It's hard to believe this is the last post of 2014.  

As  I look back on this year, I am amazed at the way God has worked in my life.

 On January 1st I posted my 14 things I wanted to accomplish in 2014.  

Let's see how I did...

1. Pray about everything!  
I can honestly say that I spent more time in prayer in 2014 than I ever have, but I can't say that I prayed about everything.  I think this is a process in which it takes time.  My desire is that prayer becomes second nature.

2. Study Scripture Daily.
I did not study God's word daily.  There were days that it just didn't happen...and that's OK.  Through God's word I learned this year that I have to give grace not only to others but myself as well.

3.  Tithe 1st, not last.
We did a better job this year with tithing from the heart than in years past.  I still find it difficult to give when I know money will be tight.  I am working on leaving my comfort zone so that we may give freely without hesitation or remorse.

4. Memorize 12 verses of Scripture
This year taught me that I stink at memorizing scripture.  As much as I try sometimes the words just don't stick.  I have hidden more verses in my heart but still struggle with complete verse memorization.

5. Organize my life.
Ummm...we live in organized chaos does that count??

6. Declutter Our House
A huge work in progress!!  We have hauled more than clothes, toys, and "junk" off this year than ever before.  I still feel like I am drowning under a mountain of laundry but we are working to corral that.

7. Set a daily schedule and stick to it!! 
Bahahahaha....all I can do is laugh.  Our set routine is basic and just gets us by.  Farm life doesn't allow for dinner every night at 7 however patience and grace does allow for us to roll with the punches.

 8. Pay off Debt!!!
We are better than we were last year at this time but still working on accomplishing our dream of being debt free!

9. Put at least $1000 in our savings account for a rainy day fund
I am happy to say as of this moment we have completed this task and then some.  However with a pending maternity leave and no enough paid time to cover it I'm sure we will have to use these funds when baby #3 arrives.

10.  Put at least $200 extra into each of the boy's savings account.
We did add to the boys' savings accounts this year...praying that they don't have to encumber the debt I did if they choose to go to college.

11.  Do a family outing once a month. 
We did do more family outings this year, however many of them centered around livestock shows...which honestly for this show mom is perfectly ok :)

12.  Exercise 3 times a week and include the boys as often as possible.  
Let's just say this didn't happen as planned...

13.  Go on a date night just William &I once a month
Nah...this didn't happen either

14.  Post 60 blog post, plus keep our social media sites updated.

In 2014 I posted 103 blogs.
I completed my 1st blogging challenge.
The top 5 post focused on Family Farmers.
Our social media presents grew by leaps and bounds,
not only for my blog's Facebook page but also the farms.

Overall I think 2014 has been a successful year and I can't wait to see what 2015 holds.

Happy New Year to you all & God bless you!

Caci

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

Wow!! I can't believe today is a NEW YEAR!!

2014...I remember partying like it's 1999...

this year will have lots of things to celebrate for our family and I can't wait!

I don't want to wish the days away, I want to live them and take them in...

I don't want to miss a thing!  

Every year on this day I think of all the great things I want to accomplish...

not just in this year but in life.  I think we must take on manageable bites otherwise we choke.  

So I have developed a list of 14 things I want to accomplish in 2014,

some personal, some spiritual but they affect each area of life.  

1. Pray about everything!  

I really mean literally everything.  God calls us to pray and seek his guidance not just on the big things in life but everything.  In 2014,  I want to seek him more than I have before.  I want to go to him and ask for his guidance in all areas of my life.  

2. Study Scripture Daily.

I have been studying God's word regularly for a few years but I have never cracked open the Bible daily.  I feel that God is calling me to commit to him and studying his words so I can learn more about Him and about who he has called me to be.

3.  Tithe 1st, not last.

This probably fits in with some other things I have on my list but I think it needs to stand alone.  I like to budget on paper down to the last red cent I have (probably some kind of control issue) but I realized when I looked at my spreadsheet tithes were at the end not at the beginning.  I must refocus and re-prioritize because he provides us with all that we need and all that we have! 

4. Memorize 12 verses of Scripture

Last year I attempted to memorize 24 and for me that is just too many.  I need to let things sink in and ferment.  So I am going to pick a scripture a month to memorize and apply daily to my life.  

5. Organize my life.

I need to get things in line.  Complete my Home Management Binder, update my billing system, put a filing system in order at home and at my office.  Not to mention labeling!

6. Declutter Our House

This one has been a goal for years and this year I have decided to tackle it a new way.  It's a 12 step kind of program.  I have broken down our house into manageable areas and given myself a month to complete each one, that way I have longer to work on it plus it gives me time to redecorate if I would like.  Really it's sad because our whole house should be manageable (we only have 4 rooms + a bathroom) but any ways..Here's the plan

January- Bathroom

February- Hall Closet (the one with shelves)

March- Living Room

April- Laundry Room/Back Porch (they are one in the same ;)

May- Coat Closet

June- Boys Bedroom

July- Boys Clothes closet

August- Kitchen

September- Boys Toy Closet

October- Our Bedroom (this is the most dreaded one)

November- Our Closet

December- Garage 

7. Set a daily schedule and stick to it!! 

 In the last month my commitment to my daily schedule has gone out the window.  I mean really I don't get up at the same time each day, we don't eat dinner at the same time, and we just kind of fly by the seat of our pants...which makes us all a little scattered.  So with the new year comes a set schedule that our family will have. 

8. Pay off Debt!!!

As much of it as possible!  The goal is to by the end of the year to only have the basic monthly bills plus my student loans to pay.  

9. Put at least $1000 in our savings account for a rainy day fund

I realize that the suggestion is 3-6 months of your salary but this would be a huge accomplishment for us.  

10.  Put at least $200 extra into each of the boy's savings account.

Currently most of the money in the boy's accounts is from gifts they have received from family and friends.  I want to make a concentrated effort to increase their savings amounts.    Plus we plan to let Wyatt show some market animals this year and our goal is for him to place all the money he makes into his savings account.  I did quick math the other day and figured up if he sold 1 market hog, 1 market lamb, and 1 steer each year for the next 13 years he would add at least $15,000 to his savings account and that is very low estimates.  We have to teach the boys financial responsibility now or they will struggle learning it later in life.

11.  Do a family outing once a month.  

Meaning together all 4 of us do something fun.  I'm not going to say non-farm related but ideally it would be going camping, movie night, etc.  We need to make more of an effort as an entire family to enjoy our time together.  As a farm family sometimes that's going to mean checking cows together or going to a sale but those memories are just as important if not more than the ones that happen when you spend money.

12.  Exercise 3 times a week and include the boys as often as possible.  

I need to be more active for myself.  I need to get healthier and one way is just to move more.  Because I don't get to stay at home all day with the boys I have used that as an excuse not to exercise as often as I should.  I want to motivate them to get outside and move more.  So I want to exercise with them.  Whether it's walking Flat Rock or playing Wii Fit we are going to try and do it together so that we all can benefit.

13.  Go on a date night just William & I once a month

Since adding baby boy #2 I realized that William & I don't ever really spend any time together just the 2 of us.  I think it's important for us to nurture our relationship and let our boys see that we are important to each other.  We have fallen into the trap of putting our boys before our marriage and we need to stop.  So this year I want to schedule more us time.  

14.  Post 60 blog post, plus keep our social media sites updated.

That's 5 blog post a month... 1.25/week I always have these great ideas to blog more and usually start out strong but fall by the way side.  This year I want to do better.  But that goal must be manageable and not take away from other areas in our life.  I also want to be sure we are sharing more photos on our social media sites so that folks can get a better glimpse of our farm life.  

So there you have it my 14 goals for 2014.  Let's see how these work out over the next 12 months!  What are your goals for 2014??

Caci