becoming productive

Well, I think I'm done for now. I still don't understand things like why I can't see the same look for my blog on my phone or ipad that I see on the computer. So I guess if you want to know what this blog really looks like, you should read me online. :))

Anywho! Back to BREAKING NEWS at the Frakes Family Farm! Today I went out to the coop to collect Dot's egg and found THREE EGGS!! Two large, and her one (still small) egg. This farm is on it's way to productivity! Yippee!



In addition, I've been adding some pretties to the coop. Like a sign I found at TARGET no less! And a chandelier. Oh yahhhh.



I thought I'd share some pics of the girls from last week. I know you'll wonder how I can tell them apart, but just like a mama of twins, I've got each one of them pegged. They are my babies, you know.


Beaker


Eva


Flo


Pearl

And now for a little giggle through video, if you haven't seen this on my facebook page. Farmer G takes the girls out for some exercise.

changes abound

Well, as you can see, there's a new look here at Sassy Sawdust. I bore eaily. Can you tell? Sorry, once I started messing with it, the whole design went to the crapper. I'm not REAL happy with how it looks right now, but kind of like my chicken coop, it's functioning and ugly. And soon, very soon, I'll get back to making it pretty.

Speaking of that coop... I got on pinterest the other night. And I got SO inspired to sass up my coop! Shabby paint and chandeliers, and decor... oh my! If you follow me on pinterest, check out my "bawk bawk chicken" board. You'll see where I'm coming from and straight where I'm headed. As soon as all the other crap in my life slows down. Think chippy white paint, chandelier (oh yes, I AM), and cuteness abounding. Yep, that's the plan.

But first, I have to finish my daughter's room. I stripped her walls bare almost 2 months ago, in preparation for a big room redo. I filled all the holes, and prepped the room. And then life happened. One night I got the wild hair to paint one of those walls black chalkboard. It's awesome. Or it will be... once I finish painting the ceiling, cutting in the edges, and painting the baseboards. All before I tear out her nasty carpet and put in some hardwoods, prooooobably by myself. And that should be fun. GREAT. FUN.

So, I'd like it if you could cut me some slack. I'm doing well to keep everyone around here alive, including the dog and 5 chickens. :)

chicken talk

Oh, you know... just trying to lay an egg here if you would give me some privacy.


It's cool, Dot! We're just wondering when you're gonna be done so we can play again!


ahhhhhh.... much better.

happy birthday sweet abby (a shameless plug for my favorite daughter)

April 11, 2013

Dear Abby,

Do you know the first thing I thought when I laid eyes on you? Among many including:
*She's tiny!
*THAT just came out of ME?!
*What's wrong with her head?
*Is this what love at first sight is all about??

One stuck out above the rest: She's perfect!

Yes, I saw a precious baby with all her appendages, with tiny fingers and toes, and the most adorable nose. What I didn't see was a failing pyloris in your abdomen. I didn't see "failure to thrive" on a future doctor's chart. I didn't know you would need glasses for imperfect eye sight in second grade. And I NEVER saw coming a diagnosis of scoliosis in your future.

All I saw was beauty. God's abundant blessing in a 6 lb. 11 oz. package. I saw a baby girl who loved her mama. One who popped off my nursing breast at 10 months old and looked into my eyes to pronounce the sweetest word I had ever heard: "mama!" as she smiled.

It was 12 years ago in the wee hours of the morning when you woke me from sleep to send me racing to a hospital in northwest Oklahoma City in a thunderstorm. (too many prepositions in that sentence? Oh well.) I remember thinking that if we made it to the hospital without hydroplaning and being killed, the pain was surely going to crush me. I had expected labor to have some pain, just NOT the level I was experiencing. And frankly, since you were due to be induced 2 days later, I thought I would get drugs. I was dying.... surely.

I remember getting settled into the bed and being checked for dilation: 5 cm. Perfect! Bring on the epidural! But as we waited a few minutes I told the nurse I needed to poop, could I run to the bathroom?

WHAT? she said. There's no way! So she reached inside and yelled to everyone in the room: Oh my gosh! She's at a 10!! Get the doctor!! FAST!

And then after some hard pushing, realizing you were flipped upside down and twisting you over (oh yeah, that's a special kind of hell right there), out you came. It took 2 hours and 20 minutes from start to finish. You were 10 days early. And you were perfect.

What I want you to know, sweet thing, is life is NOT perfect. In fact, God warns us that life is hard. As you enter these important years of your life I offer you some advise. Some of it is cliche, but it's good advice.

1. Choose your friends wisely. Peer pressure can be positive OR negative.

2. Your family and your home are your safe place. Always.

3. Boys will come and go but your friends will always be there. Don't ignore them over a boy.

4. Stay true to your own personality. Any friend you have to change for is not really your friend.

5. There is nothing you could ever do to make me love you less.

6. Be strong. Be a leader among your peers.

7. You were made for greatness. I will always help you get there!

8. Jesus loves you, this I know. Keep your eyes on Him!

I love you sister. You're my favorite first born child and the best daughter a mama could ask for. I will always love you most.

XOXO,
Mama

getting older

I love blogging. I love writing! And I love sharing my heart with you. I was just reading back through some old posts and thinking how I've neglected my poor blog. And since there's someone out there (not sure who) that reads this, I feel like I've let you down. Namely you, Jessica Williams. But if there happens to be another reader out there, I'm thinking of you, too. :)



I'm turning 40 soon, hence the need to change my blog name a while back. And I have some thoughts on this milestone in life. So I'll share them with you here.

When I turned 30, I was 30 weeks pregnant with my son. I was happy and healthy and livin' the dream. I had a small tea party at a Tea Room for my 8 closest friends. Since I wasn't drinking, ain't nobody gonna be drinkin' for my big birthday, and it was lovely. We ate leisurely, shopped nearby, and went home for naps. It was great.

But now that I'm about to be 40, I'm getting old. No more child-bearing for me; that ended a decade ago now. A few more wrinkles and hands that look aged, now I feel like I've hit the time in my life from which there is no return. In fact, I'm pretty sure this may be the mid-point in my life. Will I live to 80? Or am I not even half way there yet? Only God knows when He'll take me home.

There are many things to be grateful for. I have an adoring husband, two great kids who are confident, funny, and love Jesus. I've been blessed with family that has loved me so much, they have literally prayed me out of the pits in life. They have stood in the gap for me and prayed for my heart when I wasn't praying myself. And for that, I'm forever grateful. My life is not perfect. In fact, I'm as imperfect as they come. I'm a hot mess. But I'm forgiven. And every day I rely on that promise.

So, if nothing else, I'm a bit meloncholy about turning 40. I'm going to do my best to embrace aging. I'm going to continue through my blessed life, raising my kids and my chickens, being thankful for my precious husband, and plug on like it's any other day. Because it is, right?

starstruck

We're Sooner fans around here. Born and bred, all four of my siblings and both my parents attended OU, it's where my husband and I met, and guaranteed, my children will most likely be OU alumns as well. It's in our bones. So I never understood the whole "professional" sports thing. I wondered how in the world they could get a backing of fans? In my mind there was no real reason to LOVE a pro team because there was no initial allegiance, like attending their school. But whatever. I don't think about sports a lot, besides OU football, so my thoughts stopped there.

But one day, Oklahoma City got a professional basketball team. I figured it would be fun to attend. And I knew we'd become fans. But I had no idea how much my son would come to LOVE the Thunder. And my husband! And the yelling in my living room when they play! It's official, we're now Thunder fans as well.

So when we went to Disney World on spring break, of course, we had to go to NBA City near Universal for lunch. It was yummy food (amazingly), but the best part was the store up front. Everything was overpriced. They had a court out front where you could play a timed free throw game and if you scored 13 out of 15 you got a free jersey from that pricey store. 10-12 and you could get a free ball. You get the picture. The less you score, the smaller the "prize" became. If you could score at least 4, you got half price on a photo session where they cropped you into a photo with famous guys from any team you chose.

As lunch wore on, my husband and son were obsessed. They were SURE they could each score AT LEAST 12, getting themselves a basketball. So they went to the counter, paid their $8 to play, and now I'm going to make a long story very short. Scott only hit 4 and so did Gavin. At least they had confidence. They really did believe in themselves. And that's good.

So we took our ticket for half price and went inside to do a photo shoot. They didn't have the special jersey Scott wanted on the photo rack, so he plucked one off the sales rack and threw it on G. This is him, in real life comparison to these two famous Thunder guys: Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. They are G's favorites.



So you can imagine our surprise when the next day, as we are minding our own bidness, walkin' through Magic Kingdom, I look up and see a VERY TALL black man in the distance. That's KD, I muse. That's KD!, I say as I nudge my husband. THAT'S KD!, I say loudly for the kids to hear!

WHERE?!, my husband exclaims! Ummm, the very tall black man right in front of you!, I say to myself. And holy crap, just like that, we stumbled upon Kevin Durant in Disney World. He was surrounded by many *short* men and they were just standing there, unnoticed by the swarms of people hustling by. HOW? I don't know. But here we were, looking right at him, when I pulled out my phone and held it up. Scott says, "KD! Hey, we're from Oklahoma! We live in Norman! We're big Thunder fans! Look! Our son is wearing your socks!" Indeed, my son had on a pair of Nike Elite KD socks. Socks that are so pricey, they fed Kevin well at Disney, I'm pretty sure. Because we own them in both colors. For realz.

Anyway, that's when he looks expressionless at Gavin. As he scanned down his body to his feet, a smile appeared on his face. He looked back up at G's face and said, "What's up little man?" as he extended his hand to our son.

I should take a moment to explain to you that until this point, my son only saw a large gathering of black men. He had no idea who we were talking to, and why we were standing there. He, too, was looking down at his socks. And that's when he lifted his head to meet the eyes of Kevin Durant for the first time.

It hit him. He was speechless. SPEECHLESS! OUR SON! Who talks incessantly! It was awesome.

So I say: Hey! Can we get a picture?? *snap* goes the iphone.

No, sorry, he's not taking pictures right now, I'm sure you understand, says the short Disney employee with a smile on his face.

Oh! Of course! No problem, I say, smiling.