Instruction Manuals

Hello!

Currently as I write this my bundle of joy is peacefully sleeping, which I consider to be a monumental feat due to her strong desire to remain awake 24/7, so as to not miss anything happening around her.  You may think I jest, but I would like to see you try to put her down for a nap peacefully during the day.  J  The other day I tried a new technique on my unsuspecting child, the “lay her down in her bed for a nap before she’s asleep and she will naturally go to sleep because she is tired” technique.  The unsuspecting child was not unsuspecting for long and decided that this technique was not to her liking and proceeded to voice her dislike quite loudly.  I have been told on numerous occasions that crying is good for children and that it helps develop their lungs, so I decided that she could develop her lungs for a while.  After a period of time I started to question my decision and question God as to why He decided that children did not need to be sent to their parents with an individualized instruction manual.  

It was amid the screaming of my precious babe that I heard that still, small voice again.  That voice that even though it is soft, can blast through the loudest of screaming to my mommy heart.  In that moment He asked me one of those fun questions, “Katie, if I sent her with an instruction manual would you actually get to know her and have a relationship with her or would you just follow the instruction manual?”  What Lord?  You want me to actually have a relationship with my child?  What, you actually want me to parent and experience the joy and the pain of learning about my child from my child?  What?  Our God is pretty sneaky.  He gave us a manual for living life aka the Bible, but He did not give us an individualized manual for our children so that we develop a relationship with them.  

At the beginning of their lives it’s a total guessing game a lot of days, but it is so worth the effort to see that child beam with a smile when you look at them.   I know I won’t always get that smile when I look at my child, because I plan on being her parent and not her best friend.  However I do want to try my darnedest to establish a relationship with her, so that when those days come she doesn't doubt my love for her.  I’m so glad God didn't send a manual with Edith, the adventure of getting to know her is totally worth it and such a good reminder that our heavenly Father wants to take that same adventure with us.

Love and Blessings!

Surgery

Dear Friends and Family,

We have recovered.  The last couple of weeks have, lets just say, not been easy.  God has been teaching me a lot, and I think I'm learning.  Although most of what I'm learning I would honestly rather not have learned, but somehow it will all be for God's Glory, Honor, and Praise.  Surgery for Edith has shown me a lot of God's perspective.  Bear with me for a bit while I try to sort through the analogy, but hopefully it will all be clear by the end of the post.  :)

When Edith went in for surgery she was a happy, cheerful baby girl, but she had a problem that only surgery could fix, a clef lip.  If she didn't have it fixed, she would have issues eating food, speaking, etc.  When Edith came out of surgery her problem was fixed, but she couldn't see that.  All she could see was the pain and hurt of the process, which was apparent on her face.  She was all swollen and red and just looked like she hurt all over and completely disoriented.  Frankly it made me cry to see her that way, and what's worse is that the look she gave me was of complete distrust.  Then to add to it the next week was just as bad.  Most of the time she was a bear to deal with, but there were glimmers that the happy, cheerful baby might show back up.  Finally after a week of a touchy, temperamental, horrible eating baby, I got her back!

All the while through this process of surgery and recovery I heard God in that still small voice saying "Watch this process from my perspective, Katie.  See how much I hurt when I have to put you through surgery to fix your broken heart?"  Ouch!  I can't say that I behave much differently than my daughter when God has to fix something in me.  Surgery is hard, but in the sinful fallen world that we live in it is a requirement in order to be fixed for heaven.  Sometimes the recovery process is easy, and other times it takes a lot of time before we see the benefit and can give God a look of trust and love again.

Edith is smiling again and so am I, but we both have the scars of surgery that remind us that we live in a fallen world.  I'm trusting God, and thankfully Edith is trusting me again, so we've recovered.  I'm so thankful that I serve a God who doesn't leave me broken, but fixes me and helps me recover.

I'm not sure if that all makes sense, but hopefully it does, and hopefully it touches your heart.

Much Love and Blessings,
Katie

Hello Friends and Family!
Well our little Edith made it through surgery without a hitch. We are very thankful for a wonderful surgeon and staff that did a fantastic job of the lip repair. We are also very thankful for a healthy baby, who may not be happy yet, but is getting there. Thank you all for your prayers.
Much Love,
Travis, Katie, and Edith

Holiday Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
Since it has been over a year since I last wrote I figured its time to start back up.  :)  It also helps that I have a lot of wonderful things to talk about.  First and foremost is that I serve an amazing God that has provided Handsome and I with a wonderful life!  He has gotten us through a lot over the last year.  Last fall and part of winter I spent going to physical therapy for my ankle and today I can do almost everything I could do before the break.  The cold weather makes me a little more aware of it, but it doesn't slow me down.  :)  The middle of November we were blessed with an apartment to move in to for the winter that was on a farm.  In spite of all the challenges that we had while living there, it was great to have a place to live during a very cold winter that was not a camper.  Lets just say though that Handsome and I will never be owners of goats, period.
In January we were blessed by Handsome's family to get to take a trip to Israel.  The entire family got to go, and it was a wonderful experience to get to see the land that God chose for His People.  At Easter, Handsome and I were excited to announce that we would be expecting a baby the end of October.  We spent much of the time over the next couple of months preparing for our baby girl's arrival.  We also got to celebrate Handsome's sister getting married in May.
In June at our 20 week ultrasound we found out that our baby girl would have a clef lip, and a possible clef palate.  It for sure wasn't the news that we planned on hearing, but after having a second ultrasound in Rochester they concluded that our baby girl was completely healthy other than the lip and we embraced the joy of a healthy baby.  Also in June we purchased a house on a little acreage just north of Mountain Lake.  We love it!  It is so nice to be in a house again, and to have space to have all of our stuff in one location.  We don't quite have all of our stuff all in one location yet, but it is definitely closer to being a reality.  Moxie also is very appreciative of the new place, because it has room for her to run and plenty of squirrels, rabbits, and birds to chase and sometimes kill.
Then in July we took a family vacation with Handsome's family to Canada where we celebrated the wedding of a cousin and just enjoyed some relaxation in beautiful Banff and Jasper National Parks.  I continued to work for KBQ until a few weeks before our baby was due, but have since taken on the job as a full time mom.  Our baby girl was born on October 29th, after quite a long delivery process.  I am definitely enjoying being a mother of a baby outside of the womb as opposed to inside the womb.  :)  She does have both a clef lip and palate, but honestly I wouldn't have her any other way.  She is beautiful and has the best smiles.  Another family that has a boy with clef lip and palate says that wide smiles are the best smiles, and its true!  There really isn't anything better than one of my little girl's smiles.  It lights a room up!

One of her many smiles!

We have spent much of the time following her birth with family, partially due to the holidays, but also due to the loss of both of my grandfathers.  My mom's dad passing away the day our girl was born and my dad's dad passing away here a couple of weeks ago.  Life has been a whirl wind, and for some reason I don't think its ever going to slow down.  A couple of days from now our little girl will go in for her first surgery, which will be for the lip repair.  Many have asked me how I'm doing and told me that they're praying for us, and I am so appreciative of your prayers.  Honestly I'm doing okay.  I'm excited to see how God is going to work through all of this.  Our little girl is so full of joy that she can't help but brighten everyone's day that she is around.  Something that Handsome and I did from the beginning of the pregnancy was to pray over her and bless her spirit.  Even though our earthly bodies can't understand language at conception our spirits are eternal and can understand a lot.  So we chose to speak to our little girl's spirit and to bless it.  I wholeheartedly believe that she is a joyful baby because of that.  My prayer is that everyone we meet in Rochester sees that joy and asks us about it.  :)
Handsome through all of this has continued to work for Easy Automation.  He is really growing in his job, and is very knowledgeable in his work.  He gets to travel quite a bit with it, and enjoys getting out of the office to see people and what they're doing on their farms.
Well I should get to bed, but I thought I would try to get this update out to all of you.  I'll try to do a little better on the communication front.  Thank you all for your love and support!
Blessings,
The Adventurous Farm Wife

Hello....I'm back!

Dear Family and Friends,
A lot has happened since my last post on here, so I'll give you all a brief update of the last year and a half.  The spring and summer of 2012 were filled to the max with long days working on the farm getting barns constructed and projects finished before Handsome and I moved to Kansas in August.  It was a lot of work with little to no play/vacation time.  However we did add a member to our family in late May.

Her name is Moxie Anne, she is an English Springer Spaniel, and we love her dearly as do most that meet her.  She is a sweet, exuberant (most of the time) dog, and she keeps us very entertained with all of her antics.  Handsome started back at K-State in August to finish up his degree in Agriculture Technology Management.  Since the summer was so hectic and we were planning on only being in Kansas for the duration of the school year, we decided to move in with my parents who live just 45 min away from campus.  It was a wonderful blessing to get to live with them for the school year.  The time seemed to fly by.  God was very good in providing for us, so that I didn't have to find a job.  My main "job" during this time was to stay at home and cook and clean.  I did a few odd jobs here and there, but nothing long term.  It was wonderful to be available for my parents, who are college students as well, and for Handsome when they got home and for random emergencies.  :)  Then in May as planned we packed up and moved back to the farm.  The difference from before is that this time we moved to the farm itself and are living in a camper.  Our plan was to be here for the summer and part of fall, so again it didn't make sense to find a more permanent place for only a few months.  Just for the record, living the life of a gypsy can be quite confusing at times.  :)  This summer has been quite interesting and different than we had planned.  Originally we were going to be remodeling the office for the farm, but other more pressing issues came up and it seems the "To Do" list is never ending.  Also while on vacation in Canada with Handsome's family I broke and dislocated my ankle.

It was near the beginning of our time, so it kind of put a damper on the vacation and shortened it quite a bit.  The Canadians were quite helpful, however I am definitely not looking forward to having socialized healthcare in the U.S.  Upon returning from vacation I went in for surgery and they put a plate and 8 screws in my ankle.  I spent about a month recuperating in Mountain Lake while Handsome went back to the farm to continue working on projects.  I'm walking on my foot again due to the wonders of a healing body and excellent surgeons.  I get the feeling though that I would lose a race with a tortoise at this point and time.  God created out bodies though to heal and I have no doubt that in no time I will be giving that tortoise a run? or rather walk for his money.  :)  We're getting ready to move again, in fact the end of this week.  Handsome starts a new job next Monday with Easy Automation Systems out of Welcome, MN and I start a new job with KBQ in Mountain Lake.  Definitely looking forward to being closer to family and all of the new opportunities and responsibilities.  As seems to be our pattern, we don't have a place to live in yet, so the camper is moving with us.  If you ever wonder what its like to be a gypsy, just ask me and I'll be happy to give you the pros and cons of it.  Anyways there is the last year and a half.  Sorry it got a little long winded.

As a side note Knocking on Heaven's Door is a favorite comic of mine and this one the other day really spoke to me and reminded me of how often I discredit the AWESOME things my God has done and is doing.  I have an AWESOME God who is greater than any hero that we can dream up...just saying.  :)


Have an AWESOME Week!
Love to you all,
The Adventurous Farm Wife

Favorite Flower: Orchids

Dear All,
I had a request about two weeks ago for a blog post on orchids.  You see, I really like orchids they're one of my favorite flowers.  I think that they bring an ordinary room to life.  : )  I got my first orchid as a senior in college.  I loved how it brought such cheer to my room and it gave me something to nurture.

Orchids are quite finicky about what kind of environment they like to live in, but once you understand the environment that they come from, it makes total sense.  Orchids are native plants to the rain forest.  They actually don't have a root base in the ground, but attach themselves to the bark of trees.  Orchids are not parasites, but rather have a symbiotic relationship with the trees, doing them no harm.  The information to glean then from understanding their natural environment is the following: orchids like bright light, but not direct light (they have filtered light in the rain forest, they don't rise above the tree canopy), orchids like to have moist roots, but not wet roots drowning in water (growing on trees the environment is quite humid, but the tree bark does not retain a lot of water, so when it rains the roots catch what water they can).  These two elements of orchids can make caring for them quite difficult.

However if you find yourself gifted with an orchid or desire to buy one, here are my suggestions, find a place in your house that gets bright, filtered light.  Sometimes the place you think will be the best spot isn't the best.  My orchids are currently in the window by my entryway.  I would have thought that the draft of cold air when the door is opened and closed would have bothered them, but since there is a heater vent right below the window the cold doesn't affect the flowers and they love it there.  Second make sure that the "dirt" that your orchid is planted in is more of a bark mulch than potting soil.  Potting soil holds too much moisture.  Bark allows for the water to get away from the roots, but also provide a humid environment for them.  Lastly watering your orchid.  A lot of orchids that you can buy are "Just-Add-Ice Orchids."

The problem I've found with watering orchids with ice is that it doesn't provide the plant with enough water and it tends to freeze the roots.  Remember orchids like warm tropical environments and ice doesn't fit with that.  My suggestion is to just water them one to two times a week and give them about two to three seconds of water.  Also it is good to get Orchid Miracle Grow and give your plants that every so often when you think they need a boost.  Those are a few of the things that I have learned about these beautiful plants.

Loving on my Plants,
The Adventurous Farm Wife

Perfect Timing

Dear All,

Good Morning!!!  It is a beautiful morning here in Minnesota and spring is definitely in the air...finally!  For a Kansas girl spring does not come to Minnesota as quickly as it comes to Kansas, which can be slightly depressing, but then again I do enjoy winter.  :-)  Anyways, lately I have really been reminded a lot by the Holy Spirit of God's Perfect and Amazing Timing.  I've been reading through the story of Moses the last couple of days and looking at it with logical thought and reasoning one could conclude the God's timing really stunk.  I mean why did God harden pharaoh's heart so that time after time pharaoh wouldn't let the Israelite people go, even though it would have been to his benefit?  Why suffer through all of those plagues?  However, God saw pharaoh's heart and knew that pharaoh wouldn't be convinced of God's sovereignty until it hit his home and family.  God wanted pharaoh to know that it was God and not pharaoh who decided timing.

I continually see God's Timing in Handsome and I's life as we construct these two barns.  This last week went so well that only God could have planned it.  The concrete crew for the farrowing barn arrived first thing Tuesday morning to set up forms for a pour on Thursday.  The weather Tuesday and Wednesday was perfect for forming, but was less than ideal for pouring.  They were ready to pour Thursday and the weather was perfect for pouring, absolutely gorgeous!  MPCA showed up on Thursday just in time to do their review of the farrowing barn pad and do a final look over the Breeding barn before we shut it up and prepare it for piggies to arrive next week!  Friday we had rainy weather all day, perfect for concrete curing!  Now mind you, everything with these projects hasn't gone perfectly the way that we wanted it to, but I have an idea it was perfectly how God wanted it to go.  Just like the Israelite people, Handsome and I, may not always understand why things go the way they do, but I think when we look back over it we'll see His Mighty Hand guiding us the entire way.  The important thing is to trust Him right now.

My God is Amazing and I hope you'll join me in praising Him for the great things He has done.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Love,
The Adventurous Farm Wife