THANKFUL THURSDAY........

I'm gonna try every Thursday and do a post on one of my kids. This is Emily , she is the baby of all the kids and she will be 15 next Tuesday. Man, where did the years go.? It's hard to believe that this wee lil one is growing up on me. She has all the older kids wrapped around her little finger.lol Being the baby of the family has it's pro's and con's. The good side is someone always has your back, you get away with more than the older siblings did for they have done broke in the parents, all you have to do is point and say I want and the older ones get it for you. The con's are forget bring boyfriends home for the older ones runs them off, being told repeatly that your too young to do that, wearing hand-me-downs(really a good thing), parents being broke to send you to college for the older ones have done took it all.lol She is really a great kid, and I think she's beautiful. She loves to play soccer and runs on the cross country team. Her team was the state champs this year!!!! WOO-HOO

THE AMERICAN DREAM.....

Has anyone ever told you that you was living the American Dream? I have and I keep looking back to see who exactly they are talking to. Am I living the American Dream? I don't know. What is the American Dream? I believe I read one time where it was to have 2.5 kids. Ok, scratch me on that one, my gosh, there is 6 kids total here, or last time I counted. Anyway, how in the world does one have .5 kids? As far as the A.D. income, ha, I wouldn't even come close. According to the irs, I live below poverty level. I make only a total of 22,000.00 a year and that's on a good year. That's both of our incomes combined. Is that the income for the A.D.? What about cars? How many is the A.D. suppose to have? There is 7 vechiles here. Yup, 7. And sometimes they all won't run at the same time.lol What about houses? What does the A.D. house look like? Mine is just a small 3 bedroom, 2 bath cedar house with clothes, dirty might I add, piled up everywhere. Ok, only in the laundry room but still they are dirty. 3 bedrooms with 6 kids, hmmmm.... can get very interesting around here and some fighting as to who gets the other 2 beds and who gets the couches, recliners and floors. Oh, I have counted 15 people at one time staying the night. Does the A.D. say anything about mucking the stalls, having dirty between your toes, hay stuck in your clothes and hair, goats running everywhere, and I mean everywhere, getting up at 4:30 in the mornings to start the day, milking goats, feeding the horses, then riding the horses, not going out to eat but only and I stress only special occasions? How about having 20, yes, 20 pairs of boots from the back porch to the carport to the front porch to even inside the house? I counted them. What about being out in the field working while everyone else is laying around a pool or some where on vacation? Ok, I have a pool and a hot tub but I don't get to LAY around. Oh what about having 4 boys setting their sights on their guns and scarring the hipie jibbies out of you? Is this life I am living the American Dream? Sometimes I thing it's a nightmare.lol Or a punishment. lol This is the only way of life as I know it so maybe it is the American Dream. I sure don't know any other way of life. Oh sure I dream about having money and going and doing but then reality sets in and I listen and watch other people. I sorta enjoy my life. So if this is the American Dream , damn, I'm doing good.

HURRICANE GUSTAV

As you all know, my son Jon Brandon is on the Coast helping with this hurricane. I haven't talked to him but I have been commucating with him through text messages. He said that they are all bunked in an warehouse with no air or anything. He has been getting up around 3 in the morning and helping with the knock knock program. This is where he goes door to door getting people out of their homes and getting them to shelters. He stated that one man got ugly and told him that he had been their for 35 years and he was not leaving. Last night, they all retreated back to ride the storm out. I do know that they have had alot of tornados during the night and today. My ex- brother-in-law lives down in Gulfport and he lost his house in a tornado last night. His wife and 3 kids were at her parents house in Jackson but he stayed behind. He is fine but according to my ex they lost everything. Jon Brandon sent me a text tonight stating that he was fine and the weather has been rough but everything was ok. They were having some flooding but not like they had thought it would be. He said he didn't know when he would be able to call me but he would just as soon as he has some down time. He said he didn't know when he was coming home but not to worry. Ha, like I'm not going to worry. I'm thankful that things didn't get as bad as they thought. It seems like Gustav was a little calmer than Katrina. I know people down on the coast are still trying to get things rebuilt after Katrina and now it seems like they are having to take several steps back instead of forward. Today the weather here has been cloudy and very windy. We are getting rain now from the storm hopefully there will be no tornados here from it. That's the only thing we have to contend with here where I live is the tornados spawning off of this storm. It looks like for the next 5 days we are going have to deal with alot of rain. Ok, I can deal with that. I think. Jon Brandon, please take care of yourself. I know you are doing your job and I'm very proud of you. I miss you and love you.

FUN FRIDAY.....................

Here is a picture of the boys saddling up their mules for a ride.

TO PROTECT AND SERVE......

I guess you all have been watching the weather and wondering where this new storm is going to hit. I know I have . Jon Brandon got the call yesterday to start getting his things together for it was time for him and his unit to go out to protect and serve. I don't really know at this time where he will be, it could be in Alabama, or here in Mississippi, or in LA, or even Texas. They pull out at 6 am in the morning headed out. I know he will be helping people evcuate, and patroling the streets. He will have stay before, during and after the storm. I have a favor to ask this of you if you are one of the ones in the path of this storm, if you see my child(his picture is on the right side) please listen to him, don't give him a hard time. He is only doing his job which is to help you and make sure that you and yours stay safe. He will be polite and show his true southern gentleman ways but if you push him, well, his mama comes out in him then. And we all know how I am.lol He will show you compassion and be understanding. And if you are one of the lucky ones to come face to face with my child, could you do me a great big favor? Would you please give him a hug and tell him I love him and I'm praying for him and each and everyone of you.

THE MAN.......

As you all are aware, I raise Boer goats and also have a few dairy goats. I thought I would show you the BIG MAN here at 2 lmz farms. We call him Joey and he is a registered boer billy. He is only 4 years olds. Ain't he something.!? He likes to act like he's hot stuff but really just a big ole baby. I do breed him with my dairy goats only cause I have found out that breeding a boer to a dairy goat will throw out some wonderful meat goats and they do very well in the show ring for market goats. I try to really take care of them, they get feed twice a day with special feed and supplements, they are wormed every 21 days, and they have their hoofs trimmed on a regular basis.

SWEET CHILD OF MINE.....

This sweet child of mine turned 21 the other day. I often sit and wonder where did the days and years go. Why did he have to grow up? I watched him grow up and turned into one of the most responsible, handsome, caring, and loving man that he is today. When he was little he could tell you every kind of John Deere tractor there was. Then one day he was grown and driving those John Deere tractors, to climbing onto the back of those bucking bulls, to falling in love with the most beautiful red-head girl, to accepting the call to defend this country. He went from being Mama's little rug rat to being my best friend and now I'm proud to say, MY HERO. I'm blessed to have such a son as he is, this SWEET CHILD OF MINE.........................