Thankful

I participated in a 'challenge' on facebook this November, while the men were not shaving...  Every day, share something for which you're thankful.  It sounds fairly simple and straight forward.  On the surface, it is simple and straight forward.  But as the month progressed, I found myself in a little bit of a struggle.  How much do I really want to share out there in facebook land?  How do I express the gratitude of an over-flowing heart for the simple gifts in my life?  Here are my posts...


Thankful, Day 30: I'm glad I accepted the challenge. "Practice the attitude of gratitude" can change your day. Every day.


Thankful, Day 29: New Toys, especially ones that disguise productivity in FUN! #1 Son purchased a new 4-wheeler and everyone's having a good time with it. Getting used a lot for chores, which means work is getting done with a lot more giggling going on!


Catching up...
Thankful, Day 28: Internet Free Weekend - loved it. Wasn't really intentional at first. Didn't want to miss a moment of family time!
Thankful, Day 27: Safe Travels - An unexpected round trip to CR area with the hubby - enjoyed the time together even if traffic was crazy. By 8 p.m., girls were safely back and settled at school. Always makes me breath easier once they're back!
Thankful, Day 26: Post-Thanksgiving snacking with friends. Fun evening!
Thankful, Day 25: Tradition - today begins, as it has every year in our marriage, the decorating of ze house. :) Christmas music is playing, the girls are giggling, and we're gearing up to make an absolute mess!

Thankful, Day 24: Family - by birth, by marriage, by choice. I am blessed. I hope you are spending the day with one, any or all of the above!


Thankful, Day 23: a short commute. When your internal alarm is still on "the old time" and your electronic alarm is mysteriously mute, a short commute is a blessing! :)

Thankful Day 22: Certainly thankful for the absence of headache. The time I treasure with family and friends will be much improved if it will simply stay gone!

Thankful, Day 21: Vehicles that warm up quickly and have added bonus of window and mirror defrosters. :)

Thankful, Day 20: My answer today is "D. All of the Above" - My house is full with all the kids home and a visit from Stacy Austin-Li and Raelynn; A nice reminder from Pastor Dan this a.m. to appreciate that there *is* a National Holiday to give us a special time to celebrate all we are thankful for, and hugs from great friends at church. Brody safely and successfully handled a rapid succession of mechanical failures while driving the 7060 and chisel plow yesterday. Yep, an "all of the above" kind of day! :)

Thankful, Day 19: Beyond grateful that Traci Skierka went to a conference a long while back, which gave her the knowledge to correctly diagnose my friend Kris who then began an education campaign that allowed LOTS of people - including many in my family - to be correctly treated for Lyme Disease.

Thankful, Day 18: I am thankful for Choices. To live in a country where we can choose to travel, or not. Choose to go to college, or not. Choose to pursue this - or that - career, or not. Choose to attend church, meeting, temple, mosque - or not. Choose to be involved; volunteer, or not. Choose to read about pretty much ANY topic, or not. Circumstances may seem to limit our choices, but at the base of everything, they are still there.

Thankful, Day 17: Farm Life. It's hard to explain the passion folks in agriculture have for their way of life. Viewed from the outside, it is just plain a lot of work - every day, every season, every year. From the inside, the satisfaction and challenge and LOVE of the land, the animals makes every minute worth it. Added bonus? Everybody eats. :)

Thankful, Day 16: A full night's sleep. Wondrous feeling!

Thankful, Day 15: Enjoying a beautiful sunrise, listening to praise music this morning on my way to work. It makes me smile, and brought to mind Pastor Dan's catch phrase - "God loves you, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Thankful, Day 14: Having "the basics" covered - Employment, Roof, Food. Many are not as fortunate, and it's not something I should take for granted. (needing to remove the groan from "Monday"!)

Thankful, Day 13. Thank you Jane, for the words - Religious Freedom. I can't imagine my life without Faith.

Thankful, Day 12: Today I'm thankful for down time. Especially slower-paced productive down time. Still checking things off the list, but not obsessing about it!

Thankful, Day 11. Veterans. What you choose to do is humbling.

Thankful, Day 10. I'm stealing from Kay. Music. There are few things that can change my center faster than the right music. One of my favorites is Life 101.9.

Thankful, Day 9: my "family of origin". Mom & Dad (Bill Austin) taught Stacy and I to be independent thinkers, brought us up with Faith and Love and RULES. (one of my favorites is NO WHINING). Hey, Mom - it snowed! It's pretty! :)

Thankful, Day 8: Skype.

Thankful, Day 7: I'm a list geek, and today I'm thankful that my week's list does not look like last week's list; and that there is no carry-over from that hideous list into this week. "Gonna be a good day, Tater"

Giving Thanks, Day 6: Six is such a lovely number. Sometimes overwhelming, as our family conversational style can best be described as chaotic, but I love love love every minute of being the Mom. So thankful, and so blessed.

Thankful for some Brody time this morning. Don't get to see much of that boy this time of year.

Today, my Thankful item is easy. Happy, Happy Birthday to Alana. You have gifted me and my family with prayer, time, kindness, love and support too many times to count. What a blessing you and your girls are in our lives.

Riding the Thankful wave - with a little catching up to do:

3. SUNSHINE!

2. Crops are in and everyone is safe.

1. Amazing family time last weekend. 

The American Royal

October 28-30, 2011

What a fantastic family weekend we had!!  Erica drove up from Warrensburg to meet us, Brody actually came along, and we were not showing cattle.  Combining those elements allowed us - for the first time in a VERY long time - to have quite a bit of relaxed, silly (dare I say vacation-like) family time.  Restorative.  Important.  Critical, actually.  None of us wanted to return to our routines and responsibilities the next week!  I can't begin to put into words how excited I am at the relationships our children are developing with each other.  It is gratifying. Heart warming. Exciting.  The icing on our weekend was that Alecia did very well in the National Hereford Queen competition - she was 1st runner-up.  What an honor for her!  She made us all very proud.


In other news...
Harvest is complete, and went fairly smoothly.  Brody is much more involved now than his Dad.  Chris focuses on fences and cattle while Dean & Brody get the crops out.  It's a good system that suits them all quite well.  Brody is anxious to get to fall dirt work.  We had snow this week, which changed his focus for a little bit - have to make sure that new (to him) snowmobile will be in good working order before the first big snow.  He "has plans, Mom".  :)


All three girls are in a good place, with solid goals to keep them motivated.  Not that they aren't experiencing confusing detours and such, but isn't that part of the college experience?  Heck, it's part of life experiences!  


My last few weeks have been a little frantic, but the lists were completed and the most exciting thing happened - I am finally rid of a server that has been a giant pain in the rump for YEARS.  I was afraid to even talk about the migration out loud in case it caught wind of it's impending demise and really caused issues.  Yes, it's one of *those* possessed sort of machines.  But it is now disconnected and unplugged and has no more power over my network!!  


Looking forward to more family time at Thanksgiving and a visit from my parents this weekend. I'm not even stressing over the dust bunnies...  but the day is young!

My very best friend reminded me... again... it's the little things.  

I've been spending a LOT of time thinking about food lately.  Mostly because I have had absolutely NO desire, inspiration or discipline to make meals.  This is very unusual for me.  Highly unusual.  I love to cook in the Fall.  Love to know I'm feeding my family, doing my part in the harvest.  I love to take care of the apples off our trees.  Not this year.  I've named it Lyme Funk.  Maybe I'll design a headband or something.  

So where is the connection here?  The little things and Lyme Funk?  It's in the desire to provide something fun for a co-worker recently diagnosed with milk allergy.  Not lactose intolerance.  Milk protein allergy.  Different animal altogether.  Not much fun.  So, I googled milk free cake.  about.com had some cool recipes to try.  For whatever reason, I chose to make their angel food cake recipe.  Most - even the boxed ones - are actually milk  free.  I wasn't willing to take any chances and so made one from scratch..  I think it might be my first, possibly my second, ever.  

It turned out good.  Not great.  Not picture-worthy.  But tasty and presentable.  The highlight was her excitement, and gratitude.  Her original comment about her birthday was "let's skip it, I can't eat anything anyway".  

I don't know if the recipe success will re-ignite my cooking fires, but making her day sure made mine.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 1 10" Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 12 large egg whites (or about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. cream of tartar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• Strawberry Sauce, for serving (recipe below)
• Vanilla Dairy-free Ice Cream, for serving

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sift together the confectioners' sugar in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. Set aside.

3. Add the vanilla extract, cream of tartar and salt to the egg whites. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites mixture on slow speed for 2 minutes. Turn up the speed to a medium speed setting and begin gradually adding the sugar, beating continuously until the sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Turn off the mixer, and using a spatula, gradually fold in the flour-confectioners' sugar mixture into the egg whites, about 1/4 cup at a time until all has been incorporated.

4. Gently spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake (between the outer wall and the inner wall of the pan) emerges clean. Invert the cake pan onto a cooling rack and allow the cake to cool for at least 1 hour before removing the cake from the pan.

sTiLL aLiVe

We had a hard frost the other night.  *Snap*  Summer is at an end!  School starting was probably a hint, but the weather was still so nice I could stay in denial a little bit!   Erica is settled and happy as a clam at UCM in Warrensburg, MO.  Alecia is mostly settled and 99% happy as a clam at UWP in Platteville, WI.  M'Lynn is back into her routine at Hawkeye CC, but not really liking the WHOLE room to herself.  Brody has had a slight change of heart and seems to really like 8th grade in the new W-SR Middle School.  It is pretty neat.  And then the added bonus of the new school also securing funding to be an "iPad School".  Though really, what has helped him become re-interested in school is his line-up of teachers this year.  Throw them new stuff, heck,  throw them the latest in cool stuff, but in the end?  Yep, it all comes down to personal relationships.  Huh.  Some things don't change much as you grow up, do they?!

BENEFIT T'S!

I was hoping to make this easy from face book, but didn't get that done. But, here are the benefit t-shirts - and I know you're going to want one!  Somebody try this quick and let me know if everything works!! Shirts should be ready to ship first week of August.

Sorry - no more orders being taken!  

♫ and another one's gone, and another one's gone...♫

Alecia has completed her final day of High School, and we are in the middle of party planning!  Always, always fun.  Even while it's exhausting.  She is ready for her next adventure, though we have quite a bit of nuts and bolts prep work to help with - supplies, dorm appliances.  There's time for that sort of "stuff".  It's just fun to enjoy this time with her, poised to fly.  She was heartsick to miss the top ten by .004....  One A-.  One B on one big test in four years...  sickening, isn't it?!

Erica has moved home and said good-bye to WSU.  She has selected an excellent Photography program at UCM for next year and it's exciting!  She is not, however, enjoying the return to our chaotic family life and the expectation that it is a good idea to let your parents know when you're leaving and when you're to return.  Some day, say in about 20-25 years, she will find that this is not controlling parental behavior.  Just common courtesy when living with your family.

M'Lynn is missing school.  If you know her well, you will find this *shocking*.  She found the right place and good friends and we're not a great substitute.  :-)  It's all good, though, she still has her cows!

Brody, Brody, Brody...  growing out of all of his clothes and into a giant...  well, a giant lots of things.  Almost taller than all us girls, very very strong (though skinny!), distinctly odiferous, seriously mouthy, smarter than everyone but his Grandpa Dean.  Yup.  We're half-way through junior high.  And when I hear any complaints from the older (wiser and never whiny) older sibs,  I remind them of our life while they were all in junior high.  Oh, yes, blissful...  or maybe not.  And so you don't think he's all those things all the time, he's also seriously thoughtful, helpful (when properly motivated), kind and occasionally still snuggly.  =)

Treatment of Lyme has a lot of focus in our little world, and it is definitely some odd kind of roller coaster ride.  But... we're progressing and we're healing and we'll come out stronger on the other side.

A lot of blogs I follow are talking about feeling the joy in ordinary moments, and I have to say that has been the theme for my spring.  Nothing terrible extraordinary, just a peaceful joy of loving my family and my friends each and every day.  The rest?  I'm kinda over it.  ;-)

My week ending in a "5"

So, I have a milestone-ish birthday this week...  45.  I can't quite wrap my brain around that number.  Even harder?  M'Lynn and Erica are half way through their 19th year...  20.  Now that's a big number!  Alecia will turn 18 this year and Brody's voice is changing and will get his learner's permit this summer.  Big numbers...

But, inside?  Not big numbers!  Young!  I admit sometimes my joints don't want to keep up, and my energy doesn't keep up with my plan.  I'm hopeful, though, that treatment for Lyme will put those things in line.

The weekend has been restful, which I'm finding is more necessary than just "nice to have".  Still got the laundry done, and some cleaning, but also a nap yesterday and some quiet time this afternoon.  Otherwise, by Wednesday, life has used up the energy fighting Lyme has left over.  Did that last week; not going to do it two weeks in a row.

Yesterday's highlight was prom dress shopping with M'Lynn and Alecia.  Last daughter's last prom.  After this, it will be the quick and painless rental of a tux.  I'm so glad to have enjoyed all of these trips and trying on dresses and savoring those moments.  Dress shown below; but needs taking in from the hips up and might get a little extra bling.  Good thing her bf's mother does dress alterations for a living!!  :-)

Disenchanted and Disengaged

It's really hard to believe the last post I actually typed and posted was way back in October.  Can't count the number of times I went out to type something, but didn't.

Lots of things about life have been hard - fighting with Lyme, helping (2) daughters fight with Lyme.  Paying for fighting with Lyme.  Knowing the other two kids really need to be tested, but having to wait on finances.  I find I have little energy or interest in much beyond getting through my work day and diving into family time in the evenings.  Enjoying a little head in the sand time.  Thank you, God, for my family.

Speaking of family, we did manage to get some photos over Christmas!!

Do you think my lovely daughters were tired of my test shots with my new camera?!

(wish you could read M'Lynn's socks....  they say "I need a cash cow")

The Austin Branch....

With special thanks to Brody for convincing (tricking?) Raelynn to appear in the photo

The Knapp Branch....

Dustin (goes with Erica) and Clayton (goes with Alecia) even played along when I asked nicely

So, with those beautiful people in my life, why in the world would I be feeling so many negative emotions away from my safe haven?  You'll be so glad you asked.......

Many of the work issues I'm dealing with right now just irritate the crap out of me - that's so tiring.  We have had a small but scary shift in the dynamic at work where one person has been allowed to change our SOP from problem solving to problem dumping.  From teamwork to finger pointing and lack of ownership.  And leadership is just not seeing the change.  In a small company, this has the potential to be fairly serious.  Very frustrating, and disheartening.

Have you noticed how much easier it is for these things to get a good, solid hold when you have some other burden that weighs all the time?  Yep. Definitely having trouble letting go of that greater burden.  Working HARD to "let go and let God".  Hard.

I did find something today out in blog land that I had to share!  The vast majority of people around me are beyond tired of winter by this point.  I've just never been one of them.  Granted, I've never had to earn my living out there, either.  This post from a blog I follow reminded me why, even in the heart of January & February, I still love winter...  http://johndeeremom.blogspot.com/2011/01/winter-blanket.html