Being married is hard.

It takes two to make a marriage work.

Each giving and taking.

Courtney Joseph put it best in her book Women Living Well

 "The reality is that marriage is hard work, and every marriage has it's problems."

Being a farm wife is hard too.

There are many times you feel that you give 

way more than you get.

But that comes with the territory.  

There are going to be long nights,

broken tractors, reheated suppers, and crying babies.

There are going to be days that your schedule is so full you don't have room to breathe,

and your farmer husband is going to ask you to squeeze in 5 more things.

There will be those milestones he misses, 

like the first word, first step, t-ball games, and school performances.

That is the life of a farm family.  

Cows don't stop getting out or needing to be tended to

around your schedule.

Growing up I always knew what the saying 

"You got to make hay while the weather's right"

meant...back then even though it hardwork....it didn't seem too bad.

15 years, 1 farmer husband and 2 kids later...

that saying can burn biscuits.

There are some days when I want to throw my hands up...

there are days I dream of living in town,

staying home with the kids,

hubby working a regular job.

There are nights when I question God...

is this where you want us...

There are weeks when it's hard to find a silver lining...

between new legislation, prices being pushed down, and markets being pushed out.

It takes a special man to be a farmer. 

Ram Trucks showcased those special men in last year's Super Bowl Commerical

But let me tell you it takes a special woman to be a farm wife, as well.

And even though there are days when I want to quit,

I wouldn't trade our way of life for the world.

I may never be a stay at home mom,

I may never get to take a 2 week vacation,

I may never be able to go shopping at a moments notice,

but God made me to be a farm wife.

He has blessed me with a strong, independent husband

who works from before sunrise til after sunset.

He's not making millions but we are making ends meet.

God has taught me patience, 

given me grace,

tripped me so that I fell flat on my face...

only to show me that I need him.

God has blessed me with a love for farming that couldn't be 

sustained in a backyard garden.  

So even in the sunshine and rain,

in the below freezing temperatures and snow

I am grateful to my husband for pursuing his passion,

for raising our boys to love agriculture,

and respect a hard day's work.

I am grateful to God for giving me an amazing husband, 

2 rough and tough boys,

and for the chance to be a farm wife.

Until next time...

Caci

So I realized when I logged on to post my stats today for Thin Down Thursday...that the previous blog post never posted!!  So much for Blogger working from my phone!  

So if you missed Wrangler Wednesday it will be next week!.  

So how did my first week in my challenge go? 

Well let's just say I picked a heck of a week to try start this!  

I started this journey really years ago but restarted last Thursday,

and on Saturday (very early) I headed west to Texas for the Annual Farm Bureau Convention.

Do you see where I am going with this?

I mean yes there was lots of walking, but there were also lots of food & fun times to be had.

I did have the forethought before heading out to join Weight Watchers...mainly for accountability and to help me learn how to portion myself with food.  Have I mentioned I LOVE LOVE food?  All kinds really?

Anyways...for $19/month Weight Watchers helps me to reach my weight loss goals by telling me how many points I can eat each day.  Plus I get a few extra cheat points each week, that I can use and still lose weight.  In addition for every 10 minutes of activity I do I get a point and if the need arises I can swap those points out as well.  They do offer a no tracking plan as well if you don't want to keep up but for me that is a very needed part of this exercise!  I of course downloaded the app for my phone so I can keep up with it on the go.  

Last week  I went above my daily target each day!  Not really my goal but it happened.  I used up all my extra too and had to swap in some points as well :( I didn't change my eating habits at all.  You may be wondering well that was a waste of money...but actually no.  It gave me a good look at how I regularly eat.  

Did I mention I went to a convention?  In San Antonio?  The riverwalk?

Yeah it was beautiful!  I was actually able to log 4 hours and 15 mins worth of exercise last week!!  That was up probably 1,000% from the week before!  So with that said...last week, my first week was pretty darn successful!

Here's the breakdown

I did learn that I need to do better about tracking my Healthy Checks on WW and being sure to curb my portion sizes.  I have been slacking off on the diet cokes in favor of more water as well.  

Can't wait to see what next week brings!

Caci

As some of you may know I have been reviewing Courtney Joseph's new book...Women Living Well.  Courtney blog over at a little spot known by the same name.  I stumbled across Courtney's blog a few years back and have been an avid reader ever since. 

Just so you know...I have kinda consider Courtney to be my polar opposite.  She is a stay at home mom, who homeschools her 2 kids and blogs.  Her husband travels some for work and they go on vacation annually. And let's not forget she is always put together and stylish in her videos and her house is spotless.  

In case you were unsure...I DO NOT live that life.   

I work outside the home from 8-5, have 2 boys, an Etsy shop, tons of volunteer commitments and let's not forget a husband who farms full-time and needs help regularly.  Plus all the house work and such that must get done.  In short, my time at home is minimum, my house is almost always a wreck, I am rarely stylish and usually not even put together...heck who am I kidding I'm happy if I match!  

Now you can read into those paragraphs all you want.  You can read bitterness, contempt, maybe even unhappiness but none of that is he case (well at least not anymore, maybe a little of all was present a few years ago).  Something hit me one day reading her blog and hit home even more while reading her book...who am I listening to... God or the news media, social media, friends, Satan?  God has a plan for me and for Courtney.  They aren't the same and they are not cookie cutter.  God has a different plan and path for each person on earth and we must have faith in him to care for us on that journey.  Neither of us know his plan for our life, we must pray about it and follow the path that he provides while we cling to him.  

So without further ado let's dig into Courtney's book!

Originally I had planned to review this book in 4 very detailed post however I believe I am going to save those for later.  Perhaps you would like to join me for a book study in the month of November?  Each week we will focus on one section of the book.  

This book has made me laugh, cry, get mad, and humbled me.  230 pages of amazing insights, stories and suggestions.  Courtney wrote this book as if she was sitting down with each one of us personally.  Having a chat over coffee and we were able to ask her any question we wanted.  She, like any good friend, pushed you to dig deeper and grow closer to God.  She shares what her real life is like in her journey of "Walking with the King".  She also makes sure that you know that your journey and her's are not the same.  We may have the same desires, to grow closer to the Lord, but our paths to get there are very different.  She does a great job of pointing this out.  Gentle encouragement is offered throughout the chapters to help you shed light on your circumstances.  Explanations and encouragement on how to crave out time throughout the day to be in God's word, how to find your happily ever after, how as a mom you will mess up (but that's okay), and how to make your house a haven for your family.  This book is a must read for all women no matter where you are on your "Wallk with the King."  Courtney's straightforward conversational style will help you grow closer to the Lord.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is "It's okay to cry to him.  He cares- He loves you so."  This simple statement can mean so much in our hour of despair.  

I can't wait to begin a book study with all of you starting on November 4th!  One lucky reader will be able to win a signed copy of Women Living Well!  Enter below!  

Until next time....

Caci

Fall is by far one of my favorite times of the year.  

One because I love the cool mornings and the perfect afternoons

but also because it's harvest season!  

Farms all over are picking pumpkins, 

We all know life is crazy.  

Add in working a full time job, 

being a wife to a wonderful, hardworking man

 and a mom to 2 little boys

 and you have a recipe for chaos.

  (And I didn't even mention the farm, LOL).  

To add to my chaos we throw in extra curricular (baseball, soccer, & 4-H),

volunteer commitments in our community & church,

plus my 2 side jobs (an Etsy shop & selling Avon)

and people question when I sleep...

heck sometimes I question 

when I sleep especially since the baby doesn't sleep through the night yet!

But amid all of this I have felt a pull,

a tug to dig deeper into my walk with the Lord.  

I am part of a Good Morning Girls group (which I love),

& part of a women's Bible study group at church, 

but I felt like I personally by myself needed more.

A little while back I while reading one of my favorite blogs, Women Living Well,

I saw a call for readers of Courtney's new book by the same title.  

With little hesitation I shot a message over letting them know that I would be delighted to join in.  

Honestly, I didn't think I would get picked.  

I have never reviewed a book,

I'm not a consistent blogger with tons of followers,

I'm just me...

A few weeks went by and I received an email...

low and behold I was selected to review the book!!

To say I was excited was a slight understatement.  

I quickly downloaded the book and began to devour it...

but not far into it something told me to slow down...

take the book one step at a time...

really let it sink in and stick!  

So I stopped...yes completely stopped reading the book for a few days.

When I picked it up again I did so with new eyes,

an open heart and an open Bible.  

You see the book is all about 

"Finding Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home."

Devouring the book wasn't going to help me. 

I needed to sit down with the book,

a good cup of coffee and my Bible,

so that I might find my joy.

So as I go through this book piece by piece I plan to share it with you.

My thoughts, my ideas, and how the book is helping me to 

"Walk with the King." 

Courtney has made this pretty easy for me as the book is divided into

4 parts: Your Walk with the King, Your Marriage, Your Parenting, & Your Homemaking.

Honestly delving into some of those areas frighten me.

Do I really want to know what the Bible says...

Do I really want to know how far I am from the woman God has called me to be?

Well I don't know, but I do know that God has called me to read this book 

and apply it in my life.  

So stay tuned as I review this book.  

How can you get your hands on a copy?

You can pre order a copy now and get a great added bonus!  

The book officially releases on October 1st!  

or 

you can enter to win a copy from my blog!!

Until next time,

Caci