Spring Around the Farm

It means lots of baby chicks.....

Continued school work.....;)

Bella just got a shave (this is a pre-haircut photo) She's looking more puppish now and slightly 

poodle-ish;)

Snickers, the old farm mascot is still running strong

With the beautiful weather we've been having I have taken the opportunity to hang the clothes on the line to dry.

This is a little goat kid (which has since been sold) that when he was born, his mother rejected him. We had to bottle feed him and he got to spend his days roaming the farm and playing with the dogs and cats.

Cows love being out on the lush spring pasture!

The chickens are enjoying it too!

-Morgan

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

~Isaiah 9:6~

 "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Luke 2:1-14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

John 1:1-5

 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:10-13

^"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all."

John 18:36-38

 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."

Revelations 21:1-7

 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

Revelations 22:13-17

 ^"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Revelations 22:20

"Love So Amazing, Love So Divine..."

When I survey the wondrous cross 

on which the Prince of Glory died; 

my richest gain I count but loss, 

and pour contempt on all my pride. 

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, 

save in the death of Christ, my God; 

all the vain things that charm me most, 

I sacrifice them to his blood. 

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, 

sorrow and love flow mingled down. 

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 

or thorns compose so rich a crown? 

Were the whole realm of nature mine, 

that were an offering far too small; 

love so amazing, so divine, 

demands my soul, my life, my all.

~When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

~ 

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin.

Sin and despair like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! there is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.

~ Marvelous Grace of our Loving Lord

~

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,

And did my Sovereign die!

Would he devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I!

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree!

Amazing pity! grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide,

And shut his glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker, died

For man the creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face

While his dear cross appears;

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,

And melt mine eyes in tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay

The debt of love I owe;

Here, Lord, I give myself away,

'Tis all that I can do.

~Alas and Did my Saviour Bleed

~

I stand amazed in the presence

Of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how He could love me,

A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!

Is my Savior’s love for me!

For me it was in the garden

He prayed: “Not My will, but Thine.”

He had no tears for His own griefs,

But sweat drops of blood for mine.

Refrain

In pity angels beheld Him,

And came from the world of light

To comfort Him in the sorrows

He bore for my soul that night.

Refrain

He took my sins and my sorrows,

He made them His very own;

He bore the burden to Calvary,

And suffered and died alone.

Refrain

When with the ransomed in glory

His face I at last shall see,

’Twill be my joy through the ages

To sing of His love for me.

Refrain

~I Stand Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene

It's been awhile! We are currently in the midst of planning for the 2011 growing season. Last year was pretty amazing. We purposely did not focus a lot of attention on the farm but put our energies into seeking the Lord and growing in a lot of different areas that He showed us we needed to work on, and yet, the Lord gave us a record year last year! I guess that was just confirmation that we were doing what the Lord wanted us to do. This year we feel like more growth is on the horizon. Maybe big, we don't know what it will look like yet, but our desire is to be willing to do, or go, or change, or give up, anything God asks us to. It's exciting being on the verge of something, yet also a trifle scary. Yet I know that the safest place to be is the center of the Lord's will. No matter what. Today we had a nice family day. We closed the farmstore and went out as a family to Bass Pro, and then out to eat. Then we stopped by a few places as we made our way home. We all enjoyed the family time! We are expecting our first batch of broiler chicks next week, and an explosion of goat kids any day now:) Also several calves. So things should start bursting at the seams here pretty soon. We are definitely ready for spring around here! I will close this with a few recent pictures........

Bye for now!


-Morgan

Periodically we use "Basic H" in the cow and goat waters as a natural de-wormer.

Sammy "about to make the leap" :)

Katie delivering hay to the cows.

The Farmstore.

Will and Sam playing on the hay bales.




Bessie the farm dog.

Moon, one of the milk cows.

Lucky, one of Maddie's new goats.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.



Isaiah 53
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.


Luke 2
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

(As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

-Morgan

Hey Guys! How’s it going? Today I’ve had this song stuck in my head! “Your Love, Oh Lord” That song is one of my favorites! (It comes from Psalms 36:5)

Today, it rained. I was sitting on our front porch playing my guitar and singing that song; and when I got to the part “Your faithfulness stretches to the skies” the rain had died down and I saw blue sky and three rainbows in a row!! I felt like God was re-opening the heavens and was spilling his love down!! I thought that was so cool! I know Morgan already mentioned that verse but I’m sure you guys won’t mind hearing it again!=) Here’s some pictures I took. I’m lovin’ my new camera!!
See ya’ll later!
~Katie
P.s I drew this picture of Daniel Heffington's guitar on Sunday. I had a perfect view from where I was sitting!=)

Glory to God in the Highest!

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14


"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of host will preform this." Isaiah 9:6-7


"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces form Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:1-5


"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over there flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:8-14


"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Merry Christmas!
-Morgan

Of Processing and Christmas Preparations

Hello all! Here is our week in review. Sunday, church was canceled because everyone was either sick, or not able to make it. We had our own little service together as a family, Katie played guitar and we sang Christmas hymns as well. On Monday we processed the last batch of broilers for 2009. Elliott and Oliver Alexander came over to help us. We were able to finish up with the actual processing of the birds before lunch. We did about 230. (Okay, we did eat a little late. But lunch was well worth the wait! Mom made two chicken pies, mashed potatoes and a big pan of baked apples!) After lunch we had a short break before bagging the birds, we played Kickball. That was fun and funny! These were the teams.. Katie, Maddie, Elliott and Lucy. and then Me, Hannah, Oliver and Rebecca. It was so funny to watch Katie's team. She and Maddie were both trying to come up with the best strategy for their team. Someone on our team would kick the ball and then take off running for the base, while Katie and Maddie were still talking and telling each other "if you had just done what I said, we could have gotten it!" Elliott was dashing all over the yard trying to retrieve the ball single-handedly while Katie and Maddie were still arguing! Also, the yard was very muddy from recent rain and snow so there were many slips and slides! We were laughing so hard and so were Katie and Maddie! After our break we finished up by bagging the broilers and then washing the coolers. Thank you Elliott and Oliver for your help! (Hey, was anybody sore from all that running during kickball? I must have gotten out of practice! It was probably partly from that big slide/collision with Maddie!) On Tuesday, Mom and Dad went Christmas shopping for most of the day, we did the normal outside work, including washing several days worth of eggs. It was very cold that day! We had to bundle up warmly! There is one thing I will say about beanie hats, I personally do not care for them, and I think it is safe to say that they don't care for me either! It's probably because of the way I wear my hair, either in a bun or a braid. So either I have a knob sticking out from the back of my head or my braid is constantly pushing the hat up so that it is perched on the top of my head in a most unfashionable way! But I generally wear them anyways because the cold and the pressure makes me dizzy sometimes. Anyways, to get off that subject:) This morning Mom took us older girls out to finish up with our Christmas shopping and then Dad took the little ones out. So now we are officially finished with Christmas preparations. This afternoon we watched the Christmas Shoes. A movie based from the song. It is a really emotional movie! The first time we watched it we all cried buckets of tears, including Dad. This time I was pretty sure I wouldn't cry because I had already seen it and I didn't think it would effect me like it did the first time. I was wrong. By the time the little boy is crying and begging his mom not to go, we were all sobbing and passing around the tissue box. And I don't mean "teary". I mean really crying. I think Will got a kick out of watching us, after a really sad part he would steal a glance around the room and take note of everyone who was crying, "Hehe, Maddie's crying... Morgan's crying... Katie's crying?!" Katie rarely cries, so that surprised him! After the movie he named off all the people that had cried. "Did you?" We questioned, as he was leaving the room. "Only at the part were he's getting the shoes" he admitted. Katie said she was trying to hide her sobs behind a laugh but it didn't work too well:) Well, that's pretty much catches you up! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! I shall close with this song, It's a little like "Mary Did You Know", a song from Mary's perspective.

"But Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart"


This is not the way I dreamed
My story would unfold
A stable and a bed of hay
A night so clear and cold
The only child of God begotten
In my arms I hold
To us is born Emmanuel

Holy child of hope
Perfect child of peace
Born to be the Lord of life in me
Oh my precious son
Heaven's child has come
To make of me a child of God

I am just a peasant girl of simple honest means
Who am I to hold the Savior
Sent to set men free
To know the child I gave life
Will give his life for me
The angels sing Emmanuel

Holy child of hope
Perfect child of peace
Born to be the Lord of life in me
Oh my precious son
Heaven's child has come
To make of me a child of God

Oh my precious son
Heaven's child has come
To make of me a child of God

To make of me a child of God

-Morgan

Fall Around the Farm

Doesn't God paint the most beautiful sunrises? And each one is new each morning!

We had a new calf born yesterday! Hopefully this will boost the milk supply, we have been woefully down in production! This is the little bull calf that was born to Millie belle.

Here is Sam doing a trapeze act on the swing.

One of our fall gardens.

Snickers the goat.

Gabriel, my adorable youngest brother.

Whoops! He lost his boot and he's goin' back for it!

True or False: Did Sam cut all this wood single-handedly? Well..... He had a little help:)

Justin Wright and Dad running the wood splitter.

Stacking wood. Sort of, anyways.

-Morgan