Shameless Plug

We still have kittens that need homes......for FREE!

The kittens truly are precious and extremely friendly. We have found various dead critters and rodents that we attribute to our cats.

Cats are extremely independent animals. Jason and I are confident that if we fell off the face of the earth, the kittens would be one of the only animals on the farm that would survive.

If you are interested please e-mail me at kramerswife@hotmail.com.

This one still needs a home.......this has to melt your heart. And you will have a story to tell!

We Are The World: Japan Style

This is pure awesome-ness.

I don't know if you remember this classic beauty of a song, but when I saw this, it brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face.

Honestly, in the first few seconds of the song I said out loud,"Yes. Fantastic!"

If you do nothing else, you must watch this until 'Cindy Lauper' sings her part.

Diva Tendencies

(Those are in fact Little Mermaid socks)

Kaylyn is our girlie girl. I know that this is exactly the way the Lord made her to be because I haven't encouraged this girlishness- I've embraced it.

She definitely hasn't learned accessorizing from watching me because I hardly ever wear more than my wedding ring. I don't even own another ring that I could wear. Jewelery never has appealed to me. I don't know why.

Kaylyn is always up for dressing up and looking the part. When we went to a 50s diner that is by our house, she wanted to wear this. All of the waitresses wear poodle skirts so of course it was only fitting that KK wore one with leggings, a scarf, and sweater.


And then one cold night during the winter months on one of our fire pit nights, Kaylyn greeted us at the fire pit wearing this giraffe suit. Jason and I almost peed in our pants. She said it would keep her warm. I think she was right about that part because it is solid fleece. KK looks a little mortified in this photo probably because I'm laughing so hard at her.......in a good way!

And then a few weeks ago, I had put this outfit on her to go to the grocery store, and she accessorized it with all of these contraptions. This was entirely her own collaboration all of the way down to the belt.


And then I have to include these photos because she is just too darn beautiful in them.



All of these photos prove what I'm trying to say. The girl has diva tendencies.

But, recently she has started saying things to me like,"I'm not beautiful enough in this outfit."

Or,"That doesn't look good on me."

Or,"That's not cute."

Yep. I know. This could turn into a very scary thing apart from the grace of Jesus.

Since these thoughts have started flooding her mind (which blows my mind), we've had lots of open dialogue about beauty coming from our hearts. I'm so thankful the Lord has provided me with His Word to talk to my daughter about being beautiful in the eyes of Jesus instead of the eyes of the world.

"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." 1 Timothy 2:9 & 10

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:2-4

I recognize that we are created in the image of the Lord. And I believe that as women, we have tendencies and a natural bend to enhance things around us to make them more pleasing.

Here is a quote from Carolyn Mahaney that explains this so well.

"God is the creator of beauty. God delights in beauty. All we need to verify this fact is to consider the beauty He created all around us: whether it is an elegant flower, or towering trees, or a meandering river, or billowy clouds or the majestic night sky. Every time we stop to take in one of these breathtaking scenes on display in God’s creation, we can’t help but be convinced that He delights in beauty! Because we are created in the image of our Creator, each of us has this propensity to make things beautiful. That means, when we decorate our homes, or plant a lovely flower garden, or seek to add some form of beauty to our surroundings, even when we attempt to enhance our personal appearance—we are actually imitating and delighting in the works of our Great Creator."

So, the sin isn't wearing jewelery, make-up, or decorating our homes. Sin can be the result of our motivation to do these things. Are we trying to draw attention to ourselves by what we put on the outside of our bodies? Do we care more about our outward beauty rather than our inward beauty? Are we more concerned with spending time decorating and cleaning our homes than in His word (guilty!!)? His word says it is what is on the inside of us and our good deeds that make us beautiful. Try explaining that one to a 4 year old!

Actually, the Lord has blessed my conversations with my daughter. She is beginning to understand and the foundation is being laid at such an early age. He has led me to set up ways to help Kaylyn not stumble so easily into this sin. We pick out her clothes together and we talk about things as we are getting ready.

She is already forming a heart towards modesty. I'm so thankful for this. If you think your 2,3, or 4 year old don't pick up on things around them.....you are mistaken!

I remember as a 3 year old KK coming up to me with her hand on the collar of her shirt pulling down saying,"Mommy, I want to wear my shirt low like this."

Oh my gracious! I was caught completely off-guard. Again, I'm not boasting about myself. The Lord has done a huge work in my heart in the area of modesty. But, praise the Lord I was able to say back to her,"Do you see Mommy wear shirts like that?"

Her answer was "no." And that settled it for her.

I don't want to squash her femininity. I think it is a beautiful thing. I love that she is all girl........a beautiful girl. There is no denying that. She probably hears this a million times a day from me and random strangers at the grocery store.

I love that she is into details and is super creative. This is a gift. I know the Lord will use this in HUGE ways someday.

But, I do want her to know that the Lord is more concerned with our hearts than our appearance. What makes her beautiful are good deeds, gentleness, a quiet spirit, and a fear of the Lord. I want to praise her more for these things than her outward beauty.

Let's be honest here. I'm still trying to learn this myself. These are difficult truths to wrap ourselves around this day and age when the focus of beauty is based on superficial things.

I'm so thankful the Lord is taking me on this journey and I can bring my daughters along with me. He has already been so faithful.

Sailing, Sailing

We went to visit Jason's Dad for Father's Day. He and Gigi took us sailing! They have a sailboat in Kemah.

Jason has been sailing with his Dad before, however this was the girl's and my first experience sailing.

Kaylyn kept asking when she was going to get to jump in and swim. She LOVES the water.

Laney Rae did great in the beginning since it was a new thing to her. But, once the girl feels like she is limited in her roaming, she goes all kinds of crazy! Thank the Lord her Gigi brought Goldfish and a plethera of other snacks.

I found sailing to be pretty relaxing. I can see myself lounging under the sails working on my tan and watching the boats pass by.

Here are some photos I managed to snap while we were on our short trip. Enjoy!

The Kemah Shore

Jason and his Dad, Happy Father's Day!

He looks hot! As in, fine fine super fine.

Kaylyn

KK driving with GPaw and Gigi

GPaw & Gigi

Sails

Happy Hopscotch Batman!

This is Yonder Way Farm's 101st post. Hip hip hooray!

Wow! Time flies by. When I started this here blog on May 31st, 2007, I had no idea I would keep up with it enough to have 101 posts under my belt.

I entered the blogging world innocently as a lurker and blog stalker. For months I'd bounce around from blog to blog reading the latest and greatest in other's lives- always a spectator, never a participator.

Then, one day I realized this could be an in genius way of **scrapbooking** the life of my family without ever getting out paper, scissors, and tape. Sweet! And I also thought that it would be so neat to watch the farm take shape and look back on previous posts of what we were doing last year.

Here is a list of things I've learned from the blogging world:

- No ONE blogs on the weekends........according to my site meter.

- You can be friends with someone you've never officially met in person.

- There are some stinkin' creative, funny, deep, and wonderful people in this world that the Lord has truly gifted.

- Everyone has a story to tell and anyone can have a blog. ANYONE.....so stop lurking and start typing!

- In order to have a blog that thousands upon thousands visit, you MUST have multiple big-wig sponsors. I soon discovered this hard truth after wondering why week after week my average amount of daily visitors were 50.......and I'm thankful for each of you.

- Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. It will save you time!

- Some bloggers change their blog addresses and layouts as much as they change their underwear.

- Some bloggers expect their blog to update themselves- an ongoing joke in our home.

- Blogging is fun!

I thought we'd celebrate with some photos of the girls hopscotching in the driveway yesterday.

**I came across an amazing feature on a website. The website is www.blurb.com and they have BLOG BOOKS. They print your blog and turn it into a nice looking book. It includes your words and photos in an extremely nice looking layout. This appealed to me. Although I haven't tried it, I'm thinking that when I have a few extra bucks saved up, I will print last years posts and give it a whirl. If you have printed your blog with a company, I want to hear from you. Which ones do you like or have you heard of?**

The Meatrix

I stumbled across an extremely interesting website a few days ago.

As a small farm striving to bring awareness to the local food movement, this website encouraged us. I wanted to share it with you guys in hopes to bring encouragement to the small farms that read this blog and awareness everyone since we are all consumers.

The fact of the matter is, there are now more food alternatives springing forth than just your regular grocery store down the street. Although in our area (Brazos & Washington County), the farms are still a bit sparse. We took this into consideration when our farm began taking shape, and now our hope is to be able to provide for all of our customer's protein needs- beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. Yummy!

The website is called, The Meatrix. It is a spin off of the movie, The Matrix. It is amazing how closely these two things relate. It is worth watching just for that reason alone.

They created a series of highly educational and entertaining videos that are worth watching. They aren't long at all. So, go watch the videos, check out the website, and then come back and leave me a comment.

The Meatrix, I- small farms vs. large corporations
The Meatrix, II- exposing the dairy industry

Happy Father's Day!

(Jason & Laney Rae)

It's not too late!

We just got back from spending a wonderful day sailing with Gigi and G-Paw (Jason's Dad). It was so much fun......more on that later.

Jason, you are an incredible man. I've never met anyone like you in my entire life. I truly mean that. You never cease to amaze me.

You are......
a keeper of your word.
trustworthy.
a hard worker.
full of integrity.
the best daddy.
a big ole' teddy bear.
respected.
considerate of others before yourself.
a gentle yet bold leader.
sexy in your new cowboy clothes.....yee haw!
adored by your girls (all 3 of them).
my best friend.

The girls and I love you so much. Thank you for all that you do for this family. Your sacrificial love does not go unnoticed. It continues to sweep me off my feet time and time again.

Home Away From Home

We talk a lot about farming on this here blog.

But, Jason is a Houston Fire Fighter as well. His passion is farming, but he loves being a fire fighter. Actually, being a fire fighter enables him to farm.

Houston has an amazing schedule. Probably the BEST in the nation. They work 24 hours on, get 24 hours off, work 24 hours on again, and then THEY GET 5 DAYS OFF........in a row! It is pretty awesome. And its totally worth those 24 hour shifts that he is away from home to have him there 5 days straight.

Jason is never idle when he is at home unless he had a rough night at the station and needs his beauty sleep. There is always something to do on a farm. But, knowing that he is here and we can join him in whatever he is working on is a blessing. Kaylyn spends hours a day with him riding the tractor, collecting eggs, picking veggies, giving the pigs a bath, and the list goes on and on.

And don't get me started on Laney Rae. She is her daddy's girl. I love that they are so close! We have seen firsthand the difference in his presence in our home. When KK was Laney Rae's age, Jason was gone a lot pressure washing. He had a pressure washing company as his second job on his 5 days off. There would be, sometimes, 5 nights a week that he was gone since most of his work was at night when things are closed. We knew that was not what the Lord had for us. Jason felt that he was missing so much. The Lord provided a way out and has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams.

If Jason and I were in the same room, Laney Rae would prefer him. Jason eats it up of course! It is so special to watch and I'm so thankful that she adores her daddy- just as it should be.

The girls and I took a field trip to visit Jason this afternoon. We don't get to do this very often since we live over and hour from the station. But, Kaylyn asked me yesterday if we could go and visit her daddy while he was working, and I said 'yes'.

Jason cooked meatloaf and some of his fellow fire fighters cooked a variety of veggies to go with it. Jason's shift eats extremely healthy. Now, does that shock you in the least? Fire fighter's are known for their awful diets and bad cholesterol. But, not on their watch.

We had a fun time visiting with the guys up at the station. They are like brothers. I guess you sort of have to be when you live with someone for a 24 hour period of time. He has an amazing crew that he works with. They actually call each other when they aren't working.

Fire fighters are heroes in my books. They risk their lives every single time they step foot on the pumper (fire truck). They go not knowing much other than what the computerized lady voice tells them as they are all rushing to the pumper.

Jason sees a lot of 'abuse of the system' where he works in Houston. They get a lot of calls from people that simply don't have insurance and their child needs to be taken to the hospital for a cut. Some of the stories are unbelievable.

But, there are many lives saved too. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from Jason that their patient was dead when they arrived, but they got them back (they do a lot of EMS stuff). And the stuff that they see could only be seen by a hero. I know this is a job that I could never do. But, I appreciate and am so thankful for those who do it.

Here are some photos that I snapped during our visit. I love photos of fire trucks. If I had a son, I'd be all over these hanging up in their room. I am a firm believer that there is beauty in the most rugged and unexpected places. It just takes looking at things from different angles and from different perspectives.

**During your time viewing the following photos, you might wonder why on earth my baby is naked. This is simply because her mother wasn't smart enough to take the photos before she ate dinner. Have you seen this girl eat? I WAS smart enough to bring her pajamas to ride home in, but didn't want to dirty those up while she was roaming all over the station.**


Funny story.....KK was climbing around on the fire truck and I told her to look at me and smile for a picture. To that she replied,"Mom, I am looking at you......right now." So, I snapped it. She was looking at me in the mirror.

KK in her daddy's bunker gear locker

Jason and the girls playing tag.

For lack of a better phrase......the control panel.

Fire Hoses

The fire truck leaving for a cardiac arrest.

A Progression of Sorts

Laney Rae is officially walking!

She has been vertical for a few weeks now. It conveniently happened right before we left for vacation. I tried to block it out and pretend that it hadn't yet happened.

Honestly, I don't even think that anyone who went on vacation with us witnessed Laney Rae walking. The reason for this is that my baby girl won't walk in shoes. When you put them on her feet, she freezes. No shoes on your feet in the wilderness equals no walking in the wilderness.

We brought every contraption imaginable with us on vacation to confine our newly walking child. So for the most part of the vacation, she sat in her floatie, walker, swing, or feeding chair when we were outside. The only time she walked was in our camper.

Watching Laney Rae learn to walk was a fun experience. She wasn't one who just took off and the rest was history like it happened with Kaylyn. Kaylyn stood up on her first birthday while opening presents on video camera, and took off. She never crawled again.

This wasn't the case with Laney Rae. One week she looked as if she loved vertical-ness and the next week she was back to crawling again. Just when we thought "This is it", she was back on all fours.

But, this is NOT the case any longer. She is officially walking. She is still shoe-less, but we are working on that part. Good thing we are country folk and are comfortable with our bare feet.

Here is her cute self walking across our living this evening in her jammies.





Another fun thing that happened this evening was I caught Laney Rae levitating on camera. We are frequent listeners of the bluegrass gospel channel nowadays since my recent discovery of iTunes.

Laney Rae is quite the fan of these tunes as well. You get a banjo playing in the background and the girl goes totally wild.

She has rhythm already too. I thought rhythm and finding the beat of a song was something that could be taught later on in life. But, I'm not so sure about this.

My girls are drastically different in the beat department. Laney Rae bounces to the beat of whatever is playing, while Kaylyn clearly bounces to the beat of her own drum partying in her head.

I've always described Laney Rae as a 'bouncing baby girl'. She still bounces a lot. It is one of my favorite things that she does.

Enjoy this progression of her bouncing. Imagine a banjo blaring the background. You can't help but smile!