Pumpkin pie and tired girls

We had a wonderful day of fellowship with friends from church, and made a pumpkin pie! Tonight, Jessie and I were sitting in the kitchen eating a slice, and got pretty corny. The conversation went...

Jessie: This pie is undercooked, isn't it?
Me: Well...it's supposed to be kinda mushy anyways, so it's hard to tell.
Jessie: I was talking about the crust...*pause*...dough-head
*muffled giggles at lame pun*
Me: I was talking about the filling...pumpkin-brain
*dissolving into laughter at our ridiculousness*

Ah, the joys of sisterhood :)

Cutest Video Ever

You can tell when I'm sick and have to stay home from church by the onslaught of blog posts :)

But seriously, this video is TO DIE FOR. This is "Thunder" (the colt born on Friday) following and playing with an adorable little girl from our church.




And here's the video of him being born for those of you who are interested. The birth was pretty traumatic!

More Photo Shoots

I uploaded some more pictures from some recent impromptu photo shoots on my photography blog... www.ATrueFocus.blogspot.com

Here's a couple teaser pictures..... :)

Some awesome music!

Recently, a friend of mine introduced me to ThePianoGuys and their music. All I can say is that after listening to them for about a month, I am completely and totally hooked. Their music is epic, compelling, very fun and easy to listen to, and almost completely free from any sort of secular beat. I say "almost" because some of their songs can get a little bit of beat in them, but not anything obnoxious.

According to them, "We like to put a new spin on classic stuff and a classic spin on new stuff." If you are a fan of cellos and epic classical music (like soundtracks) these guys are fantastic!

Aside from their music, their music videos are outstanding!! The ideas these guys come up with and they way they carry them out is pure genius. I could watch their videos all day!

Just a few days ago, they posted their newest music video. Oh my.....my favorite one yet!! It's a play on the soundtrack to the Bourne series. *disclaimer* I have never seen the Bourne series and have no idea what they're all about, but if they're music is similar to what's in this music video, then at least their music is pretty awesome *disclaimer over*

Enjoy! "Bourne/Vivaldi (Bourne Soundtrack/Vivaldi Double Cello Concerto)"




This is another one of their videos that I think is really neat. They have so many more neat videos on their youtube channel...check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePianoGuys?feature=watch




Oh boy...I also couldn't resist posting this one. This is the one that originally hooked me on their music.

Another baby!

This is our second to last baby of the year!! Sad in a way...but also good...I'm so exhausted!

We had another beautiful healthy colt born at 4:45 this morning!!

His birth was a little traumatic...the normal presentation for a horse is both front feet coming out first (staggered 3-6 inches apart) and then the nose. Well, we only had one foot coming. It took a little while, but I was able to go in and find the other foot and pull it out. God was definitely there with us and this little colt is so special! His little left front foot is especially precious to us :D

Any name suggestions? His daddy’s name was Steam Roller, and he died last July. This is his last baby... The name has to start with “I Am” (since we’re I Am Ranch) and so we’re thinking something like “I Am Steam Roller’s Last Dance” or “I Am Steam Roller’s Last Thunder” or something along those lines. Ideas??

Enjoy the pictures!

 

Sam looks like she's saying, "Yeah...you try doing that."

"Uh, guys?? How do I use these things?"

Meeting his fan club!

Giving David kisses

Our "chefs" (Mrs R and Anna) made a wonderful breakfast of biscuits and gravy (with watermelon!) that we enjoyed out at the barn.

We're tired...what else can we say? Well, actually, we're pretty goofy even when we're not tired.... *chuckle*

This baby boy is so relaxed!! Check out the position he's sleeping in!

Hugs!! He's so crazy little.

Totally goofy....all boy ;)

Animal Photo Challenge

I am SO grateful to Sadie at SadiesPhotographyBlog.blogspot.com for hosting wonderful photo challenges...the only problem is that she picks exactly the things that I love shooting. And that means I have a whole bunch to choose from!!

This time around is "animals". Yeah. I have lots and lots of animals :) But I was able to narrow it down to a few of my more creative shots.

Tell me which one(s) you like!

A litter of Papillon puppies!! They are the cutest and funnest dogs!

One of our baby birdies :D

"Sir Winsabuck" World Grand Champion Single Pleasure Driving stallion (miniature that is)

This picture is super special to me. This is my big horse, Chief, who I got when I was 11 and just sold about a year and a half ago. Technically, I trained him, but he also trained me in so many ways. I still miss him so much and dream of riding him again one day. 

This shot is SO him. He had that funny little worried look sometimes, especially above his one blue eye. Everything in this picture spells "CHIEF" from the dirt stains on his face to the bridle I showed him in for years...it was taken the day we sold him.

One of our gorgeous Lab pups!

JACK! Adorable baby mini!!

Bri...a little mare that we are selling. We did a shoot of her a couple days ago and I just love how this picture turned out.

Hey Vaca Lena...working cowhorse/reining horse. Amazing gelding that I got to photograph because the owner (friend of ours) was selling him. Super cool horse!

So there you have it! Tell me which one I should pick to enter :D

Live Web Cam

So...would you like to see a foal born on live web cam? We now have our barn cameras live online, and you can watch our pregnant mares!

http://www.ustream.tv/channel-popup/iamranch

Just click on the above link. Ch 3 and Ch 4 are on the same mare - Sam - and she is the next one due to foal. Ch 1 and Ch 2 are on Pearl with her brand new foal.

Join the fun and marestare with us...and who knows? If you happen to be watching at just the right time, you may see a whole passel of us invade the stall and birth out a new foal!

Video of our new foal being born

Here is the video of the new baby's birth!! Be sure to watch till the end...she is running around in our front yard. She is SO adorable and I am head over heels in love with her.

Any name suggestions?? I'm thinkin' "Freckles" because of the little specks on her back, but no one else in my family likes that. haha

Another little darlin'

Praise God...we had another beautiful, healthy, red and white filly born here at 11:30 this morning!!! Another textbook delivery and everyone's doing awesome!

The delivery team!

Her first attempt at standing!

She surprised David by jumping in his lap :D

Chico the chicken had to jump in and help

And she enjoyed her first afternoon out in our front yard!

Is death really that bad?

Not to be morbid or anything, but lately I've been doing a lot of thinking about death. When one thinks of someone dying, it normally brings to mind an ending, a finish to our life here. It brings to mind sadness, black clothes, a funeral.

But, as Christians, is that really how we should think of death?

You always hear pastors say at funerals that "they're in a better place," "we have a living hope," you know...the cliche phrases that at the time don't seem to help at all. But, between reading Randy Alcorn's Heaven, John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and Ecc. 7:1, I've become convinced that death really is not a sad thing at all.

That is, unless you're unsaved. Then it's sad and scary. But for now, I'm only dealing with those who are saved.

In Heaven, Alcorn portrays Heaven as such a real and such an amazing and enjoyable place, that it made me really, really want to go there and see it for myself! So often, I think we visualize Heaven as a palace in the clouds with gold streets and angels on harps singing perpetual hymns. Boring, right? Who wants to live in a golden city? Give me a green rolling countryside with a cabin, a stream and some horses!

versus

Alcorn argues that God would not have created earth as a physical place full of beautiful physical things, tell us that Heaven is going to be even more beautiful than anything we can ever imagine (1 Cor. 2:9), and then make it a boring disembodied spirit world. The most beautiful, dark, cool wooded forest with a roaring waterfall in the background will be even more real and more beautiful there. Everything we do and enjoy here (that is God-honoring of course) will be there in an even better and more "real" way. The same people, the same wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ will be there fellowshipping and worshiping God! Forever! (try to wrap your brain around "forever" or "eternity." Ouch)

 After reading Heaven, I was starting to get really excited about going there one day. Like really, really excited! But I was still thinking about it as something new that will begin after we die.

Then, our pastor made a statement and I read Pilgrim's Progress...and my view changed. Our pastor said that "our eternal life starts the moment we are born." John Bunyan describes death as crossing a river. In fact, he never even calls it death. It's only ever spoken of as Christian crossing the river into the Celestial City. I thought, "What a neat, neat (Biblical) way to think of it!"

In Pilgrim's Progress, Christian and Hopeful come to the River, and as they stand there looking at it, they see that there is no bridge over it. The only way to get to the Celestial City is to go right through the River. Afraid of the depth, they ask the angels how deep it is, and they reply, "you shall find it deeper or shallower, as you believe in the King of the Place.”

So, they bite the bullet, and down into the river they go. It is a rough crossing. Christian begins to despair, thinking that the waters are going to go over his head and drown him. Hopeful encourages him with Isaiah 43:2 "When thou passest throgh the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee."

They make it over the river, and as they clamber out on the other bank and head towards the city, they are received by the Shining Ones (angels). Listen to how Bunyan describes their entrance:

"Now I saw in my dream that these two men went in at the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured, and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There were also that met them with harps and crowns, and gave them to them—the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honour. 

"Then I heard in my dream that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them, “ENTER YE INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD.” I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice, saying, “BLESSING, AND HONOUR, AND GLORY, AND POWER, BE UNTO HIM THAT SITTETH UPON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LAMB, FOR EVER AND EVER” (Rev 5:13).

"Now just as the gates were opened to let in the men, I looked in after them, and, behold, the City shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with gold, and in them walked many men, with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises withal. There were also of them that had wings, and they answered one another without intermission, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord” (Rev 4:8). And after that, they shut up the gates; which, when I had seen, I wished myself among them."

I was wrong all along. Death isn't an ending at all. It is merely one more obstacle to overcome on our way to paradise. A river to cross and then you go right on living...but living in perfection. Depending on your level of faith and trust in Christ, it may be a more or less difficult obstacle to overcome, but once you're over it, then that's it! It's behind you and now starts something better than anything you've ever, ever known or imagined.

I told my mom today, "You know, if I died, it really wouldn't be sad at all." And as sad as it may seem to the person/people left behind, it will only be a few short years and then you're back together again...forever! It's just like the other person moved away for a few years and you're going to move there soon. And the place where you're moving is PERFECT and BEAUTIFUL!!

So, it's really no wonder that the Bible says "A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one's birth." (Ecc. 7:1) The day of our birth merely starts our earthly life, but the day of our death starts the day of the best, best part of our life!!

Everything we do here is in preparation for that life. And everything that we do here will have an effect in that life...just like it does here. "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." (1 Cor 3:12-15)

Do you want to merely escape the flames by the skin of your teeth....have your works all burn up and you escape? Or would you rather be doing works now that will survive the fire and bring a reward?

God has just made it SO real to me that, for the believer, death is not something bad at all. I could see being jealous of the person who already gets to be in Heaven! Death is not something to be afraid of or sad about, it is a cause for rejoicing!!