Mom!

Well, I had a stack of neat pictures to post with a lot of nostalgia attached....but since my scanner is being obstinate that is not going to happen.

What can I say about my mom?  Well first of all she's the greatest person I know!  She has taught me from birth how to love the Lord, how to be respectful, she showed me how to work hard, and how to have fun .

My mom has been my best friend, my mentor, and teacher.  I adore the fact that she lives just across the road and we can visit over coffee each morning.  My mom is there for me day and night....as she has been since before I was born!

I Love You Mom......HAPPY MOTHER'S Day!

New Babies

We have added two new members to our family this week.  Both are puppies but they are at different ends of the scales for more than just their body weight.  Puppy #1 is the daughter of our Livestock Guardian Dog, Aegis.  If you do not know anything about Anatolian Shepherd Dogs....well, they are just the greatest dog breed on the planet if you want a dog that will keep you, your home, your family, and your livestock safe. 

I have been a fan of the German Shepherd for years, having several 'Old World' Shepherds during my life they were without a doubt the best breed for our family for a long time.  But German Shepherds have been....for lack of a better term...."Americanized"....bred for a certain look rather than breed character, courage, and performance.  And German Shepherds are herding dogs...not something that you need with pampered dairy goats or a yard full of poultry!

Since we lost our GSD Morgan a few years ago, we have pondered several guardian breeds.  We needed a dog with instinct, intelligence, independence...that we can trust with day old chicks or goat kids on one hand....but fight to the death to protect life, home, and property on the other. 

Then on April 6, 2009 we were given the answer to our prayers....an Anatolian Shepherd Dog we named "Aegis".  At the time he was only 4 months old.  He is from generations of guardian dogs, including his parents, and had been born and raised to be a guardian dog.  Thousands of years of breeding shines through with this boy, and I know that he was sent to us as a gift from the Father.  Now at 18 months old he is doing every day exactly what he was bred to do....and he is very good at it.

Back in Jan of this year, we were contacted by someone that owns a female Anatolian and wanted to know if we would consider breeding Aegis.  We agreed and decided to take the pick of the litter puppy in exchange for the breeding.   Here is a picture of Aegis and his mate, Buffy.

Last weekend we were able to pick our puppy from the litter.  Her name is Koruma (Born 3-23-10), and she has been learning her job since birth.  Here is Koruma meeting her daddy, Aegis.  Aegis is well over 100 pounds, but he is very gentle when it comes to babies.  Koruma weighs 11# 11oz at 6 1/2 weeks old. 

On the other end of the scale is our companion animals.  I love the "micro" dogs!....I never even liked these dogs until I was totally won over by our little princess Taboo.  She has captivated me for years, and she was able to convince me that chihuahuas were not just rats in a dog suit.  Just as the big dogs have a job, these tiny dogs have their job to do as well....they are companions. 

Our second addition to our family is little Kapu....she is a whopping 1# 13 oz...

Rough Week!

Of course you never appreciate the good times enough until you have bad times....but this has been a very rough week.
I was feeling like an "empty nester" with both Ben and Steph moving out the same day last week; so I got busy with some much needed remodelling projects in the house. We are converting the girls old room to a pantry and guest room, and there is a lot of work to get this done. Remember this poor room endured 8 years of teenage girlhood (2 girls). There are millions of staple holes in the walls, plus a wall of panelling that had to be pulled out, carpet had to be removed from the walk-in closet, and under the carpet was the original 1948 linoleum tiles that had to be pulled up.
Then late Monday night our little dog Ty got out of the back yard and was hit by a car and killed. Needless to say, I've been depressed all week.
It is times like these that make me take a deep prayerful breath and realize the need to be thankful for what I do have. Yes, the kids have moved out...but all 4 of my children are healthy young adults (including the teenager). Both of my boys have been in serious car accidents this year...yet walked away from them with very minor injuries. My oldest son is a student at Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas and is maintaining a B average. My youngest son is getting his life together after nearly becoming permenantly disabled from a car accident last Feb. He and my oldest daughter have gotten an apartment together and are finding their own way in life. My youngest daughter (15 yo) is still at home and I am looking forward to having time with her as an "only child". I've spent the last 23 years of my life doing the best I could to raise my children to love the Lord and be responsible hard-working adults. I thank God for providing me with a wonderful husband that provided us with the income and fortitude that made it possible for me to stay home with my children and raise them. My family is the most important thing in my life, and now that I'm making the transition I'm taking a deep breath and looking forward.

In the meantime....I still miss these days...