We have the most adorable horse-size puppy. He is just so sweet and cuddly. He's about 10 months old now and has taken to chasing the cars "off" and away from our yard. One of our special neighbors ran over him the other day and we couldn't find the puppy for quite a while. When we did find him he was pretty sore and didn't move around very fast. We fixed him up with prayer, goat milk, kelp, vitamin C and zinc.

I have thought a lot about this situation because we REALLY like this dog and want him to be safe. Peter has tried everything to deter him from chasing the evil cars away and even getting run over didn't deter him for too long. However, I don't THINK he chases that particular vehicle anymore.

Anyway, in all my thinking about it, I realize that I am very much like that crazy dog. I go off chasing things, good and bad, while the Lord is trying to call me back.

I remember what a dear woman once told me during a bible study we were having in her home, we must spend our time not just being "busy" for the Lord, but doing what is BEST. Only we can know what BEST means for us. I just know that I have spent many hours being busy chasing things that I shouldn't have because I didn't listen to my Master.

You see, our puppy thinks he is protecting us by chasing away these cars. He wants to please us by doing that. But what we want him to be doing is what we say, and not what HE thinks he should do. Hmmm. Time to reevaluate how I spend my time...I only have time for the BEST. And, if you know how to train a dog to not run cars, PLEASE, let me know.

New Puppies!!

What an exciting morning we had!! As I was preparing breakfast, I heard the dog HEAVY with pups screech like something HURT. (I'm sure it did.) I found her in a clothes basket atop an expensive hoodie giving birth to a cute little bitty puppy. A couple hours later, we had 4 new cute little puppies!!! It is so exciting to see animals born. :-) (The hoodie survived.)

Snow fun!

We had about 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground here in the heart of Louisiana Friday morning. It was so beautiful and we enjoyed it sooo much!!!

It is amazing how that gentle, soundless snowfall creates a new world for us to live in, even if just briefly. I am told by the "experts" that all snow flakes are different (I'm glad I don't have to test each one personally, that would make for a long day.) just like all of us humans are different. I just love it that God made life so that there is so much variety to it. He could have made everything the same, but He chose to add lots of unique-ness to life.

Now, if we could just learn to love and appreciate the things that make each of us unique, wouldn't that be special? We would wake up in a new and beautiful world, snow or no snow. I guess we could try that...

Farm Doings...

My darling son has played Cupid quite a few times recently. We currently have 2 Nubian does expecting, 2 Nigerian Dwarf does expecting and a dear rat terrier HEAVY with doggies. (She is actually due in less than 2 weeks and she is making messes all over the place. Argh! ) We are praying for lots of puppies to sell and lots of does to sell and/or keep for our own stock. Peter is hoping to go to only Nigerian goats soon, so we have all our Nubians for sale. It’s hard to sell those goats once you get attached to them, but it’s also hard to feed so many animals.

The Nubians are getting really large now and it is fun to anticipate the coming of babies again. The kidding time was a wonderful time for all of us last year. The miracle of birth is truly indescribable! The day the first doe began the “process” we had an orthodontist appointment, so we called our future son and he came over. Even though Nick was here Peter and I couldn’t bear to tear ourselves away until after the kids were born. We pulled in to the parking lot the minute of the appointment. I had called to ask if we could change the appointment, but it wasn’t possible. She told me that our reason for wanting to change was a first and she wanted to see pictures! :) (Yes, I took her pictures.)

I can’t imagine how I might feel if we are ever blessed with grandCHILDREN!! The prospect of grand goats and grand dogs is pretty exciting. Hehehe.

Speaking of babies and grandchildren, I have been quite busy lately making baby quilts with the hope of selling some. (I know what you thought I was about to say!!) They are so fun for me to make and connects me in some weird way to my family's past. I grew up with all these awesome seamstresses. My mother made my clothes a LOT, and my grandmothers both did/do a great job with the sewing machine. The hum of a sewing machine was just a very common sound for me in my childhood and also for my own children.

My great-grandma, Big Ma, used to look in a Sears catalog at fashions her daughter chose and just make the dress!! I so wish I had that talent. I don’t. Catie has created her own patterns in the past and they turned out quite well. I do alright with 2-D stuff like quilts, but something with form always throws me for a loop. Oh, well.

Some friends and I are planning to put together a website to try and sell our wares in the spirit of Proverbs 31. We will have jewelry, homemade goat’s milk soap, paper products, art, mystery products and my stuff: quilts, aprons and journal covers. We are super excited about just getting together for our meetings! :) As soon as that website materializes (should I say, virtualizes?) I’ll let you know via this blog.

Well, get off here and go love somebody! Actions speak louder than words.
God Bless You All as you serve Him!

What Looney Tunes has taught ME

Saturday I had what I call a Yosemite Sam fit. I was trying to do something in a hurry and made a mess. The mess ended up taking a LOT more time to clean up than the task would have taken to finish had I done it with some sanity. Due to the mess, I had my fit. My poor dd had to listen to my fit via phone line but she is very patient with Yosemite Sam types like me.

I certainly responded to my situation in a way that was lots less than Godly. As I thought about it that evening I realized that I really am a lot like Yosemite when I respond that way.

I remember one little cartoon in particular in which Sam was trying to be more “civilized” than usual. He had dressed in a suit with a bow tie and was living in a mansion on a high cliff. The doorbell rings and in walks…Bugs! Oh, my goodness, what a blow to Yo’s hopes and dreams of becoming a new man!

He was able to hold it together for just a little bit, but next thing you know, he’s throwing a fit and trying to kill the wabbit. (I know, that was Elmer…) Sam’s problem was the same as mine--anger at things not having gone our way. We responded in the same way, except I wanted to kill a growing pile of bread dough. It is natural to respond that way, that’s why the cartoon is so funny, but I'm supposed to be a new creation, not natural!

Trying to work totally in the flesh to change myself won’t work. I have to allow the Holy Spirit to change me, but first I have to listen when He tells me I need to change. I also must understand that I am not in control of my circumstances usually, but I can, with His help, control how I respond to those circumstances. (Hormones are not an excuse. )

There were some scriptures in particular that were brought to mind, because the LORD uses all that He has given to work together in our lives. The Holy Spirit works with scripture and our offering of ourselves as living sacrifices to change us into the image our Lord.

Psalm 24:3-4 My day Saturday did not begin with a pure heart, and probably not clean hands either. I had carried some baggage over night and was already dealing with some anger. I slept late and did not start my day with prayer. That combination usually deals me a load of misery.

Matthew 6:14-15 says VERY clearly that I need to forgive and leave the baggage by the wayside. I did not do that even though I was dealing with a very small offense. My heart wasn’t in tune with the Lord or else I would have forgiven such a slight offense without much thought.

1 Thessalonians 5:13-24 I wasn’t rejoicing, praying, being thankful, holding fast to the good or abstaining from the appearance of evil and I wasn’t feeling any peace either. Duh. I really should have just stopped and prayed, etc. My whole outlook would’ve been different.


Would ANYbody in their right mind call Yosemite Sam a Christian? “They” tell me that the word Christian means “little Christ”. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch, Acts tells us. Who named them? We are given no indication that they named themselves, but rather that others began calling them by that name to identify them with Jesus and it was probably also because they acted like the One they followed. Do I? I don’t really like the answer to that question sometimes.

What does the LORD have to say about my behavior? Are my hands clean and my heart pure? What motivates me? How do I speak to others? Is it with love and respect or irritation and impatience? Is there someone that I need to ask for forgiveness because of the careless way I’ve treated them? How do I spend my time and is there a better way I could spend my time? Would those who know me best call me a “little Christ”? If I were to die today would they say of me, like they did of Dorcas in Acts, she was full of good works and alms deeds?

Those are some tough questions, but if I truly want to break out of my Looney Tunes mentality I must ask them of myself over and over. What about you, how is the Lord speaking to you today?
February 7, 2010

Why the name?

Some of you might be wondering why I chose the name for the blog that I did so I thought I'd explain.

Mrs. Ila Ann Frazier was my grandmother, she passed on to Glory August 18, 2007. It almost never failed that she had a peanut butter (Or some yummy flavor) cookie or two in her cookie jar. It was a sad day indeed when we opened it to find...crumbs. But even those crumbs spoke of hope because we knew that when the crumbs were all there was left, she would make more. :)

In the span of two years, we lost our precious Pawpaw Usery, my aunt, Mawmaw Ila and our dear aged friend and neighbor, T.W.. With the loss of these dear founts of information and love, we learned, the hard way, what a true blessing from God intergenerational relationships really are.

We are no longer able to ask these loved ones a question, or run up the road to see them (and run back home with arms full of goodies). We are no longer able to sit and listen to their stories, eat their cookies, or help quilt on a quilt. And it is impossible for me to express how much I wish that could be different. However, what we can do is build relationships with others, pass on the wisdom that we were handed and keep their legacy alive. Maybe we could even fill a cookie jar every once in a while with peanut butter cookies.

Cookie crumbs and aprons say "Mawmaw" to me, because she was always feeding--body and soul. (The aprons just remind me of her love of home..she also made me a few to help instill a love of home to me.) So, now it's my turn to feed others and that is what I hope to do with this blog. Sometimes it might taste so nasty you will want to spit it out, but hopefully those morsels will not come around the table too often. :)

Hello!

Hello Everyone!
Darlene and I went to a web class in the Fall and the teacher recommended using a blog page to allow other family and friends to keep up with us. I thought, there's no better way can I do that and still get to do all the talking at the same time! :) It took me quite a while to just have a moment to sit down and do it, but here I am. I hope someone cares.

I hope to use this blogspot page to keep everyone updated on our family/farm doings and on what I am learning from the Lord in my bible study.

It is my prayer that this page would be for the building of relationships and for the furtherance of Christ's Kingdom!

More later...right now I must go and collect my Blondie.