WHIP POPPING FUN ~ Celebrating 20 Years!

The Polk County Youth Fair celebrated 20 years of showcasing the Florida Cracker or Cowman with their 20^th anniversary of the Whip Popping Contest.  This year Robert was asked to return as a special guest demonstrator to show what it took to win 20 years ago.   It was wonderful to see him back in the same arena doing what he did 20 years ago and watching him wow the crowd in his own way.

The contest has certainly changed some.  The kids popping the whips are more “showy”; one boy even did a flip.  I was impressed by all the contestants and proud to see that the kids that won had whips made by my husband through his Moccasin Whips and Artwork page.  As exciting as the showmanship and “flashy” whip popping was, in a way it saddened me some too.  Something is lost when it’s all about flash and not about technique and the REAL reason cowboys in Florida were called Florida Crackers. 

What was amazing to some of the kids was that Robert stood with his hand in his pocket, and made the whip sound just as loud as a gunshot, maybe even louder than their pops all the while standing still.  He popped the whip just as he would if he was sitting on our mare.  Robert popped the whip the way he did 20 years ago, and once again won the crowd.  He wasn’t flashy, overly showy, or entertaining.  He was simply a Florida Cowman doing what he does best, showing his craft as a Florida Cracker.   

Working his magic with the whip.

LOVE his hand in his pocket!

Getting a big thanks from Cari Lightsey.

As always, I sat and watched my husband in awe. To me he is simply amazing in his simplicity and the masterful way he has hones his craft, a true Florida Cowman. 

Congratulations to all the winners at the fair.  Congratulations on 20 years of showing off a dying Florida art, the art of the Florida Cracker.  More than that, congratulations to my amazing husband for showing the world that it’s really the simple way of the cowboy that  makes someone a winner!

JACOB IS ONE!

I can’t believe it has been a year since our precious Jacob Alexander arrived!  Time has certainly flown, faster than I wanted it to for sure.  My precious miracle baby just turned a year old.  Part of me sat and watched the day in surreal wonder, I was questioning every how can he really be a year old!

I must admit that I wasn’t as organized planning Jacob’s party as I should’ve been.  In all honesty, coming off the three birthdays, our anniversary, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, I was thinking it was time for a break.  So when I looked at the calendar and realized Jacob’s birthday was less than two weeks away, I did go into panic mode.  BUT, I think that his birthday turned out perfectly, in spite of my lack of party planning with this party.

I was looking at a Little Monster theme, but we settled for a Construction theme, mainly because I had a TON of construction themed toys since he does have three older brothers, and it made party decorating that much easier.  Of course I browsed Pinterest and made the invitations and party decorations.  Since I had time slip away from me, I had Maggie take Jacob’s first birthday photos and I think that everything turned out perfectly.  From his matching cloth diaper and birthday shirt to using the boy’s dump trucks, the party décor and theme was one that worked together perfectly for this time crunched mama.

The special birthday outfit.  Love that his diaper matches too!

Mama and Walgreens have been crafty crafty!

I think the invitations are adorable!

We opted to have Jacob’s party at Crystal Lake Play Park in Lake Wales. It was the perfect setting.  He was able to play and run and be super happy in the cool Florida weather.  We didn’t open gifts at the park, Robert didn’t want to deal with that mess, so we took everything home and it worked out perfectly.  Jacob was too busy swinging, running after his brothers, and playing in the dirt to take time out to open presents anyway.

First birthday photo shoot fun with sister.

The photos used to make the tablescape for the party!

More than the perfect birthday for my rainbow baby, Jacob’s birthday is a reminder that there is joy that can follow a tragedy, there is always a reason to celebrate, and more than that, we serve a mighty and loving God!

HAPPY 1^st BIRTHDAY JACOB!!! We love you and are so happy to have you here with us!

MY PLANS

I did have big plans for today.  The kiddos and I were going to go to Youth Fair and watch the showing of some friends of ours show their heifers.  We were going to have a picnic and enjoy the cool Florida air before it gets so hot again that picnics aren't enjoyable.  I was going to come home to a picked up house and supper simmering in the slow cooker and finish folding laundry.  Then I was going to load pictures from Jacob's first birthday and our week at Youth Fair.  I was even going to do a blog post or two about our end of January adventures.  Those were my plans for today; they didn't happen.


Instead of having my plans come to fruition, I spent the night up and down with a baby that is getting sick.  Today I was in my pajama's until 1:30 because the baby would sob hysterically if anyone but Mama held him.  It's 1:55 and he has already had two naps and is working on his third, all on me.   Supper isn't simmering away, morning dishes aren't done, and the laundry is still in the basket waiting to be folded.  Today, the rocking chair is my place to be.  My plans have been forgotten and that's fine with me.

Here I am, rocking my sick baby at noon in my pajamas.  This folks is as real as it gets.  

I wouldn't trade this for the world!!!

You see, I started 2015 off deciding I needed to choose a word, and i felt like God was calling me to choose TRUST.  If I am living by this, then today was not a mistake and rocking my sick baby is just what I am supposed to do.  If I'm trusting God, the rocking chair is the perfect place for me to be in.

No, my plans didn't happen today, but God's plans did.  I choose to trust Him in the good and the bad.  Now I need to go, I've got some more snuggling and rocking to do.  

SONLIGHT 25th ANNIVERSARY PARTY ~ Month One

Welcome to my Sonlight Blog Party!  Every month on the 25th of the month I will be celebrating along with Sonlight their 25th anniversary!  Yes, this company has been tried and proven for 25 years.  It is a staple of the homeschooling community and one that I am proud to use!

This month we are kicking off the party with a little introduction.  Allow me to introduce you to my family.  We began the homeschooling journey four years ago in January.  At that time I began to research what I wanted to use to teach my children.  I KNEW that I wanted them to develop a life long love of learning and not be stuck using a lot of textbooks.  This fact is what drew me to Sonlight like a magnet.  I am so glad that I chose this curriculum.  We have been using it since August of 2011 and I don't see us turning back.

We started off using Cores "P 3-4", "B", and Core "F".  We are now preparing to order Cores "E" and "100".  Time has flown by and the love of learning has been inspiring.  Not only do the children not realize that they are learning, but they incorporate the books into their everyday lives.  From the beginning, Maggie, John Robert, and Ethan have all flourished using Sonlight.  As we prepare to look at the curriculum that we need for next year, the one thing that all the children ask for is their Sonlight reading.  

So please join us as we celebrate what Sonlight has promised us, a love of learning!  Can't wait to celebrate with you next month!

SONLIGHT ~ What We Use to Homeschool

I LOVE Sonlight  and their many books and products.  They make our homeschooling journey so much easier.  Being a busy Mama with five little ones running around, easy is what I need!! 

Right now, Sonlight is doing something totally amazing.  They are celebrating their 25th Anniversary with an AWESOME give away.  They are giving away a year's worth of free curriculum.  Yes, you read that correctly, you can win a year's worth of FREE books and be amazed at what Sonlight can do for you and your family.  Have you always wanted to try homeschooling but been scared to?  Then this is the chance for you to break out and enjoy the journey!

Check out the Mom to Mom link and register today.  I promise it is a journey that you and your family will love and never forget!

TWENTY YEARS

Twenty years ago, I was a young girl who was a Junior in high school and thought that I was in love with the most amazing boy in the world.  Twenty years ago I stood in the arena of the Polk County Youth Fair in Bartow, FL and watched that amazing young man show what he knew about being a 6th generation Florida Cracker, a real Florida Cowboy.  He stood humbly in front of a panel of old cattlemen judges, Cari Lightsey, Glen Stokes, Mac Padgett, and Tim Barber, two who have since passed away, and did what he did best; pop a cow whip.  Twenty years ago he won that contest.  Twenty years ago I was so proud, he was my sweetheart.

 Today we got a phone call from one of the original judges, Cari called and said that they want Robert to return to Youth Fair and the Whip Popping Contest.  They want him to do another demonstration, this time on his horse to show how a true Florida Cracker uses a whip to work cows and deal with life on  a ranch.  They also want to honor Robert, the first ever winner of the Polk County Youth Fair that took place all of twenty years ago.


 Today I am a mature woman who married that amazing boy and have raised a family.   I have watched that young boy learn at the feet of Tim Barber how to make buckskin and build a cow whip in the true Florida Cracker style.  I have watched him teach this to his own children, passing down the legacy of the Florida Cowman to the next generation, not only how to pop a cow whip but how to make true buckskin and how to braid cow whips.  All of this has happened in a span of twenty years.  In spite of the time lapse, I still see myself as that young girl who stood in the arena of the Polk County Youth Fair and watched that amazing young man pop his cow whip for all the see.  I am also more in love with him than I imagined, all because of who he was and what he has become.  

Making buckskin to make a cow whip.

Getting all five of his kiddos in on the action.

The finished whip.

Some nylon whips that he has braided.

Teaching one of his boys how to pop a whip.

This was Ethan at 2 years old.

Twenty years ago, Robert won a contest for being who he is, a Florida Cowboy.  Twenty years later on Monday, January 26, 2015; he will be honored for being who he is, an amazing Florida Cowman who has now become a whip builder himself.  Once again I will be in the arena stands cheering him on, this time with help from our children, family, and friends.  I am honored to be Robert's wife and can't wait to see what will happen to us in another twenty years.

A BETTER US ~ Menu Planning for All!

We are now in 2015, a blank slate.  Every day we are given the chance to write a new page in the chapter that is January of 2015.  As the organizer of our home, I am purposing to make our lives easier, more organized, flow more efficiently and in general make this the best year for our Best Family.  One of the ways that I am accomplishing this is jumping in full throttle with menu planning all of our meals. 

My sister-in-law introduced my sister and me to the concept of menu planning a few years back.  I have enjoyed the stability, continuity, and ease of life that menu planning our supper meal has afforded us.  This year, though, I decided that I needed to organize our morning and afternoons too.  While I don’t plan snacks, I now plan breakfasts and dinners (lunches).  This small change has brought about phenomenal results in our life.  No more are kiddos asking what they can eat or what is there to eat in the house.  Instead, the head to the fridge check out the menu and then go and look in the pantry, fridge, or freezer and have fun creating their culinary masterpieces.  Our breakfast and dinner menus stay the same for the month; I have found that it is easier to shop that way.  Our supper menu changes weekly with a few theme nights staying consistent, such as Monday nights being breakfast nights.

This little change has been a huge blessing for our family.  So, because I know you are all quaking with anticipation; here is our January Menus.

BREAKFAST of JANUARY 2015

Sunday: Cinnamon Rolls

Monday: Scrambled Eggs

Tuesday: Grits/Oatmeal/Cereal

Wednesday: Waffle Wednesday

Thursday: Grits/Oatmeal/Cereal

Friday: Egg-In-A-Hole

Saturday: Big Family Breakfast

DINNER (LUNCH)of JANUARY 2015

Sunday: Family Dinner

Monday: Macaroni and Cheese and Veggies

Tuesday: Sandwiches

Wednesday: Chicken Salad

Thursday: Sandwiches

Friday: Chicken and Pasta

Saturday: Sandwiches

SUPPER (DINNER) Week of JANUARY 11-17 2015

Sunday: Spaghetti with Garlic Bread / Salad / Apple Pie

Monday: Eggs / Corn Beef Hash / Breakfast Potatoes / Biscuits

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (Venison Tacos with all the fixings!)

Wednesday: Chicken and Stuffing Casserole with Veggies

Thursday: Onion Soup and Garlic Bread

Friday: Chicken Devein and Chicken and Yellow Rice

Saturday: Potato Soup and Cornbread

There you have it, our monthly meals and the suppers for this week.  Meal planning is an invaluable tool for my family, one that I can’t believe I lived so long without! 

NEW YEAR~ NEW WORD

The New Year is here.  It is a time for people to set new goals and create New Year Resolutions.  This is a time for new beginnings, new adventures, and fresh starts.  We are now in 2015 and this is a blank slate waiting for us to write the story of our life.   For me, it is time to pick a new theme for the year, one word that I want to remind me of what I need to do, grow, and become as I live in the adventure of my life in 2015. For 2015, my chosen word is TRUST.

One would think that I would have mastered the ability to fully trust that God has my future and the very best for me.  But, if I'm being totally honest, trust is something that I struggle with daily.   I have been hurt, my life hasn't gone as I want or planned, and some days the path that I have been called to walk down just seems too hard.  There are moments when just breathing hurts, especially when life throws so many curve balls and hurts even my children.  Yes, mastering the art of total trust is something that I readily struggle with, and I want 2015 to be different.

This year, I want to trust God more.  I want Him to direct me in all choices.  I want Christ to have total control of my heart, I want Him to mold me into His image.  If this is what I want, than I have to be willing to trust in the process that Christ has for me.  I have to be willing to walk the path that He is calling me to walk, even when I can't see where I am going and don't understand why I am being asked to walk where I am being called.  I want to remember that God is more concerned with my holiness than my happiness and that being molded into His image will sometimes hurt, but is always worth it.  I want to trust, fully and totally trust because I know that in the end, I will soar and be totally free in Christ.

For 2015, I want to fully trust God.  I want to totally be in the moment of today with Him, trusting Him with everything.  I know that I will stumble.  I know that I will have good days and that I will have bad days.  More than that, I know that as I set out to fully and totally trust God with my life, He will make a story that is so stunningly beautiful I will wonder why I struggled  to trust at all.