Coffee with the Savior - What's Going On...Really Going On? Chapter 5

"and I will hear you." Jeremiah 29:12

I find myself, and perhaps you do too, when I meet with a close friend the conversation starts out with just the average, every day sort of conversation.  There have even been times when I have told myself, prior to meeting with my friend, "don't share this or don't go into such and such."  Just let it be a casual easy going visit.  

Then what happens?  My friend knows me well and digs deeper into my glossed over thoughts and feelings.  She inquires with heartfelt questions and perhaps a gentle touch on my arm.  

Then I begin to flood her with my latest issue in life and pour out my heart as if I was on General Hospital or Days of our Lives!  She listens, she offers advice, and sometimes I feel better, sometimes I feel worse.  I am thankful for my friend and her instinctive ways of knowing to push further into the depths of my heart.  

But honestly, the only one that knows my heart, knows what I am truly experiencing, is my Lord.  I have found myself crying out to Him at times.  Literally - Crying Out!  As I am getting to know Moses' story it is reassuring to know that I am not the only one.  

Moses, in Exodus 5 endured many things, but the one thing he never stopped doing was crying out to God.  

(From page 76 of the bible study book)

" As Moses' experiences show, God does handle our true feelings, even during our most difficult times.  Whatever we do, feel, or believe when  we are at our worst, we can hold on to Him because He holds us secure in His grace."

The authors statement is so very good and true.  He will take us throughout the day in any form. Mismatched words, sullen hearts, and joyous abundance.  He will take us just as we are.  He continues to long and wait for the words to come, and if we can't actually say them, you are reassured to know that He will understand your groans, your cries, your humming, your laughter, and your tears.  

Friendships are an asset. I have often felt this, and I am blessed to say I have many.  But the one true friendship that needs nurturing, communication, openness, and strengthened daily is the one with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let's take a moment to reach out to our Lord and just say whatever you are feeling.  Open that line of communication, and then nurture it daily like a flower.  If you aren't sure what to pray, just pray that he gives you guidance on how to speak to Him.  

I leave you with this prayer and this song.  Thank you for joining us today.

Heavenly Father,

We rejoice that you are the one true God that has enabled us to have open communication with you.  We are thankful that you know our hearts better than anyone.  We sometimes take our friendship with you for granted and we pray for forgiveness for that.  Thank you for bringing others into our lives to help us and honor you before our eyes.  May we pray before we complain, and look to you as our ultimate resource, in both times of good and bad.  Gracious Father, we know that our lives will be better for the knowing you.   In Jesus Name, Amen

Sustaining Skies & Wheat Harvest Waiting

Wheat harvest 2014 has been at a standstill for almost 3 days now.  We hope to try to get back in the fields late today. 

We had rain Sunday night and shower on Monday night.  The farmer has been hauling some of our wheat to the elevator.  Monday he had a "co-pilot", it was her first trip to the grain elevator.  

She was pretty amazed how the semi sat RIGHT NEXT to the railroad cars!  She loved sitting up high in the semi seat too.  They did lunch out and so I guess you could call this a Daddy Daughter Date! :) 

As I came around the corner the other night, my view was of three generations working together.  It was difficult to get a photo in our grain bin complex area.  But if you look really closely you can see PV, MV, and I promise RV is there too!  Loading grain for the first haul the next morning.

We only have approximately 200 acres left to harvest.  That is a couple days worth, if all goes well.  Milton & I sat down this morning and started to figure production of what we have harvested to date.  Although it is not the best wheat harvest, we are grateful for what we have produced.  When I began to seem alittle down about it,  Milton looked at me and said the following. "At least it isn't a yield of 10." He is right, so very right.  Time to say a prayer of thanksgiving and look to finishing this wheat harvest and to our next crop season. You take the good with the bad, farming is no different than anything else in this thing we call life.

On the same day I snapped this photo of PV.  It's one of my favorites now.  Sittin on a 5 gallon bucket, next to a semi, with a planted in the background, and a basket of eggs at her feet. Just makes me smile.

Yesterday I had to make a trip a couple hours west of our farm to visit my father as he is in the hospital.  As I drove farther west, my view was of some wheat fields cut, and combines sitting in fields.  Waiting , just as we are.  I also noticed they had more rain than we have had and my Dad told me they have had 8 inches in the month of June, that was before the current days rainfall.  

As I traveled home late last night, I missed one of my turns, but it wasn't all bad.  If I would have turned correctly, I would not have had such a wonderful view.  My drive would have been through a town, verses the outskirts of town.  The phone photos do not do it justice.

Did you all see a beautiful sky last night?  Just a reminder that God will sustain us and he is ever present in our daily lives. 

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to share our blog and comment below! WE love to hear from our followers!

Julie

Wheat Harvest 2014- Day 4 and 5

I'm throwing day 4 and 5 together, basically because it's the evening of day 5 and they pretty much look alike.  My farmer planted milo and then began cutting wheat.  He is still cutting wheat, it's only about 8:00 pm, I'm sure he will continue to cut for another 3 hours at least!

Here are a few photos for ya!

Morning discussion amongst the farmers!

I rode with him to town this morning to get gas in the blue grain truck! He is very focused here, can you tell? :)

This evening PV and I traveled to the field.  It's normally about this far into harvest when she starts really missing her time with her Dad and becomes more clingy to me! So I make it a point for them to get together, at least for awhile each day. 

The field that is being harvested in the photos will be some of our  "seed wheat" for the next wheat season. Which means that we will use it to plant the next wheat crop.  We cut it and keep it in a separate bin in our grain complex.  You can see in the pictures below, Milton is cleaning out the pit, and unloading the semi truck.

I crawled up on the semi prior to him unloading to get a couple pictures of the wheat for you to see up close.

Tomorrow will be somewhat of a day of rest for us.  We will attend church services and then after lunch they will begin cutting wheat once again.  Milton plans to get up early in the morning to finish planting some soybeans in a field that he couldn't quite get done due the field being too wet.

This time of year brings long days for our farmers.  As harvest stretches on it will be difficult but within them they find the strength and energy to continue doing what they love.  

Until next time, 
Julie

2014 Wheat Harvest - Day 3

The day started with a 50 % chance of rain and all we ended up with was a few sprinkles on the cab windshield.  This is a good thing right now, since we are in the midst of wheat harvest.

At the end of Day 2, we had harvested approximately 189 acres of wheat.  We have about 800 planted total.

Milton started his day off with a homemade fruit smoothie for breakfast!
Energy Energy Energy right? :) Leftover fruit from the fruit pizza I made! No waste!

He drove through the fields early in the morning to inspect so he could setup to have them sprayed.  He planted some milo (grain sorghum) and then drilled soybeans on the field we harvested wheat in on Day 1 and 2.

His brother came early afternoon to help and started cutting wheat and Dad drove grain trucks.  Mom, she helps weigh the trucks as they come in.  That way Dad doesn't have to get in and out of the truck.  Milton spent his day sowing soybeans primarily.  They cut wheat until about 10:00 pm once again.  I retrieved Milton from the now soybean field about 9:15 pm and he headed over to inspect how things finished up.

So much activity in the rural area these days! As I drove him home from the field, there was an absolutely beautiful Kansas sky.  You could see combines with headlights on and grain trucks coming and going.  

I spent my evening preparing supper for the family.  I really enjoy this part of my life.  We had hot dogs, brats, chips, and baked beans. Delivered supper to Milton in the field, then headed home to mow the lawn.  I took on the grass and the mosquitoes! They are thick, so be sure to use bug spray people!

We had a cousins sleepover so the girls watched a movie and I baked a Zucchini cake about 9:00 pm.  Homemade cakes is one of my farmers favorite things to have around. His momma makes great cakes, I used her recipe too!

Well until another time! Happy Summer folks!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

Coffee with the Savior - Sorry I Haven't Called More

"and pray to Me..... "  Jeremiah 29:12

I have found myself, more often than I like to admit, at the end of the day feeling guilty.  The guilt coming from missed opportunities to connect with special people in my life.  Friends that I should have returned calls to or emails to reply back to.  Those missed opportunities, if given more than one chance tend to build up, and the connection we once had is lost.  It's difficult to re-create the connection in a relationship once the time has passed.  Whether it be with a friend, spouse, child, or relative, it's crucial to continue connections in this busy life we all lead now.

Between the laundry and bill paying, children vying for our attention, church responsibilities, Facebook notifications, email dings on our phones, customers needing help,  grocery shopping to be done and so much more, it's easy to place those connections on the back burner of life.

Just as I sometimes put those relationships on the back burner, I do the same with God.  It's wrong, but I do it.   When I'm not in the Word often and nurturing that connection with Him, I tend to begin to think in a manner not becoming.

After reading about  Moses in Exodus 3:11-13 and how he was feeling and acting I didn't feel so alone.  Moses, after making his commitment to God, became unsure and doubtful about his own qualifications.  The wonderful thing about Moses is that he never stopped communicating with God during his "time of doubt". We have that opportunity as well, and we need to keep it at the forefront of our lives.

I encourage you to carve out a period of time each day bring this wonderful friend we have in Jesus at the forefront. But if you find yourself, at the end of the day, laying in bed, feeling guilt.  HE is there.  Ready and waiting to listen to you.  24 hours a day 7 days a week.  No appointment necessary.

I especially liked this paragraph on page 58 of the bible study.

"As we experience God's foregiveness, we also become aware of his unconditional love for us.  When we recognize that we daily live with these gifts, submitting to His plan for our lives becomes possible.  Just as God did with Moses, He reassures us that our relationship with Him is not about what we can do, but about what God does in and through us.  He does not want our doubts to keep us from Him.  God takes every part of us - our failures and our future uncertainties - and uses every part of our lives for good.  In doing so,  He grows our eternal friendship with Him (Philippians 1:6)."

How did that paragraph feel to you?  I found it to be moving, reassuring, and encouraging to say the least.  He allows us to apologize, ask for forgiveness, and move forward.  It allows us to know that no matter what God is with us, He forgives us, and He will continue to work good in us.

Although our connection with friends, spouses, children, and relatives is important, the relationship we build with our Lord is most important.  It makes the joys of life that much sweeter and the sadness of life easier to bear.

So no matter how you are feeling or how busy you are today, take some time to connect with the ultimate friendship.  Take the time to pour your heart out to our Lord and reap the benefits.  Even when you doubt, continue to communicate to Him. I plan to really try, how about you?

Dear Heavenly Father,

We take this time to open our hearts and minds to you, to allow you to use us at your will.  We praise you and thank you for all that is in our lives.  We apologize and ask for forgiveness for the times we have not called on you more.  May we be your clay and you the potter.  Gracious Father, we also ask that you be with those in the recent storm related circumtances and those in harvest mode.  We pray safety and grace to all.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.

2014 Wheat Harvest - Day 2

Day 2  harvesting started at 10:00 am!  

But before they could start cutting wheat for this day, there was other work to be done!  

They have to unload the semi and grain truck that had wheat from the last cutting of Day 1.   

They unloaded into the underground pit and then it will go into the grain bins to store.  

What this means is that we sell most of our grain at a different time than harvest.
Although we do "contract" some of our wheat, we can watch the markets for the rest,
and choose to sell when we want.  Grain markets can be volatile and there are many factors
around the world that influence what the grain markets do.
 Milton gets text messages throughout the day telling him where the markets are at currently.

Milton spent the day harvesting wheat in the same area as Day 1.  It went pretty well.
The wheat is short which means he cuts low to the ground, there were spots that were wet but nothing too bad he said.
They did finish this area/field up on Day 2 about 10:00pm.

Last nights supper included another casserole, we aren't really casserole people,
but Milton requested this one.
PV and him like it, so I indulged them! :)
We took it to the field and he spent a few minutes with us while he ate.

Tator tot casserole, dinner rolls, fresh carrots and pineapple, and for dessert fruit pizza.
Check out that fancy plate ware! :)

PV had a t-ball game on Day 2.
Her cousins have been at the farm for a few days, so we got to take them along!
Of course we had to stop for sno cones after the big game! :)
Fun all around here with this group!

They had forecasted rain for Day 3, but so far just cloudy, and a few sprinkles.
Check back tomorrow to see how harvest continues!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

Wheat Harvest 2014 - Day 1

Yesterday marked the first day of cutting wheat for 2014 for our farm family!  We were filled with anticipation and excitement! We have waited patiently to jump right into a harvest of our largest crop we raise!  It's normally 10 to 14 days long, depending on weather and breakdowns and wheat being ripe!  Today is no exception it was a typical Kansas summer!  Hot, humid, and very windy on this 17th day of June! 

My husband, the farmer sent me this picture text around 2:15 pm today showing me the first full combine bin of wheat!  

It made this farm wife long to be at the farm verses sitting at her desk in front of the computer at her off the farm job.   Being a farm wife that works off the farm is sometimes a struggle in many different ways. The longer we are married the more my passion and peace come from being at the farm. 

As I mentioned in this post, I don't know much about operating equipment or running tractors, but I do try to do my part? Which entails the feeding side of things.  This is alittle bit about how my first day of harvest went as the off the farm working farm wife!

Majority of the day at my office, left early to get groceries and child from daycare!
I had to stop at the store because my harvest menu was somewhat made but not all items bought! Oops! Normally I am a way better planner!  Seriously, just ask my friends!

Once home, I raddled off a list of things the farm kid needed to do.  Of course I had to repeat them because....well... she is six!

And she was too concerned with checking out our dog Charlie's new cast!  Red, white, and blue! Whoo Hoo!

Me: Get the eggs, wash the eggs, give the dog fresh water!

Daughter: Can I swim?

Me: No you can't swim, we are going to field, it's wheat harvest!  The child is a fish since taking swimming lessons this year! I tell ya she would live in her little pool if we let her!

We had an oddball whiter than normal egg last night!  See it???

I threw a load of laundry in, turned oven on for the casserole, changed my clothes, cut up watermelon and finally put the casserole in the oven. Prodded the kiddo to get  moving on her chores some more!  Fed kiddo and self, packed farmer's supper on the go, and loaded kiddo up to head to the field!

We had to wait a bit for him to get another bin full... we entertained ourselves as you can tell! :)  Yes we are that goofy!

You would probably like to see some actual harvesting photos huh? 

Ok  here ya go!

See how short the wheat is!  One of the things I love about my husband is the fact that he is pretty optimistic about things.  Although the wheat will not be as good as the past couple years, he still feels it's going to better than we anticipated.  We won't know for awhile, but God will sustain us no matter the outcome.  This we know.

Dad in law waiting for the semi to be loaded.  This man has seen many changes in farming.  He is 85 years old and still participates on a daily basis.  

Finally time for the Farmer to eat.  Tailgates make such good tables.  Little girls can play in the bed and Dad can visit with her about her day!

Um... this might be the last year she fits on Dad's lap to help drive!  Oh my!

I really do enjoy listening to these two.  He is always teaching her about things.  He never feels she is too young.  Here he is explaining the switches and when it was time to shut them down, he let her do it.  She watches the lights for the signal where the bin is full and loves to put out the auger arm from the combine to unload. 

Our 2014 Family wheat harvest photo! 
I'm not sure us 3 will fit in the cab for much longer either! :(

And every year I take an annual photo of these two.

This year was no different!

Once we rode around for awhile, PV and I headed back home.  Although it was late, this momma let her swim, which made her giddy!  I threw that load of laundry into the dryer, started another load,  made another casserole and dessert for day 2 meal, and got the kiddo bathed, read to, and in bed! 

Although it was a busy and sometimes tiring day, I know it's worth it.  I know that my family deserves the best of me, whether I am on or off the farm.  And if feeding my farmer, washing his really dirty clothes, and hugging him is all I can do as a farm wife, it's enough for now.

This post is dedicated to all those farm wives, farm mothers, women farmers.  It takes alot to be what is needed but we always pull through when the time comes.  May all the harvests be safe and continue for your farms for years to come!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Julie

Coffee with The Savior and Hymn

I was going to just throw this in on Friday's bible study blog post, 

but decided I wanted to share it seperately.

 This past Sunday, in worship services we sang the hymn, 

"Hark the Voice of Jesus Crying".  

These particular words stood out to me. 

And the master calls for you.  

Take the task he gives you gladly;

 Let his work your pleasure be. 

Answer quickly when he calls you,

"Here am I. Send me, send me!"

These words.  I so wish they were easier for me to say.

I'm better than I used to be but still so far to go.

At least my walk is not alone.

Thank you Jesus for your love.

In Your Name, Amen.

Bierocks

I made my way back into the kitchen two weekends ago.  

I made a large amount of Bierocks and they turned out delish! 

 I love cooked cabbage! 

 I finally found a bread dough I really like for my bierocks.  

I am linking back to where it's from Pam's Bierocks over at Allrecipes.com .  

I find alot of great recipes from that website.   

Here we are - ready to create!

I used dental floss to separate my pieces so they were more or less even!

I had made a double amount of meat since the reviews said it was more dough than needed. 
 I didn't use the entire mixture, so I make some more and will freeze them.  

These will be good for a harvest meal or two.

Do you have a favorite recipe you would like me to showcase?
I'd be happy to try something new! 

Feel free to let me know in comments or on our Facebook page!

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

I also got to make my first batch of Strawberry Jam for the 2014 season!

The Love of a Father for a Daughter - In Photos

Wishing my husband a Happy Father's Day.  
I will let the photos explain. 
 Let's take a journey down memory lane.  
Thanks for being the ever present Dad.

First there were these two!
Half grown, female and boy did they give you a run for your money!

Then you received this one!

From the beginning hands on all they way!

Already teaching her about farming!

You still read to her! 

Even when it's hard, you do what's best for her!

Whether it's in the kitchen or the field, always teaching.

You teach the word on a daily basis.

You let her help even when it's not convenient.

And this family wouldn't be the same without you!

Thanks for being a great Dad!

May you all have a Happy Father's day!

Julie