Random Thoughts from October

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. Been in a slump I guess. Not sure there's anyone out there that even reads this to be honest and if they do read this, do they care? Thinking about taking a break for awhile.

Anyway, had a little time to jot down some things today, so I thought I would.

As the year is coming to a close in just two months (two months!), I can't help but think how FAST it has gone. Rob and I looked at each other tonight and we were talking about how we really need to get organized about our property plans. The land will be cleared in just a few weeks (1 and 1/2 acres of beautiful trees) and the wood carefully stacked and sorted into piles for a future wood stove, plenty of family bonfires on cool nights, and lots of wood for our boys as they experiment with wood projects (Lincoln really enjoys carving...Shh! don't tell him, but we're getting him a wood carving tool set for Christmas).

Been studying in depth the nature of sin and the difference between sin and personal conviction. The Lord gives us certain COMMANDS in Scripture, but because we go with the grain of the culture, we so easily JUSTIFY why we do things (or don't do things), making excuses for our life choices. One of the reasons I love listening to this man who is straight up and says it like it is. No sugar-coating, warm and fuzzies. It's simply "This is what Scripture says". End of argument.

We've already been talking about taking the RV up for our first trip this December for a few nights of stay and hopefully some progress-making. Well, fencing, and electric won't be installed until January, so we'll be filling up our water tanks for showers, drinking, and cooking as well as bringing our generator for some electricity should we need heating (our property is much more inland than we are now as we're 5 minutes away from the coast).


This little girl is READING. {proud smile}

I've really been enjoying some apologetic literature here and there as well as digging into Voddie Bauchum's messages via You Tube. I especially enjoy his sermon on "Why I Choose to Believe the Bible".

"We have a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophesies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin."

 

(See Peter 1:16)

If you are a Bible-believing Christian, a skeptical Atheist or believer of another faith (so this pretty much includes everyone, ha!), I would encourage you to watch this video. (I wish he would have touched on the Apocrypha books...just bought one this week.)

 

You can also visit his website HERE to download other sermons, view his books and read his defense for Biblical home education, arguments concerning segregated and entertaining youth ministry, marriage, and discipleship.

 

(Be prepared to take notes if you are watching this video and don't forget to teach it to your children.)

 

 

 

 

Molly has been doing well, eating 1/3 a bale of hay per day. As she gets closer to calving, Rob and I have been looking for milking equipment via the internet in the evenings, amongst other things for the property. We are leaning towards milking by hand and not using a machine, following THESE instructions. I'm giddy just thinking about what I'm going to do with 14-plus gallons of milk each week. Cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, icecream, ETC.

 

The family has been enjoying looking through a few different catalogs deciding which farm animals they want to purchase for needy family abroad. It warms my heart as I hear the kids conspiring together on how they can purchase the most for their hard-earned allowances. Currently, the front-runners are one cow share, 4 rabbits, 25 chicks, and soccer balls.  {grin}

 

We've been experimenting with lots of different pumpkin recipes lately seeing that we bought a bunch of pumpkins for baking this fall. I've so far baked and frozen approximately 20, 1-cup bags of fresh pumpkin. The kids took care of the baked seeds and the chickens enjoyed a treat of pumpkin shell.

A certain little man was dedicated in church this past month. A sweet day of blessing with church friends and family.

 

I've been on a sewing vacation lately seeing that my two-year-old inquisitive son has gotten a hold of the sewing machine and lost the foot. Urgh. I ordered a new one, but it didn't fit. Back to the drawing board. I'm just itching to sew and neither of my machines are working. Hoping for a quick recovery as the girls and I have a list of homemade projects in line to be sewn.

The chickens have been enjoying some clabbered milk (setting milk out in the sun and letting it "clabber" or separate and ferment, then feeding it as a probiotic).

 

In the kitchen, we've been experimenting with our freshly, ground bread recipes, but I have yet to find a recipe that I can whip up quickly and successfully. I  milled 6 cups this morning, but then as I was down to the last bit of wheat berries, I discovered something that made all of that effort go down the drain...mold. A certain "little fella" who shall remain nameless (and is NEVER the immediate culprit...ah-hem), must have poured something down into the mill stone. Therefore, the entire 6 cups of wheat went bye-bye. I didn't have time to re-mill any this morning. (Lincoln doesn't know it, but he will be on milling duty this afternoon...smile.)


This little one cut his first tooth. I see babyfood-making in my near future. His growing days are coming and going WAY.TOO.FAST. {tear}

 

Anyone local wanting to order in-bulk wheat berries can do so at Bread Beckers.com. I believe the cut-off date is the 14th of this month so get your orders in. Sue Becker and her family have some wonderful videos on bread education and the connections to why we're such a sick, constipated, and obese nation. There was a reason why God instructed Joseph to save wheat. It lasts for such a long time and is such a complete food nutritionally. Interesting facts regarding wheat found in ancient pyramids and archaeologists tried sprouting it and it DID!

 

Also been enjoying Shoshanna's website at Bulk Herb Store.com and learning about herbs with Avonlea. I got ahead of myself when I thought I'd grow a bunch this fall. Just haven't gotten to it yet. To be honest, our little garden probably won't produce much. As I continue to observe it's sunlight each day (now it's getting less as winter approaches), it's definitely NOT getting 6-8 hours. I watch as the leaves are turning yellow and growth is stunted significantly. It is then when I pray and thank my Heavenly Father for our property. Dreaming of an acre full of fresh vegetables and SUNLIGHT.




(My hard-workers shoveling garden soil.)





We enjoyed some time down at a farm's pumpkin festival again this year. The girls were adamant on using their spending money on bonnets. We also picked up a wooden rifle, a bow and arrow set, Avonlea bought a parasol, and I found some neat maps of some of the battles fought in our country's wars. We'll no doubt use them in some of our notebooking projects coming up.


(Lincoln figuring out his bow and arrow.)

 

My plate is full, but the fullness is beyond blessing. My heart just beams with the joy the Holy Spirit gives me each day. Enjoying the moments as I watch our children grow and learn in the Lord.