Friday's Photos from the Farm

It's been raining here....the grass is growing, the flowers and corn are taking off, and the kids have discovered MUD!

This week I thought my photos from the farm would be devoted to the "farm kid". The kid who the great outdoors is their candy store. A land of exploring and pretending. 

I grew up on a dairy farm. We had lots of room to run and play. We had random forts and hideaways. My school friends enjoyed coming out to the farm because we had space. We could play capture the flag, basketball, kickball, football, lay on the hill and count the stars at night. We could set off fireworks and have bonfires. And we ate our meals together. I will never forget one summer I had friends over during the day and they couldn't get over that we ate lunch together as a family. I didn't know any differently.

the "Pond"

raft the kids built

splashing in the water

swimming hole?

don't they look like a fun bunch?

I am thrilled that my kids get to enjoy the same freedom. They aren't afraid to get outside and get a little dirty. They enjoy collecting frogs and tadpoles. They like to feel the mud squish between their toes. They build homes for the little worms that come to the surface after a good rain (yuck), but at least they (the worms) stay outside! 

....just a few perks of being a farm kid....

Friday's Photos from the Farm....

Is it Friday again, all ready?!? We are in full swing monsoon around here....

thunderhead building in the afternoon out my back door

raining down at the south farm

thunderhead

isn't that cool? My hubby took this..

looking for some mud

sunset out my back door

The clouds are awesome this time of year. There really is no other word to describe them. You can see a tiny puff of white in the morning over the Chiricahua's and by lunchtime it's this huge, anvil shaped cloud with amazing height.

We have been getting rain the last few days. Last night we did get some hail as well, which isn't desired. We have a half circle of corn that got hit pretty hard, but we will just have to wait and see how bad the damage is. At least it's just a half circle and not everything! :)

With monsoonal rain comes life. I love the rain. I love watching the desert come to life, hills and roadsides green up. You see the occasional wildflowers and poppies springing up alongside the road. The corn seems to grow a foot overnight.

The downside is the mud. Oh, the mud. if there are puddles of water within 50 feet of the house, our kids will find them. I don't mind them playing in the mud as much as I mind the cleaning it up later. But you can't have one without the other.....and if you want to see the wild woman in me unleashed, just trek mud across my just cleaned floors! :)

But I do love you monsoon.....just please don't hail on our corn again!

A Daybook for Thursday

Outside my window..... I see glorious white, puffy clouds, building into storm clouds...hopefully bringing us a "gentle" rain today.

I am thinking....how beautiful a still house is...not an empty house, but still, where everyone is resting, taking a break, refreshing themselves. I am also thinking that we will be starting school in a month and where did the summer go?????

I am thankful for.....a sturdy home from the blowing winds, air conditioning for humid days, a morning run, children willing to help (at least today)

From the learning room.....waiting on schoolbooks to arrive...science, history, oh the fun of opening the boxes. The girls have been doing 4 pages of workbooks everyday and reading to keep some things fresh. We finished Little House on the Prairie and have moved onto the The Banks of Plum Creek. And the missionary book on Adoniram Judson. 

From the kitchen....canned peaches with my sweet sisters a little more then a week ago, still have strawberries to make jam with in my freezer, made fudge with Nutella and it was super yummy. Used coconut oil for the first time today..

I am reading.....I just finished Brennan Manning's Furious Love,  Gloria Furman's Glimpses of Grace, and now am reading What is a family? by Edith Schaeffer and a book by Timothy Keller. Can't remember the title. Yes, I am on a reading kick right now. 

I am hoping.....for a good year of crops, health, remembering life isn't an emergency, there is time to get all that "needs" to be done and to know the difference...

I am hearing.....the music from "A Holy Experience", Ann Voskamp's blog on my computer. I like to listen to it when it's quiet....and the sound of my husband's diesel pickup going down the road (smile)

Around the house...oh dear! Projects, projects! Grass is growing, kids play area needs done, landscaping, and the list goes on! :)

One of my favorite things....a cup of coffee in the late afternoon to help me push through the remainder of the day...(decaf or else I can't sleep at night)

A few plans for the rest of the week....some cleaning, laundry, reading, Awana meeting, family night at church, baptism service Sunday, my husband and I teaching children's church...busy, but good weekend in sight.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing....

Photo Friday from the Farm.....

I thought it would be fun to add a weekly post...perhaps to make it me more disciplined in writing? or not....but photos from the farm....which of course would happen on Friday so I have the perfect alliteration going on!!! My language arts teacher, Ms. Fetterolf would be so happy...her name even begins with an F! 

So here we go...pictures from the farm.....

sunset over the mountains

corn

and more corn!

grain bins up

beautiful view

So this is a little bit of my world.....through my husband's camera phone!! He does a great job.
Life has been crazy the month of June. I am glad that we decided to take a break from homeschooling for the month. Both my sisters were out and we had a great time....making nutella fudge, canning peaches, watching BBC shows on Netflix, and reading. So.much.fun. And VBS was thrown in there and the kiddos were sick for like two weeks and we were MIA in general. So glad that's over! :)

Hope you had a great 4th of July. Maybe next week I'll have more to say....