Thanksgiving '09

We spent Thanksgiving in Oklahoma at Tom's sister's house.
We had a fun time visiting with everyone.
It's always fun to see everyone and catch up on life!

Sandy & Janean at Deryl's mom's enjoying the Thanksgiving feast!

Clay, Preston, & Katrina enjoying the farm!

Chandler, Logan, & Parker....the sports gurus...basketball, football, & baseball galore!!!

Random family members...perhaps cloned! Just for fun....

Pensacola '09

We took a work trip with Tom to Pensacola.
We were hoping to get some beach time in, but it was actually colder there than back at home.
We had a great time anyway!
Thought we'd share some pics!

Pensacola 09

The boys on the beach on our first night in Pensacola!
We love the beach!
Even if it's cold!

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom, a.k.a. Munner!

We hope your day is great!
The world is a better place because you're here!

We love you bunches and bunches and lots!

Farmer Clay & Dog Whisperer Chandler

Clay got to drive the tractor while we were at the cabin this time! Doesn't he look so sweet?
Chandler discovered that he could make the neighbor's dog do tricks. She would sit, lay & speak. Here she's speaking for some Apple Jacks!

Fireside Chats

We put a fire pit on our deck at the cabin, and we used it every night we were there. It was great to sit around, look at the millions of stars, listen for the animals, & have great conversation. It was a time to share with the boys. We talked of life, and it's successes and disappointments. The expectations of life and of people. How sometimes life is good and sometimes bad. How sometimes people let us down or don't follow through. But in all those times in life we can count on the One we should put all of our trust and expectations. Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. People and life will fluctuate and may or may not always turn out as we wish, but the God of the Universe is always mindful of us and is always there for us! On Him we can depend!

Horses at the Cabin

We arrived to the cabin on Tuesday night to find a white horse grazing in our field. He took off running across the property because he was spooked but when he returned, he brought a friend. They continued to return & graze on the freshly mowed grass and the corn we put out for the deer. Clay said is "Jesus on it with the sword in His mouth ready to slay the wicked so the birds can come eat their flesh?" He's such a hoot. Funny he can remember all of those action scenes! At least he listens when we read it. We did find out that the horses do belong to people, although they don't seem to care that they wonder about the area. I suppose not, they're eating someone elses' grass & corn & pooping in someone elses' yard and drinking someone elses' water...oh well...when we get our fence up, they'll either be gone our ours. LOL!

Before & After

In life it's always nice to see the before and after of things. We can sometimes appreciate things more if we could just see how it looked before.

This was the photo of the natural ditch with a little waterfall before.
It was an ugly mess.


This is the natural ditch now after hard work. It still has a lot of work yet to be done, but the clean up is nice.


This is a side view, not quite before because a lot of clean up had already taken place before we shot the photo, but you can see some of the progress in the after shot below.



The side view after we removed the fallen tree. The ground is cleaner and the ditch is visible.



This is a before photo of the tree that we really want to get to on this side of the property. It is a gorgeous tree, no telling how old or how many people have sat under it or the stories that have been told underneath it. Children have probably played near it and problems have been solved sitting there thinking under it.



This is the tree after. We can walk up to it. It still needs some clearing, but you can tell it's a tree. I think trees are beautiful. I'm not a tree hugger by any means & I even joked during all of the burning that we had to make sure we did our part to contribute to the media-hype of global warming, but I do love a beautiful tree. And this my friends is a beautiful tree!

As we were removing fallen limbs, logs & cutting the briers that had engulfed, entangled, and smothered the tree, God brought to mind our lives and how that sometimes we have clutter in our lives or our worlds are entangled by briers and thorns that keep people out or from reaching us or that keep us from reaching out to others. How often do we ignore & allow a small entanglement, a small offense, a small hurt, a small snare to grow a little too long only to realize it a little to late, and we can't get out. Not on our own anyway.

Fortunately, God will either help us directly, or He'll send someone on our way to help us out...If we'll listen. Removing the clutter...It won't be easy. It won't be fun. We might get hurt. Those helping us might get hurt. I have scratches & puncture wounds all over my arms, legs, and a few on my sides as a result of my efforts to free the tree. Tom has sore arms & got cramps in his hands from cutting the thick briers for so long. Yes, we might get hurt, those helping us might get hurt for it is a battle you see. A battle for our very freedom. A battle for our souls. A battle that we can be free and our beauty that has been hidden behind thick cover for so long can be seen to those who will see it.

As I worked I prayed for myself that I might not be ensnared & that I would recognize anything that might be waiting to trap me, and I prayed for those around me for the same. We must remember that the enemy of our souls is 'more subtle and crafty than any of the creatures God created' (Gen 3:1) and that he wants us trapped and weak so that we cannot be effective for God. Be on guard because your enemy will continually try to trap you where ever he can. Watch, pray, and depend on God, be on guard so that you are not trapped and ensnared! Keep the downed limbs, briers, and rotting debris from your life so that your beauty can shine & glorify God just as my special tree does!

Cabin Work

We purchased insulation to install under the flooring of the cabin. Tom lay out the plastic sheeting to keep moisture from seeping up & then went to work. Fortunately, we purchased exactly enough insulation and even got the "government green" discount to boot! I think we saved 10% whoo hoo!!! It took Tom about an hour to complete the work. We're hoping this will help with warmth in the cabin this winter. We do know we will have to install underpinning to keep the wind out, but this is a start! Tom is great & is not afraid to try anything! He's an adventurer & a pioneer & has no fear for attempting something he hasn't done before. We have accomplished so much with our cabin on the hill that we could not have done without his conquering spirit! Thanks, Tom, for all you've done!

It's Always Something............ A Duct Tape Adventure

Tonight we had 3 boys who decided they needed an adventure...so they decided to duct tape Clay to the wall to see if he'd stay. It all began with a baseball bucket & a little duct tape.......

And a little more duct tape..............

And just a little more...............and a lot of laughs...............

And finally the removal of the bucket to see if he'd stick.................

The shock & laughter says it all..............

And of course we had to add a little drama..........

Oh what fun it is to live in the Thompson house!

Youth Bonfire

Halloween night, we were invited to Helena to do a little music for a youth bonfire. It was such a blessing to be able to be there to support others in their ministry and to minister a little bit too. We were very encouraged to see how God is using these two young men in their local church and in their communities. It blesses us to see our summer campers grow in Christ, go home to their local churches and minister to their church families and daily grow to know Christ. We thank God that they truly have a relationship with Him not one that is on-again off-again, but one that is growing and maturing daily. We are very blessed to know these young men and are very thankful that they are friends of ours and our boys. We are extremely grateful that they encourage our boys not just as good examples, but daily encourage them to grow in Christ. We are fortunate to have these young men in our lives. We can hardly wait to see what God has planned for their lives. Our prayer is that they would continue to grow closer and closer to Him so that He may lead them in His path! We love you guys!!!!!

After the Rain

We've had the wettest October recorded, with only 8 days...9 counting today of sunshine for the month. Clay mentioned that it was a good thing God promised not to destroy the earth by flood again because if not...we might want to get worried. This cloudy sunset had just the right colors and softness. Regardless of the soggy ground or washed out roads there is always some beauty to be found if we only look!