As of April 28th, my first book is published!!!
Size: 5.5 x 8.5 Pages: 336
This book is available on Barnes & Noble as an eBook (paperback coming soon) and on Amazon as both an eBook or paperback.
If you purchase this book from either of these sites, please leave me a review and drop me a note to let me know what you think!

Fifteen-year-old Amy S. Kentworthy is in for the adventure of a
lifetime when she and her friends find a herd of stolen cattle on a
mountain near her family’s ranch in Durango, Wyoming—and narrowly escape an encounter with the cattle thieves themselves! 

In an effort to return the swindled cattle to their rightful owner, Rocking H Ranch, Amy and her father Clint Kentworthy embark on a dusty cattle drive to Texas. Little does she know the many dangers they will face along the way. Dust storms, wolves, and bank robbers each threaten to halt the journey, and the return of the perilous cattle thieves changes everything.

Can they bring help in time to stop the rustlers and save the cattle? Will Amy’s faith provide her with the courage she needs to face the very same thieves who dared to steal hundreds of cattle? Join Amy in this exciting western adventure as she learns valuable lessons on life, family, and the faith it takes to make it in a ranchin’ world.

Many thanks to everyone who helped me along the way with this project. Many people supported this book from the very beginning and I couldn't have done it without them.
My family and friends all encouraged me through this process and gave me tons of help and advice.

Today I thought I'd share some interesting quotes/sayings I've come across recently. What's your favorite of these three? I like all three but I think the first one is the best!

My friend, Keri, has written a book and is working toward getting it published!!
She has started a blog, Written On My Heart, where you can read about her book and keep up to date on the publishing
process.
I have had the privilege of reading, In Paths of Righteousness...it was very, very good. I really enjoyed reading it. Keri is a
great writer and effectively combines truth and the gospel message with intriguing mysteries.
Keri is hoping to have her book published by the fall and from what I understand, plans to write a sequel!
Check out her blog...I know you will be blessed by it and by her book.

We're back!!
We've had an eventful two and a half days. The motor home is really nice....it was about a three and a half-four hour trip down to the farm where the auction was to take place. We were much more comfortable in the RV than we would have been in the van.
That first night was a little interesting as we tried to figure out where everything was supposed to go and where everyone was going to sleep. We parked in a Walmart parking lot and managed to get a decent amount of sleep.
The auction was really busy. Mom had to clerk so I was the cashier. This auction was on an Amish farm so no cash register! There was a good amount of people there, mostly Amish. (Below are pictures of our trip and the auction...I got some great shots of the Amish farm, those photos will be coming on Friday)
The auction went really well...it was busy!
After the auction was over, we called a family, the Grimshaws I had met back in December to ask for the address to their church that we had been wanting to visit. It was only like an hour and a half from where we were in Shipshewana.
Long story short, we ended up going to the Grimshaws house and spending the evening with them. They had room for us to park the RV so we spent the night there, had breakfast with them and went to church.
Then we had a four hour or a little better drive home! Most of us slept on the way home.
Sabriyah went to Mrs. Fick's for the weekend because she still needs a bottle twice a day. For the rest of the animals, we put in extra feed or hay and water and they were fine until we got back, but very happy to see us...Rio especially. He knocked me down he was in such a hurry to get petted!!
We didn't have much time to look around on this trip so we are  hoping to go back to the Shipshewana area for another weekend trip when we can take a slower pace.
And....my book should be published this week!!! I approved my front and back covers and my text file a day or two ago...I will post as soon as it is published!

 I decided to do a post every Friday with some photos of my week. I'll try to have at least five photos per post...more or less depending on what I managed to get during the week.
I'm trying to be a bit more organized in my posts...this is one step in that direction!
This afternoon we are leaving for a weekend in Indiana. I'll post details and photos when we get back...or maybe while we're there if we have internet!

Yesterday I submitted my files to Xulon and surprise, surprise...my files were ready for me to approve this afternoon!
According to what I had read, they normally wouldn't have been done this fast.
The cover and back cover look good. We're going to scan through the text file tonight or tomorrow and it should be published in less than half the time I had originally thought!
I should be able to post the cover shortly......

Just about five minutes ago I submitted my manuscript, graphics, etc.. to Xulon. It shouldn't be too long now!
I can't wait to see the final files in a few weeks!
Also, today I received a phone call from Xulon, informing me they are doing some blog posts featuring young authors and they will be featuring me! The post will probably be sometime in June, right after my book comes out. I certainly was not expecting anything like this so it was a big, and pleasant, surprise!
Hopefully I will be doing a post with the title, Published, soon!

Yesterday we bought a motor home!
We had been looking around for awhile, called on lots, looked at a few and finally decided on this one.
Our Alaska trip is coming up quickly! Just a few months to go. We had toyed with the idea of going in the truck, pulling a camper, but the thought of six people packed in a cab for a month was not very appealing!
We are going to drive through Canada to Alaska and spend some time there seeing the sights. On our way home we will be driving through the United States, stopping at Yellowstone for a day or two along the way.
And for me, that will be the highlight of the trip...not because of Yellowstone, although I know I will enjoy it, but because it will be my first time out west and if at all possible, we are going to a real working ranch! I'm really excited because this will be the first and maybe only time I will be able to see the things I write about in action. I've read lots of books on ranches and how they work and I've seen some really short movies, but I have never experienced it for myself. I'm working on getting in shape so I'll be able to keep up with all the activity!
We are all looking forward to the trip for different reasons.
Anyway, here's some pictures of our second home.

Yesterday I took a walk in the woods with the dogs, Shep and Maple and Sabriyah. It was really warm and there was a nice breeze blowing. I spent about an hour walking by the pond and enjoying the peace and quiet.
I found some early spring flowers blooming in the woods...don't know what they are but they were pretty.
I also found a turtle sunning itself on a log, but unfortunately the dogs scared it into the water before I could get my phone out to take a picture of it.
There was a goose sitting on a nest on a little island in the middle of the pond. I did get some pictures of her, but my phone doesn't have good zoom so they are a little fuzzy.
Sabriyah was  being a stinker. She would jump up on a log or stump and refuse to follow me. I'd go a hundred feet or so and call her...she's call back but stay put. Several times I had to go get her. If I carried her a little ways, then she'd follow me, but man, she's heavy! Once we got away from the pond and the mud, she was more willing to come when called.
Below are some pictures from my walk yesterday and some more recent ones of Rio. He is still the cutest thing every and sooooo friendly. The other day he was chasing me around with his ears pinned like he would play with another foal. I had to get after him for it because I can't have him playing rough with us, but it was still cute.

For the past couple days I have been working on some new pages for my website.
Before, all my photos were on one page and were rather disorganized.
So I decided it was time to do something about it.
First, I made two separate pages, Personal Photos and Photography. This will make things a bit easier to navigate.
On the Personal Photos page, are pictures of my family and all of our animals...well, not quite all the animals...I couldn't put up a picture of every single chicken!! But there is a sampling of every different species we have on the farm. Hopefully this page will be a good way for everyone to get to know us a little better.
On the Photography page, there is a sampling of my amateurish attempt to capture the beauty that surrounds us. I enjoy taking pictures of whatever catches my eye, but what's the use of taking all those pictures if you don't share them!!
I don't pretend to know a lot about photography...it is just something that I enjoy doing and hope others can enjoy along with me.
So check out these new pages and drop me a note or comment on this post to let me know what you think!
The Photography page will be updated frequently as I add my newest pictures....still not sure if I will add new content to the top or bottom of the page. If you have any ideas about what you think would flow best, please let me know.

Teri Maxwell wrote the book, Sweet Journey, as a Bible study book for women. I looked at the Table of Contents, which they have on their website, and a sample of the book and it looked really good. The Maxwell's have lots of great products and resources.
You can find out more at www.titus2.com

This is what we woke up to this morning....after temperatures in the 50's the last few days this was quite a change! Bannie was a little grimy this morning...you would be too if you thought winter was over and all the sudden it was snowing again!!! Rio is doing great and getting very friendly. Lena is tired of being locked in the barn. Right now Bannie and Smoke are in the pen that is connected to the barn but we are going to move them to a different pasture in a few days where Lena can still see them, but can have an area to herself.
Today we cleaned out a house...a beautiful house!! Sue had some beautiful things. I really enjoyed taking lots of pictures. Below are a small percentage of them. Most of them I changed to black and white because it brought out the best of the picture, but a few I left with their original colors. The opportunities were endless! My favorites I have posted as individual pictures, but play the slideshow at the bottom to see them all.

Here's a recipe Erin Harrison posted on her blog, Homestead Community Post. It sounds really yummy! I'm not usually a taco fan but this sounds tempting!

Cheesy Chicken Tacos

1 pound
chicken 
1 onion
1 pint of black beans
1 cup of shredded
cheese
2 Tbs of butter
lettuce
corn tortilla shells

Saute chopped onion in 2 Tbs of butter until tender.  Add chicken and toss until cooked.  I use leftover chicken from a chicken dinner.  Add cooked black beans and mix together.  Season with salt.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Steam corn tortilla shells.  Build your taco with Cheesy Chicken and add lettuce and sour cream.  Enjoy!

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of the pain,
thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we're tempted to lose hope and loving Him when he seems so distant and far away.

At my lowest, God is my hope.
At my darkest God is my light.
At my weakest, God is my strength.
At my saddest, God is my comforter.

Clarence Lingaling

Monica, the lady that is illustrating my book, has been sending me the graphics through email for me to approve, but she has to downsize them to send them that way which makes the quality not as good, so she send the final graphics on a cd through snail mail. You can check out her website, www.monicaminto.com
I got the CD today! Now that I have the graphics, I am ready to submit my book to Xulon. Hopefully, I will be able to do that on Monday and we'll get the ball rolling a bit faster now.
They told me it will take about 4-5 weeks to typeset the book. Then the files are uploaded to my Authors Center for my review and if I give my approval, two weeks later the book will be published! I'm really excited and can't wait to see the finished product. I think I've already said that a couple dozen times, but its no less true!
After we got home from the auction hall today I worked with Rio a little more. I actually put a halter on him and worked on leading. He did really really well. I was surprised, but he yielded to the pressure most of the time and seemed to get the hang of it. It will be nice to have him halter broke so young.
I'm hoping to get him out of the barn for some pictures in a day or two if the rain lets up. They're only little for so long!

I've spoken about the Mally's before and shared some things from their blog, Grace Notes. I thought I would share with you two books they have available on their website, Tomorrow's Forefathers.

This is a really great book for young ladies waiting for Prince Charming. It is full of practical applications and tons of good advice. You can also get a study guide to do group studies with.

I have never read this book, but I have watched the DVD
many, many times. Again, very good information. Sarah,
Stephen and Grace do a good job of presenting the information
 in the DVD with funny skits and amusing, but informative jokes.
I'm sure the book would be just as good as the DVD.

They have lots of other good material you can check out on

their website.

Well, we've been discussing a name for this little guy off and on since yesterday and we have finally reached a decision.
His name is.....Rio!!
We had to weed through a lot of suggestions before Mom suggested Rio. Do you think it fits him? What would you have named him?
After we got home from the auction hall tonight I went out to work with Rio. He had gotten really skittish due to the fact that Lena wouldn't let us anywhere near him so between that and us being busy, he hadn't had a lot of handling.
I started by working with Lena to get her to let me by Rio. It took me a bit to get her halter on, then we did some basic groundwork to establish who was the boss.
After about ten minutes, I felt she was under control enough for me to approach Rio. She wasn't happy, but she didn't get after me either. I kept her on the lead just in case I needed some extra control.
After about fifteen minutes, I felt comfortable enough to take her off the lead. She was nervous, but let me handle him as much as I wanted. He wasn't happy about me holding on to him and fought me a lot. I held on until  he calmed down, then released him. I did this several times, rubbing his chest, back and face and felt we had made some progress.
I stood in the corner watching them interact for a little while and thinking about what I could do to help him get over his fear  of us.
Then I had an idea.
I remembered reading somewhere about teaching your horse(or mule in this case!) a verbal or physical cue to calm down. For Bannie and Smoke, I rub their withers, but I had already tried that with Rio and it had no affect. I decided to try something else.
When horses in a herd greet each other, they do it by touching noses and blowing softly. I greet our horses like this all the time...it brings you to the same level and creates a sense of security...you speak their language...therefore you must be safe.
I grabbed hold of Rio and held on until he stopped struggling. Then I made a soft cooing sound by blowing out gently.
His response was instant.
Immediately he leaned into me and began rubbing his head on me. I let go of him, but he didn't run off. Instead, he begged for attention. I reached out to touch him and he began clacking his teeth, a sign of submission.
From that moment on he followed me around like a dog, bumping me when I stopped petting him. I squatted down and he promptly knocked me over backwards. Levi, Lydia and Mom came in the pen and after they did the same greeting I had, he accepted them instantly.
So, my conclusion is this.
In the wild, a mare goes away from the herd to give birth and stays away for three days to bond with her newborn. After the three days she returns to the herd and the new baby is greeted by the other horses by touching noses and blowing. He clacks his teeth to show submission and basically to say "I'm little, don't hurt me"
When I touched my face to his nose and blew, he immediately accepted me as a member of his new herd.
I'm really glad I discovered this way of reassuring him I'm "safe".
I think we made a lot of progress tonight and I am so looking forward to teaching him everything. I'm really looking forward to halter breaking him. His hair is sooooo soft! The end of his nose just fits in my hand. Lena is a great mama and I'm Rio will thrive on all the attention he will be getting!

We still haven't decided on a name, but I will do a post as soon as we do!

Here's some black and white ones...have you
 noticed that I like black and white photos!?

Lena had a little boy sometime in the night. They found him this morning when they went out to do chores...up and dry. He doesn't look anything like either of his parents. He's really cute and wow...does he ever have long legs!! He's such a cute little mule.
We haven't decided on a name yet.

Here's a picture of his daddy, Luke.

Bannie is 19 years old today. He's starting to show his age a little (or at least I thought he was until I lunged him the other day...he can still buck pretty hard!!) but is still the same sweet boy he always has been.
I love you Bannie!

Today was the first time I rode Smoke since the accident, six months ago.
She was a little bit excited and I was a little bit nervous, but it went really well.
She stood still for me to mount...something she never does...and walked quietly on a loose rein...something else she never does. I think she sensed she needed to take it slow.
I walked her for awhile, doing some stops and fast turns, then stepped it up to a trot. She wanted to go faster but I held her in and she settled into the trot.
Finally I got up the courage to ask her to lope. That felt really good, amazing is a better word. I loved it. she wanted to go faster and when I held her in, she got a little testy. She did buck a little but I pulled her up hard and she got the message.
After I reinforced that we were going my pace, not hers, she settled down and did whatever I said. I really enjoyed myself and it was a big boost to my confidence which had been shaken more than I realized.
Here's a few pictures.

I received the book cover drawing/painting from Monica on Saturday...it looks great! I can't wait to post it! Monica has one more drawing to finish, then she will be sending me the graphics on a cd in the mail and I can get all my files submitted.
 We're getting closer to a published book!