Then I Thought of Home

    our niece, Rachel about 25 years ago  Remember when Halloween was simpler? Back when we didn't ever think about if it was wrong or right, good or evil. We only did good with it and had fun. Remember how costumes were simple? When I was a girl we never got our costumes ready until the night we went. A store bought costume would have never been considered. A mask yes, but not a costume. I'm sure it was stressful for mom. Sheets to be cut and marked for a ghost. Aluminum foil to be unwrapped so the roll could be re wrapped to become a sword for a pirate. Mom's old dress, make up and jewelry so I could be a princess  Olivia our princess and Jessica our little bag of trash. People are blessed to have more money than they used have so they can do more for Halloween.Costumes can be bought, parties can be held, and that's a wonderful thing. I'm glad we can enjoy all of it. My biggest enjoyment of our "now days H...

I have no idea why these ads are appearing.  Something new to figure out.

We got rice hulls delivered from Arkansas in at Lost River yesterday for bedding the chicken houses. Rice hulls are just what they sound like, the hulls that are left behind when the rice is harvested. It looks like the buildings are full of rice cereal. That's my dad, David Marshall standing at the door overseeing things. Mark is in the building using the bobcat to move the rice hulls back through the building. He'll use a grader box and shovel to finish it all out and make it smooth and even for chickens. Tyson called this morning and said we will get most all our chicks on Thursday of next week and finish out on Friday. Then we will be up and running at Lost River  and Rosebud. Hard to believe Mark and I are starting this whole process over again by adding another farm. He will be 51 next month and I'm 48. I guess if you are young enough to wonder what might be over the next mountain you are still young enough to try and climb it. Even if it ...

Here They Are   Our fearless leader, Mark   Our oldest daughter, Heidi Joi and her husband Paul.      Our son Lucas. As you can tell he is into fitness and exercise.   Our cosmetologist, Jessica Joi.     Our youngest, Olivia Joi       And last but by no means least, our Tim.  Olivia's boyfriend       

Last night when Mark came in, he brought his work coats in and laid them in a pile by the kitchen door and told me they needed washed before tomorrow. Being the good wife I am, I put them in the washer right away. This morning after breakfast he asked for his coat. OOPS! They were still in the washer,  They were still wet. I looked at him and he said, "They're not dry are they?" I didn't answer. He is on his way to True Value in a coat one size to small he found in the garage. If you see him, don't say anything.

Mark was up before me this morning. That is unusual.  Not only up, but up and ready to go out the door before I even entered the kitchen. He was pulling out the drive in the truck, he had the trailer with the Bobcat on it.  I know he would love it if I had a fire going in the wood stove when he came in.  I would love to have one going for him too. It's strange the way I am, on a day that starts warm and turns cold and damp, I want to have a fire for him when he comes in. But if its already cold and he has the fire going before he goes out, I forget to check it and it dies down. Sometimes when I see the truck coming down the road, it jars my memory and I run to the stove and try to throw some wood in there.  This doesn't work, believe me, you can't fool a seasoned, wood burning man.  It makes him so mad when he comes in to find I've forgot the stove. He either stands there and looks at me, ( I think you all are ge...

I've been hearing so much about the division in our country.  It's true there is a lot of division. We're divided because we're free. Freedom gives us the right and opportunity to say, "I don't agree"  or "I don't like that"  or " I will work for this, or against that." While Jesus did say there is to be no division in the church, He also said His coming would divide the world. (Luke 12:51)  He knew what He said would divide people. He also told us in John 8 that if we hold to His teachings we are really His disciples, that we will know the truth and truth will set us free. In 2 Corinthians 3:17 this is recorded for our learning, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the lord is there is freedom." I love it how God always proves Himself true. He is always right.  He spoke truth and left it to the person to decide. He has already told us that the gift of truth and freedom in our spiritual life ...

I was thinking about the ocean when it occurred to me, the ocean is a lot like marriage.  The ocean can be calm and tranquil, it can be exciting and romantic, it can even be placid, but lets be honest..... without notice it can get ugly. Sort of like what happened over our shrimp dinner just a couple of hours ago.  Everything was calm, maybe even a little romantically exciting, then out of the blue Mark goes and makes me mad....it was over cocktail sauce.  Petty I know, but I promise you, at the time it seemed major. Why does he have to do that?  I may have got on his nerves a little bit but you and I both know it couldn't have been by much. The happy thing is marriage is like the ocean in other ways too,  the clouds can look black but the sun is still there behind them.  The storm does blows over. I haven't asked him yet, because I'm still locked in my room waiting for him to miss me, bu...

Why is it so easy to complain?    For all but one day of our stay here, there have been bulldozers and workers in front of the house working day and night.  They have caution tape up so we can't walk out to the beach.  When you sit outside the smell of diesel is strong in the air.  The dozers keep you up at night and shake the house. This isn't what we paid for. We paid to be able to walk out our back door  and into the ocean. Not to go out, get in the car and drive five miles down the rode to enjoy the beach. Left to my ungrateful self I could be angry, or feel cheated, or disappointed.  God never leaves me to myself though.   He promised to send me His Holy Spirit to help me and guide me. My spirit started to be  thankful that I had legs and could walk to the car to go to another beach, thankful I had a car to drive, thankful it was only five miles down the road. Thankful that the ocean is being preserved, th...

 We're getting ready to head out for the pontoon.   I'm excited but a little scared too.  I keep thinking that maybe a water snake could have crawled up in the boat when no one was around and then we will find him on the boat when we are in the middle of the water and I will have to decide if I stay on the boat with him or jump in the water with the gators. Which leads me to my next fear, an alligator jumping in the boat when it smells the tuna sandwiches I made.  Why did I make tuna sandwiches in Alabama?  I woke Mark up last night to tell him all the dangers I had thought of.... He just looked at me. You know the look, the one that says, "stop it right now."    So I did.

From Go Karts to Pontoons.  That's right, Mark has reserved us a pontoon for tomorrow.  I'm laughing already.... I know you are too! I can just see us now.  Mark has promised me he has had experience with pontoons before.  I think that was in Kentucky in a river.  I mean what's going to happen in Kentucky in a river, it's not like you can take a wrong turn and wide up in the open sea.  Mark said we will be in freshwater .... I know we will,  I just hope we stay there. I told the kids their dad was going to be the skipper and I was going to be Ginger.  They said, "Mom, you just called dad a fat old man"....I told them I had done no such thing.  I had called their dad the leader and me a beautiful movie star.... The kids are going to download, On a Pontoon for the trip,  if we're not back home by Thursday, call the coast guard.  We'll be somewhere out, "On A Pontoon."

It really is true, men are from Mars and women are from Venus and its also true about men having waffle brains and women having spaghetti brains. We really do think completely different.  Mark felt something under his foot in the ocean so he stomped and pushed his foot down real hard. Feeling challenged he wanted to kill whatever it was under his foot. I on the other hand, would jump up, and off of and away from whatever I felt under my foot. I would feel challenged to save my life and limb. I would be concerned not with killing only with living. He growls and stomps and I scream and run proving once again, men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. We're  as different as different can be.

Mark and I   After dinner today we were walking around in a shop called, Geeze Louise,  the dresses and shoes and jewelry in there are really expensive.  The girls were showing it all to Mark and he was standing there with his hands in his pockets, wearing his work boots, you know the work boots he always wears to the beach, taking it all in.  At one point Tim walks over to Mark and I heard him say something about, "they'll break you."   I smiled.   Later as we were leaving the store,  I heard Jess tell Liv, "Sis, good idea to bring father here first, now when we get to the outlet mall he will think everything is cheap."  I smiled again. When we got back in the truck to leave the outlet Mall we hadn't bought one single thing.  The girls said it was a very unproductive day.  Tim said he thought anytime you didn't spend money it was a productive day.   Mark smiled.

Two of our mermaids came up from the sea to sit a spell. Mark and Tim have gone to get more needed fishing supplies and as you can see the girls are resting up in preparation for an afternoon of shopping. I've decided that going to the beach with three guys could bring on a nervous breakdown.  It's like they go around looking for any kind of activity that has the possibility of maiming you or taking your life. Mark on the other hand gets nervous when the girls speak of outlet malls, having their nails done and fancy restaurants.

I have so much to tell you about and I don't know where to start. If you were here with me, I would be talking really fast and excited and swinging my arms like I always do. But since you aren't here with me, and I still feel all wordy, (surprise, surprise,) I have to blog with you, and since I can't type fast  my brain and fingers get worn out before I can type all I want to say.  So, my post will probably be short, often and off the wall this week. In other words, same old, same old.. lol We closed on the other farm this week too, so I have lots to share on that! Right now I'm sitting in the living room listening to the ocean and having my coffee.  Oh, yeah, I wanted to tell you, I had to sleep on the couch last night.  No kidding.   We don't have a TV in our bedroom at home, but of course here there is one.  We don't have satellite at home either, but of course here they do.   Mark found some sort ...

We're getting ready to go back to Orange Beach in a few days. Everyone is so excited. I'm excited too but I don't get as excited as the others. Olivia told me today I didn't get as excited because I have it so good. She said I don't have to ever leave home and I like my life.  What could I say?  It's true, my life is like a permanent vacation. Now the family vacation is a whole different story. When the kids were little vacation was like packing up all my work and taking it with me.  We couldn't afford to eat out so I packed the electric skillet and a weeks worth of groceries.  When you have four kids and one husband, (hopefully you have but one husband), you have to wash clothes before the weeks over so you pack laundry detergent, and keep an eye out for laundromats. Then there is the ever present fear you will lose one of the kids. My eyes were constantly shooting everywhere and my nerves were on edge. One time when we were at Niagara Falls in ...

What have I been thinking?   I have been blogging for a few weeks now and have yet to post a recipe. I love to cook and bake. I'm married to a, "chicken ranchin, produce growin man",  who is working hard to give me material for my blog and I just realized I've been ignoring it.           I've got to get a cell phone or a camera or something so I can take pictures like Paula Deen and the Pioneer Woman.  First I''ve got to clean the kitchen, get some pretty dishes,  fix my hair, paint my nails and lose fifty pounds.  Then I can include photos with the recipes. . But for now, while I'm working on getting the kitchen, and me photo fit, why don't you all take a few minutes and share your families favorite chicken meal? This is what Lucas asks for when he comes home on the weekends. Well, actually he asks for Chicken Pot Pie and Poppy Seed Chicken but today I'll share Poppy seed Chicken....Re...

  Mark's family have been produce people for well over one hundred years. Mark's grandfather, Herman Gray was raised over in Polk township. He and his father raised tomatoes  and Grandpa Herman would tell us about taking them to Louisville in a horse and wagon and since the bridges hadn't been built yet, he put the wagon on the ferry and crossed over the river.    Later on when Grandpa and Grandma Gray married and moved over east of Pekin they continued to raise produce and hogs. Later Mark's dad, Lowell would carry this on. He raised hogs and produce on a farm he bought from Grandpa Herman and Grandma Ruby. They still live there today and its where Mark was raised.   Mark and I rode the same school bus when we were little. I remember him and his sister Karen and brother Mike standing in line at the end of their lane when the bus pulled up. I didn't like him. Later when I was 16 and he was 18 he dated my best friend and I still didn't like him. ...

  Tell me I'm not the only one.   Have you ever came home from the store to find the diet coke you thought you bought was really a regular coke?  Or the mozzarella cheese you got for your pizza was actually imitation mozzarella cheese?     I didn't buy the wrong thing this time but I have been using the wrong thing.  I noticed I've been using my dry sweeping refill sheets for fabric softener sheets.. For some reason I sat them on the dryer like they were fabric sheets and have been using them every since.  Oh well, one thing is for sure, we shouldn't have any lint, dust, dirt or hair on our clothes. At least I haven't been dusting the floor with the fabric softener sheets.... Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Don't you just hate it when you put a shirt on and more of your tummy touches it than it did  last time you wore it?

  Every generation seems to have things they watch go along the roadside. Things replaced by newer and better products or ways.   Last night I made supper with the laptop open on the counter so I could prepare an on line recipe. Gone was my recipe book. The ones with missing pages, broken bindings, stained pages from ingredients that missed the bowl and plopped down on the book. Gone was my need to ever buy another bound cookbook.   Then I thought of other books. I thought about my Bible. I thought about how my girls read the Bible from their phones. I thought about how people in church follow along in the Bible by reading from their phone. I realized my need was gone to ever buy another bound copy of the Bible.   My need to buy bound books may be disappearing but my want to isn't. I love books. I love to smell them. I love to hold them in my hands. Somehow the thought of passing down a handwritten book of recipes to your...

Jess went up to Terre Haute this weekend to see Lucas.  And Heidi, Paul, Liv and Tim went bowling at Paoli. I asked them all to send me a picture of their adventures. Heidi, Paul, Tim and Liv  didn't answer my request, (shame, shame.)  Lucas and Jess did. Now look which kids are starring on moms blog.  By the way, are they not just the cutest? Lucas and Jessie Joi   

1.  I love listening to them talk to each other about life and things like, "kids these days." 2.  I love that they go see Grandma and Grandpa. 3.  I love the way they come in the door and still call out, "MOM!" 4.  I love the way they come in our room at night lie down with me or sit on the bed in the dark and share their thoughts. 5. I love to watch them watching life work. I love seeing them grow and find their way. Okay, I guess I just pretty much love everything about being the mother of grown children. They can go to the store for you.  You can go to their house and borrow milk and bread. They can take you places and they can come and get you at places. They help you when you need help and they love you when you need love.....  Okay,  I guess I should stop now before they think I owe them or something.

We had a great discussion tonight at Bible study. We were talking about low self-esteem. It's the age old problem isn't it? Remember in Genesis chapter 3 when Satan tells Eve if she eats the fruit she will be different and she'll know more   What was he really telling her?  He was whispering to her soul, "You're not enough Eve, you need to be more."   Wow, is that not the very same thing he whispers to us?  John 8:44 tells us Satan is a liar, not only a liar but the father of liars.  We all know you don't believe a liar. So why do we find it so easy to believe Satan and his lies and hard to believe God and His truth?    What does God say about us, what is God's truth?   Genesis 2 records that God made mankind in His image. What's an image?  It's a copy, a look a like, a reflection of God. We were created to reflect God's glory. We weren't created to be God, we were created to reflect God. And we are created...

I'm so looking forward to having the house on the other farm. I told my mom it's going to be the, "who I would be if I was who I wanted to be," house. It will be clean and neat.  This house will be the, "who I really am house."  you know, dirty dishes, floors, windows, etc. But  over there things will stay clean, no messes.  Any time I look around here and feel down about my homemaking skills, I'll just go to the other farm and get a quick ego boast.  Sounds like a plan to me.

Today we had what is called in the finer circles, Sausage Garden Quiche. In our circle we call it Breakfast Pie. No matter what you call it, its still delicious and we all love it..  Which just goes to prove true the saying,"A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet," and a quiche by any other name still tastes as good.

Random thoughts that found their way to me today. While I was making a pecan pie today, I thought about yesterdays persimmon pudding. Then I wondered why yesterdays persimmon pudding and today's pecan pie have to make  us think about tomorrows heart attack.  I'm sure this is just a random thought that is sure to leave when the pie is out of the oven. Later I heard someone talking on the radio about how she couldn't take it anymore. I thought a thought I've thought before, have you ever noticed how the whole time we're   telling someone we can't take it anymore, we are taking it.? We can tell ourselves  we can't take it, we can get ourselves all worked up and distraught and get on everyone else's nerves telling them how we can't take it. Or we can just take it and move on.  In the end that's whats going to happen anyway, we're going to take it and move on. Just random thoughts of a random mind.

This morning started slow but once it got going its been busy. I made Bacon, French Toast with Berry Butter and coffee  for everyone this morning. I didn't eat any but it was such fun to serve. It looked so pretty. After Jess left for work and Liv for school Mark and I worked on bank stuff, insurance stuff, confined feeding  permit stuff and just stuff. We hope to everything taken care of soon. Heidi came over to work in the chicken houses and I mowed.  This time I got to close to the picnic table and it got caught on the mower and started moving with me. I am getting better at getting out of my disasters than I use to be. I tried to back up and the table still went with me. I just kept moving back and forth real slow until it came lose. I don't know how it got wedged but it did. I kept a steady hand on the mower and a steady eye out for Mark.  Thankfully the mower was freed and Mark never showed up.   My other adventure of the d...

I said earlier this morning I felt like the man in the old Dunkin Donuts commercial. Remember how he had to get up so early and he acted like he was in a trance, still half asleep saying, "I've got to make the donuts, I've got to make the donuts?"  That was me this morning only I was saying, "I've got to fix the breakfast, I've got to fix the breakfast."  I too acted like I was in a trance and only half awake. That is until I needed the zest of one lemon for something I was making for breakfast.  It was wonderful, The smell of sunshine and freshness filled the kitchen and I was wide awake. I loved it, It was a great way to start the day. I think I'll zest a lemon every morning from now on just to get the wake up feeling. I guess on the days we're having cereal I could just squirt some lemon furniture polish around the house. Either way,  it's been a lemon of a morning, and that my friends is just the morning I needed.