Hickory Springs Farm

Brand New Baby

Here's the newest addition to the family. He was born at 3:30 am by section after a lot of hard
work by Momma. He weighed 9lbs 9 oz, so it would have been something to get him pushed out!
Isn't he so sweet? Here's Momma and Baby, the little guy just about 8 hours in this world.
(And already deep in the System. But I'll be good and keep my mouth shut about that.)

 


Here's our family with the new nephew/cousin.




Looks just like his daddy!!



Uncle, pleased as punch apparently.




And here's the Marmee. She does such a great job taking care of all her "mommas and babies."
She's had three grandchildren born in just over a year! What would we have done without her?

laundry, cicadas and more........

Ok, I've worked out and got most of the laundry on the line. If only I could get Joey to get school done. I also called a HS mom that I forgot did not have email to get her uptodate.

While I was out hanging up my laundry (singing Oh What a Beautiful Day--just not for anything that had to listen to that!ROTFL!), a cicada and I had a go round about who had rights to the post for the clothesline. Seems that I'm not doing a good job of sharing.;) During our loud discourse, I heard what I thought was the garage door slam. Given that I'm slightly prone to paranoia, this was quickly dousing my beautiful day!ROTFL! The only thing I can figure is that JOey was messing w/the back storm door and was gone by the time I looked there. So I finished hanging up laundry, vacuumed and need to contemplate a shower (really, not much to contemplate!LOL). I decided to live on the edge and not mop this week either. Oh the horrors!ROTFL! But we were gone all weekend and Dh and Mat have been gone so...........;)

Mat's science in the near future will be to tell me if those are really cicada eggs on the clothesline posts. I"m pretty sure that he told me that they lay eggs in wood........

Yesterday--Iowa and errand day

Pressure Canner

My mom went and bought a brand new pressure canner from Lehman's.  I know that she bought it for me, even though she's just borrowing it to me for an indefinite period of time.  What a blessing!  I canned some beans yesterday.  Today I hope to can some pears.  I also want to put up some pear jam and can some carrot juice.  Lord willing, I will also start some sauerkraut and dry some oregano and thyme.  Can you tell it's harvest season.

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Tonight they're predicting frost.  It'll be the second of the season already.  My plants were nipped by it a week ago.  Corn, tomatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, none of these are done yet.  A bit early even for us.

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Best get going.  School time.

From Glory Farm

SLow start.........

Yes, it was. We got back from a long weekend at the ILs. There were about 70 who came for MIL's party! So that was a huge success!

However, I was still awake at 1am last night. After a weekend of not sleeping, I was not super happy about this!LOL  I guess I finally fell alseep and slept until 8:30! So while I missed my workout, both boys slept in as well (muchly needed!). I got up at 9 and worked out. As previously, mentioned I can not dance (or sing for those taking notes) and once again this was an hour long dance workout. Oh joy. It was afro-latin. I do at least know some latin moves (cha cha, mamba, etc). So we start and I'm able to at least keep up and she says to add the arms to make it 'sexy'. I'm pretty sure it made me look like a chicken missing it's head........ However, I was much better at this dance routine than the last one and really enjoyed it and worked up a nice sweat. I was cranky, much to my boys' dismay tho. They had done nothing so bfast got underway as did school. Joey continued to dawdle on school, but finally got done about 2 hours later. Mat made them lunch and I hung up their sheets and got some other stuff done around here. I was greeted int he garden w/2 zukes, 1 cuke and some almost red tomatoes (I nearly fainted!) and grabbed a beet for supper. I had sauteed zucchini w/fresh mozzarella for lunch and made cucumber salad and have the beet ready to boil for supper. We're having tomato and bacon sandwiches w/fresh sliced mozzarella along w/that.

Mat's wanting to clean his room and I just odn't have the energy. I told him next week that we would. I should be back on track by then anyway. Hopefully there will be enuf tomatoes to at least can some salsa.

Mat also brought int he dry sheets so their beds are remade, supper is ready to cook, school is done and I"m beat! Mat also lost a tooth today.

OK I am going off line for not sure how long!

First let me say a big THANK YOU to all who are keeping us in their prayers.  I had a wonderful response and feel warmly safer for it. I was even surprised with a phone call from a wonderful blogger from here who offered me and my family a safe place in her home in a near to us state. I love you K and thank you again. Will call as soon as I am able.

  The storm still continues to head directly for us. We are under a mandatory evacuation but due to my mom's inability to travel, we are staying put. I am on a roller coaster ride with my emotions these last couple of days.  They are saying that it will hit us sooner than they first expected, which brings it up to tomorrow morning.

 I have as much as I could carry packed up in the trunk of my car. We are planing to go under the sugar mill for safety around midnight tonight. I hate that it has to be that way, mostly for my mom. We have spent several storms in the mill and it's a somewhat dirty place, which we have learned to make due of. But with mom not being about to move or care for herself, I worry.

I spent several hours in the my bible this afternoon looking for peace of mind for our wellbeing. I read many great protective passages and feel confindent that we will be OK. BUT PLEASE continue to pray for me and my family over the next 24 hours. And as I said before, it may be days, even weeks, before I will be able to get back on line for an update.

Thanks again and I love you all................warmly, Kitty

A PERSONAL AND CHURCHWIDE JOURNEY TO REVIVAL

PREPARING FOR YOUR LIFE-CHANGING JOURNEY

In spite of today's staggering moral decline, there are growing signs GOD is mightily touching His people. A rising number of believers and churches are seeing miraculous moves of GOD's Spirit. In fact, some churches are experiencing things so incredible only GOD can explain what is happening!

Yet, you may well ask, "If GOD is so mightily at work, why am I not experiencing His mighty presence and power? Why are other churches seeing such phenomenal moves of the Spirit and yet we are not?" The good news is you can experience GOD's mighty presence and power. GOD definitely wants to move in your life and your church!
However, there is a key requirement for experiencing GOD's power in your life and church. It is found in Isaiah 59:1-2: "Behold the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your GOD, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."

My friend, do you see the crucial point? Though GOD is willing to touch His people unconfessed sin has blocked His mighty answers to prayer. In order to move in power, GOD requires deep cleansing and repentance among His people. Psalm 66:18 makes this crystal clear: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me."

If our nation is to avert much-deserved judgement, believers must admit immediately return to the knowledge that GOD is infinitely holy. He simply will not move if unconfessed sin remains in the lives of His children! For this very reason, GOD seems distant to many believers. Because of unconfessed sin, crucial prayers go unanswered and countless believers live in defeat and pain. If you hope to experience GOD's mighty power and blessing, thorough daily confession is not an option, it is absolutely essential!

The sad reality is that many believers have confession times that are far too infrequent and shallow. Because we tend to quickly rush through confession times, many sins have "built up" between us and GOD. Usually we are not even aware how seriously the Holy Spirit is quenched in our lives. But do not despair! Through level of confession and cleansing that will utterly change your life. After all, GOD's Word will not return void!

Thank GOD for the rising number of believers who desire to purify their hearts. All across America, pastors are beginning to lead their congregations to embrace this biblical process of cleansing and repentence. Typically it is done in a specific period ranging from one week to forty days. Some churches ask discipleship training groups to pray and work through the Scripture guide. Still others ask all active church members to pray through the resources on their own. Many churches conclude the cleansing emphasis with churchwide revival meetings or solemn assemblies. {Though that is not required.} This resource is also designed to be a preparation tool for annual revival meetings. Regardless of the format used, when GOD's people experience full biblical repentance, the results are phenomenal! Whether the cleansing is churchwide, small group or individual, you will experience an awesome release of GOD's presence {James 4:8}.

In Isaiah 1:18, our loving Father is giving a glorious invitation to every person reading this Blog. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

In 1 John 1:9, GOD gives a further promise, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Friend, there is no reason you cannot learn to experience GOD's total forgiveness and cleansing on a daily basis. A victorious relationship with GOD is not out of your reach!

No matter how much you've struggled, you can experience a miraculous cleansing and filling of GOD's Spirit! However, this will not happen with some brief, casual prayer time. The Psalmist says you must be willing to let GOD search your heart. "Search me, O GOD, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" {Psalm 139:23-24}.

Serious cleansing requires regularly getting alone with GOD for a thorough examination of your life. In the coming posts, you will discover a practical way any believer can experience deep daily cleansing. If you sincerely seek GOD through simple biblical process, He will totally revolutionize your life! Yet before you begin your journey, it is crucial to grasp the foundation of your victory over sin. That foundation is none other than JESUS CHRIST living in you!

It's All Your Fault-Thank You!

All of our children are in 4-H.  We've been doing 4-H  4-ever.  This year, our two oldest girls did very well at the county fair and were allowed to go on to the state fair. 

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Dd1 took her dandelion jelly.  She got a grand champion at county and a red at the state fair.  Do you know where we got the recipe?  Homesteadblogger.  I think I have Grandma Rosie to thank for that one.

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Dd2 took her poster on the evils of white bread.  (The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead.)  And a loaf of homeground, homemade whole wheat bread.  She received honorable mention at county and GRAND! at the state fair.  The recipe-off Homesteadblogger.  It may have been Crystal's fault, but I don't remember for sure.  The delicious whole wheat bread recipe is definitely a winner.  Thank you.

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You guys are great!

Prayers Needed

   First let me say that I havn't been blogging  much of late due to the fact that "LIFE" is happening all around me, so please forgive me. I do intend to come back full time once things settle down.

   My mom is going down hill a little more with each new day. As of yesterday she has blood in her catherter bag, lots of blood. We knew that the catherter would cause infections, so there it goes.  Things not any better with my husband, divorce more than likely still  happening.

   But even that is not the worst of things going on right now. As many of you are aware there is a storm, Gustav, in the Gulf of Mexico. Well they are predicting it's land fall, as of now, to be none other than on yours truly, lol. Yes it is headed straight for us.  We live approx 50 or so miles north of the gulf. And with my home being an older one, it can no longer be insured, so we would lose everything. My car is on the blink right now so leaving is out of the question, and even if we did have a  good vehicle, mom can't travel.

  When I tell you I have never been so scared, it's not a lie. I have lived through so many storms here in Louisiana and none has ever effected me like this one is. That is why  I am asking for you wonderful people to pray for us down here in the south. I know it's hard to pray for it to go somewhere else, cuz that would mean it has to hit some one else. I am a nervous wreck to say the least. I have been on the edge for several weeks now about mom and her condition and this storm is kicking my butt but good. All of this is taking a great toll on me physically too. I have lost almost 20 lbs in the last two weeks. Although I am excited about the weigth loss, it's not the healthiest of ways to do it. I am feeling the effects of the stress on my body, and I have to say, I'm a little worried about that too.

   SOOOOOOO ladies, PLEASE pray for us. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and that is why I am posting this.   I will probably be without power for sometime if hits us ( i hope that is the worst of it, I can live with that), so I will update as soon as I can.

PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS...................MUCH LOVE......KITTY

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