A Nature Journal

One of the great joys my wife and I have is homeschooling our children!  We are so very blessed to have this opportunity to invest in the education of our boys and to give them a strong God-centered Worldview as a foundation.  There is also the fact that we get to do neat activities that reinforce what they are learning.  Such an activity, like that of a nature journal, allows them to be hands-on with the nature they are studying in books, and gives them a greater appreciation for God's creation.  They have recently been studying about the century plant and thought they had found one in the wooded creek bed behind our house:

While I don't think we have century plants in our part of Oklahoma, it certainly has similar features, and was a good find by an eight and six year old.  Shows they are paying attention!

Here is Joshua (8) drawing a picture of it and noting it in his nature journal:

While out exploring, I came across an ol' timey harrow that has long been abandoned in the wheat field behind us.  One of it's blades was off, so I took the opportunity to take a couple of photos:

What an adventure to be a homeschool family!!!

Bowhunting Turkey: What I Use

As Turkey Season is approaching thought I would make an inventory of the gear I use to bow hunt turkey:

1. Bow - Mathews Switchback XT

While this model is a few years old and is no longer in production, it still gets the jay-oh-bee done!!!

2. Camo - Realtree AP

There are other good choices, and to me it is a matter of personal preference, but this is my camo of choice

3. Blind - Primos Vision GroundMax Blind

For the money, this is a great blind.  It comfortable for two hunters and offers 360 deg. field of view (Though I have never opened all the way to avoid silhouetting).

4. Calls - Friction: Primos Jackpot

 Has great tones and brings em in!
 
        Gobbler: Primos "Shaker Call"

Get more struttin Toms with this little beauty!

5.  Decoys - Primos B-Mobile

Have had several big Toms go to sparring with this thing!

6.  Arrows/Broadheads - I use Beman Team Realtree MFX with Blazer vanes and NAP Spitfire Gobbler Getter Broadheads

The FMJ-like tip provides maximum shock inducing power while the expandable 3 three design offers 1 1/2" cutting diameter....THWACK!!!

6. Rangefinder - Bushnell Scout 1000 A.R.C Laser Rangefinder (Realtree AP)

Works great, particularly from a treestand as it has Angle Range Compensation (A.R.C.) built in.

Well those are a few of the things I use to be successful in the turkey woods.  What do you use?

I've Gotten Naked...

No, it's not what you think, I am fully clothed. I'm referring to my iDevices. I have recently taken the covers off and allowed my iPhone 4S and original iPad to bask in the freedom. Nothing against Otterbox, they make terrific protective cases and they have been my choice since my iPhone 3GS. However, they are a bit bulky and weighty, particularly the Defender Series, which offers the most protection and has adorned my iPhone's and iPad. Unfortunately they also conceal the aesthetic beauty of Apple's design. To be perfectly honest I am a bit leery of potential catastrophe, but the aesthetical quality, as well as the lifting of bulky weight currently is helping me overcome that fear. It also goes without saying that by going caseless, I am taking a little extra degree of care ( these are after all expensive devices). However, I am truly enjoying the new experience and feel offered by being naked...ur uhm caseless.

Posted using Blogsy for iPad

All in a Days Work - My Wife's Garden

My wife decided she wanted to again do a garden this year.  We had one about 3 yrs ago, then we attempted to build some raised bed gardens (that didn't work).  So here we are, needing to till the earth to make ready for a new garden plot.  Thankfully we had just received a snow storm, that promptly melted in two days, making the ground moist and a little softer.  Of course softer is relative, as it was only softer than concrete.  At any rate, I was able to get the allotted space tilled and ready to receive seed. 

We have still yet to determine what that seed will be, but stay tuned as I post pics of the, Lord willing, bounty to come!

Tweetbot for iOS - The Only Twiter Client on my iDevices

Perhaps you have heard of, or even use Tweetbot for iOS by Tapbots.   

It happens to be the only Twitter client I use on my iPhone and now iPad.  It originally was released as an iPhone only App, but with Tweetbot 2.0, it now has an iPad version as well.  The UI is simple and beautiful, with features (click link above for list of features) that blow the official Twitter App out of the water.  The list of previously used apps is numerous, from TweetDeck to Hootsuite, Uber Social to Twitter, and seemingly everywhere in between. The problem was always the same, they each offered something useful, but didn't meet all my needs in one client, until now!  I recommend checking out Tweetbot for iOS if you own an iPhone or iPad.  Yes it will cost you a few bucks, but it will be worth it!

You can download Tweetbot for iOS in the App Store: 

iPhone

iPad

Day After Tomorrow

More pics from our Oklahoma Snow Storm:

"Day After Tomorrow"

"Splash of Color"

"Igloo"

Fun Snowy Day

We had some wintery weather move in today in SW Oklahoma.  Due to the cold day we had yesterday, ice and snow have blanketed the roads leading to the need to cancel our Sunday night bible study.  So the boys took advantage of the time...

As Iron Sharpens Iron...

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

When I was a freshman at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, myself and a couple buddies felt led to start a christian fraternity on our campus.  As we began looking into it, we discovered that it is extremely difficult to do so without sponsorship of an already existing fraternity.  One of my buddies, Chad Cain, knew of a great group of young men who were involved in a christian fraternity on the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock, Texas.  They were known as Kappa Upsilon Chi, which signifies "Keeping Under Christ".  Well to make a long story short, through prayer and their guidance, we brought Kappa Upsilon Chi to Wayland.  I, along with eleven of my brothers, became the founding fathers of KYX Alpha Class Beta Chapter (You can learn more by clicking this link: Kappa Upsilon Chi - KYX). I mention all of this because the motto verse of the fraternity is Proverbs 27:17.  We became a brotherhood of believers that would encourage one another, help each other grow, and when necessary keep each other accountable.  I somewhat lost that after leaving college.  The reality is we need other men in our lives as brothers in Christ for all those things.  There is no such thing as a "lone-ranger christian", we need one another.  This last weekend I was blessed with and "Iron Sharpening Iron" moment.  I must first admit that I have been going through a "desert" season in my life spiritually.  It has been very dry, and at times, there is seemingly no relief in sight.  We had some of our good friends up for a visit this weekend, and the Lord used Clayton greatly in my life! We spent the weekend in great conversation, all of which was grounded in the truth of God's word, and through that time, a spiritual oasis appeared.  Truly as iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another!  Thank you Lord for Clayton and for the victory!!!