Thankful for Friday!!

This morning I have to admit I am struggling....struggling to be very thankful. SO much is weighing heavy on my heart and mind, but I KNOW that I am blessed beyond measure. Sometimes it is SO hard to get past the frustrations and struggles in my mind, that is why posting a list of what I'm thankful for on Fridays is such a good way to end my week.

So, here goes.....

• I am thankful for my hard working husband and all he does for our family. Never complains, just digs in and get done what needs doing. Such a blessing to our family, and always a source of strength when I'm struggling!
• My kids, each and every one of them brings sunshine and love to my days. We have our struggles, but they are each a blessing! 
• Time last night with our oldest son, Anthony. Dinner and chatting about details of his deployment as he knows them right now. I cherish every chance we get to have with him, knowing they are few and far between. 
• So thankful that I held it together last night, tears threatened all night long....knowing he will soon be leaving us. I knew if I let the tears fall then, they might not stop...not how I want to have my son leave. We are SO very proud of him and his willingness to serve, even if it is hard to watch him leave. 
• I'm also thankful for Rachael, my son's girlfriend, she is just what Anthony needs. When he talks to her, looks at her or even talks about her, you can just see how much he loves her. He wants to much to be the man she needs...much like his father in that regard. :) 
• Also very thankful for the 6 little chicks we have in the brood cage in the barn. They are doing great, even the hunchback one (did I tell you all about that one...I'll have to go back and look) is standing upright and the kids can't tell what one it was now. Yay! 
• The birds singing this AM outside our windows. It is pouring down rain, our yard is flooded, but the birds are still singing....a bit of a lesson in that for me, perhaps? 
• Dear friends who love and support me during tough times. You all mean so much to me, and do so much to help get me through. Also very thankful for your prayers for Anthony....and for me.
• Last but not least....my Heavenly Father who knows all, sees all, and provides for all! Right now is SO hard for me, getting ready to send off my oldest son to a war zone. I KNOW that God is bigger than any bomb, enemy or danger he may face. I KNOW that God goes before him, guiding his EVERY step! I can rest in that...sometimes moment by moment. 

God is good....ALL THE TIME! I am so blessed...even if there are struggles in my day. Staying focused on the blessings helps get through the struggles. :) 

My heart!

Anthony May 2010

Nearly 22 years ago, I gave birth to our first baby boy. While at times it seems like just yesterday, in other moments I can hardly remember what it felt like to not be mama to someone. Being mama to my kids is all I really ever wanted to do, and my kids are my heart, my life. I would move heaven and earth for my kids....if that is even possible. Trust me, a mama's heart can do amazing things. :)

Bags packed...ready to go.

Very soon, our oldest boy will be leaving us to serve his country far from home. Being the mom of a Marine, I knew this time would eventually come. I knew it would be hard, I knew it would require much faith and trust in our Loving Heavenly Father. I knew that my heart would break at the very thought of my baby being so far from home, so far away from the family that loves and cherishes him and his heart!

From the moment a mama finds out she is caring a little life, her whole being (at least mine did) goes into protection mode. You do all that you can to protect, nurture and love that little life that God has blessed you with. I've asked myself MANY times over, how do I "do this"...being mama to a Marine? He will be SO far from home, SO far from the protection of his family, SO far from the watchful eyes of his mama. Then I remember that someone else loves him more, someone else has had his heart held securely in HIS capable hands from the very beginning. Jesus loves my son more than I ever could, and I have to lean on that.

Fox Company, MCRD San Diego 2010

Many hours have been spent in prayer for my son's protection. Many times over I have handed my fear and worry over to the Lord to let him carry that burden for me. While it's not easy to picture so many miles between me and my son, my heart, I have to remind myself that God is bigger than any of my fears. God has Anthony held securely in His hands. ANYTHING that comes my son's way, anything that touches his life, his heart, his mind is first filtered through the hands of God. A loving God that has Anthony's VERY best at hand.

A friend of mine asked me recently how I "do it", having a child serving in such a dangerous place. My only answer was that I have to take it moment by moment, and continue to give it over to the Lord. I have to remember that God loves my son more than I could ever dream. I also spend a great deal of time praying for our God to go before, behind, beside, under and over Anthony and the men he serves with. You see, it's not just my son who goes to serve and fight, it's other sons, daughters, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandsons, husbands and wives. We want to see them ALL come home, whole.

Our handsome Marine!

I would like to ask you all to pray. Not just for my son,  but for the hearts of all of those that are serving. This world is a scary place at times. Our military personnel are serving, putting their lives on the line for this thing we call Freedom! While I HATE the idea of my son being in harms way, I KNOW that he must go. I know that Freedom does NOT come cheap. It comes at a great cost and I am extremely proud of my son. Proud of the man he has become, willing to go and serve. My heart breaks because it's a big scary world out there....but my God is bigger and has already won!

We had a cake made at a local bakery for Anthony's going away party...they did an AWESOME JOB!!

Anthony is center back in this photo...taken at his graduation at MCRD San Diego 2010

Anthony leaves for training very soon. After his training is completed, he will be serving in Afghanistan. Our son will be gone for nearly a year, and your prayers are SO much appreciated. Not only for Anthony, but for his dear girlfriend that waits here for him. She is as much a part of all of this as he is, and we are SO proud of her and her love and support our baby boy, this mama's heart. She is part of our family, and we love her like she was born to us...our second girl. :)

Rachael's sister took this picture, I LOVE it and the two in it.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a family send off for Anthony. It was a great time and I hope it blessed Anthony! I managed to pull the "military mama" card and made everyone stand for a picture. It's the first time we got everyone in one picture and it was such a special time for me. I really wanted to get a group shot of us all. My husband's family (all but one nephew who couldn't come...he was missed) and my parents were here. It was no easy task to get everyone in the picture, but we did it and I think it turned out great! :) At least we are all looking in the general direction of the camera.

Our family....such a good looking bunch! Love them all!

Hatching....

About three weeks ago, my husband and I bought an egg incubator. It was not our intention to make such a purchase just yet, but when we saw the price of chicks at our local feed store, we decided it would pay for itself in just one year. Between refreshing our layers and buying meat birds, we would be spending less, or close to the cost of the incubator and egg turner. SO, we gave it a test run shortly after bringing it home.


We put 10 eggs in to incubate and our "hatch date" was this past weekend. I had candled the eggs at one week, finding that all but one egg looked to be fertile. I left that egg in there, just in case...hoping I was wrong. After candling them again at 2 weeks I was pretty sure that I was right, but still left it in there....praying it didn't get broken somehow, what a mess that would be!


 Saturday morning, we had our first chick make it's entrance into this world. A fluffy yellow chick, was actively making it's way around the other eggs and making a huge racket. I thought for sure it was encouraging the other chicks to join it on the outside. Even before that chick hatched, we could hear them chirping to one another. So cute!

One by one, we saw cracks in the other eggs. One by one, they began to emerge and make a huge ruckus. I finally got to see one hatch early Sunday morning, or perhaps it was Saturday night, I honestly don't know for sure. Such a cool thing to see...I wish I could have gotten it on video. I did get one video, but I'm not sure how to get it loaded onto my blog...I'll have to work on that. :)

We ended up with 6 chicks from the 9 eggs I knew were fertile. Sadly, one of the unhatched chicks had started to break it's way out, only to die in it's shell. Two other eggs had no cracks at all and weren't rocking around like the others had been before cracks were seen. Another chick had managed to crack it's shell all the way around, but seemed to be stuck. This morning I decided to help it...knowing it should do it on it's own, but not wanting it to die if I could help it. I honestly figured it would surely die if I didn't, so I broke my own rule and helped. This little chick seems to be OK, but is not "right" either. We are watching it to see how it does, but I honestly don't know that it will survive. It looks much like the hunchback Quasimodo. Sad, but it's a fighter...I'm hoping it makes it.

SO....we have officially hatched our first eggs in an incubator. I'm thrilled! We are saving more eggs to do a larger batch later this week. My goal is to put 24 in the incubator and give it a go again. We will raise these birds for our freezer. Our hens and rooster are all large breed chickens, so they should grow nicely. :) I LOVE the fact that they are coming from our own birds, doesn't get much more sustainable than that!

Thankful for Friday...and friends!

I know I have been less than faithful to keep this blog updated, life has been just a constant blur it seems. Last night I was challenged by a dear blog friend (and I don't even think she realizes that she challenged me...thanks Christine) to take a few minutes every few days to write here and try to focus on some of the "blessings" in my days. It is SO easy to get caught up in the day to day, the stresses, the struggles, the tasks at hand, the need to do's and forget to see the blessings that are given daily. Not just the big ones, but the small ones too! So, here's my thankful list for this Friday....

• When I woke up this AM the birds were chirping and singing...spring must be close at hand.
• The reminder of a sweet boy that is now with Jesus, when the snow fell earlier this week here...Luke LOVED the snow. In the midst of my complaining, I saw a post on Facebook by his mama that reminded me that this snow, while not in my plan, would have made Luke's day!
• My hard working husband that does all he can to provide for our needs, works long hours, drives for hours every day to get to and from work all because he takes his roll as provider for this family very seriously. He is a blessing beyond anything I could have asked for! 
• Our chickens that have been giving us SO many wonderful eggs after months of nothing. 
• The incubator in my laundry room with 10 eggs in it that should hatch (if all goes well) in just over a week. It's our first try with a reliable incubator and we are praying it works out well! 
• My kids that never cease to amaze me at what they are able to learn, and do! 
• My oldest son, Anthony and his willingness to serve our country....even if it does mean he will be FAR from home for nearly a year. 
• Rachael, Anthony's girlfriend, she is such a good fit for my boy and we are SO happy to have her as part of our family! We love her as much as if she were born into it....since she wasn't, we'll just love her into it. :) 
• My new Tattler canning lids....amazing, reusable and will pay for themselves in no time! Canned with them for the first time this week (some garbanzo beans and some potatoes....more on that later) and I LOVE them! 

I could go on and on, we are blessed, but it's time to get Brandon to the bus and get my morning really started. Later, I'll update more and add pictures too. :) Lots of news to share, updates to give and tips to share. It's been a long several months and I've missed blogging! I'm back...are you happy?!