Today is the last day of 2007. As I look back, I see alot of things that I did get done and some that were put on the back burner till a later time. Well, that later time has come. These will be the first things to get done for 2008. Did any of you watch RFD-TV this Saturday? My cousin, Ginger who rides with the Cowgirl Chicks was on there doing her trick riding. The Cowgirl Chicks will be riding in the Rose Bowl Parade on New Years Day. If you get a chance check out their webpage.www.cowgirlchicks.com . Also Saturday afternoon, Brian went hunting and he had just gotten up in the deer stand when he called and said he was sick and wanted the boys to come get him. They got him home and I put him to bed. He was throwing up, running some fever and hurting. Just knew that he had the flu. As time went on, he kept getting worse. The pain was intense. So at 9 that night, we ended up heading to the er. They drew blood and done a cat scan and the test results showed that he has a kidney stone. We made it home about 3 the next morning. They said that if he would drink alot of liquids that he should be able to pass the stone. It is a small one. He slept all day yesterday and all night. I couldn't get him up to eat supper. He needed the rest for he was one sick lil man. When he woke up this morning he was back to his normal self. Today will find me washing clothes, cleaning house, cleaning the barn, cleaning out the trailer for tomorrow I have a barrel race which has $1000.00 added money, cooking black-eye peas, hog jowl, fried cabbage for tomorrow. Gotta have those for the peas means health and luck for the coming year along with the hog jowl and the cabbage means you will have green(money) in your pocket for the year. The way this past year has been, I need to eat a huge helping.lol Hope the coming year will continue to bless you and yours and it will be everything that you wish for.

LOOKING BACK IN 2007 AND LOOKING FORWARD TO 2008

As I look back into this past year, alot of things has went on in my life. I don't always share everything that is going on in my life , some things are just too personal. I have had joy and I have had heartbreak this past year. My Grandmother use to say that whatever happens on New Years Day , it's what the coming year will be like. That day, my video camera was broke and it seemed as the year went on alot of things ended up broken. First my Mare was injuryed and we didn't know if she would ever be able to compete again. Then the place where I work at had a lay off and I was out of a job for awhile. That ended up with some bills that wasn't getting paid and it caused alot of stress on my marriage and family life. Then I watched a wonderful guy come home to be buried from the war. I watched my son leave for the military. That was some of the bad, the good is I laid everything at God's feet and left them there for him. I did try to take my problems back and tried to fix them myself and things just kept getting worse. So once again, I gave them to him and left them there. He did take care of them and the valleys that I went through only made me stronger and faith deeper. My mare is doing great, the job, well, who knows with it, the bills are getting paid. My marriage is stronger, we still have our problems but hey, what marriage doesn't. My family is closer than ever plus it has grown and still growing. My heart is at peace with JB in the military and with everything else. I have meet some wonderful friends from different places and have been trully blessed by everyone of them. So whatever is thrown at me in 2008, I know that with God's help I will come out stronger than when I went in. I'm looking forward to 2008. Who knows what it will bring. My prayers for you, my friends, is that 2008 will bring you and yours wonderful blessings. I have alot of things on my list to do for the coming year. Will I get them done? Who knows,? I do know that I plan on having a heck of a good time trying to get those things done. Lets see, I plan on having the other horses running barrels, getting the yard and garden up to par, upping the bloodlines on my goats, want to start seeing a profit from the farm, spending more time with my family, being there for my family and friends, getting rid of clutter here at the house, doing more rodeos and pony pullings, going on a cattle drive, getting my body back into shape( now, that should be fun) and playing with my two new little great neice or nephews that I'm getting. Yup, two more rug rats to run after. One comes in March and the other comes in July. See, 2008 is looking GREAT!!!!!!!

ONE OF THE REASONE I COUNT MY BLESSINGS TWICE.....

Here he is. My little soldier boy, Jon Brandon. This is one of the many reasons I do count my blessings twice. He was able to be here with me and the rest of the family for not only Thanksgiving but also for Christmas. It's hard for me to accept that he is no longer a boy but a man now. Sometimes I wish I could look into the future and see what it holds for him. Then again do I really want to know. This child of mine will be going and seeing things that if we had the choice we wouldn't go. We would run and hide under our beds. He has taken on such a huge responsibilty that would have grown people running. My heart breaks for the things he will have to go through and my knees are worn out from praying but praying is what has gotten us this far. I stop and thing about the other families out there that has went through this holiday season with their loved one gone and I know that my day is coming. On this Thankful Thursday, I am thankful for young people like my son, JB. To give up their lives to defend this country. All I ask of you for the coming year of 2008 is to continue to remember our soliders and their families and when you see a veteran please tell them 'Thank You'. ( his unit is still on red alert, also alot of the guys that was with him at Fort Knox, is already overseas , so please remember all of the men and women who are there)

MAY THE RIDING BE EASY AS THE HOLIDAYS NEAR, AND MAY YOUR HAPPINESS LAST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

FROM ALL OF US HERE AT 2lmzfarms

Laura, Lamar, Jon Brandon, Tessa, Kasey, Brian, David, Abbye, Emily, Kyle, Josh, Micheal, Brian, and all the critters.

I believe that I'm still alive. There were days when I wondered. lol This crud that I have got has decided to hang around for awhile. It has been passed from one family member to another and then makes it rounds again. The weather here has been wet and cold. The mud makes feeding time rough and the cold makes it miserable. The other day I noticed one of my goats coughing. After checking to see if she had fever, I figured it was just a cold. So I gave her a dose of penn. and gave her 2 ccs of childrens cough medicine. Yes, I give my goats over the counter children's medicine. Some of you may be questioning that move but hey, it works for me and that is what I stick to. Vets would be having a fit if they knew. I know my cuz(the vet) fusses at me all the time. I also went on and doctored the rest of the herd so maybe I caught the stuff in time before every one of them gets sick. With show goats one has to be very careful what they give their goats. I can not injected my goats so every thing is given by mouth. Alot of medicines has long withdrawl times and with over the counter meds, the withdrawl time is very short with the goats. I do write down every thing that is given to my goats and come show time, when the people read my health papers, I do get strange looks. The one and only thing I don't do on the health papers is write down everything I feed. Hey, this is competition, I can't be given all of them hints. Okay, you have twisted my arm. Here is how I feed my show goats. I feed medicated feed, to a 50lb bag, I mix 2 scoops of whole corn, and 2 scoops of black sunflower seeds. So, they are getting a high protein and this really puts the weight on them But it also means more work out time for them for I don't want fat on them, I need muscle. That is why, they either get worked pulling, or on the treadmill. You heard me, a treadmill. I found this one at a yardsale for $1.00. It still works good and does the job. It takes awhile for the goats to understand they have to walk instead of laying down and getting thrown. I let them walk at a normal pace for 20 mintues then let them trot for 10. I have been doing this for a couple of years and found out this is the way to go. Want so funny entertanment just put a goat on a treadmill. If you go this route, remember, NEVER NEVER leave a goat unattended. They could very easily hang theirselves or seriously injury theirselves.

I know that it has been awhile since I last posted or even left comments on my friends sites. I have been sick with some kind of crud. I am better but still feeling a little puny. I did run fever for a couple of days then lost my voice(everyone was jumping for joy on that) then head stopped up and had a bad headache. Today I have felt so much better. Now David and my neice Sam has it. Okay, now to catch you all up to date. Saturday me and my sisters done our annual Christmas shopping. I got home at 5 and then me and all the kids loaded up and went to Ashland to the rodeo. Sam ran barrels and Brian rode bulls. Sam was the first up and did real good. She didn't place but that was okay for her run was picture perfect. Then Brian's time was up. While he was getting in the shoot the bull tried coming out. I was freaking out. I was hollering for Brian to get off. Did he listen, no. Then the shoot opened and the riding started. His bull got into a spin and Brian started dressing up the bull. What is dressing, you ask? Well, it's like trying to get the judges attention to capture more points. While the bull was bucking and spinning, Brian was doddling his head and swinging his arm. When the horn blowed, off he came. I was jumping up and down and hollering. Then we heard his score. It was a 71. I looked up and here comes Brian running over to the fence where I was and got his hug and kiss. The score wasn't high even to win first place but he did get second. Sunday I cooked a big dinner for all the kids. I had some southern cooking going on here. Then all the kids went outside and helped Lamar work on my goats wagon. It was a beautiful weekend with the temps reaching up in the 70's. Monday was another nice day. Along with Tuesday. Tuesday night found all the kids and us playing the game'Scenic'. What a load of fun that was.lol Today started off warm but rain has moved in and the temps are dropping. We are going to a ranch sorting this weekend instead of barrel racing or rodeoing. The weather man is calling for the temps to be very cold along with a chance of snow. What??!!!! SNOW???!!!!! Man, I am sooooooo ready for warmer temps. Wait, didn't I post not to long ago about wanting cooler temps, hmmm........, yea, I'm hard to please.

WHO ARE ALL THESE KIDS AND WHY ARE THEY CALLING ME 'MOM'

I know some of you are wondering exactly how many kids do Boo and me have. Okay, I have 3 kids of my own, Jon Brandon- 19 who is in the military and the one who use(notice, I said use) to rodeo with me, my little bull rider, David- 18 who only rides on trail rides doesn't care too much for anything wild and Emily- 14 who is into sports and is very talented in those too. Now on to Boo, there is Tessa- 28 who is married to Brian and is a school teacher and a very talented artist. Can draw anything or anyone. Kasey- who is 23 and single and looking for that special girl. I didn't give birth to Tessa and Kasey but the love I have for them is just like my own. Now, that leads us to others. There is Kyle, Micheal, Josh, Brian, Amber, BJ, and Mo. They all call me Mom. These 7 kids have found a special place in my heart. They are here at the house everyday and they just make theirselves at home here. I have always wanted a big family and alot of kids. I treat them just like I do my own. They know that Mom has their backs and their backsides if they mess up. I can be a full house when all 12 are here. And just think we only have 3 bedrooms. One nevers knows how many are going to be here in the morning or where you will find them sleeping. lol It's funny how sometimes God does answers our prayers. I wanted alot of kids and was upset when my health and body failed me at that. But God did hear my prayers and gave me those kids. He didn't answer them right then but waited and then answered. They all are great kids. Instead of going out and getting into trouble, one will find them here sitting around the table playing cards or some other kind of game, or at a barrel race , or rodeo, or even in the kitchen cooking up something to eat, then again, one might find them cleaning the house. They don't mind helping me feed or milk. And they all help me ride or work the ponies. So... who are all these kids and why are they calling me'Mom' why, they are my pride and joy. The ones who nestled their way under my boosom and into my heart. They are my kids and makes my heart sing with joy when one says, ' Mom'..........................................................................

AM I LUCKY OR AM I LUCKY?

I have people to tell or even comment on my lifestyle. Nothing bad just that sometimes they just wish they could do what I do or even live my life for one day.(seriously, had a woman tell me that not too long ago). Ok, you want to swap for a day. Here is what you need to do, get up before the rooster even thinks about crowing. Make some coffee, sit down for a few minutes , try to rub the sleep out of your eyes. Cook breakfast maybe throw a load of clothes in the washer or dryer. Then its out to the barn. The feed is mixed in seperate buckets for each animal. Feed the 4 big horses first, then feed the ponies. Now it's time to feed the meat goats and put out hay. Okay back into the feed room. Set your buckets aside and grab the other two. Now go feed the milk goats. Good thing I have dried them off or you would have to milk them. Now run in the house and grab you a quick shower. What!? You think you have time to do your hair and make-up? No way. You better just brush your teeth and throw some clothes on. Now you need to fix your and David's lunch to take to work. Okay grab your purse and lunch and get out the door. While driving to work call Emily and make sure that she is up and getting ready for school. Okay time to come home and start on some housework. Start supper and then run out to the barn and start feeding all over again. Make sure you fix up feed for in the morning. Seriously, I am lucky. I sometimes have to stop and thank my lucky stars for having a wonderful family and life that I actually love. I love doing this wether it is rodeoing or fooling with the animals. Yes, I am lucky. Now, my pocket book doesn't seem so lucky.

WHAT ABOUT THEM COWGIRLS......

You all may remember back in August where I wrote about my neice Sam. She is the one who out ran me at the rodeo. Well, this is her. She just turned 13 and can ride the hair off of a horse. This was taken Saturday night before the rodeo started. Notice the black hat that I'm wearing. During the winter months, one is suppose to wear a black hat and then during the summer months one is suppose to wear a straw hat. Has any of you ever listen to Chris Leduex song ' This Cowboy Hat'? It talks about if you touch this hat you will ride a black tornado. This black hat actually rode a black tornado. It was at my sister's house back in 2001 when the f5 tornado struck here and it survived the tornado. I got one of my friends the other night to reshape the hat. Boy, did it look bad but it regained it shape and Saturday night was back on my head for rodeo. If the hat could talk the stories it would tell. My neice is my pride and joy along with my kids. I love all my neices and nephews but this one is my favorite. She is her Aunie's child. So much like me it is unreal. Oh, Tracey, this is the screaming cowgirl.

Okay here is a picture of Brian that was made at Jackson, TN. He won the bull riding. Talking about gettting some air. This is such a breathtaking sport. All one can do is sit on the sidelines as pray as the shoots open that their little rider will ride for 8 seconds and grab the judges attention to score the best ride. It is a joy when the horn blows and your rider jumps off and waves to his cheering crowd and know that he just gave it his best! This weekend will find us in Ashland, MS. No, I won't be riding, I will be on the sidelines a cheering and praying for my little cowboys! OH, just an update, JB is no longer riding bulls but is helping out behind the shoots. He is also on red alert for right now.

One right, two left, and then home......

Yesterday found me at Pontotoc for the NBHA show. I was runner number 59. I had a crappy run. We hit the first barrel , rocked the second and I told Dass just go on and get the third. Our time was slow and after I had hit the barrel we ended up with a no-time. So....I ended up just giving them $26 for that run. My neice, Sam, hit 2 barrels and she was upset just like I was. I told her not to worry, that was just practice for us , that we would kick tale later on that night. I left the ag center at 4:30, ran by the house to pick up Kyle and Emily. We left there and headed to Houston for the rodeo. I had been there for about 30 mintues when my neice and her dad arrived. Later on everyone else showed up, there was, Lamar, Kasey, David, Josh, Amber and her friend, Theus, Micheal, Charity, Mo, Issac, Amye, Paul, Cee Cee, my sister Jen , JB, Abbye and Brian who rode in the bull riding. Yes, me and Sam had our very own cheering section. Brian was the first one up. He rode the crap out of the bull. He ended up winning the bull riding with a score of 72. JB and Kyle helped pull his ropes. Brian later told me he could hear me yelling over everything else. Yep, I do have a loud mouth.lol Then it was time for my sport. There was 18 runners in the barrels. The first runner's horse fell with her on the first barrel. That really shook me up for I knew the ground was deep. Sam and I rode off so we couldn't see for I was already getting nervous and needed to regroup. She went in before me and hit the second barrel she came out with a time of 15.3 plus 5 added for the knocked over barrel. Then it was my turn. I turned Dass around and spurred and away we went. Going into the first barrel, she slipped with me, I thought we was going down, but I did jerk her head up and then I yelled for her to get up and to the second we went. When we came out of the second, that is when the riding started. I spurred and hollered all the way to the third. When I felt her rating that barrel, I was looking for the gate, spurring, and slapping her to get out of there. I didn't know what my time was but I knew that we just had a hellva run. I have a hard time stopping her but when we did get stopped I got off and walked her back to where Lamar was and that was when I heard my time. It wasn't the best but it was a good one. I actually rode the fire out of my mare. We wasn't a rider and a horse , we was one. I had a time of 15.2. I ended up in 8th place and they only pay the top 5 so that knocked me 3 places out of the money. I out rode my neice. Gottcha Sam!!! Sam and I laughed and hugged and she told me that she had a good time even though she knocked over a barrel. JB then came outside and found me and told me that my run looked really good. Wait, JB just gave me praise?!. Don't get me wrong, he always hollers for me but never, never, said if it was good or not. I have run at several pens so much that I can nearly tell you what my time is going to be. I do know that Houston I run usually 16.3 or 16.5 and I turned a 15.2. Yeah, my mare gave me a hellva of a ride.

Congratulations to MB over at www.day4plus.blogspot.com for guessing what my present was. Yup, I got a 14 ft gooseneck Pondersoa trailer. I was and still sooooooo happy. Now I can haul all over 4 horses easy without stacking them into the bumper trailer like sardines. lol You guys really had some good guesses. I do need a new truck, a new saddle, a new digital camera, a new video camera, and a new rope. Well, I don't really need them, I just have added them on my want list. The way I figure it took me four years to get the trailer so maybe in 20 years I will have everything on my want list. Wait, that is going to put me being 60 by the time I get all these, whew, by that time, I may change my mind. Oh well, it doesnt hurt to wish. Last night we had a house full of kids. I made a big stock pot of deer stew and we had 18 people who ate. After supper, everyone gathered around the table and played cards. It has gotten to where every weekend we have a house full. Most people would fuss about having company over every weekend but I don't mind. As long as they are here at my house I know what my kids are into and who they are running around with. We either play cards, or scenic, or watch ole rodeo videos, or we may do karokoe( now, that's what I'm talking about).
Today is going to find me at a NBHA(National Barrel Horse Assoc) show here in Pontotoc, I will leave there and head out to Houston to the rodeo there. Me and my neice Sam are running tonight at the rodeo. It is going to be weird going and not watching JB but he is coming to support his ole Mama! Just keep your fingers crossed that Dass and me have good runs at both events and leave three barrels standing. It would be nice to win money and points but all I ask of my horses is just give me a good ride. This should be interesting for I am changing spurs today. I usually wear bumper spurs but today I am going to my spurs that have a rawl on the end. I'm hoping that with these we will find another gear and a little faster time. Or we could be asking for trouble. Guess I will just have to wait and find out.lol I will be wearing my ole lucky and favorite purple shirt, JB's belt, my ole boots that have seen better days, wranglers, gotta have longjohns on underneath for it is going to be cold tonight and in my pocket I will carry my Grandfathers buckeye. He carried this one around in his pocket for years and now I have it. I keep it in my right pocket . I always have prayer with Dass and then rub my buckeye and kiss it before I run. Then when my name is called, I run my fingers over it in my pocket and going through the gate I always holler ," Hang on Daddy Jack". I sure wish that my Grandfather was still here today but I know that he is here with me and watching over me. That man could really ride the hairs off of a horse. This man was my world. My dad drove a truck when I was growing up and he was gone alot. My Grandfather was the one who stepped up and was there in my Dad's place. Don't get wrong, I love my Dad with all my heart and still think that he hung the moon( hey, isn't that what all little girls thinks) but I'm sooo thankful that I had such a loving and caring Grandfather that would be there when my Dad couldn't. I can see so much of my Grandfather in my Dad now. His hands are just like Daddy Jacks. The way he gets around, the way he talks, his actions everything is just like my Grandfather's. My Dad is even doing things with my kids. There is just something about Grandparents and grandkids. It's a special bond and I am so lucky to have had a Grandfather and Grandmother like I did. I can't wait till I have Grandkids so I can love them and spoil them like mine did me.