Barn Weddings!

After numerous requests we have decided to bite the bullet and host weddings at the farm.

In fact we already have one booked!

 

We have many options available.

 You can have your ceremony inside our 3600 square foot barn or in our field near the stable.

You can have it all outside or

you can have it all inside.

It's your party!

 

 

The Farmer will be offering hay rides with his vintage 1958 John Deere tractor

up our driveway to the venue.

 

 

Our driveway is picture perfect

 

 The inside of our barn is GIGANTIC

3600 square feet.

This is not our barn, but it is the same shaped roofline

 

 

The possibilities are endless!

 

We have already been busy getting things planned, cleaned and prepped for wedding season!
It is going to be here before we know it.

The lists are long, but we have many friends who have offered to help get things ship shape.

 

If you or someone you know is looking for a place like no other... 

look no further 

 

You can contact me via:
Facebook

Text

or

email me at mrsjlinder@gmail.com

Blessed is me...

Never a dull moment

Oh my, oh my, oh me oh my..

We had a busy busy day today.

I had to be to work at 8.

The kids had a goat seminar for 4h at 9.

The Farmer had to teach a tractor safety class at 1230.

My favorite nephew was playing in his first basketball tournament at 3 and I needed to squeeze in a trip to the dreaded grocery store for milk.

After all our 4h duties were finished Jameson went with The Farmer and Mad stayed with me. 

We headed to Seaside for basketball.

We enjoyed watching the game. That is a lot of running and I was tired just watching them.

I am also surprised at the size of some of those middle school boys.

A couple of them have to be pushing 6 feet!

After the game we headed for Freddies.

At Freddies Madalyn asked if she could get a special treat.

After asking what she wished for I agreed because she wanted her own shower gel.

She chose a blue colored one that smelled of citrus and berries.

She also picked one for Jameson.

She rode home with the shower gel on her lap.

She could hardly wait to get home to get in the shower.

We laughed all the way home talking in funny voices and laughing like villains and witches.

She was cracking me up as usual.

We get home she jumps out, feeds her rabbit and heads for the shower.

While she is showering I get dinner going.

I am sitting at the computer.

The Farmer on the sofa.

Jameson puttering around.

I hear Madalyn coming and she is crying and then this happens:

"Mom, something happened! Something really bad happened"
She is wrapped in a towel and has it covering her face.

I ask her what happened and she lowers the towel.

She SHAVED her eyebrows OFF!

Oh, she has a little left on both; but not much.

I say "oh you shaved your eyebrows off huh", trying not to laugh at her.

"NO I DIDN'T the water was too hard and they JUST came off!" she tells me.

I turn and look at The Farmer and he is looking up at the ceiling also trying not to laugh.

Now, our farm has a lot of strong points, but water pressure isn't one of them.

It defiantly can't remove hair. 

Not even close.

It can barely get all the shampoo out of my hair.

 I tell her that I know that the water didn't do it and its a good lesson for her not to touch things that aren't hers.

She is melting down.
"will they grow back"
"I look hideous!"
"I am NOT going to school"

as she stomps off to her bedroom to get pj's on

"I HATE LIFE" she yells

Laughing..... 

I get dinner finished and she is bawling in her room pushing things and jumping up and down.

Basically she is hysterical.

I tell her she needs to calm down and that it is her fault.

She yells at me that she can't calm down.

And then I yelled.
I know I know I shouldn't.

She joins us for dinner and spends the entire dinner with her hand over her eyebrows.

After dinner she held a paper towel over them.

I tried to take a picture. She wont let me.

She asked what I can put on them to grow them back faster. 

The Farmer suggests drawing them on with a Sharpie.

I suggest bangs.

She asks if the Sharpie will work. It wont.

She agrees to bangs.

All is well now and she will be back in class next week, loving life again with new bangs.

Blessed is me...

P.S. don't mention the shaved brows to her. She is a little sensitive. Ok a lot sensitive

Talk to your kids even when it's hard.

We have had some serious excitement around our house the last couple days.
I received a text from one of Madalyn's friends parents.
"nameless child 1 says Madalyn told her about sex!"
WHAT?! WAIT! NOT MY GIRL
SHE'S ONLY 7 AND WE HAVE NOT TOLD HER ANYTHING ABOUT SEX
SHE STILL BELIEVES IN SANTA!
Thank goodness that mom contacted us!

Apparently a girl on the bus is filling some of the kids in about what she knows or think she knows about sex.
Not just sex, but oral sex!
F%#@%^
MY BABY IS ONLY 7!

After initial panic I chatted with a couple mom friends about how to handle this stressful situation.
They all said the same thing.
"Talk to them and be honest"
I was not ready for this at such a young age.

After a debrief with The Farmer
We had a family meeting and it went like this:
Momma "We would like you to tell us about (nameless child 2) that rides your bus"
Both kids "she isn't nice, she takes peoples things, she says inappropriate things"
Momma "Like what kind of inappropriate things"
Jameson "well she says um you tell her I can't remember" looking at Mad
Momma "you do remember cause you don't forget anything. It's ok to tell us because we need to know"
Madalyn "she says that a daddy licks a mommy's private parts to have a baby"

Now in my head I am FREAKING OUT, but trying to stay calm.
We share that that information is false and that when anyone tells you information that you might think is inappropriate that you need to tell us, their teachers, bus driver.
We inform the babes that they can come to us with any questions, concerns and that they never have to fear being in trouble.
Not ever.

After some more chatting I ask if they have any questions and Madalyn who has her feet on the coffee table says
"why is one of my feet bigger than the other?"
to which Jameson tries to explain
Maybe she was trying to make a stressful chat less stressful?

The world is big and scary and the older I get the more scary I think it is.
I want to wrap my kids in bubble wrap, put them in a bubble in a padded room.
We have got to gain some control on what our kids are hearing and doing.
Even the so called family friendly Disney Channel isn't always safe.
They have kids laying in bed making out.


With texting and social media a whole new element of parenting comes into play.
Communication is key I think.
We HAVE to talk to our kids even when it is hard and uncomfortable.
We HAVE to be their parents not their friends.
I cringe when I hear parents refer to their kids as best friends.
A couple months ago Madalyn was shocked and appalled when I informed her that in fact I wasn't her friend and wouldn't be until she was an adult.
I told her my job as a mom was to make sure that she could grow into a responsible adult and that she has plenty of friends.

Personally, I think some parents tell their kids way to much.
The Farmer and I are very careful with what information we share openly with our kids.
Now this doesn't mean we aren't honest with them when they ask, but we do make sure that we know exactly what they are asking.
I can get way ahead of myself and answer questions that they really aren't asking.
 I also don't think questions have to be answered right away.
It is perfectly fine to tell your kids you need to talk to your spouse and get back to them.
I have an emotional trigger and sometimes I need The Farmer to give me a logical perspective.

This parenting gig is only going to get harder, but we are doing our best.
We are learning as we go and thankful that we have a village to help us process the hard stuff.
My best friend always tells me "it's going to be fine"
She's right
After stressing the entire day yesterday about how our family meeting would go
not only was it fine we started an open communication foundation with our kids.
 After this answering the "is Santa real?" is going to be  stroll in the park!

 Talk to your kids.
Know what they are thinking.
Know who their friends are.
Know who and what they are texting, gaming and posting on social websites.
Stay connected in words face to face.
Even when it's hard.

Blessed is me...

What's your word?

Yesterday I had a client/friend bring in her daughter for a haircut.

While we were visiting she asked me
"do you have a word for 2014?"

I wasn't sure what she meant and asked her to explain.

She picks one word for the entire year to focus on.

Last year she picked

"enjoy"

Enjoy:

Take delight or pleasure in

She wants to enjoy all the moments that are big and small

She wants to enjoy every second with her kids and husband

She wants to enjoy the good and bad moments

It got me thinking yesterday

What would my word be?
Can I even pick just one word?
It stayed with me all day right from my first appointment.

So far I have thought about:

Grace

simple elegance or refinement of movement;
do honor or credit to;
the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings

What if I could be more graceful with my words, thoughts and actions?

What if I could extend more grace to others?

What if I could extend more grace to myself?

Love:

a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person; an assurance of affection;
unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another
What if I could love more fully?

What if I could not just say I loved, but actually acted it out?
What if I loved when I didn't like or I didn't want to?

Action:

The state or process of acting or doing; Something done or accomplished; Manner of movement

Could I put into action all the ideas I have in my head?
Could I get up and get moving?
I want to.

I have a lot of words rolling around in my little head and how can I just choose one for the entire year?
I am really leaning towards grace.

Grace with my kiddos when they are having a rough day.

Grace with The Farmer when he isn't doing something the way I want him to or in my time frame.

Grace with others when plans change

Grace with people I don't know standing in front of me at the grocery store.

Grace for the people who's stories I can only assume, but don't really know.

Grace for myself when I can't get it all done and I have piles of laundry, dishes stacked up and I feed my family a frozen pizza for dinner.

Gracefully keeping my trap shut and my opinions to myself-that's gonna be tough.

I love this concept of picking a word and really acting on it.

This year I choose grace.

Do you want to join me?
Pick a word; any word

Remember it and put it to work.


But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Blessed is me...