dreams of joining the military and serving his country. He is proud and strong, unwavering in his confidence to defend liberties and freedoms we cherish. He also has a hero complex--one that I am certain would have been his demise had he been in theater. He admires men who selflessly give of themselves so others may live.
Being monocular was the only way God could keep him safe. And for that, I'm grateful every day.

2. I don't own diamonds. In fact, I don't ever want to own a diamond due to the blood diamonds and the destruction and inhumane treatment of others.

3. My husband knows my version of diamonds is through grass-fed butter and grass-fed meats.

4. I'm a whole-foodie, scratch-baking, garden-raising, dirt-loving Mama.

5. I used to think the more make-up I wore, the more time I spent doing my hair, the skinnier I was, the happier I would be. Now, I don't wear much make-up at all, my hair is what it is, and I'm strong rather than skinny.

I've never been happier and more confident :)

6. I still want to write a bestseller, but no publishing how will take my book.  (I guess I just haven't found the right one yet :) )

7. Last year, I spent close to 3000 hours pumping for AJ. Given the chance to go back, I would do it all over again.

8. I could have a dozen kiddos. Being a wife and a mom is my greatest accomplishment.

9. I used to dream of a big farmhouse--now I dream of a piece of land.

10. My house is a mere 1,000 sq. feet, but ever square inch is cherished and loved, making it not a house, but home.

As Cute as Can Be

We officially have our friends over to watch movies now :)

For Love of a Small Town (pt.2)

Continuing on with the stream of thought and my love for this little town, I would have to say, I love the quiet.

And I'm not talking about a moment here or there when the world seems to take a breather. No, I'm talking about the kind of quiet that settles over the earth and creates its own sense of peace. The quiet wraps the land like a gentle fog, blanketing and muffling the outside world. Here, in this place, you can hear the gallop, the clap of horses hooves on the barren land. Thunder clouds roll in with a deafening rumble, just as the wind howls with vengeance across the prairie.

Just the other night, my husband said the night was so still that he could hear me blink! And even when Molly goes to work on the farm, I can hear her bark from the deepest corner.

As it is, AJ does not like toys that are very loud, nor does he like sing-a-long books or the TV to be much more above a whisper. We all like the quiet and find that when the peace descends upon the home, we all take a deep breath, knowing that no words need to be spoken, no songs need to be sung, no volumes need to be turned up.

There is peace in the quiet, so the quiet is where we shall be.

For the love of a small town

My love for small town living grows daily. Years ago, when I lived among the concrete jungle of Southern California, I dreamed of wide open spaces, with fresh air and open fields. I dreamed of a place where I could relax and enjoy God's creation, blanketed by the blue, open sky above. I had my dreams, nestled in my pocket and anchored over my heart, and I held on tightly to those dreams, always hoping one day they might come to fruition.

In honor of my love of this small town, I plan to take note weekly of my reasons why I love this place. I could sit and write them down all at once, but with work and my youngster in tow, there just isn't enough 'me' time to do it!

So in honor of AJ's first birthday that came and went, I would like to honor my wonderful neighbors.....their love for my family is one that I had not found until moving to this lil' ole' slice of Heaven. For AJ's birthday, they brought over their horses and baby goats, bringing the petting zoo to our homestead. The kiddos were able to ride horseback and bottled feed little day old goats, just their size.

 (A little cowboy in the making, my little man is well on his way to becoming a full-fledged cowboy.)

The sense of community and belonging is bar-none, one of best feelings in the entire world. We have friends here. There are people who care about us, and we care about them.

Nuthin' better than that.