Future Post - Inquiring Minds Segment!

Most of you probably read here about my upcoming absence and why.  I wanted to get a couple blog posts done for the future and I was struck with an idea early this morning!  It entails some help from all of you though!

I thought it might be interesting for me to post a list of questions to Milton and PV and then share the post.  I need some help from you all in what type of questions you would be interested in.  My friend over at COUNTRY LINKed recently did this post with her daughter taking a tour of their farm. It was an inspiration for this!

So please comment here or on our Facebook page with questions you might like to know the answers to from Milton, PV, or I!  Farming questions, being raised on a farm, what type of hobbies we like, you ask and we will try to answer them in a future post!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

Opportunities with Unkindness

This past week, I had the opportunity to be put in a position where I felt like a wounded child that had just gotten called a "not so nice" name by another child on the playground.  I'm sure you can all comprehend how I must have been feeling, wounded and alittle in shock by the words that flowed from another's mouth.

When someone says something to you like this, whether in a joking manner or not, 
it hurts. I didn't really respond much at the time, because I do believe in the moment my mouth would open, tears that were streaming on the inside would be showing on the outside. Yes I'm female and yes I'm sensitive, but there was no way I was going to allow myself to give way to crying!   I went through the stages, you know, hurt, anger, etc.  By the way, eventually this hurt turned into motivation (in a positive way, not negative I promise!)

Anyway, you are probably wondering why I called this an opportunity in my first paragraph, verses an assault!  Well, working through the process, I realized it was an opportunity because although the person stated to me how it "sucks to be you",  I know in my heart that isn't true.

I know for a fact it DOESN'T suck to be me. 

I will just name a few reasons why....

• I have a beautiful family
• A house to live in
• Good health
• Friends galore
• Love and support of many people
• Food to eat
• Opportunities to grow

The list could go on but the one that came to the forefront of my mind the next morning after doing my bible study was........I've got Jesus.  I've got a home and the love of Jesus, and someday I will sit with him, and this pain of today will be banished.  It won't even matter.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me." Remember that saying?  Little children on the playground once again comes to mind.  I don't agree with this saying, I think words do harm people (sometimes).  (And of course I have been one to be the speaker, I'm far from innocent.)

One of the interesting things was, on the same day, my 5 year old daughter had stated she had a bad day.  Why?  Because some boys at daycare had called her names, and wouldn't stop and she didn't like it. Although only a few hours earlier a similar incident occurred to me,  and I was still upset , I did what any mother would do!

I placed my feelings aside, and discussed with her about her day.  I didn't spend the next few minutes bashing humankind and teaching my 5 year old how the world is against us.  I thought it out,  discussed with her why it probably occurred, asked her how she felt, and how to handle it in the future.  I also told her that sometimes, little boys say things like that because in reality, they like her! :) She gave me a funny look.  My child, in the future, might be the one being unkind, I hope not, but I do live in reality.  Lucky for her, she can ask for forgiveness, as can I.

I should have thought of Jesus' love at the moment I was upset, but I didn't.  I am a sinner by human nature.  But I am feeling good now because honestly, normally something like this would have thrown me into a tailspin for a good week! Although small steps, I will take them.  If it creates me to be a better and kinder and stronger human, I will take a million tiny steps verses one large one. I will take the unkind words and become stronger.

I hope this aides, in helping us all remember to be kind to one another, that our words can be a joyous thing or a hurtful thing, an uplifting or a degrading experience.  

Life brings lots interactions, be sure to scatter kindness where you can!

Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to express the daily blessings in life!
Julie

Vacation California Style 2013

We recently made a trip to see our California kids!  Of course I had to share some photos from the trip & document our vacation! :) We had a wonderful time with these two! The weather was lovely!  

The traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and the ocean was beautiful!

 It was PV's first time to see and play in the ocean!

The time we spent with them was so good and I am glad we made this our family vacation destination.   We headed to the beach,  San Deigo Safari Park,  Sequoia National Park, and just enjoyed time together.

 We also got to meet our grand-dogs, Tank and Kyra.

I had a hard time choosing which photos to use and so the post wasn't super long, 

I put them in collages. 

 I like them better seperate but it takes a LONG time to 

compress and put the blog name on each one! 

So here you go! I hope you enjoy~!

The Safari Park!

Sequoia National Park!

My favorite part of Sequoia National Park.

Crescent Meadow

We walked ALL the way around it. Beautiful!

Of course we went to the beach a couple times!

Note- Picture of MV's eye, black eye! 

He was boogie boarding.. a wave got the better of him and he hit the ocean floor!

But he LOVED it, don't let him kid ya!  

He went right back in & was smiling from ear to ear!

Just some family shots I love!

On this trip PV met a new best friend, Tank. He's the dog in the photo right above here.

She loved him, seriously... sissy needs to move back to Kansas soon! :)

I saw pieces of me in my daughter I had not before.

  Quality time and new experiences were enjoyed.

I would recommend all the things we did.  On the National Park, pay the extra and stay in the lodges up there.  We did not and the drive was long to get to where you wanted each day.  Also plan on a few days there, maybe 3 total I would think.  The beach was fabulous, the one on base was cleaner because they remove all the debris, rocks, etc.  But it was fun to go to Oceanside beach to collect seashells and rocks.

We ate out on the pier one night too, and was able to see Dolphins in the ocean. The weather was lovely.

Oh yea!  We of course found a cupcake shop!
They had won on the show The Cupcake Wars! :) 

YUMMY!

We also ate at the restaurant that the movie TOP GUN (1985) was filmed at.
Kansas City Barbque!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

Innocence / Independence

The innocence of a child is something I wish I had within me - at my young age of 42.  Today I watched as my 5 year old took her first flight that she (currently) can recall of her life, on an airplane.  She doesn’t quite recall the one she took at 14 days old.  But I do.  Let’s visit that for a moment.

 Milton & I had just begun a new journey together.  We were new parents, over 1100 miles away from home with a newborn.  We worried about a lot of things, but one of the things was the safety of our child and how she would react  to flying.  Would her ears pop and we’d have a screaming baby on board, would she be hungry and fussy with parents unable to soothe her. 

Even then her strength shown through and Mommy worried too much.  She did fine.  She slept and sucked on her pacifier.  Even the stewardess said she did lovely.  All was good and the best feeling was placing our feet on Kansas ground with our new bundle of joy.

This time, PV’s anticipation for this trip was one she could hardly contain in the days ahead of our time of departure.  She was so very excited about FLYING on an AIRPLANE!

 I assumed, which I should learn not to do, that the excitement of it all would halt…. when the plane took off.

Nope.  It didn’t.

My first clue should have been when the size of the plane did not deter her at all, but brought about more excitement! 

My second one should have been when she insisted on sitting by the window. (The image in my mind at that moment: fear of her crying when the plane takes off and us unable to change seats, and angry passengers staring at us!)

Nope. Didn’t happen!

Instead in a slightly louder than normal voice says, “WOW”!  As the plane takes off. While she is staring out the window.  (note: her mother was holding Dad’s hand, not petrified, but slightly uneasy.)  Let’ s just say, it was a proud moment not only for Daddy, but Mommy as well.

The innocence that lies within a child is something that also can encompass independence I think.  I’m proud because this small show of independence from PV will help her to move forward in life 5, 10, 25, 30 years from now.  It won’t be the same, perhaps not as strong, but it is the seed of something wonderful.  It’s the beginning of her show of independence and how she will tackle life’s adventures!

I hope she can hang on to the innocence part as well.  It’s a lovely source of life, but as we all know, the innocence of this world is less and less with each passing day.  At least I believe it to be.  So I challenge you to hold tight to the moments that bring you the sheer contentment of something as pleasurable as… a sweet smelling flower, giggles from a toddler, stories from an elderly gentleman, or hard work from a teen that has beliefs that run deep. 

I wanted to take that moment of “WOW” from my child’s lips and lock it in both hers and my memory bank.  So we could recall it, in the future, at times when she doesn’t feel so strong and independent.  Perhaps it will remain here in my mind and hers, but no one ones. 

I hope there’s more moments like that one.  Where she leads her 42 year old Mother with bravery. May my independence grow and my innocence be restored.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie

Things that brought me joy!

The last couple weeks have been rough ones for me,
 but I am not focusing on that!  

I am going to focus on the JOYS!  
So how about you join me?  

What has brought you joy recently?

I will start with this little gal!  She allowed me to take a "lovely" photo of her, then she said "take a silly one Mom".  She gets this from her middle sister,

 SERIOUSLY! But either way, they both brought me joy!

The fact that my husband is willing to give up a day to support me and my career.  To spend time with me doing things he isn't really interested in without grumbling about it.  

Making and eating these.  I have missed my kitchen.
I love them. It's a future blog post.

Pretending this morning the hairbrush was a microphone

 (no not my 5 yr old's idea but mine) and singing OVERCOMER with her!

Because these two children of God, oh just look,  who need words!
Just sweetness all around!

Listening to our daughter, 
(you know, the watermelon smiley face above)
sing with two wonderful ladies of our church!
(impromptu I might add)

Getting to start packing for our trip to see our California kid and hubby!

Forgetting the worries of life and just being present.
Present in laughter, fellowship, friendship, competition of sorts, 
and raising funds to aide those in the path of the Oklahoma tornadoes.
I absolutely LOVED this part of the past couple weeks.
Best part, no doubt!

Hearing the congregation giggle in worship as they listened to our daughter 
interact with our Pastor at children's moment.

Obviously I don't have alot of photos for my joys this week, 
but to be honest, I don't mind.
I have the picture and the emotion in my mind.
I can recall it anytime! (or come read this post! :)

Take a moment to look back on the past couple weeks.
Take a moment to smile, to just relish in the joys that be!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

Blog Backseat & New Adventures!

I just wanted to give our followers a heads up that our blog will be pretty lean in the area of posts for a couple months.  I will probably do a few more in July, but come August you might think we disappeared.

Here's why.......

Julie writes the blog posts.  Julie is going on a new adventure...... into the land of insurance sales training!  Yes this adventure has already begun for her, as you may have noticed from my recent posts on our Facebook page status.  Studying, more studying, and even more studying!  My brain might melt!  

You are probably thinking... you are already in insurance why do you need more?  I have been in the insurance business as an office manager/sales associate for almost 18 years.  But now... .I was given an opportunity to become an agent in the office I work in. This requires me to through the company sales training course and obtain a couple more licenses to better serve my clients.  Once the training is complete and I "graduate" I can be actually called an agent.  

With the support of my husband and many friends I'm going to JUMP RIGHT IN! It will be completely different, yet bits of the same for me.  

So, unless I can get Milton to write blog posts and teach him how to use Blogger, you will have to hold on till September! 

Honestly, you will have to hold on! 

Don't leave, we'd hate for you to leave!  We love our followers! 

So the blog will be taking a backseat for now.  I'm sure Milton will post a few pictures on our Facebook page, so if you are on Facebook, go on over and like us if you haven't!  I will miss writing here at In Between The Sunsets of Life, it's pretty fun! But I promise to be back!  Just let me get my new career off the ground!

Thanks for stopping by and for your support!
Julie 

Realizing Things

It's late.  I really should be in bed resting these very tired eyes and hands that have been using a computer mouse and keyboard in excess for over a week now.  

But I'm not.  I'm rebelling! 

I miss my blog and writing.  I didn't think I'd miss it that much, but I do.  I miss sharing my thoughts, our farm escapades, and yummy recipes!  Oh yes, there have been a few posts, but not as many as I would like.

So I am just going to stay up and write.. if I write something off the wall or silly, just let me have my moment of bliss! :)  Perhaps I can take a nap tomorrow!

Things I have realized in the past couple weeks.......

• I'm lucky, for many reasons, but one is that my husband has no issue with sharing in household responsibilities. He honestly doesn't feel "less of a man" and states it makes him a better husband.  I must agree with him on both!
• I miss my music.  I'm not 18, I can't study and listen to music at the same time.
• I haven't missed TV really at all.
• Laughing is a pleasure I would like to have more often. (Mental note- work on that!)
• Friends and family that have stepped up to aide us recently, it's much appreciated.
• My brain is wired pretty directly to my heart I think.... for that reason... I think too much which creates over-reaction.
• My sweet little girl's smile, it something I appreciate even more now.

• Spending time with God daily has kept the unraveling from occurring I just know it!
• When you are told something and a smile can not be removed from your face because your heart is so full of joy for them, it's amazing!
• In fact, go back to that moment, and be selfish... that smile is worth alittle selfishness!
• Chickens survive if a day goes by and you forgot to check them.  
• Just when you think you are unsure, someone or something is dropped into your lap, letting you know it's ok to move forward.
• Taking a break, it's needed sometimes to replenish.
• That although times seem alittle hard for me right now, there are people dealing with harder things than I am. Pray for them first.
• Vacation will still occur, although it's not completely planned out or started packing a week in advance! They have stores in California!
• This is hard.  But this too shall pass.

Take a moment and just sit calmly.  Look back at the happenings in your life already (even though it's only almost Tuesday). 

What's on your list that would surprise you?

Julie

Zucchini Fritters

Just a quick post here to share a new recipe we tried this past week! It really was DELISH!  We have a subscription to the Bon Appetit magazine and found it in there!  Normally we have a ton of zucchini from our garden this time of year, but we only have a few due to some pesky bugs!  (But we still have some in our freezer from last year! Yay!)  We did not make the sauce, we just ate them plain.

So if you have some zucchini we recommend you try this lovely fritter!  I would make them thinner so the inside is sure to get done.  We will be making this one again in the future no doubt!

Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by!
Julie & Milton

Zucchini Fritters  ( Click the name and you can pin it from their website!)

Ingredients

Soy Dipping Sauce

·         3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

·         1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

·         1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

·         Crushed red pepper flakes

Fritters

·         1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), grated

·         1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning

·         1 large egg

·         1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·         3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preparation  Soy Dipping Sauce

·         Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Fritters

·         Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.

·         Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, drop 1/4-cupfuls zucchini mixture into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt. Serve with soy dipping sauce.

·         DO AHEAD: Fritters can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep warm in a 200° oven.

Harvest Over But Work Continues

Now that the wheat has been harvested, it's time to move onto other things here at the farm.  Although wheat harvest lasted 12 days this year, we can't complain 

about the blessings God provided for this harvest.  

I plan to do a more detailed post about wheat harvest finishing out at a later time.  

Today my husband and father in law were in the same field, but doing different things.  I waited to get a photo of them both in shot together, but you will have to look REALLY hard. 

 The lens on my camera would only zoom so far!

RV is in the orange tractor on the left side of the photo stacking large round bales.

Milton is planting forage sorghum.  The straw from the wheat harvest was so thick, we had to get it out of the way before planting. The forage sorghum is what we will feed our calves when we purchase them this fall.  So we needed to get it in the ground ASAP!  

No holidays for this farmer, at least not for about 3/4 of the day!

We do not bale our own fields, we hire it done, by a local neighbor.

They were planting next to the irrigation center pivot.  You can see our home, my view from the back deck is of whatever is currently planted in this field.  Which right now would be corn.  I took a photo of PV in front of it in this post on June 25, 2013.

In the near future the center pivot will be getting some work done on it. 

We are currently waiting for the irrigation company to come replace some pipes.

The chirps or shall I say Ladies are doing fine.  No eggs yet.
  PV still checks on them daily.

So not much to report from that area of the farm.

Tomorrow they will start planting some soybeans I do believe.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

Wheat Harvest 2013

My husband and his father have been wheat harvesting for a good 9 days, heading into their 10th, and hopefully they will be finished tomorrow.  The days are not 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. They are more like 6:00am to 11:00pm give or take an hour here and there.

 I've been busy studying for an insurance license exam, hence why there haven't been many blog posts.  (Note: there probably won't be many this month or next month.) 

Just a few more shots from harvesting, 

I wanted to make sure they made it on the blog!  

Dinner's in the truck honey!

Sunset sky!

Soybean planting in the morning

Mid way through harvest

Cutting at night

Date night in the combine!

The best part about our date night, although very short....

When we had to wait on the grain truck to return from town, 

we took a stroll down the country road.

The sky was clear and the stars were bright.

Best Memory Ever!

(at least for this farm wife)

Last field being cut. Heading back after the Tball game!

Mom I wanna ride with Dad. Mom says yes,
because wheat harvest is about to end for 2013.
When little girl ASK for time with Daddy, all else is left behind!

May your days be filled with many joys and wonderful memories!

 Thanks for stopping by!

Julie