Mention Monday mornings and you can literally see faces fall of those who work outside of their homes. A chorus of moans could be heard around the globe if we had hearing like our canine friends do. There is just something about the start of a work week that puts people in a negative frame of mind. I remember there being the weight of a full work week staring you in the face each Monday when I used to work for someone else. Funny thing is I still have a full work week doing the exact same thing~ laid out before me . I've just changed my surroundings is all, that and doing what I love has changed my perspective in a lot of ways. I always knew I was made for the country and it was made for me. Spending time outdoors is a treat, being surround by animals a plus and having the freedom to play at will is down right thrilling.
Monday now-a-days, is the day that I set my house in order ~ cleaning, picking up, organizing a little, laundry and a few odd jobs that are helping to keep us going forward. I've decide to add Bread baking to this day as well. Trying out the new bread pan today was fun in making some sandwich buns for our lunches. I used a new recipe from the King Arthur website. Coming out of the oven they smelled delish, making me want a sandwich for dinner instead of what I had planned. Can't wait to try one out tomorrow!
Something special happened on A Holy Experience that made this Monday even MORE marvelous for me. You see, Ann's book has become quite successful, gaining fame on the best sellers list, winning an award and being praise on national tv. Ann's passion for Compassion International has her in contact with some very needy folks down in Guatemala. You can read her story of meeting the pastor of the "Dump people," his ministry and dream here. Entitled ~ "Because saying thank you can change the world."Okay, I can't wait for you to get back. The marvelous part is in the fact that because of her willingness to meet a need and the success of the book. She is including everyone who bought a book in on the opportunity of helping this group of people. She states that by January 2013 we should see the fulfillment of the pastor's dream of a ministry building to serve and worship in.
Never would I have thought that by buying a book for my own pleasure and inspiration. Would it lead to a greater use of the money spent for it. To help those who hunger in a greater way than I have ever know. I was humbled to tears this morning as I read of the unfolding of a greater purpose for this book that sits by my chair. God has allowed me to join in a ministry opportunity to an area I may never see. Because of the vision of one focused child of his. WOW! What a marvelous gift to the "Dump people" and to those who reached for the book in an effort to grow closer to the LORD. Grace, grace, God's grace. HIS Marvelous grace.
JOY DARE day 8 & 9
97/22~ following intuition, Princess is thankful
98/23~ rainy Sunday afternoon made for napping.
99/24~ hot cup of tea with fresh orange peel
100/25~ smiling snowmen everywhere I look
101/26~Sanctuary lights shimmering on a cloudy day*
102/27~reflection that lead to realization that counting what appears insignificant to others is the greatest praise I can give the LORD*
103/28~ the soft smoky fog rolling in after the storm*
104/29~ warm bread dough ready for the oven*
105/30~ my bread machine for the kneading*
106/31~ my husband of 35 years*
107/32~ light for the evening
108/33~eyes to see the physical and the spiritual
I am continuing to make progress on the homefront, not as completely as I had hoped. I keep reminding myself to not get distracted by the undone. In an effort to be kind to myself physically. Instead to walk through my day with an ultimate goal of being pleasing to the LORD and with those I share it with.
Walking in grace, dancing in the marvelous,
Deborah
Monday, January 9, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Weekends are for ~
Catching up, at least for me on this Saturday, with all of the activity & challenges happening right now. I wanted to be sure to share it with my family and friends by way of this blog. Since I haven't been writing on a regular basis for most of the past 4/5 months. I was WAY behind in finalizing the posts I had started. Sooo, being in a writing and organizing frame of mind today I decide to get caught up. Spending most of my afternoon coaching pictures from my camera, spell checking, writing and re-writing notes I was able to finish 5 posts! Which is both shameful to not already been done, but euphoric for wrapping up 5 loose ends. Guess it depends on which side of the keyboard your on. If it has been awhile since you stopped by, as in the obvious one of nothing new to read. I will tell you the updates begin with "A Butterfly Saturday" and reads right up to this one. Hope you enjoy catching up on them too.
My JOY DARE gifts ~ counting the blessings from the LORD.
93/18~ talking to daddy on his 80th Birthday today
94/19~ my husband, Lon's fresh wheat biscuits @ breakfast
95/20~ starting the JOY DARE
96/21~ phone call from my son, Jason
Feelin blogging relief,
Deborah
My JOY DARE gifts ~ counting the blessings from the LORD.
93/18~ talking to daddy on his 80th Birthday today
94/19~ my husband, Lon's fresh wheat biscuits @ breakfast
95/20~ starting the JOY DARE
96/21~ phone call from my son, Jason
Feelin blogging relief,
Deborah
Friday, January 6, 2012
New year ~ new activities
I got most of what I wanted to get accomplished done yesterday, but not for the week as a whole. Even so I feel good about the progress of my new daily/ weekly schedule. Like all new habits, getting comfortable in them takes time and practice. Note to self - remember I said time and practice. It is so easy to get discouraged when plans don't go as we planned. Many who make resolutions, goals or plans will give up at the first sign of resistance. A sure sign of defeat. Each morning breaks new with the opportunity to live the day out with fresh resolve and understanding, that an ultimate plan is in place that can trump our plans. In doing so we can better understand what is often perceived in our eyes as set backs. As instead heavenly detours back towards what our focus needs to be. Or a turn off the self chosen path onto a journey waiting to be experienced that we hadn't even considered. Both of which lead to living the intended purpose for the day, living an abundant life.
Besides making lists and setting up a schedule of sorts for basic home care, pursuit of personal interest and all the areas I would like to organize. I am trying to stay extremely flexible and more laid back in my approach to it all. Which gives me a daily challenge of not pushing ahead ~ full steam. Something I've been known to do from time to time. Though my family would probably say it's an "all the time" activity. Right now I am working towards trying to take care of myself while taking care of the necessary, not all that "appears" urgent. The enemy of my life would have me to think ALL is urgent and out of my control. The urgent is a lie, the out of my control the truth. Ultimately all is out of my control and sits squarely in the hands of the one who controls everything - The LORD. Only with HIS help can I even begin to "manage" what lies before me.
Managing my time to fulfill HIS purpose, answering the call on my life as HIS child, accomplishing what I should in the care of my family, exercising my gifts and talents to bless others and bring HIM glory in the process. When my days are viewed through HIS eyes, my "to-do" list becomes a "TA-DA" victory. And when I consider the hours given to live my life and weed out the wasteful. Now that is a successful day!
"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us." Psalm 90:17
I picked out some fabric yesterday needed to begin an online quilting class that will run monthly for the year. WOW that is a commitment I've never done before, class that is. Quilting has always been an interest of mine. I've made a few items by hand, even sewing a few "cheat-um" quilts as I call them. Those are the ones that are already a printed not pieced panel sown together. But this class will be about cutting & piecing 20 different blocks with machine stitching. A new arena for me to be sure. I will try (try) to keep my progress blogged about for a couple of reasons. One being it will help me stay accountable to keep up with the classes and secondly it might just inspire you to join in on the challenge. If you would like to check out this FREE video class just click on this link Craftsy Block of the Month or the button on the side bar. Regardless of the outcome of my squares I am hoping to learn some techniques that have been a mystery to me. Never the less I am sure the degree of warmth the quilt will offer won't be affected by my stitching capabilities.
January's Counting of Gifts ~ (see calender for explanations *)
76/1 ~my curly hair- couldn't always say that*
77/2 ~ creative talent*
78/3 ~ ability to find pleasure in simple things*
79/4 ~ our farm*
80/5 ~ double kitchen windows to look out of*
81/6 ~ my husband's cooking*
82/7 ~ "Thank You Jesus" by a loved one*
83/8~ "Father we ask for your direction in our lives"*
84/9~ photo of my only granddaughter*
85/10~ Christmas portrait of our kids*
86/11~ husband's eyes*
87/12~ reading the herbal kitchen*
88/13~ knitting a scarf*
89/14~ seeing Daisy & Silas comfortable with each other's presence*
90/15~ Leah's photo by my chair - all smiles*
91/16~ fresh goat's milk in the fridge*
92/17~ Jesus*
Besides making lists and setting up a schedule of sorts for basic home care, pursuit of personal interest and all the areas I would like to organize. I am trying to stay extremely flexible and more laid back in my approach to it all. Which gives me a daily challenge of not pushing ahead ~ full steam. Something I've been known to do from time to time. Though my family would probably say it's an "all the time" activity. Right now I am working towards trying to take care of myself while taking care of the necessary, not all that "appears" urgent. The enemy of my life would have me to think ALL is urgent and out of my control. The urgent is a lie, the out of my control the truth. Ultimately all is out of my control and sits squarely in the hands of the one who controls everything - The LORD. Only with HIS help can I even begin to "manage" what lies before me.
Managing my time to fulfill HIS purpose, answering the call on my life as HIS child, accomplishing what I should in the care of my family, exercising my gifts and talents to bless others and bring HIM glory in the process. When my days are viewed through HIS eyes, my "to-do" list becomes a "TA-DA" victory. And when I consider the hours given to live my life and weed out the wasteful. Now that is a successful day!
"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us." Psalm 90:17
I picked out some fabric yesterday needed to begin an online quilting class that will run monthly for the year. WOW that is a commitment I've never done before, class that is. Quilting has always been an interest of mine. I've made a few items by hand, even sewing a few "cheat-um" quilts as I call them. Those are the ones that are already a printed not pieced panel sown together. But this class will be about cutting & piecing 20 different blocks with machine stitching. A new arena for me to be sure. I will try (try) to keep my progress blogged about for a couple of reasons. One being it will help me stay accountable to keep up with the classes and secondly it might just inspire you to join in on the challenge. If you would like to check out this FREE video class just click on this link Craftsy Block of the Month or the button on the side bar. Regardless of the outcome of my squares I am hoping to learn some techniques that have been a mystery to me. Never the less I am sure the degree of warmth the quilt will offer won't be affected by my stitching capabilities.
This must be the year of CHALLENGES for me. As I have taken on another one, The Joy Dare as a year long commitment. Actually I started the practice of counting gifts back in the Summer of last year. But have now joined in with others by making a pledge to be public about it. You can join in at A Holy Experience or click on the link button on my side bar to.
I've written about it recently at Recognizing my 1,000 Gifts. Having found the challenge just today I am trying to get caught up with posting this new JOY DARE counting. I will continue to add them to my Gratitude journal by listing both counts together. Each month I will bring new focus quests to look for besides the individual blessings that will come.
January's Counting of Gifts ~ (see calender for explanations *)
76/1 ~my curly hair- couldn't always say that*
77/2 ~ creative talent*
78/3 ~ ability to find pleasure in simple things*
79/4 ~ our farm*
80/5 ~ double kitchen windows to look out of*
81/6 ~ my husband's cooking*
82/7 ~ "Thank You Jesus" by a loved one*
83/8~ "Father we ask for your direction in our lives"*
84/9~ photo of my only granddaughter*
85/10~ Christmas portrait of our kids*
86/11~ husband's eyes*
87/12~ reading the herbal kitchen*
88/13~ knitting a scarf*
89/14~ seeing Daisy & Silas comfortable with each other's presence*
90/15~ Leah's photo by my chair - all smiles*
91/16~ fresh goat's milk in the fridge*
92/17~ Jesus*
Stepping forward into the new year with JOY,
DeborahSunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year ~
Thought I would share the Christmas letter we sent out this year with you, my blog friends. It's like a quick view of the happenings of 2011 here at the farm. Much transpired though little was blogged about. For various reasons I never sat down long enough to type it out as it unfolded. Hope to do a better job this year of recording what is happening on the farm and in my heart.
Greetings from Heartland Farm,
It's amazing to us that we have been here on our fledgling farm for over 2 years. My how the time has surely flown by. Seems like we started our adventure just a short time ago and yet it also feels like we have been here for quite awhile. Not sure if it is caused by an aging mind creeping up on us or the fact that we have been so very busy.
The past year has brought many changes, challenges, laughter, progress, moans and prayers to our door. The farm is a continuous school for learning, stretching, sore muscles, bending of wills and trusting dependence on the Lord. We have been both BLESSED and tested this past year and are thankful for both gifts. We continue to find and enjoy the peaceful joys of simple farm living around us. Of walking hand in hand with the LORD in the garden of our lives.
Many ask us about the activities of our farm so I thought I would give you an update of some of the happenings. Might want to pour yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee and put your feet up for a spell ~ ~
Our "critter" family has grown a lot with the addition of farm hatched Spring chicks & guineas, a multiplying bunny trio (gotcha covered for Easter), birth of 11 goat kids in 2011, (will be keeping at least a buck out of the latest Fall births), at present the herd numbers 13 - of which 5 are milkers, 25 Freedom Ranger meat birds(they are still hanging around in the freezer), a few more lively roosters (anybody want one?) Besides the 2010 addition of 2 livestock dogs (Great Pyrenees), Nellie and Belle. Who has done a wonderful job of keeping the nasties away from their assorted barnyard family. We have added 2 new kittens - Silas & Gracie, who have brought much comic relief to our workdays.
Enlarging our garden this year, yielded a bountiful harvest for our fresh eating pleasure along with stocking our Winter pantry. Canning, pickling, dehydrating and freezing the picked, shelled, gleamed and food gifts from neighbors filled our Summer days. We ventured out a little further this year and sowed a larger Fall garden as well. The root crops have turned out really well. Inspiring us to step a little further down the path towards providing our own "home grown" goodness year round.
Inside the home I have been busy this past year learning the art of cheese making. Using the fresh milk from our goats, Lon and I have made a variety of soft cheese like Chevre, feta, mozzarella, besides yummy keifer and buttermilk. Obtaining a cheese press has allowed us to turn out a few wheels of hard Cheddar & Caerphilly too. Cheese making is a school master that keeps me on my toes and stretches my brain cells on a regular basis. Both of which I've been told will keep you young, time will only tell. Returning once again to my love of baking this year. I have been trying many new recipes for freshly baked yeast breads. Truly a treat for the pallet and a wonderful air freshener for our home. The opportunity to share some of our Home Grown goodness at local farmer's markets keeps us perpetually trying to perfect our crafts.
We were disappointed this year not to be able to gather honey from our hives. But with a decrease in blooms and Spring showers, the bees didn't produce enough for both their Winter survival and our eating pleasure. Two new hives will be joining our Apiary in early Spring to increase these busy little bees capabilities. Plans are also in the making to provide them with some additional flowering sources in the new year. So our fingers are crossed in hopes of being able to gather up our first jar of "Heartland Farm" honey in 2012.
We are celebrating our 3rd. Christmas here at Heartland this year. It is going to be a very special one for several reasons. Besides our primary one to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. We have joy in knowing that Lon will be retiring on Christmas Day this year. What a gift under the tree for us! After 36 years of service in the Fire Dept. he has arrived at that place in time where he can turn in his fire truck for a tractor. He is anticipating all the opportunities this change will offer him. I for one have been giddy for quite awhile knowing I will finally have him home 24/7. We are thankful for all the Lord has provided through his tenure with the Fire Dept, this new opportunity to spend more time together and HIS promised faithfulness to be with us in this new chapter of our lives. To say we are excited is inadequate, the hope and joy we feel is an open door to life experiences we have never known and can't wait to explore.
Wishing you a loving touch from the Lord this Christmas,
The Farmer & the Milkmaid
There lies in front of each of us a new year with blank pages where with to write our life's story. Many make resolutions at this time of year but they are not all that most people hope them to be. I have learned that resolutions never stay long, goals can have a rigid time frame, but living as the days unfold gives one the most blessings. I find that I get more done with a little structure to move me in the right direction and the freedom to change or let go of completely if need be.
Here's to blank pages waiting to be filled,
Deborah
Greetings from Heartland Farm,
It's amazing to us that we have been here on our fledgling farm for over 2 years. My how the time has surely flown by. Seems like we started our adventure just a short time ago and yet it also feels like we have been here for quite awhile. Not sure if it is caused by an aging mind creeping up on us or the fact that we have been so very busy.
The past year has brought many changes, challenges, laughter, progress, moans and prayers to our door. The farm is a continuous school for learning, stretching, sore muscles, bending of wills and trusting dependence on the Lord. We have been both BLESSED and tested this past year and are thankful for both gifts. We continue to find and enjoy the peaceful joys of simple farm living around us. Of walking hand in hand with the LORD in the garden of our lives.
Many ask us about the activities of our farm so I thought I would give you an update of some of the happenings. Might want to pour yourself a cup of hot tea or coffee and put your feet up for a spell ~ ~
Our "critter" family has grown a lot with the addition of farm hatched Spring chicks & guineas, a multiplying bunny trio (gotcha covered for Easter), birth of 11 goat kids in 2011, (will be keeping at least a buck out of the latest Fall births), at present the herd numbers 13 - of which 5 are milkers, 25 Freedom Ranger meat birds(they are still hanging around in the freezer
Enlarging our garden this year, yielded a bountiful harvest for our fresh eating pleasure along with stocking our Winter pantry. Canning, pickling, dehydrating and freezing the picked, shelled, gleamed and food gifts from neighbors filled our Summer days. We ventured out a little further this year and sowed a larger Fall garden as well. The root crops have turned out really well. Inspiring us to step a little further down the path towards providing our own "home grown" goodness year round.
Inside the home I have been busy this past year learning the art of cheese making. Using the fresh milk from our goats, Lon and I have made a variety of soft cheese like Chevre, feta, mozzarella, besides yummy keifer and buttermilk. Obtaining a cheese press has allowed us to turn out a few wheels of hard Cheddar & Caerphilly too. Cheese making is a school master that keeps me on my toes and stretches my brain cells on a regular basis. Both of which I've been told will keep you young, time will only tell. Returning once again to my love of baking this year. I have been trying many new recipes for freshly baked yeast breads. Truly a treat for the pallet and a wonderful air freshener for our home. The opportunity to share some of our Home Grown goodness at local farmer's markets keeps us perpetually trying to perfect our crafts.
We were disappointed this year not to be able to gather honey from our hives. But with a decrease in blooms and Spring showers, the bees didn't produce enough for both their Winter survival and our eating pleasure. Two new hives will be joining our Apiary in early Spring to increase these busy little bees capabilities. Plans are also in the making to provide them with some additional flowering sources in the new year. So our fingers are crossed in hopes of being able to gather up our first jar of "Heartland Farm" honey in 2012.
We are celebrating our 3rd. Christmas here at Heartland this year. It is going to be a very special one for several reasons. Besides our primary one to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus. We have joy in knowing that Lon will be retiring on Christmas Day this year. What a gift under the tree for us! After 36 years of service in the Fire Dept. he has arrived at that place in time where he can turn in his fire truck for a tractor. He is anticipating all the opportunities this change will offer him. I for one have been giddy for quite awhile knowing I will finally have him home 24/7. We are thankful for all the Lord has provided through his tenure with the Fire Dept, this new opportunity to spend more time together and HIS promised faithfulness to be with us in this new chapter of our lives. To say we are excited is inadequate, the hope and joy we feel is an open door to life experiences we have never known and can't wait to explore.
Wishing you a loving touch from the Lord this Christmas,
The Farmer & the Milkmaid
There lies in front of each of us a new year with blank pages where with to write our life's story. Many make resolutions at this time of year but they are not all that most people hope them to be. I have learned that resolutions never stay long, goals can have a rigid time frame, but living as the days unfold gives one the most blessings. I find that I get more done with a little structure to move me in the right direction and the freedom to change or let go of completely if need be.
Here's to blank pages waiting to be filled,
Deborah
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