At Home in Georgia

Putting It All In Perspective

"While many are worrying about filling their gas tanks, many others around the world are struggling to fill their stomachs."  - World Bank president Robert Zoellick (quoted in World Magazine, May 3/10, 2008)

Just reminded me that as bad as things look, we still have it very good here in the United States.  My heart is filled with gratitude when I read this, and my unhappy, uneasy feelings about the future are lessened a bit. 

God's Word is full of admonitions to prepare, plan, and be busy working with what we have, but not in a frantic, worried, panicked way.  Why has He chosen to bless me with plenty when there are those around the world "struggling to fill their stomachs"?  I do not know, but the least I can do is be thankful for each day my family has enough.

~Michelle

Kids Say the Funniest Things...

So, my 3 year old little boy is cleaning up his room, putting his laundry in the basket, and he's singing as he marches around his room.  Remember the song... "God said it, I believe it. That's all that faith demands..."?  Well, here's what he was singing, very happily and confidently at the top of his lungs...

"God said it, I'm gonna eat it.  That's all that makes me mad..."

:)

~Michelle

Strawberries!

We picked strawberries today.  I took my son (3), and daughters (5 and 7) this morning and we picked 5 - 1 gallon buckets in 1/2 hour.  My older daughter picked 2 and my littles each picked about 1/2 bucket.  It was fun and the weather was perfect.  We were back home by 10:00am and I set the girls at the kitchen table with schoolwork while I made some freezer jam and got the rest ready to freeze.  I saved out about a bucket for eating.  But they were PERFECT berries.... juicy, beautiful, and wonderfully sweet.  Yummmmmy....

But even more sweet was the absolute fun we had together.  Maybe it was the lack of expectation on my part.  I anticipated trying to keep the littles from wandering off or picking where they weren't supposed to, and while I TOOK 5 buckets, I HOPED to fill at least 4. 

I had a delighted moment, when my 5 year old told my 7 year old..."See those flowers.... they will turn into fruit.  SEE??? You can see the berry starting to grow"  I had JUST talked to her about the parts of plants and how the flowers come first, then the fruit, and sometimes we eat the roots, and sometimes the fruit, and sometimes the seed or leaves.  Guess she was listening. 

And my 3 year old stayed right at my side "helping"... and he did help.  I'd show him some berries and he'd pull them off and put them in his bucket, or I'd give him some of mine to put in his bucket, and he was content to just be there with me. 

It was so enjoyable and it just seemed to be the way it should be.  We don't have many moments where all three children decide to cooperate and just have fun together, but today was a whole day of those moments.  I hope I can remember today when we're in the middle of one of "Those Days". 

Oh, be sure to check out the picture of the strawberries!!!!!

~Michelle

Garden Pictures

Ahhhh, it's starting to rain and it's thundering off in the distance.  I've never been so grateful for clouds and rain as I have since we've moved to Georgia.  The sun can be so intense and burning and the drought has just sapped the life out of everything the past few summers.  So for now, I'm enjoying the breezy spring days, knowing what is coming! 

But... I finally have a few garden pictures - you'll have to look at my photo album, since I still haven't figured out how to put them here nicely.  I covered everything with the straw when we had that freeze, so it's still a little messy from that.  We got some azaleas today from Walmart, but were told not to plant them just yet, because it's supposed to freeze this weekend.  It doesn't look like it will, and I really hope it doesn't.  But I'm not taking chances with azaleas.  :)

We've had a wonderful spring break.  The weather has been nice and we had nothing we really NEEDED to do except house and yard work.  And no big travel plans.  So we've just had a perfect week.  Went fishing and hiking, worked in the yard and garden, played some board games, cleaned most of the house, made ice cream, and cleaned some more.  

We had the windows open yesterday, last night, and today (there are about 5 days all year in GA that aren't too cold or too hot for that!).  Oops... just had to get up and close them all because it's starting to storm!  Have a great weekend!!

~Michelle

My Little Garden...

I did take pictures, but haven't had time to post them.  But sad news, we had a hard freeze last weekend, and I lost my peppers and some transplanted things.  My broccoli, peas, carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage did fine, but even covering everything couldn't save it all.  I heard from more expert gardeners that planting before April 1 or even April 15 is pretty risky.  So I"m happy to have my broccoli and peas doing as well as they are.  I replanted carrots, some peas, and started some beans today.  I like the idea of staggering the planting for a steady crop through the summer.  I also planted moss roses and phlox inside, and all the moss roses have come up and ONE phlox (must have had a crummy batch of seeds). 

My mom is here from KY for the week, and we have been having lots of fun and doing pretty much nothing as far as school, housework, or anything like that.  We went to Stone Mountain one day, had a big shopping day, and today just kind of took it easy.  Monday, we leave for KY to take her home and to visit with her and my dad (who had to return for work) for a few more days.  We have been discussing life with children and homeschooling and planning and organizing.  She has such great ideas, and it's so nice to have someone actually BE around us to see how things go and give advice that is so personalized to US.  I realize how blessed I am to have been homeschooled for a while... not only do I know what it's like to BE homeschooled, I can get help and advice from my own mom as a seasoned homeschool mom looking back.  Can't beat that! 

~Michelle

It's Friday.....

I heard the audio of this today on the radio.   I'd recommend you just listen the first time and not watch the video.  It's always so hard to capture the essence of Good Friday, when we know the end of the story.  But this does it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=naajYZSbWdw

Now I can't get it out of my head.  It's Friday.... but Sunday's coming!

~Michelle

Update on My Little Garden

Now, I have a few carrots popping up too!  And two more broccoli plants.  I think everything is staggered pretty well, so we won't have 10 heads of broccoli all ready at once.  Yesterday we planted all of our tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli that we'd started indoors.  Most went into the garden, but a few tomatoes went into pots.  Each of my children has two tomato plants to try to keep alive.  :)  So theirs are in pots.  Last night got down into the mid 30s so I was a little worried about my new little green things, but it looks like they're ok.  The fence will be put up today, since I've been afraid to look the past few mornings for fear everything might be nibbled away.  We have a plastic owl sitting out there, so maybe he's been protecting things for us.  :) 

There are no bugs out yet here, so I'm in the gardening honeymoon stage, where everything is pretty and perfect.  I don't know anything about pests, but I'm sure I'll be learning soon.  Sigh...

Today I'll be starting some flower seeds inside... my favorites, moss roses and phlox.  Most phlox is already blooming around here, but next year it will be able to come up and bloom whenever it wants to!

~Michelle

Giveaway

Chas, at My Cup Runneth Over at Heritage Acres Farm (http://www.homesteadblogger.com/chas/91739/) is giving away a book I'VE been wanting to read.  Go over and sign up!  :)

From Chas....

I would like to give you the opportunity to win...

A wonderful, wonderful book.
**Excerpt **Pull up a chair, dust off the cookie crumbs, and join Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald as they lay aside stereotypes like the “Stepford wife” and dispel such myths as the 1950s “perfect homemaker.” Laughter and tears will flow, and hopefully you will be infused with a renewed vision for victory as a wife and mother. Discover what it means to be a passionate housewife “desperate” for God alone!
Here's what you do...
Leave me a message and if you have a blog, webpage, whatever link back to me...
If you don't have a web home or for some reason can't link me... NO PROBLEM.... just leave me a comment too!  Just make sure you leave me with a way to find  you if you are the winner.
My email is chasburrell at tvn dot net if you would like to leave your email privately.
I will run this giveaway until next Thursday at midnight, I will announce the winner next Friday!
My Cup Runneth Over...Chas

If you win.... can I borrow it when you're done???      ~Michelle

My Little Garden!

I love living in GA.  While my Michigan family and friends are still plowing their driveways, I'm watching broccoli and peas appearing in my garden!   But I'm not really gloating, I'm really just amazed that I can have a little garden started already in mid-March.  I have lettuce, tomatoes, and more broccoli started indoors, and we planted some spring flower bulbs outside today. 

Now... the real test will be if I can keep them all alive until there's something worthy of eating. 

~Michelle

God's Goodness and Our Perspective

You might know that in August I went back to work as a nurse at our tiny local hospital after a 5 year "break" to be a full-time stay-at-home-mommy.  I never planned on going back to work until my children were at least in high school (if we decided to send them to private school at that time) or possibly even college. 

Although I would only be working one 12-hour shift a week, I did NOT want to do it, and I really struggled with disappointment and anger that I couldn't just continue focusing completely on my family and home.  I also had a very hard time dealing with all of the articles and wonderful encouragement and testimonies of moms who stayed home and God provided needs because of their committment to not go back to work when times got tough.  I was afraid maybe we really WEREN'T trusting God enough, and making this decision out of fear and lack of faith.  Our main reason for my going back was to save money to buy a used van to replace our worn-out, ready-to-die van, and to get out of our remaining debt.  There's so much to this story, I can't type it all out, but that's the background in a nutshell.  :)

Anyway, 7 months later, God is helping me to handle the whole situation much better.  Whether our decision was the right one or not, God has blessed us amazingly anyway.  That's what is so breathtaking about God's goodness - that even when we doubt and stumble and don't know where we are going, He still holds us and protects us and loves us. 

The 12 hours that I'm away from my family each week has made me appreciate them even more.  During that time our children have special time with Daddy all to themselves.  Daddy appreciates me a bit more after having them all to himself for a day, too.  :)  I've been able to make a difference in the lives of my patients for the 12 hours I spend caring for them.  I appreciate our extended family more after being reminded briefly each week that most families nowadays are broken, fracture, or at least strained and unhappy.  It's shattered my "tunnel vision" that has come as I've chosen to surround myself with uplifting, encouraging friends, books, etc., which are all wonderful and edifying, but in doing that, I chose to shut out the realities of a hurting, dying world that exists beyond my church and home. 

Although I'd NEVER encourage another SAHM to go back to work for any of those reasons, God has chosen to take this situation and teach me and bless us through it.  And these are the things I've learned.  It's still difficult and I still feel sick every time I have to leave and I still miss having my whole weekend to be with my entire family - I can't deny that.  It's not easy to jump into the medical world for that short period of time and still try to keep up with all the changes and information that I'm responsible to keep up with.

This past weekend, we received the news that Carter's grandfather in Arizona is failing fast and most of his sons and grandsons are planning a trip out to AZ to see him for what everyone believes will be the last time.  In the past, this wouldn't have ever been an option for us to consider.  But it was with such peace that I could agree with my husband that he needed to be there too.  And even more interestingly, I had agreed to work 2 days this weekend instead of one to help with staffing issues.  What I made in that extra day will almost cover the cost of his airline ticket. 

God continues to amaze us with His grace.

~Michelle

No Time to Blog!

You can sure tell it's spring... we're back to feeling like there just aren't enough hourse in the day.  I did read an article in "Above Rubies" today, though, that was a great reminder to slow it down a bit and find times of rest and relaxation together as a family.

I have finally succumbed to some sort of bug.  I made it for 7 months working back at the hospital and thru 5 months of flu season without so much as a sniffle, but after fighting off "something" for about a week, it finally won.  It's just a nasty cold, but it's really the first thing I've had in ages.  I'm so thankful to God for His gift to our family of a very healthy winter.

It's beautiful here again.  In the upper 60s.  I have a few things planted in my garden and gradually more and more things starting inside.  Lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes inside and lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and peas outside.  We'll see what makes it and what doesn't.  I'm keeping very close notes on what sprouts and when.  Almost all of our inside things have sprouted and come up very quickly.  Now if I can just keep them alive!

While I've been feeling a bit rotten, I've been trying to catch up on a few indoor cleaning projects (just the usual vacuuming, bathrooms, etc., that have been left behind as we've worked outside and I've been on a sewing rampage). 

So with all of this, there's just no time to blog!  :)

~Michelle

Another Busy Week

We're still working toward our garden and chickens.  We've had another busy week.  Carter took yesterday off from work to work on these things.  We borrowed a big truck (boy, are they nice!) and we all headed out to get topsoil, peat moss, railroad ties, fencing, fence posts, a new shovel and rake, wood chips, pine straw, and more.  I felt like a farm girl.  Hee, hee!

It took ALL day running around trying to get everything.  Of course, a few places didn't have what they'd advertised, and one trip in particular was a wasted trip.  Oh, well, it was VERY cold (for here), about 35 degrees, so we didn't really spend a lot of time outside anyway.  Carter set up one of my 4X4 (really more like 3.5X3.5) garden spots, and we have one more to go. 

Today, the children and I decided to do some work outside to help Daddy, who is coaching a golf game tonight and won't be home until late.  He's been realy focused on getting the garden ready for me and he's also really trying to get ready so we can start our chickens this spring instead of next year.  So we spread all the pine straw up by the house and all the wood chips in their two places in the yard.  Those are the things Carter likes to see done.  Cassandra, my 7 year old, has been an enormous help.  She comes alive working outside.  Who'd have thought?  Emma was much more of a help today, and even Garrett helped for a while.  His help is not exactly... ummm... help, so when he's ready to give up, I am too.  :)

The biggest project left for us is figuring out what to do about a chicken coop / hen house.  We'll probably build something simple, I guess.

I did come up with an idea for conserving water, today.  I get so tired of running the dishwasher every day.  We use a lot of bowls (for cereal and for popcorn and for... ice cream!) so we're often out even when the DW isn't full.  And it just seems like we should be able to go longer between running it.  We don't use a lot of paper... although when you're in a severe drough, it seems that using disposable is wiser than running the dishwasher all the time.  Anyway, I set the children to washing, rinsing, and drying their own cups and bowls and spoons.  They think it's cool because they get to wash (no one wants to dry, they all want to play in warm soapy water), and I just fill up the sink part way with hot soapy water and they can do it as soon as they're through and go on to the next thing. And another way to incorporate Garrett into the chore world.

Oh, we're also on a waiting list for $20 rain barrels that attach to the downspouts and are adapted with a spigot at the bottom for hooking up a hose for watering.  That will be important with our garden as well this year, esp. if we have a year as dry as last year.

And that's it... all updated for now!  :)

~Michelle

Ps. In my album is a picture of the front pine straw and you can see just a glimpse of my first garden section on the side, dwarfed by the huge brush pile!

A Day's Work

I'm so very tired tonight!  But it's that wonderful, we-had-a-hard-day-of-work kind of feeling.  We all worked outside today clearing out a wooded section of our lot that has just been taken over by nasty vines and briers.  I took before and after pictures, but they do NOT do it justice!  Cassandra stuck with Carter and me and worked with us the whole 3 1/2 hours we were out there.  Which is especially great since she'd been helping me with housework all morning before we'd gone to work outside.  The other two little ones gave up fairly quickly (Garrett wanted to use the chainsaw and wasn't happy that he wasn't allowed to, and Emma wanted to hand saw the swing set apart and wasn't happy when SHE wasn't allowed to) and played outside for a while, then got a little cold and went inside.  That's another story... 

Anyway.  We cleared a corner section that was just old dead, cut down trees and junk covered in vines.  And then we worked our way into the rest of the area cutting and pulling stuff out of the way.  I love that kind of work (once in a while!).  It was so good to be outside.  It was about 58 degrees and I stayed plenty warm in a sweatshirt and headband to keep my ears warm.  It was pretty windy, so we couldn't burn the "ginormous" pile of stuff we cleared out.  We'll have to do that another day.  The wood will burn well, but all the thorny stuff usually smolders.  And thankfully.... no one got hurt except for a few thorn-holes in hands and scratches on legs and faces and arms.  :)  Whenever the chain saw is out, I get nervous!

This is the area we will be having our chickens, and it will be a great place for them to find lots of bugs!  We talked to our neighbors and they think it's great that we're going to get chickens.  That was good... you always wonder if your neighbors will disapprove when you live in a subdivision!

And I was reminded today by Robyn (www.lentilsandrice.blogspot.com) of square-foot gardening.  I'd read the book a few years ago and decided that was the way to go if we ever tried a garden again.  We know we want to do "raised" garden sections, so that is already the first step to square-foot gardening.  The idea is that you plant in square sections instead of rows.  You can plant more, harvest more, and water less, plus you start out with a special mix that doesn't involve (in our case) planting seeds in brick (hard, dry GA red clay).  So we're excited about this, and hope to get this going pretty soon, too.  If Carter just didn't have to work, we could probably get everything done!  :)

Well, it's an early-to-bed evening.  I probably won't be able to get out of bed in the morning....

~Michelle

Schindler's List

Last night, I watched the movie Schindler's List for the first (and probably last) time.  It's one of those movies that everyone should probably see once.  Anyway, I think the part that impacted me the most was at the very end when Schindler was getting ready to flee after the war had come to an end and he was weeping, saying that he could have saved more Jews, he could have done more; he could have sold his car, he should have saved more people.  I had this horrifying thought that maybe that is how I will feel for a moment in heaven when I realize what I could have done to impact more people for Christ.  Of course, no one can come to Him unless the Father draws him, BUT I know there is more I can do to work to "save" those around me. 

I am often silent about my faith, hoping that people will see a difference and ask or realize that it's Christ in me that makes the difference.  But when I see someday what little I have really for those around me blindly heading toward an eternity away from God, I'm afraid I will realize that "I could have done more.  I could have done so much more".  If the horror of the holocaust brings me to tears, how much more should the threat of an eternity in Hell separated from God motivate me to speak up.

~Michelle

Opportunity to Learn to Spin

I'm going to get a chance to learn something new!  I have a friend who has sheep and she's going to let me help her and learn with her to spin it into yarn!  

This is something that's been in the back of my mind for a while.  I went to Berea, KY a few years ago and saw a "Learn to Spin" kit.  I picked it up and looked it over, thinking..."Hmmmmmm....!"  Then I dropped it as quickly as I could... I didn't need ANYTHING else to spend my money on.  But I've continued to be intrigued by hand spinning wool into yarn.  And since I knit, how neat to learn how to "make" yarn!! 

Ahem... so... anyway... I'm not excited about this or anything.  :)

~Michelle

Today

For Today I Am...

thinking...about organizing my blog

planning...menu and grocery list

baking...blond brownies

wearing...pink turtleneck and denim jumper (how homeschool-y of me)

cooking...NOTHING!  It's DATE NIGHT!

reading..."Mrs. Mike"

going...nowhere

hoping...my children grow up to be civilized people, not barbarians

thankful...for a "date night" tonight

My Own Idea (for a change!)...

I had a great idea (I think) for my sweet 7 year old daughter.  She's been wanting to cook more and learn to make bread.  So she's been making biscuits, mac and cheese, and cookies.  So... I decided to start copying the recipes she uses over onto her own cards.  As she does more cooking, that collection will grow and when SHE is grown, she'll have a wonderful resource.  And that was my very own idea.  I'm a big copier of ideas, so it's nice to have my own once in a while!  :)

~Michelle

Moms....

Awwww... I just saw this and had to link you to it.  All about Moms... from a child's perspecitive.  Enjoy.

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/coveredchristians/87002/

Thanks, Sister Lori... that was so cute!

~Michelle

An Afternoon on a Homestead

I had a wonderful afternoon yesterday.  Through just "chance" I was directed to a homeschooling family 6 miles from us.  I knew they had goats and chickens and that their youngest daughter is my oldest daughter's age.  Other than that, I didn't know anything about them.  Well... when we got there, we were greeted by 3 of the 6 children and welcomed by 2 dogs and a cat.  The girls whisked my three children off to see the goats and chickens, and I had 2 hours to visit with a "real life" mom with so many of the same ideas as I have.  AND she is a true, true, true homesteader.

It took 2 hours to tour their home and "grounds".  It could have been in "Homesteader Magazine" if there is such a thing.  My younger daughter got to collect a just-laid, still-warm egg, ride a shetland pony, pet goats and ride a tire swing.   My older daughter made an instant friend, and my son was mothered and taken care of by everyone.  He got to ride the pony too. 

This woman has learned it all in 5 years.  She has a complete garden, divided into raised beds.  Herbs, divided into medicinal, Italian and poultry to make it easy for children to collect herbs.  They have two calves, bought from a dairy (they don't want the "boys" of course) for $60 that they can sell for beef and keep enough for themselves.  They have several goats and 2 sheep.  She has bags of wool in her basement, waiting to have "something" done with them... spinning is the ONLY thing she hasn't done yet!  They have a horse and a pony, raise a pig or two for their own meat, and have started a small orchard.  Oh, and she keeps bees! 

The reason it all works is that each of her children have an area that they enjoy.  The 17 year old pretty much takes care of the chickens, the 11 year old loves horses, etc.  Her husband works from home, so he's available.  At least three of the children also have begun or are in the process of beginning a business.

Anyway, it was just amazing.  I felt like I was absorbing so much information.  When the 17 year old daughter found out that I know how to knit, she was sooo excited.  There's ONE thing I can teach them!  :)  I was pretty excited too, to know that there's something I can contribute to this already self-sufficient family. 

So, it's possible that we may be able to learn together how to turn all this wool into yarn! 

~Michelle

Not Alone in This Struggle

Until today, I thought it was possible that I am the only one who finds myself spending more time blogging or researching online that is appropriate.  I always wonder how all the moms get everything done PLUS blog so beautifully.  I certainly can't!  :)  This an area that I have really been struggling with for quite a while.  I find myself coming down to check email or to blog in the morning before the children get up (a good thing) instead of having devotional time (a bad thing)!  And looking to other women for wisdom instead of asking God.  Or telling my early risers "I'll get you breakfast just as SOON as I check one more thing".   

Now I'm starting to see every day women who have decided to suspend or completely stop blogging because it's taken over their time to an alarming degree.  Here's one that describes the struggle so clearly http://dominionfamily.com/blog/2008/01/buenos-noches-mis-amigas/

Now the struggle is to decide whether to give it all up (not really possible with family and friends all over that US to keep in contact with via email) or to continue to wrestle with my own lack of self discipline to use my time more wisely (SO much harder by far).  Much easier to turn off the dumb thing and leave it alone as if it were a truly evil thing.  And yet, as with all things that take their places above what's truly important, it's NOT evil in itself, but becomes evil when it takes the place of the Lord in my life or keeps me from obeying Him.

Each decision to give up computer time (from women I look up to) shows me that I'm not alone in this struggle.  Thank you to those women who either have the self discipline to use this tool wisely (we still need you!) or who have given it up knowing themselves well enough to know what is best for their families and for their own spiritual lives. 

~Michelle