Ninth + Tenth Weeks of 2019

I took the ninth week of the year off from posting to the blog. So, this week’s recap is a two-fer. 😉

Week Nine

February 25, 2019

I’ve been seeing (and hearing) the same message everywhere the past few days. When that happens my ears prick up (like Cash’s here) and I pay attention because I wholeheartedly believe those repeating messages are God whispers. You know – things He subtly sets in front of us to guide and teach us.
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Anyway…
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Remember last week when I said I’d been feeling lost? Well, look what he showed me in the following 48 hours after I shared that…
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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
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“Be still, and know that I am God.” from Psalm 46:10
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And that doesn’t even include all the encouraging comments I received on that post reminding me to trust in His timing, friends.
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Wow, right?!

February 26, 2019

Today is going to be jam packed with all the things…
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I kicked it off by finishing up the Tom’s Steak Rub (TSR) e-cookbook, which will be released to all TSR customers next week. I’m getting ready to head out and hay horses. Then it’s off to town for some much needed grocery shopping, and more importantly, an emergency(ish) dentist appointment for Tagg.
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She’s always had less than stellar teeth with next to no enamel, so last year, she had crowns put on her four top front teeth. On Sunday night, I noticed that it looked like one of her teeth had popped through the bottom of it’s crown.
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Upon closer examination, I found that it had in fact come through the crown. And in questioning her I found out how it happened…
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Tagg: “I was trying to eat a piece of cow cake and my tooth broke.”
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Me: 😳😬
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File under – “You might be a ranch kid if…” 😂
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Also, how cute is the photo?!

February 27, 2019

This photo has nothing to do with what I’m about to say. I just like it, that’s all. Now on to the meat of the matter…
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My husband, Mr. FFB – the man who heartily dislikes ham roast, ham steak, and deli ham – likes canned ham. Here all this time I thought I knew him, only to find out this morning that he quite enjoys SPAM.😱
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Loves SPAM, hates ham – that’s strange, right?!

February 28, 2019

I woke up this morning with “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen stuck in my head. So, on the way to the bus stop, I blasted it on Pandora and sang it as loud as I could. My kids were super impressed, but I didn’t care because it was just what I needed to get the day started.
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Mr. FFB had made me a breakfast burrito, wrapped it up in foil, and handed it to me as I headed out the door. When I unwrapped it, I found the sweetest note written on the inside of the foil. He might look a little rough around the edges, but he’s seriously the most thoughtful person I know.
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Taggert had preschool today, so I set up shop at the gas station in town as per the usual because they have free coffee and 80s tunes on the radio. Today they had something new – a warm restroom. They put a space heater in their notoriously cold restroom and it. was. glorious.
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Tagg and I caked cows when we got home and enjoyed the sunshine and the 30-degree day. We bounced back toward home and when I stopped to shut the gate, I saw my gloves on the back of the pickup. I’d left them there when I stopped for a potty break an entire pasture prior and both of them were still there. It’s truly a miracle.
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Oh and, I found this picture on my camera. I took it the other day and kind of forgot about it, but also kind of love it. Those frosty tails in the cake line are 🙌
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Moral of this story is that nothing spectacular happened today. It was just your average Thursday really. But those days that you find the extraordinary in the ordinary – those are absolutely my favorite!
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What extraordinarily ordinary made your day today?

March 1, 2019

I was driving back from the bus stop this morning and this scene struck me.
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It’s been cold here. Not as cold as some places, but let’s just say I can’t remember the last time we saw freezing. And it’s been mostly cloudy, sometimes foggy, and down right dreary on top of being cold. But the last couple of days we have had a little bit of sun.
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See the hills there on the left – that’s their north face, i.e. away from the sun. And those there on the right – that’s their south face, i.e. toward the sun.
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Notice how there’s almost no snow left on the hills facing the sun and quite a bit left on those facing away from it.
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Even though it hasn’t made it above freezing, the little bit of sun we’ve had has drastically changed the hills facing it. Which struck me because if just a little bit of sun can do that to the hills, imagine how drastically a little bit of the Son can change our hearts if we simply turn our faces toward Him.

Tenth Week

March 4, 2019

We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled ranch photos to bring you this photo (that I’m super excited about) from the FFB kitchen. You guys, I’m so excited because I got to work with Dorothy Lynch to create a recipe!!! #ad
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Dorothy is VERY near and dear to my heart. Dorothy takes me back to my grandma’s kitchen, where I can almost hear her saying, “Be sure to get the refrigerator shut – Dorothy’s dressing in there.”😂
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Grandma was quite the jokester and she always had Dorothy on the table, especially in the summer to drizzle over her homegrown, fresh-outta-the-garden lettuce.
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But the truth is – Dorothy isn’t just for salad. These short ribs are evidence of that, if I do say so myself. 🤤
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For the full the recipe, click HERE.

March 5, 2019

I let out a huge sigh as I was putting my boots on to go out and start the pickup before bus stop this morning. Mr. FFB asked me was wrong to which I replied, “Nothing. I’m just trying to get my mind right.”
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I was taking the long flatbed trailer into town to pick up some supplies. And if I’m being honest, I wasn’t excited about it.
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I mean, I don’t mind driving the trailer when there are wide open spaces and zero audiences. But the thought of maneuvering the trailer around town to get the supplies, groceries, and drop Tagg off at preschool just wasn’t what I wanted to do. Just thinking about getting in and out of the tiny church parking lot for preschool drop-off and pick-up makes me sweaty.
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But I read in my devotion (Jesus Calling) just this morning that we need to make friends with the problems in our lives. Problems can teach and transform us into who we were created to be, or they can trip us up. And the choice is ours – we can choose to trust Him and be transformed, or we can defy Him and stumble every time.
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So, in my sigh, I was trying to get my mind right and make friends with the problem. And so far, the trailer and I – we’re getting a long smashingly (figuratively, not literally). Basically, we’re besties.
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And I realize this photo has nothing to do with this story. I just really like it, that’s all.

March 7, 2019

The kids are on spring break… or something like that.
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It is in no way spring-like here. It’s cold and currently cloudy with a fresh blanket of the white stuff on the ground. We’re stuck inside for fear of freezing our faces off. And blanket forts are the name of our game.
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So, I’m throwing it back to the other day when it was still frigid, but at least we had the sun.
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Plus, I love a good cake line photo. Don’t you?

March 8, 2019

Today is International Women’s Day – a day to celebrate the achievements of women.
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On this day, and every day, it is my prayer that God guides my husband and I in raising these two beautiful little girls in such a way that they never lose their spunk, sass, and zest for life.
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I want them to know that with a little hard (sometimes thankless) work and a whole lotta prayer, they can achieve anything they set their minds to – and I do mean an.y.thing.
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And most importantly, I want my girls to grow up grateful for everything that life throws their way – the good, the bad, the folks who cheer them on, and especially those who don’t.
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Happy International Women’s Day to all of my fellow women and the forces that help drive them!