2012 Christmas Newsletter

Twas the night before Christmas, when all round the house

Not a creature nor person was quiet as a mouse

The work, it seems to grow and doesn't seem to care

If it’s Tuesday, or Sunday, it multiplies there

When the family finally nestles all snug in their beds

Visions of vacations dance round in their heads

And ma in her apron and pa in his barn cap

Realize it's a vacation to just take a nap

When out in the pastures the cows make a clatter

They want more to eat, what was the matter

The feed prices they rose in a flash

Now purchasing feed requires lots of cold cash

The gov't thinks corn works better in ethanol

But the dairymen think that's ridiculous - thats all

So down the road the cows slowly do go

Our minds say "O.K" but our hearts say "No"

Pa works with block, brick & stone, not sticks

To build beautiful projects and does so quite slick

Ma washes, and teaches, and cooks all the time

Her web work and job bring in a few dimes

Now Ben, he still butchers for Highway Meats and Twin Pine

And stays up to date on current events just fine

Solomon moves houses works hard and is on the go

Farm life for this young man is a bit too slow

George is being challenged by science and writing

And loves to be on the farm just abiding

Uriah is learning to write a good book

And loves being techy while being a cook

Oliver whizzes right through his math

And eagerly plays games with anyone in his path

Kelsey keeps busy taking good care of their girls

Number 3 will arrive when the buds start to unfurl

Gordon is fixing tractor trailer trucks big

Training horses is his future but for now it's a gig

The year passed so quickly, just like a quick flash

To put it in writing just seems like a dash

That wraps up our story as told by mom

Want to know more? visit beingtriedasgold.blogspot.com

And with the reminder that you're precious in God’s sight

     We say "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Blessings to each of you in the coming New Year!

Until next time........

The Reality Is.......

.....I am NOT Martha Stewart!! 

Nor the Proverbs 31 Woman!!!

Oh, yes, I do make cheese, and sweet little projects with my Ag Science students.  I can sew a dress, and paint my own house.  But, really, I am not a wonder woman like someone called me.  To prove it, I am choosing to expose the real me.  If you would stop by my house unannounced, you would see what I can't do - like keep an organized house, start and complete the laundry in one day, never have my kitchen sink clear of dirty dishes.  Kitchen floor clean?  Can't tell you the last time I used the mop.  Spider webs?  Yep!  Right above my sink, and over there and over there. And finding things?  Forget it!  Well, I can't!  When something is lost, I become this obsessed woman, wracking my brain on where I left it.  Please don't tell anyone, but the frustration of it drives me to tears occassionally.  Ok, Martha, how is it done again?  And did you homeschool your children?  And what size was your house?  Oh, you have 20 closets to neatly stack all your possessions in?  You have a maid that does your laundry?  And a chef to cook your meals?  My oh my!  Life would be quite peachy if that were my case.  Or would it?  Really?  My head yells "YES", my heart yells right back, "NO!" well......depends on which day you ask me.....

The playroom/laundry is always the worst.  We can clean it up one day and the next it looks like a tornado went through.  I finally gave up.  If the boys are going to play in there, they have to learn to be responsible and keep it tidy.  Well, here is a picture of how it looks sometimes (this was right before a major clean up where some stuff went to the trash and some stuff went to Jubilee), .......

    But, what do I do all day?   Don't you love it when someone asked you that?  And  when you start to think about it, you really don't know?  You know you did something, but what was it?  I decided that I am going to keep a record of how many times I do the basic things for one week.  This does not include the meal fixin', school teachin', grocery shoppin', etc.  I started on a Monday morning and ended Saturday night.  Here are my results:

How many phone calls did I make? 25 

 How many times did I answer the phone (this does not count machine messages)?  40

How many times did I do laundry (does not count those that Dave did)?  12

How many times did I wash dishes by hand?  9

How many times did I run the dishwasher (not counting when Dave did it)?  8

How many eggs did I make?  91 (approx. 7.5 doz)

So what can be gleaned from the results?  Not exactly sure, except how did we talk on the phone while eating all those eggs?

And the laundry......it gets washed, hung in the basement to dry and then ends upstairs to fold....

Sometimes it goes days till it gets folded, in fact, finally yesterday I folded quite a few baskets and do you know how many pairs of socks I matched?  61!!  I can imagine what you are thinking.......poor Brenda's family.  In fact, I remember my big sister telling me when I was about 10 or so (we shared a bedroom) - "I am going to pity your husband one day!"  I didn't realize she was a prophet!  

So, you now see, I am no Martha Stewart nor the Proverbs 31 woman.  I am me!  A woman who God created, a woman who can make cheese, sew and paint, and obviously talk on the phone and make eggs, but has a more difficult time keeping on top of the house.  The point that I want to reach, though, is to be able to remain pleasant and loving, even though the house is sometimes chaotic and I can't find something (like a library science DVD that would've cost $25.00 to replace, which by the way we finally found, but I really don't want to tell you where).  My husband and children will not be near as effected by the topsy turvy house as they will be by my attitudes and manner towards them.  So, next time you come to visit, I will be sitting under the pile of laundry that needs to be folded singing my heart out......... move on over Martha, bet you wouldn't do that!!

Until next time.......