Think Positive...

When it's dinner time and you realize the oven is still on from lunch... at least you don't have to wait for it to preheat! ;P

Imagine...

the sun is shining and warm. The wind is blowing steadily and cool. You are on the back a of stunning black horse. You are riding through fields as eagles fly over head. Imagine the peace as you walk into the woods and the wind stops rushing and is quiet. The only sound is the soft patter of hooves on the leaf covered ground. Ahead, a fallen log. The horse in front of you, clears it with no problem. You brace yourself, fearing the jolt of a jump, afraid of falling. Suddenly you're over it. You barely even felt the jump! To the left, in the clearing, is a herd of deer grazing and showing no interest in you. Your heart flutters a little as you look to your right a see a very steep cliff. But you're not afraid for long because you're taken back by the creek at the bottom and how smoothly it curves and curls through the trees. You hear very little except for the rustling of trees and the occasional sound of birds over head. That's when you look up to see the light shining through the tree tops. It shimmers as each breeze changes direction of the shadows and light. You take in a deep breath and enjoy the fresh air as it fills your lungs. Your horse gives a quiet whiny of her own. This is peace. This is the closest you have been to God in a long time. For four hours you wander through the forest following deer trails. You find yourself wondering if this could be real. The answer? Yes! There is nothing more real then the sound of hooves padding the soft undergrowth. The high lasts you an entire week and you wish you could do it over again... Then you realize that you CAN!

Dear Meanlooklady,

You have no idea what kind of day I had. Yes, yes, I know. I went grocery shopping at 11:00 at night, in filthy jeans, a nasty sweatshirt, hair that was so grimy it might have stayed in a ponytail even if I had taken the scrunchy out, and I'm sure the smell of horse manure still lingered in the air around me.
I know you saw that I had a cart full of convenience foods and I know it took forever for me to load everything on the conveyor belt. The price check annoyed me almost as much as it did you. I would have just had the checkout boy put the waffles back but I had promised them to my daughter.
I saw you roll your eyes and it made me squirm a little, but I wasn't about to let my baby girl go without her waffles. I heard your sigh as you tapped your toe trying to make it obvious that you were annoyed. But when you glared at me... and then refused to make eye contact with me as you began texting, I became a little angry myself.
I was tired. My head hurt and I was aching from the physical labor I had been doing all day. I had spent the day dealing with horses, tiling a bathroom with a grouchy husband, and watching my daughter bury her pet bird of nearly seven years. (By the way, this is the same daughter that I promised the waffles to.) I hadn't showered because I still hadn't been home yet. My kids were out in the van with with my grouchy (and now exhausted) husband.
So I took a breath, and squared my shoulders, and I decided I wasn't angry with you any more.
You see, I've been you, Girlie. I know what it's like to be dressed to the hilt and in a hurry. I know what it's like to be impatient and angry at the world. It's so easy to get ticked off when the checkout boy moves a little to slowly for your pace. Its so easy to feel superior to the white trash with the cartful of frozen pizzas and sugar based cereals.
But Sweety, there is something you need to know. One day it will happen to you. You will be caught unaware. Someone will be there to knock you down. When it happens for the first time, you will most likely return to your car; fighting tears the entire way. You will rehash, over and over, what you did wrong, and and how unjustly you were treated. You will cry because you allowed someone to stomp on you. You will be angry and hurt and, hopefully, you will seek out a friend that has a shoulder to cry on. I hope you have one that will comfort you and get angry for you because that is so hard to deal with.
But tonight? Tonight there are no tears from me. I have seen both sides and, while you almost got to me, I will not be pulled down. I am a mother... and a wife and... most importantly... a daughter of God. I went back to my van full of snoring children, loaded up my groceries, kissed my husband, and came home to write you a little note.
Yours Truly,
Erica

Nesting boxes done!

With 6 pregnant bunnies there is a lot to do to get ready. Today, Ammon, Chi, Gabie, and Hannah helped me with that process...
I don't have a working camera right now so I can only TELL you about the wonderful nesting boxes that the kids made today. I stepped in from time to time to help them with a crooked nail or cut, other than that, they did it all on their own. (Right down to putting straw in the boxes and placing them into the cages!)
I could just see how good they felt when they were done! Gabriel practically beamed!!! Ammon keeps going out to check for baby bunnies and Hannah is very proud to point out which nails she hammered!
It was a good day... it was just a good day... (happy sigh)

Blogs worth "following"...

To me, it seems... interesting... that I would have "followers". It makes me smile, but I must admit that I don't know why anyone would "follow" me. Allow me to explain...

In all honesty, the whole reason I got started on my blog in the first place was because I was hoping that one day I would be the insightful, humorous, mother of 8, that knew all the answers. I envisioned women (and men) flocking to me for wisdom and parenting advise.

Alas, after blogging for four years, it seems I am still far from that woman. Being a mother of 8 children doesn't make you the all knowing giver of wisdom that others might assume you are. I seek advise more often than I give it. I delight in sharing my mishaps and mess ups as an ever learning mother.

So, where does such a woman go when seeking inspiration, advise, or entertainment? There is no way that I could possibly put all of my fantastic favorites up at the same time! I hope to share more sites with you as time goes on, but I thought you might enjoy seeing where I head when I am searching for...

humor: themotherloadhome

beauty: Andrew

inspiration: Ranee , fromsilencetosong

just plain fun: formerlyphread, maddoxmayhem

homeschooling: chocolateonmycranium

Parenting: oldfashionedmotherhood, beingamotherwhoknows

farming/homesteading: kellesneverdonefarm, selfsustainedliving

These are the blogs that I like to visit when I am at a loss and need to be uplifted... blogs that I feel are worthy of "following"...

Just felt like sharing...

The other day while I was talking to my son, in a "motherly fashion"... not really yelling, more like... lecturing. My daughter Sarah started laughing. When I asked her why she was laughing she said. "I never thought you would remind me of a Hannah Montana song!"



Funny thing is... When you think of it in the context of parent to child, and switch that for the last verse... it really fits quite well. Keep in mind, most of my children don't have bad attitudes, so we spent a large amount of time laughing and planning how that song could be turned to a funny little video showcasing parent/child relationships. It's become a big joke now and I sing it to my kids when I'm handing out chores.

sick...

Ever been so sick you just wanna' cry... but you can't cry 'cause you know you'll start coughing... again... and you'll wake up your husband who has to work through the night the following day... and that would be bad, because you worry enough about him and all the driving he does as it is... So you just sit at your desk... 'cause lying down isn't really an option... for the same reason that you can't cry... and you read a BUNCH of blogs... and you change your blog around 50 million times... and post a lot... about nothing in particular... because you know you're never gonna fall asleep anyway... because you're so sick that you just wanna' cry.
Really?... Never?... Well, me either...

Two Things...

First:

I love this time of year! Spring is coming! March is almost here! There are so many things to look forward to... flowers, gardens, leaves on the trees, baby animals, chickens laying again!

Even though the kids have been pretty sick, they are all enjoying the sudden rise in temperatures outside. Keep in mind that they are out with their rabbits and mini horse everyday, rain or shine. It's so nice that they don't have to get all bundled up just to go out to do their chores. I've even caught them sneaking outside, math books in hand, to sit out on the trampoline and soak up the sun while they do their home work!

I am looking forward to our move too! That was supposed to happen this week, but a bout with pneumonia has kept me in bed this week, hence all the recent posts and blog changes I am sooo looking forward to getting our pasture up and getting our horses on our property!

I have finally reached the point to where I feel comfortable posting pictures of the house. I figure you all know it's a work in progress and I hope you won't judge me to harshly on the house. We bought it for it's potential, not for it's current state.

At the risk of sounding like a sappy movie, I am... blissful. I am happy and content. Okay, so I'm not really content because I am so full of anticipation for what this new season has in store for my family that I can hardly sit still.

Second:

With Every Drop of Blood

James and Christopher Collier

We just finished a fantastic historical novel about the Civil War era. It tells a story from from the perspective of a 14-yr-old southern boy, right at the end of the war. He is helping to haul supplies to the Confederate Army when he is capture by a black Yankee Private. There was enough action to keep all of my children drawn in, but it was still mild enough that I didn't feel like I was corrupting young minds. I read it out loud to all of my school aged children; 7-12 yrs old

*NOTE*
Some of the language made me quite uncomfortable because I not only had to say the "N" word out loud but had to explain to my children what it meant (racism is beyond their comprehension). There is a very well worded forward about the history of that word and why the author, though uncomfortable with it, chose to include it in the reading.

Sarah

My Sunny Funny Sarah... always smiling, always happy. She is butterflies and rainbows, fairytales and pixie dust. You will never meet such a sweet spirit, even if you live 1000 life times. Never will you see a child try as hard to succeed as she does, and never will you see one so desperate to please adults. Her entire being revolves around love; giving and receiving. She craves affection, and passes it out willingly to anyone in need.

Sarah lives by the mantra JOY: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last!

She is always willing to serve others and constantly asks if I need her to do anything to help.

She is the 2nd oldest of my children and Rose's twin sister. Her compassion is at a level that even I have a difficult time comprehending sometimes. She took it upon herself to pardon our Thanksgiving turkey this year. "Dinner" is now happily living out the rest of his years on another farm.


She is extremely talented in art. Her specialty is anime and she has recently discovered that she is quite good with charcoal pencil as well. When I say talented, I don't just mean the "that's a pretty picture I'll hang it on my fridge" talented. She really is "you should do that for a living when you grow up" talented!

Aside from her passion for drawing there is only one other thing that Sarah lives for... animals. Sarah puts any other child that I have ever met to shame with the love and devotions she shows to ANY animal.She prefers the small ones like chinchillas and rabbits and cats. But she has run the gamut on pets and will take in ANY sick or injured animal that she can get her hands on!

She currently owns several Mini-Lop Rabits and breeds them for 4-H. She also cares for her 5 chinchillas and hopes to breed them soon.

Anyone who has the pleasure to meet this sweet girl is truly blessed. She is an inspiration to me. I have watched her fight for her life, and struggle with basic daily activities, always with a positive attitude. Her determination wins anyone's heart who takes the time to get to know her. I am honored that she is my daughter and hope that one day she grows to be the wife and mother she wants to be!

Sarah's Blog

Sarah's blog is now open to the public! sleschorn.blogspot.com
It's entitled "Butterflies and Rainbows". I giggle when ever I think of that title because it is SOOOO Sarah! Feel Free to visit. She wants followers too!