Fridge? What fridge?!

You ever have those moments in life when you stand there and think something along the line of, "This stuff only happens to me!" :-) Well, this is one of those moments. I'm thinking surely there will be a moment sometime fairly soon when I will look back upon this story and laugh, maybe not tonight but soon! I hope! My week began with my refrigerator being hauled out the door on its way to the repair place. Apparently 80* isn't cool enough, at least that's what the eggs where saying to the carrots. haha!  After a couple of days of using the already over stuffed ancient
fridge (Moses) in our mudroom and the back of my minivan as a fridge (it is less than 40* here and I blew the engine on my minivan so it's not going anywhere, another story for another time!), we got word from the appliance repair center that it was going to take about a week to diagnose and "maybe" fix my refrigerator. :-( So, I began to flutter my eyelids and blow kisses at my husband Michael and he agreed to let me try to find a cheap fridge on Craigslist! It might have had more to do with the fifteen minute search through the minivan and Moses to find the ketchup! Haha!

Well, I found my "cheap" fridge (which was a shocker, usually takes it awhile to find a good bargain!) and it didn't take long for us to hook up the trailer and head off on a short road trip (which means 40 miles around here) to pick it up. I watched from the warm truck cab as Michael and the seller loaded it up and strapped it down. It wasn't pretty, kinda old, needed some cleaning, but it was working and it was cheap! We stopped for fuel on the way home and Michael was telling me how heavy, very very heavy, that fridge was. I fluttered my eyes at him some more and told him how proud I was of his strength and refrigerator moving abilities. ;-) Hey, flattery goes along way!, well, sometimes haha! So, we happily headed for home, by now it was way after dark and getting colder and colder outside. A cold front was heading our way and I began thinking that soon my minivan was going to quickly become a deep freeze since the low for the night was supposed to be 12*.

We had our two youngest children with us, JJ, who was fast asleep and had been since we left the driveway and the Little Princess who hadn't stopped talking since we left the driveway, except for the few moments it took her to eat a slice of Casey's General Store pizza! All was good, the drive was relaxing, the heater was working, the moon was shining, the heater was working...you know where my priority was! haha and soon we were back home pulling down the drive and up to the house. Now there is a song somewhere that goes something along the line of "the Devil's driving that long black train..." but that night he was "riding a short blue trailer". Little Princess was the first one to jump out of the truck and as she did she turned back to us and in her sweet little g'url voice asked....Yep! You guessed it!!, "Where's the fridge?!!!"  Michael glanced into the rear view mirror and jumped out of the truck with a speed that confirmed in my sinking heart what I knew even without turning around to look.  "Katie!" Michael half choked, "I know I strapped that thing down!!" Now, I have to defend my awesome husband here, he has been pulling trailers since he was about 6 or so (that's what farm boys do in their spare time ;-) haha) and he's no dunce when it comes to strapping things down. I have no doubt that that big yellow metal box "had" been properly strapped onto that trailer!, but now? Where was it!? Did I mention earlier that it was very dark while we were heading home? yep, ok. Did I mention anything about being so excited about my new gardening book that I might have had the truck cabin lights on all the way home so I could read my very exciting new gardening book to my wonderful husband? nooo? Hmmm, apparently you can't see outside the truck windows or the mirrors very well at night when the lights are on inside. I know this very well, because Michael made me "try!" to see the trailer behind the truck with those lights on and I couldn't see it at all. I guess he wanted to prevent me from asking some sort of wifey type question like..."How could you not see a whole refrigerator JUMP off your trailer!!??" LOL, like I would ask such a thing! :-) All I could think of at that moment was...One missing old refrigerator: Time + Money + Fuel = NOT Cheap!

Well, after grabbing our oldest son from his Algebra workbook (which he just hated to leave ya know) we found that old fridge back down the road about 10 miles. Laying on its back, in the ditch, with one of it's doors beside it. We, and I mean mainly them, loaded that thing back onto the trailer (strapped it on, again) and took it home. The idea that there was any possible way that it could work now was crazy! Michael drug that beast into my pantry, repaired the door and....went to bed. The next morning when I came crawling out of bed, a good while after Michael, the first thing I heard was that fridge humming away in there!! The thermometers confirmed what I thought to be impossible! It Was Working!! Well, Thank you Lord for caring even about my old fridge! I think I'll name it Mike, it reminds me a little of Michael, 'cause I don't know which one of them "snores" the loudest, my husband or the old fridge!! But at least I know exactly where the ketchup is! And, now that I've sat down and typed this all out, read it and reread a couple times I guess now I can laugh, I've at least cracked a few smiles anyway! :-)

Lovely Lunch Topics

Most of the time while my children are finishing lunch I am somewhere nearby getting a jump start on cleaning something, like, the dishes. LOL But today, since I was soo exhausted from cleaning my room (thanks for the help with that kiddos!) that I sat down in the living room enjoying my tea and watching out the window thinking far away thoughts....then I began to clue into the conversation from the dining room which I could see from my chair. All but my oldest where sitting around the table, Big Sis was absorbed in her latest book but the rest where deep in an amazing discovery. A great discussion about how our nose connects to our mouth. My 8 yr old, Wild man was explaining that indeed they do connect because Daddy had showed him. Miss Priss (6 yrs) was just amazed and totally hooked onto his every word, she asked "HOW did he SHOW you?"  "WEelll," Wild Man began, " I told Daddy that there was no way my nose and mouth could be together then you know what he did?" At this point even Little J (5), who had been listening but still more interested in his food stopped to listen with noodle hung mid-air and leaned slightly toward his brother to hear better. Following this dramatic pause Wild Man continued "He leaned my head back like this, and then he poured salt water stuff in this hole in my nose!" (It was actually just a few drops of saline nose drops, but hey, it sounded good! ;-) lol )  "Where did it go?" Miss Priss wanted to know. "IN my Mouth!!! Wild Man exclaimed proudly while enjoying center stage. "I knew that!!" Little J yells as he continues to gobble up his noodles, "I knew that!, Daddy tells it to me too!"  Now, Butterfly girl and Naynay had been giggling at Wild Man this whole time. "So, now you know that your mouth is connected to your mouth right?" Butterfly girls asked. Wild Man responded with a big nod of his head because by now his mouth is full of noodles too! NayNay began telling them that she found out this amazing discovery the first time her soda had come out her nose while she was holding her hand over her mouth (why, I have no idea lol) Everyone paused to take a bite and enjoy being the smart kiddos that we are always telling them they are. Then, Wild Man asks with a mouth full of noodles, "So, If this hole in my nose goes down to my mouth.....then does this one go up to my brain?" lol 

Sigh, gotta luv 'em :-D

Clean Your Room!!!

Now, you probably think this is what I was saying to one or more of my many adorable sweet children. But, in fact today it is the other way around!!! Since we have come back from a recent trip our clothes just seem to pile up on the suitcase which is still on the dresser. Other "stuff" just seems to be stacking up around me!!! "It isn't that bad kids!! WHAT!, You want me to clean it ALL up! All of it! BUT, it isn't all mine!! Do I have to do it right now? Clean rooms before swimming shouldn't include my room too! BUT, but!" (I just found my computer!, which is why I decided I need to take and break and blog about how unfair it is that I have to clean up my room!) "I mean, I share this room! Shouldn't Daddy be here to clean up his half of the mess!! Can't I just put some tape down the center of the room and throw all his things over on his side for him to deal with later!!!??? And, I didn't leave this plate and glass here on the floor to grow penicillin so why should I have to be the one to wash it and make sure it's safe for future use!! I didn't get out the salve, peroxide and band aids!!! Why do I have to sweep up all this dirt, the mud caked boots that caused this mess certainly don't fit me!! Why me, it's not fair, But Kids!!!!!"

By now, YOU think I have lost my mind, but my kids are all standing behind me reading what I'm typing and laughing their adorable heads off. :-) I asked them if any of this sounds familiar? I think we have all agreed that all this complaining coming from me about cleaning my room and Daddy's "side" of the room sounds very silly. LOL I think I have proved my point and will now go back to cleaning my room with a smile! Oh, I've been looking for that...............

BTW, Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Where does time go?

Wow!! Has it really been that long since I have posted?!!! It seems like just a few months ago we moved back home to the farm!! This past year and a half has gone by so quick, I just don't know where the time flies off to.  I recently heard a great sermon that mentioned time and how we use it. It really got me to thinking about how often I say "I don't have time for..."  or "I didn't have time today to...." and thinking back over my day I wonder sometimes just how good of a steward I am of my time. How much time do I waste that I can never regain. Someone recently mentioned that the military seemed to have a "Hurry so you can Wait" theme going on. I wouldn't know about the military but I know it often seems true for me! lol After discussing the topic with Michael I have written a few memos for myself to remember throughout the day,  a few things for me to take the time to do, things that seem to very important to those around me in our home. 1. Take time to SMILE  2. Take time to Listen  3. Take time to give full thoughts, answers and instructions 4. Take time to be Thankful. I'm sure there are many many other things to list as well but these were the things that seemed to be on the top of everyone's mind so we decided to work on these first! :-)  Can you imagine having to remind yourself to smile!! LOL It's cute when Michael says "I like it when you smile, you're pretty when you smile"! haha  It seems that we all have been a little sticky note happy lately with all the smiley faces plastered all over the house, my OCD is working overtime!! haha, but smiling brings laughter and laughter brings out the Joy Unspeakable and who can can complain about that!!! :-D

Thank you Veterans!!

I just wanted to take a moment today and thank all the Veterans who have given their time and sweat and blood and more...THANK YOU!!! Last night at church the service of thanks for our soldiers and veterans brought me to tears several times. God bless our military and God bless America!



Thank you Papa Lowell!



Thank you David! (FIL)



Thank you Gramps and Terry (BIL)



....and thank you, Brother Morgan, Brother Simmons, Andrew, Tom, Dustin, PJ, Brother Shinkle, Brother Cooper, Brother Davis, Miss Jolene, Brother C. Davis, and............

Back from Crazy. Maybe.

Hello!!! Thanks so much to several people who have kept in touch while we have been without computer access. The occasional notes and comments were great. I missed being online and blogging and hope that I can get back into without neglecting my family too much! LOL!

It would take a really really big post to tell about all the blessing that have happened since my last post. We did relocate to the Wichita area for almost 2 years, but the Lord has brought us back home to our farm in Missouri and we are soooo glad to be home!
We had a lot of fun in Kansas, the Lord greatly blessed us there. We found a wonderful church family and really enjoyed getting to know several families there. We are going to miss them a bunch! Hopefully they will come and see us sometime, I know we are planning on visiting there again.
So, I'm basically going to just pick up where we left off! Posting some pictures here and there of our time in Kansas. We stayed at the lake near Wichita, in our 40' fifth wheel trailer. Michael worked for Cargill and I was camphost of our campground. We took care of the horse campground and had a lot of fun. The trail and arena was very close making it so easy to ride almost daily. With the water so close the swimming was great too! We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay, the Lord truly took care of us. The lake was beautiful, even in the winter with several inches of snow!! Sledding will never be the same!, sliding down the side of a lake dam in a pick-up bed liner is the way to go!!!
We have been back home a couple of weeks now and I'm just now coming up for air. We sort of hit the ground running!! So many things are the same, so many things have changed. Like going through a time warp! We have been very busy working on the house, septic, wood stove, getting Michael's business in order and not to mention the hours of unpacking the HUGE amount of boxes that have been in storage!! Some of the boxes are being opened and I'm just looking in and thinking, "Did I really pack this junk!?" haha! And, of course there are several boxes of clothes that will no longer fit the kids, or me! ha!, so the laundry pile is getting shorter the more I pile into the "give away" bags.
All in all, very soon I hope to have the whole house in order. That way I'll be ready for all the company I hope to have from our wonderful Kansas friends...hint hint!! and the wonderful friends and family here in MO! Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be done in time to go see our wonderful family in OK for Thanksgiving and come home to a wonderful clean house!! Don't you just love that word, wonderful! WONDERFUL!!
Well, enough playing around. Better get back outside and quit hiding from my wonderful husband who is digging wonderful holes all over the yard trying to find and fix our wonderful septic! Have a Wonderful day!! :-D

We're go'n crazy, wanna come?

Well, the latest adventure of our family is just about to begin. May 31st is our last day here on Emma Creek, our time here is up. We have been staying in a temporary rent house the last couple months provided by Cargill while searching the surrounding area high and low for a home to call our own. But, alas, it wasn't to be found. At least not yet! The Lord knows right where it is, and we are trusting that in His time He will let us know the when and where of things. So, pray for us, you know how crazy one can get when they are "waiting".

So, while we are waiting we have decided to jump off the deep end! Right into the lake. We have been able to purchase an older 5th wheel camping trailer and an enclosed trailer and we are packing up and heading to the lake! The kids are so excited they can hardly sleep, and would go to bed wearing their swim clothes and floaties if I would let them! I'm on a roller coaster of excitement one minute and down the next. There is just something about being homeless that leaves funny feeling in your stomach! LOL! Michael keeps trying to cheer me up during those down times by saying "We COULD go find a rent house in town, but then we would have to get rid of the horses, Rowdy and probably a few kids to fit!, at least this way, we may spend the same amount of money but the trailers are ours to keep in the end!" :-) Ok, I'll buy that, but something still sounds fishy!! LOL! I can just see the comic strip now...

9ndhouse!! Momma is running around bare foot and burnt to a crisp, trying to catch Baby J before he falls in the lake, smear lotion on the girls, wave the boys back to shore, grill dinner, keep Rowdy from chasing the Ranger, answer Wild Man's 100 questions, remind Miss Priss AGAIN to get her thumb out of her mouth all while tripping over the giant blowup whale to get Michael a glass of tea!

What do you think? Can you picture it? Well, it may not be like that exactly but at LEAST, I won't be pregnant!! LOL! Actually things look like they are going to work out great. The new horse camp ground near the trails has horse pens at the sites and an arena to ride in. The highway is nearby and will get Michael straight to work in about the same time, and the best part! We will be only 10 min. from church instead of 45 min!! Yea!!

So, the main part of this post, was to say that in a couple days once again, I will be without Internet for awhile. Hopefully, I won't be gone for long, can't stand to not be blogging! We hope to find a wireless service that won't cost us an arm each month, but we'll see how it goes!! :-D

Well, I better get back to packing. I'm having a little trouble with the labeling of the boxes this time. Half our stuff is back in a semi trailer in Mo, marked "long term". The boxes we had here at the rent house were marked "short term" and are now being boxed back up and put into another storage trailer. What should I mark them now, "Need it, don't have room, Long term-Short term"? :-)