Hello friends! It has been several months since I have updated my blog. I hope that all is well with you and yours.

I took a break from blogging for a time. At first I did not really intend to take a break for so many months. The past few months have been very busy and since September I have not been online to blog. I have missed many of my friends and hope to visit your blogs soon!

My sister and nephew moved back to Kentucky to live with her father. My nephew's skull fracture healed completely (Praise the Lord) and he is now walking and running all over the place. My step-father experienced an accident at work and severed his calf muscle in two while driving a floor jack. My sister wanted to move back to Kentucky to help take care of him. Since that time, my step-father has healed and returned to work again.

I will try to update my blog again soon. I have some new pictures to add.

Blessings, grace, and peace in the Lord,
Sharra

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Today I thought that I would write a post and request prayer for my nephew. He is 9 months old and recently he had an accident and now has two skull fractures. He is doing fine and seems to be fairly normal other than the crack in the side of his skull which I find to be worrisome. The neurosurgeons have assured us that he should heal properly. There is a slight chance that he would require surgery if the fractures were to widen or not heal correctly. We will take him back to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis in about a month to have another CT scan to check his progress.

His accident happened when my sister went to visit family in KY. Her dad was taking my nephew out of the Johnny Jump-Up (which I have since been informed these are a pediatricians nightmare!) when my nephew pushed out of his arms and landed on his head on a hardwood floor. At first he had a swollen hematoma on the side of his head and it was not apparent at first that he had a serious injury. Two days later when my sister came back to Indiana we took him to the emergency room (due to the hematoma) and the physician felt as though it was a standard head injury. We waited a few days until the swelling of the hematoma lessened and then we could feel a distinct crack in his skull. We took him back to the emergency room this past Saturday and after giving him a CT scan the emergency room staff (I do not think we even were seen by a physican but rather an assistant) informed us that he had "open places" in his skull which were normal and would close up as he grew older.

Our family did not agree with this diagnosis one bit. While we realize that an infant's skull has fissures and fontanels that will close in time, they do not have cracks in the skull that appear overnight! My nephew was released from the emergency room and we immediately went to the library to research infant skull fractures. While my daughter was viewing skull fractures on the internet and I was reading medical journals on infant head trauma, a local nurse came up to us and introduced herself. She briefly looked at my nephew and recommended that we take him to another hospital for a second opinion. After talking with a few friends we decided to take him to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. I did not realize until this point that you can visit the Riley emergency room. I thought that children were referred to Riley from hospitals when they needed specialized care. We took him to Riley and we brought a copy of the CT scan with us. He was seen by a team of neurosurgeons, physicans and medical professionals. We were very pleased with the thorough and professional level of care my nephew was able to receive at Riley. We spent one night in the hospital and then we were able to come home. After reading the same CT scan given by our local emergency room and examining his head the neurosurgeons were able to determine that he had two skull fractures on the side of his head. One of the fractures is a slightly wide crack. On the CT scan they observed a density on the image at one of the fractures which could indicate a bleed in the area but they assured us that this was not a major concern. He should not have any damage to his brain from this injury. Thank goodness! I know the Lord has been watching over him.

My nephew is eating, sleeping, playing, and generally behaving as a normal 9 month old would and he does not appear to be experiencing discomfort. We are praying he will heal completely and that he would not require any surgery. Please be praying for him if you do not mind.

I would feel more comfortable if we had a little helmet that he could wear to protect his head until his skull fractures heal completely. The neurosurgeons said that this is not necessary but that we need to be extra careful with him. He is at the age where he is crawling everywhere and pulling up on furniture and trying to stand up by himself. He is a little explorer for certain! Thank you for your prayers!

It has been such a blessing to have my sister and nephew with us. I gave up my office in the back of the house so that they could have their own bedroom. We turned our dining room into our homeschooling area and office which I happen to like better. From our big picture window in the dining room we are able to look out on the patio and see our cats playing, view our garden across the lawn, and watch the rooster down by the barn. Frequently the horses are grazing in the front pasture and we can watch them as well. Early in the morning we watch the sunrise over the barn and it is a beautiful site. Our hearts are content living in the country!

It is alot of hard work and sometimes it is hard to fit all the tasks needed to be done in one day. We wake up very early in the morning to take care of the animals and then we are busy until the evening. It is very satisfying although I am not sure I appreciate my rough hands. I suppose that I have officially earned the rank of a farmgirl now that I have the hands to prove this. I have recently discovered Badger Balm which has helped quite a bit in softening my hands. We used to stay up late at our other home but now that we live in the country, we find it very difficult to stay up past 10:00pm. It is hard to believe but even on the weekends we go to bed early. We get up with the chickens and tend to go to bed at sundown. During the long summer days we often would get sleepy before it was even dark. I think being outdoors and the hard work taking care of animals, gardening, hanging out the laundry, and mowing two or more acres with a push mower have been good for us!

I have some pictures that I hope to post very soon. They are on a picture cd and so I am going to try to figure out how to load them on my blog. At the very least I will try to put my Flickr badge back running on my blog again so that you can see a bit of our Country Living.

Many blessings to you and yours!
Sharra

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This past Monday we brought home two pure bred Quarter Horses. A very generous retired couple gave our family and a neighbor friend our pick of their ten Quarter Horses. At first we were going to bring home Nancy, who is an eleven year old registered Quarter Horse. She is a gorgeous horse and has been trained but it has been six years since she has been worked with on a regular basis. She was the lead mare of the horses and she was too powerful and headstrong to be our first horse. We decided to bring home Sassy, which is a two year old and the neighbor boy chose Poco, who is a yearling. We are allowing our neighbor to keep his horse in the barn and he will care for her needs and help around with the upkeep of the barn. Sassy and Poco are full blooded sisters and they are good companions for one another.

We will need to send Sassy to a professional trainer before she can be saddled. We may try to halter train her if she continues to make progress in letting us work with her. Shaiya is feeding her sweet feed as a treat everyday and she is really warming up to her. Michael loves her and she was his first pick of the horses but for some reason Sassy nips at him sometimes and lays her ears back whenever he pets her for too long. Hopefully this is something that will be worked out during the training period. 

I consider these horses a blessing from the Lord and I am very thankful the Lord provided this gift for our daughter. Many years now she has dreamed about owning a horse and she has been preparing for this time when she could have one. It is such a blessing that the couple decided to offer her one. I am excited about this and I love going outside each day to visit with them. Even though this makes me very happy, I do worry about gathering the provision we need for the horse. We will need to buy and store hay for the winter and we will need to send the horse to a professional trainer which is around $500. Hay prices have been astronomical with the drought conditions since May but last week it began to rain and so this may allow for the hay prices to drop a bit. I would like to find hay at $3 per bale and Shaiya has been calling around and hay has ranged from $5 to $7 a bale.

Friday afternoon we experienced too much excitement around here on the farm. It all began when I decided that the oldest rooster needed some fresh air and sunshine and that I would chase him out of the barn. I did not really have a good reason other than I can hear the rooster cock-a-doodle-doodling from the barn each morning and that I thought it would be nice to have the rooster outside so that we could hear him more clearly. After a half an hour of chasing the rooster around the barn, I decided to see if Shaiya would help me out. Much to her chagrin of my wonderful idea, she decided to help me out by cornering the other hens while I ran after the big rooster. The hens were having a tizzy at us running all over the barn trying to chase the rooster out the door. Finally we decided to give up but not before one of my Rhode Island Red hens decided to run frantically out the door and into my garage where it hid the rest of the afternoon. Thankfully Konecko, our very lazy cat, decided to leave the poor bird alone while it hid in a corner of the garage, until Michael could come home and return the hen back to its quarters.

After the rooster chasing expedition, my friend stopped by that lives a mile up the road. She was visiting with us out by the pasture while we gave Sassy and Poco some sweet feed in buckets. The wind was gently blowing and we began to hear some creaking sounds coming from the dog yard. We all began looking at the large tree (it is a big tree but I am not sure what kind it is) standing in the middle of the dog yard and then all of a sudden a scary cracking sound thundered through the air and Shaiya yelled out “run girls, run!” My friend took off running up the hill and our little one Briyah followed behind her. I ran after Briyah and all I could think about was if the tree was going to fall down that I had to protect her so I slammed Briyah down on the ground and covered her up. I was scared silly. We looked up and the tree did not fall but an enormous branch cracked off the tree and thankfully it did not hurt our dogs at all. The branch fell inside of the fenced dog yard and did not fall anywhere near us and so we were not hurt either. Briyah’s wrist was sore since I pulled her to the ground but other than this we were all just fine. My poor friend was so scared too that she thought we were going to have a tree fall on us. I hope she will come to visit me again!

Yesterday our neighbor who owns this property came over with a chainsaw to cut the large tree branch and carry it off with his tractor. It took about 3 tractor loads to remove the tree branches and now a significant portion of that old beautiful tree is missing. 

Heirloom Garden Update:
-the pole beans are really flourishing
-little bell peppers and banana peppers are starting to appear on the plants
-the heirloom tomatoes are producing quite a bit of fruit
-some sneaky little creature is digging up my watermelon plants
-the sweet corn is looking weak and yellowing... I did not realize that you need to add nitrogen to sweet corn and so we may not have a successful corn crop this year

Things I am learning:
-weeds can be difficult to manage but mulching seems to work the best
-you have to go outside and pick Japanese Beetles everyday so they will not eat the plants
-I strongly dislike Japanese Beetles
-feeding manure tea to the plants every two weeks really makes the plants more productive
-I am supposed to pick the leaf lettuce before it grows into an enormous plant
-I am supposed to harvest the cilantro before it starts flowering

Blessings to you,
Sharra

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Yesterday our daughter Shaiya began riding lessons at a local farm as she is trying to prepare herself to properly take care of her horse when she is able to get one. She also has a thoughtful friend from our congregation who is giving her riding lessons on a periodic basis. What is ironic is that her new teacher lives a mile or two up the road from where we just moved from and we had no idea that she was a riding instructor. We lived at our previous home for 2 ½ years and I suppose had we known about this instructor then Shaiya could have taken lessons before. I am very pleased with the teacher as she is knowledgeable and friendly and what is really great is that her tuition is $15 per hour or $20 per 1.5 hour and this is an affordable rate in our local area. Shaiya has not taken riding lessons previously because they were simply out of our budget. Sometimes basic tuition could be $30 or more each week and we just could not fit this into our budget.

Shaiya has dreamed of owning a horse for many years. I once said to her that if she wanted a horse badly enough and if it was God’s will for her life, then one day she would be able to have her own horse. She is entering her first year of high school this year and I knew that if my husband and I could not buy her a horse, then one day after she graduated then she would have enough determination to obtain her own horse. A few years ago I let her know that she should prepare to own a horse and so she has been stocking her personal library with educational materials on horses and she has been collecting tack and supplies. My younger sister once owned two horses and after she became pregnant she sold her horses and gave her new barrel racing saddle and collection of tack to Shaiya.

Shaiya also actively participates in 4-H Horse and Pony events. This year she was on the intermediate Hippology team and competed at Purdue University. This year she will move to the senior team. At the Hippology Bowl at Purdue, she scored roughly in the middle of all the participants and I was pleased with this as this was her first year competing. At the regional competition, she scored well and she earned a higher score than a few other competitors who have been competing several years. We were very proud at how hard she has worked in her study of horses. I guess that Shaiya knows quite a bit of basic knowledge about horses but she still has a great deal to learn. The past two months she has worked very hard on her application packet to the Indiana Quarter Horse Award. She is competing to win a registered Quarter Horse that is being offered by the Indiana Quarter Horse Association. If she is chosen as a finalist, then she will go to the Indiana State Fair to compete. The horse is a yearling therefore it will need to be shown the first year in halter and it would have to be sent to a horse trainer for training before it could be saddled. I am not positive, but I think the horse cannot be rode until its third year or maybe later into its second year. We have visited the horse that is being offered and it is a beauty. Shaiya worked very hard on her essays and we figured if it was God’s will, then Shaiya would win this horse and that if it was not God’s will then we would have to be patient and wait for what is best. When we moved to this farm, we knew that a door may open for us to have a horse. Afterall, you cannot just let a good barn and pasture sit empty for too long!

Yesterday something arose out of the blue that has surprised us quite a bit. Shaiya’s new instructor gave her a phone number for a local couple who breed Quarter Horses and desired to give one of their horses away to a good home. Shaiya called them yesterday to inquire about the horse and last night our family went to visit this couple for around 3 hours. We are prayerfully considering bringing one of their horses home. This retired couple owns several beautiful horses with good breeding and excellent confirmation and they are a gracious Christian couple. They welcomed us into their home and were very friendly. I am continually amazed at all of the Lord’s servants and how kind believers can be to one another. They seemed to be pleased with Shaiya’s knowledge and love of horses. She asked many questions and spent quite a bit of time pondering if this could be a good fit for her. The couple was very nice and at first they were offering one specific horse but then they let Shaiya have her pick of the horses on the pasture. Once horse seemed to really like her and it walked up to her and followed her a bit. My husband also spent some time with the horse and he thinks it is a wonderful horse. For a moment, I thought it was very surreal to be standing with my family after listening to Shaiya’s dreams for so many years and that God may open this door and hand her one freely. We still need to pray and really consider this offer but our hearts are filled with thankfulness that this kind couple would be so gracious to give our daughter a registered Quarter Horse.

I have no doubt that our family can care for a horse now that we have a modern barn and pasture. My only concern is that we seem to be experiencing a drought here in Indiana and hay prices are rising. A friend let me know yesterday that hay that used to sell for $3 a bale at the sale barn is now $11 a bale. I have also heard many are concerned whether or not people will be able to get a 2^nd or 3^rd cut of hay because we are not experiencing enough rain. In the winter, the horse will eat a bale of hay every 3 days along with grain. We strive to be good stewards and we want to make sure we have the ability to properly take care of the horse. One of our good friends recently sold all of their cattle and miniature horses because of the price of hay and the quantity they need to care for their animals. We have been researching all of the costs involved in the care and upkeep of a horse and this is something that we would like to make happen for our daughter. The owner of our property just had the hay cut in his fields and so we may be able to obtain some hay from him at a decent price. This is something that we will have to wait and see if it might be possible. One thing is for sure, if the Lord opened the door for us to have the horse, then we will just have to be patient to see if we have the provision made for the horse. I know that we cannot afford to buy hay at $11 a bale but maybe another door will open and we can find it at an affordable price. Thankfully the horse would be able to feast on the pasture until the winter. We have been informed that this property has excellent pasture land.

We have a lot to prayerfully consider over the next week or so. I am very proud of Shaiya and her level-headedness that she seems to display. I thought she would jump up and down at the opportunity that she has always dream of but she seems to be self-controlled and seriously contemplating the responsibility. She wants our family to make a good decision. This is her dream but she is willing to sacrifice her dream for now if this is something our family could not afford. In some ways, I can see that the hard times we have experienced over the years have truly been good for our family and even our children. In the lean times we have learned to be content and we have learned how to make due with what we had. In the good times we have learned that provision is for God’s will and that we have to be thankful stewards because all things come by the hand of the Lord.I suppose seeing her reaction causes me to really want to work hard to see her have this blessing. I do work from home part-time already to help our family’s budget. I have also been thinking recently that Shaiya and I could start a part-time cleaning business two evenings a week using non-toxic, biodegradable, natural cleaners. I even thought of a real corny name – The Green Cleaning Team. I know that is goofy… my family rolled their eyes at the name but I think it is kind of cute. Another option we have is to sell some of our organic heirloom produce and healthy baked goods at the Farmers Market.

When I was Shaiya’s age, I was such a spoiled brat because my mother worked hard and gave me most everything I wanted. I was not thankful. During those years, I was not a believer and I was a self-centered monster really. I went to public high school and was very materialistic. I wore expensive clothes, shoes, and jewelry and now I find it hard to believe how much money my mother spent on me and how hard she worked to buy me trivial things. I was such a horrid little brat. My poor mother felt guilty for all of the hours she worked plus I think she felt sorry for me because my dad had a heart-attack and died when I was in fifth grade. In my teen years my mother thought she could show her love by all the nice things she bought me. The Lord in His great mercy was so good to redeem me and make me a new creation and renew my heart. My daughter is such a different person than I was at her age. She is thoughtful and considerate and she does not ask for much. If we do get her something she is very thankful. She works hard and I think she deserves the best but I can see the hand of the Lord in her life. The hard times have molded her character and this has given her an inner beauty that I pray the Lord will cause to take deep root so that she can always live in His blessing. Michael and I continually pray that our children will choose the right path, the path of blessing, and cling to the Lord. We have witnessed so many good youth go astray from their parents teaching and admonition. Each day we just have to pray that our children’s hearts will be a fertile field and that we will sow good seeds of teaching that God will cause to grow according to His will and purpose.

So if I can say anything to encourage you today it would be this...

Do not worry if you cannot buy your children all that they want or even some of what they need. Sometimes the lean times really help us to grow fully dependent on the Lord and it may also help families to work together as a unified team. If you are in a rough spot financially, do not fret thinking you are short-changing your children or even that you might need to put your children back in public school so that you can go to work again full-time. Lean times can help forge good character.

Here is a blessing from God’s Word:

Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents. How blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. The LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. The LORD bless you from Zion, And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

May the Lord bless you today and everyday!

Blessings,

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Well, I should be original and write a completely new post for my homestead blog but in order to get my blogs caught up, I am just adding the same post here as I have on my Heritage Homeschooling blog.

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written on my blog. I would say that I have taken an extended break from my computer but that is not the case. Since I work from home in my office I do have to work a few hours each day on my computer. Here in the country we have a slow-speed dial-up connection. Gone are the days of the wireless high-speed cable internet around here but it isn't so bad really. I suppose that I have taken an extended blogging hiatus until I could get things caught up in our family’s daily lives. It has been over two months now since our big move and I am just now beginning to feel like we are getting settled.

We have been very busy since the end of March. Early in April we celebrated Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted a week. We packed rather hurriedly from our other home and we were able to spend Passover in our new home. With the help of several friends from our congregation, we were able to move all of the furniture over the period of a day and our new home was set-up and very cozy. Most everything else that could not fit in our home was stacked in the garage, given to friends, or taken to the local Goodwill. Some of our dear friends also blessed us with a piano and for a housewarming gift they had this tuned for us. Michael and our girls love to play each day and I love hearing the music in our home.

I had a very good Mother’s Day as my dear family blessed me so much with their thoughtful gifts. This year I was not feeling the lingering depression as usually I miss my mother terribly. It has been almost 5 years since she has passed away and the time has passed by very quickly. Someone once shared with me that the grief never ends it just changes and I guess after 5 years, the hurt is not as raw and it does not sting my heart to the point where I am overwhelmed. My mother was one of my best friends and I will always miss her kind encouragement, love, and just all of the ways that she blessed us with her life and faith. I am thankful she is not suffering anymore but sometimes I do wish that she could be with us to see all the joys and even pains in our lives. My baby sister is now a mother and my nephew Malachi is almost 6 months old. My mother would have loved her little grandson and I do miss the times we could have shared together with her as she left us so early at the age of 51. The past couple of months our prayer lists have been growing longer as we have been praying for several people who are suffering with cancer. Last month, a friend in Kentucky passed away after a battle with colon cancer. Even through all of the suffering, we witness the grace and peace of Lord and it truly does pass all understanding. He is worthy of the highest praise.

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