Posted in On the Homestead

 Today and everyday!

Good Friday afternoon Friends and Family~

I pray this day finds you all well and healthy. We are doing well today but some of us are not so healthy. This has been a *germy* week around our house. There is a nasty cold going around and it all of the kids have it.

DD (18) picked it up from the camp she is working at. She said that there were A LOT of sick staff there last week. Some so sick that they couldn't get out of bed. She just managed to to get the sore throat and cold symptoms from it. She was able to keep going the rest of week with it and did a good job of not complaining.

The other 2 kids have had a harder time with it. Dd (15) has been really tired and just wore out from it. DS (10) had a really bad night of it last night with his asthma. All head colds always end up in his chest and it just brings on the asthma.I took him to the Dr. this morning and they gave him some antibiotics for it. Prayerfully he will be better soon as well as DD (15).

Hubby is off today. A good thing and a bad thing at the same time. It means less money for next weeks paycheck, but more time with his family. I'll take the time with us over the hours lost. GOD will take care of our needs and always does.

Hubby is also out visiting with some shut ins from our church. He took them some butter and milk. The lady he is visiting is about 80 years old and always had a cow when she was able to get out and about. He thought she might like some *old fashioned* milk and butter. Nothing is better than that in my opinion. 

I've had to change my plans for the 4th. We were to go to the beach tomorrow (a 4th tradition.) With 2 sick kids, we will have to forgo the beach for the weekend. We are blessed though in the fact that we can go when they are feeling better, seeing we live about an hour away. We'll just stay home and take care of some *undone business* around the house (there is ALWAYS UNDONE BUSINESS AROUND HERE.)

Here is what the rest of the day holds for me:

 ~Cook and debone chicken for Sundays dinner
~ Make a dessert for tomorrows dinner
~Make butter
~ Cut grass and weed eat
~ Make a Homemade pizza for dinner tonight
~ Then there are the *usual* days activities to deal with

Have a blessed day in THE LORD! Stay safe this July 4th weekend! Pray for our country and for our President's salvation!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Thursday Morning Fellow Homesteaders! What a beautiful day it is today. Not too humid but still pretty hot. We will be in the lower 90's again today. Such is the season here in southeastern NC.

The harvest here at Piney Woods Homestead is in. The corn is all picked and put up. We ended up with about 200 ears. I left it all on the cob because the ears were so small. It is a far cry from the 500 we were expecting. It is on the other hand the most corn that has come out of our garden in at least 5 years. I am most thankful indeed. 

I am praying that the guy down the road from us will have a good supply of corn up for sale soon. I got about 3 bushels from him last year and it was really good corn. I will be thankful for whatever comes my way. A little or a lot.

The beans are also gone now. I ended up with about 10-12 gallon sized freezer bags. That is also the most our beans have produced in years. Again, I say," Thank you LORD!" for meeting our needs.

The tomatoes we planted have just started getting ripe enough to pick. I chose Romas this year because I wanted to learn to make my own spagetti sauce with them. Well, they seem to be getting black spot on them just as they are ripened. We have managed to pick a few, but not many. What we are getting will be used just to eat with dinners.Again, we have learned A LOT from this garden.

The taters are great! I picked some over a month ago and they are still on my cabinet with none rotting or sprouting. I am seeing how long they will last in my house without having to can them. Once I get a good idea of how long they wil last, we will dig the rest of them up and store them in our *tater box*.

Here is what didn't do so well at all;

Peanuts (A few plants came up, not enough though.)
Popcorn (a bust)
Cucumbers (enough to snack on as needed)

Our field corn that we wanted to use for chicken feed turned into squirrel feed! The little buggers dug up the kernels and ate them as the stalks were first coming up. We thought it was the birds at first. I found out it was the squirrels when I went down there after hearing crows in that area.( I thought they were the problem.) When I got there, I saw the little buggers feasting on the small stalks (seeds.) THAT little experience has also taught us a lot. Live and learn has become the motto for this Homestead. Experience really is the best teacher.

All in all I can say that this is the best garden that we have had in years. It has also taught us A LOT in the way of farming for a small family. Oh well, its now time to start thinking about the Fall garden.

Thank you LORD for meeting our needs and thank you LORD for all that YOU have taught us this summer season!

Blessings,

Posted in My Faith

How is it that I always forget GOD's wonderful promises when things are going so wrong? HE tells us NOT to worry but in EVERYTHING through prayer and supplications let our requests be known unto HIM.

JESUS is where my help comes from. HE is so good and ever to be praised.

The Bible - Psalms 34 1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (through the good and bad) 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.************** 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.******** 7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.****** 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.*********** 9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.***************** 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.************** 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 1 Pet 3:10 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. 1 Pet 3:10 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 1 Pet 3:11 15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.********** 16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 1 Pet 3:12 17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.******* 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.************************** 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.******** 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.******************

Posted in On the Homestead

I have never heard of this before. Sounds interesting.

http://patricelewis.blogspot.com/2009/06/dehorning-raven.html

Posted in On the Homestead

http://www.farmcollector.com/article-categories.aspx?taxonomyid=484-

There are quite a few interesting stories to read on this site. The majority of them are from the late 18th century and early 19th century. Classics to read with educational value.

Posted in On the Homestead

 Family & Friends! Here it is 6 in the morning and I have all of the windows and doors open. What a breath of fresh air. What a change from last week as well. I know that I will have to shut them by mid morning but I LOVE having them opened while I can. The heat and humidity are 2 things that I really HATE about summer. Those 2 and having to keep my house dark and shut up. So days like this are  blessing indeed.

I spent yesterday getting my house back in order after leaving it last week. I had 5 loads of laundry to wash and hang outside. I also did a complete cleaning of the house that really needed it. By 10 in the morning, I was already for a nap. I held off though until 1:30 and that 20 minute power nap kept me going until 7 last night. Then all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed. I am an early riser and I get to bed early too. Prayerfully, today will be a bit slower.

I had a friend bring me over some blueberries on  Friday. I spent Saturday sorting them and getting them into freezer bags. I ended up with 7 gallon sized freezer bags full. I would like to have at least 7 bags more to get through the year with. We will have to get to picking at the local blueberry farm soon. I can't wait until our bushes start producing more blueberries.

I had another friend bring over some plums yesterday and a sample of her plum jelly. (YUMMY!) She gave me the recipe, so I will be making plum jelly today (a first.) It will be nice having something besides strawberry jam. I would really love to get a hold of some concord grapes to make my own grape jam. I have no idea if anyone has those around here though.

We got the last of the green bleans picked yesterday. The kids are glad those are gone. It was the best harvest of beans we have had in many a year. With those being gone, we will be harvesting the corn in the next 3 days.

We picked a few ears the other day and noticed that they will have to come off soon. That is the one thing about corn that I dislike. You only have a 2 days really to get it off the cob and into the frezzer or canned to get that fresh flavor. Ohterwise it starts getting starchy and thick (YUCK!) It's a round the clock picking, shucking, cleaning and cutting or freezing whole. Not to mention a lot of standing up and heat in the kitchen. I LOVE it though! It means that we were able to grow our own food and depend on our garden and GOD first to meet our needs. A blessing indeed!

The potatoes are in the ground and are going to stay there until needed. As long as it doesn't get to soggy (not much chance of that here) the ground is the best storage place for them now. There are a lot of potatoes out there. Another blessing from our LORD!

Anna-Belle is giving 2 1/2 gallon of milk. The first milking is the most. The second gives us 1/2 a gallon less but gives the most cream in her milk. I can get a quart jar of cream off of her 2nd gallon of milk of the day. I am trying to get the butter made on Wednesday's and Saturdays. It seems like a good schedule.

I am also giving all of that skim milk to my pig now. Yep, I have a pig. He is not on the homestead here though. Mr. Tommy is letting me keep him with his other pigs on his homestead. The milk feeds my pig as well as his (all 9 of them). Do they ever LOVE that milk. They just about kill one another to get to that bowl of milk.

Please keep us in your prayers. We are having to deal with unexpected finanicial obligations. If one thing comes up unexpectantly, everything else seems to get out of whack. I know that THE LORD will see us through, HE always does. It just has never been this hard before.

We are having to cut back even more than before (kind of like squeezing juice from an already spent grape.) Not much coming from it. I am trying to do my part by staying home (which I LOVE anyway) more often and am going back to just using $20 aweek for my gas tank. When it is gone, its gone. So that means more planning with what we do have. I am also trying to use just $50 a week in grocery money. That's a hard one. It can be done though with a lot of planning and not being wasteful with what we do have.

I have learned in the past year that my stocking up has become very important in my household budget. We I see something on sale, I buy extra of it for use later on. Be it toliet paper, food stuff, medicine, or what not. Having a well stocked pantry really helped us last month. I was able to feed my family off of what we already had in the freezers and pantry and pay an unexpectant bill with what would have been our grocery money. A blessing indeed! I am just sitting back and watching GOD provide for our needs and HE always does.

We walk by FAITH. not by sight! II Corinthians 5:7 A great verse to live by.

Well, I need to get off here and get some more work done. Have a blessed day in THE LORD and be still and KNOW HE is GOD!

 & Family! Almost 2 weeks have gone by since I last posted. There has just been so much going on on the personal front that has made blogging seem pointless. Things seem to be on the turn around (finally) and I pray they keep going that way.

I am finally getting over the poison ivy. I went to a dermatologist last Tuesday. (I wish I had gone sooner.) The Dr. gave me some topical steroid cream to help dry up the poison ivy. It started working in 2 days. I am so glad that it is working. I have actually been able to get 3 nights of good sleep in. There is just something about a good nights sleep that makes all the difference in how a day can go.

There are still patches coming up, but they are few and far between. As soon as I feel the itching coming on I get that cream out and start using it. I am suppose to use it for another week twice a day. Trust me, I won't skip a treatment.

I also had to make an unexpected trip to Georgia on Wednesday. My step mother died this past Monday of a stroke. She was in the hospital on the vent for a little over a week. She had a living will and the family took her off the vent on Monday. It was so unexpected. My Father and step Mother were married for 33 years. I can't imagine the loss that my Father is feeling right now.

The trip down there was another adventure all together. One hour into the trip, my car's air conditioning went out. The ride was hot and tiring. It took us 7 hours to get where we were going. We stopped along the way and ate a packed lunch. I don't know what was hotter, the car or the rest area.

I took my DD (15) with me as well as my DS (10) and my niece (13) and nephew (12) with me. My other DD (18) was needed here to work and keep up with the animals. I am so thankful that DD was able to get off an hour earlier from work to get Ann-Belle milked. I an so thankful that she has a Christian boss who understands life's interuptions. She did a great job keeping the house running and keeping her Dad fed and taken care of as well while I was gone. Thank you Daughter!

The wake was on Wednesday night at 6:00, I got there at 3:00. My Dad was at the funeral home making sure that all was set there. He set his RV up for us to stay in while we were there. I went in and got a COLD shower. There was a lot of family there that I had not seen in a long time. It was just so odd being there with out my step-mom being there.

The funeral was held on Thursday. It was a lovely service.I just hated seeing my Father so upset. There is just not much that I could do. Not like I would have liked to do. I just don't know what to do in situations like that. I just ptay that being there was of some comfort.

Now, I haven't been to Warner Robbins GA. in 12 years. I didn't know where anything was at. When the burial was over, the stress started. I was following a cousin of mine back to my Father's house. We lost her half way down the road and I didn't know where I was at or how to get back to my Father's house. The temps. were already in the upper 90's with no air in the car. (That didn't  help a bit.) I also forgot to get my Dad's cell number and I had no other number to call. It was ONLY THE LORD'S protection that got us back to the house.

My DD (15) thought we are on the same road that we were on when we got to W.R.She proved to be correct and we made it back to the house. Of course DS (10) was getting upset and scared the whole time because Mom (me) was freaking out. Prayer does work, and THE LORD was with us the whole time. How foolish of me to have gotten so upset. (I'll blame it on the heat.)

Now I had wanted to stay until Sunday to be with my Dad. It wasn't to be though. My nephew was having asthma really bad and all I had was an inhaler that wasn't much help. I was also starting to get asthma due to allergies and a dog at my Dad's house. So we packed up and left on Friday.

We did get the air fixed before we left Georgia. My Dad had a friend of his look at it and fix it as well. (thank you Daddy!) While fixing the air, he had to replace the belt on it that broke. He also found another belt that had chunks out of it. THE LORD was truly watching out for us on this trip. The guy said it was a miracle that we made it all the way to GA. from NC with tht belt like that. It was GOD's hands on that car all of the way there and back.

We left on Friday at 9:30 and were making real good time. With about 2 hours left on the road I noticed the car was shaking. At first I didn't pay too much attention because I thought it was the roads (they are really bad in a certain stretch of 95 in SC) When it started "Jumping" I knew I needed to get off the road. I was praying the whole time for THE LORD to get us off  the road and onto an exit so we wouldn't be on the highway. HE did indeed get us off the next exit and into a parking lot. (thank you Sweet Jesus!)

I called my hubby and told him the situation. He wouldn't be able to get to us for about 3-4 hours. So after praying for THE LORD to send us help, I proceeded to the get the spare tire out and change the tire myself. I was having problems finding the right place to put the jack when a older man pulled up and asked if I needed help.( I am sure he figured that out when he saw all of the luggage on the side of the car.) He got out and helped me with the tire change. I got such a blessing from that man.

When he finished changing the tire, we started talking. He was a Christian and we just started talking about THE LORD. He said something about a verse that has stuck in my head all weekend. It is the verse that GOD tells us ,"To be still and know that I am GOD." that says it all. It was as if THE LORD was using that man to tell me that all is okay and is going to be okay when I remember that GOD is in conttrol and has everything in HIS hands. GOD is so good and ever to be praised!

I have had people telling me that they were praying for me all week. I know that GOD heard those prayers and answered them over and beyond what I could have asked for. HE is always there and ALWAYS in control!

We got home 2 hours later. Everyone got cleaned up and ready for bed. It was then I saw my nephew crying. He was having another bad asthma attack. I decided right then to take him home for his Mama to care for him. I left the house at 9:30 in the evening and took him home. She then took him to the emergency room and got his breathing under control. By that time I was utterly exhausted and so looking forward to my bed.

I had to get up the next morning at 6 to get Anna-Belle milked. Hubby said he would do it so I could sleep in but I wanted to do it. I was just so glad to be home again. I spent the day making butter and getting the clothes washed. I also had a good long nap that really helped.

I have nothing that I can complain about though. I saw the hand of GOD with us all week. HE is so good!

What a week indeed. I pray this one is business as usual.

Posted in On the Homestead

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=101597

Posted in Homeschooling

http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?pnum=1&bfromind=7406&eeid=6645518&_sitecat=1505&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=-2&ck=&ch=ne&rg=blsadstrgt&_lid=332&_lnm=tg+ne+topnews&ck=

Go figure? Why would they want to change that rule after so many years? Is it another attempt to dumb down students?

Posted in Homeschooling

Please forward this to all parents that you know. This is real and it will drastically affect the future of homeschooling in the coming future. If this  treaty is ratified, you will lose all of your parental control and it will be put into the hands of the United Nations.

Above all, PRAY! GOD is still on the throne and is in control of it all.

"Child Rights" Forces Mobilize

-- 19 June 2009

Dear Supporter of Parental Rights,

Three major developments—all of them ominous—have occurred in the last several days.

1. On June 1 and 2, Georgetown University Law School hosted a two-day symposium entitled “The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): Why It Is Time to Ratify.” 

This well-funded conference was held to organize a new coalition effort by American internationalists to seek ratification of the UN child’s rights treaty.

2. In the second week of June, a major study was released by the British education ministry calling for dramatically dangerous increases in the regulation of homeschoolers in that nation. 

This study concludes that the UN CRC requires that the government enter every homeschooling home and privately interview each homeschooling child to determine “the child’s wishes” regarding his or her education.  

3. On June 17, at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the UN’s Human Rights Committee—which oversees all human rights treaties—announced that it was forming a committee to draft a new “protocol” for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Under this new addition to the CRC, individual children would be able to file a formal legal complaint if they believe that their rights had been violated.  It would give this new international tribunal the right to determine if the child’s treaty rights had been violated by any person.

The internationalists believe that this is their moment in history. 

They have millions of dollars in their coffers. They have the support of the media. They have the powers of government. They have the entire apparatus of the United Nations.

We have some assets as well.

Our arguments resonate with the American people—the vast majority of Americans believe that Americans should make our own domestic laws and that parents, not government, should make decisions for children.

Leaders at the Georgetown conference publicly admitted that logic and facts will not defeat our arguments. What do they plan to do?

They plan to use emotional arguments. They said so in open public sessions.

At the Georgetown conference, the UN officials and other foreign experts were constantly censored by their American handlers.  Why? Because these foreign experts acknowledge that this treaty would be supreme over American law.

The American child’s rights propaganda machine denies that we would forfeit American sovereignty—even though they do not have the legal arguments to back their rhetoric.  They did everything they could to silence their guest speakers when they strayed from the sanitized version of their message.

We are in a race.  It is a race for the future of the American family and American self-government.

The question is: Will the lies of the internationalists be heard by more Americans than the truth of those who believe in families?

I wish that I could look each person reading this right in the eyes. It is incredibly difficult for written words to explain how serious this situation really is.

The real battle is being fought right now.  Our opponents are preparing for a vote in the Senate sometime ahead—as soon as they feel they have laid the groundwork for victory.

Because the internationalists possess the reins of government, have millions of dollars at their disposal, and have powerful allies in the mainstream media, they can build momentum much faster than we are able to do.

We have to get our message out to others and we have to do it today.

I have been leading grassroots political efforts for over thirty years. Without any fear of contradiction, I can tell you that we are going to win or lose the battle over the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the next few months. The key to victory lies in the stage of preparation.

Will we have adequate preparation to win?

The annual budget of Parentalrights.org is less than $500,000. They have millions and millions of dollars at their disposal.

We must raise money right now to employ professionals who can help us get our message out in the media.

We must also raise money right now to employ experienced people to work the halls of Capitol Hill on our behalf.

I cannot do these things alone. We have to have a quality team if we expect to stop the combined power of Geneva, New York, and Washington. 

This is the time to decide whether you are willing to take meaningful action.

There are just two tangible things I would ask you to do.

1. Give a gift of $10 or more right now to parentalright.org (PRO). Membership in PRO is just $25 a year.  Sustaining membership is just $100. We have to raise a substantial amount of cash or we simply cannot keep up.

2. Please recruit at least three other people to sign up for our online email alerts.  We have over 100,000 people who are a part of this team.  We need to get to 4,000,000 supporters before the battle starts.  We have to dramatically pick-up the pace of recruiting people if we are going to have any hope of beating the other side in the greatest grassroots battle in American history.  We need to be doubling our numbers every couple months to get our team in place.

You are the best recruiters we have. Please pick up your phone right now and call a friend and tell them that they need to read the email you are about to send them and that you really need them to become part of the team.  This kind of personal attention will work.

In less than two years, American social workers may be in a position to inform all our children that if they have any conflict with their parents over any decisions at all then they can file a formal complaint in an American court to vindicate their international rights. And ultimately, once this new protocol is in place, if they don’t like the outcome from the American courts, there will be a new UN tribunal to hear their complaint.

Moms and dads, we have to get ready. The battle for American liberty is about to begin.

Michael Farris  

Posted in On the Homestead

Good morning Family & Friends! It is such a clear morning here in NC. It stormed much of the night and it seemed to have cleared out some of the "stickiness" of the early summer air. A good thing in my opinion.

It seems as though my life has been in a stand still for the past few weeks. There has been a lot of work to do, but I feel as though little is actually being accompolished. I have spent most of my time in the house trying to get relief from this poison ivy. It is becoming really old really fast. I keep telling myself that I am to give thanks in ALL things, good and bad, and I am. I am just trying to stay focused on the things that I can and give the rest to GOD. He knows the problem and it is all in HIS hands. I just keep on keeping on with a "few" breakdowns  through out the day. I call them *stress relievers.*

The kids got some more beans picked last night. I have about 3 grocery size bags full that will need to be put up today. That will give me about 13 gallon sized freezer bags of green beans. A whole lot better than the previous years harvest of beans. 

DS (10) had a really bad allergic reaction last night after picking the beans. He started chasing the chickens through the corn. He came out of the corn patch with his face completely red and eyes swollen shut with splotches all over him. It was a horrible sight to see his face like that. He came in and I gave him some benedryl and he got a bath and changed clothes. It must have been the pollen on the corn stalks that did it. He was fine picking the beans. The problem started when he came out of the corn. I thank THE LORD that it didn't cause his asthma to flare up. His face and eyes are still puffy and red this morning so I gave him some more benedryl (just in case.) He will have to stay inside today, which he doesn't seem to be so happy about.

While all of that was going on, hubby called to say the cows were out, again. Not Anna-Belle (thank goodness) but Mr. Tommy's 3 cows. He told Dd (18) to make sure she was out at the end of the road so Mr. Tommy's cows wouldn't come into our yard. She went out there and stood watch while the dogs went crazy barking and Anna-Belle had to put in her two cents worth of bellowing. It is so funny to hear that cow bawl whenever the dogs start to bark. She is SO loud and is intent on keeping up with the dogs. ( I am afraid that she has come to think of herself as one.)

Anna-Belle has also recently begun to get very playful with the "evening watch." What I mean by that is, whoever is cleaning her pen in the evening and giving her fresh water. She will come up to the wheel barrow and start "nudgeing" it. She then proceeds to *jump around" and wants to lick who ever is at the wheel barrow. It just gets a bit scary when a 1000 lb. animal wants to run and play with a 150 lb. person. You have to watch your toes and never turn your back on her. I never realized that cows had such personalities and were so playful.

Well, time to get off here and get some work started.

Have a great day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

Good morning Family & Friends! It's another beautiful day here in NC. The humidity is sowly rising this morning, as to be expected this time of the year. I don't mind heat, its the humidity and heat combined that bother me. It is almost summer though and at least I am NOT shivering, so there is much praise to heard from my lips for that.

I am still dealing with this poison ivy. Hubby finally found the source of it last night. It was wrapped around my azeala bushes leading up the front stairs. The very place that I go to each day ro "take a breather" so to speak, or just enjoy the peace of the day. It was so entwined in the bush that I would have not thought to look there if if were not for the comments of a friend who also had  some poison ivy wrapped in her azeala bushes.

Hubby got it all out (hopefully) and I will now be very careful about that bush from now on. Not to mention that it is going to get pruned this week as well. I like the privacy it gives but I need to be more careful of what else is growing in it from now on.

Thank you Mrs. L. for the soap. It has helped so much. All of the other soaps left my skin burning after showers. The goat/oatmeal soap has really helped. It is still coming up in different patches but is leaving in others.

The weekend was great. Saturday was so cool and cloudy. I was able to keep all of the windows open all day. That was a miracle considering I had the oven on most of the day. Our church was hosting a dinner for a Christian Camp and its workers. We needed a lot of food and a lot of food we got. DD (18) has been working at the camp all week and kept telling me that these young adultscould put some food away. Well, they did indeed and it was a blessing to help feed these young souls.

Dd (18) was asked to stay for the summer session and work at the camp. At first she was not too sure she wanted to. As the week went along though, she knew that was where THE LORD wanted her and has decided to stay.

I am very proud of her desicion to serve THE LORD in this way through the summer. She has been praying that THE LORD would send her a chance to serve him. HE did indeed! She could have taken the job that was offered her but she felt that HE wanted her to do something else. She was so confused about turning the job down. That very morning (about 3 hours later) she got a call from the lady who wanted to know if she could work for the week at the camp. It completely confirmed to her that THE LORD wanted her there at the camp this summer to serve HIM through serving others.

She has experienced a lot of heartache over the years with "so called Christians" saying one thing and doing another contrary to GOD'S Word. I have told my children over and over that no matter what "others" say and do, that you and ONLY you are responsiable to GOD. You can't choose not to interact with others because they say one thing and do another. You must be the witness for Christ and bring glory to HIM through your actions. They may choose the world and its ways, but your choices (my children) are to be made through THE WORD and to the glory of GOD! Even if that means having to work with or be around others who do not think the way you do. Life is hard, but with Christ ALL things are possible!

Well, I need to get off here and get some more cleaning done. I do believe that I am finally getting back into the groove of things since Ann-Belle came into our lives. It's been more work, but a very fulfilling work.

GOD is so good and ever to be praised!

Blessings,

Posted in On the Homestead

Good Afternoon Friends & Family! It is another really warm/humid day here in my neck of the woods. I have finally had to come to the realization that I need (want) the A/C on when the humidty starts rising. Having this posion ivy made me come to this conclusion sooner. I don't use it at night though, we all use fans. I also keep the setting so high that it usually comes on by itself at about noon. When we go to bed or at 9:00, it goes off. I am really doing all that I can to keep the power bill as low as I can. With hubby's hours being cut to 40 per week, it has changed our budget considerably. We have been doing this since last August though, so it comes as no surprise, just a little getting used too.

Dd (15) and I are at home today by ourselves. Dd (18) is working and DS (10) is at a friends for the day. So I decided to spend some "extra" time today with her working on a project. The project is the above picture of a Hankerchief Doll. She is currently sewing the lace to the outer edges of the hankerchief. When she finishes that we will then procede to "put it together." I am not the most crafty person there is. So when I go to do "crafty things" it is to the kits I look.

I told Dd that if this works out and we actually get a doll put together, we can go to the cloth store and get the materials there to make the dolls ourselves. The kit was $6.25 for one doll. I am sure that I can get the pieces and more dolls made from materials and scraps bought at the local craft store. We will see about that this weekend.

Well, that all for now folks. What do you all do for summer craft projects? I would LOVE to hear your ideas.

Posted in On the Homestead

Okay, that's about how old I have felt these last few times trying to make butter with Anna-Belle's cream. I did finally get some made this morning. It actually turned to butter and not whipping cream. We put some on toast and it was so good! I am going to use the buttermilk that was left and make some corn bread to go with tonights dinner of tuna casserole and fresh green beans. 

Thank you all for your sincere comments that you left about my poison ivy problem. Sorry to say that it is still coming up in new spots and still driving me nuts with the scratching. I went to the doctor's yesterday and he gave me some steroids to to help clear it up. He also said to up my dosage of Benedryl, which is leaving me foggy headed. 

Last night was the worst yet dealing with it. I went to bed and woke up with my my legs and arms on fire. The Calamine lotion was not working on controlling the itch/burn .So I had to get into the shower and wash down and just stand in the hot and then cold water to get some relief. (This was at 12:30 last night.)  It did help though and for that I am so thankful! Today is a new day though and once I get off here it will be time to reapply some more lotion. I just pray that this stuff goes away soon.

Anyway, I did get out of jury duty. The doctor gave me an excuse. I didn't have to use it though. When I got to court, I found out that all of the weeks cases were resolved and that my "patriotic duty" was not needed. (Another blessing from my LORD!)

I also managed to get the beans that were picked on Sunday evening into the freezer. I got 7 gallon sized freezer bags put up. There should be one more picking this week to put up. The beans have done so well this year as is the rest of the garden. Thank you LORD for your sweet blessings!

It looks to be another hot day here. I am glad that I don't have to be away from the house too much today. The house is a mess and the chores are piling up. Thank you Father for the strength and able body to care for my family and serve you!

Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

 & Family~

Wow! What a busy week this has been on the homestead and so many of the events that took place were not even planned. Just goes to show you that you are never in control of your life. It is in THE LORD'S hands and how thankful I am that they are.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty uneventful. We just had to do the usual work around the house as well as the garden work. Speaking of garden work, I just finished harvesting the last of the broccoli yesterday. I only managed to get 3 gallon sized bags into the freezer. We ate most of it as it came in through the week. Broccoli is just not something that I could ever get tired of ( I think.) I am sure the kids (DS and DD 15) think differently.

The humidity has really started rising here in the past 3 days. So much so that i finally turned on the A/C yesterday. I think that I could have held out a little longer but sweating with poison ivy on your body is NOT a pleasant experience.

Yes, I am just about covered in a poison ivy rash. It started behind my knees and progressed to just about every other spot that you can imagine. At first I thought it was chigger bites or something of the sort, but the welts and "other" ugly signs started showing up yesterday. It is driving me nuts!

I keep putting the Calamine lotion on the patches to relieve the itching. It lasts as long as I stay still and don't let anything touch the infected areas. That is really hard though. I woke up this morning with it on my neck and climbing towards the face. I just pray that it goes no further up my neck. I may get really "cranky" if it gets on my face. It is just so hard not to scratch and I have been touching my face without realizing it. LORD, please help me deal with it.

On top of that, I have to report to jury duty on Monday. Can you imagine the looks I will get walking ionto the court room with that lotion all over my body in splotches? I know that I could use the clear stuff, its just that I have spent enough money and am determined to use what I have before spending any more. I will just have to wait and see what happens.

This week does look to be an interesting one indeed. I can usually get a lot of work done. This week looks to be one that will have me going backwards on most days. Oh well, This is the day  (week too)THE LORD has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it!

Have a blessed weekend in THE LORD!

Amanda <><
Matthew 6:33

Posted in On the Homestead

Backyard lantana and view of half of the garden. (Corn, taters, and broccoli)  Our apple trees are also in view.

Another view of the homestead facing the tomatoes, blueberries bushes, cucumbers, popcorn and our "solar dryer."

One of our blueberry bushes (sorry about the weeds.)

Bush beans. (There will be some ready to pick this weekend. (If we can keep the chickens from them.) 

Strawberry pyramid from last year. This one has already been harvested to the max. by the birds and the family.

This years strawberry bed. It will produce next year (LORD willing.)

Yummy Taters!

Broccoli plants.Our first year planting them and are they ever yummy!

Happy Homesteading!

Have a blessed day in THE LORD!

Posted in On the Homestead

http://www.freewebs.com/amishway_homestead/index.htm- An interesting blog to read.

Anna-Belle our first Jersey cow. 4 years old and expecting in October.

 Our layers, the "BAD CHILDREN."

 DD's (18) "babies." There are 3 Americauna's and 2 Rhode Island Reds. They are about 11 weeks old.

This is Zale. He is 5 years old. He is the "old man" of all the chickens. He's standing in front of the chicken coop.

Posted in Our Animals