Slaters' Funny Farm

As I sit here taking a break from the mad cleaning that I have done today, I am reminded by the crackle of the woodstove that cooler weather has finally arrived in our home state. Normally, we have had measurable snow by this time of the year and we have had temps that have been in the teens, but this year the weather has completely taken us by surprise. Our temperatures on Christmas Day were in the 50's and that has  been the normal for the month of Dec. However, just as Mother Nature does, she has reminded us that she is in control and that we must realize that we are not in a tropical environment. Today is not too bad, but temps are supposed to drop into the 20's during the evening and highs over the upcoming weekend are going to be in the 30's and a great shock to our systems. The upcoming week does not look bad with temps around 40 and those are not bad as long as the wind is not blowing or it is not raining. Farm work can be hard if the temps are not near 40. Lower ...

Peyton Manning, Denver Bronco's quarterback and former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, has suddenly come under some heat due to a report coming from  Al Jazeera stating that Peyton has taken human growth hormones during his time with the Colts while he struggled with a neck injury. According to the report, which came out late last week names Manning along with several other athletes with having taken the drug in 2011 and receiving them from the Guyer Institute, an anti-aging company in Indiana. Supposedly,  Charlie Sly, an Austin, Texas-based pharmacist that once worked for the Guyer Institute was secretly recorded during an interview with Liam Collins. Charlie Sly has since recanted his story, but not before many news sources and athletes learned of the claims. Manning states that the accusations are completely false and utterly ridiculous! Making Manning even madder is the fact that the story says that Ashley Manning, Peyton's wife, was the one that got the prescriptions...

Just as I was going to write about things that have happened in 2015 that will be memories for us on the farm, we have an epic fail to speak of that many will remember for years to come and I am sure will be talked about daily until the new year- that is Steve Harvey announcing the wrong winner at the Miss Universe pageant.  Since Mr. Harvey has not made a statement on the goof yet, we are left to wonder just what truly happened. Did he just look at the card wrong? Did he think one should have won over the other? Did he just read the wrong name? Did he mean to say first runner up and said Miss Universe? A million things could have caused this goof, but I am sure that no one will ever truly care as much as Harvey will. My next question is how do you fix such a goof? He apologized and he owned responsibility for it, but the mistake was made and not corrected until a young woman had been crowned and taken a wave and walk. Somehow it does not seem possible to just take that aw...

As I was thinking about the past year, I was thinking of how many times we count our days away. We count down the days till Christmas, we count the shopping days before Christmas, we count the number of days we must work before a vacation, we count how many days till the weekend, and we count how many days till we marry, see our new child, etc. It seems that we can't be happy in the day that we are currently in. Today is December 20,2015 and that is what I want to concentrate on. Today is nothing special to me other than a Sunday that I have been able to spend with my beautiful granddaughter. It is a day that the Lord made and she has certainly taken advantage of the day in catching up on some much needed rest. Rarely ever does she sleep most of the day away, but she has today. I have had the opportunity to do some reading, exercising and just enjoy the twinkling lights of the tree. My husband and I still have some shopping to do, but I will say that I have enjoyed being home m...

Hello! Good Morning! I awoke early to enjoy about an hour sitting by the Christmas tree with the lights twinkling as I enjoyed a cup of tea and finished my book. I highly recommend that if you have not read the book "Christmas Jars" by Jason Wright that you take a moment out of your hectic schedule to read it. The message that evolves from this book is one that we all need to be reminded of especially at this time of the year. The little things that we do matter the most and giving is much more rewarding than receiving! I try hard to incorporate this into our lives many times throughout the year. Over the next two weeks, I would like to honor some of the memories we have of the year. I will include both personal memories and those that have touched all of us throughout the year in the news and other media sources. I also plan to include work that shares some of the talent that I know of around the world that you all might not know.   I hope that you will all take ...

After enjoying a delicious and very enjoyable meal on Monday afternoon with some dear friends, I came home to enjoy a nice quiet evening at home. As I was playing with the grandbaby on my bed around 7 p.m., I suddenly felt very sick to my stomach when I would lie down. I moved to the living room and decided to watch a little television, but suddenly found myself very ill. The next 24-30 hours were horrible. Suddenly, chills and fever set in followed by vomiting and diarrhea- classic signs of a stomach bug. My daughter had said it was going around at work and I believe that she may have carried it in and I was the lucky one to suffer with it. I spent all day yesterday in bed and truly don't have the desire to do much today. However, my home and family seem to say that it is time to be moving again. I awoke to find dishes that we not done yesterday, a floor in dire need of a broom, and plenty of laundry to be completed. Discovered the no one fed the outside dog or cats yesterday ...

Lately it seems like my posts are getting away from the farm and I really want to focus on it so for now, I am going to share some photos of some of the animals we have here. Our goose, which I am not sure I have a photo of passed a few weeks ago. I miss her but I do not miss the noise she made as often as she could. A couple of our cows in the holding pen before they go in the pasture. Some of our ducks Prince, one of my two black and white cats. The other is named Oreo. This is Jigsaw, my daughter's horse This is Shot To The Heart, my daughter's other horse.  

As many of us are well aware of, today is known as Black Friday and that is because of the sales that so many merchandisers and companies use to draw shoppers in today. Online sales are increasing and I believe that people are deciding to shop more online due to the craziness that happens at the sales in stores. It seems that the items they place on sale are limited supplies of most of them and people will fight over those items. For me, Black Friday is a day that I am spending at home and setting up a vendor booth for a Breakfast with Santa tomorrow. I am excited over the event and hope for a good turn out. I am worried that the rain will cause many to stay home and I am worried that turn out may not be as good as hoped for. I am just looking to sell some merchandise and purchase some new. with the end of the year nearing, I know we will have a new catalog in January and I hope to buy some new stock then. I hope that this finds you all safe and warm at home even if you have fought...

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! I am happy to say that I enjoyed a nice day with my family and we had a wonderful meal. I was thrilled to have all three kids home with us as well as my grandchild. I know that they are all close and we see them often, but I am also aware that as they age and we do as well, that could easily change. I am thankful for healthy children and grandchildren, a husband that loves me, a job that allows me to work at my own pace, and a job that I love. I am thankful for having things that I need and plenty that I do not need. I am thankful that my husband is willing to attempt to purchase a new home that I love! I am thankful for a God that loves me and protects me. I have felt His hand in many things this week and I really needed that as the Devil was attempting to put doubt into my life with the horrible things that I have heard of this week. Illness, death, and just the meaness that seems to be happening in the world these days. I am thankful that I kno...

Paris, France is known for being a city that is beloved by many and know to bring romance and love to many. This weekend, Paris became the latest terrorist target and the people suffered a huge loss as terrorists attacked multiple sites throughout the city. With over 100 killed and many others injured, life changed for the people of Paris. Being home to another terrorist attack several years ago, the people of the United States can understand the loss and yet, the fight that is within the people. It makes a nation stronger in my beliefs to know that people stand together and unite to keep life going and to keep a stronger hold on what is important to them. Family and loved ones are what is most important to all of us and when that is threatened, even if not directly, it makes a human being stand a stronger stance and fight for what is more important to them. Yes, multiple lives were lost for a senseless cause, but the strength of unity that Paris will now see from their own and oth...

Rich shades of red, orange and burgundy seem to be the best of the scenery that we have. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago, but they are still pleasant to see. I have wandered around the farm and taken many pictures recently and these are some of the best fall photos that I have on the camera. These are the beautiful colors you can see overlooking one of the horse pastures. As you can see, the colors are quite full on the trees! Here are some of the trees outside of my window that I have a great view of from where my desk sits. The colors are simply vibrant and beautiful! Here are a couple more taken near the horse pastures and some of the bright oranges that we see so much of in the fall of the year. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Everywhere I turn I see the brilliant oranges, fiery red, and majestic yellows that fall brings to our world here on the farm. As I look out my window while I am sitting here contemplating what I will write, I am fascinated by the view that I have. As we have had much needed rain in the last hour or so, I see the gentle drops falling from a vibrant red and orange leaves from the maple tree in the yard. I also see a large stack of wood that will fill the farmhouse with heat this winter. I am very partial to my woodstove as I know that it is a wonderfully warm heat and that the top of the stove makes for the perfect place to cook a large pot of beans or some comforting chili as the temperatures outside makes us daydream of the hot days of summer. The sun seems to be hiding today and it reminds me of just how dreary winter days can be. I always am so thankful on days that we have sun in the winter as it seems that they are few and far between. I long for days that are bright and cheer...

Good Morning to all of my friends and family in the wide world that the web reaches. I am happy to say that I am feeling a little stronger today and the cold is slowly leaving. However, my husband and the grandbaby both are stuffy. It seems that it may be running it's course through the house. Time to clean and sanitize everything near and dear to us. Door handles especially are a huge concern and I will do them today. I will also be working on my Pink Zebra business as usual. I try to spend two hours a day at least working on it. My daughters and I have a home show tomorrow evening and I need to prepare for it. I need to go to the post office as well as I have a couple of packets that I want to drop in the mail this afternoon. I also have to check on a party on the go to close hopefully tomorrow. I am feverishly working to sell at least a thousand dollars by the end of the day tomorrow to reach a quick start goal and earn some free products. Pink Zebra I am also working on a...

My view out the window this morning is one of absolute beauty as the leaves are nearing peak color. It makes for a majestic view, except we know what is following the color change and that is cold! The weather forecast is even following along with that thinking as they are predicting cooler temps all week and lows in the 30's during the upcoming weekend.  That means work for me during the week as I need to get winter clothes from the garage storage and I need to get the wood stove ready to be fired up. I will move the mail that I have lying there today. I have been using the stove to place outgoing packages on and I have also been keeping the fan there on top of it to use during the days that it is too warm to not have it and too cool to use the air. Fall days here can be quite tricky. Today we awoke to temps in the upper 40's and we will reach a high of 80, but tonight the temps will drop into the mid 40's with a high of 65 tomorrow. UGH!  This will be another short pos...

We awoke this morning and went to feed and realized that my daughter's favorite rabbit is missing. We are unsure of how she managed to get out of her cage, but she has and now is gone! It is a beautiful white doe that she has had for several years. She has shown her at fair and is like one of the best we have ever had. I am sad to say that I am afraid that we may find her dead and that my daughter will be extremely upset if something has gotten her. I am praying that she hops out of hiding, but I don't think that is going to be the case. Life on the farm is known for life and death and we have to accept each time that it happens, but this one will not be an easy one for any of us. Gidget has been part of our family for awhile and we have nuzzled her and cared for her like a baby. She needs to come back to us! So if you see her, please send her back! We miss her!

As a mother of two girls that were very active in school activities, church activities, and 4H, I have often found myself making a choice between work and being where my kids needed me to be. I have never had the opportunity to stay home with them as finances would not allow. I have tried selling many products at different times and usually have struggled with the business. This was partially due to my own struggles with coming out of my comfort zone and some of it was time restraints and part of it was just me being lazy. After the birth of my granddaughter this year, I decided that I needed to find a business that allowed me to spend as much time as I could with her. I found Pink Zebra, a company that believes in the motto, " Change Your Fragrance, Change Your Life" and makes such a unique product that I decided that I had to join this business. I am happy to say that I am doing well at the moment. I am not getting rich quick, but I am having fun and I am earning some ext...

Hello! I am writing to share with each of you that I have begun a new business. I am currently a consultant with Pink Zebra and I absolutely would love to share details with you. Pink Zebra is a unique and powerful product line that is meant to "change your life by changing your fragrance". They are a home fragrance company. I know to many that signifies that we are a candle company, but we are way more than that. Sprinkles are our main business. Sprinkles are 100% food grade soy dots that can be melted in warmers, sprinkled on your carpet, put into an older candle that has lost it's scent or simply placed in a decorative container in your home. There are 61 scents available so I am sure that you can find one that you like. The fascinating aspect of these Sprinkles are that they can be mixed to combine many new scents and you can play around and see what you can create. Many recipes can be found online by searching Pink Zebra Sprinkles Recipes. We also carry a larg...

As Sunday afternoon is coming to a close, I sit here in deep thought of the many people struggling with cancer. I have a dear friend that is certainly fighting a battle that I am not sure I would be strong enough to fight and I am praying that there is a cure found soon as she basically needs a miracle. Her palette count is so low that chemo is not an option at this time and I am afraid that God may be calling her home. That scares me! I have another friend that is fighting this demon that we have all came to know so well. Cancer seems to not have boundaries- no age limit, no race lines, no economic lines, etc. It seems that it is it's own ruler and it attacks at the most inopportune moment. However, prepared one might think that they - they are not! Cancer is a scary word and it is even more scary when you are fighting for the second, third, fourth, etc. times. I keep thinking that God has their futures' in his hands, but it seems that at least one is slipping slowly throu...

Well, I know it has taken me awhile to return here and talk with each of you, but there are so many changes coming up in my life. I have turned my notice in at work and I will be staying home with the new grandbaby while my daughter returns to work. I will also be starting a direct sales business that I will be working from home. I have become a consultant for Pink Zebra. This is a company that changes lives by changing fragrances. Yes, it is a home fragrance company that allows you to make your own candles, air fresheners, etc. They have a unique way of selling the soy wax and it is called Sprinkles. The wax actually looks like ice cream sprinkles and comes in jar or cartons that remind you of sprinkle toppings containers or ice cream cartons. If you are interested in learning more, you can take a look at my business at my website. I am working this business with my daughters. I am hoping that it allows us the income to work together as a family. I am also hoping to be able to all...

I know that I have not written here for some time and I must explain to all my fans why I have not written. It began in May with a routine doctor's appointment for my daughter. We discovered that she was pregnant and due in three weeks. Now, mind you that although she is 18 she lives with my hubby and I here on the farm and none of us knew she was pregnant. I had questioned her a few times, but following a doctor's appointment that consisted of renewing her birth control, I was sure that it was just me being paranoid. Plus, she was still having her cycles and she was not sick or extremely tired. She was still riding her horses and getting ready to show at the fair.  Imagine our shock! My hubby was furious with her as we have always talked with our children about what expectations they should have for themselves. We have also shared his experience of being a young father and we thought we prepared them well to certainly make sure that they had a good future and waited for ch...

This is a family blog and I write often about our farm, but today as I write it is with a heavy heart. I am sure that many of you know who the reality television family, The Duggars are. They are with the show, " 19 Kids and Counting". Many times this family is looked down upon for having so many children, even though it is no one's business as they take care of themselves. They are a Christian family that stands firm on the values that they feel are important in their lives, which is something that we all could do more of. Yesterday, news broke that the oldest son, Joshua, was reportedly to have fondled some of his younger siblings and a family friend during his teen years. Whether this report is true or not, Joshua has issued a statement saying that he did some things during this teen years that he has asked forgiveness for and that he has disclosed these mistakes to his family and his wife, Anna. His parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have also made statements sayi...

Say Hello to Jigsaw!!! Jigsaw is one of my daughters' new horses that she will use for fair. He has been a member of our family for a few months now and he is certainly a dandy. He is a 9 year old gelding Paint horse that has done well for her so far. She has shown him once this year and we are looking forward to more shows soon. She fell in love with him when she first seen him. I believe that his fancy mane is one of the great things about him. He is certainly flashy when he is cleaned and ready for show. I believe that with a little more work, he is going to be a fabulous show horse. She will be using him for most of her 4H stuff this year as her Tennessee Walker, Abdul that has been her faithful companion the previous four years is beginning to show his age ( about 23-26 years ) and is beginning to lose sight in his left eye. I hate to see the day that he passes or that she must have him put down due to his health. He has been there, done that and has even ran barrels f...

Yesterday was Mother's Day and the weather here was really nice. Other states could not say the same thing as weather woes were incredible in many states. Texas, Arkansas and other areas seen massive tornados. The Carolinas seen many effects of tropical storm Ana and the mountain areas of Colorado and Montana seen feet of snow. Today brings a threat of tornados to Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana while flash floods are being a threat in Texas and Arkansas. Myrtle Beach and the coast of North Carolina are still going to see the remnants of the tropical storm. Areas in North Carolina and Virginia along the coast could still see some flash flooding today. I am thankful for the nice day we had and I pray that our weather stays quiet today, but I am sure we are going to see some storms. I have to see several of my elderly clients today and I pray that we stay safe. It would be impossible to get any of them to a basement. One will be going to the doctor today and I pray that it is not sto...

We have completed our first horse show of the season and I must say that I am very proud of my daughter. She took a new horse in and actually done good for the first time with him. She was a little nervous as she has shown her walking horse, Abdul every other year. However, this time out with Jigsaw was a successful day as far as I am concerned. She won a first place, a sixth place, a seventh place, and a fourth. The first was in sloppy showmanship, but she will still take that. She was a hot mess for that let me tell you! She even had the horse to step over the cone. It is one of the classes that she always looks forward too in any show. Her friend also went with her to this open show. She has never shown before and done quite well with a second and third place finish. Her ninth place was not so great but for the first time in the arena, I feel they did accomplish quite a bit. I am sure that they both had fun! The wind was less than desirable, but it could have been worse I guess....

Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana is suffering from another loss of a student. Yesterday, 22 year old Hannah Wilson was found dead in a remote area of Brown County. Mushroom hunters found her body yesterday morning and she was later identified. Hannah had been missing less than 24 hours. The area is less than 20 miles from Indiana University. It is another reminder of the losses that the university has suffered during the last few years. Almost four years ago, Lauren Spierer disappeared after being out with friends during the evening. Several reports say that she was extremely intoxicated and left the apartment of a young man to walk home around 4 a.m. She never made it back to the apartment and has never been heard from again. Her parents have pleaded with the young men to speak up as to exactly what happened that night and they will not. Whether or not they are guilty of something, we truly don't know but it does seem suspicious. A few years ago, another IU student J...

Last night, I attended a benefit dinner for a former classmate of mine. She has been diagnosed with lymphoma and is currently having chemotherapy. Whether that will rid her of the cancer or not, no one truly knows and whether she will remain cancer free or not, no one truly knows either. I am praying that she will be free of this horrible disease once she finishes this treatment. My thoughts are with all who suffer from this horrible and devastating disease. My thoughts are with all those who suffer from illnesses that you can't "see" either. I know many people that are sick but do not look sick. My daughter suffers from Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease and will often be sick, but has been told " you don't look sick" by former employers and friends. We don't need to see illness for someone to be sick. My message for today is that we need to be aware that we truly don't know what others are going through so be nice to one another and offer a help...

Hold on to your hats as the winds are to get ferocious today! We are under a wind advisory today with winds to be around 40 plus miles an hour. That will certainly bring down some of the best trees and spring blooms for sure. I always worry about being without power with winds like that tugging at the lines. I am heading to work in a few minutes and once I get back to the farm, it will be time to do my evening feeding and then I am going to a benefit dinner for a dear friend from high school that is struggling with the effects of chemo due to being diagnosed with lymphoma earlier in the year. It is sad to see her struggle like this, but I know that God is watching over her. The weather man just said that the slight wind we are having at the moment cleans the air out and freshens our world. I guess that is one way to look at it. We can't change the weather so we might as well embrace it. I will just make sure that I hang on to anything that is not fastened onto me today. Have ...

Farm girls love their country music and I am right there in both categories. I was able to watch a large portion of the ACM awards last night and was thrilled to see Luke Bryan win Entertainer of the Year. Being that these awards are given based on votes by the fans, I would say that this was his fans honoring him. He is a talented musician and does a great show each time he takes the stage. One of the most memorable moments of the show was when Garth Brooks took the stage to sing "All American Kid". He honored the American military with the song and members of the military that were at the awards. As he was singing, military members walked the aisles of the venue. Garth's guitar was done in red, white, and blue to resemble the flag. This was a tear jerking moment if there was one in the entire show. Miranda Lambert took the show by storm by having a whopping 8 nominations and winning three of those eight categories. Her album, "Platinum" won Album of the Ye...

Mornings are my absolutely favorite time of the day. As I sit here looking out my window, I see all the wonders that God has given us. I see the neighbors' dog, two of our chickens, a bird eating from the suet cake that I hung this week, the green grass that is looking greener since the showers we had last night, and I see our cat. Actually, we have two cats, but Prince is the one that I see the most. Oreo has been very skiddish lately and I think it is due to the fact that he has been in a cat fight and seems to be a little beat up. I checked him for injuries the other day and put some Furazone cream on his cuts and scrapes. Prince has to be watched closely because he likes to jump up on the birdhouse and get his lunch while they are getting theirs. I keep reminding him that he is not to get the birds from their food. He is such a good cat except for this little glitch. This is my Prince! He was given to me by a sweet lady that had him in an apartment that he did not want to...

Today has been an interesting day on the farm. I added three new ducks to the farm, even though I truly know we do not need them. I seen them and thought that they were really cute at the local flea market. Once I asked a price on them, I knew I would have to take all three even though I only wanted one. I could not separate one from the others. I also started planting plants for the garden today. I have them started in several containers and I also have basil started on my back porch in my flower box. I decided that I will start them now before we actually get the garden ready for plants. I am hoping to be able to sow some wild flower seeds tomorrow in a large area near our driveway. I think that it will be a nice way to add some color to the drive. We have had two decent days of weather so I am sure that tomorrow will bring rain. I am thankful for the dry weather we have had and the chance for some of the rain to end and some of the mud to clear up. I just hope that this week is ...

I was just thinking about trying to begin a third blog but I believe that I should wait as I find it hard to keep up here with this one and my cooking one. However, I do truly believe that I whole new direction that I would like to go with a blog, so who knows what I will do with those ideas. Anyway, I titled this front porch talk because I would like to think that when I write this I am talking with friends and that I am able to discuss most anything that I would like to with you all or y'all depending on where you are from. I personally like to say y'all even though I am from the north. I have family from Virginia and Tennessee and love it there so I am glad to say that I can use words like that. The weather here today is frightful! We are predicted to get about 3-5 inches of snow and it has snowed most of the day. The roads are ridiculous slick and nasty. As long as you go slow, it is possible to get around, but for the most part it is nasty! My husband will be taking me...

The wind is really whistling through the woods today and doing some destruction along the way. Just a little bit ago, I heard a loud crash and knew that something was not right. As I approached the back, I noticed that the horses were scrambling, so I instantly knew that whatever the noise was I needed to check the pasture first. With mud boots on, I began my trek into the field. I did not have to walk far to see that the top of a large tree had blown out and completely smashed one of the round bale feeders in the field. This could prove to be a problem as we have one horse that is somewhat of a bully and does not like to share with the others. That is why we like to keep two feeders there. I would say that our wind gusts are around 50 mph currently and although the temperatures are warm, it does seem to be cooling down some with the wind. I am sure that the evening is going to be quite cooler than some we have recently seen. The only nice thing about the wind is that most times a ...

A fresh start to a new week is what Monday offers. This fence near the sidewalk reminds me of days gone by as well as a fresh start. We all know where we have been in the last week and we all know the struggles that we have had, but as Monday is upon us, we must look to the future and what lies ahead. Last week was a tough week for myself and I am glad it is over. However, I can count some blessings from it as well. I feel that it is always necessary to count our blessings in whatever comes our way. We can choose to focus on the negative or we can be thankful for the positive we have in our lives. I am choosing to look at the positive. If you woke up this morning, you have something to be thankful for. If you have any family with you, you have a second reason to be thankful. If you are in good health, you have a third reason to be thankful. See, it is literally that easy to find ways to be thankful. Often when things bring us down, I feel that is becomes hard to see the positives...

Good Morning to all of you and Happy Easter! Today is the day to celebrate the resurrection of Christ for Christians all over the country. We are greeted with a beautiful sunrise this morning and the signs of a beautiful spring day! This is a sample photo that I found on my computer but I feel that it is such a beautiful sunrise that I should share it with all of you today. It seems that Christians are being persecuted all over the world and the recent attack in Kenya is a prime example, but the Bible tells of this type of persecution in the end of times. I am usually one that does not spend much time thinking about what is to come in forms of things that are spoke of in the book of Revelation, but this attack has really made me think and pray for Christians all over the world. We should never be killed because of our belief in Christ and His message and love. With the day bringing warmth and sunshine, I am sure we will be with the horses some today. It is beginning to get warm...

Faith can mean many things to many different people. Faith to be is believing in something that I can't see or feel, but that I know is real. My faith in Christ is a prime example of that. I believe that God is real and I believe that when we die, our souls go to heaven or hell depending on our trust in God and salvation. Whether you agree with that faith based salvation or not, is your right. I have been raised in a Baptist church that believes in the Bible and preached of this faith. Many verses in the Bible speak of faith and so I am a firm believer that our faith and not our works get us to Heaven. I wonder many times about Heaven and what it truly looks like. I know what I imagine it to look like, but I doubt that my visions are accurate. My concern today about faith is the number of Christians killed in Kenya this week due to being Christian. The Bible speaks of being asked to deny Christ and being persecuted for not and it seems that this is what has happened this week. ...

Today is April 1 and that means that today is a day known for pranks, at least in the United States. Known as April's Fools Day, it is a day that people play pranks on their friends and family and then get to laugh and say April's Fools. I am sure that there is a long history behind the day, but I don't care to share that today. I enjoy writing but do not want to be technical today as my computer is literally running out the door at the moment- April's Fools! My computer is not running out the door but I gotcha didn't I? Pranks can be fun and as long as the person being pranked is not mad, it can be fun for both parties involved. I am actually taking part in a monthly challenge by another writer and for today, we are to write about this day and pranks. You can read more about this challenge here: http://challengeyourwriting.blogspot.com/p/april.html  . Literally, she has made a list of items that she challenges us to write about each day of the month. I am hopin...

Each year as the weather begins to hint at spring and summers' arrival, I begin to get the urge to rid the house of all the dust, mud, and signs of winter weather. Time to open windows and allow the fresh air to replace the stale that winter has left us with. The urge to clean the mess left by heating with wood and yesterday, I done just that. Spring Cleaning! The day began with just a normal cleaning day but after 9 hours of non stop cleaning, I realized that I had done much of what I usually reserve for a later date as we are not experiencing spring at the moment. I was not able to air the house out as it was too cold to have the doors and windows open, but I was able to let the storm door be open and allow some sunshine in. Sure wish we had it today! I was able to mop and do some deep cleaning. I changed the items on my wall and added some new pictures that I had been given at Christmas time and just had not found time to get put up. I placed two new horse signs in my bathro...

Warmer temps have melted most of the snow that we had a week or so ago and Mother Nature has left us with mud everywhere. The ground is so saturated with water that it can not hold another drop. Mud covers everything and the ground is like a giant sponge soaking it up while remaining wet and squishy. Walking anywhere on the farm is next to impossible. No matter where you place your feet, there is mud. Shoes and boots are covered, which leads to mud inside as well as outside. Floors can be cleaned several times a day and yet, you will for sure see a spot somewhere that was missed in the last cleaning or that has just been tracked in by someone. With rain in the forecast for several days this week, it is only going to be worse. As a kid, I am sure I would have greatly enjoyed this mud but mud pies are no longer an enjoyable experience for me. Now, I must clean it up and that is no fun. I would love to see the sun shine and dry things up for a few days, but until that happens we will ...

Saturday morning is here and that means a couple of days off to most working people. However, for me this weekend, it is only one day off and a real busy day off at that. I work at my second job tomorrow and I will be there all day. UGH!! The nice thing about a weekend like this is that the weather is changing. Forecasts are that the temperatures are going to be in the 40's and 50's most of this week and that means the snow will melt and we will be seeing floods and mud everywhere. The mud is what I don't care to see. I won't be affected by flooding, but I hate to see anyone lose their home. I, however, have to fight the mud daily. I guess it is time to find my Muck boots so that I can walk around without ruining my other boots. Tonight is the night to change your clocks if you take part in daylight savings time. We do and so we will spring ahead an hour tomorrow morning at 2 a.m. I will change ours tonight before we go to bed. It means I will have to adjust to the ...

WOO HOO! It is finally Friday and I do not work over the weekend, so I am happy to say that I will be able to clean my house and get some rest the next two days. At least, I hope I can. My daughter works all weekend and so far she has not been able to drive her truck due to the fact that the road we live on in still very slick due to the snow. Her little truck just does not do well in snow or on ice, so we have been making sure that she gets to work and the weekend is calling for more snow so I guess someone will have to take her to work. That will mean that I will have to get up early but not as early as today. Of course, I work today and so that means an early morning as usual. I like being up early but I would love to sleep past 5:30 a.m. just a morning or two. If I got in bed earlier, the early wake up time would be fine, but I usually don't go to bed before 11:30 p.m. and I usually am up at least twice during the night. In the spring and summer., the early mornings allow me ...

Good Morning and it is a snowy morning here on the farm. No, we do not have a huge amount of snow, but the howling winds and the snow flurries make for a wintry morning. The temps are not forecast to be out of the teens today with wind chills being in the single digits. BRR!! During my Bible study today, I was thinking of all the times in the Bible that God is with those who think that they are so alone. Prime example when David defeats Goliath. David feels that he is facing an obstacle that could destroy him and yet with God on his side, David can defeat the giant in front of him. Also, there are so many verses that speak of God being with us and it is comforting to know that He is. Many of us face obstacles in our lives and without the power of prayer and the confidence that someone is with you, it may seem overwhelming, but fear not for He is with you. Whether you are a Christian believer or not, God is aware of your battles and He is waiting for you to believe and ask for His h...

Some one could wake up in the morning with a whole new outlook on life. For anyone that plays the lottery much, the Powerball draw tonight could be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The bank for this game is up to over 480 million dollars. Now, with that kind of winnings possible, the chance of someone winning the game is very slim, but people are still buying tickets. This is the largest drawing since Feb. of  last year. If you do not hit the Powerball number, you could still be a millionaire by hitting the other numbers. Most people would be happy to win a million dollars and not be upset that they did not win the 480 million. I know I certainly would be. The lottery knows that people are always dreaming of getting rich quick and that is why the games are so popular. Gambling is also a huge business and this falls right into that scheme of things. For years, people have gambled on card games, dice games, lotteries, raffle drawings, etc. These are all ways that hard w...

Hello and good Sunday morning! Yesterday, I spent the day with my friends and we were planning to take a trip to Savannah, Georgia. I have been there but they have not and so we decided that we will take a trip this summer. This is a photo taken at Tybee Island when my oldest daughter and her boyfriend and I went last year. With the weather warmer yesterday and today here, I decided that with all the talk of the island and warmer temps, I could post this to #brightentheday.  My Brighten the Day campaign began a few days ago and I have not been here to write about it since, but it is going well. the first two days, I decided to just pay random compliments to people and that worked well. I would be in line at the store or gas station and I would just compliment someone on their outfit, smile, hair, etc. It is amazing how you can make someone smile by just being nice. Last night, my husband and I went to a local Waffle and Steak and has one of the worst experiences ever in a res...

With the month of February being known for love and romance, I have decided to start a new challenge to all my online friends and my family entitled #BrightenTheDay. I am going to post about it on Twitter and many other sites as well as here. The goal of this is to do just what it says Brighten the day for someone. We all have bad days and we all have times that we really just wish we were doing something else, but I guarantee whatever you are feeling or going through, someone else is having it worse. The idea is to think of three ways that you could brighten someone's day and do it! Then share your success on social media. It will encourage others to do the same and it will add some kindness to the world. I am hoping that as we read the way others' have done something for someone it will give us more ideas on ways that we can help. I have something in mind for today and I will be sharing it later. Remember that kindness goes a long way! My grandpa always said that you catc...