"I Like My Life"
April Newsletter || And a book giveaway!
Right before bed, one of the kids asks me to fill their water bottle. I walk from their room to the kitchen and notice it’s still light out—even though it’s after 7 o’clock. We tucked the kids into bed in the dark for months, and now, the days are getting longer. I’m already in my pajamas—my face yet washed—but I picture the book on my nightstand waiting for me once the kids are in bed. The house is quiet, except for Rich reading to the kids on their bedroom floor. The kitchen is clean, and the dishwasher is set to run in a few hours. A sudden thought comes to me, “I like my life.”
The moment isn’t extraordinary; it’s an ordinary Thursday. All of us are home. But really, aren’t the ordinary moments the extraordinary ones?
They’re the moments that make up a life.
Soon, I crawl into my comfortable bed with my heated eye mask (dry eye problems), and I drift1 off to sleep in a life I never dreamed of.
//
Last month, we took the kids on a four-day trip to Portland. We visited family, went to several parks (things farm kids get excited about), spent the night on the coast, went to Trader Joe’s (things Montanans get excited about), and hit up Chick-fil-A (twice since we don’t live near one).
Despite my nerves about traveling with three kids, they all did well. Surprising no one, the toddler was the biggest challenge. But she didn’t do too bad, considering the super early morning flight and late night flight coming home.
I loved taking the kids on the trip. It was Nora’s first flight, and the big kids didn’t remember their previous flights. (The plane rides and airports ranked pretty high as their favorite parts of the vacation.) I loved making memories, visiting family, and seeing the ocean. It was a great break as we ramped up to the next busy season.
I know that soon enough, our kids will be in sports, after-school activities, and driving themselves to and from school (oh my), and our evenings will no longer look the same. I hope they remember our vacations and the special things we did together. And I hope we have many more trips in the future.
But I think it’s the everyday moments we will all remember someday.
So, for now, you’ll find me in sweats, going to bed at a geriatric hour, and looking for the small magical moments that make up my life—a life I like.2
Farm Happenings
Our calving season wrapped up at the end of March. The crew branded two herds in March and the last herd on April 1st. The farm crew spent a few days soil sampling fields in late March. The many bags of soil were sent to a lab, and Rich will find out what nutrients the soil needs this spring.
In March, the grain cleaner came out to clean seeds that will be seeded this spring. Some seeds we keep from the past year (versus selling them) to use as seeds for the following year’s crop. Some seed varieties are certified seeds, and you’re not legally allowed to replant them—they have to be sold.
Seeding is next on the dock for the farm crew, and they will (hopefully!) start today! The crops to be seeded this spring are spring wheat, lentils, chickpeas, barley, and yellow peas. Seeding should take a week or two, depending on weather and equipment breakdowns. (I find it’s best to round up for my sanity’s sake.)
For my part, I made a list of field meals to deliver to the crew in the evenings. Thankfully, seeding isn’t as long as harvest, and the crew isn’t as big—so it’s not as big of a production as field meals during harvest.
The ranch crew will start AI’ing (artificially inseminating) the cows and heifers next week. My sister-in-law does most of the AI’ing (she’s pretty awesome), and the bulls will be turned out with the cows to breed the rest.
I brought home four chicks for my chicken farming operation at the end of March. I’m not sure if this is good chicken farming practice, but I picked the breeds of chicks to buy based on the color of eggs they will lay. I got two Olive Eggers, who will hopefully lay a dark green or olive-colored egg, and two Midnight Majesty Marans, who are supposed to lay a dark brown egg.
Lately, I’m . . .
Reading: “A Braided Heart: Essays on Writing and Form” by Brenda Miller—and it makes me want to sit down and write. And listening to “Where the Forest Meets the Stars” by Glendy Vanderah.
Watching: MH370: The Plane That Disappeared—a limited series on Netflix—and I may never fly again. (Mostly kidding. But honestly, I still can’t believe they haven’t found this plane and 239 passengers after nine years.)
Wearing: rompers on repeat—in hopes that it will eventually feel like spring. I’m on the hunt for a pair with short sleeves if anyone has any recommendations!
Cheering: for
as she launched her book "Create Anyway" into the world last month!Cooking: Korean Beef & Rice for an easy and fast weeknight meal. I used to make this all. the. time, but I burned myself (and my family) out on it. I made it for the second time this month, and Rhett said, “Why have you made this a million times, Mom?” (Apparently, I’m on the fast track to burnout again.) But then he sat down and devoured the whole bowl.
Baking: these amazing Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies from I Am Baker. If you’re not already following her on IG, you’re missing out—she’s hilarious, and her recipes are great.
Writing: an article for RANGE Magazine that will come out in their summer issue.
Singing: an “Anxious Heart” by Jeremy Camp.
Listening: to the Bible Recap almost every day. I just finished day 107 of the reading plan—I’ve never made it this far in the Bible before.
Sharing: this short reflection on motherhood and family vacations I titled “Motherhood is a Trip.” (It was re-published by Coffee + Crumbs.)
Buying: so many books. I’ve only heard great things about “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” by
and it's next on my (never-ending) pile of TBR.
Giveaway!
In March, I had the honor of being on TWO book launch teams! Erin Strybis and Kim Knowle-Zeller released their devotional, “The Beauty of Motherhood,” on March 21st. Each devotion is relatable and beautifully written and will be a book I will slowly savor over the coming year. I met them both through the Exhale community, and it’s been exciting to watch people I know make their dreams come true. I joined their blog tour, sharing this essay with ten tiny stories about the definition of motherhood.
I was also on Ashlee Gadd’s launch team for her book, Create Anyway. After reading Ashlee’s words through Coffee + Crumbs, IG, and her blog, I knew the book would be amazing. And I was right! The book is not only beautiful on the outside, but the words and stories are too. I finished it last month, and it’s a book I’ll go back to again and again.
And I’m giving away BOTH books to ONE lucky person!
Want to win? Comment below, and I’ll draw a random winner next week!
Happy April!
I feel like every spring, we Montanans complain about the snow that just won’t quit, and this year is no different. Last week we had a taste of spring, shortly followed by a snowstorm. Of course, as a farming family, we’re grateful for the moisture,3 but going forward, I request it in rain, not snow—thank you very much.
I just want to wear sandals and shorts and dresses. My feet and legs want to be freed from the constraints of pants and snow boots. Is that too much to ask?
Here’s to overthinking less,
Stacy
I use the word “drift” loosely. I take a combo of vitamin D, magnesium, and melatonin every night. For years (my whole life?) I’ve struggled to fall asleep. I’ve also added fish oil to my nightly stack of pills (dry eye problems).
I wrote this post a few days before a stomach bug ripped through my family of five—slowly knocking us off one by one. I still like my life, but that week was rough.
I think it’s in our vows we have to say this.
Love this. "I like my life." Such a simple thought, but it makes me want to keep paying attention to all those little, magical moments that make up my life.
I keep seeing You Could Make This Place Beautiful pop up alot of different places-- think I may have to add it to my TBR!