Good Morning! I've been extremely busy this week making mozzarella cheese and butter. After three days of gray clouds and drizzle, we have been blessed with warmth and sunshine. So we've also been trying to catch up on some outside work. I know the extreme weather has been in the news a lot lately and I know that it has been difficult for those getting massive amounts of snow to deal with it. But after reading this post I don't think that I can legitimately complain about our snow anymore. I bet no one laughs at their prepping!!
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, January 28, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Insightful Link
Good Morning! Another blog I enjoy reading is Paratus Familia. They are living completely off-grid and I am always impressed by her resourcefulness. Her writings are such an encouragement when I'm feeling like no one understands. Her latest post, The Great Disconnect, is awesome reading and very thought-provoking. I know that these days it seems that my children are never unplugged, but always carrying around something that takes their attention from life. I miss the old days when we actually shared life together. Now it seems that we are never together, even when we're all together. Somehow, when no one was looking, we became a modern-day family. I am at a loss as to how to get it back. Maybe I can't.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, January 21, 2011
Milking A Cow........Outside
Good Morning! I really love Patrice Lewis' blog, Rural Revolution. She has an interesting way of putting things that can make you laugh and really understand where she's coming from. Her stories of life on a rural farm in Idaho make for good reading. One of my favorite posts was one she did on the incredibly popular facebook game Farmville. While I am on facebook (fb) I do not play any of the games. I don't have that kind of free time and when I do I'm usually crocheting or knitting or making soap or reading. My children have tried several of the games (You really don't know the feeling that comes from your 16 year old daughter yelling out "He just robbed my chop shop! I've got to put this guy on ice!" unless you've actually been there) so I'm vaguely familiar with some of them. Farmville is evidently one in which, as Patrice put it repeatedly, "you can milk 20 cows with just one click". For someone who has one cow, this is downright infuriating! No, not the "20 cows with just one click"! My irritation comes more from the fact that these people NEVER HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE. No wonder that the American public has so little regard for the farmers. Either I or Kelsey have milked in 7 degree (with a 10 degree wind chill) temperatures, in rain so hard you couldn't see the woods on the other side of the field, in snow, in sleet, in mud, in 100 degree weather....... So far we've avoided a hurricane, but I'm sure we'll get there sometime. We've milked sick, hurt, or just plain grouchy. We do wait out thunderstorms since our milking area is under several trees, but, other than that, we're right there, twice a day.
So, in the interest of dispelling nauseating myths about farming and taking care of animals, I decided to show everyone exactly what is involved in milking one cow........supposedly you can multiply this by 20 for a true "Farmville" experience.
This is Maggie, our Jersey cow. The first thing that you have to understand about dairy cows is that their genetics cause them to put everything they eat into making milk. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS. A nicely filled out dairy cow is fat and unhealthy and will probably die the first time she tries to carry a calf. The hay Maggie is eating is available 24/7. Notice that she is OUTSIDE. This means that I have to go OUTSIDE to the pasture and bring her to the milking stand, which is also OUTSIDE.
In addition to the hay, Maggie is given grain twice a day during milking. About 2 scoops (or 4 lbs) of grain concentrate, twice per day. We only use Purina brand feeds for our animals because it is the only brand available locally with only plant proteins, none from animals.
Because it has been very cold, I have been adding a sprinkling of beet pulp to her food. This is a carbohydrate and will help give her the extra energy to stay warm. Since she is pregnant, I have to be careful not to overdo it. As noted above, a plump dairy cow is an unhealthy dairy cow.
It should also be noted that the feed is kept OUTSIDE, which is where I have to be to get it.
There are several things homesteaders can't have enough of. Such as tarps......and five gallon buckets.....and hurricane straps...... Here is our current milking setup. The headgate is on loan to us from the farmer who used to sell us our beef heifers we showed for 4H. This same farmer used to haul those heifers all over NC and spend every Saturday from the end of August to the end of October away from his farm and at the shows. We couldn't have done it without him.
After fixing the food, I dump it into the food pan at the end of the headgate.
In addition to the milking pail, strip cup, and rag, I get out the Fight Bac and the udder wash.
See the nice stool my husband set up for me. It is definitely much softer and warmer than the upside-down 5-gallon bucket I was using. Come hunting season, however, I just know I'll be looking for that bucket again.
Here is Maggie, chowing down on the feed and ready for milking. I know the bars at her neck LOOK like I'm squeezing her throat, but I'M NOT. I always make sure that the metal is not touching her and that I can put my hand between the bar and her. Besides, have you ever tried to milk a cow that was choking and couldn't breathe? Me either, but I know enough not to want to try.
This is Maggie's udder with four teats. During the summer we generally shave the hair off her udder, but in the winter we let it grow back. Today her udder is fairly clean, but there are days..........
We spray the udder with udder wash, which is a mixture of iodine and water, then wipe it really good with a clean rag. Every week we wash the rags in hot water using bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then they are hung out to dry.
Several squirts from each teat are then milked into the "strip cup".
This is then closely inspected for any abnormalities such as flakes, globs, or blood, which could be signs of unhealthiness or infection. We also do a mastitis test once a week.
Then the milking begins. I usually milk one front teat and the diagonally opposite back teat at the same time. Here I'm trying to take a picture so I'm only milking from the back teat. Notice, once again, that all of this is taking place OUTSIDE.
A pail of milk.....mmmmm. It was a good day. Maggie didn't pee or poop while I was milking, nor did she step in it. You have no idea how depressing it is to finish milking a cow when you know that you are going to have to feed the milk to the livestock because it became contaminated.
Then we spray Fight Bac on each teat. It's a cold antibacterial spray that kills any bacteria that may have gotten on the teats and helps to close up the orifice that the milk comes out of.
Then Maggie is released where she immediately returns to the hay ring.
The milk is weighed, which helps us keep up with production. While I don't personally care how much Maggie gives, a drop in production is usually the first sign of illness. So being able to quickly notice this gives us a head start on solving any problems.
Then the milk is taken back inside to be strained into glass jars.......
and put into a cooler with several frozen freezer packs to chill.
So, in the interest of dispelling nauseating myths about farming and taking care of animals, I decided to show everyone exactly what is involved in milking one cow........supposedly you can multiply this by 20 for a true "Farmville" experience.
This is Maggie, our Jersey cow. The first thing that you have to understand about dairy cows is that their genetics cause them to put everything they eat into making milk. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS. A nicely filled out dairy cow is fat and unhealthy and will probably die the first time she tries to carry a calf. The hay Maggie is eating is available 24/7. Notice that she is OUTSIDE. This means that I have to go OUTSIDE to the pasture and bring her to the milking stand, which is also OUTSIDE.
In addition to the hay, Maggie is given grain twice a day during milking. About 2 scoops (or 4 lbs) of grain concentrate, twice per day. We only use Purina brand feeds for our animals because it is the only brand available locally with only plant proteins, none from animals.
Because it has been very cold, I have been adding a sprinkling of beet pulp to her food. This is a carbohydrate and will help give her the extra energy to stay warm. Since she is pregnant, I have to be careful not to overdo it. As noted above, a plump dairy cow is an unhealthy dairy cow.
It should also be noted that the feed is kept OUTSIDE, which is where I have to be to get it.
There are several things homesteaders can't have enough of. Such as tarps......and five gallon buckets.....and hurricane straps...... Here is our current milking setup. The headgate is on loan to us from the farmer who used to sell us our beef heifers we showed for 4H. This same farmer used to haul those heifers all over NC and spend every Saturday from the end of August to the end of October away from his farm and at the shows. We couldn't have done it without him.
After fixing the food, I dump it into the food pan at the end of the headgate.
In addition to the milking pail, strip cup, and rag, I get out the Fight Bac and the udder wash.
See the nice stool my husband set up for me. It is definitely much softer and warmer than the upside-down 5-gallon bucket I was using. Come hunting season, however, I just know I'll be looking for that bucket again.
Here is Maggie, chowing down on the feed and ready for milking. I know the bars at her neck LOOK like I'm squeezing her throat, but I'M NOT. I always make sure that the metal is not touching her and that I can put my hand between the bar and her. Besides, have you ever tried to milk a cow that was choking and couldn't breathe? Me either, but I know enough not to want to try.
This is Maggie's udder with four teats. During the summer we generally shave the hair off her udder, but in the winter we let it grow back. Today her udder is fairly clean, but there are days..........
We spray the udder with udder wash, which is a mixture of iodine and water, then wipe it really good with a clean rag. Every week we wash the rags in hot water using bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then they are hung out to dry.
Several squirts from each teat are then milked into the "strip cup".
This is then closely inspected for any abnormalities such as flakes, globs, or blood, which could be signs of unhealthiness or infection. We also do a mastitis test once a week.
Then the milking begins. I usually milk one front teat and the diagonally opposite back teat at the same time. Here I'm trying to take a picture so I'm only milking from the back teat. Notice, once again, that all of this is taking place OUTSIDE.
A pail of milk.....mmmmm. It was a good day. Maggie didn't pee or poop while I was milking, nor did she step in it. You have no idea how depressing it is to finish milking a cow when you know that you are going to have to feed the milk to the livestock because it became contaminated.
Then we spray Fight Bac on each teat. It's a cold antibacterial spray that kills any bacteria that may have gotten on the teats and helps to close up the orifice that the milk comes out of.
Then Maggie is released where she immediately returns to the hay ring.
The milk is weighed, which helps us keep up with production. While I don't personally care how much Maggie gives, a drop in production is usually the first sign of illness. So being able to quickly notice this gives us a head start on solving any problems.
Then the milk is taken back inside to be strained into glass jars.......
and put into a cooler with several frozen freezer packs to chill.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Return of the Jersey
Good Morning! The weekend here gave us really pleasant weather, although it didn't seem like I got much done. Our Jersey cow is back from the farm we took her to for breeding, way back in September. In the past we have taken her to a friend's place to be bred with an Angus. The first year we had her we bred with a Black Angus and got a heifer that looked all Angus. The second year we bred her to a Red Angus and got a bull that looked all Jersey. Go figure. This year we found some people who actually had Jersey bulls, so we took her up there in August to breed. Unfortunately, it was so hot that nothing happened. So we took her back in September intending to leave her for a month, just to make sure. However, at the end of the month, the friends asked if they could keep her on a milk lease until January. A milk lease is simply where they take care of the cow and keep the milk. They had several cows that were due to calve and had to be dried up and they still needed the milk for the calves they had. Since we have the goats as a backup milk supply, we were agreeable to the plan. I have to be honest, there have been days this winter that I have been extremely thankful that there was no cow to milk.
But now she's back and I'm really glad to see her. I was a little worried about how she might settle back in. They have a large pasture with seven other cows and use a milking machine. We only have her and the 20 goats, a smaller pasture, and just me milking. The first milking was a little rough. I was too slow and she started dancing around and eventually stepped on top of the milk pail, so that had to be thrown out. The next milking I added just a little more food in her bucket and she has stood just as still and been just as pleasant as can be. It's been really great. She's only giving about 2 - 3 gallons a day, but that's more than enough for our family. Since the goats will soon begin being dried off in preparation for kidding, the timing is really great. I love fresh milk. And fresh mozzarella cheese. And fresh butter. And fresh yogurt. And fresh..............
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
But now she's back and I'm really glad to see her. I was a little worried about how she might settle back in. They have a large pasture with seven other cows and use a milking machine. We only have her and the 20 goats, a smaller pasture, and just me milking. The first milking was a little rough. I was too slow and she started dancing around and eventually stepped on top of the milk pail, so that had to be thrown out. The next milking I added just a little more food in her bucket and she has stood just as still and been just as pleasant as can be. It's been really great. She's only giving about 2 - 3 gallons a day, but that's more than enough for our family. Since the goats will soon begin being dried off in preparation for kidding, the timing is really great. I love fresh milk. And fresh mozzarella cheese. And fresh butter. And fresh yogurt. And fresh..............
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Snow Pictures.....finally
Good Morning! Yesterday was banking day on the farm. A year ago, after reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we went to an all-cash method of banking which necessitates a weekly trip to the bank. It also requires me to get up early and make sure that all of our records and expenses have been recorded. This past December I was able to purchase Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Originally priced at $199, I just couldn't justify the expense. But one day on FB it was listed as a "special of the day" at $89, so I snapped one up with my Christmas money. The plan is for the older children and I to set aside one evening a week and do one lesson at a time. Since three of the children work and the fourth runs her own business, this is going to be really good information for them to have before they get married. The envelope system has really helped us a lot in having money for expenses when they are due. I reviewed the Total Money Makeover which you can read here. Scroll down to the middle of the post.
The snow from last Monday continues to hang around in places. The old-timers around will tell you that if snow stays more than four days, it's waiting for some more. And guess what? There's more in the forecast for next weekend. Wonderful.
The snow from last Monday continues to hang around in places. The old-timers around will tell you that if snow stays more than four days, it's waiting for some more. And guess what? There's more in the forecast for next weekend. Wonderful.
Here are some of the snow pictures from last week. Enjoy.
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| No this is not our house. It's an old smokehouse that we currently use for storage. |
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| Our farm sign. The dark clouds were bringing sleet. |
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| Our Alpine and Boer kids did NOT like the snow! |
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| The Pashmina's LOVED it. |
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| The chickens preferred the inside. |
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| This is my oldest hive. I can't wait till warm weather to see how it's doing. |
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| My two newest hives. I don't think the one on the right will make it through the winter. But I can hope. |
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| What do my children do in the snow? Snowball fights? Build snowmen? No. They play football. |
Laurie
Friday, January 14, 2011
Aaahhh! The Simple Life
Good Morning! Yesterday seemed like such an easy day when it started. I had kept my calendar clear of everything except traveling to meet my parents halfway and pick up Michaela, who has been enjoying a week at the grandparents. After an extremely late start (which I had help creating) the trip went well. We met at a Burger King, ate lunch, enjoyed a short visit with my parents, picked up Michaela and returned home. It was upon the return that things went completely out of my control.
The stray Michaela had taken in had knocked the bag of salt for deicing off the box it had been sitting on and it was E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. In the middle of cleaning this up, phone calls started coming in. (Did I turn an open sign on when I drove in?) OK, that's cleaned up.
I put the water on to heat for the lasagna noodles and begin to prepare to go do the evening feeding.
A gentleman, who usually shows up at my farm when he has a problem with one of his animals, shows up with a problem with one of his animals, this time a 3 month old Jersey heifer. After determining what could be the problem (without seeing the animal and picking my southeast NC way through a strong middle eastern accent), I was in the middle of giving him some suggestions when I hear glass shatter behind me. My Australian Shepherd, whose self given job is to protect the property from any and all visitors, had broken the glass in one of my bedroom windows. Oh, wonderful! My house is 100 years old this year. The windows, as well as some of the glass itself, are all the originals. This means that I will have to take the storm window off, chip out the glazing, remove the pieces of glass and try to piece them back together to get an exact size, go purchase another piece of glass, put it in, reglaze the window, and paint. And if I am going to do one pane, I may as well get the whole window done. Meanwhile, it's going to be 20 degrees tonight.
The phone rings, again. It's Ray this time. With news that the farm that was breeding my Jersey and three of my Boer goats will be bringing them back tonight. OK.........Wait, I have no dairy feed (the feed store was out on Saturday). A quick call to the feed store, no they still don't have any until their truck comes in after lunch on Friday. The other feed store in town has something I could use, so I turn off the lasagna water, which has been boiling away unnoticed, jump in the car, and head to the feed store to get there before they close. Oh yeah, I also have to pick up Kelsey and Tessa from their respective work places at 5pm. And pick up dog food, because I have none. A fact that no one thought would be important to me (or the dogs obviously). I give up the lasagna idea. Since I have to stop at the grocery store for the dog food, I might as well save myself some stress and pick up supper. This actually becomes a major blow to my budget: 1medium/1 large bag of house brand dog food, 1 rotisserie chicken, 1 fried chicken, 1 bag of garlic bread, and 1 bag of salad mix = $57......ouch). Stress-savers are very expensive.
Back home, Maggie is back in the pasture eating hay. The three Boers are working out herd leadership status. Ray has done my animals. Ashley arrives home from work to get supper laid out. Tessa helps Michaela with the goats. After a quick bite of supper while semi-watching ELF, we all head to bed, extremely glad to see it. The dishes can wait.....I know without a doubt they will be here when I get up.
And they are.
May Yahweh bless us both in this new day!
Laurie
The stray Michaela had taken in had knocked the bag of salt for deicing off the box it had been sitting on and it was E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. In the middle of cleaning this up, phone calls started coming in. (Did I turn an open sign on when I drove in?) OK, that's cleaned up.
I put the water on to heat for the lasagna noodles and begin to prepare to go do the evening feeding.
A gentleman, who usually shows up at my farm when he has a problem with one of his animals, shows up with a problem with one of his animals, this time a 3 month old Jersey heifer. After determining what could be the problem (without seeing the animal and picking my southeast NC way through a strong middle eastern accent), I was in the middle of giving him some suggestions when I hear glass shatter behind me. My Australian Shepherd, whose self given job is to protect the property from any and all visitors, had broken the glass in one of my bedroom windows. Oh, wonderful! My house is 100 years old this year. The windows, as well as some of the glass itself, are all the originals. This means that I will have to take the storm window off, chip out the glazing, remove the pieces of glass and try to piece them back together to get an exact size, go purchase another piece of glass, put it in, reglaze the window, and paint. And if I am going to do one pane, I may as well get the whole window done. Meanwhile, it's going to be 20 degrees tonight.
The phone rings, again. It's Ray this time. With news that the farm that was breeding my Jersey and three of my Boer goats will be bringing them back tonight. OK.........Wait, I have no dairy feed (the feed store was out on Saturday). A quick call to the feed store, no they still don't have any until their truck comes in after lunch on Friday. The other feed store in town has something I could use, so I turn off the lasagna water, which has been boiling away unnoticed, jump in the car, and head to the feed store to get there before they close. Oh yeah, I also have to pick up Kelsey and Tessa from their respective work places at 5pm. And pick up dog food, because I have none. A fact that no one thought would be important to me (or the dogs obviously). I give up the lasagna idea. Since I have to stop at the grocery store for the dog food, I might as well save myself some stress and pick up supper. This actually becomes a major blow to my budget: 1medium/1 large bag of house brand dog food, 1 rotisserie chicken, 1 fried chicken, 1 bag of garlic bread, and 1 bag of salad mix = $57......ouch). Stress-savers are very expensive.
Back home, Maggie is back in the pasture eating hay. The three Boers are working out herd leadership status. Ray has done my animals. Ashley arrives home from work to get supper laid out. Tessa helps Michaela with the goats. After a quick bite of supper while semi-watching ELF, we all head to bed, extremely glad to see it. The dishes can wait.....I know without a doubt they will be here when I get up.
And they are.
May Yahweh bless us both in this new day!
Laurie
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Christmas Blessing
Good Morning! The weather has been a little strange the last couple of years as the earth settles into another of its cycles. Snow is not a normal occurrence in my neck of the woods. If it does occur, it is usually in late February or early March. And we almost never measure accumulation in inches, never mind multiple inches. This year we had 4 inches of snow on December 26th! What fun! And an added bonus to our Christmas holiday. This was the closest we've come to a white Christmas since 1989 when we had 15 inches on the ground at Christmas.
The "Day after Christmas" snow was a special blessing for our family. First, a little background. We usually have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, clean up, open the kid's "Secret Santa" gifts (the children exchange names on Thanksgiving), watch a Christmas video and read the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2. This year we combined the last two and watched The Nativity Story on dvd. It was excellent and will most likely become a Christmas Eve tradition. On Christmas morning we get up and open up "Santa's" gifts, have breakfast, and just enjoy the day. I don't monitor candy eating for the day and meals consist of leftovers, so I don't have to cook. If you're hungry, fix a plate and nuke it. There really is no schedule and, other than the animal chores, nothing is really expected from anyone. Gifts from family members are saved until the afternoon. We usually do this to prevent a free-for-all and to make the day last a little longer.
This year began much as every other Christmas and when we had finished opening gifts Christmas morning I took the opportunity to make my holiday phone calls to family. I called my parents first to make sure I caught them before they headed to my sister's house. Instead of the animated voices I usually get from my parents, I noticed that they were subdued and less than joyous. The reason soon became clear. Due to some overnight illness and other complications, my grandmother was spending Christmas alone, my grandfather having passed away several years ago. It was really bothering both of my parents, but there was nothing they could do. It was an eight hour drive from their house to my grandmother's and by the time they could get there Christmas would be over. I continued to talk to my parents, but could tell that they were not going to be able to enjoy the holiday.
After hanging up with my parents, I asked Ray if he minded if I took a quick trip. My grandmother's home is about 2 1/2 hours from mine and I figured that I could get up there, visit 2-3 hours, and still be home before the bad weather they were predicting would hit. When the children found out, they all wanted to go also. It was finally decided that Ray and Michaela would stay behind and ready the animals/farm for the storm, while the rest of the family would travel up to Edgecombe County. Having had to disappoint my grandmothers in the past with scheduled visits that fell apart at the last minute, I chose not to call first, but to surprise her instead. We took the gifts which she had sent the children with us so that she could see them opened. And off we went.
Yahweh blessed the trip immensely. The time passed quickly, the drive was quiet, and we encountered no problems. We arrived at my grandmother's home just as she finished her lunch. And surprise her we did! She was so excited! We had a wonderful visit and she really enjoyed watching the children open their gifts. After about 3 hours we left and headed back home. Once again a quiet trip with no problems. I arrived home to a phone call from my dad sounding much more like his usual self. I ended the day feeling so blessed that my small action had blessed several people so much. I am so glad I followed the Holy Spirits leading and went to visit. I am so thankful to be blessed with children who willingly gave up their plans and expectations for the day in order to cheer up someone else.
And we were blessed in return. We woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland and enjoyed our "Christmas day" one day late.
I don't relate this to toot my own horn. The only thing I really did right was follow Holy Spirit's leading. The Bible teaches us that "no good thing resides in me". We all want to be blessed. However, sometimes Yahweh wants us to BE the blessing. And I discovered that that feels even better than being blessed. It is so important that we be in tune with Yahweh and listening for His voice and His direction. In the coming year, make it a priority to listen out for that "still, small voice". If you do, you will reap untold blessings.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The "Day after Christmas" snow was a special blessing for our family. First, a little background. We usually have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, clean up, open the kid's "Secret Santa" gifts (the children exchange names on Thanksgiving), watch a Christmas video and read the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2. This year we combined the last two and watched The Nativity Story on dvd. It was excellent and will most likely become a Christmas Eve tradition. On Christmas morning we get up and open up "Santa's" gifts, have breakfast, and just enjoy the day. I don't monitor candy eating for the day and meals consist of leftovers, so I don't have to cook. If you're hungry, fix a plate and nuke it. There really is no schedule and, other than the animal chores, nothing is really expected from anyone. Gifts from family members are saved until the afternoon. We usually do this to prevent a free-for-all and to make the day last a little longer.
This year began much as every other Christmas and when we had finished opening gifts Christmas morning I took the opportunity to make my holiday phone calls to family. I called my parents first to make sure I caught them before they headed to my sister's house. Instead of the animated voices I usually get from my parents, I noticed that they were subdued and less than joyous. The reason soon became clear. Due to some overnight illness and other complications, my grandmother was spending Christmas alone, my grandfather having passed away several years ago. It was really bothering both of my parents, but there was nothing they could do. It was an eight hour drive from their house to my grandmother's and by the time they could get there Christmas would be over. I continued to talk to my parents, but could tell that they were not going to be able to enjoy the holiday.
After hanging up with my parents, I asked Ray if he minded if I took a quick trip. My grandmother's home is about 2 1/2 hours from mine and I figured that I could get up there, visit 2-3 hours, and still be home before the bad weather they were predicting would hit. When the children found out, they all wanted to go also. It was finally decided that Ray and Michaela would stay behind and ready the animals/farm for the storm, while the rest of the family would travel up to Edgecombe County. Having had to disappoint my grandmothers in the past with scheduled visits that fell apart at the last minute, I chose not to call first, but to surprise her instead. We took the gifts which she had sent the children with us so that she could see them opened. And off we went.
Yahweh blessed the trip immensely. The time passed quickly, the drive was quiet, and we encountered no problems. We arrived at my grandmother's home just as she finished her lunch. And surprise her we did! She was so excited! We had a wonderful visit and she really enjoyed watching the children open their gifts. After about 3 hours we left and headed back home. Once again a quiet trip with no problems. I arrived home to a phone call from my dad sounding much more like his usual self. I ended the day feeling so blessed that my small action had blessed several people so much. I am so glad I followed the Holy Spirits leading and went to visit. I am so thankful to be blessed with children who willingly gave up their plans and expectations for the day in order to cheer up someone else.
And we were blessed in return. We woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland and enjoyed our "Christmas day" one day late.
I don't relate this to toot my own horn. The only thing I really did right was follow Holy Spirit's leading. The Bible teaches us that "no good thing resides in me". We all want to be blessed. However, sometimes Yahweh wants us to BE the blessing. And I discovered that that feels even better than being blessed. It is so important that we be in tune with Yahweh and listening for His voice and His direction. In the coming year, make it a priority to listen out for that "still, small voice". If you do, you will reap untold blessings.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A New Beginning
Well, here I am. Starting a new blog. I had previously been blogging over at Homesteadblogger, but the changes last year to WordPress left the site totally unmanageable, at least for me. If you are interested in reading the past posts at the other blog, just follow this link. I am hoping with this new location that I will be able to do more. Part of my problem with the other site was that I couldn't post any pictures, which is kinda boring. Hopefully, this site will allow me to do the things I want to develop the blog into not only a record of our homesteading experience, but also to help others learn and enjoy the same things our family does.
So welcome to our home and I hope you come back often.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day,
Laurie
So welcome to our home and I hope you come back often.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day,
Laurie
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