the back door

last week i was making lemon bars for easter dinner. the final step is to dust with powdered sugar. well, i had powdered sugar but one i thing i don't have in my kitchen is a shaker. i noticed i didn't have any empty spice containers. realizing i couldn't really "dust" with a spoon or fork i had a brilliant idea! i took one of my jelly canning jars. i use these to store things in, but the seal is broke so i can't reuse that part of the lid for more canning. i headed to the tool box and found a hammer and nail. i took the screw top off, turned the seal part upside down, screwed the lid back on and used the hammer and nail to poke several holes in the lid. then i flipped it over and put it back on the jar the correct way. and voila - a homemade shaker jar!! it worked great i must say! i was so giddy proud of myself so i'm hoping that somewhere in bloggy world someone else can share in my joy!

after a busy day of baking, laundry, work, i happened to glance at this... it made me pause, say a whisper of thanks, and capture it as best as i could. 203. the gift of the cross 204. the promise of salvation 205. the hope of eternity

as many of you know, i've been counting gifts thanks to ann voskamp and her book . it has proven to change my perspective on a lot of things. a few weeks ago she provided free templates for 7 days of 7 gifts. i decided this would be a great way to prepare for easter here on the farm. i find that there are many times i would like to complain about something in my life; finances, time, weather, parenting, weight, etc....yet, lately i find myself first look for a gift in that moment. God has not let me down yet and i have always found at least one thing to stop and give thanks for. and when, i've stopped to give thanks, i find joy. now don't get me wrong - last night, when i got home from youth group i can't say that i was an abundant ball of joy:) but in my counting of gifts i'm learning to see things a bit differently. last week i came home from picking up the kiddos and found a box at our back door. not the usual shape for dear hubby's maps and it ha...

oh how i love this sweet girl.... ...colorful rain boots ...splashing in mud puddles ...the covering of an umbrella ...the joy of a sweet child ...the curls framing her face, damp with rain ...time spent together ...a cup of hot cocoa, with a drizzle of caramel

isn't he absolutely adorable?????? all my life i have wanted a pig. yes, i know it is an odd thing for a non farmer girl to want, but i did. i mean, i would BEG my dad for a pig in our backyard. he was a farmer and so was my mom. they both kept a firm "NO!" every time i asked. it may have been the only time i didn't get something i so badly wanted; i might have been a tad bit spoiled:) so a little over a year ago we moved to the farm. here, we have an amazing barn and several pastures. it is quite peaceful and every time i wander the outdoors i dream of pastures filled with cows, horses, and PIGS! i know pigs prefer mud, but goodness, we have the best barn for some piggies. i keep asking hubby and he keeps saying "NO!" i even asked if we could get one, but keep it at someone else's farm. he still says "NO!" i just don't get it. so today.....i bought a pig. well, kind of. but when i posted on facebook that i had just bought a pig (which i t...

here are some random bits of thoughts...... ...i feel perky today ...i like my friends ...i'm ready for spring ...on monday i am going to go as sugar-free as possible for one full week ...should i cut my hair to a chin length shag or leave it to grow? ...i need to get back into my spring/summer clothes ...my parents have finally returned ...i am going to miss football and basketball season, baseball is not my thing ...could i feed my family on $50/week? ...i'm only dizzy half of the time now instead of all the time ...is it okay to let my daughter read this much? ...i'm hoping my hubby goes to chicago for research and drags me along! ...this week he took me to a most unique place of sorts - he bribed me with lunch ... we have a lot of trees to plant, well hubby does ...i love these kiddos ...we all love slushies ...sugar free for one week? will i survive? ...it is about that time where i break out the country music tunes ...i love sassy country songs ...go butler, because ...