Broken Ground Farm

Love God, Love Others, and Farm

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  • Life in the Waiting

    Let’s be real. Life can through curve balls. Today I head the statement, “waiting on time”.

    As tonight has progressed that statement has been on my mind. Waiting on time. There is a cute shirt that I want to buy and it says, “in the waiting GOD is working”.

    The more I thought about it here is what is stirring in me.

    Noah waited. He waited years for the flood God said was coming. He waited and worked and built the ark. He waited for over a year to get off the ark.

    Abraham and Sarah waited for their promised baby.

    Jacob waited for Rachel.

    Moses waited in the desert. Once for the call of God. Once to follow God to the promise land.

    Joseph waited in the pit. He waited in prison. He waited to see how his brothers would act.

    Daniel waited in the lions’ den.

    Paul and Silas waited in prison.

    Mary and Martha waited in weeping.

    Lazarus waited in death.

    David waited while watching sheep. He waited while playing music. He waited while serving the king. He waited while hiding from the king.

    Hannah waited for a baby.

    In all these and more God was working in the waiting. Could the people always see what God was doing? No. Did they always know what He was going to do? No. They could not always see the end from the beginning. BUT GOD. He never quit working.

    A preacher at church recently spoke and told us to, “Do what you know to do.” What a powerful statement. Lay hands on the sick, pray in Jesus name. Trust in the Lord to work. In the example he gave a man had cancer. The preacher’s eyes saw sick and likely death. He did what he knew to do and they saw the glory of God. The man regained strength and appetite and the cancer was gone. The preacher obeyed and God worked! It wasn’t instant. The man waited, God worked.

    How often do I put God in a box based on my fear and my limits? How unfair to me and to God!

    So what do I know?

    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

    I know rejoice. I know pray. I know thankfulness. And you know what? These commands from God bring him glory, but they also bring me into His peace and His presence. These commands are a call for me, for my mind and heart. God knows the shift in my being and in my circumstance when I rejoice. He knows the power of prayer and fellowship with Him. God knows the joys of being thankful. No wonder it is His will for me.

    I know praise.

    Hebrews 13:15 –  Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

    A sacrifice of praise. Not just praise when all is right in my world. Not just praise when I feel like it. Not just Sunday morning hallelujah. But praise when my heart feels broken. Praise when my eyes see sickness. Praise when the world shouts death. Praise when I am tired. Praise no matter what.

    A sacrifice of praise that costs me because my flesh yells no, but my spirit is so thirsty. Praise that lays down what the physical can’t handle, can’t comprehend. Praise that shifts focus to God despite of my weakness.

    Psalm 61:3 – to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

    Trading in my heavy heart for a garment of praise!

    Psalm 63:1-4 – O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

    I know to testify.

    Revelation 12:11 – And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

    God has done so much for me and my family. Who am I that I should not testify? We have seen healing, provision, joy, protection, and so much more.

    I know I have to choose to set my focus.

    Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

    I have a choice in the waiting. Wait with hope and obedience or wait with sorrow and fear?

    Romans 5:3-5 – Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

    Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

    Luke 18:1 – And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

    Pray and not lose heart. Oh how God wants us to call to Him. Over and over again he wants to hear us. He isn’t an agitated parent or unjust judge. He wants us and our trust to be in Him and His steadfast love.

    Noah – He built and stocked the ark. Mankind got spared. Noah Trusted God. God promised to never flood the earth again. We see that promise in every rainbow. A covenant kept around the world.

    Abraham and Sarah – They had a baby! Abraham became the father of many nations!

    Jacob – 14 years of service but he got his bride.

    Moses – He, following God, lead God’s people out of slavery, through the Red Sea, through the desert.

    Joseph – Oh, how I love to follow his story. He had big dreams. How hard his waiting had to be. He went through the pit. He went through the prison. He even had to wait on his brothers to see if they had changed. His waiting saved his family and a whole nation.

    Daniel – He had to wait for someone to lift him out of that lion den.

    Paul and Silas – They waited in jail. They sang praise and got to see the chains fall and salvation come for them physically and for their captor spiritually!

    Mary, Martha, and Lazarus – Friends of Jesus. That had to be some hard, painful, confusing waiting. Expecting Jesus to show up and heal Lazarus. The tears that must have flowed in his death. Even Jesus wept when he went to them. But God. Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb to life and many there that day believed in Jesus. Life and salvation!

    David – This man had to wait. Wait in the field with the sheep. Serve in the house of Saul. Fight in Saul’s army. Anointed king, yet not his time. Running and hiding in caves. But he was a great king at God’s appointed time and a man after God’s heart.

    Hannah – She cried before God for a child which she received. A child who would grow and faithfully serve God.

    All these worked out their waiting. They trusted God and did what they knew to do. Was it always perfect? No. BUT GOD. He worked in their waiting. Their waiting wasn’t wasted.

    My waiting doesn’t have to be either. Neither does yours. There is a lot I am waiting on. Some things I have been waiting on for years. But tonight I am stirred to check how I am waiting.

    I have also thought about our homestead tonight.

    I have thought about the progress we have been making in our own garden this season.

    Oh the mess. The weeds overtaking everything. But you know what? We did what we know to do. We weeded, brought in good dirt, dug up the fallow ground, planted seed. We kept the critters out. We worked and worked and continue to work. But after we plant comes the waiting.

    And there is fruit of the labor. Fruit of the waiting! I love how God can use the physical things I know to help me grasp spiritual matters.

    How I wait matters.

    Matthew 6:27 –  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

    Worry doesn’t cut it. Wait the right way. “Do what you know to do.” Do what Jesus says.

    I will praise. I will set my focus on my Jesus. I will pray. I will trust. God is working.

    Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

    https://www.gotquestions.org/wait-on-the-Lord.html

  • Awake!

    Awake my soul

    Holy Fire stir within me

    Take me from where I’ve been to where I need to be

    Striving on my own to resting in your peace

    Warring in the flesh, giving up ground, laying down authority

    No more my soul cries out, no more!

    I’ll be who you say

    I’ll walk in your way

    Holy Fire, awake my soul!

    Armor on, head held high

    You, Jesus, are my focus, my steady ground

    Jesus you are my breath and my praise

    Oh stir Holy fire!

    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

    Romans 13:11-12 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

    Philippians 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
    Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

    Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

    https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=lnHK3UizYDg&si=5UNppqWwoNW_hM2a

  • Monday-Sunday

    Monday – No co-op. Day off from school. We did some playing outside. Lovey fell off the swing and got a little bruised up. He was digging sticks out of his shorts, but overall he was good to go. Happy lost a tooth that night. It was so loose and his adult tooth was growing in on top of it. We checked on animals and gathered acorns for the pigs.

    Very pretty and colorful acorn that Sunshine found.

    Tuesday – I laid in bed this morning while the kids slept and worked on the Broken Ground logo. We will see where it goes. We are tossing around a few different ideas.

    We checked on the animals. When we fed the pigs, I told Lovey and area to dump their food. As they ate they pushed on a small dead and downed tree. The tree in turn was messing up the electric fence. I had to get in the paddock with them and rearrange the tree so that it didn’t break the connection of the fence.

    Tuesday night we got a giggle from watching the boys. They were in the pig pen and had an acorn in hand. They would run around the pen and as they ran, the piglets would chase them. So cute.

    We 3d printed chimpanzees. They were super cute. They had a banana and a branch. We get these prints from thangs.com and a designer named Ludo.

    We went to Sunshine’s appointment in town. It went well. She will get a new teacher soon and we got to meet her. She was really nice.

    Lovey started an experiment sprouting seeds. He met a different set of growing needs with each jar to find out what is required for the seed to sprout.

    Wednesday – I woke up with Sunshine scooched way up close to me. She was so close to me and I was so close to the edge of the bed. I told C.N.R. she comes by that naturally because that is how I do him. I am just trying to soak in these moments because I know they won’t last as she grows up.

    Sunshine and I were up before the boys and we cut out fish for this week’s co-op class. Rainbow fish! Pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple fish to use in a demonstration with electromagnets.

    Happy found a tiny inch worm as we cared for the pigs.

    We had school and church. I thought C.N.R. was going to get to come to church with us. As we were preparing to leave he began to feel sick and ended up staying home. The kids and I went by ourselves. We were about 10 minutes late by the time we got out the door. We were trying to get everyone out, and that can be hard enough on its own, when this great dane shows up. Some neighboring dog wandering around our property. The kids were scared of it and we were trying to get it ran off. The sunset as we drove was so beautiful. Church went well. We got back home and C.N.R. was feeling somewhat better.

    Thursday – We woke up and were determined to get school finished in a timely manner. We went out to feed the animals and were greeted with a dead chicken in the coop. There was no sign of struggle. She was not mangled or at loss for feathers. I don’t know what happened. I was not happy to be down a hen and I was not happy to have to deal with dead livestock. I will not post that picture.

    Our new mini-blinds came in. It is so nice to have them up. I feel like our house is coming together. We have been here many years and it is past time for things to be fixed up. On that note, we are still waiting on tile for the stove to arrive. The first shipment was damaged and the store reordered it for us. The new shipment was supposed to be there by Friday. Today is Sunday and it still says delayed. Kind of frustrating.

    Thursday night we visited a pumpkin patch. The kids had blast. We did a hay ride and picked the largest pumpkins we could find. Instead of decorating with them we are feeding them to the pigs. Free pumpkins are free pig food. Then the kids played in corn pits, went down slides, and much more. It was getting late when we got home, but we kept working. The kids helped C.N.R. build a small storage cabinet. Bed was great.

    Friday – We were up early Friday morning to visit another co-op. This was an outdoor co-op and the kids loved it! They learned about the sun, made cyanotype prints, and played outside. When we left there we had several errands in town and then we were able to come home.

    Lovey checked on his seeds and some were sprouting!

    Happy was not feeling well by the time we got home. He felt so bad that he laid on the couch and took a nap. As he napped Lovey, C.N.R., and I worked on making the Silk Road supper. It took nearly every pot and pan we had to cook this meal. We went through 4 cutting boards and lots of mess. It was good though! It tied in nicely with our history lesson. Not everyone liked the food, but it was nice doing something different.

    Saturday – We all slept in after two busy days. We worked on co-op classes, printed a bed of otters, hung the last mini-blind, and headed to town. The boys pooled their money and bought their very own 3d printer. It is a Bambu A1 Mini and they love it. They are so proud of their purchase. So far there has been a test print which was a bed scraper, a pan flute, and now they are making a dragon of sorts. They also made their sister a boat.

    This was a pattern on Bambu.

    After buying the printer we went through a drive through, a store, and then church.

    Sunday – That is today. We had lots of plans for today after church, but it rained us out of about half of them. So we took it easy for a bit. I got a nap and we worked more on co-op. We were going to mow and do a little firewood but that didn’t happen. We were did move the pigs and chickens. They were all very pleased with their new paddocks. The chickens were exploring and the pigs were prowling through the new wooded area. I was glad that we could get them moved today.

    Post rain and this is at the top corner of the new paddock.

  • Tuesday to Sunday Recap

    Tuesday – This was a school day. It was the first “full day” for us. We had been adding a subject daily and Tuesday was the first day to do them all. We are definitely going to have to fine tune things.

    When we were feeding pigs we found a tiny toad. We caught it and brought it into the house to observe. The kiddos wrote about it in their science notebook and then we released it safely back into the yard.

    You can see by the size of my fingers, that this was a tiny toad. Happy has been learning about how to tell the difference between frogs and toads in science and this was good confirmation of his knowledge.

    There was also a humming bird flying around our feeder. We were sitting outside on the porch and were able to grab a few photos.

    I am absolutely amazed by these creatures. We always watch for them. The feeder was empty this day and it still came by. The way they hover and fly and their intricate design is so amazing.

    Sunshine had an appointment in town that we went to and it went well.

    Wednesday – This was another school day. I am liking all the curriculum this year. It is a change of pace for Sunshine and Lovey, but they are doing well. We did school, C.N.R. had work. We taught kids class at church that night. We had a larger class, but it went well. We are still teaching parables and taught about the 10 talents. We have expanded on being ready for Jesus and about using what the Lord gives you. We don’t have to be afraid to share our talents and gifts from the Lord with the world. He wants us to use them. I mean, we wouldn’t want to give someone a gift and them never use it…

    Thursday – More school and work for my people. By this day I finished my door hanger and got it on the door. C.N.R. measured and printed a hook to hang it by. It fit perfectly.

    I took a picture of some of the garden beds.

    The wallow in the path is from the original spot where the piggos were in July. We have sprinklers running about once every day or two. The bed on the left was seeded but not raked in very well. The bed on the right was seeded and raked and the seeds covered better. Big difference that we will be taking note of on the other beds.

    Friday – I decided to make monkey bread. It wasn’t sourdough, but it did use a yeast packet. This turned out to be a longer process than expected. C.N.R. had taken the day off and we were shuffling kids and school, house work, and trying to bake monkey bread. By the time I was able to start it, it had 2 small rises, and bake time, it was super late in the day. Not so much a breakfast.

    It was delicious. C.N.R. helped me get the dough prepped to bake and then these things baked for nearly and hour! But oh my gosh they were tasty. They were even good left over.

    Friday night we had to pick up supper and head to my in-laws house. A small congratulatory retirement party for my father-in-law. It was good to visit with family. We had a nice meal and some evening conversation around the fire pit. The kids watched toads, played laser tag, roasted marshmallows, picked up fallen acorns, and much more. Kiddos spent Friday and Saturday night there.

    Saturday – WORK DAY! With the kids not being home we slept in and it was nice. We slept way longer than I expected we would, but it was needed. Once we got up and going it was time to paint. My desire to decorate for fall turned into a full out “let’s fix up the house” and it was time to put that in motion. We found out Wednesday night the tile we ordered and had shipped to the store was all damaged and had to be reordered. So, we didn’t get to work on the hearth, but that was ok. There was still plenty to do.

    We spent lots of time taking things off the walls, mudding holes in the walls, and taping things off. We worked, with food breaks, until nearly 11:30 at night. But it was so nice to get to spend that time together. We enjoyed the quiet, the conversation, as well as the progress made on our home. I am feeling like it is finally coming together. It was so much easier to do this without the kids. Trying to paint wrecked the house and they didn’t have to be in the middle of it.

    Sunday – That is today. Today we slept in and went to church. We got on the road headed that way when my mother-in-law said we needed to bring Happy a belt for his pants. We had also forgotten something else so we turned around to gather things and still managed to get there about 10 minutes early.

    Service was really good today. We had an awesome time in worship and then a few people presented on their most recent mission trip. I love getting to hear their experience and how God is moving. It is so cool to see Him working here, but also in other countries. The same God that lives and moves in me is speaking and moving all over the world. And it is amazing because He speaks and draws me and others to himself.

    I was thinking and praying during worship today about God being lifted up. We have recently been teaching the kids about how when Jesus is lifted up, He will draw people to Himself.

    John 3:12-15 – 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

    Jesus was lifted up on that cross when He died for our sins. Some mourned, some rejoiced, but He had done what He came to do. To be the sacrifice for our sins, to pay the price we never could. The enemy thought that death was the end and he had victory, but he was so wrong!

    After Jesus was resurrected, He stayed on earth a while. He was seen by 100’s and taught people. Then He ascended again into heaven. He was lifted up!

    Acts 1:1-9 –  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

    4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

    The Ascension

    6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

    Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension He was either lifted up and drawing people to God or lifting God up in obedience, which was drawing people to God. So I need to be lifting God up in my own life and family. He needs to be raised above any doubts, fear, worries, or daily agendas. When I give God the rightful place in my life I will be able to magnify Him and walk in peace. Not to say life is all dandy, but my focus will be shifted to God and that will make life much better.

    As we taught the kids about God being lifted up and drawing others to Himself, we compared it to the draw of a magnet, pulling people in and closer. My mind went from magnet to magnify and what I fixate on, or magnify is what grows. I want myself to be fixated of Jesus, for Him to be lifted up above all else, for His presence and peace in my life and family to grow.

    As C.N.R. and I were talking this weekend we were talking about how the things we believe really matter. What we watch and listen to matter. What is going in us is coming out in some form and how important it is to guard our family.

    There has been a lot going on in the world lately. A LOT. It really makes one think. I am so grateful that as I think and process all the garbage that the world dishes out, that I can filter it through God and His word.

    Isaiah 55:11 – so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
    but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

    So after church we had a baptism service and that was good.

    Then we went to eat lunch in town. The in-laws joined us and we treated them to lunch.

    Next we ran some errands in town. Then we came home. It is so nice to be home with all my people.

    All those acorns the kids gathered….

    Loved by all the piggies. We saved some for a treat tomorrow.

    We have been working to put the house back together. It is getting there.

    Bed time tonight included prayers and reading. Sunshine even colored some. We got everyone tucked in and shortly after Sunshine came out with and upset stomach. Not fun. I think it has passed and she is all good to go now.

    It has been a good day today. I am about ready for bed. If the Lord gives us tomorrow, I expect it to be a good day too.

  • Monday

    Co-op day! The boys and I were up early today. Bible stories, cleaning, and getting ready have dominated our morning. I know that once we get finished with co-op and back home most of the day will be gone.

    Piggies and chickens were doing well this morning. So were the cats and dogs.

    We are redoing the capillary action experiment with the kids. Today we put white carnations in colored water. We are excited to see the results. Lovey – light blue. Happy – yellow. Sunshine – dark blue.

    I found out last night that we have more kids in my first hour class. That puts us up to 8 kids and I am not sure our room will accommodate that many very well for our purposes. I mean, they will fit, but I don’t know that we will function well. I guess we will see. Also, not sure my teaching partner will make it today. So we are off to an interesting start already.

    C.N.R. has a follow up appointment with the GP today. Hopefully we can find something out.

    Finally back home and nearly settled. Co-op went really well for it to be a first day! My co-teacher for 1st hour was there and the room was already set up differently and it worked out great. 2nd hour for robotics from scratch went smoothly. These are older kids and it is such a change of pace. 3rd hour STEM went really well and the kids all seemed interested in what we were teaching.

    After we left co-op we picked up some food. To our surprise, our friends were there too! So we went in and all ate together. It was nice, unexpected fellowship.

    C.N.R. went to the doctor for a follow-up. They are thinking it is not sciatic pain and that is a thank you Jesus!

    The kids and I got the boys checked in on the app for haircuts and then we went to the store for a bit while we waited. I found some kitchen towels that aren’t old, stained, and painted. We also grabbed a snack. The boys all have very handsome hair cuts.

    Once we were home we unloaded all the co-op stuff and headed to the animals. The chickens were already in their coop and we had 1 more egg. The pigs were good and happy to get a bedtime snack and more water.

    We came in and got cleaned up and ready for bed. This has been a loooong day. But it was been good. Family, friends, food. That is a hard day to beat.

  • Catching Up

    Wednesday was day 2 of our first week of school. It went well. We did Bible and handwriting.

    We 3D printed camels.

    We didn’t design these, but the kids really like them.

    I repainted our little hallway area. It was some off white color. Now it is creamy mushroom. I really like it.

    Before.

    After. It looks so much better. It feels better too. We have a lot left to paint, but we are working on it.

    After C.N.R. got home, we walked up to get mail. Along the way we collected acorns to feed the piggies. We were excited to get science notebooks in the mail and the pigs were happy to eat acorns.

    Sunshine played pretend and was a Bible verse lady. I had to be a kid saying verses and writing my name down to put on the wall. It was so sweet.

    We went to church. C.N.R. and I taught kids. We talked about being ready for Jesus and how to do that.

    It was a good day.

    Thursday I got up early to pay bills and order groceries. I woke up Happy to help me order something he wanted. After that we decided to make breakfast. We couldn’t find a healthy breakfast cake that sounded good or that we had ingredients for making. We ended up making coffee cake and it was so good. We ate it for 2 days before it was gone.

    We did school on Thursday. That day we added in science. That was fun. I like science. Sunshine learned about deciduous trees. We made leaf prints. Happy studied animals. Lovey began studying plants. We learned about how plants bring nutrients and water from the soil using their roots. We tried to show this using colored water and celery. We got mixed results.

    C.N.R. came home early Thursday so we could all go to a co-op meeting. This was an orientation for the upcoming co-op year. We went over procedures, filled out lanyards, and looked where classes would be.

    We were going to go get the all the boys hair cuts. That didn’t happen. We did go find some supper, run through Home Depot, and pick up a grocery order. The plan changed to hair cuts on Saturday.

    Friday! Last day of our school week. We checked the science experiment from Thursday. We did Bible and handwriting. The kids ate breakfast and then we took off to feeding the animals.

    When we came back inside we did science and then added in history. I am really liking history this year. I think it is going to be a lot of fun. We worked on the kids’ personal timelines and then added Marco Polo to their timeline notebooks.

    By the time we were finishing up C.N.R. was coming home with groceries. Yum!

    Friday afternoon we went out to water and pet piggies. S’mores was super happy to get pets. He walked over to where we were and flopped down like, “Pet me”. So we did. While I was petting him C.B. was walking right up under my butt. They are definitely getting more used to us.

    Worth noting, while we were doing this Friday C.N.R. was inside trying to fix his new laptop. It wouldn’t turn on and we hadn’t done anything that would damage it. All his work for co-op classes was stored on that computer. He was able to save the info. We still don’t know what is wrong with the laptop though.

    After piggies on Friday we worked in the garden clearing out some of the garden beds. Geez, this is taking forever but it will be worth the work.

    These beds have big rocks and deep rooted weeds. This is the 3rd one of these beds I have worked on cleaning out and it has by far been the most difficult.

    Once we came in for evening on Friday Sunshine and I began to paint a fall time door hanger. I think it will be pretty when it is finished.

    C.N.R. was mentioning back pain that night.

    Saturday. What a surprising day.

    I mostly finished my door hanger.

    I still have to decide about putting a bow or some words of some sort. We will see.

    We got ready for a birthday party. While getting going C.N.R. mentioned he was still having back pain. He felt well enough to go to the party.

    The plan was party, haircuts, and maybe the store.

    We arrived at the party and C.N.R. stepped to the side to help the kiddos out of the vehicle and he began to crumble. He couldn’t stand because the pain was so bad. The dad of the birthday girl suggested it could be a kidney stone. He was in such bad pain that I drove him straight to the E.R. If he lets me drive, I know he is hurting.

    By the time we got there we tried parking and he couldn’t walk. I had to go through the drive through part and he had to be wheeled in to the E.R. My father-in-law met us at the hospital and got the kids. That was such a blessing that they didn’t have to spend hours there.

    We were there for hours. They took urine and blood, gave him fluids, and ran at C.T. We waited and waited. By the time the doctor came around, he said that everything looked good and that we could go home. He had no explanation for the pain. We have to follow up with the GP.

    The kids stayed the night with their grandparents Saturday. That was so helpful and they enjoyed it. Once we left the hospital we and grabbed some supper and groceries. “Date night”. Not the typical night, but we tried to make the best of it. At home he felt mostly better. His back did hurt a little, but nothing like it had been.

    Sunday, today, we didn’t think we were going to be able to go to church, but thank the Lord! C.N.R. was up and walking today. That was a blessing that he was feeling well enough to go. It was so good to be in the house of the Lord and to be with my church family. It was so good getting the kiddos back too.

    Service today was about having the mind of Christ. It was a good message. He ended the message with the call to repent. Repent gets the reputation of someone having done something awful and needing to beg forgiveness. But repenting is a turning, a changing of ways. It was a good self check on how am I thinking and what am I saying? Am I lining my mind, actions, and attitudes and words up with Christ? If not, why?

    We came home and ate lunch. It was a mix of corn dogs and leftovers.

    Co-op has our first meeting tomorrow and we have spent a lot of time today finalizing what we are teaching tomorrow.

    We spent time outside and with the animals. We checked on pigs and filled up their water. We moved the chickens. I am not sure about Stripe. He flogged me twice tonight. He got cuddled twice tonight. I am not liking this. He is strong enough now that it actually hurts.

    We came in and had supper and got kids ready for bed.

    It has been a good day, but I am so tired and ready for some rest.

    It looks like they are spooning! So cute.

    Rest. Yes. That is a good idea.

  • Multi-day Recap

    The animals were all well on Sunday. We started our day feeding them all. The piggos are doing a good job trampling down wooded areas for us.

    Sweet S’mores enjoying a poplar snack.

    I love how these two tag along together.

    Sunday we didn’t go to church. There has been some sickness going around and we decided to stay home. We stayed home for a while and then we went to Home Depot to get some things for the house. I spent quite a while Sunday scraping down the inside of our front door in order to get it ready to repaint.

    This is after a long time scraping and several vacuum sessions. I really wanted it done, but I just couldn’t keep going Sunday night.

    We ended our trip to town by introducing Sunshine to Taco Bell. We hadn’t had it in years and she had never had it. It wasn’t too bad. All the kids liked the cinnamon twists.

    Monday was labor day and C.N.R. had the day off from work. Despite our best efforts, Monday included another Home Depot run. We got more concrete to level the hearth and paint that would adhere to our metal door.

    The trim needs to be repainted, but it looks so much better!

    We also grabbed leveling cement to fix the hearth.

    Finally level after years! It took 3 bags of leveling cement, but it looks so good. Tile will be in soon.

    We printed 3 of these little acorn lights and hung them in the kitchen window. They take tea lights. So cute!

    Cabbage plant.

    Turnips. The garden is coming along and doing well. I am looking forward to some yummy fall vegetables.

    Today is Tuesday. I have spent today doing house work and taping off areas in the house to repaint.

    We started school today. We are adding one subject a day until we get built up in a routine.

    We didn’t go to Sunshine’s appointment today. Her grandparents came over and the visit would have been about the time of her appointment. We will have to catch it up next week.

    The visit with the grandparents went well. It was good to see them. They were able to visit the pigs and check out our property a little. We have been making so many changes lately.

    We were not able to paint any today. This house hold fix up project has been one project after another because things have to be fixed before the original project can be accomplished.

    All in all it was a good day and we still start again tomorrow.

  • Saturday was Exciting

    Saturday morning we all woke up around 6. We had stayed up late baking Friday night and we were ready to head to the bake sale. Happy was not so happy about being up early and he was basically in tears over being tired. I pointed out he should be glad we home-school and he doesn’t have to do that every day to go to school. The kids got breakfast, we all got ready, and we headed out.

    The bake sale was about 30-40 minutes away and so slow. We took chocolate chip cookies and a I don’t know if we sold more than one. We did leave the sell a little early, but I don’t think it brought in much money.

    However, we did leave with a new friend! Sunshine wanted her own pig. Introducing S’mores! He is a waddle-less Kune Kune.

    The boys each have a dog, Sunshine wanted her own pig! He is an intact boar and we will use him foe breeding. He can be healthy competition for Hank and he can be useful for when Hank is past breeding age. I am so excited she wanted her own pig and that we are not eating him. I look forward to seeing her and S’mores grow together.

    Here are the other piggies checking him out.

    Sweet piggo is grunty and loves being in mud.

    He did escape. We got him settled and C.N.R. went out to check on him a bit later and found that he had escaped and was grunting through the woods.

    Here he is on a trail outside of his paddock.

    C.N.R. ran another strand of wire thinking he was going in between the two lower strands. He managed to get out again! We discovered that our fence wasn’t on! The other pigs are well trained to it and didn’t even bother testing it to get out. S’mores is new and uncertain of new pigs and a new environment so he had no problem testing the fence. Once we got it turned back on he stayed in the paddock.

    We got him in the paddock and got him staying in once the fence was on.

    S’mores is so cute and all the kids love him.

    Oreo, however, we are about to eat. She is being mean to S’mores. I know we have to give them a little time to adjust and get in “pecking order”, but it was so bad yesterday that Hank stepped up and got after her. She isn’t making babies and we can’t tell that she has even been in heat. We used to think that she and Hank had friend zoned, but after yesterday we are thinking that maybe he just tolerates her. Who knows. We do know her days are numbered.

    After we got S’mores settled and ate, we went back to town and grabbed a few things for the house. I spent a good deal of time last night scraping old dirty caulk out of the bathtub downstairs. It was hard work and gross. Once it was finished C.N.R. put fresh caulk.

    It looks so much better! All the kids had to bathe upstairs last night because of the shower project. It was kind of a shuffle at bedtime trying to get everyone clean and do bedtime stories, but we managed.

    On a side note, I got super sunburned at the bake sale. Sunshine and I wore dresses because that is what she picked out. Mine had a scoop neck and the top of my back got so burnt! Between a new piggy, scraping the shower, and the sunburn I was past ready for bed. Sometime last night Sunshine got in bed with us, but I have no clue when. All in all it was a really good day.

  • Friday was Productive

    Thank Jesus for Friday! C.N.R. has a 3 day weekend. I am so happy to have him home.

    This morning was a little different. I woke up to a phone call from my grandpa. I had accidentally pocket dialed him yesterday and he called me this morning. It was good to hear his voice, to hear him laugh. It was a sweet wake up.

    Sunshine and I got up and started our morning with Bible stories. Shortly after Happy was up, followed by Lovey. The boys did their Bible stories, I had coffee, and the kids all got breakfast. I ran out to the shop to switch out printer filament and start a print, a cow.

    The end result is above. I didn’t design it, bit it is a fun print and the kids enjoy getting them.

    We freed the chickens and feed the piggies today.

    This particular chicken decided he was going to try to flog me again today. He had been doing so well. I am not having that. I had to chase him down and catch him to cuddle him. It was so frustrating. I finally got him cornered in the coop and was able to pick him up. I gave him cuddles and pets and let the kids pet him. He wasn’t very happy about it, but he didn’t flog me again today. I think I may have to go in the pen with him more frequently so he remembers who is boss. Happy got the eggs and ran out of room in the carton. I am going to have to restock on empty cartons. We finally found one tonight.

    We came back down to the house and Sunshine and I set to cleaning up the front porch. We cleaned the picnic table, organized the shoes, and everyone helped clear toys away. I wanted the porch to be clean and to make a door hanger for fall. Well, our door was a mess. We washed the side of the house a little and then the door. Then I decided to paint it.

    Before. The strip under the window is where there was duct tape. It was a red strip that said “God loves you”. It was a sweet thing a kid did, so I left it. But goodness, it was a gooey mess.

    It was a sticky mess. It didn’t sand off and rubbing alcohol didn’t work.

    Orange oil to the rescue. It worked great. Took a little paint too.

    Scuffed, but not sticky.

    Finished door! It looks so good and matches Sunshine’s fort area. I love it. It feels so good to have it cleaned up. This unexpected project took most of my afternoon, but a door hanger will look good in the door.

    Meet Poppy a.k.a. escape artist. This is her outside of the fence. It isn’t electrified so we just lifted it up and let her back in. She was happy to go back in.

    Sweet girls relaxing.

    Tonight Sunshine and I played on our newly cleaned porch and then went to put the chickens in the coop for the evening. I got them all in but Eileen. She just didn’t want to go inside. I had Sunshine get in a help. She still didn’t go in. AHHHHH. We called C.N.R. and he and the boys came to the rescue.

    Here the piggies are watching Sunshine and I trying to get Eileen in the coop. They are inside their own fence, probably wondering what on earth was happening.

    We got them up and then we went to visit the pigs.

    C.B. nose deep in rooting.

    Piggos eating poplar leaves and Peso checking everything out and trying to get pets.

    We came in and got cleaned up for bed. Then we began baking for a bake sale Lovey is helping with tomorrow.

    We baked past bedtime and that meant no reading. Tomorrow will be an early day.

    Today was a great day, but I am tired and ready for bed. I’ll have to see what all we get into tomorrow.

  • Days Gone By and the Snake

    Let me think about the last few days because I sure haven’t posted.

    Wednesday. I was surprised to wake up with my C.N.R. He had a floating holiday and decided to use it. That was pleasant because I love it when he is home. It was church night, but we didn’t go. C..N.R. had an afternoon appointment in town. He got back late afternoon and still needed to mow and I had taken on cleaning and de-cluttering things. I cleaned up our loft area and got it ready to do some schooling with the kids. Basically all the things that came from the loft were Sunshine’s. So after that we had to go clean up her room some and get it functional. It was a good day though. It was great having all my people home and our home cleaned up.

    As C.N.R. was mowing he found a garter snake. It was in a tarp that he had to move and he called us out to see it. It was rather big and stinky. I am talking my gag reflex kicked in type of stinky. I didn’t know, but they put off a horrible odor when they are being defensive. We looked at him and released him back in to the woods.

    I wanted to make no bake cookies. I ended up making baked cookies with my very own recipe. They were yummy!

    4 out of 5 family members approved.

    Thursday…that was yesterday.

    Animals were all good yesterday. No one was moved. Happy gathered 8 eggs! We didn’t get them all Wednesday. Those chickens are laying later in the day than I thought they would.

    Look at those pretty eyes! Chick-Chick was laying around 3pm. There for a while they were all done by 11ish in the morning.

    We played outside yesterday too. We took pictures of mushrooms and caught bugs to check them out and then release them. Sunshine played zoo and pretended to be a monkey.

    Happy took this one and I think it looks like a water color painting.

    Mushroom family under the trampoline.

    Happy found this pretty mushroom and said it looked spotted like a leopard.

    Fun note. This is Hank hair in my boot latch because he has been trying to nibble my boot.

    Yesterday I worked on weeding the garden area.

    I am really liking this huge wagon.

    When C.N.R. came home and after supper, we worked in the garden more. We have a lot more area cleaned out now.

    There is a sprinkler system in place now and all 4 beds are planted. The compost pile is HUGE.

    I worked on decorating for fall. This is decorating on a budget. I would love to go to Hobby Lobby and spend money, but I better not. This is using what I have. The straw in the baskets came from the fresh straw for the pigs, but I won’t tell them I took it. The pine, pine cones, and wooden logs in the squirrel basket came from our property. I think it is looking good.

    There is still a lot I want to do, but we’ll see.

    The sky was beautiful last night. It was pretty ending to a good day.

  • Tuesday

    This morning I got up earlier to try to get a head start. I hadn’t been up long before kids were waking up with me. Happy and Sunshine were up and going.

    Last night we put boston butts in the smoker. This morning I checked them and pulled them out to cool. When they were cool enough to touch we pulled them apart. We set aside some for supper and then were able to put 3 quarts worth in the freezer. They were so good. We ate them as carnitas. We got the meat and to doggos got the bones.

    The animals were all good this morning. We only got 3 eggs by the time we went out and 1 cracked. We fed it back to the chickens and they loved it.

    Pushy piggies got to wear their scraps and food. They always act like they are starving and just can’t wait to get to the food.

    We spent some extra time outside this morning after feeding animals. It was so cool today and it felt so good. We swung and played. Happy dug up some rocks. He found one he said was a square on one side and a heart on the other. Sunshine pretended to be a monkey that I bought from the zoo after the zookeeper (Happy) said it was okay. Lovey made the pigs a special acorn dessert. I don’t think he ever fed it to them. We will have to do that tomorrow.

    I finished up a print to hold my tumbler in my Simple Modern bag.

    I love having this to keep my drink upright in my bag. So helpful. I really like that we designed the pattern and printed it from home. Didn’t have to spend money or wait on a delivery.

    I worked on laundry and dishes and the kids did their part to help with house work.

    I noticed these pretty maypops blooms in the yard area today.

    This afternoon Sunshine had an appointment in town. It went well.

    When that ended we came home and ate the carnitas and went to work in the garden. The boys all dug dirt for the garden beds and got them all ready to plant. I went up the old paddocks and scooped pig poo for the compost pile. By the time I got to the active paddock, the pigs were coming to check out what I was doing. Oreo was kind enough to drop some fresh poo for me and the kids.

    We gathered a decent amount and added it to the compost pile. That pile is huge right now because we cleaned out another mound bed. We will try to get it prepped for cover crops tomorrow.

    Lovey and C.N.R. printed and built a 3D printed mouse today from a kit. It was pretty neat. Lovey really likes it.

    The kids all danced some on the dance mat today.

    It was a good day.

  • The Last Few Days

    Saturday was a really good day. We got up and took care of animals and headed to town for the day with the kiddos. They all got prizes for reading. They had so much fun at the store picking out what they wanted. Lots of Legos.

    We went to get filament for the printer. That was fun. We bought about 5 rolls. The kids then spent some of their own money a little something extra they wanted. The boys got more Legos and Sunshine got some toys that she had to break out of Plaster of Paris.

    We ate Chick-fil-a for lunch. We made one more stop to get some supplies for the animals.

    After that, we headed to the church for our family camp. We got to visit a little bit and the kids swam for about 2 hours. Sunshine is getting braver about jumping in as long as I was there to catch her. She would about knock me down. Happy Boy swam a little less. We didn’t stay long because we needed to come home and work on the farm. Also, the boys were ready to build all the Legos they received.

    We ordered pizza for supper that night. It was really good. We tired to move the piggies but we got rained out.

    Sunday morning I woke up feeling sick to my stomach. I suppose the pizza didn’t agree with me. I worked around it and decided to go to church. Family camp was still going and the only service we had was worship (which is why I debated staying home since I wasn’t feeling well). But it was so good. Worship went well and God was definitely moving. I am very glad I went. When it was over we took a group photo and then ate lunch with everyone. We had catfish and french fries. After that we left to come home.

    Right about the time we got home my stomach started hurting again. We were supposed to go with some friends to a free karate class, but I felt so bad that we didn’t make it. I ended up crawling into bed and falling asleep for a bit. I still didn’t feel great but my stomach was feeling better.

    I went out to see what help I could to C.N.R. with the animals and he had already moved the piggies without me. I helped with the final set up of the new paddock. I still didn’t feel great by supper, but I ate some leftovers. I ended up not being sick anymore that night.

    Happy pigs. This paddock they have some woods to forage in.

    This system worked out really well. Even though we have had rain, the straw was nice and dry. I was able to get out the 3 layers I needed and close the rest back up.

    There are a few other farm things worth noting from this weekend.

    Cabbage in the ground! I think we did a total of 31 plants.

    My mother-in-law wanted us to collect her some eggs to hatch out. Look at the size of that egg! C.N.R. measured it and asked google what fowl it thought it was from, just for fun. Google thought it was a duck, goose, or turkey! MIL has already hatched out 3 eggs from a previous dozen we gave her. Pretty exciting.

    This path that we turned into a wallow at the end of July when we got the pigs is still holding water!

    It is holding a lot of water! That water is up to my ankles. I can see why people have used pigs to seal ponds. As we worked in the garden tonight we had to get in the path to pull weeds from the beds. Lovey and Sunshine loved playing in it. Lovey said it was a pool. As we pulled weeds tonight from the bed we would find rocks and toss them in the wallow.

    This is the bed we cleaned tonight. We leveled it and then spread daikon radish and buckwheat seeds to grow as ground cover. As the radish grow we can eat them (probably won’t due to preferences), leave them to rot for organic matter in the soil, or pull them up and feed the pigs.

    Work was done tonight to prep other beds for seeds.

    A hen got out of the fence today. Lovey and I got her back in without a fuss.

    There was a great hunter spotted in the grass this evening.

    Today was a productive day. It was a go all day once my feet hit the ground day. Lot’s of laundry and dishes. I prepped supper. We ate marinated chicken strips and fried sweet potato slices. Taking care of the animals.

    After supper is when most of the farm chores took place. We moved the chickens tonight. We backed them up and put their coop over where the shelter had been for the pigs. This gave them straw to scratch. I think that the chickens can follow the pigs some in paddock rotation and it well work well.

    Oreo still has no babies and we are seeing they seem to have no interest in it. I am not sure what we are going to do.

    We set up a better budget tonight. That is exciting.

    It is time for bed and I am ready for it. Expecting another great day tomorrow.

  • Catching Up

    It feels like it has just been wild here. Tuesday night I was so tired. On Wednesday the kids and I hung out at home. They slept over with their grandparents because I had to do more cleaning on Thursday.

    We were all going to go to church Wednesday, but C.N.R. has been so tired. We just let the grandparents take the kids to church and we stayed home. We ordered out Mexican food. It was good. I cleaned the kitchen and we were in bed by 8:30. It was wonderful to be in bed so early.

    I got up with C.N.R. around 4ish on Thursday morning. I took care of animals in the dark, ran the washer, dishwasher, Bible study, paid bills, ordered groceries, and went to clean. I clean and scrubbed for about 9 hours. It was exhausting, but worth it. I came home and took a shower. C.N.R. cooked meat patties and corn off the cob. It was all great. The grandparents sent home chocolate chip cookies. Those were tasty too. It was after 10 by the time we got to bed.

    The gnats loved the flashlight. Not cool. I was trying to hold the light, fill the water, and feed them. The gnats were swarming near the light. Hard not to breathe them in.

    Today is Friday. I woke up with a major headache. Coffee and Tylenol to the rescue. I put vanilla protein powder in the coffee. It was pumpkin spice coffee with vanilla protein powder. It was so good. It is Levels brand. Protein coffee and bacon made my breakfast.

    We all ate and then went to change printer filament. We are printing baboons.

    The pigs were so loud this morning. As soon as they heard us go out they started squealing like they were starving. I should get video of it tomorrow.

    Silly kitty brothers to welcome us outside as we go to feed animals.

    Pigs and chickens were well this morning. The pigs rushed to the food. We poured C.B. some to the side. As long as the big pigs had food he could deter them from his, but once theirs was out, they didn’t care any more and his was considered free game. The chickens had laid 4 eggs already.

    I have worked on laundry and cleaned the kitchen. I also cut up half a watermelon. We eat through it so quickly, but the bowl wouldn’t hold a full melon. The piggies are going to LOVE getting melon rinds.

    The boys said they wanted a squishy marshmallow with eyes and a mouth. Finally, I realized it was because they were watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

    What they wanted.

    What they got. Oh, my goodness. I am not thrilled with them. All I see is what I should have done different, but the boys are happy with them. Happy said it is his favorite “stuffed pet” right now. That makes me happy. It was a simple make with me having no pattern. I would make this shorter next time.

    I have felt a little moody today. After supper I went outside for sunshine and to visit with the pigs. My people came out too. That helped a lot. Fresh air, my favorite people, sweet pigs.

    Such a sweet fuzzy face.

    I had been thinking about scooping up C.B. and holding him. C.N.R. did it for me. He was pretty chill to be held, more so than I thought he would be. Lovey wants to hold him like that now.

    We came in and got cleaned up. Happy and Sunshine had been playing in the wallow with boots on and C.B. made me fairly muddy.

    We ate cookies and watched a movie. Also, we played hangman. It has been a good night and I am sure tomorrow will be good. The kids get prizes for reading this summer and then we have some time with church family.

  • Lots of Cleaning

    Tuesday was nonstop all day. We had to go to town to take a kiddo to an appointment, pick up an order, and then go do some volunteer cleaning.

    The animals were good yesterday. C.B. was much easier to catch to feed.

    He enjoys the food in peace once we can get him to it.

    Big piggos.

    The new wallow seems to be working well.

    Silly cleaning kitties. They really like sitting in that spot. I think they believe it is for them rather than part of the porch fort.

    Interesting fact. When we got the new paddock set up on Monday we forgot to turn the fence back on. I thought about it Tuesday morning before we left and called C.N.R. I double checked it and sure enough it was off. I turned it back on before we left. But that means pigs went over night without their fence being powered. I would say they are pretty well trained to it since they were all there Tuesday morning.

    After town we stopped to do the volunteer cleaning. It was upholstery cleaning. I thought I would work for 2 or 3 hour and we would leave. But I really wanted to finish a big chunk of it and not have so much to do later this week. With that motivation C.N.R. came and took the kiddos home and I pushed through. I worked until 7pm. That was only 4 hours longer than I intended. Half the job is finished now and I should be able to be done in one more day of work.

    I was so tired by the time I got home. C.N.R. had the kids fed and ready for bed. It was a pretty quick retreat to bed for me. The rest was much needed after such a full day.

    It was a super full day, but it was a good day. It feels good to be with my people. It feels good to help do a job that needs to be done. Like a sweet friend has said, “See a need, meet a need”.

  • Moving Piggos

    This morning when I woke up, Sunshine Girl crawled in bed with me. We cuddled and placed a pick-up order. Then she did a Bible story on my phone and we colored in her Barbie coloring book. It was wonderful. The boys stayed downstairs on the couch and watch Owlegories.

    We went down stairs. Brothers had already completed their Bible stories. I had some coffee and we went out to tend to animals. Everyone was well.

    Cluckers enjoying morning freedom. I think we are good to keep King Stripe. I was in the paddock with them today and filling up the food bucket and he didn’t bother me at all. I am happy to keep him with the hens.

    We are still doing the dewormer feed for the pigs. C.N.R. wasn’t here to catch C.B. this morning so it was up to me. That little pig is fast and hard to hold onto when he is on the move. Lovey was laughing and say me trying to catch him was like a pig show. It really was! He kept moving and circling food dishes. I would get my hands on him to pick him and he would run out from my grasp. Finally I got him. I have 2 red hoof marks going down my side because even though I had him he was still kicking and trying to get down to eat. We got him away from the others and Lovey poured his food down so he could eat in peace. There should just be a couple days left of this.

    I was so dirty after this morning. My overalls were muddy and so was my shirt. I had to change shirts. If coverall’s weren’t so hot, that would be a good thought.

    We came in from animals and cleaned the house. We worked on the kitchen. There was mud tracked in the house because when Lovey came in to grab my gloves for me, he left boots on. I am hoping it was just mud. We vacuumed and mopped.

    I sent needed messages and made a few needed phone calls.

    I prepped sourdough discard chocolate chip cookies.

    This is dough. They had to sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

    Post bake cookies. They are tasty! Everyone enjoyed them. The recipe made enough to have 2 batches, 24 cookies.

    The kids cleaned up their rooms a bit and helped with chores. Then they got to watch T.V. for a bit.

    When C.N.R. came home we got ready and headed to town. We ate supper out and it was delicious food and good company. We grabbed the pick up order. Then we made a couple more stops before coming home.

    C.N.R. loves me and told me he got me a super romantic gift. It was super glue with a brush! I had some and then it disappeared. He knows that I really liked it and he grabbed me another bottle. The media would have us believe that to be romantic it has to cost a lot or be “sexy”. Don’t believe the lie! This was a thoughtful surprise. It shows he listens to me and thinks about me. He also found this cute little fall tic-tac-toe board and asked if I wanted it. He knows I love fall time and that I am wanting to decorate the house for fall.

    Speaking of, I got a few fall things out today. I bought the blanket and made the pillows last year. They are a favorite set. The kids each picked out colors for a mushroom pillow and are trying to take them to their beds. That is a no go! Those are couch pillows.

    C.N.R. received Muck boots today. I was so excited for him and then they didn’t fit…even though we measured his feet before placing the order. Free returns, so that is good. We ordered them again a size up.

    Once we were home we waited until the sun set and we went out to move the pigs. Lovey was super happy to go get pets from piggies. He was in the middle of Hank and C.B. He had them both flopped down from belly rubs.

    We all worked together to move them. We are learning as we go.

    Worth noting, the water barrel was flipped deliberately to drain it to move to the next paddock. However, it was a muddy mess there before we drained the water. The pigs kept their wallow near their water source.

    This is where we moved them to tonight. When we placed the water, we put it where it would drain down hill and make a wallow where we wanted it. Hopefully this will work better. Check them out being neighbors with the chickens.

    This is compressed straw. Think vacuumed sealed straw. We were told it is about the equivalent of 2 normal bales.

    This is what happens when I cut it loose. It divided out into layers. I was able to use about 3 layers to cover the ground under the shelter.

    I worked the remaining layers into this tote. There was enough left over to use for 2-3 more paddock moves. I am pleased with this. These bales are about $17 each and being able to get more than 1 move per bale will save us money.

    The lid will keep this straw dry and ready for the next move.

    Big changes in the move tonight were the amount of people helping (kids helped more this time. Happy helped run wire, Lovey helped with water and food, and Sunshine and Happy used old straw to cover the muddy mess), positioning the water barrel so the leaks and sloppy drinks will help with the wallow, and the more frugal use of straw. I am happy with the progress we are making and the pigs seem to be healthy and content.

    Happy and Sunshine used the old straw to built a “house”. I will have to try to get a picture of it tomorrow. We were relating it to the story of the The Three Little Pigs and how building a house out of straw isn’t a good idea. I guess they thought they would try it.

    We got to come in and take showers, play tic-tac-toe, and eat cookies. Then it was time for books and bed. It has been a good day.

    I will admit that this morning I was struggling with my attitude, but I asked God to help me. I realized I was having a problem, asked God to help, and did my part to adjust my thinking. So thankful for God’s help and patience with me. It was a great day!

  • Sunday

    Hubby and I got up and fed the animals. We had coffee and left early for church. He needed to work on something at church for a bit before it got started.

    I was able to share my testimony with a friend about how God is moving and working in me, my family, and homestead. It was exciting.

    A kiddo’s shoe broke today. Not sure how.

    Shoe glue here we come. Hopefully that works and they won’t have to be replaced.

    It was good to be in the house of the Lord and be with my family and church family. Worship went well. The presence of God was in the house and he was moving.

    I love that God works and moves in his people. It is his pleasure to work in us.

    Philippians 2:!3 – for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

    We had a smaller size class of kids today. We got to talk about the fruit of the Spirit and how God works those fruits in us when we have him as our Savior. It is nothing I can work up on my own. I am glad that God works those through me because I sure don’t have those in my own strength. I am seeing that tonight and I am humbled as the Lord shows me areas of my own life that he needs to purify and work through.

    Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

    After church we came home and I was able to clean the house a bit. We had a late lunch. I prepped fruit and veggies for the kiddos to eat tomorrow. I cut up pineapple, apple, and made bugs on stick and cheddar pecan stuffed celery. I could hear the verse in Proverbs about not having idle hands and was trying to get moving.

    Proverbs 31:27 – She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

    When the sun set more we went outside for evening check on the animals. The pigs and chickens were happy to get scraps. Peso was super clingy and demanding of pets.

    Not certain of plans for tomorrow. I may go clean at the church some. I know there are phone calls to make and tomorrow night we need to move the pigs. So, time will tell!

  • Saturday

    Yup, today is Saturday! It has been a busy, yet not busy day.

    We all got up and going today. The kiddos had a swim party to attend. They got to swim for an hour and a half and they loved it. Sunshine Girl is getting better at jumping in. She is still holding onto my thumbs when she jumps. BUT, she is jumping in on her own! What a big improvement. We have tried all summer to get her to jump in and it just hasn’t happened. I am proud of her progress. The boys have no hesitation to belly flop. Everyone got to see friends and play. Happy times.

    We came home and got everyone fed and clean and took the kids to meet their grandparents. From there the kids went to see their great grandma. I think they had fun. They are spending the night with grandparents tonight and they always enjoy that. I am blessed with wonderful in-laws.

    We were going to go to town and run a few errands, but I just didn’t feel well. That resulted in coming home, checking the animals for a second time, and then me napping on the couch. I had thought about going to town post-nap, but I slept so long. By the time I got up and we would’ve gotten to town the place I wanted to go was closed. Oh well. Saved us money!

    We did let the chickens out this morning and give the piggos medicated food. That went well. C.N.R. scooped up C.B. We feed Hank and Oreo first while holding C.B. and then put him down in his own space away from the others so he could actually eat.

    We tried feeding pigs maple leaves tonight. They were not interested at all. They are still chowing down on poplar leaver though.

    A family that eats together stays together…until one piggo pushes the other away!

    We walked to get the mail tonight. It was a nice little walk. I found a tiny pine cone on a stick. I kept it because it will soon be time to decorate for fall. I am excited about that. Fall is my favorite.

    We put the chickens, or cluckers as I like to call them, back in the coop. We walked on down to the pigs to top off their water for tonight and this is what we saw.

    Some piggies had been rooting around in their straw and couldn’t hide the evidence!

    Happy Hank. He loves the pets.

    Here Hank is chomping down on a pear. We went to check the pear tree tonight and a couple of pears had fallen. Good pig snacks. We were really surprised about how many pears the tree has this year. I am excited for them to ripen because they are my favorite.

    Hubby has been working on saving photos and videos from our hard drive that is breaking. So far, so good. I thought we had lost a ton of Sunshine Girl’s baby photos and was choosing to not think about it so I wasn’t upset. However, we spent several minutes tonight going through what he saved. The baby pictures were there! It was so fun to look at our precious babies. It is such a blessing to be their momma. It is amazing to see how they have changed and grown and how they are still the same in some ways.

    I love it when we get date nights. I know those are very important, but I am looking forward getting the kids back. Parenting is strange. It is so much hard worthwhile work. Sometimes I am just in need of a few minutes of quiet or a little time to reset my focus. But goodness. We can put them to bed and then a couple hours later when we go to bed I am ready for my small people back. I know they won’t always be small. I try to remember to soak it all in.

    Tomorrow is church day! That is always good. Teaching kiddos about the fruit of the Spirit. It will be a good day.

  • Friday

    This morning we did our farm chores along side a nasty smell. The dogs retrieved the dead ground hog from the woods. Oh my goodness. The carcass is going to have to be burned. The kids thought it was a deer leg. Nope. This shell of an animal has teeth.

    Anyways, the piggos are doing great. They were happy to get food and water.

    The chickens are good. King Stripe lives to see another day. He didn’t attack me this morning. He paid me no mind as I let them out and gave them veggie scraps. Happy Boy commented that King Stripe must know what the word “eaten” means! Sunshine Girl collected 4 eggs. Happy Boy accidentally dropped one in the fridge while putting them up. Ick. He thought it was cleaned up (sweet guy tried to clean up the mess before even telling me that it had happened) and I found another hidden yolk under the produce drawer. So he dropped a double-yolker. We discussed how to better put away eggs so that we aren’t wasting them in drops.

    Since I had to remove the produce drawer to clean the egg up I had to look through it. I forget about the produce drawer sometimes. I found ears of corn. They are store bought, but they will eat and be yummy. I am thinking corn, roasted carrots, and chicken breast for supper.

    While reading about the Proverbs 31 woman, I learned she speaks with wisdom. Verse 26 says, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Our pastor teaches there is wisdom from above and wisdom from below. A heavenly wisdom and earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom (James 3:14-16).

    With this in mind I went on over to James. James 3:17 – “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” That’s a lot. I have been taught wisdom is knowing what to do and when to do it. However, this scripture brings depth to it. Wisdom having those characteristics brings a lot more thought. Wisdom from above is going to reflect Christ. When I go about my day and making what seems like millions of choices for everyone, do these choices reflect the wisdom of God? Do my interactions with my children include gentleness? Peace and mercy? Am I being open to reason? Not to say I am going to bend to something that is unpleasing to the Lord, but am I listening to what my family has to say or shooting down ideas and opinions immediately? How am I interacting with my husband? It is a good self-check this morning. Looking in the scope of the whole Proverbs 31 woman, she is applying this wisdom to her household, her work, her investments, and herself.

    The book of Proverbs is all about wisdom and obtaining it. Proverbs 4:7 – “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” Really makes me think. I may have to go back through and reread Proverbs. I love how the Word of God is living and active and how it will apply to whatever season of life I am in.

    C.N.R. came home earlier than I expected. No complaints here. I missed his text message and Lovey and I were doing farm chores when he came home.

    We had to run to town. King Stripe went back to the coop with no problem! We didn’t want to leave them out while we were gone, just for their safety. I double checked eggs and found 1 more in the coop.

    Lovey loves the piggos. He has to give them pets for good morning and good night. Midday pets too. Here is C.B. rooting around a little.

    Supper was delicious. The chickens and pigs enjoyed left over veggie scraps.

    He was so happy to have his own corn cob. Hank and Oreo got theirs first. C.B. was on the run with his. He was grunting and chewing and running. He had to make sure that it stayed his.

    We bought dewormer tonight to give them to make sure they stay healthy. We had to weigh C.B. He is 22lbs! He did pretty well. We had to carry him to the porch so we had a flat surface to use the scale. We took my weight holding him and then my weight without holding him. Best way we knew to do it.

    Lovey, Sunshine, and I had to splash in the mud around the water barrel just a bit. Oh my goodness. Definitely going to have to put down some straw there when we move them again. We have been putting straw down already and it still so muddy. Between messy pigs, a leaky barrel, and all the rain.

    Tonight we are doing a movie night. Snack and cartoons. A good way to wrap up the day.

  • Thursday

    This morning we slept in some. We were quick to get going. We did Bible stories and Bible verses.

    We went out to the shop and loaded up some filament for a 3D print. Sunshine Girl is getting a pink and white water dragon.

    Lovey Boy fed the cats and we headed up the yard to feed piggos and release the chickens.

    I went into the chicken area to check water and decided it needed to be filled up. King Stripe didn’t flog me when I checked water, took out the water to fill it, or when I put it back. That is progress! He didn’t even seem to care.

    We came in and have worked on laundry and dishes. I set an hour timer for the boys to clean their room and they made huge progress! If they keep it up we may get to have a movie night.

    I couldn’t handle being inside any more and I needed to check the animals. It is so hot again today. I needed to make sure sweet piggos had water and that none of the chickens escaped.

    I decided that we needed to scoop poop to put in the compost pile. I told the kids they could go swing or play. I wasn’t going to push them to scoop poop in heat. I just wanted them to be outside for a bit. However, Lovey Boy and Sunshine Girl said they wanted to scoop poop! Who knew?!

    It was fairly shady in their paddock so it wasn’t too bad to scoop the poo. Honestly, it just felt good to be outside and doing work; being productive. I noticed that the area we were hoping they would wallow, and had been watering, the place under small trees that is shaded, they had turned into a bathroom around it. I wouldn’t want to wallow near my bathroom. Now that we cleaned up the area I am hoping thing will use it.

    That is a 7 cubic foot wagon. It may not look impressive, but it was quite a bit of poo. I am loving the wagon. It is easy to pull and to dump.

    Happy Oreo. To her right there is a stump. We noticed that they like to use it as a scratching stump and that they lay there a lot. I wet down the area today to help them have a wallow there.

    Said stump.

    I’ve been thinking more about rabbits. They need a rabbit tractor for sure. I am thinking probably getting meat rabbits. Maybe letting the kids have 1 or 2 Lop-type rabbits as pets (they would still mow and fertilize the lawn) and the rest of them be New Zealand or Rex. We could have meat rabbits for the freezer and then I think we could sell them to others for their homesteads. I don’t see a very big market for pet rabbits. And if we are going to have an animal it needs to be benefiting our family.

    Our cats and dogs are debatable if they benefit the family (I saw with a grin.) I didn’t get a photo, but the dogs had killed a groundhog yesterday and then ate half of it, blah. They get food, but I guess they needed fresh meat.

    Panzer. 120lbs of pooch.

    Bella. Maybe 50lb of pooch.

    Peso aka Pestins. Mainly good for pets and cuddles.

    Bagheera aka Baggins aka Baggy. This cat is our predator. He rolls with claws out most of the time and will hunt anything that doesn’t hunt him first.

    We spent a lot of time cleaning kids’ bedrooms today. Finally they are looking so much better. T.V. ban lifted! The kids are getting to enjoy snacks and a movie tonight.

    When C.N.R. came home and the sun set we went back outside. We were able to move the chickens again. They have fresh grass inside the coop and a new run for tomorrow morning. They will love it.

    We refilled piggo water and gave them more pets. They are fairly spoiled pigs. Oreo backed into the fence tonight and took off running. I have never seen her move so quickly. So, I moved the fence a little to see if that will help her out some.

    Here they are all cuddled up. Note C.B. in the tree line.

    All kids have met their reading goals for this summer. I would like Sunshine Girl to read a little more, but considering she learned to read this summer, I am not too concerned. They are super excited to get prizes for their hard work. I am pretty excited too.

    I have had a song stuck in my head all morning. I have to share.

    Psalm 46 ESV

    God is our refuge and strength,
        a very present help in trouble.
    2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
        though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
    3 though its waters roar and foam,
        though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

    4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
        the holy habitation of the Most High.
    5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
        God will help her when morning dawns.
    6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
        he utters his voice, the earth melts.
    7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

    8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
        how he has brought desolations on the earth.
    9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
        he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
        he burns the chariots with fire.
    10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
        I will be exalted among the nations,
        I will be exalted in the earth!”
    11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
        the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

    I cannot help but be humbled by my God. The vastness of him and his glory. His steadfast love and the detail he pours in all his creation. From the seen to the unseen, he knows. He is sure and faithful and can be trusted. He is the potter and I am the clay. Who am I to say no or to think I know better or to doubt his ways? Every day, every moment I am faced with the choice of what to believe. My beliefs shape my thoughts and my thoughts shape my actions. God is calling me nearer, closer still than I have been. Oh how my hearts jumps within me. There is a peace in saying yes. A peace that comes in trusting God, choosing him over fear. Choosing him over worry or doubts or thoughts that would try to run astray.

    Isaiah 26:3-4 –

    3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
    4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

    There is peace in choosing Jesus. Peace in presence and in his word. Why would I ever choose anything else?

    Tonight I am thankful. Thankful for the faithfulness of the Lord. Thankful for his desire for me. Thankful that I know I am not alone. Thankful that if anyone else reads this that you don’t have to be alone either.

    Romans 10:9-11

    because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

  • The Rain Continues

    It is a cozy, rainy day. It would be a great day to sleep in, watch a movie, read a book, or just relax. I struggle with wanting to be productive on a rainy day. Our household is still on a T.V. ban; so no movie. This will be lifted when the kids can get their rooms clean. No clean room, no T.V. I think it is fair. T.V. is a privilege and if they can’t keep their areas clean, then that privilege can be revoked. It has been much nicer here. It is quieter to a degree, there has been more play, and more reading.

    We baked 3 loaves of bread last night. I need bread storage. I have looked on Amazon and I don’t want to pay $12 dollars for a linen bag. No thank you. I don’t want a big bread box on the counter. I decided that it should be easy enough for me to make my own draw-string linen bag. I looked at a few patterns online and made 3 bags. 2 of them are linen and 1 is cotton. No need to spend money when I have the supplies and ability.

    Ta-da! Bread in a bag! Using cotton and linen bags are supposed to allow for air flow while absorbing some of the moisture and preventing mold. I guess we will see! This is my blue linen bag.

    This is the cotton bag. Sunshine Girl helped me pick fabric from what we had and I already had the ribbon from another project. I didn’t think it needed the paracord draw string. This ribbon is color coordinated better and it is more dainty for the thinner cotton.

    It is so good! It would be easy to sit and eat the whole loaf. Especially on this rainy day.

    I worked on bread bags until it was time to feed animals. It was pouring down rain still. I ended up going out in overalls, boots, C.N.R.’s rain coat and his wide brimmed hat, and my gloves. I was a sight, that’s for sure.

    I grabbed the scrap bucket, turned on the hose, and scooped them some food. Their dishes were full of water. I had to dump those before I could feed them. I put their food dishes up under the shelter a bit and piggos got to eat and be dry. The garden area they were in is beginning to look like a lake. The places where they had wallowed have been packed down and are holding water!

    I opened to the chicken coop just in case they wanted to come out in the rain.

    There were a few surprise friends today I noticed trying to stay dry.

    Here is one of them, a friendly snail.

    The rain finally let up and we were able to do a better check on the animals.

    I found a dragon in with the pigs! Lovey Boy was attempting to stay dry.

    Chickens came out to enjoy the day. King Stripe is still being a jerk chicken and flogging me. I guess he is not so much a jerk chicken as a doing his job chicken and trying to protect his flock. But it’s uncalled for him to flog me. I am the feeder. Don’t flog the one who feeds you.

    Be a flogger and get snuggled.

    Whether he likes it or not. He didn’t flog me again today after that though.

    We came in and worked on laundry and got ready for church. It’s the back to school bash. Thank Jesus, the rain rained during the day and I think we should be able to enjoy the event at church tonight!

  • Rainy Day

    It has been raining on and off all day. There was no rain, then I looked out and it was dumping buckets of rain. A minute later the rain had ended. Farm life has had to work around the weather.

    Piggos got a container of scraps today. We noticed that they are super excited to eat in the mornings. If we feed them scraps first they are distracted and we can actually get food into bowls without dumping it all over them. I also noticed that when we give scraps first, C.B. gets to eat in more peace. I took a couple pictures of Oreo. I am going to monitor how she is looking to help determine if she is pregnant.

    Chickens were good today. Even though it was raining I still let them out. Since we moved them last night I can open and shut the coop door without having to get inside the fence area. So, I am not sure how King Stripe will react to me being near his hens and in his space. Maybe I will find out later.

    The rain has pushed us inside more today. There is plenty to be done. We have bread on the rise and will hopefully bake 2 more loaves tonight. We have cleaned the kitchen, snaked the bathroom sink, worked on laundry, and vacuumed.

    I’ve spent a little time today looking into rabbits. They may be next to join the farm. I have always loved them. We have to decide their purpose, how they can contribute, and what type of shelter they will have.

    When C.N.R. came home we went to town for some errands and grabbed some supper. Town went well. The kids had fun.

    When we came home we got unloaded and went back to visit the piggies. I didn’t go check the chickens because I had put them back in their coop before we left. They were up for the night and I considered that a good thing.

    This is Oreo top down view. Where the red curved areas are is where we are watching. From our understanding when she is pregnant, those areas won’t be curved in, they will pooch out with babies. Poor Hank here, eating with Oreo’s booty in his face. He didn’t seem to mind it.

    Ceeb’s fell over for belly rubs today. I scratched behind that front leg and down he went. Fun side note, the fence still works. I took a shock to the leg today. I was petting him from the outside of the fence, just leaned over it because it isn’t high. Lesson learned. Pet from inside the fence.

    Super exited. He let me hold him for the first time tonight. When we first got him he was really squealy and would run from us. This past week he has really warmed up to being petted and will follow us around some. Tonight I was able to pick him without him freaking out. He is solid. Oh my gosh. So much heavier than I expected him to be.

    Baking more bread. I forgot salt in it last time and it didn’t taste as good. Salt helps so many things be better. Really makes you think about the Bible saying in Matthew 5:13a – “ “You are the salt of the earth,” Also, in Colossians 4:6 – “ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” I am supposed to be salty, but not in the bad context they world would use it. I am supposed to bring goodness to other, the good news of Jesus. In Matthew 5 it goes on to talk about being the light of the world. This world sure can be dark sometimes, but it doesn’t overcome. Jesus brings victory. I have to remember to be salt and light and the good the love of God can bring through me. ….but about the bread. We tried something new tonight. We used the same recipe and split it into 3 loaves instead of 2. We are going to see if we can get more air into them and have a less dense loaf.

    They didn’t get evenly portioned because I just eye-balled it and didn’t properly measure any of it out. We will see how it goes.

    Also, I had the thought tonight of what would we eat if all we had was from our homestead? Really put things in perspective about being prepared. I know that we could have bread and eggs. Definitely need to work on that. I want to work on practical skill sets as well. Just not sure which ones.

    Risen dough. I can definitely see the difference!

    Baked and golden with butter on top!

  • Monday

    This morning came early-ish. After my alarm went off I went downstairs to pray and read The Word. Nothing like coffee and Jesus to start my day. I’ve been reading about the Proverbs 31 woman and looking into how I can apply those teachings to myself. It is a good meditation. It is a self-check on my abilities, effort, attitude, and return on my labor. Let me be honest. I don’t always want to put in the work, but as I have been reading it says in Proverbs 31:13 – “She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.” I have had to remind myself…”work with willing hands…” Putting a Biblical outlook on things I may not want to do, dishes for example, makes the work seem not so bad. Also, is fleece close enough to wool? I’m pretty sure she was seeking textiles to make clothes for her family. Does this mean I can get an alpaca and gather fleece for scarves and such? I would love to have some alpacas.

    The kids came out one at a time. They did Bible stories. We did some house work. I went to the shop and got the Bambu Lab printer ready for making some chameleons. Then we went to take care of the animals.

    That rooster is about to be supper. King Stripe’s reign will come to an end if he doesn’t act right. I let them out into the fenced area today to peck and scratch. I checked their food and water and decided they needed more food. The kids were eager to take turns scooping up chicken feed for me to fill the bucket. King Stripe was not happy to have me in his space, even though I wasn’t bothering any chicken. He took to flogging my legs several times. I finally resorted to getting a stick to push him away. Better than punting a rooster, right?

    The hens were all happy. Ms. Chick Chick was caught sitting on a egg. I recovered it from beneath her and she was still hesitant to leave the nesting area. I gave her a little nudge with the dividing door and she popped out an egg! Talk about fresh. I’m not sure whose egg she was sitting on before.

    She is so pretty.

    Said door used to nudge. You can see the egg under her.

    The egg she popped out is the one on the right.

    Piggos were happy to see us and get food. Hank likes his so much he wears it.

    You can see it behind his ear. He gets so excited to eat that food usually gets dumped on him too.

    Lovey Boy feeding his favorite animals. Love him being decked out in overalls and boots.

    Peso and Happy Boy getting the hose out the pig pen.

    Once we got the animals sorted, I went to check the pear tree, Pears were not ready to eat. We did pull the wonky looking one off the tree. The pigs loved it.

    We took today as a no T.V. day. Mostly because the boys were in trouble. Last night they left the yard work and came inside to watch T.V. without permission and before the work was over. It has been so nice not having the T.V. going. They honestly haven’t minded either. There has been much more play going on and that is way better.

    Everyone painted with water colors.

    Lovey Boy had this idea and had started it without my help. I had him bring it outside where the rest of us were hanging out. Happy Boy was reading to me and Sunshine Girl and I were doing hair. Eventually all kids had their own bubble set up and we added food coloring for fun. Pink made pink bubbles. The boys wanted orange and it didn’t really make orange bubbles. They blew bubbles, popped bubbles, and invented a move called the “Bubble Clap”. Good clean fun!

    She picked out hair styles. The purple head band wouldn’t stay on me so I ended up with kitty ears.

    C.N.R. came home and he helped me with the rooster problem. He had read about showing them who is the boss. Round 2. I went in and the rooster started flogging my legs again, trying to spur me too, but his spurs aren’t in yet. Hubby came inside the fence with me and we were able to catch him. Apparently we are supposed to catch him and snuggle him until he is calm. He will begin to see me as dominant. Time will tell. If this doesn’t work, he will be supper. We did move the chicken coop today. They have new grass in the coop and a new place to scratch. This much easier with the two of us.

    Hubby worked in some other garden beds and it looks so much better. There were some surprise ground cherries! Yum!

    It has been a good day today. Time to settle down and get some rest. Trusting tomorrow will be good as well.

  • Sunday

    Sunday morning started with coffee, food, and overalls. It was church day and we got up and got ready for church. Sunshine Girl and Lovey Boy both wore their overalls and were “overall buddies”.

    It was good to be in the house of the Lord. Worship went well, I can’t tell you what songs were sung, but Jesus was in the house. It was good to be in his presence with my church family, to worship and pray, and come together as the body of Christ.

    As I worshiped, I prayed. So many times we come to God with issues. Issues that are deep rooted and growing up through our surfaces and into our lives. He wants us to come to him. Sometimes we think WE have dealt with the thing. Fear. Worry. Anxiety. Whatever it may be. We think its been handled. Sometimes we just remove things at the surface level. We remove what we can see and think we are all good. As I prayed I asked God to take issues out by the root. I could picture a plant growing and only being cut off at the surface of the dirt. It wouldn’t been seen, but it would still be there and be growing and sending out roots. Sin has to be dealt with at it’s roots. Fear, worry, anxiety, whatever is grabbing us and wrapping roots around our hearts has to be removed from the root up. That’s a God thing. I don’t have to the strength to remove roots on my own. When I try its surface level. I have to let God come in and take hold of the thing and rip it out. It was a beautiful picture that we can see in the physical to show the spiritual. Imagine a blackberry growing up. We don’t want it in our patch of carrots. I take the clippers and lob off the prickly top and throw it into a compost pile. The carrot patch is now clear of the thorns. I feel freedom to move and work around the bed. BUT. I didn’t take it from the root. So underground, not seen, not thought of by me, the roots are there. They are growing and digging deeper ever day. They wrap more into what was supposed to be good soil. They reach out into other areas of the carrot patch and spring up in places that I haven’t had to weed them out of before. The longer I leave the roots, the bigger they grow and the harder they are to pull out and the more damage they cause. I have to dig down and pull hard and they rip out soil and whatever is near it as the pull out. Now put this in the spiritual. If that sin takes hold of my heart, mind, my life it is going to cause issues. If I try to deal with the sin on my own and don’t fully surrender it to God, then it will continue to grow. It will take up my energy, strength, emotions, time, and suck the life out of me. I may not notice it at first because it is a slow process. The action or attitude or thought creeps in, seems real, even justified, and takes root. By the time it is noticed there is serious damage. It is so important to self-check and make sure my heart lines up with the Lord’s, that my thoughts line up with the Lord’s. I want my heart to be good ground and weed free. Sunday was a good and gentle reminder of this. We will reap what we sow, but God is so good that he is willing to take my “weeds” when I surrender them to him. Not that actions, don’t have consequences, but the Lord is faithful to search me, know me, and create that good ground within me.

    Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

    Church went well. Kids got to watch Little Dogs on the Prairie. Classic. C.N.R. ran that for them while we other teachers worked on curriculum and cleaning up for the fall.

    After church we came home, ate lunch, and I had a small nap.

    Farm work for Sunday included the normal check on animals and then we moved some dirt. Somehow, I ended up being the only person on our homestead with no shovel. So, I helped moved downed branches so the others could move the dirt. Dirt that we moved went into Lovey Boy’s garden bed. This was just scrap dirt that was piled up when we moved here. We are mixing it into raised beds with compost in order to get ready to plant for the fall. We hope to turn this mound into useful soil.

    They were working hard. Yes, Sunshine Girl is in Minnie Mouse boots and Grinch socks.

    Here is a tiny toad that C.N.R. scooped up out of the way.

    Family drink of water.

    We learned that our piggos like to eat poplar leaves and that they are nutritious for them. They also are good for silvopasture. Our goal is to have silvopasture. According to Joel Salatin silvopasture is a “tree dotted grassland”

    Found them in a sleep pile. So sweet.

    They woke up and Oreo was staring me down. I had to go give her pets. Shortly after this picture she found some briars to chomp down on. That makes me happy.

    Sunday night we were able to get C.B. to flop down for belly rubs. This was the first time that he has done this for us. It was so sweet! Just to note, he has nipped C.N.R. twice now. They are cute and sweet, mostly, but they are still livestock animals. C.N.R. wasn’t being rough with him, but he got nipped. Always be aware a cautious.

    .This big fella. Let me tell you. He gets his backside in more pictures of mine than I would like to see. Sunday night his backside got him in trouble. He was not paying attention and backed up his sensitive area into the electric fence. Let’s just say the fence works!

    By the time we all came inside it was after 20:00. This made a late night by the time we all got clean and settled, but it was a good night and a nice day on the farm.

  • Today

    Today was a full day. We had a birthday party. We picked up friends, cake, and ice. Then we headed to the park.

    The park party was a lot of fun. We ended up being an hour early for the party we were throwing, but it was alright. Friends and sunshine are good for us.

    Happy Boy had a very uncoordinated party this year. It included Avengers, dinos, and Hot Wheels. He was happy though. We played at the park for hours and busted a pinata.

    When the party ended we came back home and played with friends here. When parents came to pick up the friends we were able to catch up with them some and show them the pigs. It was good to see them.

    Some of Lovey Boy’s farm gear came in today.

    So handsome. He liked the overalls, but said they were hot. They will keep mud off his clothes though.

    We had a full day again. We didn’t get to spend as much time outdoors on the homestead, but all the animals were cared for and doing well.

    It is late and I am tired. Bed it is. Looking forward to a good day tomorrow. Spend some time with my family, church family, and homestead.

  • Yesterday

    I have to think about yesterday. What did we do? …

    We ate homemade bread.

    I cleaned the front porch and burned boxed in the burn barrel. Yay, clean up! It is hard to stay on top of the household things sometimes, but I sure do feel better when things are cleaned up.

    We took care of the animals. This chickens were fun to watch. Trying to take flight and not quite high enough to get over the net. Two hens faced off and nearly got into a brawl. King Stripe wasn’t happy about going back into the coop when it was time. I was trying to gently guide him in and he “attacked” my legs. Picture a cat fight and the paws swatting. He was like that but he was using wings to swack my legs. Didn’t hurt, but not pleasant. He finally went inside the coop. After talking to C.N.R. we decided that we needed to clip their main flight wings.

    Hens trying to decide whether or not to fight. Colorful there on the right approached and the other two went about normal business.

    This was not when he attacked my legs. This was him fluffing out wings and just walking around.

    The flock pecking around.

    The piggos were doing good. They are still enjoying the new paddock. I like this paddock better than the garden. The more grassy area and the lesser heat is making a nice combo. It will be nice the more we get into rotational grazing and have a better system and pasture develop.

    And no, the kids’ chairs are not inside the pig paddock. They are in between the pigs and chickens.

    Sunshine Girl told us it was like being at the movies!

    I cut up a honeydew melon yesterday morning (that was gone by last night) and we took scraps to the pigs. Ceebs is usually getting pushed about and his food stolen. He grabbed himself a big piece of rind yesterday and took off running with it!

    Lovey Boy feeding Ceebs.

    Happy Boy being happy to play in a tree.

    C.N.R. brought home groceries. We got them put away, ate a bit, and headed to town. We needed some supplies from Home Depot and some straw for the pig shelter.

    All the kids piled onto the bottom of the cart and thought it was great.

    Lovey Boy in the completed wagon.

    Last night we did clip flight feathers on all the chickens. I was so stinking nervous, but Hubby has clipped flight feathers before and walked me through it. It was no big deal and now we don’t have to be worried about escapees.

    The pigs got new straw. They thought it was great and even attempted to eat it. It’s like, really? Straw? But whatever, they are cozy now.

    We ended our night with an attempt to finish up building a lawn mower trailer. Worked until dark and C.N.R. almost had it finished. Sunshine Girl and I cleaned up the yard of all the boxes and trash. Then we all got clean, fed, and ready for bed.

    So, yesterday was a long full day, but it was a blessing and fairly productive.

    Psalm 118:24 – This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

  • Baking Bread

    Along with children, chickens, and pigs we also feed sour dough starter. This starter was given to us from a friend at church. It was from Baker Creek. This has been tough stuff. It has been starved, fed, shared, and kept on going. Pretty cool too because Baker Creek is where we like to buy seeds.

    Fed and bubbly starter. Fed the night before and ready for use in the morning.

    Gathering supplies and my recipe.

    Mixed into what one could call a “shaggy” dough and left to rest for 30ish minutes. Honestly longer because we went out with the animals.

    Stretched and formed a bit. Covered and left to rise for 12 hours.

    We didn’t make it 12 hours. This was the rise after about 8 hours. It was huge and we decide to go ahead and cook it. So glad I thought about this and had oiled the underside of the lid. If I wouldn’t have, this would have been a stuck mess.

    Flopped it out onto a floured counter. The blue scraper in my hand is what I used to help me get it from the bowl and split in half. It came from a stone ware order from Pampered Chef.

    Split in half, formed into rectangles and gently poked with my fingertips.

    Rolled up and turned to put into a buttered loaf pan.

    Cover to rise for at least an hour.

    Ready to bake.

    Hot with tops buttered.

    Ready to eat. We love to eat it as butter bread. This weekend it will get turned into turkey sandwiches.

    This has been my favorite loaf recipe. It is easy to make, delicious, and one go at the recipe makes 2 loaves. Now I just need to find a good bread storage system.

  • Morning Close Up and Piggies Moved

    There was a lot to get done today. Kids up and fed, Bible stories, calls to make, bread to bake, cleaning. We had to order groceries and Amazon. My tiny farmers needed appropriate gear. That means tall socks, boots, overalls. Lots of good stuff. And of course caring for the animals.

    I went up with Sunshine Girl and Happy Boy to get the chickens going. I noticed that they coop was in straight on sun. We let them out them stretch and scratch. Then I decided that they needed to be moved. Lovey Boy helped me with the fence and we got them moved into some shade.

    Velociraptor is not that bright and for several days has walked into the corner instead of into the coop. By the time I took this photo she was correcting her error.

    I went back down the pigs to check them out and got some sweet photos of Hank.

    This evening when C.N.R. got home and the rain stopped, we moved the pigs. They no longer reside in the garden. We moved them up closer to the chickens. We set up the new fencing before taking the old one down.

    We bought more fence posts to be able to keep up a paddock and create a new one. We only ran 3 strands of wire this time instead of four. Before running wire we took the clippers and removed any large plant in the way. After running wire we ran the weed eater to clear grass and added more posts where the strands were still on the ground. We are going to look into fence that is netting rather than wire cord.

    We got this handy dandy device at a local co-op. Makes the work go so much smoother and faster.

    Here C.N.R. and I are working to roll up the wire from the old paddock. I would go ahead of him and loosen it from the posts and he would wind the wire up on the spool as he followed me. I learned that I have to keep tension on the wire as he winds it up or it makes a tangle. Life lesson the hard way. But it didn’t take too long to fix.

    Left to right: Panzer, Bella, Me

    Photo credit to Sunshine Girl.

    Before we could get them completely set up tonight it started raining again. Better a small shower than scorching sun. The pigs sure didn’t mind it.

    New paddock with plenty of grass, trees, and shade. Yes, we are working on a new wallow as well.

    We sprinkled some food and are letting them do the work to make the wallow. This place should collect water and be nice and shady. Worth noting is that none of the pigs were ready to cross the fence line when it was down and off. C.B. was the first go over. Young and not as experienced. Once Oreo saw he made safely across she followed. Hank however was not about to cross that line. He is one well trained pig. Even with the coaxing of food he was not having it and trust me, he likes his food. Finally, I lifted the wires from the ground and let him walk under. He was good to go for that idea.

    Hank, Ceebs (C.B.), and Oreo. Oreo seemed to want to be hand fed her apple scraps today. She either ignored or didn’t see what I put down and just stared at me and walked towards me. So she got hand fed. Spoiled piggy.

    They seem to be happy and enjoying life in the new paddock. Sunshine Girl stayed out to help C.N.R. and I get them moved. She didn’t even go in when it rained. I think she is enjoying farm life too.

    Some not-so-farm things I want to remember from this day. The boys playing. I love how they make up games. They were taking a smallish soft ball and throwing it on the wall. It would shoot back at them and they were trying to dodge and get out of the way. They said they had “3 lives” and each time they got hit they lost a life. They loved it.

    We let Happy Boy open his gifts. Legos of various types and a geode breaking kit. He loved it. We had to go on the porch and bust a geode before bed.

  • How About a Fall Crop?

    The pigs were a good push in the right direction. Excitement and motivation. These sweet piggos have been residing in our garden area. The hope is that they would work it for it us. They would eat the plants and weeds that were in overgrowth. Nope. They don’t care at all to forage those plants. If we scatter food among the weeds they will mow down the weeds by sheer force, but they aren’t eating them.

    That means the work is up to us. We had made four raised beds. Each child had a bed and C.N.R. and I had a shared bed at the end. I decided that it needed to be cleaned out.

    Looking at the picture the space in between the tarp and the electric pole on the left, those are our 4 dedicated beds. It was bad.

    With a small amount of help from a couple kids, I got the bed cleaned out. How do the pigs reward the clean space? Oreo promptly pees in the space between beds and poops in the cleaned out bed. Congratulations! I created a clean space and she fertilized it! Not that we left it. That mess needs composted.

    Look at all that space waiting for a fall crop of veggies!

    More progress is made when we all work together. All 5 of us came together and cleaned out the other 3 beds and started a compost pile! And yes, Sunshine Girl is wearing green goggles. She has her Momma’s sense of style!

    Worth noting here, we scooted the pigs out of these beds. Also, their new shelter arrived. I ordered it from Walmart. It is Shelter Logic 8x10x5 and it required assembly. It took 2 adults, extra tools, and some help from the kiddos.

    Left to right: C.B., Hankers, Oreo

    We put the compost pile near the raised beds. We keep it covered to help the nutrients from leeching out in the rain. Right now it is full of what came from the garden beds. We will add pig manure to it, turn it, and cover it back up.

    Check out that huge mess. All that straw at the bottom of the pile was where the pig shelter was initially. When we moved the shelter we scooped up the bulk of straw and put it back under the shelter. Pigs, given the choice, aren’t going to use the restroom where they sleep or eat. This straw was clean. However, the remains of it made a good place to start the pile. I felt a small glimmer of victory know that those weeds that cause so much trouble had been pulled up, piled up, and were going to be turned into something useful for our farm; compost.

    Butterfly enjoying a short rest on the compost tarp.

  • Finding Our Stride

    I had recently been praying over our land and what we were supposed to be doing. Slowly this year our homestead has been added to and has been seeing growth. Something about those pigs. I don’t know why, but I have been oddly excited to add them to the homestead. I planned and eagerly waited for them to get here. Something about having them here struck a cord in me. Joy. Peace. Thankfulness. To those who don’t believe in God, to those who don’t homestead, it will sound crazy. But somehow after their addition I had this notion, this peace, that we are moving in the right direction. Stepping into a calling that has been buried down within me.

    Along with the addition of pigs comes this realization that I don’t need to hold onto things of the past. Like my teaching degree. I have stubbornly held onto it for years, even after God being like, “Hey, you aren’t going to teach like that.” I have worked to put in the P.D. hours the state requires to keep it active. I have stressed over what classes to take. I even signed up for one this summer thinking it was online. Turns out it was an in person class. Not only was it far from my home, I was in a different state at the time. I couldn’t get the site to work and let me drop the class. I didn’t have the e-mail of anyone to say I wasn’t going to be there. Ugh. I had to be a no show…more stress. Thankfully, it was a free class and we didn’t lose money on it. Even after coming back home, I was like which class should I take? This might, might, be helpful in homeschooling. This would be helpful if I ever HAVE to be in the classroom again. More stress. I didn’t know what to take and I didn’t want to take any of it. I looked at C.N.R. and asked, “What if I just let it expire?” He said he had wondered that for years, but didn’t want to tell me just to drop my certificate.

    So, here we are. I am at peace with not renewing my certificate. I don’t want to be away from my kids and my home. I don’t want to be working in a broken system that my family doesn’t believe in. Now, we have several friends and family members that work within the system at varying levels and they send their kids to school. No judgement. I know each family has to fulfill the calling of God on their lives and their family. But why have I been hanging onto what was not meant for mine? There is definitely peace in the letting go.

    Not every day looks the same here. Some days are busy and some are slow. Some days we experience health for us and the farm, some days its sickness. Some days we have a good routine and school is done quickly. Other days school is surrounded by complaints. Yet, some days school is skipped and made up later. There is never a dull moment on the farm. Every day is a day to learn and a day to trust God.

  • Did Someone Say Kune Kune?

    This summer has just been a touch on the wild side. Unexpected travel. Time away from home. Having sweet loved ones monitor and check in on our homestead while we were away.

    We were in the thick of this and a friend posted on Facebook about having Kune Kune pigs for sale. C.N.R. and I were in two totally different places and I messaged him asking if he was interested in finding out more. He said yes and there we go. We are now the proud owners of 3 Kune Kune pigs.

    Here is the initial set up we had for them. We ran electric fence around an old garden bed space. The shelter was a cord and a tarp. We held it to the ground with electric fence posts. Inside we spread straw. Ever so humble, but it was their home. The food tray is rubber. That is a 30 gallon water barrel with pig nipples added for ease of drinking. We set it up on scrap wood to make it a bit higher for them. As a fun side note, they will push over water and the fence poles holding the tarp down.

    This is our team of pigs. Oreo, the sow. Hank the boar. C.B. the baby. They are laying in a wallow which is the path between two garden beds. Earlier this year we had rented an excavator and made paths between garden beds. The scooped out dirt was mounded up on either side as a bed in which to plant.

    Kune Kune pigs are a pasture pig. They will root some, but not to the severity that other pigs root. They have had no interest in eating the tall plants within their paddock. They do like the wallow, pig feed, and head scratches. Hankers will even flop over on his side for belly rubs.

    C.B. was about 9 weeks old when we got him. He was very skiddish. A week and a half into his time with us, he has warmed up a ton. He now walks up to us and will even allow us to pet him.

  • The Fire is Fanned by the Tiniest Wings

    Introducing our chicken coop on wheels. We purchased the plans from Cotton River Farm. We choose this coop because it could be moved and because of the nesting box. The eggs would roll down to us. They wouldn’t get dirty from the hens nesting on them. We didn’t want the chickens to be stationary. It is not fun for them or us. They needed to get fresh grass and scratch at things and eat bugs. Moving them was good for the chickens and keeps smell down. This was a great time for us as we worked together to build this coop. It was the first “real” coop we have had. It was so fun to work together and see the coop begin to take shape. Everyone was excited.

    Once the coop was finished, it was time for chickens. We purchased Sapphire Gems from a local farm store. This purchase, we were told, was 8 hens. All we wanted was eggs. Surprise! We had 2 roosters in the bunch!

    We kept these sweet babies in our home with food, water, and a heat lamp until they were old enough to go outside. Oh my. Not for the faint of heart. These cluckers are cute. The kids loved having them inside. It was great for watching them grow. Under supervision the kids were allowed to hold them. This helped the chickens be familiar with us and not so stand-offish.

    Things learned:

    1. Farm stores don’t always have it right. Like I said, 2 males. Chicks are hard to know the gender when they are really young. Someone somewhere along the way messed up. We purchased 6 hens and 2 roosters.
    2. Kids love to name animals. The names won’t always make sense. My happy boy named two: Velociraptor and Colorful. My lovey boy named his Stripe and Mini Stripe. (Fun note, he unknowingly named both roosters. Mini Stripe grew bigger than Stripe. Sadly we had to cull Stripe. Mini Stripe is now affectionately called King Stripe.) Sunshine girl named hers Chick-Chick and Peppermint. (Sadly, Peppermint was culled as well.) The last C.N.R. (my husband) and I named. They were Eileen and Poppy.
    3. Culling is not fun for anyone. Our birds were culled due to their physical limitations. They were unable to walk properly for whatever reason (we tried several things to help them regain ability) Since they could not walk, they were at risk for being picked on by the others and being hurt when the coop was moved, and they could not eat and drink enough since they could not get to the food source. This was done quickly and to relieve suffering.
    4. They are small, but loud. They will cheep and peep. Be ready.
    5. Think you are tired of wiping kids butts? How about a chicken butt? “What’s up chicken butt?” Poop. They don’t care where they poop. They will poop in food and in water. When they are young and can’t preen themselves sometimes this will lead to a blocked vent. Poopies get stuck on the backside and they can’t help it. Can’t clean it, can’t poop, can’t poop, can’t live. Multiple occasions C.N.R. would be found with gloves on, warm water, a washcloth, and would have to clean baby chicken backsides. They are not fond of this, but it works.
    6. Get ready for the dust. We had them in a plastic box with bedding. Bedding has to be changed. This keeps the smell down. The older they get, the more they scratch and the more the bedding is moved. And this makes the dust. I could go to clean and see a layer of chicken scratch dust on things that were near the box. Not fun to breath or clean.

    Fast forward to a finished coop and egg laying birds.

    The metal trash can hold our chicken feed. We scoop it out into into the chicken feed bucket using a dog food scoop.

    Back view with wheels. This is the nesting box.

    Front view with the door open. You can see where the chicken enter the laying box. The rope in front of the coop is used to pull the coop when the wheels are engaged.

    Here is the latch system. Also, the printed and laminated name list. Each color name coordinates with a colored leg band. This let us know which chicken the kids named and keep track of how each chicken was acting.

    This is the latch system on the inside. Pull the ring to open the latched door from the inside. The blue handle is 3D printed. King Stripe was not happy to have me in his space when I took this photo and charged my leg. It was essentially a chest bump to my leg from a rooster. A good reminder to always be aware.

    Hanging water bucket with nipples. The tube on the outside is a gauge that C.N.R. added so we can tell roughly how much water they have without opening the lid every time.

    Feed bucket with 4 total feeding areas added.

    These buckets get heavy. It is easier to move the coop after taking buckets down. If the coop is moved with buckets attached, we have to stop them swinging so they don’t accidentally take down a chicken.

    After months of care and waiting, we got our first egg. We were very excited. Their egg production took off quicker than we expected, which was nice. Now we gather 5 eggs on a typical day.

    Peek-a-boo hen!

    Here we can see how the eggs roll down the ramp in the nesting box to be gathered. Mostly poo free. For those who may be counting, 6 eggs, 5 hens. One egg didn’t get collected the previous day.

    So, here is it. Our chicken set up. What to do different? We would get a white tarp instead of a black one.

  • Given a Vision

    Habakkuk 2:2 – And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.

    Proverbs 29:18 – Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

    Jordan Feliz – The River – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maT4phfTXR4

    I can still see myself; home alone, dancing around the kitchen in worship. As I worshiped and dance and sang like no one was watching, someone was; God. He saw me and he knew my heart, desires, and plans he had for me.

    I don’t remember the date or the time, but this is the moment when God began to grow the vision for Broken Ground within my heart. Our homestead was to be a ministry and a school. Not in the traditional sense of school. Not a place to come set in seats and be quiet, still, and tested. Our home was to be a place and an example of God. We were to be a home-school family with a homestead. We were to know how to work the ground, plant, grow, prosper, and share. All to the glory of God. People could come and see what we had made and learn how to apply homesteading and Godly concepts to their own lives.

    Hosea 10:12 – Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground,
    for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

    This is where Broken Ground Farm comes from. Break up the fallow ground. To plant anything, to grow anything, the ground has to be broken. This was such a spiritual parallel to me. For me, for people, to grow there has to be a breaking. I can’t have a hard heart and expect God to work and move. There has to be a beautiful, Godly breaking.

    Galatians 6:7-9 – 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

    Yet another Biblical principle forming within this vision is reaping what I sow. As Hosea says, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love;” What we plant physically is important, but we need to be sowing spiritually for ourselves and into others.

    Our pastor teaches us “wheat, time, and harvest” and “if you find yourself in a bad field, start sowing yourself out of it.” I have to allow my heart ground to be Godly broken and starting moving forward one step at a time.

    That is a tall order to follow. My heart says growth and abundance. My mind and eyes are seeing mess and chaos. There is a season of the unknown. Our pastor says that out reach can’t go farther than my up reach. He teaches us that in order to teach others, we must know the thing ourselves. We can’t teach what we don’t know.

    So, there I was, the seed planted. No clue where to start or how to make it grow. Life passing daily and the vision just got forgotten. To me, not to God.

    Over the years we would attempt a garden. Sometimes we would have a harvest and sometimes not. The house would be a mess and not clean and organized. We had kids, but struggle to maintain a good routine. How would we teach anyone?

    Several years later in church our leadership pushed and asked if God have given any of us a dream. I had to remember and admit that he had. I hadn’t stewarded the vision well.

    I am, at the time of penning this, a certified k-6 teacher with the state. I have held onto that degree despite my desire to not have to use it. It has been a source of pride, oddly enough. We have children now and are in the thick of homeschooling them. I can say to all the nay-sayers, “I am certified.” That doesn’t even matter. Having this degree has been a bit of a hiccup for me. I believe that at the time of my college career that I was called to teach. I love to see children learn and grow and that light that they have when what they are being taught just clicks. I love talking to and helping people. So teaching it was. I hated teaching. Cried every day hated it. I prayed and poured my heart out to God about it. He was saying, yes you will teach, but not like that. I have struggled for years with this. Regret of did I mess up my calling, did I miss lives that I was supposed to reach, did I mess up ones I did reach, what do I do now? Teach, but not in that setting. Homestead ministry when mine is a mess? How?

    God sees the whole vision. And he is patient. Praise the Lord, he is patient. I get the privilege to see parts. I’ve not seen the end from the beginning as he has. This is a trust him and go day by day thing. What I may see as the completion or how could it be any better, God may see as a first step. It’s my job to trust and obey. To steward faithfully what he has given me. I will trust and obey and he will work out the details. One good seed, one good choice at a time.

    This is our journey together as a family with God. Our time, such a time as this. May the Lord work in me and through me to his glory.