CHEF Convention and Ramblings

The Lord blessed my family with the opportunity to attend the 2012 CHEF (Christian Home Educators Fellowship) convention. It was a beautiful and blessed  trip. Our family walked away from the event feeling convicted, refreshed, and encouraged. We met dear old friends and sweet new friends, we enjoyed sightseeing, wonderful food, and all in all an abundantly blessed visit to St. Louis Missouri. I hope these photos convay the joy we had while visiting such a lovely place.

The riverfront was such a beautiful area! I could have sat there all evening.

Daniel LOVED this group. He didn't care for them so much when they were holding him but the music made him dance
giggle, and clap his hands. It was precious!

The beautiful riverfront area. I really enjoyed the old looking buildings!

Is that not the most precious face you've ever seen?!



My brother Elisha sketching the beautiful St. Louis river front town.

Me walking down the brick sidewalks.

My gorgeous sister-in-love, Miranda Wood. Isn't
she lovely? I cannot wait to meet Gunner Knox Wood!

And that my friends completes this peak into our trip. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
To God be the glory.
Bethany Joy

Update and A Fishy Sandwich

My mother blessed me with a Canon T3i this past winter. Now that summer has rolled around I have started using it much more. We bought the camera for our trucking business. We haul for an organic food company that I believe must be one of the best. We actually purchased our food from this company for roughly 15 years before ever even considering hauling product for them. Now we also work on their blog and websites and haul organic and wholesome foods all across the country. I am not the most computer savvy person and I don't plan on becoming a truck driver so I like to provide pictures for the websites instead. It is such a enjoyable "job". I love staging the food, playing backgrounds, and making delicious foods. It is such fun! Azure Standard is actually going to start doing the blogging and websites themselves so I will start posting more recipes and things of that sort over here instead. I will be posting only our favorites with links and item numbers so that you will be able to see what is most affordable  and do-able for your family.

The recipe I am excited to share today is a salmon sandwich. I may not like eating fish myself but I love blessing my papa and brothers. Since they love it so much I have decided to start making more of it. Maybe I might even find I recipe I'll want to try along the way!

Salmon Sandwich:

Makes: 2 sandwiches Time: 3 minutes Difficulty level: Easy

European Multi-grain artisan bread (our new favorite. Item #FG523)

1 can of Pink salmon (Item #GY658)

Mayonnaise (Item #CO032)

Lettuce (coming soon to Azure standard or you can simply pick some from your garden)

Salt and pepper as desired.

Simply spread a little (about 1/2 Tablespoon of mayonnaise) on your bread, put the desired amount of salmon on the bread, add some lettuce, salt and pepper and walah! You have now created a simple, refreshing, masterpiece!

If you have a favorite fishy meal, let me know! I'd love some more recipes.

To God Be The Glory.
Bethany Joy

Training: Marathon, Horses, Puppies..Oh my!

Well it seems as if the theme for this season of my life is training. Training for a marathon, training big horses and little horses, training puppies, and most of all training my heart. So, to update you all on the different trainings I am doing right now I thought I'd just put it all on this ol' blog.

First we'll start with the marathon training. So far so good. Its slow going but I am getting faster and running longer. Its not the easiest thing I have ever done but my mother recently told me," nothing good that is actually lasting comes easily. Its hard but its good."

My crazy fun running shoes ;-)

Now for the horses...ah where do I start? Miracle is growing to be a mature lad and is becoming the faithful mount that I need. Of course, he still has that fire in him that makes him so special to me. I rode him the other night and it was great. He kept calm and did well however, at the end of the ride his bit came undone and I now need to repair it. So thats something I'll do later this weekend.
Promise is...well... She is "Rebel's Promise", her full name lived to the fullest! She is just a little toddler and likes her fits and showing me the bottom of her hooves a little too often. haha! She has actually gotten better on that. She is beautiful, sweet (believe it or not), and so smart! We worked with tarps and garbage blowing in the wind the other day and she loved it. She didn't spook a bit!


Now for the puppy. ah, well.. she is a puppy alright! She loves to chew on shoes, eat anything within reach, she has the attention span of a gold fish, and she loves to nibble at my feet! It is quite funny! Currently I am taking her outside every 30 minutes for 10 minutes at least, teaching her to stay on her bed for "bed time", teaching her to "kennel up", teaching her to sit, "leave it", and go potty OUTSIDE. haha! I think I have my work cut out for me. On the bright side, she is the cutest dog ever, is very smart, and she sleeps in really cute posistions! haha...

Hahahaha...this makes me laugh every time!

Now for heart training. Bible study is good. Making new habits every day and enjoying my time with the Lord a little more each time I open my Bible. I always enjoy reading...everythng from the Bible to commentaries, how-to books, and fiction. My mother got me a book called "It's (not that) Complicated" by the Botkin sisters... It has been such a blessing already. I have been reading it with my Bible study each evening. The only thing I don't like is that every book has its ending and I'll have to find another good book pretty soon. Ha! Its really good though. I would recomend it to any young girl or parents with daughters.

Have a blessed evening friends!

To God be the Glory.

Bethany Joy



Service Dog Training: Chloe - Day One

We brought Chloe home today! Oh what a joy she is. I was slightly concerned that she would pick favorites and not care for Danny in the way that I hoped for but I was pleasantly surprised today. As soon as she was put in the car she crawled over to Danny's car seat and put her head in his lap. The entire ride home all she wanted to do was lick Danny or sleep in his lap. When we brought her home she was slightly shy and uncertain but warmed up quickly. For the past few hours she has been running around licking toes, stealing shoes, and pulling my hair (she thinks its a tug-a-rope). Currently she is 8 weeks old and I can't teach her a whole lot. Right now the training plan is to teach her the boundries (not to leave the yard), and crate training her. We will work on sitting, staying, fetching objects as she grows. I am excited to see what the future holds for us.

Happy Birthday: Sarah!

Ah, yes the day has finally come. Sarah's birthday. I can't believe its already been another year! Wow. She sure is growing up and becoming a beautiful young lady. Thank you Sarah for being my little Sister. YOU are beautiful inside and out.

I love you!

Your Big Sis,
Beth Joy

Growing Up

17th birthday on its way all I can think about is the strange fact that I truly am growing up. Wasn't it just last month that I was making mud pies and playing Cowboys and Indians with my brothers? How did the time fly? Wasn't it just last week I got my first horse? Wasn't it just a few days ago that I felt the Lord leading our family to KS and wondering what lay ahead? Wasn't it all just a day ago....Ah, but time is fleeting and here I am, almost an "adult" and excited about the possibilities that lay ahead. As images of my past flitter through my mind the thing I see playing through my life is the faithfulness and love of our Lord over and over and over again. When I was young and my first kitty ran away I remember my parents comforting me and erasing all my worries telling me Jesus would take care of the kitty. When friends came and went my parents were there to remind me who was my best Friend was. When my grandfather moved to the hospital and passed away He was there to comfort my little soul. When Good and Evil fought for my dear brothers and sister (Zeke, Matthew, and Sarah) and I couldn't understand what was happening He was there to encourage and strengthen me. When our family moved to Kansas and I had to sell my beloved horses he taught me lessons that I hold forever dear in my heart. Each time there has been a trial or triumph He has been there. Cheering me on, holding me up, and leading me on. I praise and thank Him for all that he has done. His faithfulness is written all throughout my life, in every chapter, on every page, in every paragraph, and sentence of the story that tells my life.

Praising God,

Bethany Joy