MacDh'omhnuill Farms

Updates? really? Who cares anyway...right?

2010-09-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here goes:
*inhales deeply* I'm divorcing my husband,dating someone new & wonderful, kids are starting school, I have a decent job, saving money to move to Fargo and live with my man, get bakery up and running smoother,get a better job, put kids in private school, advance in military, convert, learn & eventually master tiger style kung fu & instruct beside my man, go to college, get married, save more money, maybe have a baby, take trips to the hameland, get degree, save more money, finish military obligation, live life, save more money, immigrate back to the hameland, re-start my bakery, start kung fu school with my man, raise our kids, save money to fly back to states on visits, live happily ever after. *whew!*

Ok.....that should catch a few people up on my plans and what's been happening. I'll write something better, later. I have drill this weekend and working a very full week next week. Til then, slan mo chara.

whoa...August?

2010-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't write a thing in August...shucks. Sorry bout that August. Um Hello September, gonna have to make up fer that eh? :o)

Bow, don't break my bow

2010-07-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Almost done! Unpacking that is. Not everything can or should be unpacked, mind you. So barring those, I'm almost done! :o) Once the porch is attached and the windows restored, I'll be able to move a butt load of stuff out of my living room, which is stuff that falls in the can't or shouldn't be unpacked category. Hehe. I'm cleaning out my truck, hoping someone decides to buy it soon. I was using it as a mobile armoury so to speak, I just removed my bow and the last two swords this morning. I still need to get the 2nd bow and my rifle out of there. And some miscellaneous crap.

I opened up my bow case and found that some of my arrows haven't traveled well. This is why you DON'T use soft cases, they don't protect crap! So I will practice with my straightest ones and hope for the best. I know I sure won't be hunting for a couple years, I'll need all new arrows and tips anyways.

Oh and my sight was smashed too, lovely. *grumblegrumble*

Off to fiddle with my bows and make some targets. Slan.

"Home is where your rump rests." - Pumba

2010-06-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

That's right. And where the heart is. Where ya hang your hat. Ect...

Home for me and the kids is still on the folks' farm, but now in our own space. Dad moved a mobile home in for us to live in. Yay! It's not quite finished, but it's livable now. Electric is hooked up. The septic is in, the water will be put in soon, but the water line is good to go. I can hook a hose up between the house and the well and use water. The skirting and underside insulation is in progress, the deck is done and looks fabulous! A small peaked roof will be added later on. The porch will be reattached to the back side soon and that's where our water cistern will be placed, once it's insulated. Storage space! :o)

I'm still couch less, I'm going to keep an eye out for a pair of futons. One for the living room and one for me, since my room is so small, I can't fit a real bed in there. Not even a twin!

I've already broken in the stove by baking some pretzels yesterday. I'm going to work that oven hard this summer. And hopefully by this fall I'll have some regular orders. Speaking of the Bakery, I'm going to be painting my sign once I get my hands on some paint.

My address hasn't changed, but I will probably be renting a PO Box in town in the near future, I'll let you all know. :o)

Slan.

Twinkie's first day of "school"

2010-06-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

Sean & Liam went to their first day of preschool today. Even though it's only summer school, they'll be going in the fall after this is over anyways. So i felt the "first day of school" picture was in order. hehe! They had a very good time getting acquainted with the classroom and teachers. Sean was trying to be all cool, while Liam just wanted to get in the car and GO! Neither wanted to leave when it was time to pick them up. :-P

My sweet lil twinkies are getting to be big boys! :o)

98% complete and 99% percentile

2010-06-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well I'm done with paperwork on my end, just waiting on a waiver to be signed, then I get to raise my right hand and swear to defend the Constitution of these United States, from enemies both foreign and domestic. Almost there.

This past Tuesday I received the reports from a handful of education personnel and specialists regarding my 3rd born child, Liam. It seems that he is in fact Autistic, very much so too. He was in the 98 & 99% percentile in every category and in those ratings, the LOWER the number, the more normal the child is. I wish he wasn't like this, but at least now that I know what the deal is, I will have a better grasp of what he needs. I think my husband and I might sit down and watch 'Rainman' again sometime. Liam isn't that affected, but from what I have heard, they gave a pretty accurate portrayal, so it isn't meant as a joke, but rather something to help us wrap our heads around the concept. Liam will be fine, because we know how to help him now.

My dear husband, bless his heart, is trying very hard. I'm very proud of him, he's already shown improvement. He promised to keep working and he told me yesterday that, "even though these last 2 months have totally sucked, I have made my relationship with God better, and my relationship with my wife." We still have such a LONG way to go, but as long as he keeps trying, then so will I. I have been praying for enlightenment ( on just what exactly is wrong with me that *I* can't seem to grasp), strength ( because I feel like I'm at the breaking point), courage (to take whatever comes my way), patience ( to deal with everything and everyONE!), and humility (because I'm bull headed and I need to turn the reins entirely over to God and that's hard for me to do, heck, hard for ANYONE to do!). I ask you, my friends who read my ramblings to also pray for not only me, but Matt & the kids as well. The kids are handling this so well, they are so resilient, and thank God for that!

I think I'm done rambling for this post, for now. Slan.

Is it just me? Or God really DOES work in mysterious ways?

2010-06-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to explain much this time, call me mean if you want. Sometimes I just need to write something to get it off my chest even if it's not really everything there is to be said. I guess my point is; I can't write off God so fast, He has plans for me whether I like them or not and that's just the way it is, lol. And there's someone special I miss very much and I'm so happy they are trying so hard to come back to me. I thank God for that. I hope they don't give up, I don't want them to fail.

Also, Connor is walking. Crazy right? Almost running...eek! Scary, he's into everything,...even more! If that's possible.

Still job hunting, but expanding my search radius, by a LOT. Enlistment is pending a Power of Attorney...

*sigh* One day at a time right? One day at a time.

Just waiting on a couple things...

2010-05-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

...and I will have one important thing DONE.

Once I get Lane's birth cert, and Matt's commander signs off on our family care plan, then I will just be waiting on my new commander to sign off on a dependency waiver.....then I'M BACK IN BLA...I mean, ACU! lol *AC/DC plays in the background...singing along*

And as soon as I can scrape it together, I would love to get this shirt (but in a small or medium though): http://ustacticalsupply.com/infidelt-shirt.aspx

Muhahahaa! I love it! *evil grin*

I'm off to go work out and then work on BB. Slan.

I've Moved

2010-05-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know, you weren't paying attention. Or you just don't care right now, because your life is just as busy and detailed as mine is, and you have enough to deal with...right? No offence taken. lol

A lot has happened, and yet not much at all. Depends on your perspective.

I no longer wear a wedding band, but it will be some time before that's legal. Long story, but it's mutual, know that.

It's all connected, it's all been a serious setback and I'm not that willing to discuss it at this time.

On hold til further notice:

the farm
the bakery
college

I am proceeding with my re-enlistment, but will not go to the Air Guard, I just can't deal with going blue. That's too much to ask of myself and my family. We're Army through and through. Not going blue. Nope, no way. Once I get in, I'll be asking for slots in schools. So I have to really pump up my workouts so that PT test is a breeze.

I have daycare for now, the daycare of Gramma of course. I'm looking for a regular job, while boosting my Beachbody business hardcore.

I'm trying hard as hell to get through all this, so forgive me for how I am right now, I'm trying and please be patient with me.

Thanks for all the encouragement, prayers, comfort and love you've all shown me. It's doing more for me than you could possibly imagine.

Go mbeannai Dia duit

Rum flavoured lambchops anyone?

2010-04-10T19:21:00.001-07:00

I have been itching to make fondant and play with it...I finally did today. But it didn't turn out too well. So I made the best of it and made this:

A cute and simple orange lamb on a blue backdrop. It looks like a single layer cake, but it's actually a thin 2-layer. That just so happens to be rum flavoured. Fun huh? I thought so. :o)

I look forward to trying it tomorrow, the batter and fondant tasted good at least. That's always a good sign!

I used a simple butter cream fondant recipe, but every time I tried lifting the rolled out fondant up from the work surface it would tear right apart. *humph* I'm not sure where I went wrong, but I will have to try again after I look some more recipes and methods up. It was fun to play with though and molds so easy! Even though this was pretty much crap fondant, I'm in love! Ha ha ha! If crappy fondant can be this much fun, good fondant will probably bring on a "girl boner". Please excuse that crude description, but you know what I mean! *grin*

Now I'm off to bed, my addiction wore me out and I have to play catch up on some chores tomorrow after church. Oidhche mhath. :o)

I gull dern went and done it, by golly!

2010-04-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Yup. I did. *awkward silence*

*crickets*

*inhales deeply*
I-applied-to-Northland-Community-and-Technical-College-in-Thief-River-Falls! *whew!*

*nervous giggle*

Soooo,..*fidgeting at the keyboard*...now I just get everything else turned in and then it'll be official. I'll be a true blue college student. EEeekkk!!!

It's not my original plan, but it'll work well for me I think. I'd originally planned to go to UND and enroll in AFROTC, 4yr degree...get my commission, blah blah blah, ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. *looks away covertly*

But I think that would take me away from the kids too much, and be a lot more than I could handle. So on my mom's advice of taking it slower and in smaller bites, I'm going to go for a liberal arts associate's with an emphasis in History, then reassess our situation and go from there. I'm leaving myself options, I'll be able to pursue a bachelor's degree later with these transferable credits. *eyebrow raisers* Ah, see? I'm a thinker!
Once I have my BA, I'll request a slot in OCS and get my commission "the hard way". I think it will be better worth it this way too. I have my shot form filled out and a certified copy of my HS transcript sitting here waiting to be sent over to the admissions office, but I'm going to wait til I have that $20 fee as well. Then once my bonus is in and I get UMC paid off, (long story, don't ask) I can get my transcript from them sent over to Northland. Wee! It's all coming together, step by step I'm getting closer! Praise the Lord! I'll make something of myself yet in this material world's point of view.

Even though I know God has already made a lot of something out of me in His view and that's the most important. I still need to provide for my family while we're still on this mortal Earth. *smile*

Please pardon my absolute goofiness in this post,...I'm pretty giddy right now. I figured you guys should be privy to my emotions on this subject, since you don't get to see me bouncing off the walls in person...*giggle*

Slan! :o)

Happy Muffins

2010-04-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

I love cute little things, things that make me smile. Yummy muffins do that. Yummy muffins with a light sugar glaze dribbled on top. Yummy muffins in three flavours. *grin* Hehee!

Like that, see??

Sweet & simple little pleasures like making mini fruit muffins with my boys, such happiness!

Lane picked raspberry, Liam picked blueberry (which is funny as he doesn't like blueberries, he just loves the colour blue!) and Sean picked Apple Cinnamon. Connor wasn't at all interested in the baking process, he just likes to taste test.

I let the boys each help a little making their chosen flavours and once baked, glazed and cooled, they each got one to nibble.

Sorry for the picture quality, I used my crapberry phone, hehe!

Our lil "pile o' muffins" we made. Yummy yummy! :o)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

A' Chaisg Sona / Caisc Shona Dhuit

May all my dear friends and loved ones have a blessed Easter and remember why He died. He died to give us light, but he rose to give us HOPE. Hope in life everlasting in our Father's house. Hope that this mortal life isn't all there is for us. There's so much more!

Lord,

I pray Your light shines on us ever brightly and our eyes are renewed to see Your glory on this anniversary of Your great sacrifice to save us all. Thank You for paying the price for me, though I know I don't deserve it. Thank You for loving me, even when I'm at my least lovable. Even when I deserve every punishment, You are there to save me, guide me back on the right path and hold me up when I am so weak from this life. I love you Lord, thank You! Thank You for dieing for me! I look forward to seeing Your glorious face one day. I ask for Your blessings for all my loved ones and for my enemies. May everyone see Your Light and Believe!

In your blessed name, Jesus I pray.

Amen.

Dirty trainers are a small price to pay to help save a life.

2010-03-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

A very small price, and these aren't even very dirty. Nothing the washer and a lil scrubbing can't fix.

I'm so glad I was there, so glad to help. A younger and certainly not tame cow was having a hard time pushing out a large calf when I got to my parent's house yesterday afternoon. Dad was outside in the yard watching from a distance to see how she was doing. After awhile he thought he should go check it out since she wasn't making any progress. Some feet would come out, then go back in. Dad got on the 4-wheeler and Duel and I wen out on foot. Once we got close enough to see feet and a nose hanging out, she up and decided to run for it. Stupid cow. We tried to move her as careful as we could up to the barn and safety. She'd have none of that. Even with part of a calf hanging our of her, she ran like the devil was on her heels. Dad kept up with her on the 4-wheeler, and thanks to the boggy part of the pasture she'd run into she tripped and went down. Dad jumped down and grabbed her tail and started slipping the pulling cords on the calf's legs. I was trying to catch up, still about a 100 yards away, but once I saw Dad in that precarious situation and the cow was struggling to get up I sprinted as hard as I could over that rough terrain to help. She tried to get up, I held onto her tail, pulling sideways to help keep her from getting balance to stand, Duel caught up and Dad directed him to hold a front leg to keep her down. Dad started pulling. The calf's tongue was swollen and hanging out. I was scared it'd died already, then Dad started cleaning it's mouth out saying he's still alive and trying to breathe. The cow caught on FINALLY that we were trying to save her and her baby and obediently layed and pushed while Duel helped Dad pull. I took over cleaning out the wee one's nose and mouth and rubbing his ribs vigorously to help keep him fighting and breathing. Towards the end, the cow stood to give her final pushes to loose the calf to the ground. The baby was wide eyed and snorting, shaking it's little head to clear it's nose. Quite alive. We backed off after removing the cords to let the cow move in to clean the baby, but instead she walked off aways and other cows with babes at side came over calling and began cleaning the little one off. After a few minutes she returned and started doing the job herself. Dumb cow. Hormones finally overpowered the adrenalin and 'flight' instinct in her head and let mothering instinct take over. We never even got to check the sex of the calf, but it doesn't really matter. It's alive and well, that's what counts right now.

"That was close." as Dad had remarked. It certainly had been, wouldn't have been much longer and that calf wouldn't have made it. Thank God it did. :o)

I got all the slimy afterbirth cleaned off me, but I will have to wait til this afternoon to wash my shoes. O well. And you can't see it in this picture, but there's blood on the toe of my right shoe, lol.

I wish I were better at English.

2010-03-24T10:22:00.001-07:00

I'm terrible. Truly.

I love reading, always have. I've been reading college level material since I was 7. My comprehension isn't always top notch, but close. And for all the reading I do, my grammar is marginal. You'd think I'd be better at English from the incredible amount of reading I've done. Nope. Nadda. I sucketh.

So what do I do?

I start writing. Ideas flow, paragraphs start taking shape, and in 4 hours worth of writing, I have almost 6 pages done. My hand hurts. I have a neat idea for a story, so I'm writing it down. Once I have a decent amount done I'll type it into a document and see if anyone who's good at editing will take a crack at it. I'm writing it at about a high school reading level. Well, I guess what I consider a high school reading level. I could be wrong with how education has been 'de-volving'.

I'm thinking Christian Fiction for the genre. My inspiration is Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis, Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer, Alien Blood -Joan D. Vinge, Gotta Be Somebody by Nickleback <---lol don't ask, and That Way Lies Camelot (a collection of stories) - Janny Wurts.

I think I'll get some good practice at English by writing this, even if nothing comes of it. Now that my hands hurt a bit less, the kids are still napping, I'm going to have some lunch and map my story line out a little more. It's too predictable right now, needs a few good twists for spice and some purposely loose ends in case I want to write a sequel. Muhahahaa! :o)

Latha math.

Reasons why I love going to Epiphany Station

2010-03-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.epiphanystation.com/

This is my church. I love it there. Not being able to attend yesterday due to a really strong case of 'I-feel-like-crap-itus' that included, but was not limited to: a scratchy/tickly throat, pounding and stuffed up head, aching chest and nose, dizzy spells and sheer exhaustion, made me feel so sad! As I heard it, they had record attendance of 107. If me and the kids could have gone, that would have added 4 more. Matt was at Drill and Lane is still at Gramma's farm. I'm pretty much over my ickiness, thank God, so getting ready to get back to business. But my absence yesterday is nagging at me. I really LOVE going to church now! Maybe because I've finally found a church I can call home, that has everything I need in a church, and makes you wish everyday was Sunday. Have you ever been to a church like THAT?! Pretty sweet huh?

Just to give you a taste, this is what the mission of [e] stat is:

"The purpose of Epiphany Station is to love God and love
people by embracing thousands of outsiders in an authentic community of faith
that is characterized by heartfelt prayer, souled-out worship, mind-blowing
biblical teaching, sacrificial service, radical generosity, and intentional
fellowship where they can be turned inside-out by the life-transforming hope of
Jesus Christ and sent out to embrace thousands more..."

And they really do stick to that, they follow through with what they say.
That's reason #1, why I love going to Epiphany Station. They MEAN what they say, whole hearted.

Reason #2 is a good one, NO CLIQUES! Yes that's right! They welcome you in, mean it, and continue to welcome you into all folds of their church family. You can't feel left out there! Every single church I have EVER been to, (and that's been a fair amount) has had the 'clique problem'.

Reason #3: Comfort. It's a comfortable place to go, partially due to the welcome you get. When you go in, you don't feel like you have to bare your soul and drag all your skeletons out for the congregation to see. Come as you are and be welcome, no matter what. No one pushes you for "your story", complete with all the gory details. But if you need to talk to someone about it, you don't have to seek anyone out, there's always someone willing to listen and pray with you.

Reason #4: We have our very own, totally rocking worship band! :o) Novice Nation brings us to our feet with intense and worshipful music that lifts your soul and sets your heart on fire. You can check them out here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Novice-Nation/8162394268?v=wall&ref=ts
and here:
http://www.myspace.com/novicenation

Reason #5 is my friends. My closest friends go to this church, a couple help run it even. So am I biased? No, but it doesn't hurt to already have people I love attending. :o)

Reasons #6 and on....well they keep adding up and I'd be typing for a long time if I wanted to list them all. So while my family and I keep making reasons and memories at [e] Stat, I hope you'll stop in and give it a go. You might be surprised at how you already belong. :o) You can bet I'll be there to give you a hug and welcome you in.

Farm plans

2010-03-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

At this point I'm still no closer to securing property to set up my farm, but I'm still planning away. I have still been reading literature about sheep, the specific breeds I fancy, the three tier stratified breeding system and feeding operations.
But now I've added another subject to my reading, Highland Cows. As scotch mules are rather healthy mutton/lamb, Highland Cows are significantly more healthy than the more common beef breeds. Leaner, less cholesterol, more protein.

I don't want very many, but a small fold (a 'fold' is a herd) of cows, a handful of calves a year I think would be a comfortable compliment to my sheep operation. They would also be great educational tools for the Northern Minnesota Celtic Heritage Society. :o)

I think these would look just perfect grazing at MacDh'omhnuill Farms, don't you think? Hehe!

Slainte mo chara! :o)

Birthday Cake

2010-03-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

This is the birthday cake I made for myself, completely dairy-safe for Connor's sake. It's also my first attempt at a 2-layer cake. Everything except the sprinkles are home-made & from-scratch. Go me! Ha ha! So that's why it looks a bit wonky, but it was sure good tasting. It was made on Monday the 8th, the day before my birthday, and only lasted til Thursday the 11th! :o)

I started with a simple white cake recipe:

Then I decided to add some colour to it:

To turn it...purple! Well a pale lavender, that's hard to tell in this lighting. It really looks grey, like cement, in this picture.

Two 9" rounds all baked up. Note the edge cute off the first one. The way the pan was, I had to or the cake would have been shaped like the bottom of a pine tree. So I cut off a bit to make the sides straight.

The icing I completely invented, ha ha! It turned out to be the kind that oozed until it set, then had a nice shiny and smooth surface.

Applying the sprinkles. Aye I am sticking each one on with tweezers...my artsy-fartsy side beaming through. I put EVERY sprinkle on in this fashion. Oh yeah baby!

Here's a shot of the side of the cake. See how it's not smooth? That's from me cutting the edges off, which made it rough and the icing kind of made that look more pronounced unfortunately.

But see how smooth the top looks? He he he, catch 22 on this icing.

Here's a close up of a bite that shows the inside colour a bit better.

And finally a shot of my cake sitting with my birthday gifts. :o)

I should try for a much more elaborate cake next year, because I love a good challenge. ;-)

Slainte!

First real try

2010-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Lookie what I made!

A 4-panel 'circle' skirt. I totally winged it too, no pattern. Hehehe! I know it sucks, but I'm proud of it. I tried very hard and it actually came out much better than I thought it would. Took me about 2hrs from start to finish. I had 2x1.5 yards of this plain blue fabric to play with. I was going for tea-length and ended up with it a few inches longer than I wanted, and it's also a lot fuller that I wanted but it's perfectly fine. I intended it to be worn mostly around the house for my comfort, and it look just decent enough that it wouldn't be a crime to wear in public. I think I succeeded there.
It's my early birthday present to myself. I tell ya what, the hem is definitely the hardest part! I tried to keep it round, but it's petaled, haha! Oh well. I'll get better as I learn. I need to figure out what kind of closure to use on it. Right now I safety pin the left side together. I left about 3" open and hemmed them because I intended that to be where I put a hook & loop or a loop & button, something.

So that's my lil project all done. Sorry I didn't take pictures during the process, I was too intent on my work to think about recording my progress. Hehehe!

Chicken 'sketti'

2010-02-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

This is getting to be one of my favorite healthy throw-together meals! Whole grain noodles, diced grilled chicken breast, spaghetti sauce (I like the garlic & herb kind) and a can of diced Italian Stewed tomatoes. Easy-peasy! Mostly healthy, aside from the fact I don't have my OWN home-canned tomato sauce, but I work with what I can get right now. :o) It's nummy and the kids devour it without a second thought! Best kind of food is food you don't have to fight your kids to eat AND it's good for them! Shhh! They don't know that yet! :-D

Good thing it's bath night though.....

Have a great night, Slan. :o)

Growth in mind, body & soul

2010-02-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

Life is about growth. Moving forward, getting better, becoming more.

I chose last spring, to become more, a better person. I'm going to give kind of an update since I'm about one month from my 1 yr anniversary. Granted circumstances held me back in some areas at some times, but I got going again as soon as I was able to.

Growth in my mind.

I have grown fairly well in this area. During the summer I started learning a new hobby that I really enjoy; Genealogy. It goes hand-in-hand with my passion for History. And to make it even better, it's like personal history, it's learning about MY ancestors. Who they were, where they came from, what they did. It's been a very rewarding new skill, and I'm still learning more every time I work on it.
For this next coming year, and another 3ish after, I plan to really grow my mind. I'm going back to college in the fall for a BA in History. Sup rise, surprise on my choice of major huh? :-P

Growth in my body.

Well I don't really want growth per say in my body, at least not bad growth. I stayed fairly fit and very healthy during my pregnancy and I think that was what really gave Connor such a great head start on life. After he was born, I started my slow recovery. I had aims to reclaim my pre-baby body. When I started working out harder I weighed 155lbs/70.31kg. After several forced breaks and gaps, I'm still rather proud to say that I weigh in now at 136lbs/61.69kg! :o) But weight isn't the main thing, I have lost inches all over and even better, I've lost 10% body fat!! That is the hardest thing to lose. It's also one of the best way to measure your progress. I'm interested in not only losing weight, but also gaining muscle. When the scale starts plateauing, I will still be able to gauge progress by inches/cm measured with the good old tape measure and body fat calipers. Well and how my clothes fit of course! I only have 6.4% more body fat to lose to reach my Prime Goal. I'm very excited and working very hard to accomplish this! I have been doing 2-3 workouts a day lately. P90X in the morning and Brazil Butt Lift in the evening. I WILL SUCCEED!!!

Growth in my soul.

This one is hard to explain in words, but I know I have grown closer to God. I find myself consulting Him and the Bible more and more in my daily life. I speak to Him more, and I'm learning to listen to Him in turn. Matt and I are now attending a church where we both feel comfortable, and where we have friends to help us stay on the path better. I have also been reading my devotions daily, which is really saying something since I am terrible, just TERRIBLE at forming new, good habits. I'm trying, trying so hard to be the servant He is calling me to be. This is the area I struggle with the most, and so it's the one I try to work the most on. I still don't know how well I'm doing, but I feel Him more, maybe because I'm more open to Him now. I don't know. All I know is I like this and I want more. I want to BE more. :o)

Til next time, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Has Spring sprung yet?

2010-02-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

I'm getting terribly impatient. I long to feel cool green grass under my bare feet, my heart pines for the smell of mud & cut grass. My fingers are dying to feel a tiny fuzzy bud striving to open and show the world it's life. Ahh Spring. The season of new growth and new life.

I'm very excited about a small glimps and helping of spring I shall get soon. New life has begun at my mum's farm. The does have kidded, blessing the farm with the heavenly charm of two doelings and a buckling. You've not held anything so darling as a newborn goat, with it's tiny velvet nose nuzzled against your neck, puffing it's tiny warm breaths. Seeking comfort and protection from this scary new world it's come into. Ahhh I just love the wee ones! So tender and sweet, soft and adorable. They melt my heart and turn me to mush!

I'm very much looking forward to my birthday, as that's when I'll get to go see these precious darlings and hold them near. I'm so excited to see how the boys like them. Lane has already seen them, since he's staying there. He got to see them all come in, brand new babies. I'm rather proud of my dear little farmer, he's learning so much everyday and I know this will help shape him into the man I see him becoming in my mind. *proud momma moment*

Also, I'm really hoping to go for a short ride, after I try to trim the two horses best I can. I'm praying hard for some favorable weather. Please dear Lord give me a lamb-like March day? Since Faith has a minor injury, that she won't let heal from her pestering, I may see if I can ride Clu around for a bit. Get my temporary horse-y fix, help my obsession wan a bit. :o) Hehe, yeah right! Me be any LESS horse-crazy? Not a chance! Just another reason I'm so anxious for real spring to arrive, so I can ride more! I keep glancing at the calender on my office wall, willing the days to go by faster.

Shame on me.

Each day is a gift, is it not? Each day is a new adventure in life. I spend so much of my time rushing this way and that, trying to cram so much in. I need to remember to stop, savour the moments as they pass. To rest.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

He'll let me rest, catch a breather, take my worry and burdens away. I should be glad for this, I am glad for it. I just sometimes take it for granted. By remembering life isn't a speed dash, I remind myself to enjoy these last days of winter. Because for people like us, as the weather warms (or at least threatens to), life starts speeding up. That's when this little reminder will be even more potent, and yet harder to remember.

So when I go and cuddle soft little kiddlets, I will savour the moments and rest. Breath in their sweet little baby smells and be still, knowing He is God, and He created not only myself and the wee babbies, but time it's self. Now to remind myself to be calm and patient til my birthday and Spring both arrive. :o)

"Tan to Blue, that will be hard getting used to..."

2010-02-14T18:15:00.001-08:00

This was my status on FaceBook a couple days ago. No one really guessed what it meant. I was expecting a couple military friends to maybe catch on, but they wern't online to see it. One old 4-H friend asked if I was going to be a Smurf...I made a funny. *snicker* Yep, I'll be a smurf, a rather tall one, in a tiger stripe uniform...

...in blue suede boots...

A Smurf & Elvis love-child?

Nope. An Airman in the ND Air National Guard. *pause for dramatic effect*

Yes, I'm going "chair-force". I know, I know, I was always a cruel Army brat that always made fun of what the AirForce has become in recent years. But I got an offer I couldn't refuse. An offer that I will follow up on promptly. I had intended on re-enlisting anyways, but knew I wasn't going to get a bonus. Then I was given some information about a brand-new unit just being formed up in Minot. The intel I recieved said that they were calling for prior service MP's to come up and guard missile silos at the AFB, working along side active duty Air Force. And to make the offer more tempting, a $20,000 bonus was offered, with an extra $5,000 state bonus. The strings attatched? Joining the Air Guard for 6yrs. Hmm. A new chance at a G.I.Bill to get my butt back in college and get that Batchlor's in History I have been drooling over. And by getting a BA or BS, that means I can become an officer,...hmmm.
A new unit being formed, means several AGR positions will be available and you KNOW I'm going to be all over those like a fat kid on a cupcake. Who could say no to a good possibility at a well paid cushy, full time job with great benies?! Not this cowgirl! Even if it means switching branches. Hey on the bright side, I'll still be doing MP work, so to speak. They call them Security Forces, and I'll get some working dog training, missile disarming training and a bunch of other kinds of training it sounds like. More training means promotion & retirement points, and extra paychecks.
So the oppertunities are rolling in now, I just have to jump through some hoops and start catching them. Minot has always looked like a nice place to live too. As soon as paperwork is signed, and I can start applying for those AGR positions, I'll then start looking at the primary school there for Lane and housing. Hopefully we can get a decent house to rent near the base. I look forward to commisary shopping again! *cha-ching grin*
WHere am I at in this scheme so far? Waiting on 2 birth certs to arrive. Then I find out when I have to go to MEPS to have a physical done. Oh joy...I hate those. Females have it worse than guys. But since I'm re-enlisting, hopefully they won't have to do the same kand as they did back when I first enlisted...where the doctor had to "check to make sure I really am female." >.< Yeah...*shudder*

So...now you know my deep dark (blue) secret...hehehe...yeah I will keep cracking stupid jokes, just because I can. I hope my Army friends will forgive me....

Til next time, 'Aim high'....*grin*

Another green thing, for an annoying red thing.

2010-02-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

My husband had a brilliant idea the other day. We have been slowly making little changes to save money and cut down on consumption in our household. So we use cloth shopping bags, cloth napkins, ect... Well his idea was, since we are using cloth diapers, what about for my feminine products? He found me reusable cloth absorbent pads that have snap shut wings. Nifty! I had considered the DivaCup in the past to cut down on the amount I spend on products, but I had honestly forgotten about it until a friend mentioned it when I told her about these pads.
Things I like about these pads(that we got from a seller on ebay that makes them at home):
~soft & comfortable, not bulky at all
~doesn't shift or move
~covers where I need it without being massive
~up to a 5yr lifespan of use
~affordable
~easy to clean
Things I don't like about these pads:
nothing so far! :o)

After totalling up the cost, My husband got me 8 pads,(four 6oz & four 8oz) for $26, and at roughly $5 a month for my usual products(which is kinda low, I go through a LOT of liners) That one time purchase of $26 will be like spending $.43/m for the next 5 years approx.! Now that's saving money! Granted I get the feeling there will be times once in a while where I might need to slip a little o.b. into my usage, but I still have some of those left. I'm rather excited about this Green change, because it's a little personal change for the better. :o) I'll let you know if I find any issues with these pads. And if anyone wants to be pointed to that ebay seller, let me know!
Now I'm off to let my Midol kick in, lol, Slan!

Fake paper hearts

2010-02-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

That's what I think of when February rolls around. Fake affections. Super-imposed feelings on a nominal relationship. Yeah, I wasn't a happy kid round Valentine's day in primary school. I didn't get many voluntarily given valentines because I wasn't well liked. If I got one from a boy, I'd get very excited until I remembered that EVERYONE got one from EVERYONE because the teacher made that rule to keep pitiful little nobodies like me from getting their feelings hurt if they didn't get a cheesy little cartoon character card....*sigh*

Now that I'm an adult, I shake my head at how much my life revolved around being shown this 'fake' affection. I looked for it in all the wrong places, thinking it was critical to being happy. Now I'm shown REAL affection by the people most important to me; my husband, who strives to make sure I know how much he loves me everyday and in every way he can. My children are always giving me hugs, kisses and trying very hard to say "I love you mammy". Even my youngest who doesn't know how to hug or kiss or speak, snuggles in close when I hold him and I still get the message loud and clear. My best friend who will always find time to say hello to me even when she's very busy, taking those few precious moments of her time always tells me she cares for me. My mom has her own ways of showing love and affection, in these later years she now gives hugs more, something I didn't get many of when I was still under her roof. Mainly because I was a little shite & you tend to take time for granted when you're young. I don't take my time for granted anymore and I tend to initiate hugs with her more often. :o) Then there's the most important person in my life, God. He is always showing me He loves me despite my failures & flaws. He provides and comforts, speaks to my heart when I'll shut up long enough to listen and always listens to me. By keeping me alive and healthy, by letting me have all these other loving people in my life, He shows His love. I have several other good friends that show their varying degrees of affection for me, but listing them all would take way more time that I have right now. I strive to make sure they ALL know that the feelings are mutual, and certainly NOT fake!

Now that I've covered my personal meaning to Saint Valentine's day and it's "feelings", let's look at the historical and bull shite meanings of this lame commercial excuse for a holiday, lol. Really, I'm not bitter, just blatant. *grin*

Fake paper hearts...they also apply to St. Valentine himself actually. He became affiliated with romance in the 14th century when Geoffrey Chaucer and his ilk got a hold of his story. Saint Valentine, as depicted above baptizing Saint Lucilla(artwork by Jacopo Bassano), lived and was martyred during the rein of Claudius II(213-270AD), also called Claudius Gothicus. His crime against the crown? Helping Christian couples wed in secret. This was part the fuel that Chaucer used to fan the flame of his tales that linked St. Valentine's Feast day of February 14th in the Catholic Calender of Saints, with mushy-gushy romance, love poems and giving out stupid little love notes to those you fancied. Chaucer had a heyday!

The rest of the fuel in my opinion, comes from the church it's self. As many of us know, when Christianity was spreading like wildfire through out the Roman world, the Catholic church used some rather nasty gimmicks to make conversions easier. How? By taking a current and well establish Pagan holiday and mish-mashing a Christian on on top of it. Keep a few pagan traditions, give a "christian" meaning to them and change the whole holiday's name. They repeated this all over the calender. Even the actual celebration of Jesus Christ's birth wasn't sacred enough to avoid being messed with by the "Holy Roman Church". Bah!

Since we have so few records of the 'real' Saint Valentine, (all of which are completely obscure and backed by the Catholic church's word) many find it very convenient that Valentine's feast day, the day he was buried, is also when the very ancient pagan holiday of Lupercalia falls. This pre-Roman holiday was to honour the she-wolf that suckled the orphaned twin boys, Remus & Romulus who founded Rome. The holiday was also to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. Lupercalia(Feb. 13-15) subsumed Februa, a possibly even earlier-origin spring cleansing ritual held on the same date, which gives the month of February its name. I'm not going to get into the whole association with Pan/Faunus right now, you can pursue that extra reading on your own.

So is Saint Valentine as fake as most of the "feelings" that crop up around this time of year? You decide. And just in case you wanted to know, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Saint Valentine's feast day is July 30th. Better hang onto all that extra red & pink paper, lol. My point to this whole blog is this: you don't need a holiday to tell you, to tell those you love, that you do.(what a mouthful!) And you don't need to tell people you care for them, if you don't really. God calls us to Love everyone. He didn't intend Saint Valentine's day to be your annual reminder. He reminds you daily Himself that he loves you, and that shoudl be reminder enough, as long as you sit still and shut up long enough to hear Him.

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, " Ex. 34:6

Whew! That's a lot of information huh? Guess what? I got most of it off Wikipedia, lol. Bless them! It's an execellent reasercher's tool. Some of this information I already knew from previous studies in the past. Barring all the personally relating stuff ofcourse. I mean, really, how do you cite your SELF? >.> I also had some help from BlueletterBible.org, they are great when you're like me and obviously have a hard time remembering or finding that one verse that is just what you need in a hurry. Have a good February mates, slan.

Cabin Fever

2010-01-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

Yep...January isn't over yet...dear God save my sanity! I think what makes it worse is the fact that we're waiting on word to see if we've landed the ranching job we applied and interviewed for just the other day. Both my husband and myself have an excellent feeling about it. The gentleman who owns the operation is a good and Godly man, very kind and knowledgeable. The area is very nice, not too big a town, not too small either. I'm excited...really excited...I hate the thought of moving yet again and the hassle that causes, but dang it I want us to be well settled and that's what we'll have if we get this job. And it doesn't hurt that I'd have all the horses I could want to ride. The guy is a horse lover and wants to raise quality reining & cutting quarter horses. Oh yeah...I could live with that! ;-) I hope this is all we've been praying for...I really do. Now I better find something productive to do to take my mind off the waiting.

"Meallan muilte Dé go mall ach meallan siad go mion."
(God's mill may grind slowly, but it grinds finely.)

:o)

January, the longest month of the year.

2010-01-13T10:37:00.000-08:00

Every year I dread January. It is in my opinion the longest month of the year, and 2010 seems to be no exception. Today is the 13th, almost half way through the month,...finally. My youngest is just about officially 7months old now. My oldest is just about to turn 4 years. Already got our taxes filed, and the IRS doesn't open until the 16th, lol. Aren't we just the over achievers? Ah, well. Aside from January being over, Robbie Burns Night and our tax money, what else does the end of January bring us? Not much.
I'm sitting here, (in a pair of new argyle socks) looking at my long list of things to do today and noting the fact that by starting laundry promptly this morning, I have already overcome a huge fence in my day. Laundry stinks. I hate it. Mostly the folding part really. But I must say, laundry has become a key part of my change in lifestyle and my attempt to be even MORE frugal. How is it possible you say? Well I merely am taking a leaf from a friend' book, whom I really look up to for being in my opinion, a damn near perfect housewife. Yes, she really is that amazing. :o) She inspired me to really cut my costs further by adopting a few choice, green habits. This is where laundry comes in. By using cloth diapers, we save huge amounts of money! I have been putting my youngest in cloth diapers during the day and in disposable only when he sleeps. I have already made a box of 96 diapers last more than twice as long as normal and we still have over half a box left!!! As soon as I can get a hold of some, I'll be having us use cloth napkins, to save buying paper ones. Also I found that Shamwow cloths really DO WORK!! I got a couple and I'm already avoiding my roll of paper towels. My next step is to remember to put my cloth shopping bags in the trunk of the car and actually REMEMBER to use them next time I shop! That has been a hard one for me, I have a terrible memory!
Another habit of hers I plan to work on, is up-cycling clothes and making more clothes myself. That's going to take some time and work alright. But I'm game! :o)

Later today, after my chores & my workouts are done and I can sit and relax, I'm going to start on a new book I got for a late Christmas gift from my best mate. It's called "How the Scots Invented the Modern World" by Arthur Herman. Sounds promising. She also gave me the cute new argyle socks I'm wearing. What a doll! :o)

So back to work I go, the dryer just buzzed! LOL

Almost time!

2009-12-30T15:27:00.000-08:00

Only 30.5hrs til HOGAMANY!!! Time to bust out the Scotch(when ISN'T it time?)and hope a tall, black haired man is the first to walk across our thresh holds that night with drink in hand, promising good fortune for the coming year. I think my husband would count, being dark haired, but as he isn't going to be here for a couple weeks, well shoot. I highly doubt I'll get my sign of luck tomorrow night. I can hope though.

We could sure use a break in this coming year, a nice windfall. I'm beginning to think that I'll be lucky to make it to my next birthday the way this stress is a killin' me. I'll have to drink a nice dram tomorrow night in hopes for a good new year indeed.

No plans that I know of, don't think I'll have any visitors. But if any happen to show up, I'll be thrilled no matter their hair colour! LOL!

I'm still looking through the pros and cons of the 3 breeds of terminal sires I'm looking at; BFL, Dorset & Texel. I'll compile a list of the pros & cons I find in my research and use it for a guide when it comes time to decide which to try out in real life. :o)

The Aftermath (dramatic music plays)

2009-12-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is over, we're back home again from visiting my parents and siblings. Mom always concocts a lethal shmorgasborg of delectable delights, and I fell victim to it yet again this year. Half voluntarily really. I kept making excuses, "oh well I have to work it off anyways","it's only once a year", "just one more, it's only 200 calories". You know, all the same ones EVERYONE makes. In that four day stretch of immodest gluttony, I packed almost 3 lbs back on that I'd fought so hard to scrap off. Shame, Shame, SHAME ON ME! I sinned. And not just from a fitness & nutrition coach's perspective, but from a Christian one as well. Over indulgence is a sin...and I certainly over indulged in food. Not drink though surprisingly, I only had two actual drinks and one gulp of rum for medicinal purposes. We had "real" egg nog on Christmas eve, and Christmas night mom mixed up her favorite drink; 'Sex On The Beach', lol. That definitely wasn't traditional was it? :-P
Blizzard Alvin(since when have they named the blizzards, like they do the hurricanes??) dumped at least a foot of snow, I think more but it's hard to tell. It was the reason we didn't get home until yesterday, had to let the roads clear up. Up here at my house, it doesn't look like as much fell, but the wind really blew it about. You should see the drifts here!
On the home front, there's some change. I think I can finally say something publicly now, it's been a bit since the announcement. My husband's deployment has been canceled. Crap. We were counting on that money and the money from training. We have also set our lives to revolve around this deployment for the past 6 months and the future 18mo. Way to throw a monkey wrench in the gears eh? So now my husband is looking for work here in MN so he can transfer and deploy with the Infantry unit here. He had been in it before, out of Fergus Falls, and has already begun reconnecting with old buddies. Makes me happy for him, he and I will both be more comfortable with him deploying with soldiers he knows and a MOS he's really good at.
Sometime around the beginning of January I will be completing my re-enlistment. A shame I won't get a bonus, but I will demand a GI Bill deal in my new contract.
Both the twins had pink eye this past week, it had been a good 2 weeks since they had been around anyone with it, and at the time didn't know it themselves. I am uber proud of the fact that so far I have kept it contained between the twins. If the baby gets it I'll be so upset! Pray I have scrubbed and cleansed enough between them all!

As far as the farm goes, there's nothing new to report. Since the deployment cancellation has screwed up my plans, I'm at a stand still in this department til I know what's going to be happening over the next two years. I'll talk more about this in a future blog.

Now I have to run a load of dishes through the washer & pick up toys in the living room so I can burn off some serious sin, lol.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and felt His love and protection around them. Beannachd Dia dhuit. :-)

Nollaig chridheil huibh / Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh

2009-12-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

To all my friends, near and far. To the friends I have yet to meet, to the ones I've lost along the way. I pray God smiles on you through these cold winter months and brings you all the blessings you deserve. Happy Christmas to you all!

Planning stage

2009-11-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

MacDh'omhnuill Farms doesn't even exist yet in the physical realm. It's still being planned out in my mind. I'm going to use this blog to journal my progress. From now until I have the farm up and running with animals on it, then it'll just become a journal for friends to keep up with my sheepie-adventures.

I'm planning to breed Shetlands and Scottish Black Face sheep, and I shall probably aim for some scotch-mule lambs for a meat crop. So there's sure to be a Bluefaced Leicester tup or two in my future.

I have my eye on a farm in the area, but I won't know if it's available to me for some time yet. If it is, it will darn near be a done deal. As the owner is my best friend, and has already told me she wants me to run the farm, even though I'd be renting it to begin with. No problems with that at all!

Now I'll be getting back to my research. As I told a sheepie friend of mine, "I have so much to learn yet!" And Learn I will, she knows who she is and I'd like to thank her for her friendship and helping to open the door on my dreams. Thank you! :-)

"Bi h-eibhneas gan Chliann Dhomnuill"