Godbye 2011 HELLO 2012

Here it is 2 days before 2012!!!! Wow!!! For some reason I am so excited this year... I have new things on my heart to do, and old things on my heart that I've finally, TRUELY given up. I will admit it's been about 10 years of  LOTS of change going on in my life to get it all rearranged in my head. Those of you who know me and have walked with me through this changing season..... THANK YOU!!!! I love you with my whole heart, and you do know who you are..

So 2012 is going to bring in my life, a lot more helping the people God puts on my heart and less of sticking my nose where it was never meant to be, lol.... I am wanting to take a "Christian Life Coach" course, and am believing God to provide the funds to do that.. But unlike the past, where I have tunnel vision on just that... I intend on living this year to it's fullest, one day at a time, one person at a time! I plan on resting my body as it needs, I plan on helping out more with Erica Rae's kids, as I believe in the cause.. I plan on having a Bible Study at my house this summer with 12 women (only God knows all of them cause I only have 6 in mind at the time:) I want to mentor these women in the WORD of God and not religion. I am going to take Tanner and Peyton on lots more fun days, one at a time so as I can get to know each one of them more personally...  I want to take more trips to the mountains with my Jeffie. I have to hike my Larry dad and my Uncle Buddy's favorite place "Echo Lake" Maybe it will turn into my favorite place also... We will celebrate both my mom and Jeff's step mom's (Jane) 80 birthdays this year... I WILL BE AT BOTH!!!! whew, I think I might need a nap already just thinkin of all this:):):) I want to take more pictures and be a better scrapbooker of our life and times to leave for my kids and grand kids... Awe YES 2012 holds big stuff for us!!!!!

Christmas week was so awesome, what used to be one day of celebrating was 3 (4 with Gma K's still to come next week) days of pure Bliss... I will post a few pictures of our sledding, both at our house and my cousin Roxie's... We took Tanner to Roxie's with us to be with his cousins... They had so much fun with not a single argument... I think us adults could learn a thing or two from those kids..... just sayin':) Tanner played his guitar for us, with cousin Craig Campbell (rising Country legend, lol) holing his music and tuning his guitar for him.

God's correction to me on Tim Tebow

Soooooo, after last nights amazing win against the Jets..... The fb posts started rolling about Tim Tebow, now everyone who knows me, KNOWS I am one of Tim Tebows greatest fans. His is the only jersey I have ever owned and I bought it before we were even SURE he was a Bronco! I taught Tanner to yell "Go Tebow" when he was 3 and a half!!! I love the KID, Tebow that is... (Tanner too, even more then Tebow, but he's not what THIS blog is about, lol) All that said, my post on Tebow last night got out of hand and God very clearly let me know about it in the middle of the night. You see a friend posted a pic of Tim without a shirt, I re posted and the fun began. Caught up in all the excitement of the amazing win, it did get out of hand, I knew that when I shut off my computer last night, but then God started working on me on why I loved Tebow in the first place.... I loved his faith!!! I loved that he has already seen so much of the world by going on missions!! I loved that he was humble, and I remembered why I fell in love with him in the first place. It was the commercial he did for focus on the family, and I LOVED how he LOVED his mother.... That's when I became a Tebow fan!!!!

Now I have grown into a bigger Tebow fan, because I can clearly see the walk this boy has with the Lord, and God is BLESSING his socks off in the process, why???? Because Tim has a HUMBLE HEART, and he loves the Lord with his whole heart. I believe he gets wisdom right in the game because he asks God for it and he believes God gives it. I believe he works hard one day at a time to be the best he can be, and I believe he gives God the Glory and Thanks HE deserves! All that said~~~

Who is Tim Tebow ~ He is a MAN that loves the Lord and has been Blessed BY the Lord to do his job well, sometimes even pretty amazing, he is a good kid who does more important work off the field then on the field (that came straight from him last night in his interview directly after the game when he talked about his hospital foundation) He is a AWESOME role model for my grand babies of which there are few around these days. He loves his family, and he is a cute kid who I hope finds a GODLY wife who will be his help mate in life. He is humble and Loves the Lord his God with his whole heart. And I pray all this fame NEVER changes that. He is someone I admire more then anyone in a long time. He works hard and receives wisdom from above BECAUSE he asks for it. He is a good boy, BUT......

Who Tim Tebow is not ~ He is not a God, or even Jesus as the new jerseys suggest, nor an IDOL. and I should not make him one, and I believe in my heart he doesn't want to be made one either!!!!

So all that said... GO TEBOW, show yourself STRONG in the LORD, and I will remain one of you many fans, I see what God is doing in you and love it!!! The world knows something is DIFFERENT about you, I pray the WORLD would see the same DIFFERENT in me... So Tim you are a role model to me as a Christian, but you are not my God, and you would never want to make yourself that... So in the end I say GO TEBOW!!!!  I love you kid, and I love how you handle yourself, you are truly Blessed!!!! I will keep looking up to you and pray for you, but I will remember you are BLESSED by God, not GOD!!!! And I will thank the Lord for His correction!!!

Time for a mental vacation

I've been thinking about my post the other day. The one that said I think it can be dangerous to go down memory lane too often, but I want to recant that statement.... I'm pretty sure that is exactly what I need to do for my mental healths sake:) I've been running on high speed now for years, and let's face it, the last 11 years since Bev's death have been the hardest time of my life, with MANY TRIALS, both financial and family.... Oh don't get me wrong there have been just as many, if not more BLESSINGS, such as grandbabies, our dream ranch and a quiet lifestyle I love... But I WANT to go down memory lane, I WANT to remember the good old days so I can reconnect to MY ROOTS... The last 11 years I've been broken and now I have the answer to how I will get fixed...It took last night of staying up most of the night to figure it out, but I did get it.... I got the peace in my mind (FINALLY) about how I am going to go about it.... First off I am going to take the time to get this house in order, closets cleaned out, mud room, scrap booking room etc....I'm going to plan dinners with friends and family, I'm going to visit my Granny K more often, I'm going to take my grandbabies on outings that show them who I am, and give them some good old Norman/Kirchmar/James values, cause we are great people.... I am going to scrapbook my past and go down memory lane doing it.... Remember who I was and what I want to be in the future. Scrapbook my 22 years of daycare, my years with my kids, my parents and Jeff's parents and our whole amazing family... Yes this will be a good time... I lost me somewhere in all the changes in life, but I thank God He showed me last night just what I need to do to get ME back... So I apologize in advance if I can't be where I've been in the past, but I really want to be where God is showing me to be now...

So I leave you with this thought...... Do you like how your life is turning out????? If not make the changes!!!!! Life is short, make sure you are leaving the legacy of YOU to your family... If you have lost YOU, I beg of you, go find yourself!!!!!! Have a VERY BLESSED DAY!!!!

Thank you Lord, that you are the lighthouse that guides me in this Life.

Goin down memory lane............

Here I sit alone, as Jeff is in town Plowing... We had our first plowable snow last night, wind blew like crazy so I have a few drifts out there. I had to climb gates to feed the horses this A.M., nice to know I still can:)........ So anyway I was going to try to get lots done today, but decided it's been crazy busy the last few weeks, so I'm taking a day of rest and may I say it has been wonderful, Getting my thoughts in order!!! I talked with cousin George this morning on SKYPE, I just love this new age, talking to a cousin in Cali and can see him, wow!!! Then Beth called and we talked (too long:) then I got side tracked by PANDORA radio listening to COUNTRY CHRISTMAS music, and of course I had to post it on FB then Colette sent me to Colorado Christmas by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.... Well that got me somehow to Dan Fogleberg, that then had me put him in PANDORA... Well that brought up great stuff like Jim Croce, Crosby Stills & Nash and more.... So now my thoughts have turned to my younger days!!! It got my memories going to dancin around our living room with my babies in my arms.... We did a lot of dancing in our home even when the boys grew up... Sometimes I think it's dangerous to live too much in the past, but today it is making me CRAZY HAPPY!!!! I'm so thankful for my family and all the memories that have been flooding my mind today, yes some tears have fallen too... But mostly I'm thanking the Lord for my life, and praying my boys have those same happy memories in the back of their minds also... Maybe when they turn 50 they will think on some and smile like I have!!! For now I'll continue listening to my  music and smile:):) Right now "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills & Nash is playing on my Boise Also heard "Time in a bottle" Oh if we could just save "the good old days"!!! Yep that would be great, but hey in a few years this will be the good old days right????!!!! Have a Blessed day everyone and be thankful for the small stuff!

Conquering my FEAR!!!!

OK so I'm so happy I could, well never mind what I could do:) Today I conquered a fear I've had for, oh probably 3 years. I rode the BLACK horse....You see this horse has thrown both my Jeffie and my brother Steve... And hurt them both pretty bad, not just a dump... But somehow I knew this was my horse, he was from the day he came home with us from the stockshow in 2007. I have seen this horse in a full out buck with my brother on him, and when I said "your OK Shotzy" the horse totally stood still...That's when I first knew I would be able to ride this horse cause he listens to my voice, something those big bad cowboys don't do is Talk to their horse... Anyway's I have fed him everyday and taught him great ground manners and he is so sweet on the ground, BUT I had this huge fear of him because of what I had seen him do. Last year my cousin Terry, who is in my opion one of the best horseman I know, rode him and said I would be fine, and showed me what to do with him, so I DROVE that horse from here to kingdom come, and he listened to every command I gave him, STILL I couldn't get on his back.....I was AFRAID.

So today my son came out to trim all the horses and he wanted to ride... So we saddled up Shotzy and Buddy... He said he would ride Shotz, but I told him just take Buddy for a ride first and I'll work Shotz a little.... Well I told Jeff It's time, help me out here...First off I made Shotzy bow his head and we said a little prayer:) and then I got on him, first with my Jeff  holding the lead rope, leading me like a kid.... Then I gave the ok to unhook him!!!!! About this time I was feeling a little like the Chris Ledoux song, you know the one about riding the mechanical bull, the part when he says " go ahead and turn her on" lol...Well it was amazing the bond that horse and I have... He did everything I asked of him, backed up like a prince and everything... Then Mick came riding up on Buddy and he just watched for a minute, and then I got the "good job mom"... Don't know why that was so important, but it was:):):) So today was the first day of ridding my Shotzy, but I assure you it won't be the last.... I've made a vow to give him 30 minutes at least 4 days a week... I'm posting the pictures even tho I look horrible and NO MAKEUP!!! But it was a GREAT HORSE DAY!!!!! and there is nothing better then A GREAT HORSE DAY!!!!

So I ask you, what are you fearing???? and what are you going to do about it??? Remember it never hurts to say a little prayer first!!!! I am one happy girl, smiling from ear to ear:):):)

First SNOW of 2011

I woke up early this morning to SNOW!!!! Everybody knows how much I like snow, not only for it's beauty, but we make our living plowing it! But mostly I have really come to love it out here on the ranch. I can not explain the peace there is feeding the horses in the snow, but I will try:) First off on a snow this early in the season, I am outside first thing in morning, NO COFFEE even! Because the horses haven't gotten their coats yet, so I know they will be shivering..... Nothing LOTS of grass hay won't cure! So anyways on snowy days like this, I love going out to feed and as I am curring the wet horses, I can hear them all munching on hay. For some reason, to me, there isn't a more peaceful sound any where. The STILLNESS is amazing. I didn't take my camera into the horse pen because it is always so muddy, and I seem to take my fair share of falls, so SAVE THE CAMERA right? :) But I do have some beautiful pictures to share. I must say it is nice to be sitting by the fire now, all warm and cozy, dogs all snugged up in blankets all over.. I do believe it is a "Little house on the prairie" day... Thank you Lord for your beauty AND your provision! Have a Blessed day everyone!

Neighbors

Cookin chili (my mother in law's chili:), lovin the cool weather!!! Here I am cookin and again got distracted to BLOG!!! and I'm havin the neighbors over for super and play cards!!! Still got toilets to scrub and vacuum Annie girls hair from the carpet, but hey, DISTRACTED is what I do lately.. I was thinkin about all the stories my Grandma Norman would tell about visiting relatives on the farm in Nebraska, but of coarse they didn't play cards, I believe they thought it was sinful. I think I am sorta happy for the financial troubles in America, I am seeing a return to super with neighbors and family, a time of communicating again!!! And laughter that doesn't require the high cost of other entertainment! I for one LOVE it!!! I think we got a little lost for awhile:)

So I took a picture the other day looking out my kitchen window, the view is perfect for me, horses grazing and the like, but then I took another one today, AFTER the wind and MUCK storm... In the country, dirt happens.....Why am I posting these???? Because it's just another way I have de-stressed myself, see normally if I were having company, I would be out there washing window's even when the wind is STILL BLOWING!!! Now it is just funny:) Don't get me wrong windows will be sparkling clean again NEXT WEEK!!!! Enjoy your day (and my pictures) and laugh a little at what used to make you CRAZY!!! A return to the simple life!!!! God Bless

                                       



 The view from my kitchen window a few days ago

The view from my kitchen window today:)

Chors at 50 vs. 20 A differant attitude!

Cleaning out the fridge today, I was thinking about the change in my attitude from when I was 20. At 20 I never did nothing but complain about almost everything, if not out loud to somebody, I sure did a lot of it under my breath. Especially if it was something in the house (as I am so much happier outdoors!) and by the way my house was spotless at 20, vacumed my dark brown carpet 2 and 3 times a day, but not with a JOYFUL heart, lol.... Now at 50 cleaning out the fridge and vacuming the floor and a few loads of laundry has taken me the better part of the day, BUT!!!! I have had a few cups of tea on the front porch in my rockin chair, played with the dogs and just now stopped vacuming cause I got the urge to BLOG!!! My heart is happy & FULL, and I now take the time to enjoy looking out the kitchen window at my horses, that rock my world btw... and it seems lately, I am in constant thankful mode to my Lord for His simple Blessings... At 20 everything had to be done fast, so weekends could be spent "PLAYIN" on the jet skis, fishin or whatever else we did. Now don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for doing all that too, I'm just saying I'm feeling very blessed to have my peace and quiet, non rushed days now. I'm finding I love it when we go places and are with the grandkids for sure, but I am feeling more Blessed then ever just sitting here on this beautiful mini ranch counting my Blessings!!!! Have a BLESSED day and ENJOY it, no matter where you are in life, try to be thankful for the SIMPLE things!!!

The SIMPLE LIFE!

I've been thinking all morning as I've been vacuuming and doing dishes, just routine chores really, but today seemed different... As so many days have lately. I was thinking about my life. I hear people do that more at 50:) and I came to this conclusion ~ I am truly enjoying my life these days, after what has seemed to be a crazy, wild ride the last 5 years or so. Funny thing is.. not much has changed in my circumstances, other then my Jeff is my best friend again, just like when we were young, before kids, but hey that's another BLOG all together!! So here's what's going on in my head..
In 1996 we got our first horses, we boarded them at my Cousin Roxie's Ranch (Ellis Ranch in Loveland, a beautiful wedding park now) Well that was a new lifestyle for me, one of simplicity and quiet... We vowed IF we ever got our own ranch, or in our case mini ranch of 40 acres, we would never take it for granted... Well guess what??? With all the chores and still trying to keep up with my friends and woman's lunch's and church and volunteering and so on and so on... I've taken it for granted!!! But in just the last 2 months, something in me has changed! I'm no longer wanting to go do all the THINGS I used to do.. Along with everyone else in America, I also don't have the money to do it! At first that was a problem!! Someone wanted us to go here or there and we said yes, just like we always did, and then realized, wait a minute we don't have the money to do that.. Well that even turned out to be a BLESSING. We found out we have some pretty amazing people in our lives that bought us tickets to go with them and gave us things when it was needed, Jeff and I were blown away by our friends and family and continue to be, to this day..So what am I doing these days that has changed??? I'm TAKING time to enjoy the beautiful mornings on my deck with a great cup of coffee, for free. I'm also sitting outside at night, sometimes for hours to look at the stars and God's beautiful creation, AND get my thoughts clear, also for free. Thoughts such as being thankful for what I do have, for my family and my horses and 2 very cute goats, for the Internet that has amazingly connected me to so many friends and family, for a pretty small fee when you think about it. So we sold the camper to make up some house payments, I'm thankful I had the camper to sell, and all the memories that we had there. We had some young cousins come out last weekend just to sit in our quiet, that was awesome. I'm enjoying the kids and grand kids more, just as GRANDMA, I don't have to change a thing, it's my children's turn to figure out there lives, I'm just here to sit back and watch!!! By the way, they are all doing an great job at life:) I've made a choice to do LESS and enjoy more, so my commitments are slowing down.. My main goal is to enjoy  life, take a few more photo opps in the mountains, be grandma to my kids and to mentor the younger generation the same way my grandma has mentored me. No more Bible studies 3 nights a week, or good causes ALL the time. I'm getting a little tired. I still want to ALWAYS be there for my friends and family, but I think I know now, I can't be there for everyone or do everything. So I'll be baking a little more, keeping a cleaner house, praying for others need to be met, but not necessarily by me... I want to hear the Lord a little clearer before I act... I want to fish with my Jeffie, picnic with my children and grandchildren, enjoy my horse poop chores again, and most of all finishing up the next 40 years leaving a legacy to the family and friends who want to be a part of my life, just as the older family members gave me, most of them are gone now, but they live on in my heart!!! Oh yes I think I will be blogging a lot on the simple life!!! As a friend on face book always says, go make your day count!!!!!

My Uncle Harlan

Last night our neighbor (Joe) came over and drank a beer (or maybe a few more) with Jeff. We ended up talking about my Uncle Harlan Norman. The thought of him makes me smile :) We got out his hall of fame books from when we went to Jackson Mississippi, and reminisced for hours. It all started with me working my Gunner in the round pen, something I don't do enough of, by the way, anyways I taught him something he had never done before in just minutes, and it came back to me just how much I learned from my Uncle Harlan the 5 years we spent almost every weekend at The Ellis Ranch. We were TRUELY BLESSED to have that time with him and the WHOLE Ellis family. I don't even think I remember half of the horse knowledge I got there, it just comes out when I need it. I love my Uncle Harlan and Aunt Margie with my whole heart. And I am so thankful for my horse life, it has been loads of fun! And just  a side note, I was looking up my cousin Steven Norman (he's a great horse shoer for all the big race horses in KY) on the Internet to show Joe, and I found a great blog my cousin Billy Harlan wrote about growing up in S.D. My isn't the Internet a wonderful thing!! I guess I am trying to say, I have had a great life with relatives, and I have wonderful memories! It makes me happy when I think of the memories we are creating for the younger generation right now, JUST BY BEING WHO WE ARE!!!!! Awe yes, Life is really good!!

Learning this BLOG thing, bear with me:)

Micky J.. and Leon Coffee!!!Just playing with how to upload stuff! Love that boy:) Just sayin'

My First BLOG!!!

Wow, my very first Blog! I am doing this to try to put my life in here and make a book at the end of each year, so that I have my life in scrapbooks for my family, just like my Granny K!! I just got off the phone with a lady in Woodland Park about trading a mini horse for my Gunner. So looks like my little Peyton will also have a horse:) Lets hope so, going out to send pictures of Gunner right now. Oh yea and her Mini is bred, so I will be a FIRST time mama, lol...