And this is normal?

I took this shot the other day.  I was getting some work done on the Ipad and looked up to investigate the silence.  It's very rare that there is silence with the boys in the same room.  You can imagine my wonder to find Judah and William in this pose.  After some questioning, I discovered they were practicing being statues.  Apparently that'e easier if you are standing on the back of the couch!  We all laughed, put aside the work and took some time to practice other statue poses.   "Hey boys, try this one!"  After about 40 mins of giggles and all out belly laughs, it was back to work and them off to some other adventure.   Yes, this is normal....I wouldn't trade these moments for the world.
There are changes in the air at The Reynolds Nation.  We all feel like "something" is just around the corner.  We are anticipating a change and are willing to give it a go.  Moments like this, I'm sure, will keep us grounded and make the journey one to remember!

One step forward two steps back

We are back to the place of decision around The Reynolds Nation. After much prayer and consideration, we have left Soveriegn Grace of Daytona. They are truly great friends and it has been a place for us to heal from some past hurts. So here we are now looking for a church family to call home. We tried a church here locally that is just not going to work for us. We are accustomed to seeing the works of the spirit displayed in present day. This church was full of eye candy and drama. Lights, camera, and action! I am so past the screaming Pastors. So keep the family of seven in your prayers as were make this journey!

Tired Monday from a very busy weekend

WOW!  Now that was a busy weekend.  We are just recovering from a three day weekend.  Saturday was spent finishing some projects around the farm. Alcatraz is complete and finally ready for the chickens to arrive this week!  So by the end of the week we should have the 20 layers in place!
I was also able to complete my second hive inspection with the help of Randy from Zip Tie Ranch.  One hive is doing really well.  The other not so good.  All signs point to a dead queen, which in little time will mean dead colony.  We have taken steps to help them raise a new queen.  We should know by next Saturday.
On Sunday, I sang on the new worship team at church and we served in Children's Church.  A quick drive home then we were off again!  We went to the beach to enjoy the afternoon, celebrating Judah's 4th Birthday.  It was perfect weather beach, which probably accounts for the many pink bodies we have running around the house.  We purchased a pop up canopy to help protect us from the blaring sun.  Then we rushed home to host the actual birthday party for Judah, including his requested Robot Cake!
Then as we woke up yesterday, we figures out that we had nothing planned for the day.  We didn't want to go to the beach again due to the sunburns from the day before, so we decided on having a cookout.  We found some friends who didn't have plans and put together an impromptu BBQ.  We cooked the meat and had everyone else bring a side.  Ended up being quite the party. Everyone had fun and again the weather was perfect.
So another busy weekend behind us as we begin another week!  Tired....but so in love with LIFE!

Another crazy weekend on the farm

Well, yet another whirlwind weekend is coming to a close. We always seem to be non-stop on the weekends here on the farm. It is our one time of the week that we can get a ton of stuff done. It's a lot of work, but it's all part of the fun we are calling life.

Saturday morning I went over to my mom's to help begin the process of moving back. She and my Dad moved in with my grandmother over a year ago to help take care of her. Well, now that my mom has remodeled her house, it is time to get ready to move back in. So Bryn, Esther, and Caleb came with me to all work hard to get a good start on the process. We got a lot done!

Then my mom was gracious enough to watch ALL the kids while Allison and I went on a date. We went to Ikea to get another bookcase and a new bed for the girls. My mom was keeping them overnight, so we got to take our time and relax.

This morning we all went to church, then back home to get some work done around here. I had to work more on the milking stand, plant some tomatoes and some other odds and ends outside. Then it was time to build the girls' new bed. It was fairly easy, especially with help form both the girls. See the pic below.

Then Doby, our newest addition, a dairy goat arrived and was milked immdiatly. Allison's first time went well. We got a quart of fresh goat milk. Doby is a sweet girl and will fit right in here.

Now we're wrapping it up and getting ready for the week.

I'm so happy!

Please excuse the dust!

Apparently google has had some problems with their Blogger site. This page is one of many that was affected by the disturbance. Unfortunately, that means a lot of the recently added changes have been lost. We will have the page back up and running early next week. Thanks for your patience!

It's a crazy balance game

Sitting here wide awake at 11:45, thinking about the crazy balancing trick that we call life. As a nasty virus ripped though our house this week, it was really brought to my attention how delicate it all really is and how dependent we all are on each other, as a family. I mean, if one person goes down, we all feel the effects. Every person play an integral part around here. Allison was sick today ( very rare) and we all just fell apart. So happy she is feeling better.
Then it comes down to the balance of work and home life. By day, I am a well dressed, mild mannered, multi-tasking professional. In the evening and on weekends I turn into homestead man! At times it seems like duel personalities. My passion has always been my family. Whatever I do, there is a direct link to it being for them. I love my work, but really...it's for them. I really love this farm life....but again...for them. I like creating a comfortable atmosphere for them to grow up in. That requires the balance of a well paying profession mixed with a little dirt under the fingernails. It's a balance that can be a bit demanding at times, but a balance I have grown to love!

Painting the hives

Just a quick post to show progress on the hives. They got two coats of paint today. We tossed around a few differet color possibilities, but ended up going with the color of the house trim. No, not because we wanted everything all matchy matchy, but because we already had the paint. That's a lesson we are gradually learning about farming.. Use what you have. To that I would add....as long as it looks good. Can't beat that outta me!!! As you can see from the pics, I had a shadow during the process. It is pretty typical to have a helper on almost any project. I love it.