The Sassy Classy Cowgirl

Refinishing a Special Piece of Furniture

When I was in college, my sweet dad made this really nifty cedar hutch for me. In its younger days it had a cool door with chicken wire and a knob with a mallard emblem (hey, my dad is an avid duck hunter, it worked), but has since been removed and replaced by a little curtain made by muah.

Really wanting to add some color to our living room/ kitchen area led me on a search for some chalk paint. I heard chalk paint is the way to go. Guess what I actually found in our little, not even a Super Center Wal-Mart? Couldn't believe it, but they had exactly what I was looking for. I ended up with the Disney paint color of Cool Marine, it's kind of a cross between a blue/green turquoise color.

It was a fun project and no matter what color this piece of furniture exhibits, it will always be special to me. Thanks Dad!

Is Prudent a Bad Word?

I thought prudent was a bad word. I had to google the meaning just to make sure. Here's what I learned:

Prudent: acting with or showing care and thought for the future; cautious, discreet, careful

Simpleton: a foolish or gullible person

To be honest with you, I have been a simpleton in the past. I wanted to believe that everyone had good intentions and wanted the best for those around them, but this is simply not realistic. The Bible is very clear on this topic.

Proverbs 14:15

Only simpletons believe everything they are told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.

Proverbs 14:18

Simpletons are clothed with foolishness, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Maybe you have never struggled with this concept, but if you have or are right now you can rest assured that it is okay to be prudent. It's not a bad word.

Ever Asked: What's Up With Me God?

Do you have that uneasy feeling in your heart?

Have you ever?

You can't quiet put your finger on what "it" is that's bothering you and all you want is to feel peace.

As I was reading scriptures in my Life Application Study Bible (NLT), I felt the following scripture shed light on what I believe, as Christians, we all face from time to time. You know, it's when you want to get away from everyone. Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about here. We've all been there.

~ Proverbs 14:4 ~

Without an oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

Footnotes: When a farmer has no oxen, the stable will be clean but he will be unable to make a living. The only way to keep your life free of people problems is to keep it free of people. But if your life is empty of people, it is useless; and if you live only for yourself, your life loses its meaning. Instead of avoiding people, we should serve others, share our faith, and work for justice. Is your life clean but empty? Or does it give evidence of your serving God wholeheartedly?

Proverbs is packed with tons of goodies like this!

Sometimes all we need to fill that craving is a sweet verse from the Word.

(I should have posted a picture of something chocolate, instead of flowers ;-)

Wisdom

~ Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.

Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.

So don't bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.

But correct the wise, and they will love you. ~

Proverbs 9: 7-8

The Prognosis

I got home with a contraption that looks like a torture device from the Medieval times, I kid you not. This device is actually used for spinal traction (aka stretching the spine). So after all this time, praise the Lord we know what is causing the pain. It is a herniated disc. To be precise it is located between disc c5 and c6.

"How bad's the pain?" asked Dr. Allison. I knew what he was getting at. You see, he told me earlier in the doctor visit that he usually doesn't see patients at the stage I am at. I am at a point where it could get better or it could get worse and rupture. He usually sees patients that already have a ruptured disc. "Well I am in constant pain, but if you think that traction could help then let's try that first." I am confident that it will work. Even considering how scary the picture that looks like a woman hanging from a door jam, with a contraption around her neck may look...I am believing it will alleviate the pain.

Oh and how could I forget the MRI. Turns out I must of had an open air MRI for the shoulder, because I almost had a panic attack as they wheeled me under that machine today. I had a brace around my neck, which didn't help either. I just started praying, almost crying, pictured the sky above me, and never opened my eyes. My hand went to sleep in there too, which was annoying. I however, did make it through. Ha ha! I think they would have to sedate my mother if she ever has to have an MRI. Dr. Allison recommended that particular place for the MRI, because that machine takes better film of the spine. The herniated disc could only be seen from one side view, so an x-ray would not have shown the damage. I think that may be one reason why the Lord orchestrated everything the way he did. Who knows. He does.

Okay so let me wrap this up. All the kiddos are home and man does that feel great! I am so proud of each of them. They all have their way of helping out around here. I pray that I can be the example and parent to them that the Lord wants me to be, because they sure deserve the best.

What day is this anyways? School is out and I am losing track of time! That was so random.

My Plan and His Plan

Where am I going with this? This happens to be the question I ask myself many times about my blog. I feel like it is important to capture our lives and tell our story. I want to be able to look back someday and remember all the details about our lives that my mind probably will not be able to recall on its own. So, that's what I want to do.

I want to recap this week and also what the Lord has laid on my heart.

To start off the week, we made a trip to Russellville. I had an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon to look at my MRI results on my shoulder and see what is causes the pain in my neck, back, and shoulder. This has been about an eight month process by the way and I am so ready to find out what is going on. Anyways, Dr. Allison doesn't think it is my shoulder at all, therefore he is sending me for an MRI of my cervical spine on Monday. I will meet with him directly after the MRI to go over the results. I am praying for answers and trusting the Lord will guide the doctor in making his prognosis. So, that was Monday's happenings.

O had three t-ball games this week. We missed Monday's game because of my doctor's appointment, but we made it to the other two. Owen's doing really well on third base! They have a really good little team and should be first in their league.

Randal and I worked cattle this week. I will have to say the day we worked cattle in the pen, was a little challenging. It was a blast, but frustrating to me at the same time. First of all it was one of those days where I just could not get woke up. I could not stop yawning for some reason. I seriously didn't feel awake until around ten-thirty. Back to the point, we brought all the cows and calves into the pen by our barn. We did this on horseback. Once in the pen, Randal separated them into different pens. We had some that were going to be turned back out, some needing weaned, some needing to be moved, etc. So we get them in the proper pens and then need to do some more separating. My job was to bring the calves, that needed to be turned back out, through the gate and in with the cows that were going to be let back out. At this point I was wishing I knew a little cutting, because it sure would have been handy! Most of them were pretty easy, but there was this one steer. Always has to be one right? He would not go to the gate and his momma was in there waiting for him and everything. I mean seriously, go to your momma! Ha! He was stubborn and I was determined. Randal keeps talking me through what to do and FINALLY he goes in! Whew! Randal and I talked about it later. I told him I was frustrated. Randal reminded me not to get frustrated, but to stay focused, calm, and patient. Not to force anything. Love that man! Every time I work cattle I learn something new. I can not express how much I enjoy the cattle and using the horses, as well as the dogs, to work them.

This week I also spent more alone time with the Lord. I was feeling a little overwhelmed, as we all do at times. I was reading Rural Women Rock's last post about God having a plan for our lives and I just felt like I needed to pour my heart out to the Lord. I did and I felt a weight lifted. It is so easy to get distracted by life, but it is so important to stay focused on the one that makes life worth living. He does have a plan. I don't have to worry or fret about it, I just need to let Him guide me.

I hope you guys had a wonderful week!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Love you Dad!!!!!

We're Back

Hello world!

Have you been wondering where we have been? Well let me tell you a few words...end of school festivities, hay season, birthdays, and t-ball. That's right, you know how it is, life happened.

This weekend we celebrated two of the kiddos' birthdays. You will probably be able to see the passion and character these two exhibit on a day to day basic from the following pictures. Yup they keep us on our toes and in stitches, but not literally in stitches, you know what I mean! That would be bad.

This here is a picture of the herd, I mean crew. As you can tell, there is one more than usual. KT fits right in and blends well with the kids. She did tell her mom she has two moms and dads now. Ha! Jennifer was like "what?" She said yeah Candy and Randal. We laughed and said people will have fun trying to figure that one out.

I made their shirts using a bleach pen and paper stencil. Only the two birthday kids got horses, because let's just say they were far more difficult to trace than the boots.

The young'ns had no idea what we were going to do for their birthday party. So we got out the big guns...

Got in some batting practice...

Awe yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Candy! No not me, the sweet kind. I know, it was cheesy.

I bet these two will want to show this to their future wives, or their siblings will one.

A little pinata action, a little water gun shootin', now how bout the good stuff...

Cookie cake!

Also on the menu ~ sarsaparilla burgers, recipe courtesy my friend Rachel in Texas, and blueberry cobbler.

I really can't remember the exact order, but we had all kinds of fun going on at the party. At some point Jaci and Evan opened presents. They each racked up sixty bucks, in which they spent at Atwoods this afternoon.

Evan: cowboy hat, cap gun, and Wranglers.
Jaci: Breyer horse, barn accessories, and Wranglers.

That's how our kids roll.

The birthday party ended like you know it would, with roping and bull-riding. No not a real bull! Are you crazy!? What's wrong with you? Just kidding.

They love their Happy. Yes they do! They love Happy, how bout you?

This partner wasn't peeing on the flowers I assure you. He was striking a pose for Nanny (thanks to Nanny and Jennifer for the pictures from their iphones...what we do without you!?)