dankel farm life

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Running a Small Business


Sometimes it is best to learn from actually doing...
So Brent & I have set up Abbey in her own business. She will be selling products for cats. - by default her business name is called Abbey's Shop.
As we breed kittens she has a ready market - many of the new owners love to talk to the kids & they knew we were going to get Abbey to do this - they named it Abbey's shop & it sort of stuck.

Abbey has very fine taste & she even stocks futon beds for pets, cat mint bubble blowers - (the kittens chase cat mint bubbles), possum tails, hotties you heat in the microwave that stay warm for 12 hours, kitten food, litter etc....

We finished working on it yesterday & launched her webpage, down track she will learn how to make shopping online part of the website (I havven't learnt this yet so looking forward to learning how too)

She is going to keep accounting records using a very old program we had  called NZ office , I don't think it is still around anymore - my one is on a floppy disk it's that old. Would love to get my hands on MYOB for her  to learn with - one day...

She has to issue invoices, a profit & loss, GST & Tax returns, stock control, ordering stock, percentages, expenses - she thought it quite cool her cellphone now has become a business expense,- learn about marketing, customer service and many, many aspects of running a small business. She will get the opportunity to sell items on Trade me and also at the farmers market in summer. We have a family friend who is a business coach we might be able to tap into some of his training too.

Homeschooling does offer some wonderful opportunities and this is one example - pretty awesome that a 14 year old (ok nearly 15) can have real hands on learning of running her own business.

PLUS today
I had a rep call in home selling Science stuff - Abbey was thrilled she now has her own scalpel, slides & petrii dishes - next we are looking out for a microscope.

James had an awesome day out with Brent - road testing Amps - his birthday is in a few weeks and he is getting an amp for his electric guitar.
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2008-Jul-5

Canning/ Freeing and a question...


Ok well today is going to be a busy day.. I have not slept but maybe two or three hours in two nights.. Satan is really coming up against me again...  I want to get a few things done here around the little homestead.. It is going to take the children to help me.

So far today i have put up a 1/2 bag of okra this morning. I tell you for us to have such a little row of okra it is really producing..  So right now i have enough okra for a nice big meal, a meal of green beans, squash, and peas..That is just in the freezer. In the pantry we have put up plum jam, plum slices, all kinds of jellies, peaches, dill pickles, and mixed greens.. It is little jars quart/ pint size jars here and there that we are putting up but every jar is another jar of food for the winter time.

We still have pickles to put up today.. And I am going to go outside and pick the beans and anything else that needs to be picked. I would like to put up some more plums slices.

question for you all. Have you ever had a pain in your left side.. That hurts like a sharp pain..  I am going to call my doctor and let him know what is going on and see what he says.. Lord take this away from me.

God bless all

glenda


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Friday, July 4, 2008

What's up - cats, computers, work, tax & quilts


Well it's been full on - I've had to be very good with my time management to fit all I like to do in in a day / week.

Family is back to being healthy - well nearly Brent is having a bit of trouble shaking off the bot.

Computer time had been limited - mainly due to our computer is a tad sickly & playing up - Brent & I finally gave in & ordered a Dell computer yesterday. - We had to buy one suitable for small business to get XP - I wanted XP as a lot of my data is with XP. I was most impressed with the service - wonderful to deal with! Hopefully it will be here for last week of school holidays - kids have been deprived without a computer that can play their games or have MSN contact for over a year. I'm hoping old computer will be mine & work better once a lot of  files are removed - we will see!. - Pam I'll ask for a webcam for my birthday then we can play.....

I'm  up early - a queen is in first stage of labour - they like you to be with them - I have her nesting box next to computer - but nope she wants on my knee - hope waters don't break while she is on my lap - that's not fun. Many folks who have ordered kitties are waiting excitedly to see what she has.
Update - she had a litter of 7 kittens


Oh this week I became a heiress to a kitten owners two cats - he has made provisions in his will for me to care for his two cats if they out live him. Brent laughed and said it was ok - but I'm not allowed to make a habit of it as he can see many little cat chalets with cats that of course he would kindly build for me.

Another kitten owner emailed me her latest water colour she has done of one of our kittens - I'm dying to share but not on her website yet -drawing a fine line
But the card of Muddy & big Ted is there - all cat lovers will enjoy this card!

This week saw one of my ex-breeding queens have a trail run at my mums, but my folks didn't think she was happy - so home she came - we think she missed the other cats. So it's confirmed we will end up being a home for geriatric ex breeding cats. I won't be getting any more queens now & will focus on running a boarding cattery in the 10 year plan. UPDATE - I jokingly said top Brent - I'll have to start breeding dogs - Dobermans is my choice and he has agreed - so that's on the 5 year plan.


Thankfully I will have a job to pay for my hobby - bit like eating at a restaurant and then having to wash the dishes afterwards. GRIN- Friday I did my first training at the vet clinic - talk about nervous - didn't help that the boss forgot to tell the staff I was coming - thank goodness I know a lot of the staff anyway - so after initial uncomfortable start I began learning the computer system and how to make bookings & payments.

My highlight of my working day was one of the nursers brought her 10 month old dog to work & she has taught him tricks - wave paw & drop dead when she shoots bang bang with her fingers. Another client brought in his dog to see the staff - she is having chemo & is really happy to be at the vets, knows all the staff & where the treats are. I'm thrilled to get this job & know when the empty nest time comes I'll hopefully be able to increase my hours - but I think I may like to stay part time as I have way too many hobbies & interest to work full time. I do know I don't want to go back to corporate world - but I will finish my business diploma - just because I can.

OOh I did our tax returns on line this year - wacko soo fast - a good thing. And phew I made it before cut off 7th July

Haven't had a chance to get to quilting - hope to this weekend - but I have kitten owners visiting this weekend - so see how I go - I'm hoping some of you block of the monthers are behind in your blocks so I'm not holding you up.
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Friday, July 4, 2008

Free scrap quilt pattern


OOh now I just LOVE Scrap quilts.

And this free pattern is just yummy.

It is available for download for a limited time so pop over & visit.

Gee I am greatful to the kind ladies who share their patterns on line!

http://www.mycraftivity.com/adminquilt/blog/cat/general
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Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July


Freedom


Celebrate the Real Freedom We Have in Jesus Today


Jesus Divine
4th of July Poem



We gather ‘round to celebrate

On Independence Day

Pay homage to our country

As the children run and play.


With barbeques and picnics

And fireworks in the air

The flag we own is proudly flown

To show how much we care.


The stars and stripes spell freedom

She waves upon the breeze

While bursts of colors can be seen

Above the towering trees.


This is all quite wonderful

We revel in delight

But God above in divine love

Has brought this day to light.


With just a stroke of liberty

A touch of His divine great hand

He gave democracy to us

And helped this country stand.


The stripes upon our stately flag

Were touched by His sweet grace

Each star of white that shines so bright

Reflects His divine loving face.


So as you turn to face the flag

For battles that were fought

Be filled with pride for those who died

And freedoms that were bought.


But don’t forget to thank the One

That gives the bright display

The reason why we paint the sky

On Independence Day



This Jesus divine 4th of July poem
© was written by Marilyn Ferguson.

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2008-Jul-4

Satan Loves to Steal...


This is something I have had to learn first hand this past year. Not only me but my children. He will if we allow him still our peace, our health, our children, our animals, you name it he will if we allow him  he will still everything away from us...

For me this has been really on my heart these past few weeks.. It all started when I got sick again.. I was at deaths door. I prayed and prayed to God to help me.. He did he sent a wonderful person in my church that was a nurse.. She knew something was not right with me when she looked at me. She then set up a appoitment with a friend who is a doctor. The next day I was in the hospital. All I could do is lay in a  fetal shape and hold on to my bible. I could not hardly even stay awake.. It was one of those times when your mind is going in all directions and yet there is nothing you can do about anything.. I had to trust in the Lord that one i would live and two that my children would be taken care of..  Satan tried to take my health and honeslty he is still trying but I trust in the one who made me.. His word says that by my stripes you are healed.. That ends it.. I am healed... My body might take a little while to find that healing but it was already promised to me... So that makes it so.. PERIOD...

When i got home from the hospital I was worried about bills.. Again God showed me that he had it all under control to just trust him.. Money was there.. From friends, From people i did not even know.. People who do not want me or any one to know who they are... It has been taken care of.. Food has been taken care.. Everything that Satan would bring to my mind that well how are you going to do this.. Or YOU will never be able to do this.. And you know what he is right. I CAN NEVER.. But God can.. And honestly he has bigger shoulders than i do.. He can hold a whole lot more than i can.. So I have learned to just give it to him.. HE already knows  the out come anyway... He sees the big picture i see the small picture of today... So with that Satan LOST AGAIN...

Then as I was healing as God had promised our animals started dieing for no reason.. NONE.. They would be fine one minute and died the next..  I mean with in a few hours.. Everything from ducks, chickens, rabbits, and then finally the little kittens that were brought to us. We all even me had got so close to those kittens. All but one was doing great. WE were feeding them , takeing great care of them.. And one by one they died.. We had even got them meds from the store.. Everything one could do.. Our hearts were broken.. Again Satan was stealig our joy, something that we all loved.. With each of those animals it was like a piece of our dreams were dieing.. Then it hit me agian it is satan.. He is doing his best to steal our joy, our little homestead. Anything to make us think that God is not for us... So we say it and we went up agaist him..  So Satan LOST AGAIN..

As that was ending then came up my SS #... How in the world did someone like this man get my number.. After going to the layor I have done all  i can do at this point. I will go to the ss office on monday and see about getting a new ss number. Until then i have to just trust in the LORD with this one.. Again Satan tried to steal my peace.. HE LOST AGAIN...

Then last night.. I was not feeling well. I was hurting and well could not sleep all  night. I hurt from my head to my feet. Plus on top of it all my kidneys were hurting again.. And i feel as if i am trying to get a head cold again.. NO GOD SAID THAT BY HIS HIS STRIPES WE (I) am healed.. That is his promise... SATAN WILL NOT WIN.... HE WILL NOT TAKE MY HEALTH.. PERIOD... I have five people in this house that needs me.. I have a life that God wants me to live and I have much yet to do for God in this life.. So sorry SATAN YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY HEALTH.. So i am standing right now with you all to say.. I AM speaking my healing.. I know that God has other plans for me and it does not have anything to do with me being sick..  I am going to be healed and this sickness that Satan keeps putting on me will go away. period.

So Satan does still work here on this earth, He still does his best to steal our peace, our health, our families, our children, our animals, our property, anything that he can to make us not trust in our heavenly father..  It is up to us to stand and say NO I WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE IS SAYING. HE IS A LIER..  I WILL BELIEVE WHAT MY HEAVENLY FATHER SAYS. HE WANTS HIS CHILDREN TO HAVE A LIFE OF PLENTY, A LIFE OF GOODNESS, A LIFE OF HEALTH.. 

God bless

glenda


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Friday, July 4, 2008

Changes


  The last few weeks God has so allowed me to see a first hand view of what we do to ourselves in our need and desire to try to be God in our own lives.  One family that we were privileged to be around were really cute folks, darling child, and on the outside seemed so together and full of potential.  However when we got past their outside what we found were lives filled with tortures of their own making from debts to dependency....and the beliefs that their problems were not answerable by anything, not even God.

   The second scenario we lived and learned from involved watching a broken family.  The Dad had turned away from God a long time ago....he had systematically lost everything that mattered to him as God allowed him to have his own way on every topic in his life.  Slowly over 12 years he has reduced himself to being alone, without his children, without a good career, and now without friends for the most part.  His devotion to control has cost him almost everything he could have had.

   A third scenario involves a very bright young family.  They have successfully achieved the 300K home, good works in their local church, health and love in their home, but abundance eludes them.  They cannot see tithing in money form though they give of them selves regularly.  They have thought that better to invest in their future and give of their services......and its funny how in that decision, somehow their finances always don't work out. They see saw on making it solidly despite hundreds of thousands of dollars of business a year.....bread money on some days of the month just doesn't exist.

     As we have prayed and listened to each of the people in the above stories. God has so shown me humility.  I know that the root cause of all the issues they are facing I too face.  The issues are such no brainers when you see it in others. They trust the problem more than they trust God is a God.  They trust their control is better than submission to God in their lives.  They trust sickness and overwhelming issues are more powerful than the way of Jesus and the promises of God to Abraham's and his descendents that if we obey and worship God He will provide for us on all levels.  Pretty easy to see when the stage isnt your own life isn't it?

     God has so been present in our involvement with each of the families and many others on our walks.  He has lead us to a place of absolute sifting this summer.  We are being shown so many areas of our lives that He expects us to give up or to change how we handle.  We are glad, for each step, which are always hard for me personally....within days I have been released from fear, from worry, from overthinking the issues to death.  I simply look for and wait for peace before I move forward.  As a toddler in this, I know that there will be disobedient days and God will once again set me straight.  I had one of those moments yesterday as I was called to stand firm against someone attacking my family verbally and potentially in other ways.  When after 18 years I stood up to him, he immediately stepped back.  Amazing.  That is God.  For this person has had serious issues and standing up to him usually means a huge emotional scene.

    Why is it we cannot trust God in all things. Why does our humanness always involve taming our wills and surrendering our plans to Jesus...you'd think after the facts of the Bible...it would be an easy course, but ole self sure holds out until the end some moments of our lives.

  God is good.  The more time I am purposefully finding to refresh my mind in Him, the better my life becomes.  God help me to always run to and trust Him.

Sweetie


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2008-Jul-3

Thinking about our School Year


Last week when we went shopping the library was having their annual book sale, it's by donation.  I stopped to look and picked out a nice box of children's books!  Some of them are for the Before Five in A Row and Five In A Row program we use.  I was so excited about that!  I also found some nice history story books.

We happened to be back in town a few days latter and they were still having the sale.  So I just had to peek again.  LOL  I found another book to go with the B4FIAR and some nice children's farming books!  I'm planning to do a farming unit this fall with the kids.  The International Plowing Match will be in our area and we are planning an all day field trip there.  Dh is really looking forward to that to.  I also picked up some wonderful animal videos for the kids and some documentaries for us.  Dh also picked out a encyclopedia set on natural history.

I'm hoping to get to a homeschool book store this weekend.  My shopping list has been gone over and over..I'm still tweaking it.  So far I'm thinking of getting this:

  • Christian Liberty Nature Readers 1 & 2
  • Bob Books #1
  • Leading Little ones to God
  • Canadian Colouring book
  • FIAR Christian supplement
  • Before FIAR
  • Canada My Country
  • Ecoutez! Parlez! (beginner French)

Our plans this year are:

2 year old.

I'm going to use B4FIAR with her at a slow pace.  Should be fun!

4 year old PreK

  • Teach Your Child to Read 100 Easy Lessons
  • Bob Books
  • B4FIAR
  • FIAR
  • Leading Little Ones To God

6 year old, grade 1

  • FIAR
  • Math U See Beta
  • SOTW 1 (we started this last year and put it on hold for a bit)
  • God's Design for Science, The plant kingdom and human body
  • Leading Little Ones To God
  • Canada My Country
  • Nature Study
  • Copy Work
  • CL Nature Readers

DD6 and 4 will also be starting on some hand crafts, keep working on crochet and maybe simple sewing.

 

 

 


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2008-Jul-3

Busy Times & Sick Littles


Well I haven't had much posting time or time for anything that is.    The crazy weather patterns of baking hot then cold and damp have made the kids sick.  Two are ok now, 4 year old is still miserable and baby girl is on the mend.  I've been fighting it also, but it's not easy to do when your up all night with sick littles.  I sure hope they are all feeling much better soon, it's so hard on a mothers heart when her babies are sick!

When things settle down I have a huge list of to do's.  I need to reclaim the house again lol.  I was JUST caught up on most things when we all got sick.  (sigh) Seems to happen every time LOL.  I have a ton of sewing to do.  I need nursable maternity clothes.  This is the longest into a pregnancy I've ever nursed a baby.  So most of my things don't fit.  The girls also need new skirts etc.  And I need to sew pullups and diapers.

I'm working on a major decluttering and planning our new school year also.  I'm thinking of starting that soon to instead of waiting until fall.  We mostly school year round, just taking it a bit lighter in the summer.  When morning sickness hit bad I scaled down to just reading and math.

 


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Thursday, July 3, 2008

We are behind the truckies


NZ Truckies will be blocking entry into NZ's cities today under protest to government road user charges.

At the end of the day the extra charges have to be come from somewhere - and it is the consumer - us who will be effected.

The government is raking in petrol tax - with each increase in litre - so does the coffers of the government grow.

More can be read here and here

Brent has left for work early to hopefully not get caught up in the protest that will cause huge delays - but we totally understand where the truckies are coming from!
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