From Matthew Chapter 11

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Carl and Joel... I won't even try to explain.

Christmas photos... sneek preview!

 All right, folks. I'm workin' on it, trust me! Every few days the thought will pop into my head that I fail as a blogger because I still haven't done a big Christmas post! You're all probably thinkin' "Golly, woman, get a move on! It's already January 4th!" But seriously, they will be posted soon - I promise. But I can't make any guarantees that it'll be before January 8th... so please, allow me a grace period.

 Here's Stephy and Me with her Ugly Doll from grandma.
 Its name is very appropriate.

 We're weird like that sometimes.

I love this picture of Megan! Isn't she just gorgeous?? How are we related?
Actually, I like this picture really well... it has such a wintery feel. I love Meg so much!

Sisters, 2011

The Eldredge Girls (except Grace is officially a Smith... but she was an Eldredge) LtoR:

Rachel, Linda, Becca, Ashley, Amy, Grace, Mom, and Susie.

Winshape!

 A good friend of ours is sending us to Winshape, a place in Georgia where they do marriage retreats, as a wedding gift for Joel and me!! We are going in April!

 The pictures came out a little fuzzy in order to be large enough, but they give an idea of how amazing this place is! I am so excited! :D

 It is a very secluded place where you can have fun and grow closer as a couple.

This is just a peek at the beautiful places they have there! If you would like to see more, here's the link: http://www.winshaperetreat.net/index.php/gallery/category/C1/P0/

some interesting info!

So, for all you farm people.... here's a bit of information that's good to know. Even if you don't have cows, it's good to know, because you never know when a mama cow might wander into your yard and drop a calf at your doorstep. So pay close attention here!

100 lbs multiplied by 0.8 lbs ~ 8lbs = 1 gal. ~ 1gal. = 4qts.
So, 2qts. per feeding, two times a day!
(Isn't this fascinating!?)
80lbs multiplied by 0.8 = 6.4lbs. ~ And... 8lbs = 1 gal. ~ 1 gal. = 4qts.
So, feed approx. 1.75qts. each feeding!

Maybe it's just me and my current obsession with bucket calves, but this is really neat! I want to try it. :)

P.S.

My husband and I are both feeling much better this morning! Praise God. :) We are hoping to have a good restful day, and then be ready for the annual Eldredge family gift exchange tomorrow!

Shih-Poos

These are some photos I grabbed from the internet. We have one Shih-Poo (Wesley), but he is not for breeding; he's just my baby. :) We also have Molly and Payson, the female Shih-Tzus - and Sam, the male toy poodle. We are hoping to have a litter or two of pups come early summer!

Shih-Poos are a "designer" breed, a mix between a Toy Poodle and a Shih-Tzu.

Many people really love these little dogs because they combine the best qualities of the two breeds. Shih-Tzus make wonderful family pets, and Poodles do not shed! So they make great indoor companion dogs.

Plus, I think they're absolutely adorable! 

Bucket Calves... I want one!

I am doing my research on raising bucket calves, and the more I learn the more interested I become. I never thought of myself as a "cow person", but this seems different somehow. I could easily see Joel and myself getting into this and making it work for us! First we have to move out to the farm though... it wouldn't go over too well here in our backyard.

They are a great addition to "farm life". And personally I find them very cute!

So, when we move out to the farm, I'm very much hoping (and Joel says it may actually happen!) to get some bucket calves. We already have pasture because of the sheep, and Joel has some shelters (similar to the ones in the picture above) that we could use for the little guys.

Happy New Year!

God has been so good to us this past year! I was on the phone with my dear mama last night, and she was reminding me to recount the many things God has done for us over the last 365 days. It brings glory to His name when we remember His goodness and praise Him for it! Let us not neglect to "count our blessings" as we enter into this new year - 2011!