photo apps are fun!!

Well, I have to admit, the iphone has some really fun photo editing applications!! Which ones do you like best?? I like PS Express, Instagram and Luminance! These pics were taken with Anna's camera then I synced them on my phone and "played" around!!  I wonder if I can make Terry's hair darker???? Just kidding!!! I like his salt/pepper look, he is so distinguished looking!! But I will be looking for someway to change mine when I get the "gray" look!!! Somehow women dont handle it as well, or maybe its just me! haha!! Maybe I am a bit unusual with the editing.......
 

I'm linking up with.......

every Friday there will be pics from the week

through the lens of a cell phone!!!

 P.S. birthday party post below this one!!

daniel's 24th bd party here!!! and Caleb's 24th bd in MD!!

Daniel's bd Party!!!!

( ......and Caleb's day in MD!!)

Have you ever tried to give a "surprise" bd party????

Well, I think this was my first one.....

and I really pulled it off!!!

 this guy had absolutely

 NO

 idea!!!

 it was soooooo great!!!!

I had made arrangements at this

 baseball museum in Guthrie for the

location, 

 three reasons......

 #1 easier to get people there

 #2 NO flies

 #3 and due to "weather" conditions in our house......like HEAT!!! haha!!

 so, I had prepared and had all the food up there,

 and got balloons, (whoop)

 so we ate there and then I twisted

 my friend Natali's arm to be the 

 hostess of the mostess

 by letting us do the "chocolate dessert"

 table at her house!!!

 ......and she did it!!!!

sooooooo thats where we went after for delectable choc-o-late 

and

 COFFEE!!!!!

P.S. Anna made the Cheesecake,

  we forgot the "real" camera!!

Kristen made his day very special!!!

 I sent them some "new" OSU stuff......

 doesn' t need to forget

 where he came from!!

looks like a happy bd to me!!!!

 

  

a "smurfin" good day!!!!

Happy

"Smurfday"

to

Melissa!!!!

she kinda likes Smurfs!!!!

Well, guess I better tell ya about Melissa!!! She is a very special, wonderful, godly young lady and she is Elijah's very "special" young lady!! Soooooo, this morning after her workout at Langston University, near us, she came by and we had a Smurf Doughnut Party for her!! Melissa is a softball recruit at Langston University which is abut 20 min from us.....yeah about that!!!! We have fallen in love with her and her fun family!! So Happy Birthday to Melissa!!!!

Notice anything different about the blog?????? hahaha!!!! Like the GIANT pictures!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!! I had a friend help walk me through how to do it, because I am computer "dumb!!" Hope you like it too!! I am still changing a few other things, but still working on it, so maybe tomorrow it will look a bit different
 too!!

Cindy


 

six!!!

meet "Russell" 

The first text read "Man I am so tempted to buy a puppy for sale here." The 2nd text read, "an Australian shepherd," and then the 3rd text read, "I bought him!!" Bethany has NO resistence when she sees a puppy for sale!! But she is just an authentic farm gal, so what can I say!! Yes she tried to butter up her dad as he came through the door and he wagged his head a few times and then that was it!! Sooooo we have another doggie!! Should I say we now have 6?! Oh, whats a puppy in eternity?? Memories made to look back on and tell her children what she did when she was a gal on the farm!!


I will probably say this a million times but its literally the only words I can say I am living right now........so busy!! And the last few days of August and the month of Sept. doesnt look like its going to slow down. Birthdays, a Texas Ranger game, a missionary family from Mexico visiting us, camping trips, goat judging, goat shows, Kentucky trips, and maybe throw in a OSU game, more birthdays, and thats beside school we are fixing to start up after Labor day!! This year we are going to start using the ACE curriculum. I am excited to hopefully do some much needed catching up academically. To be quite honest, I ahve struggled with school ever since Joel went to live in heaven. I have just felt so scattered and without purpose in the schooling area. So Lord willing this year, I am praying it will be beneficial and we will go forward with a fresh start so to speak!!


Hope you all are having a great week!! Tomorrow/ in the morning is going to be a "smurfin" good day!! Will tell you more about that later!! haha!! 

a special persons birthday!!

Happy Birthday
to
Kristen.......
(tomorrow, Saturday!!)

September 23, 2010 (of last year)
is a very significant day!!!

its the first day that I knew
there was/is a
"Kristen"

I got a LOOOONNNNGGGGG email
from a girl all the way
up in Maryland and she was asking
if she might pop in
and take a few family pictures
for a personnel project!
......and she was a
professional photographer!!!
If anyone knows me
and its free and has to do with photography
then I'm in!!!

Sooooooo, we stayed in touch and it
was all set for her to come!!

October 29, 2010.....
she showed up, took pictures and
we spent a few hours together.....
and the rest is turning
into a beautiful
love story...........with

a guy who would wonder .....
where in the world......
how would he....
ever find a gal!!!


So wonderful of God to just
"drop" her in our driveway!!!
and if you know me.....
i like to play match-maker!!!
(big grin)

Kristen is a treasure!! I am so thankful for her!
First for her heart for the Lord!
I am thankful she is a woman of prayer,
( I know for sure on that!!
lotsa prayers, tears, but no blood, as WE both prayed for
u know who....."cowboy")
I am thankful she has a solid
foundation and trusts in God's
Sovereignty!
(she had to, til some boy got his head outta the sand!!) haha!!
I am thankful that God has blessed
her and Caleb with
a dream come true
relationship!

Sooooooo

Happy Birthday!!!
to
you, Kristen!!
You are loved by the
whole "farm" clan!!!

playing around!!

when the guys are away
the left-behinders
play.......


wiffle ball.......
we "wan and wan" on "wocks"
"wiff" two "wacky"
teams....


team #1
bethany
anna
josiah
hosie
josh

team #2
me
melissa
mercy
jeremiah
andrew

andrew getting a swing

jeremiah getting a good catch......aw he missed!!!

melissa getting a hit!!!!

mercy has some "power"

go girl!!!!

The last of the summer days is happening isn's it???? Seems like winter lasts longer than summer! :( Its still plenty warm here, inside and out and will be throughout Sept!! We will squeeze all we can out of it the last days for sure!

I read a verse this morning that encouraged my heart. Ps. 36: 5, Thy mercy, O Lord is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. I like the thought that all we need, desire, of His resources for this life is totally attainable, but it is not containable!!!!! His resources are limitless, inexhaustible, more than we could ever even need in comparison to us, who are so poverty stricken with everything we could even began to give to others and hardly offer back to God. What a blessed people we are to have such a BIG Savior! Just to meditate upon the riches of his mercy and faithfulness should make us more grateful for what we are receiving everyday and for not receiving what we truly deserve......nothing!

a bit of catching up!!!

I haven't updated progress on the kitchen in awhile, we have not done too much lately but Terry and I did texture and paint the wall where our computer area is. We reconfigured the laundry area and extended a wall out from the previous laundry area. I am excited abut the cabinet builder coming out and measuring for the double oven cabinet and he also measured and will be working on all the trim around the windows and french doors and hopefully he will have all that ready soon. If you can see Mercy's little kitchen in the photo, that is where the double oven cabinet will go. And of course we will get a door to the laundry room. I dont just want any door. I want a unique looking door, maybe old, or even a replica and paint it maybe turquoise. When you re-paint it always calls for adding more decoration to the new wall. I am trying to figure out what I want to do on each side of the computer desk and also on the wall to the left of the computer, I have a few ideas but of course one step at a time as provision allows to work on it. Eventually we will take the popcorn off the computer area ceiling and do the tongue and groove wood like the new kitchen area has. We are all blessed working/cooking in the new kitchen and mention to each other often of how grateful we are for the new space and wonderful work area, the clean cabinets, and handy storage right where we are cooking. As I look back, I remember praying specifically for provision to continue the work and I remember a scripture the Lord gave to me or encouraged my heart with, when Solomen was building the temple; And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it. I Kings 6:38 Sometimes doing things God's way, not going into debt takes a while and if it took Solomen 7 years, why could I even gripe about the slow progress. It has been 5 years since we poured the add on concrete. So what we have behind us is more than whats ahead if the Lord allows us to finish it in Solomens time frame!! One thing I desired of the Lord is to have it functioning and be in it before everyone left and that actually happened!! It was up and running before Caleb left and its a huge blessing to us now!! So if you have a dream, a prayer, don't give up......He desires to give good gifts to us and in His time!!

I know I have to start think "school" but I ahve a bit more time til Labor day!! Hopefully can get motivated between now and then. Making some changes this year and I dont know that everyone will be super excited but I think it will be beneficial for each!! So I am excited about our new/re-newed vision. I have had home school burn out for too long but Lord willing we will kick off the year with a new hope!

I am so proud of Bethany and her endeavors here on the farm. Once again, I feel like the Lord blesses her with success as she "gives" so much to this part of our family farm. She recently sold a Boer goat to some people that live almost to Kansas, she also had a customer pick up a goat going all the way to New Mexico and this coming Sunday she is flying her first goat out to Illinois to a customer. She is preparing her Fall breeding season with great anticipation! So we are grateful for positive farm progress!!

Josiah and I had a little time this morning to get ideas for his 8th bd party coming up on Sept 13th. I can't believe he will be 8 years old!! It never fails as bd's roll around, I wonder what Joel's life would look like if he were here along side of his twin. He is always missed!! Soooooo Josiah and I have some fun plans!! But before Josiah turns 8, we have three more bd's, Caleb & Daniel on the 26th, they will be 24 years old......now that blows my mind!!!! Then Micah will be 17 on the 30th. I think I am getting older!! haha!!

Oh here is a picture of Daniel and Rebekah!! They went out to eat at a very fancy french restaurant before she wen to Kentucky. I thought it was a great picture of them!! They are sooo cute together!!!




Happy Monday!!!

tee off!!!

today we hit the greens, well not really around here....
it was the browns!!!

the green fee was not bad
only $5


headed down the fairway.......
wasn't long til
I
was her caddy!!!

I wonder if Josh was calling these other
guys the pigeons?????
(an opponent you should beat easily)

his approach looks good!!!

looks like he has a good down swing coming!!

will it go

in the hole??????

down the fairway it goes!!!!!!!!!!!

it was not the greatest greens.......
but
it was sure great fun!!!

looks like the gallery (spectators)
got sidetracked!!!!

a "date!"

Josiah and I had a "dentist date" today!! Just me and

him!! He looks soooo much like Caleb and Daniel!!!!! First stop was the dreaded
dentist for him, but after that.........

Sonic!!!!
his choice was a Rasberry-Lime Power-ade slush!!
I think he got that idea from some of his "big"
brothers and sisters!!

then we had to get some fun pictures of just us!!!

and last but not least.......
kill a few of them thar grasshoppers!!!


......and maybe the best part for him
was uninterrupted game time
on my phone!!

one more recipe!

Here is the last recipe I have tried from the search of cookbooks last week just trying to make something different than the same ole' thing! They are here if you would like to try!! Everyone raved about them! I would definitely do them again but they will not be on my 2 week menu, a little time consuming! But they are very "showey" so if you need something that looks fancy for a special occasion, these will work!!

before cooking

all ready for the oven

of course it was a bit of messy preparation....

the finished recipe.....



and I will tell ya again, I luv my iphone editing apps!!!

:)