are you struggling? or peachy keen?

“Some days are hard other days are harder” is what she said when we hugged

“A man could preach on pain and suffering 52 weeks a year and it still wouldn’t be enough” is what he said just before they said “Amen”

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If you’re new here, Hi, I’m Karmen the voice at Blessings Beyond the Barnyard. I’m real,  I don’t believe in accidents & am ever so grateful you’ve stopped by.  I live on a farm with the love of my life I call “the cowboy” most of the time, sometimes “J” and other times, well never mind, this is a family show. We are doing our very best to love with all of our might as well as rear our two cotton top little boys we refer to as the rascals. We home school, own/operate the local feed and garden store & farm for the fun of it. Oh, and I’m writing a book because God is real and He has done great things.

Now that you’re up to speed here is where we are today.

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It’s no secret life’s tough. I bet if I were to ask you right now: “ Are you struggling?  in your marriage? your finances? kids? health?  job?  Seriously.  How are you .?”  The struggling verses the peachy-keen.

Up and down we go where we stop nobody knows. Some days we LOVE & romp at what we do other days we’re not even close. We succeed and then we fail. Epically.

Most recently we’ve been bombing parenthood. Just ask our kids. The ol’ quantity verses quality principle. True story. We are with our boys a lot. Being that they are taught at home and with the flexibility of being self-employed they are with one of us most every day with the occasional sitter when momma needs some sanity. All that’s fine and Jim-dandy and you’d think their little love tanks would be full except for this.

Last weekend my tribe (=momma, daddy, sisters and their gang) had planned to go camping. I’d kept it on the down low hoping the boys wouldn’t catch wind because the weather was favorable and we had hay waist high ready to cut. After weighing it all out the cowboy decided to mow hay and I decided to take the boys over for one day and one night of family fun while the hay cured. I assured him I’d be home in time to rake and help haul. It sounded like the perfect plan until it come time to go and the boys set in wondering why daddy wasn’t going with us. “It’s hay time boys.”   My condolences hardly settled our oldest.   His love language is quality time. (key word: quality) He loves to fish and camp and sit around the fire. His facial expressions and subtle comments revealed that his love tank was on “E.”

The boys and I savored our twenty-four hour camping trip with my tribe. We laughed and ate. They swam and got way too much sun. The cowboy manned the store, teddered (fluffed) hay and worked on equipment while we were away. Just as we’d promised we were home by noon on Saturday.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat, gathered the boys a few toys to play in the dirt  and by two-ish the cowboy and I were on the tractor together making our first lap around the field (because the cowboy likes to check for limbs and go over for the nine hundred and twenty two thousandth time what gear I should run in and how not fast I should go) I took advantage of the time we had on the tractor to discuss  how we were bombing this parenting thing.  “They need us J. They need US.  Not the go play and do your thing get out from under my feet us but the engaged us-with-them kind-of-us. The we-care-about-what-you-like and we don’t just want you here & safe and not drowning in the pond.   The we care about what you’re good at and what scares you or thrills you. We know better J. We’ve got to do better.”

With that said we later talked to our super-dooper employee and asked him to meet the feed truck Monday morning so we could have the whole day to do all the things we’ve not been doing lately. And that’s exactly what we did.

We celebrated our freedom (THANK YOU VETERANS) Monday morning with pancakes and piddlin’ on the porch.  After breakfast the boys fed the barnyard while I swooped through the house. (It was awesome..the house was almost clean for like fifteen minutes or maybe ten.  I should’ve invited you.  We should’ve had a party.)

Later  the cowboy caught ponies that we later took and traded for 12 hens, two roosters, a guinea and a little cash (buy-sell-trade are a few of the cowboy’s favorite things)

the newest members of the flock

I worked in the garden a bit while the boys worked at the fort.

The chuck wagon arrived just in time for lunch.

We picnicked in the pasture lot and talked about the day

The cowboy assisted and mended as needed

I took more pictures than they wished I had

And then our oldest said, “y’all can go now.”

I guess we overran his love tank.

The cowboy and I took the hint, let them be and went and gathered  eggs

We ended the memorable day with burgers off the grill and the THRILL of the first big bass of  summer (of which I was not allowed to photograph)

So, here we are.  The day after the catch up-make-it-all better day

WE ROCK PARENTHOOD  <——sarcasm  #ifitwereonlythateasy

Days of jam-packed family fun are fabulous and I wish every day were that easy but that’s not real.  What is real, is grace.

When we bomb parenthood or find ourselves spread to thin

When we disappoint or are disappointed

Have unfulfilled expectations or are called to suffer

there is grace…

Tomorrow is a new day my friends

Stay strong…He’s not finished with us yet

much love

PS~  HIP HIP HOORAY the hay made it to the barn