FIRE on our Ranch

Living in California during a drought is never fun. Especially when living on a Ranch irrigating lands for cattle and having water for your own household. Everything else is VERY dry.

Where we live there is always threat of fire. Just this year alone on our property we have had 2 fires before today. Lightening strikes are usually the cause. We love the rain and need it badly but Lightening is not our friend especially during dry storms.

Yesterday though it was one heck of a day. Blue skies so did not even think of a fire. Ryan was outside fixing fences thankfully has a good eye. He runs three ranches. One we live on, one that is across the street per say (its 2000 acres away and on 3000 acres itself) and then one closer to town which we cant see by eye. While he was out fixing fences he saw smoke on the other ranch. He grabbed the quad, shovel and came in and yelled he had to go to other ranch. I decided to jump on with him and go help just in case.

Side note....its pretty funny when your heart is pumping because you see smoke that could be a small fire but with the winds we were having would turn to a big one and all you hear your husband say is, "Don't be mad if I am driving to fast and HOLD ON".

We get there and THANK GOD Thad and his wife were there putting it out. They had seen it, called Fire Dept. I felt so bad for them. They were frantic but so smart. The fire got dangerously close to the Barn and Thad was able to keep it away with wet blankets. I asked him later how he even knew to do that and he said "I have just seen too many old westerns I guess". Thad is an amazing Rancher who leases the land for his cows. His wife was amazing and had no qualms about getting out there to help. She had even lost her shoes while running to help. I think we owe her a pair for sure. Ryan jumped right in without a second thought and started turning over every little ember so it wouldn't spread. He got along the fence line so it wouldn't go out into the field and kind of told us what to do.

By the time the Firefighters showed up we all had it pretty much out but things were smoldering everywhere and winds were still high. With the winds if Thad hadn't grazed that area and our structures weren't on cement slabs I don't even want to think of what would of happened. I am thankful for Thad and his lovely wife. I know they were thankful when we showed up because it was crazy frantic. My heart was racing so much as we all were trying to get the fire to not go any further.

When the firefighters showed up they helped us to determine what had happened. With 50-70mph winds they said that the tin on one of the structures had came undone. It had blown up and hit a power line which caused it to arch. Once it arched it of course sparked and those sparks hit the dry land and away the fire went. They were impressed with how much we all had done. We were all lucky.

I am thankful to God. Thankful to Thad and Amanda for being at the right place at the right time as they aren't usually there at that time of day. Thankful to my husband for seeing it and running right over to help. Thankful to the firefighters who came and made sure it was safe and no sparks would continue to fly.

My husband was a firefighter in his 20s. That's what he went to college for. So when he sees fire he heads straight there. I know that he is smart and capable when it comes to fires and what to do. It helped with four of us helping. They were so thankful to see the dust coming down the road of Ryans Quad to come help. Being so far out it takes firefighters 40 minutes to get there. I cant even imagine what would of happened and how much land would of been burnt or structures at that.

Firefighters are amazing and everyday risk their lives. I was so thankful to see them and they were all so helpful! It gives a civilian peace of mind when they show up. Like ok....I can breathe...everything is going to be okay now.

It was quiet an adventure. I had told Ryan that I didn't have anything to blog about lately that morning. Later he said "well here you go". I am never going to say that again. This wasn't quiet what I was thinking about ha!

I hope the drought will end soon. I hope that no more fires happen this year. Its been a crazy year with that. Ryan is talking about getting a water truck. It really would make us all feel better. I worry but I think that is the job of a wife. I am just glad that everything turned out okay. We were blessed this time around.

Subscribe to my blog by putting your email in at the top of this page. You will receive a email whenever I blog. I cant see who is following me but hey that's the charm of it right? You can also follow me on Bloglovin or Google+. Have a blessed day.

Grace Bible Church

My whole life I have know God. I was raised Catholic until I decided in my 30's that I wanted to go to a Christian Church and raise my children there. When we moved to Big Valley and were staying in a hotel while our house was opening up this amazing lady named Kerri introduced us to Grace Bible Church. We thought we would check it out and see if it was a church where we could get the message of God and teach our children also.

Boy was it! I loved the church and the fellowship right away. We were apart of a family that loved God and wanted to be better. We went almost every Sunday until my first Brain Surgery. During my recovery I stopped going and for whatever reason I didn't return. Laziness, Sickness, whatever the reason was that week. I missed it. I missed the message of God. I missed the people and the fellowship. I missed the Community. Still I didn't return I felt almost guilty and I shouldn't have.

My family has God in our hearts. We talk about God on a daily basis. I pray and have a very close relationship with God. I am only human and make mistakes daily but my family tries to walk and talk with God on our minds.

Going back to Church was on my heart. Heavy on my heart for months. I wanted to go back so bad but thought weird things like people might think I am there just because I am having another Brain Surgery or because something was wrong and we needed God. Those were untrue and weird things to think because none of them were true. It wasn't God who didn't want me there......He did want me there.

We decided as a family that we were going back to church this weekend. Unbeknownst to us they were having a baptism afterwards for anyone who wanted to get one. People had been planning it for weeks. Praying, getting ready, preparing.

Baptism NOUN

1. (in the Christian Church) the religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person's forehead or of immersion in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church

 

Church was great. I knew the moment I stepped back in and starting singing that I wouldn't stop going. I wanted to be there. I yearned to be there. Fellowship was amazing. We were welcomed back as we had never left. Our Pastors are amazing and really are putting forth such effort. The church has grown so much even in the past year. Its amazing to see Gods work be done.

 

After church many people got Baptized. They restarted their lives with God. Cleansed their sins. Every Baptism that took place was amazing. Everyone clapped. As soon as they were done my daughter asked if she could do it but was scared because everyone had already gone that was going. Plus, we hadn't been to church so she didn't know how things were prepared or what you had to do. The answer was nothing. All she had to do was give her heart to the Lord again. Be cleansed by God and be renewed. Ryan walked over to our Pastor who had already gotten out of the water and said Cassie wanted to be baptized. All our kids have been baptized before but this was heavy on Cassies heart to do it again. An amazing thing! He said "of course" and they went back in. After praying over and for her Cassie was baptized. The neat thing is even more people decided to go in after that. I was so proud of her for doing what was on her heart! Not being afraid to speak up.

 

I am proud of each and every one who got Baptized on Sunday. What a special thing in their lives. It really has brought me to think about how much we love God. How I need to be a stronger parent and raise my kids knowing God even more than we do now. How fellowship is important too.

 

Grace Bible Church is amazing. They love you for who you are. I love how Pastor Kent says that he is only human and makes mistakes too. That God covers us all. His wife is amazing also she is the most caring Godly lady that I know. I am going to start going back to Woman's Bible Study soon. I love the fact that I am able to walk out of Church and have learned something that I can put with my daily life.

 

There is a revolution  going on. Grace Bible is expanding and really feeling the Lord. With Woman's Retreats with all denominations, Bible Studies and even with baskets for every worker at the school to give them a good start to their year from the Church. Things are happening. I can feel it and I want to be apart of it. They have an an amazing Youth Group ran by an amazing Lady who the kids love. I see differences in the teens that I want my children to be able to see, hear and feel too. God is good.

 

I am not going to be afraid anymore. I wont let my sickness hold me back from Church again. The Word of God and the fellowship that we receive is too important. What ever church you go too or your relationship with God even if you don't go can always be better. It just takes one person to start it and many to continue the love of God.

 

Thank you to our Church. For accepting our family as your own family. For your prayers and for the word of God. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

FAST EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA

I love homemade pizza. I love even more SIMPLE, EASY, FAST homemade pizza. I am not a fan of doughs that have to rest or sit for a day to get plumpness. This recipe makes it perfect every time! I will show you In pictures. I make what I call kids pizza which is pepperoni and then adult pizza which is tons of different cheeses with garlic. YUM!

First I will start out with the recipe: (this is for one large pizza…I triple it because I have 6 ppl in my family).

2-3 cups flour

1 cup warm wateer

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoon oil

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions: Mix honey, oil, warm water, salt and yeast together. Yeast should slightly bubble. I use a kitchenaid with the dough mixer. Add slowly 2-3 cups of flour till firm. Mind you I triple this recipe because I have four hungry teenagers so you will see much more in the pictures. Kneed for 3 minutes with left over flour. Make pizza then cook in a preheated oven on a greased pan for 8-10 minutes. DING timer is done and perfection comes out. No resting time. No extra wait time. You can add whatever topping you want.

 

 

Dough should look like this

I triple the recipe to make individual pizzas

Kneeded 6 balls

Put pizza sauce in middle, can use spaghetti sauce also

Use a spoon to swirl it on

For the kids I use mozzarella cheee

and pepperoni

Bake for 8-10 minutes on greased pan in a 475 preheated oven

Now on to Adult pizza....add 2 tablespoons minced garlic from jar

spread it around and add olive oil
(use as much or as little as you want)

I love the smell and taste of basil so I add that too

Add adult cheeses....feta, parmesan,

after the adult cheeses I add mozzarella. Bake in 475 degree oven for 8-10 minutes 

Yummy! Simple! Fast!

Try it out on your family I am sure they will love it. The crust is yummy and plump! I always add a lot of cheese because I like the gooey goodness. Hope you like it as much as we do. Please Share!

 

Subscribe to this blog by email. Go to the top of the page and put your email in. You will receive a email everytime I blog. You can also go on Google+ or Bloglovin. Have a blessed day

Camping Fun

What’s a great thing to do on your 15^th bday? Well, go camping of course! It’s not often that we are able to get away for a couple of days but we wanted Jason’s 15^th bday to be family and fun. I can’t believe my youngest is 15. As of today I have two 15 year olds, 16 and 17 year old. Man, that’s just craziness.

We had the best time. We remodeled the inside of our trailer, took a 8 man tent also, lots of food, fishing licenses and we were on our way. The days were hot and the nights were cold but it was fun!

It was really beautiful there and I recommend it. Since it was Jason’s bday everything was planned around what he loves. Steak for dinner, s’mores , lots of snacks and cupcakes for his bday. It was his bday weekend! We had a great time! Caught a lot of fish and did some funny pictures. Just to get away as a family is always something we enjoy. Can’t wait to go back!

I have to say it was funny because Ryan and I wanted to stay an extra day and the kids were like “no we have football or volleyball”. Then Jackson turned to us and said….”when did we become the parents and you guys are like the kids”. I laughed. No one wants to go back to real life I said haha!

Here are some pictures from our trip…can’t wait to see what Jason wants to do next year.

Coyotes killed my babies (Caution Pics)

 “Coyotes account for 65 percent of all cattle and calf losses to predators and 61 percent of sheep and lamb predation (ADHIS.usda.gov) Wildlife Services (a program within the USDA’s and Animal and Pant Health Inspection service). “

Quinny gotten by a coyote

We have four calves. They started out with rough lives either by the mother dying or not wanting them. One of them we bottle fed since birth. The other three we bottle fed when the mothers didn’t want them.

You can look at it the way of money. Each bottle fed calf is between 500-600 dollars and that’s only because they aren’t even weaned from their mothers and need supplements for months. So 600 times 4. Then you add all the grain and formula to each cow. We were feeding them 26 bottles a day. I went out in the morning and night when they were bigger. When I first got Minnie she was only a day old so we fed her every 3 hours around the clock. We give them all grain everyday which is 10 dollars a bag. I am sure you can see the numbers adding up here. Its an investment for sure. Especially when you are already feeding 4 teens but all their friends. These calves were for us to have for our family, produce more calves or help sell for college funds.

Quinny and Tulu before we left

Then there is me…..I love my animals. They are my babies. I talk to my calves. I pet them. I give them probably too much grain because they love it. I take a million pictures of them so I can see them grow. They think I am their mom. They run to me when they see or hear me. They follow me around the yard when I am doing other chores. They all have names….they are my babies. Yes I know they are calves but to me it like a family pet too. I have put a lot of time and energy so they are raised well and growing. They are gentle and all our nieces and nephews and friends kids can just walk up and pet them without being scared.

We went camping for two days. Came back to mayhem. We double checked that everything had been fed and watered while we were gone. Which they were. As I walked over to the normal spot and called for my cows they weren’t coming. I went over to check on the pigs and then a yard away I see this.

I cried immediately Quinny was gone…..called for Ryan. He said,”oh no coyotes” and we started to search for the others. All the kids had flashlights, driving quads as we searched and searched. The calves never stray far from the house.  We found Tulu hiding behind the hay bales. She was bit all around her neck, her face, her back leg and her ear was missing. She was alive! I don’t know how she stayed alive. My husband picked up this 100+ pound calf to get her into a horse stall so we could doctor her up, keep her from danger of anything trying to come back after her. She won’t be able to move much in there but we can doctor her up till she is better. We just prayed she made it through the night.

After 30 minutes we finally found RJ and Minnie. My panic subsided as I saw they were well. They had gone as far as I ever seen them go through hiding in a corner by the fences. They were our older bigger calves by 2 months.

I think the only reason the coyotes didn’t get Tulu after getting Quinny was because we have dogs that probably scared them away.  The dogs are always around the calves and we have never had any problems. The dogs usually keep the coyotes away. We have been hearing coyotes come closer and closer. They are definitely hungry if they are coming this close to our homestead. Our neighbors have been having big coyote problems too with their sheep. The coyotes went after the two youngest because they are weaker ones.

I am so sad. We have been doctoring Tulu and she is surviving thankfully. We have washed each wound, gave her antibiotics, sprayed all the wounds to keep flies away and so she will heal. We even are giving her electrolytes to keep her hydrated. She is getting better and I hope she is going to survive.

I know that coyotes have their place in the world but I personally don’t like them one bit. They don’t have a place around me, my kids or my animals. If they are brave enough to come up to the house that is not okay with me.

Here are some more facts so we can be educated on coyotes.

1.       Coyotes may only weigh 35 to 50 pounds but their jaws can exert more than 300 pounds of bite pressure.

2.       Veterinarian bills, lower rebreeding rates, and loss of weight gain are all part of the indirect costs suffered by herds that have been hunted by predators

3.       Coyotes kill $2- to $3 million dollars’ worth of livestock a year

4.       Coyotes are not eating the entire animal, they are just eating the prime parts and leaving the rest of the carcass to rot.

5.       They will eat the afterbirth right out of a cow that is calving. If hungry enough will eat the calf as its coming out. In most cases you lose the mother and the calf.

6.       Coyotes will lure domestic dogs out to them and kill.

7.       Coyotes kill for food, to teach pups and for fun.

We are taking precautions to help protect our animals. Please understand this is ranchers livelihoods and also to some of us our pets. These are the animals that you feed your children with. It’s a sad loss for everyone.  We are really saddened by the loss of Quinny and pray that Tulu makes it. Here is a picture of them right before we left for two days to go camping.

 

To subscribe to this blog go to the top of the page and put your email in. You will receive an email every time I post. Have a Blessed Day.

Introducing My Kids!!

Josh, Jack,Cassie, and Jason

Having four teenagers is like having a whole High School of kids living at your house. Yes, Yes I know it’s only four of them but we literally have every grade of High school in this house. Our Youngest is in 9^th Grade this year and our oldest is in 12^th grade . I never only have four teenagers living in this house either because someone always has a friend or two or three over. I even have a fifth child that is like our son because he is here so much. He was here more this summer than our own children. He even has a bed here that is his and a drawer for clothes. The first thing he always says to me is “Rae, I am hungry what are you making?” Yep that is JUST like our kids.

Jason, Josh, Cassie and Jackson

Growing up my mom only really ever let us have one person spend the night at a time. I like it better that the kids come here to this house. Let’s be honest…I want to know what they are doing. Am I a strict mom? My kids would definitely say yes. I would say that I am a loving mom who actually cares where they are and what they are doing at all points of the day. My kid’s friends don’t think we are strict because they know our kids are spoiled. We do a lot of family time, take them places all the time, they don’t really want for anything but my one son Joshua always jokingly says “this house is a prison” when I tell him things like 2 popsicles are more than enough. That cracks us up so much that Ryan and I even started to say it.

Our kids have chores every day and have to take care of their animals. They have to have their beds made and rooms clean. Homework done and then they can go off on the quads or play pool or swim. We don’t do the Xbox unless it’s a weekend and if we are going together as a family to an event or shopping or what not they have to come.  They have to have C’s or above. It’s their job to do well at school but we understand that some subject’s kids might struggle at. I mean heck I can’t even do my kids math homework! I have to send them to Ryan for that. I help with all the other subjects though. If they have less than C’s they don’t have any privileges because they apparently don’t have time to keep up their grades.  This doesn’t happen often but it has happened and it’s quickly corrected.

With four teenagers I have four VERY different personalities. I am very lucky though because they all get along well even though they have only been together for the last 7 years. Being a blended family with Ryan bringing in two children and I brought in two….I have heard that we are VERY blessed that they get along and see each other as brothers and sister. I can say to any of them…”go get your brother please” and they will always ask me “which one?”

Jackson

Jackson is our oldest. He is 17 going on what he wishes was 21. He loves sports and loves girl’s lol. I am sure that is just a 17 year old thing. If he dates though over time he is in love of all loves with that girl. Ryan and I just roll our eyes as he doesn’t know true love yet. He is a great driver and can spot a deer from the side of the road before I even see it. This is really helpful when you live on a ranch. He is kind but doesn’t like to show his feelings. He is the one that is always “learning” that our rules are there for a reason. He has been trying to spread his wings for some time now but is the child who actually doesn’t want to leave home. He is always saying he is going to leave and come right back. He is a protector of his siblings and a very hard worker at home. He is a bit of a trash talker but in a joking way. Its pretty darn funny. He loves sports and plays them well. He works at it and at it till he gets better and better. He is good with being a part of a team but he is very competitive on being the best that he can be. We are always telling him he needs to be more humble ha! Jack is definitely mechanical and is in the process of fixing our old BMW for himself. I am lucky because Jackson is the one kid that will sit down with you and talk and talk about what is going on in his day. I bonded with him so fast when we first met 7 years ago. He is definitely my son who I love very much!

Cassie

Cassie is next in line. She is 16. She is my overachiever who does not even want to get below an A-. I never have to ask her to clean her room as she always already has it done. He is kind of type A as she doesn’t want things moved and get anxiety if we clean her carpets and something might get moved out of place. She is an avid reader and loves to draw. I love that she draws. She has such talent and not just because I say that because I am her mother but because she just is really good. She has an eye for Art. Especially Anime which is Japanese Cartoon Art. Cassie beats to her own drum and doesn’t care. I love this about her because she isn’t afraid to be herself. She is more of a leader than a follower. She doesn’t care what people think of her. She definitely is the child who will tell you something but then turn it around to be in her favor. She has this amazing way of writing. I want to actually do a book with her and have her do the animation but truly I think she could do it all on her own. She is always writing manuscripts and they are amazing.  She is a cat lover but does love her puppy Sebastian. She is very caring and tries to show you through cards and paintings and such. Cassie also cares a lot about her family. She keeps every card ever given to her by family no matter what the occasion was. She loves music. Boy does this child love music. I think for two years she never didn’t have headphones on her head or around her neck. She knows almost every word to every song too. Even the oldies. That always amazes me. She can hear something and it just sticks in her head. To be the only girl in the house too is amazing because she can hold her own but she fights dirty. Trust me she can whip you with her tongue if she chose to. Luckily she doesn’t do it often. I love her very much! She is my princess.

Joshua

Joshua is our third child and by far the tallest child. At 15 years old he is already 6’3’’. It’s hard to look up at him and tell him to go to his room if he has been misbehaving. This doesn’t actually happen that often because Joshua definitely has a big moral compass. He is very black and white and not grey in the middle. This sometimes can get him in trouble as he will tell you exactly what he feels about a situation. Most of the time though he has a very valid point. At the same time though he is the one who tells us he is in trouble before we find out. All the other kids won’t even say anything until we find out. Joshua is definitely our goofy kid in the house. I still remember his first day of 7^th grade when he came to a new school. He walked down the hallway, did a somersault and then kept on walking like nothing ever happened. He is always cracking us up. He is pretty quick witted and can have a good comeback in no time flat. Joshua is sensitive though and doesn’t like it when people are mean to others especially if it’s to one of us. He still has a polar bear stuffed animal that his Nana gave to him before she passed away that is very special to him. He has a great memory too and always tells us stories of when he was “younger” and what he did.  He is a thinker and not much of a talker of his feelings. It has to be a pretty special day when he opens way up and tells you how he feels. These are the times we really sit down and listen. He is definitely my son that I love very much!

Jason

Jason is only 3 months younger than Joshua. He is going to be 15 this month. Jason is the youngest of the family and wears that title proudly. He sneakily can get out of work because he is younger and the older boys tend to do it. Jason is sensitive for sure. You have to be careful with how you joke with him as it may hurt his feelings. He is the kid though that will always hug you goodnight and always say I love you. He will search for you in the house to do it even and not go to bed till he has done it. Jason loves to be around people and yet likes his alone time also. He has many friends and blends in really well. He is very endearing as he will ask if you are okay if you hurt yourself. It’s funny though because we always tell him that he needs his hearing checked because he doesn’t always hear what you say. Once we said we were going to the store and he told all the other kids we went to go buy a new car. He swears he heard that. If the TV is on you can’t get his attention. He loves baseball and animals. He is very kind to all the animals and always willing to help with them. If you ask the other kids they say Jason gets away with the most. If you ask Jason though…his life is hardJ He is addicted to sugar and loves candy. If there is one piece left in the house he will definitely find it. Cracks me up every time. We used to load his stocking full of gum because he loves it so much.  He is definitely my son that I love very much!

I love my kids so much! They all have these great personalities and are going to grow up and really go far. They all have the love in their heart and are good people. For teenagers we are very blessed that they don’t get in trouble much. They love their family and we still get hugs from them. We are very blessed to have these kids. They are the apple of my eye, the light of my life. I don’t know what I would ever do without them. Man I sound super sappy but hey it’s true! I love them! Our love for our kids isn’t divided…..its multiplied!