PRECIOUSPEAS

We’ve waited all summer for  the sun to shine and warm up the ground, the garden, the chickens and the children.  It seemed to take forever, until this week where we’ve felt the warmth of the sunshine on our backs as we complete the daily chores around the homestead.  My busy days are spent hanging laundry every day, ironing, harvesting the garden, cooking, canning, tending to the needs of the children, and now this week beginning homeschooling again.  This is the life for me and I can’t imagine doing anything different – it’s what I’ve been longing for, for many years now, and the Lord has answered many prayers.

It has been a very dreary summer, with little to no sunshine.  My garden is dying quickly because of the lack of sun.  My tomato plants produced about 12 tomatoes, but the vines are dying, as well as the tomatoes are turning brown.  The beans are just beginning to flower as well as the butternut squash.  Our corn hasn’t progressed past the 4 feet level and the ears are about 6 inches in length.  We did however, have an abundance of carrots, lettuce, broccolli, parsley, cabbage, spinach and onions.  I am constantly reminded that God is in control of everything here on the farm – even the weather and how much the garden grows.  It was a good learning year for me and I’ve learned several things to make next year even better.  A greenhouse is in our plans for next summer.  The General Manager’s (my hubby’s new nickname) “honey do” list continues to grow because of me.

The sunflowers are beginning to bloom in the warm weather we’ve had this week.  The girls are looking forward to a large supply of sunflower seeds to eat during the winter months (if the sunflower seeds last through the fall). 

Even our chickens are enjoying the extra sun and we are watching them to see if we’ll get more eggs because of the warmer weather.  We think Hawk might actually be fertilizing some eggs at this point.

Our egg stand is by far the talk of the town and for the last several weeks we have been sold out more than not.

I am just amazed at how blessed we have been- so many in our little community have been supportive of our little farm by purchasing our eggs – here I was worried and doubtful that with 28 hens laying every day, we’d be stuck with about 6 dozen extra eggs each week and instead we are short on supply for the demand.    Instead I need to remember, Matthew 21:22    “And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”  God continues to bless our endeavors ten fold.  Our egg money is going towards preparations to add some rabbits to our homestead and perhaps a goat this fall when Anne starts 4 -H.

My beautiful flowers finally think that it is summer – blooming in all their glory.  I pray that we will have a long Fall filled with warmth for them to shine God’s glory.  The children have been playing on the new tire swing that the General Manager put up for them last weekend.  When mom gets new tires on her truck – the kids get a new tire swing out of the deal.  It is such a joy to watch them swing on it for hours at a time.  They each  attempt to rush outside early in the morning so to be the first on the swing.  When not on the swing, you’ll find Tractor Boy and Abby riding the gator around the yard – just be sure to watch out for the swinging tire!  I don’t seem to be getting any comments because of homestead blogger’s new format, but I so appreciate each of my readers as I watch the counter go up each day.  I feel so blessed that you keep up with our family.  May God bless yours today.

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Blueberries, ripe, large and very blue numbered in the thousands as we wandered through row after row.  Little fingers stained blue as we spent some time at a local blueberry farm plucking these precious fruits from the bushes.

 

As I stood watching each of the children picking the berries, I had to laugh at how many berries were actually making it into the bucket versus how many were being captured by hungry mouths.

We spoke to the owner of the farm and she told us that they had 10 acres of blueberry bushes.  Each row was so well maintained and the bird netting hung low so that I had to duck low during our hunt.  It was so fun just picking and listening to the noise of the girls run from bush to bush finding a treasure of berries – calling out – “Quick, come here – I found a bunch of blue ones.”

After about an hour, everyone had their fill of berries and we had one big bucket, close to 6 pounds of berries.  Once home, they made their way into becoming some of the sweetest blueberry jam.  This winter when the last of the berries are picked, we’ll have our yummy reminder of the fun afternoon picking blueberries.

How do you make memories?

Blessings,

Michelle

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Don’t miss out on the Prairie Flower Farm giveaway

Here is what is included in the goody basket:   

• 4 little old spools with floss
• Spool of Red checked ribbon
• Little Juicy Apple Candle
• 1 yd. of our All Hearts Come Home for CHRISTmas fabric
• 1 yd. of our Winter Is In The Air fabric
• (the last two fabrics are my designs)
• 1 yd. Red Check Homespun fabric
• Red Lace
• Happy Home Needle Book
• Little ball of Twine
• Tea Bag Cozy/Tea
• One 100% cotton white Tea Towel

This could be just the motivation needed to start thinking about CHRISTmas!

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It seems like days now that I’ve been changing diaper after diaper, his little bottom raw and red from this stomach bug that has ahold of our family.  

She has a fever that has been hot, red hot, one minute and then the next her body is racked with shivers, the kind that even when under the blanket, she begs for more heat.  I hear the pleading cries for help to get to the bathroom in time, and then the pitter patter of those same feet running, running towards some form of relief.

Dear hubby was the one to be brought to his knees first with this illness, two weeks ago.  It pained me to see the man I love in such pain and so helpless to make it better.  He says, “This one just needs to run it’s course,” and like a bad attitude, it hung around too long and now all are feeling the effects of it.

Sleep overtakes the littlest ones affected and I watch them doze often throughout the day, into a quiet slumber, their toes peeking out from under the blanket. 

During this time they are pain free from the incredible stomach cramps that plague their little bodies.  As I watch them sleep, God speaks to me But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  Lord, even my body aches from this sickness, how do I keep going?  For days now, I have stayed home silent to the outside world happenings around me.   It’s as if I am alone in this place, yet I know other mothers have walked this same path before me.

“WAIT, Wait . . . . . . .” He says in a silent whisper.  Wait upon me and I will renew your strength. . . .  You will not be weary, nor will you faint.  I will mount you up with wings as eagles and you shall run, run and not be weary.  How often do I just want to succumb to the pressure and give in, quit, before I’ve even tried to persevere.  My sin-filled mind gives up before ever leaning on the one who can strengthen and sustain me.   Listen again, He says, “Wait, just wait, hold fast and steady and wait for the renewal of your heart and body that only I can provide to you.”

“Momma, my tummy hurts again, she cries from the sofa where she had been resting peacefully.”  I will wait, Lord, and will draw strength from you to see it through another day plagued by an illness I cannot control.

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Perhaps it was a poorly communicated plan, perhaps it was God needing me to hear His voice – really HEAR.  What do you mean we have “NO” hook-ups I hear myself whisper?  I’m feeling the tears well up inside.  How am I to handle five children, including an infant,  for a weekend of camping all by myself, without water and lights and no way to dump our tanks when they are full? 

I didn’t plan meals for cooking outside on a campfire, I didn’t bring enough water bottles and four flashlights are not enough to see by in the pitch black of night at the campsite.  I don’t know how to light a campfire and I don’t feel safe in this strange place.  I feel the pressure and stress building inside of me, it is overwhelming and scary.  Dear husband says ever so gently, “haven’t you been wanting to go off-grid – look at this as a trial period to see if you can overcome your limitations.”  Inside I’m screaming to him selflessly, “don’t you HEAR me – I don’t want to camp all by myself, I dont want to spend the weekend without any help and this was not the weekend for me to experiment with going off-grid.”

I watched him as he drove off, the dust from his truck blowing up in the heat of the afternoon.  I HEARD his loving words ringing in my ears, He’s gone and he’s left me in charge of five of our precious peas for the weekend with two cases of bottled water and a battery to run the lights.   I pray, speaking to God, is He listening, does He want to hear my cry?  And in that moment I HEARD,

“He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Behold! A sower went out to sow his seed…  Still other seed fell on good soil.   And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty..”    Then Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

I watched the girls as they set up their sleeping areas and change into their swimsuits; there was not a care or a worry on their mind, only sheer excitement to get to spend a moment at the river before dinner and before the sun began to set.  I listened, really listened this time to their chatter, only having seen my selfishness, my bitterness, my scorn and distaste for this weekend.  I began to soften and really HEAR for the first time.  As I looked around, I began to realize that our creator and everything around us is like an amphitheater, the voices were blaring with sound – I just needed to be quiet and listen.

God was speaking to me and He wanted me to be willing to HEAR and listen?  We walk a short distance to the river’s edge, many other families there enjoying the weekend.  I wonder, do they hear the beauty around them, or are their ears closed. Closing my eyes, so that I could tune into the sounds around me, I hear the rippling babble of the water as it flowed down the river, I hear the wind blowing the leaves on the far shore as the branches dipped ever so slightly toward the water’s edge. 

I hear the plink, plink, plonk of rocks in a bucket and the tap, tap, splash of hands hitting the water from Tractor Boy.  All of this was new and exciting to him – he wasn’t worried about not having electricity, enough water or where his next meal was coming from or how it was cooked.  He was in immersed in nature, hearing the gifts that I had been closing my ears to for far too long.  Listen for your life — by listening to your life. Listen for your life — by listening to life.

“Look mommy, lookey, I caught a fish.”  I smile at her, “Yes, I hear you honey.  I finally hear you!”  I see the joy of HEARING.

Later that evening, as I read God’s word, He speaks to me again, and I’m LISTENING this time, with a quietness in my heart, Isaiah 28:23  Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.  Job 34:16
“But if you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words.  Finally, this weekend makes sense now.

To listen is to continually give up all expectation and to give our attention, completely and freshly, to what is before us, not really knowing what we will hear or what that will mean. In the practice of our days, to listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear.  – Mark Nepo

#48 – #58

* little feet in ballet slippers

* fancy ribbons and frilly tutus

* big grins of accomplishment

*special moments alone with each of them

* their whole world spotlighted with one single floodlight – May God’s light flood their world each and every day

* being able to work the land with my hands

* sassy, short hair cuts

* cold afternoons spent reading curled up on the sofa

* baby feet

* little boy belly button

* big pucker lips with extra lip gloss

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