The End and The Why

As if you haven't noticed, this blog has been neglected. I really am not spending the time posting. Not because I don't think about it. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I see something or do something that where I think, "This would be a good blog post." Like the other day, I made distilled rose water. I used my canning pot and made a distillery to create this wonderfully aromatic water from our organic rose petals growing out by the garden. I thought about snapping all the photos and making up the post but then I wondered, "When would I do that? Do I even have the time to do that?"

So, in short, this blog will be ceasing and I'm going to spend my time doing things like:

Spending time in the Word.
Digging the rest of the potatoes and onions.
Schooling my children.
Keeping a house that my husband is glad to come home to.
Sewing.
Canning.
Praying.
Reading.
Learning.
Tending animals.
Butchering turkeys and hogs.
Writing letters of encouragement to friends.
Taking hikes.
Going fishing.
Taking walks and bike rides with my children.
Volunteering where needed.
Baking our daily bread.
Keeping up on the business bookwork.
Being the example that I want my children to grow up to be.

And not wasting my time being idle on the computer. It will be for the benefit of my children, the benefit of my husband and the benefit of my relationship with the Lord.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along all these years. Those of you who have made kind comments and those of you whom I'd count among friends now. It has been a blessing to me and I pray that it has been one to you as well. You ladies that manage your homes, and raise children, and farms and still have the time to blog everyday or even a couple times a week amaze me! It's just not where I am right now though. And so I'll say farewell to you wonderful readers. Blessing to you abundantly!

In Christ,
Heather

Life

You can make plans in life. And then plans change. I had planned on blogging all this week on canning but other things have come up:
1. We got our two pigs.
2. Wyatt's appointment at the Orthopedic surgeon (that's 1.5hrs away) got changed to Tuesday (yesterday) and the surgeon is pretty certain that he's going to need surgery to repair his meniscus.
3. We have family in town until tomorrow morning and then more coming on Sunday.
4. Mason was sick for 3 days with a fever.
And the list goes on.....
The family though that is coming this Sunday are my parents! They'll be here for a week and guess what my plans are? Canning all week long! I am really excited about it. So I'll be blogging about it next week sharing all the different things I can each day. For now though I'll share a couple great pictures I've taken recently.

Layton wanted to share his drawing. He said it's a boy and his shark. :)

Mason is up and running. Well, not really running but crawling and scaling everything else! And today he is finally feeling better!

Drying parsley.....with hangers, in the laundry room. With lack of room in our home, one has to get creative!

Here are the piggies, Pork Chop and Bacon. We didn't really name them that; actually they don't have names. It's probably best not to name animals you're going to eat.

delays

Ya know when you think you can do a bunch of things at once? As if you can instantly turn into supermom or superwife! And then the reality sets in and you wonder, "How in the world did I think I could accomplish all that?!"
I'm famous for that. Thinking I can do all those tasks and then realizing as the day goes on that I can only do, in fact, about half of them!
Well, this week is no different. I know that I'm supposed to be doing my soap tutorial and I have all the information and pictures. But I haven't put it all together and we have been hit hard with VBS this week! It consumes our entire morning and by the time we get home, eat lunch, get the kids down for naps, I barely have enough time to do the household chores let alone put together the tutorial!
So, I apologize. My new goal is to have it up by this weekend (VBS comes to an end this Friday!) If I got more sleep at night (instead of the 5-6 hours that I get now) then maybe I'd stay up and blog late at night. But I have 3 kids 3 and under and that's just not possible! :)
VBS and investing in the children of our community is more important to me at this point but have no fear- the tutorial will soon be here! :) Thanks for your patience.

Homestead Update

Welcome to July! Soap making month! Well, on this blog it is anyway. I know some of you are anxious to get started but you may have to cool your jets for a couple days. Life here has been a whirlwind. I'm not sure if it's because it's summer but I bet that plays a large part in it. I'll be gone from blogland for a couple more days.
We had family here visiting for a week and they left yesterday. We are getting an area ready for our weaner pigs that will be here right after fair time. Wyatt and I are browsing the fair book to see what categories we want to enter this year. Gavin's work has increased so much that he has been working a couple of Saturdays and later in the evening during the week. Summer time is always our busiest time of the year for the tree service and like the old saying says, we "Make hay while the sun shines!" Winter is slow, so a busy summer (and provisions from the Lord above) get us through our winters.

Our honey bees (the ones that live in a tree on our property) were splitting (the hive, not the bees themselves!) and swarming so Gavin built another bee house and placed it up another tree for the branch of the hive to move into if they so choose. The grass always needs moving, the garden needs weeding and fertilizing, and just about everything else needs done. Mason is just starting solids (he'll be 8mo old this coming Monday) and I've been busy making different baby foods. The count so far: thumbs up on the applesauce and pears, thumbs down on the zucchini. Next week we'll be starting liver and avocados.

This weekend is the 4th and we'll be enjoying the parade in town and fireworks at the beach. I hope that you enjoy the rest of your week and have a safe and blessed 4th of July! I look forward to meeting with you soon to start our look at soap making!

when making yogurt goes wrong

See, I told you it wasn't a good idea for me to use raw milk while making yogurt! Once again I have completely failed. But that's o.k., that's what experimenting is all about! I tried yesterday to make yogurt with pectin.Apparently, too much pectin. Thank heavens I didn't use raw milk this time (again.) I won't be using it until I get this right!

lost

I feel a little lost right now. Most of it comes from the lack of sleep and barely being awake enough some days to even get housework done.
So, I'm not gone. I realize that I haven't blogged in a while and I have a bunch to share, like my yogurt making experience and a quilt and pictures of my kids and how the sauerkraut is coming and on and on.....
I'll get back here soon- Promise! :)

how do ya do it?

I'm listening to this right now. It's a personal favorite, not only because it's a great song but also because it's Gavin and my wedding song.
I'm also cooking dinner for us and another family at our church. I've been in the kitchen all afternoon and it got me thinking.........how do you do it?
Between keeping the house and the kids and the baking bread, making all our meals from scratch, culturing/fermenting foods for us, gardening and all the other million things I do in a day, I wonder how anyone else does this? I often feel like I'm behind in everything! The thought of adding homeschooling in 2 years has me slightly worried. Although by then, I won't be nursing any babies or changing many diapers.
How do you make it work?
Any tips are appreciated!

last night

Yesterday I posted a little blurb on my facebook page about trying to be optimistic about the day. I was trying to stay positive because in all honesty I woke up in one foul mood. (I have serious lack of sleep to thank for that one.) Anyway, I also said that I was going to be praying, for myself, because I needed it! I needed God to soften my heart yesterday, to give me patience and wisdom with my kids, for the house and all the undones, for sanity!
Well, I know some of you were praying for me because I could feel it! My day was not half bad, things went fairly smoothly and at the end of it all, I felt like the Lord had heard my prayers and the prayers of others for me and had given me just what I had asked for. Thank you Jesus!
So last night I got to do a few fun things!

Bread baking

Butter making. I had leftover raw cream that was getting "cowy" so I made it into butter for baking.

Buttermilk.

And yes, I even patted it into a nice little cube!

I also got to look through the sales issue from Azure for my next order thanks to a seriously sleeping hard baby next to me. (P.S. Sorry about the laundry in the shot. I wish Gavin had said something BEFORE he took the picture. I told him he's no Ansel Adams. He said that was fine.)

a day in pictures

A little glimpse. In no particular order.

Making and eating yummy muffins for breakfast.

Trying to contain a almost 2 year old in the kitchen.

Laundry to be folded and more to come.

Changing a lot of these. Yes, I know they're sposies but at this point with 3 little ones and all the loads of laundry for the 6 of us, cloth just hasn't happened!
Making more applesauce.

Working on taxes.

Trying to drink some of this.

Being jealous of my hubby enjoying the sunshine!

Doing this around 4pm- for the first time in the day.
Shooing Roundy out of the house once again.
Kneading bread for dinner.

a new look

I'm in the mood for change (which isn't often!) so I thought I'd freshen up my blog! There are still a few kinks I'd like to work out so it may be changing a little more in the next week or so.
Today is Monday and I'm going to try and:

Go to town
Quilt
Bake bread
Do laundry
Entertain my kiddos
Work on business stuff/finances
Keep the house from turning into tornado alley
Try and stay sane

What do you have planned for today?

is it too late?

So today is January 6th and I'm just starting to think of a few resolutions for the new year. Usually I don't make any. Why do I need a January 1st to change things? I actually don't like change much but I think that this year and for the rest of my life I would like to make one resolution. I'd like to be more self sufficient in 2010 and from now on. So that's what I'm going to do. Along with that, I'd like to try and "do without" and "do with less" this year. If I need something- and I mean NEED it, then I'll first look at a thrift shop or a second hand store. I won't just go online and buy- with the one big exception of fabric! I will however, try and use my stash as much as possible this year and not buy new.

I'd like to grow more this year, bake more this year, sew more this year, create from scratch more this year.

What did you resolve to do?

in the last 24 hours.....

1. I made a blanket for Mason out of Organic jersey knit fabrics that are so yummy you want to eat them.....picture to come soon!
2. We had a bear incident. Well, not really an "incident" just the ol' neighbors calling to say, "By the way, there is a huge bear walking down Hobbs Wall (the dirt road by our home) just in case your animals are still out." (i.e. they may get eaten if they are)
3. I got some last minute Christmas shopping done.
4. Mason smiled for the first time!
5. Gavin set a pie on fire (yes, really... and that's a long story- we won't go there right now)
6. I got some Christmas sewing accomplished- yahoo!
7. My husband made a fantastic dinner.

And then there is, of course, all the regular stuff that goes into a 24 hour period.
I'm so glad that Christmas is almost here. :)

wednesday randomness

1. Do you know that by baby #3, you don't keep up on "how pregnant" you are? I just looked at my little pregnancy ticker here on my blog and went, "No, way, I'm over 33wks pregnant?" Who knew? Which is totally different from baby #1 where anyone could ask you and you'd promptly respond, "I'm 22wks and 4 days pregnant."

2. The whole Kate and John thing is really getting aggravating to me. And we don't even have TV. What in the world makes these folks so special? I honestly am sick of seeing them all over the internet and in the magazines in the check out lines. I feel horrible for them that their marriage fell apart. But really, what do you expect after subjecting your family to reality TV? I don't side with one over the other because I don't personally know them but really, does he have to go bashing his wife on TV? What kind of father does that? IMO, a pretty lousy one.

3. I am tired of canning. Have I already said that? I know it will be such a benefit this winter when work is slow for Gavin so I press on but if I could, I'd just give it up, for this year, right now.

4. I don't think I've shared that we finally decided on a baby boy name!!! Mason Allen. We actually decided a while ago and I just forgot to share. Anyway, I can't wait for him to be here! :)

5. I am so excited about hunting season. Why? I'm not really sure. My hunting days are pretty much over for the next 8 years anyway. But I still get excited when Gavin goes and can't wait to see what he comes home with. Opening weekend is only 10 days away!!

6. I wish I could take a nap today.

7. I love my kids. ♥

8. I love my husband. ♥

9. I love my Jesus. ♥

10. I guess I'm done being random.

cough cough....snot snot

I am still sick. And it's really getting old. I finally broke down and went to the Dr. this last Friday. He gave me some antibiotics. I waited through the weekend to see if it would get better because I'm pretty much an anti-antibiotic person. But I broke down yesterday and got the Rx filled. I'm just so tired of being sick and it's moving down into my lungs now so hopefully the antibiotics will help all of this go away. 3 weeks of a cold is no fun.
In the mean time I've been so stinkin' busy with just trying to keep up with life that quilting has been non existent. I am sooooooooo behind. I still have 2 quilts for baby boys, whom are already born, that just need a binding. I also have my Christmas and Fall quilt for my Etsy shop that are done but still just need..............yep, you guessed it, the binding. 4 quilts that I have no motivation for. Canning has taken precedence over almost everything at this point because food just can't sit around and rot or spoil. It needs to be done. 100lbs of Tuna this weekend. I'm canning the last batch right now. And then I still have a ton of peaches to finish. Not to mention the green beans that keep coming on. And then there's the corn that should be ready by next week. But I think there may only be about 5 dozen ears there so I guess that's not so bad. Huh, yeah right. But I have just under 8 weeks left before our new baby is here so I'd better make hay while the sun is shining!
Anyway, I realize that I hadn't updated my blog in over a week so I thought I'd better give ya'll some clue as to what's going on and why I've been absent. When I finally get my head above water I'll let you know! :)

me (enough is enough)

I typically don't share photos of myself, usually because I'm the one behind the camera, and because when my husband takes photos of me (with his camera) they end up turning out like this...... me, still sick, very pregnant, no make up, in grubby clothes, in a messy kitchen.

My cold just will not give up. Yesterday my ears were so bad that just a raised voice hurt them. So by the end of the day, I was done. And yes, I put on ear muffs. Gavin thought it was hilarious and named the photo "Enough is Enough" so here it is...or should I say here I am, in all my glory! Enjoy- because it will probably be the last one for a while! :)

what now brown cow?

I'm just getting over being sick with a cold. I guess that I'm not really over it, but surely better than I was this weekend. I was pretty much down for the count Saturday and Sunday and my absolutely AMAZING husband stepped right in and took care of all 3 kids for me! Thank you honey- you're the best! :)

But today is Monday, so it's back to work for Gavin and for me. The kids and I picked blackberries this morning and so I've spent part of the afternoon making canned pie filling. I am so grateful that none of our children have been born during canning season. Yes, I've been pregnant for the past 3 seasons (I think, wait, I've lost count now......) but I haven't actually had a newborn to care for during. It feels as though I do nothing but can all day. I know that's not entirely true but sometimes it sure does feel that way. I did 13 more jars of corn this weekend and just finished up 4 jars of the pie filling. Now I'm ready for my nap (yeah right, as if moms get to nap.) At least there was some instant gratification today- I pressed watermelon juice....mmmmmmmmmmm

moday, monday

Monday Monday, so good to me,
Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday morning, Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.

Monday Monday, can't trust that day,
Monday Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way
Oh Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be
Oh Monday Monday, how could you leave and not take me.

Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin' all of the time.

Ah, the Mama's and Papa's had it so right. :)
I'm one kid down for the next week. Wyatt left this morning for Vertical Life Camp with our church youth group.
Today I am; paying bills, printing up invoices and job estimates, balancing accounts, baking a peach pie, doing something oh so easy for dinner tonight, trying to quilt, watching the little munchkins, and spending some time outside in the sunshine. And I really need to go through the county fair book to see what I'm going to enter this year.
Monday, Monday.