Good and the hard of life

January is FFA month. We started out celebrating a new district officer team with Ms. Addie as the new president. She worried and fretted but did well in her application and interview and so here we go again. She also presented her thorough State degree slide show and passed that as well. 

After a lot of preparation and stress she was very relieved to be done. 

Mark ready to go to work after a day of interviewing candidates. Seniors from each school are the nominating and interviewing body for the next years group. 

I cooked again for the FCA lunch and decided to donate cinamon twists. My family was very happy to hear this addition. The kids liked them. 

We went to the consult for Livy's legs. She needs to be straightened out. The will do this by attaching plates and screws to her inner knee and a pin through her left let upper bone to correct the misalignment. I'm thankful they can correct this even though it may be a painful process for a little while it is nothing compared to years and years of sufferin if not corrected now. She still has open growht plates and hopefully will grow enough to counter the bends thus straightening out her legs. 

At home while I worked on books Merle found a use for the huge poster from the football days. The kids have been patient while I worked and worked on books. 

 There's always plenty going on  at our house. I'm thankful for the people that fill my life with interesting observations. Merle continues to make me laugh. This week I told him he needed a bath he told me he didn't smell like anything so it was too soon for a bath. I assured him he could bathe even if he didn't stink. He begrudgingly took a bath. 

I've been pondering a lot about miracles. How to experience them,  how to have fait to pray for one to happen. How to witness God working. The only things I know from looking back is the miracle isn't my demands but the strength given to get through what can happen. The many skilled people who have developed their talents and given their lives to be ready to give the help I would need. The timing and people who helped accomdate the lesson that I needed to learn. The healing after, the normalcy that came again after the event. 

A lady in relief society shared how she had peace when she heard her husband had brain cancer. He died and it was a hard road to death, but now 10 years later she is happy again, she has a new life. I never knew her in that old life, I have only known her since her new marriage. I marveled that she had so many scars, yet has happiness now. She said the peace at the intial declaration carried her through the very hard she had to endure. 

I'm thankful for blessings, and the new prcoess of having a recorder (someone who writes) the blessing so they can be referred back to. This gives me strength as I draw on those sacred words daily as I wait on the Lord for the hard time to pass. 

I'm thankful for prayers, friends, and family who give me some time and reassurance that I'm not alone. Those minutes they give push back the fear and are like candles on the walk through the deep anxiety of worry. Time passes. All things come to pass and we adjust and adapt. It is very hard to hold on from one dim candle to the next or even more important to keep our faith burning when life seems too hard and too much to carry. So many times I have had such absolute random tender mercies in those moments, and so often I have just endured tedious time passing. But I know from where I stand right now God is real, He is aware, He is managing the details and if we can just hope, that is enough. Hope and laughter are powerful tools that repel darkness and doubt. I have experienced this many times. 

So life is good. Life is hard. It has to be. But as my grandfather repeated often "You're a tough Corn, you gotta be tough." Yes you do. You just keep going, however slow and small the steps are you just keep going. Life is good and we are blessed. 

Awards

The final event of the football season is the awards assembly. This is the JV team. A hard working younger group who have talent and dreams of also playing in championship games. Many played on the field in the championship run this year. Most practiced the extra month learning other teams special plays and maneuvers. These guys learned a lot in the almost double season of practices. 

They will grow physically and mentally in the coming months this group will become the next tough guys. The coach said Vale doesn't really rebuild they just re-load. That is true. This JV team lost to one team the enormous Rocky from Idaho student body in the thousands they brought about 50 for the game. The rest of the games were not even close. 

Reed got his letter for coming all through the playoff practices and being the opposition. That was not an easy task and was mostly just offering some resistance to the Vale Varsity. But he stuck out the cold punishing experience and learned a lot. 

The 14 seniors. They are going to leave a hole but those spots will be filled by the guys in the previous pictures. I'm thankful for the positive energy and examples these guys shared. Some years are miserable with negativity and name calling. This group is not that. 

My guys at home. I'm so thankful they have brothers. That is a special experience to have boys like me to pal around and rough around and just understand the finesse of becoming a man. 

At the younger kids school they too earned awards. Alivia made the 1000 point plack. She did that in about a year. I'm so thankful for her interest in books. She is making a lot of growth just seeing and being exposed to different thinking and time periods. She is currently enjoying Christian Romance. Shes's growing up. 

They got quite a few. Afton 60 lessons in iready- most had 20 passed, and highest reader. That's a first for her to beat the high scoring girl in her class. Millie has a 4.0. Bruce got athletic awards for running the most lines I think high 70's maybe the 80's for him. High reader, and high iready lessons passed. I'm thankful for their determination to work at school. You can do anything if you know how to work. 

I'm thankful for the good practices that are in place. of course there is plenty of correction and growth that is still happening. I'm thankful for the opportunity to still be a mom in midlife. I've calmed, I've got some experience behind me, I see the systems more clearly and I think longer term. That helps me relax and the army of older kids- possibly veteran students- helps encourage, correct, and inspire the younger ones. Mostly I'm thankful to not be solo anymore. I am very blessed to have lots of dishes, hundreds of socks, and people to want my attention and input. I'm truly grateful to be their mom. Now back to cooking for the FCA lunch taco bowls and cinnamon twists. The heads snapped at breakfast when I said I was making those. My family does love sugary bread. It's all about the timing for these school lunches you have to be there in time. Here we go. 
 

Some slower time and catching gophers

Addie sometimes takes some helpers. They love the time spent with her. Lately, she is learning to catch gophers the kids enjoy seeing if she caught anything. 

Success came later in the day, and she was super brave in bringing it home. Gophers are fat this time of year. Bruce was happy to cut the tail which he sat in a bag on the counter to save for later payment. Afton unaware opened the bag later and was slightly disgusted to find a fat gopher tail. The process of gopher catching is a new diversion for this slower time of year. Each one gone is a blessing. 

They also spend some time painting. We invested in copy paper to transfer pictures for them to fill in with color. 

Andrea is not to be left out and enjoyed painting some leaves. 

Merle got to help MArk plant some more cover crops. First off was airing up some tires. The younger kids love it when they get to go help the older kids do their work. The older kids are generally happier when they take a buddy. Merle will ride in the tractor for as long as we will let him. Hours and hours later we brought him home. We are waiting with crossed fingers to see how the cover crop experiment works out. We have slivers of grasses coming up and are excited to see how they become a tasty feast for wintered-over cows. I can testify that we have watched the cows fatten and firm on fresh crops in the spring. Their coats get sleek and shiny and they look good quickly on fresh green grazing. A writer we follow calls it salad bar beef as there is a mixture of crops that we planted. 

Pre-operation we went and visited grandma and grandpa. The waiting is terrible when you're not sure what is going to happen. Thus some diversion and time shared is very welcome. We don't usually go up to visit en masse as a family. But tried this out and it was ok. I know I appreciated people reaching out to me when I was worried about the births of several of our children. 

We shared what was going on in our lives and sang some children's church songs. Both grandparents enjoy singing songs. 

Viewing something on a phone. 

We also shared some brownies. 

Time together is centering and good. We are thankful for less responsibility right now as farm life is just down to daily care of a few animals and maintenance projects. There's always plenty to repair. Life is good and we are blessed.
 

Mark oratorical

This year Mark is competing in the American Legion Oratorical contest. He spent time in December studying the constitution. This has broadened his thinking and caused him to consider the historical and philosophical roots of our country. He was the only speaker this evening. We are thankful for the support of the local post. These veterans have become friends through the years. 

Shown with post commander Betty Duncan. The big smile comes from the relief of one level complete. 

The sweet oratorical expert in Vale Gino. 

MY parents were able to come over and hear this first round. We appreciate their support. 

At home, I'm trying to get more vegetables in. Green smoothies are helpful each day. Merle refused to try these he told me they tasted like frogs. I laughed and wondered how he knew what frogs taste like. In my book blueberries and bananas don't taste like frogs. 

January rolls on. I'm thankful for these interesting people in my life. I'm thankful for their love and closeness. I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn together. I adore learning with my children. We continue the no TV experiment. Life is good I'm thankful for the emphasis and continued instruction to increase our learning and faith. There are so many pieces of my life that are directly related to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. From children praying and participating in religious practices and services to the command to learn and increase understanding to personal revelation through the Holy Ghost we are blessed. 
 

A Different type of Sunday

Sunday is a day of rest. Andrea wanted out of the house. She spent a while observing the chickens. She is getting so big. Now that it's cold I can finally trim my roses. It has yet to be super cold. I hear that's coming this week. 

With all my time in the chair working on books, I've been listening to podcasts. One by Rabbi Daniel Lappin suggested the necessity of quitting TV watching. He said it kills brain creativity. To be successful either with new products or finding solutions to problems one must have a very creative mind. He also said to list 5 things every day that you are thankful for to improve positive thinking and to read great books aloud. I loved all these! Saturday night I pulled the power cord from the TV and we began a TV-less sunday. At the end of the day this is what I observed everyone deep in a book. 

Afton of the there-are-no-good-books club had taken over Pippi Longstocking after I read her two chapters. The rest of the kids were reading their own adventures. 

Merle was ready for sleep and fell asleep a few minutes after this picture. 

And then I got a call to come to tube a calf. I checked with Mr. Rancher Ty and he said try a bottle. I sent that with Mark who had been working on speeches with me. I got chewed out for not coming with the tube feeder and so prepared myself to go down checking hastily which side of the calf to insert the tube. Right or left and my left or it's left. That is very important as I have killed one almost instantly when I went the wrong way. This calf was so cold. Like ice to touch inside its mouth and hoofs. It was born at dark from a heifer. The mother never licked it and it never got up. We came back a few hours later and it was so cold. They finally took it to the shop and rubbed it mostly dry. 

Mark tubed it correctly we gave it some colostrum and rubbed more. I realized we needed to add heat and got the heat lamp. That was not large enough so we got rice socks. 

After wishing for an electric blanket that we had gotten rid of, but only half of it worked, we decided to use a quilt. When we put the first rice socks on the calf mooed relief. I made this quilt 30 years ago when I was in young woman. Oh well it has been used by a few kids and I guess it was time to move on. We added about 10 hot rice socks wrapped the calf securely and called it a night. We couldn't leave the lamp going for fear of fire. I took 4 more socks an hour later. This morning ADdie was first out the door to go check. She announced it was dead. Sometimes that happens. 

She had invited BRuce to work the night shift with her. He thought they were going gopher trapping at midnight and brought an apple. She said no we would just sit here with the calf. I told them we needed to sleep as tomorrow was another day of responsibility. So at 12:30, we headed home. I went back at 1:15 with more warm socks. This is the pile.. I'm not sure what to do with them. The calf was just too cold and we were too slow figuring out a method. 

But in the middle of that disappointment, I got this picture from John. His friend Markel is a 23-year-old man "with an awesome family." So while there is hard and sad there is good. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. My children are encouraged to participate in church and worship and I as a woman am given responsibility and understand my divinity. These are restored truths. The gospel and Salvation are for all not just some and not through others. We can know and interact with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 

As a family we work together, we support, encourage, fight, and live together. I am thankful for the moments that make up our life. There are hard situations death is not easy but it's reality. Bruce was uncomfortable and didn't want to touch the cold calf last night. I told him we had to rub it to get it's blood to move. He was more okay when we were all rubbing it. He helped take it to the dead pile today. I hope that as death inevitably crosses their path in the future they will realize we do our best to prevent and we accept that life ends too. 

With all the time watching and waiting I saw many jobs little hands could do and so today the kids have been working on cleaning the shop. Many hands make lighter work. A sense of accomplishment comes from creating order. We are blessed. 
 

New years

My house emptied out today. While it is good to have each kiddo in their own corner of the world it's kinda sad too. Melancholy is the big word to describe an empty house. Thankfully I still have these handsome guys roaming around. These are their new church clothes for the year. 

We got a skiff of snow on New Year's day, it quickly melted and added to the muddiness that had been most common for the month. 

We ventured to Nyssa to play some games with cousins and eat some food. 

I've heard that after your kids finally leave like are married or in careers somewhere else with homes of their own it's not as bittersweet when they leave. I don't worry about my missionary's safety and whereabouts like I do the ones at home. But likewise, the college ones I have to refrain from checking on them often. Space we all need space and time to grow. Just like the plants of summer, they die if you pull them out to check on progress. So begins the waiting and working to get back into my own life and swing of things. 

I came home to find this dinner in the works. So we did have the fried dinner that is a staple for ringing in the new year. We fry chicken strips, french fries, tater tots, onion rings, and finger steaks. This year Alena provided Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daquiri's to round out the eating experience. The Pina Colada was so refreshing. Oh, and there were vegetables too. But honestly, I munched on the onion rings, and they were the best. 

The irony of eating a fried foods dinner with my mother-in-law who just had a heart attack was not lost on me. But hey if you can't eat what you want what's the purpose? She has been greatly relieved to see the tests come back as mostly healthy and strong. Just one valve is hardening and that's what they will replace through the vein next week. I think that is just amazing that they can operate on your heart and keep you alive throughout and it is just an outpatient procedure.

Another year was properly welcomed in. Andrea was not a fan of the fireworks. The loud books heard a the fireworks exploded next to the mountains scared her. Oh well, each year is something new. We will see where this one takes us. Life is good and we are blessed week to week until they add up to another new year. 

 

Readers, painters, and cooks

I love it when my kids start packing books everywhere they go. Bruce came in for lunch and had a familiar bulge in his pocket. I asked him to show me and he pulled out a book about Sir Lancelot. Those front pockets are perfect for holding books. 

After the first fast on Sunday, the girls put together a charcuterie tray to snack on. My family loves bite-size food. No one had to be told to finish their food, no one had to be fed bite by bite. This is the best food according to my children. 

We spent some time painting on Saturday night. I do love spending time crafting with my kids before big changes. 

Andrea even got a turn. She painted ina turtle I had drawn for her. 

I have been working on my habits and exercising every day is one item I'm working on. This stomach workout is effective and necessary after years of pregnancy. Merle was watching me and pointed out Mom you need to take your shirt off to do it right. I said no way buddy I'm doing it with my clothes on. He continued to make sure I did the moves correctly according to the leader. Days like these are sweet. My little people like space to grow and do what they want while the big kids are at school. 

The school kids were not excited to return to the school routine, but they all came home with stories and enthusiasm after their first day. So we return to our schedule and enjoy our own experiences in our own spaces. There is nothing wrong with this. The college kids likewise left this morning and I have spent the morning organizing and cleaning parts of my home. No one will notice what I did but I dug some of the deep corners that have been bugging me. The sun is shining and we begin the new year. We worked on speeches last night and are preparing for another season of learning. We are waiting on parts for a truck and the combine. Life is good as we contemplate another year of learning and growth.