I have a child.

Well, actually three children, but "I have a child" adds a bit more drama to the introduction...I think.

This particular child has the ability to squeal with the decibel strength of a weanling pig! Earth shatterring notes that could deafen those already deaf! "Huh?"  Don't worry about it, let's just move on.

Said child is much like me in many ways. She's brunette, brown-eyed, and SHORT.

Unlike me, but rather more like her dad, she is ridiculously smart and craves attention.

The attention craving part is probably due more to her being a middle-child and forgive me but I've gotten way off-track here! Sorry.

Anyway, said kiddo has wanted a horse to ride since we made our big crazy move out to the country nearly four years ago.

We bought Bella aka Buggar Girl (Yes, that's the name on her papers) three years ago with hopes of her becomming our riding horse. Well, Bella is lame and a real stinker to boot. You would have to rope me and hog tie me before I would allow any of our kids to sit in the saddle of that accident waiting to happen.

So Bella of course is now no longer an option where riding is concerned for the Snider family. She's just a big fat quarter horse and three quarter grass bag walking the pasture. I don't mean to sound a little cynical there but the economy stinks right now and extra mouths to feed that aren't pullin their weight, tend to draw my ire.

Back to the short brunette that can squeal like a piglet.

She's begged us and I mean quite literally begged Tim and I for a horse that she can ride.

 She's cried herself to sleep many nights, repeating over and over, "I want a horse, I want a horse, I want a horse...."

She's promised everything within her capacity to promise that she will help take care of it.

 She's even worked at saving her money which is laughable because she's had to start over many times after blowing it on gum at Stuffmart.

So, we being the kindhearted and understanding parents that we are (SUCKERS), started looking for a bomb-proof pony for all the kids to be able to ride.

We've prayed about it and told the middle-child to do the same. 

Tim spotted a Welsh pony for sale on Craig's List. Nothing was said to the children but Tim called about it and then went to look at it. We discussed. The price was right. We discussed some more, but more importantly prayed the Lord's will in it all.

Nothing was still said to the kids and last Sunday on our way to evening church, we stopped and looked at the pony. The kids caught on and begged and pleaded but wonderfully Tim and I had already made up our minds and bought it. She's a beauty and we've already fallen in love with her, as much as you can love a horse anyway. We're praying that she'll be a blessing, that she will be that pet that the kids look back on with fond memories when they're older and tell their kids about someday.

Her name is Trixie and my little Lillie (middle child) heads out to her pen first thing every morning to pet her and tell her how much she's loved.

And somehow, in all of this horsey drama that has unfolded over the past months, a childhood love for horses has been awakened in myself.

Silly as it may sound, I'm looking forward to riding our fair little horse myself .

In all things give thanks!

Blessings, Julie

It's been awhile since I've posted what we're doing in school.

Currently, we're working on a medieval unit. This is a unit that I've looked forward to starting since Aubrey first began school in the more formal sense.

As a child, I always enjoyed the stories of knights and damsels in distress.

But, of course the children and I are finding out that this time in history was far from romantic. In fact, it was a harsh time and many people suffered from poverty, plague, and ignorance (hence the Dark Ages).

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis are our selected read-alouds while working on this unit.

The third book in the series, "The Horse and His Boy" is the one we're currently reading. Lewis is very clear in explaining that his books are not an allegory of Christ such as John Bunyans' "Pilgrim's Progress." 

As for the movies that Disney has made based on "The Chronicles of Narnia", the children haven't watched them as they are too loosely based on the books and a bit too instense for my liking. We have watched the BBC versions which are nearly word for word. 

Recently, we attended our 4H Achievement Banquet where Samuel and Lillie received awards for giving both a demonstration speech and a "talks" speech last year.

Lillie receiving her award while Samuel (blue shirt) is walking up to receive his.

We have a very active Cloverbud group (ages 5-8) and a wonderful group of adult volunteers that make it possible for readying these young kiddos for the responsibilities and work that 4H entails.

Our family is very similar to yours as we are busy about "training our children in the way they should go." Although, it seems that from now until late spring things will pick up a bit more for us.Due to the large amounts of rain we received this past spring and summer, our fall has been remarkably more beautiful than those I can remember in the past.We have seen so much more variations in color and the intensity of the reds, yellows, and oranges has made it so much more alluring.

Quite honestly it's rather difficult to stay inside when so much beauty is waiting for us outside!

Our house is nestled in amongst Post Oaks and Blackjack Oaks. So this means lots or raking and burning leaves in our future, but that's okay because it makes for great exercise!

Before signing off, I just wanted to mention a fellow Homeschoolblogger's blog that I just happened onto a couple of months ago. Mica at The Child's Paper Academy has a gorgeous blog that is both beautiful to the eyes (due to her obvious photography skills) and informative where crafts and recipes are concerned. One of my favorite posts is found here , entitled, A Club Cottage. Her blog is a real treat. Thanks, Mica, for sharing your talents and love for learning!

I hope your week has been going smoothly and productively. 

Blessings to you and yours as we seek and strive to glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in all that we say and do!

Julie  

   Several weeks ago I thought I would cook up several pounds of ground beef, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, and onions. I had hoped to store it in the freezer to use when I needed it for spaghetti. I was really trying to be wise but accidentally left it out over-night on the counter.

   Yes, I nearly cried...but now I had to figure out how to dispose of it. I couldn't just dump it in the trash or we would have all kinds of critters tearing into it between then and trash pick-up day. So I came up with the bright idea of hauling it off several miles away and dumping it all in a ditch. At least the coyotes would enjoy it.

    Driving back to the house, I decided to take a road I had never driven before. I happened upon a small country cemetery.

    Now, let me just explain real quick that the history-lover in me is crazy about cemeteries, I know, odd, but I enjoy looking at the markers and wondering about the people.  I didn't stop but thought one day I would come back and really explore when I had more time.

   One afternoon last week the children were outside playing and I was out with them taking pictures when I remembered the cemetery and told the kids to load up in the van so we could go check it out. I had already found out from a church member that lives close to us that it is an open cemetery and is still in use.

   The children were compliant and we set off on this odd little adventure. Actually, my kids enjoy these little trips we make and I remembered to bring my camera.

   It was really only a couple of miles up the road so we were there in no time. We talked about how this is a place that should be treated with respect as people's loved ones were buried there. The kids were so well behaved as we walked around the markers and read the inscriptions.

   But it was this particular marker that stopped me abruptly. I had to read it several times just to fully understand the ages of the couple buried in this plot.

   Do you see what I see?

   This is a husband and wife.

   Mrs. Royster was born in 1816 and died in 1915. She lived to be 99 years old.

   Now, look at Mr. Royster's birthdate and date of death. He was born in 1832 and lived until 1912. He lived to be 80 years old.  Mrs. Royster not only outlived her husband by three years but SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLDER than Mr. Royster!!!

   Wow.

   Okay, so you may be thinking...so what.

   Well, you've got to understand why this is sooo significant to me. I'm six and a half years older than my husband. It bugs me sometimes. But now it doesn't bug me as much. Because Miss Angeline was 16 years older than Darius and it worked for them.

   But, I can't help but wonder....did she ever get teased about "robbing the cradle."

I hope your week is positively productive and filled with joy!

Blessings, Julie

It was just a mere seven months ago that we torched our pasture...

It made me happy and sad at the same time. Strange, I know, but our new found love of the wildflowers caused me to wonder if they would come back and I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing.

It was necessary as we were trying to wipe out a tenacious weed that had become established over years of overgrazing.

So with mixed feelings I watched the pasture go up in flames.

This picture amuses me as you can see my clothesline silhouetted in front of the fire.

So the pasture burned...and we were left with scorched earth...makes sense.

The plan was to burn the pasture and then spray an herbicide in June to finish off the weed that had taken the place of the wanted native grasses.

In no time the pasture greened up and the wildflowers returned. I need not have worried.

But with the abscence of the Sericea, the weed that had taken over the pasture, we suddenly noticed the presence of the desirable grasses.

The Big Bluestem, the Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switchgrass were now in abundance.

Big Bluestem (also called Turkey Foot)

These by the way are the Big Four in grasses. The bison and deer have fed on these grasses for centuries and they were the more pervasive grasses of the Tall Grass Prairie that extended from northern Oklahoma up to Minnesota.Indian Grass  

I was now checking out books from the library on the Tall Grass Prairie. I was absolutely taken with the beauty of these grasses. And the sound of these six foot tall grasses in the breeze is simply mesmerizing...a swiiishsh swiishsh swiishsh...so peaceful and yet a bit unnerving. I had read in one book that there are documented cases of pioneer women losing their minds due to the constant noise of the grasses. 

Tim purchased a used swather and cut the grass in early September.  Now it just needed to be baled. It rained and rained off and on for several weeks preventing our field from being cut for longer than we had wanted. 

But the day finally came that our neighbor was able to come over with his round baler and bale our hay. 

Yes, we're pretty simple and took great delight in seeing our whole "hay plan" come to complete fruition.

The children had fun asking Tim to set them upon the bales and then sliding off of them.

It was strange seeing the pasture look so...short...as if it had been mowed. The bales were sorta randomly placed and oddly looked to me like giant-sized shredded wheat cereal.

After the children played among the bales and we all walked the pasture, we headed back up to the house to let our neighbor finish baling the hay.

I know Tim was pleased. I was too.

So it is now an official hay meadow and we are now in the business of selling hay.

Anybody out there wanna buy some hay? I'll give you the blogger discount...really!

Sorry it's been awhile since the last post.

Thanks to all you for stopping by and commenting or even just stopping by for a glance.

I appreciate you guys. I appreciate your words of kindness and encouragement. You're really the best and thanks...thanks for being here.

Love and blessings, Julie 

Husband Tim writing here.

Julie and I were married on October 11, 1997.  I am 'hijacking' Julie's blog to say 'Happy 12th Anniversary' in a public forum - where her friends and family can see it, too.  (I would do it on my blog, but my only reader is.....Julie.)

Twelve years: Three kids, six homes, three (or four locations), four jobs, two advanced training programs for me, three or four churches....those are just some statistics on transitions that we have been through.  Some of them were tough financially (the training programs) and overall, we have been enormously blessed.  I am thankful that I did not have to include any major health problems or other upsetting life transitions in that list - God is good.  I mainly highlight these transitions to pay tribute to Julie because she is my partner and best friend through all of them.

I don't want to get too gushy in a public forum, but Julie is a very caring and merciful person, she is an enormously dedicated mother, an awesome cook, a gifted artist (with no current outlet for her talent), and in a word: Beautiful.  She enjoys gardening, is wise with money, works hard at homeschooling our kids, teaches a Sunday School class, helps with 4-H clubs and projects, and is patient with some of my harebrained schemes or ideas.

Lest some reader at this point in the blog think we have the perfect marriage and all is bliss, well, it's not perfect and it's not always bliss.  Very briefly, we've had our share of conflict and other struggles.  I include that brief description not as a counterbalance to the paragraphs above, but to add a level of transparency and to perhaps encourage other husbands/wives to continue to invest in their marriages.  I am thankful to God for how Julie and I are faithful to each other and to our vows. 

I think a main underlying theme of this posting (and its public nature) is to toot Julie's horn for her.  She won't do it herself, and her humility is another thing I admire about her.  In addition to all of that, as many of her readers can attest, it can be extremely hard being a homeschool mom.  Julie occasionally complains about not having an identity outside of the home, and she would be justified in complaining some more.  So, in that context, I wanted to give her tribute for the fantastic, superlative 'identity' she has within the home, and to let her audience, friends, and family know what a blessing she is to me and to our kids. 

I love you Julie - Happy 12th Anniversary

Tim Snider

Yesterday morning while walking out to the mailbox, I noticed how beautifully the moon flowers were blooming on my arbor. So of course, I just had to get pictures.

This is a part of my shade garden. If you look closely you can see Fiver's ears and head amongst the four-o'clocks. Fiver is a statuary rabbit that Tim gave me as a Mother's Day slash Birthday gift several years ago. Fiver is one of the main characters in the book "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. I read the book when I was twelve and it has remained one of my favorite stories as well as "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

The garden bench was also a gift from Tim. He gave it to me on my 45th birthday this past summer. The arbor with the moonflower vine adorning it was a gift from Tim this past Christmas.

Are you noticing a theme here?

My husband knows me so well and yet I can be so blind to his consideration, generosity, and kindness. Why is that?

Thanks for your kind words, encouragement, and prayers concerning my last post. The Lord is ever faithful and so patient with me. I desire more discipline and self-control in my personal life. I desire to love Him more and not be so discontented. I also know that He puts those desires in my heart and I rejoice in that bit of wisdom.

     Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

                                                                                  Philippians 1:6

I pray you have seen Him in others and around you in His creation.

Blessings, Julie

Quite by surprise and not necessarily the good kind, but surprise nonetheless, I've come to the conclusion that I must make some changes.

It's not important that I disclose the "surprise" but suffice it to say I've been nudged out of my comfort zone. So please pray for me and my family as I take on what is not easy and what is not "comfortable."

Recently, I confessed to a fellow blogger friend that I tend to be critical and controlling. Well, God is so good to show me that He desires me to be more merciful to others and more trusting of Him.

So again, please pray that I would be obedient and discerning, that I would be quick to take every thought captive to Him. Strangely, but not coincidentally, change has been going on all around me.

The change of life, season's changing, and I've even noticed the insects going through changes.

Change or moving forward from the place where I had gotten comfortable is going to be hard for that part of me that desires routine.

 But I know He has a plan and I know He's in control and I know He loves me and through this He will draw me closer to Him...which is really where I desire to be anyway.

Prayerfully yours, Julie  

I'm not what they're looking for,... far from it.

Let me just give a couple of examples of where I'm going with this.

First Example: 

This past New Year's Eve, we were invited to a party given by fellow church members. Bring games and snacks we were told.

So with games in tow, we pile into the van and head to our friend's house expecting to eat, drink pop, and be merry... playing games and fellowshipping with like-minded Believers.

Upon arrival, we were told to stack our games with a few others that were brought and to load up our plates with goodies in the kitchen...you don't have to tell me twice...I got'er done and walked back to the living room area where everyone else was congregating.

It was at this time that everything started to head south for me.  

No games were played, but a movie was immediately plugged in and my kids were subjected to, ...(excuse me but I'm going to be as kind as I can) ...to dung. And I'm not talking about sub-par acting, I'm talking about violence, crude language, and sexual innuendos. I sat and watched as my five-year-old very visibly became more and more tensed. His face registered nothing but shock as his eyes took in scenes his precious imagination could have never dreamed up.  My girls kept glancing at me to see what I was going to do and all the while everyone else appeared to be thoroughly entertained.

My stomach began to ache as it normally does at times of indecisiveness and then I bravely voiced my dissapproval of my children watching this "type" of movie.

With tears in my eyes and being a lone voice, I merely said that we didn't watch much TV and as far as movies were concerned my children had NEVER seen anything this intense in their lives. I gave no "You" messages, but explained we were very conservative in our beliefs and this movie was innapropriate for MY children.

So of course I am now treated with kid gloves and a couple of the moms at this party rarely speak to me anymore at church.

Second Example:

Recently, my girls entered a talent show. This was an all-encompassing talent show. All ages and any kind of talent were signed up for the evening.

Now, don't get me wrong folks. I've been around and quite sadly yes, I'm aware that children are allowed to perform dance acts that any adult should be ashamed to perform. But again what upset me was that there were children performing acts and posing seductively that were no more than ten years of age.

My girls performed in their church dresses, they were poised and modestly dressed and acted their ages. They sang a patriotic song and quoted scripture. Now at the risk of sounding self-righteous, I'm just gonna say it, I don't understand how a parent can allow their child to sing a song that is about adults being in love. I'm sorry but I think that's WEIRD and CREEPY and in this elementary educated homeschoolin momma's words "Not age appropriate."  

I didn't expect my girls to win anything as they're young and a bit unpolished, but I was surprised and dissapointed by the parents that allowed their daughters to dance seductively around a stage while being immodestly dressed.  

Am I a prude? Yep, I'm a prude.

According to Webster's New World Dictionary a prude is overly modest and proper in behavior. 

Um, Okay, I can see that being me. 

But I think I like what Philippians 4:8-9 has to say on the subject:

   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,  whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.                                                                   Philippians 4:8-9      

So again, once more, I'm not what they're looking for.

Some would call me old-fashioned, I prefer God-fashioned.

Blessings to you and yours as we travel this journey together, Julie

As long as I live I will always look back and say that September 11th, 2001 was the date that I realized in my heart of hearts that we cannot trust in man.

I learned that there are people out there on this planet that we share that would rather see me and my family dead than thriving and happy. I learned that the people who did this want to see America fall and all her freedoms fail.

These people HATE us and no amount of talking or diplomacy on our part will make them change their minds.

They are committed to annihilating us and what America stands for.

Do you remember...the confusion this day brought...the fear of another attack...the realization that we and our loved ones are not as safe as we thought we were...the grieving for those that died quickly and tragically...the stories of heroism...the towers falling on helpless citizens, firefighters, and policemen...the scarred earth in a Pennsylvania field that would forever testify of heroism...the cell phone calls that entailed tearful good-byes and sobbed "I love you's"....

I'll NEVER forget and since 9/11, my hope has been more grounded in my Savior and His promises,... not those of man.

PLEASE pray for our nation, our president, our local leaders, and those in the military.

Please pray that God would bless America once again as He did when we took this country from those that sought to keep us from living a life of freedom and independence. Please pray for the restoration and the repentance of our Christian brothers and sisters that have fallen in love with the "trappings" of this world. Please pray for a revival in our land and for us as a nation to return to our first Love.

Please Pray for a new hunger and thirst for our God the Father, Jesus the Son and our Savior, and for the teaching, conviction, and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Please Pray. 

Truly our fight is not against flesh and blood but the powers of darkness (satan and his dominions).

II Chronicles 7:14 

My hope is in Christ alone,

Blessings, Julie 

A week ago today I was rounding up all of our fair entries including some produce from the garden.

It was early morning and heading back to the porch with cantaloupe, apples, and okra in a large bowl, I noticed something odd to the side of the house.

Upon closer inspection I discovered we had a visitor.

Where did you come from?!  And please go back to where ever that is...now....please.

I really don't need you in my life and your making things very hard for me!

Go away!.....Shoo, you overgrown hamburger, Shoo!

He didn't budge and why would he...he probably out-weighs me by 1500 pounds or so.

So I did what any good wife and mother would do, I called the hubby on the cell phone to vent my frustration and look for guidance.

He called the owner of the pasture next to ours and sure-nuff he owns a very large and very male Brangus bull.

Problem is, he lives in the next county and won't be able to do anything about this very unwelcome visitor until later in the morning.

So now I'm seething as I've got to get a kid to band practice and get all of our fair goodies to the expo center.

Oh good he seems to moving off and outta here,

Git along lil doggie, git along !

And then, he was gone, out of my life... Thank you, Lord.

So now on to much more pleasant and tamer things.

I hope your week has gotten off to a great start!

Blessings, Julie