Cows, Beans, Wood Burning...

Good day friends and family! I pray that you are all having a wonderfully blessed day in our LORD! It's been a scorcher here in my part of North Carolina. Temps reached into the lower nineties, with a pretty high heat index. Wow, has the weather been wonderful... ;D

Well, it' been a fairly busy past few weeks. With daily farm chores, work at my neighbor's, church activities, life has been hopping. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Work on my neighbor's farm is moving right along. Squash, okra, and potatoes are the vegetables coming in right now. I pick those 2-3 days a week. I am still washing eggs, but no where near as many as I was before. My neighbor is slowly fading out of the egg business, so they are only getting about 50 dozen a week now. (it was almost 150 dozen in the winter...)

On the homestead front of things, there have been a few problems. All having to due with Anna-Belle our milk cow. We noticed that she was not producing much milk, and she was gradually eating less and less. Monday she stopped eating and drinking completely. So the vet was promptly called in to access the situation.

Anna-belle has been diagnosed with Ketosis. (here is an article if you want to learn more) There may be another issue causing problems, but the vet is going to wait and see how she responds to treatment for this. So far she is doing better. Eating for the most part, and running away from us come milking time. So prayerfully she is on the mend. :)

Our garden has been doing fairly well. I picked about 2 gallons of green beans this evening...



The cucumbers are coming in pretty regularly...



And our carrots are growing pretty well too...



The hydrangeas are still blooming beautifully...



And my sunflowers should pop out this week...



A special someone surprised me last week. Can you guess what it is from the pic?



Yes, Justin bought me a wood burning pen. :D I have been looking at one of these things for I don't know how long, and his sweet self bought me one. :)Oh and what fun this thing is! I have so many craft ideas via Pinterest that I cannot wait to get started on. The one I am most anxious to get started with is magnetic alphabet letters for my 3 year old class this coming year. All I need is to get some wood cut, and I will be busy for hours! :D



Our church had a combined teen and young couples/singles outing...



We went and played mini golf, and rode go karts by a local lake. So lots of fun times were had there...







A storm rolled through this evening. The clouds that preceded it were beautiful!





The clouds that followed it were pretty amazing too...





Thank-you LORD for all the beauty you have bestowed upon our lives. Even in the simple moments.

This looks to be a pretty busy week as well. But a very fun sort of week at that. Our church will be going on a camping/white water rafting trip, in the mountains of NC. I am so excited about this trip, and can truly hardly wait. :D I just have to get all of my normal weeks work completed in 3 days. It shouldn't be that bad though. I just have to work extra hard, and cram everything into a shorter period of time. :D

How has your week been? I pray it has been a wonderful one for you! :D

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

Little Juliet

Looky what happened here on our homestead last Friday, around 5 pm...



Yes! Anna-belle, our Jersey milk cow, gave birth to a little heifer...



And what a precious and sweet little girl she is...



Well, unless you stick a camera in her face when she is trying to eat. Then she acts like a typical child...



And guess what the birth of little Juliet means for this country gal. Back to my job of milk maid. I can feel my arms toning up nicely right now...



We are so thankful that Anna-belle had a smooth birth for the most part. I thought for a moment I was going to have to pull the calf out. (the head was a bit stuck for awhile there). But after leaving Anna-belle to herself, she had no problem whatsoever.

We are also not keeping the milk currently. We are milking her once a day, and letting the calf have the rest. Hopefully we should separate the mama and baby this weekend, and then we will be able to keep the milk for ourselves.

Oh and how I can't wait for all the fresh cheese, and butter, and ice cream, and tall glasses of Nesquick. Wow, guess I'm going to up my walking time soon... ;P

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

Done and Over With!

That describes two things in our family right now. My sister has officially completed her high school education, and I have finished up teaching K-3 for this year. :D

I must say I'm pretty excited at the latter being done with for awhile. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching the K-3 class. I love the opportunity the LORD has given me in serving HIM in the capacity of working with children. HE has taught me so much through it this year.

Like having patience with children, and all of their little quirks. Or how a kind, gentle attitude can go a long way in disciplining a child. Also, when to let certain actions or attitudes go unnoticed, and when to correct others.

HE gave me many blessings as well. Like perfect days when no one goes into time out. :D There were also days following particularly rough ones for kids, where they would constantly ask me, "Am I being good, and making Jesus happy?". Days filled with bubbling laughter, and care free smiles, that only a child can have. Little moments that just made my heart swell with joy in serving the LORD in that capacity.

I'm just excited at the prospect of staying home, and being able to help out around my parents homestead more often. I truly LOVE this part of being a stay at home daughter. Being able to help my family around here, serving them in whatever capacity they need me to. Whether it's milking the cow, weeding the garden, doing laundry, you name it, I love helping run a home. :)

For the first item I mentioned being done and over with, I'm pretty excited, and proud of. My sister has completed home school high school. She was able to participate in the large graduation ceremony that our state holds for home schoolers, in Winston-Salem. And what an awesome, Christ centered ceremony it was. :D

I'm so proud of my little sister, and how much of a Godly, and beautiful young woman she has become. And I truly can't wait to see where the LORD guides her steps in the coming years. I love you Gracie! :D







Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

Rain, Eggs, Special People...

Good day friends and family! I pray that you are having a wonderfully blessed day in our LORD! It's turned out to be a rainy day in my neck of the woods. But how beautiful the rain is. The rain with the wonderfully warm weather we have been experiencing, has made all the new spring green and flowers just pop. I think spring is finally here. :D

It's been awhile since I have given a life update on here. I've been pretty busy. And with all this warm weather making me want to spend as much time outdoors as possible, I feel as if I have neglected my poor little blog. Oh well...

Work on my neighbor's farm is moving right along. I wash eggs 2, sometimes three days a week. That's typically on Monday and Wednesday, sometimes Tuesday afternoons. We plan to start some okra plants next week, so more time will defiantly be spent over there then.

My K-3 class is going really well. Our daily routine is well established, and the kids seems to enjoy it. There are still a few issues with obedience, but overall they are doing remarkably well. Each child has good and bad days, but we have been having more good than bad of late. For that, I am so thankful. :D

Work around my parents homestead has picked up a bit. I've been spending quite a bit of time cleaning the yard, and anything else outdoors that needs a bit of sprucing up. I planted about 60 broccoli plants last Monday. Mama had originally wanted to plant them herself, but her schedule wasn't letting her. Since they needed to go in the ground quick, she told me I could do them myself. And how nice it was to work in the garden while it was so pleasantly warm. :D

I was able to go to a library book sale this past weekend. I found quite a few books that I have been wanting to read, but have not seen at the library. I bought some natural health books, a gorgeous copy of Jane Austen's "Emma", "Let Me Be A Woman" a devotional type book by Elisabeth Elliot, several WW2 books, and the first book in the "Wings Of Glory" series by Sarah Sundin. :)

Following church Sunday afternoon I went to a farm heritage show with a very special person. ;)


Me and Justin

They had a lot of old farm tools, demonstrations, tractors, horses, and all things agriculture.












They even had a draft horse pulling contest. It was pretty amazing seeing the horses so anxious and ready to pull all that weight. And also seeing the handlers trying to keep them in line. :D

The next few weeks look to be pretty busy, but not too bad. Our church is having an Easter play, and I was put in charge of costumes once again. I have two that I need to make still. I just need to find some material for them. I am hoping to come across some at Goodwill, or score a coupon at a local fabric store. We'll see though.

Well, I'm going to get off of here for now. I hope to catch up on some of my Bible reading this evening, as well as finish off my lesson plan for school tomorrow. We will be talking about how plants grow, and I hope to actually let them learn hands on by way of letting them plant some sunflower seeds. That should excite them. :D

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

Just Another Day in Paradise

Have I ever told you how much I love being a stay at home daughter? Well let me tell you, I LOVE it to death! I love how the LORD has blessed me with a special time to serve my family, preparing for the day I will hopefully have a home of my own, as well as spending extra time serving those in my community.

One of the ways I help those in my community is working on my neighbor's organic farm, whenever she needs a helping hand. I wash eggs, plant and garden vegetables, help with the packaging of broilers, clean chicken coops, and whatever else comes up. It's hard, but a pleasant, satisfying sort of work. Just being outdoors is the best part. :)

So let's take a peek at what I do! :D

It all starts with a short walk down the road.





Let's check on some of last weeks work. We put some kale plants in the ground, that were started sometime in January.



Here's two beds we put together. They are full of red lettuce, and even more kale. All should be ready for sale at the farmer's market come the end of March. :D



We have recently been starting broccoli plants. About 800 in all. They are currently being kept in this homemade greenhouse, until our larger green house is set up.



More potted broccoli, and some lettuce on our "planting table"...



One of the prettiest sights, the new plants springing forth.



Now it's off down the road to gather today's eggs. Here's my buddy, Steve! Ain't he the cutest! He loves to ride on the Kubota RTV when we get eggs.



Together there are about 200 chickens. All Red Stars.



They are kept in a large fenced in field, with the coop in the middle. The coop is regularly moved so the chickens will wander and free range more.



Most of the time, the chickens will gladly let you get the eggs out from under them.



Then there are other days when one is down right determined to hatch the eggs, and the only way you are going to get them is to forcibly remove her. ;)



One five gallon bucket a day is average. That sounds like a lot, but back in the fall, we were getting two. '_'



Of course I wash and package the eggs for sale. I try to wash them two days a week. I will usually wash about 150 dozen in those two days. All by hand... :)

I have learned so much about farming while working here. I've also learned what it truly means to work hard. Having this job has been such a blessing in the fact I can pretty much set my own schedule. Which is great for days when I may be needed at home more. (or when I'm sick like today...) Thank you LORD for blessing me with this wonderful time of learning, and service on this farm. :)



Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

This blog has been linked to Homestead Revival's Rural Monday Blog Hop and Rural Journal's Rural Thursday.

A SAHD's Unexpected Flak

Source: ffffound.com via Angel on Pinterest

BOOM! BAM! Spiraling down, down, down... What do I do? Where did this come from? Why, me? Can I pull up from this? Why, why, why?

I felt as if I had been hit recently. I've been flying smoothly in my choice of being a stay at home daughter for the last while, then out of no where, flak. And it didn't just strafe me. I was hit dead on.

I felt the LORD's calling to be a stay at home daughter over two years ago. (You can read about my decision under the label "Journey To HIS Will" on the sidebar) When I first came to that decision, I knew that people would not understand it, and question me. I expected it. So getting criticism and questions then, was not so bad.

But, receiving questions and criticism, after almost three years of doing this was not what I expected.

I was devastated after my motives were questioned. Especially since remarks came from someone that is a Christian, and has heard my full story countless times. I expect that sort of thing from an unbeliever, but from a fellow believer? I was shell shocked.

Maybe they did not realize their remarks were said in a condescending way. Maybe I just took them wrong. But none the less, it hurt.

I guess the reason it hurt so bad, is that I feel alone. I don't believe that most people in my acquaintance really accept or understand what I do with my life. I'm not upset with them for it. Unless GOD has shown you this way of life personally, you truly cannot understand it. And GOD does call each of us in different directions in life.

For me, I have currently been called as a stay at home daughter. That means not going off to college to get a degree behind my name, but living with my parents until I get married. It means not training for a career outside the home, but learning for a career within the home. It means spending my single years serving my family in anyway I can, as well as anyone else in my community. It means striving to become as the Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 woman.

I'm just doing what the LORD has called me to do in my life. Just as you and everyone else is doing what the LORD commanded of them in their life.

Why did I get judged? I think the flak I was hit with, was sent to distract and discourage me. To distract me from my goal of sticking with GOD's plan with my life. And to discourage me from joyfully serving the LORD.

Yes, I was shot down. But not destroyed. I have come out of the rubble, stronger, and more determined to get going again. To serve the LORD where HE has placed me at this time.

I pray I don't have to face that painful experience again. But next time, I'll know how to deal with those shells being hurled at me. I'll just look to my father above, thank HIM for where HE has placed me, (maybe cry a bit again...) and continue flying along this journey, to the goal of becoming more like HIM. :D

Whatever trials are in your path right now, I pray the LORD will give you strength to overcome them, and continue along the path HE has placed you on. :)

Have a wonderfully blessed day! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

"No, Just Learning"

I went to the library today. I've been wanting to check out some books on herbal remedies and child birth. I found fairly easily what I wanted, and checked them out. Well, while I was walking out the door the librarian asked me with a huge grin on her face "Who's expecting?". I politely told her no one, I am just interested in learning about child birth. With a big ole' smile she says "Oh, that's interesting...".

I guess to most it would seem odd that a young, single woman would be checking out books on childbirth practices. From what I can gather, most women really do not look into childbirth practices, child rearing, or anything pertaining to that subject until they are faced with it.

I've made a decision in my life. I am not going to wait until the last minute to cram for what will probably be the biggest test of my life. The test of parenthood.

No, I do not foresee myself getting married, and having children anytime soon. But I do believe with all of my heart the LORD does have that in store for my future. I believe this because of how HE has led me to stay at home daughter hood.

HE has blessed me with this very special season of life. Not just as a stay at home daughter, but as a single young woman. A season of serving HIM and learning for HIM. By researching these subjects now, (while I don't have the responsibilities of a house hold to run) I can use the extra time that has been given, to prepare for the future.

It's kind of like the English tests you had in school. You did not wait until the day of the test to start studying the terms, and rules. (that is if you were wise...) Why would I wait until I'm pregnant with raging hormones, and life to deal with, to learn about what is going on inside of me and what will go on? Wouldn't it be easier to learn now, while I don't have those issues to consider?

It reminds me of that verse in Proverbs 31:27-

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Wouldn't I be looking well to the ways of my future household, making it run as smoothly as possible, with the LORD's guidance, by learning all I can now?

I think so. What about you?

Have a wonderfully blessed day! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

From Hope, to Contentment

For the past several years, I have sprouted a sort of New Year's tradition. I have taken any extra time I have, and used it to clean and organize all of my stuff. With there not being quite as much time on my hands as I would like this year, I've had to sort of go in stages. You know, clean the closet one day, under the bed the next, so on and so forth.

This evening I got to my hope chest. Over the past few months, I've just sort of shoved what I have received for it in there, and left it alone. Well, with me receiving some things for Christmas, finding room to "shove" those things in it was impossible. So I took this evening and removed everything, so I could do a bit of organizing.

I loved going through all of those items. I have a bit of everything. From china, knives, pictures, cloth napkins, a table cloth, Christmas ornaments, there is quite a variety. Going through each item, brought back a special memory of when each item was bought or received. Where it came from, who I was with, and what we did that day.

Then of course that thought entered my mind. Will any of this be used one day? Will the LORD bless me with a home and family of my own, who I can bless with these trinkets? Can I be joyful in the fact that the LORD may not want me to use these items in my own home, but instead use them right here in my parents home?

I believe that is probably the biggest lesson the LORD has taught me in 2011. To be patient, and completely and TOTALLY content in HIM, where HE has placed me. Boy has it been a hard one to learn. But I believe that I can say 100 % honestly, I am content where HE has placed me.

For the first time in quite awhile this Thanksgiving and Christmas, I was not wishing and pining away for a special somebody to share the day with. I was able to take those days, and enjoy them to the fullest with my family. And how wonderful a feeling that was! As I tell my mom when something like this comes up, "You ought to be quite proud of me!". ;D

Yes, I still want a home, husband, and family of my own. What single gal doesn't?

But I can truly say that I love GOD so much, that if that is not what HE wants for me, I can let it go. I only want HIM! I want what HE desires of me. WHATEVER that may be. :D

I can't wait to see where GOD takes me this year. What path HE leads me down. What lessons HE shows me through HIS word, and the people HE brings to me. I can't wait to look back this time next year, and see where HE has brought me. I want to be able to look back, and have no regrets in how I have served HIM. :)

Two thousand twelve, bring it on! :D

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

Dutch Potato Soup

Like I said on Friday, I was in charge of supper this past Saturday. I decided to make one of my favorite soups. It's called "Dutch Potato Soup". I found it in a Mennonite cookbook of my mom's, and I love it! It takes a good deal of prep work, but the ingredients are quite simple. It has defiantly become a favorite in our family, especially on cool, crisp days. Here's the recipe, for any of you that may want to give it a try yourself. :D


~ 4 cups diced potatoes
~ 3 cups water
~ 1 1/2 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 tsp. thyme
~ 1/4 tsp. pepper
~ 6 sluices bacon
~ 1 medium onion
~ 2 Tbsp. flour
~ 1 cup milk

*Bring potatoes, water, salt, thyme and pepper to a boil.



*Simmer till potatoes are soft.



*Drain reserving broth.



*Mash half of the potatoes.



*Fry bacon; remove.



*Pour off all but two tbsp. of drippings. ( I place my onions and drippings in the same pot that I am making the soup in. It makes things easier) Cook onion in drippings until tender.



*Stir in flour.



*Gradually stir in reserved broth.



*Stir in mashed potatoes.



*Add bacon and cubed potatoes.





*Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.



*Add milk.



Enjoy!






What a blessing it was to make this meal for my family. It gave my mom an afternoon to do what she wanted, and it gave me time to improve on my skills in the kitchen. :D

She riseth while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, an a portion to her maidens. Proverbs 31:15



Have a wonderfully blessed day! Thanks for stopping by!
Angel

*This post had been linked to "Raising Homemakers"