Sunday Scripture

"Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." 1Peter 4:19

Beautiful Sights

Tomato Sauce cooling on the counter...

A clean stove top with the canner put up for an afternoon...

Empty harvest baskets due to the fact that all the tomatoes have been processed for the day...

A little lamb that was still alive. This morning we awoke later than usual and as I looked out the window I saw this little guy. I thought he was dead because of the way he was laying on the ground. I quickly woke Michael up and we went out to check on him. He had caught himself in a poultry netting that we use a barrier to keep the lambs out of the garden. He tried to free himself and instead he wrapped the netting around his neck about ten times. Michael got there with him breathing very slowly not knowing for sure if he would be able to save him. I went back to the house and grabbed a knife, and Michael was able to cut the little guy loose from the net. As soon as he was free, he jumped up and took a few deep breaths of air, and then ran to find his momma!

grace and peace,
julie

Friday Night Football and Fun

Friday around our house has been full of chores and getting ready for football. We will be traveling to an away game tonight. I hope #2 performs like he did last Friday night!!!

Chores today have been canning the last few quarts of tomato sauce and cleaning the house. I put some pork roasts in the crock pot to make pulled pork sandwiches for later in the day. We will be having several teenagers come and eat with us again tonight. (That girl did come back after all. She is a brave soul)!!! Outside chores have been coming along today as well. The sun is back and so is the heat. The grass is green so all the animals are still content. Michael has worked on replacing damaged shingles on the outdoor building. We are making plans for a new pig pen area, and new fencing projects. I served store bought pork chops last night and it inspired Michael to purchase more pigs. He hopes to have them on the farm by next weekend!

grace and peace,
julie

A Few Happy Animals

It is still raining here in our neck of the woods. I am so thankful for each drop that falls. Our animals seem quite content with the cooler temps. and rain fall. Lizzie was enjoying a moment by our upper gate. Notice the beautiful green grass that is already coming to life with just a few days of rain.
Here are our two Black Angus cows. They too are happy with the weather.

Our front yard is still sparse, but at least there is some green out there. We must be rednecks because we have chickens in the front yard!!! Hey, they are happy chickens still laying enough eggs for our needs so they can go wherever they like.

grace and peace,

julie

Three Years Have Come and Gone

Three years have come and gone. So many changes have occurred and yet there are so many things the same. We live on the same farm in the same house, but new updates to both happen often. We have the same five children that we had three years ago, but they have grown by leaps and bounds. The youngest child now sings his ABC's and recognizes his letters. The oldest child is a senior taking college classes and making preparations for his future. The daughter is now only 6 inches shorter than myself and the third son is getting ready to take his hunter's safety course. The second born is taller than the first born and still growing I might add. Yes, they are all the same children, but time has changed them. Michael's occupation has stayed the same, but now he is self employed as a contractor. I too have changed over the last 3 years. Although I am living my dream of being a wife and homemaker, I have also added the passion of gardening and photography to my list of things that keep my hands busy. If I could have chosen any life for me, I would have chosen this life with this husband with these kids on this farm. I am settled and for the first time in our marriage, we have finally found a place to allow our roots to go down deep without fear of being transplanted. A place we can call home.

Three years have come and gone. In one vein of thought, it has traveled by slowly. Many things have transpired in these three years. However reality says that it has gone by quickly. Life is the thing that happens when the ordinary days are knitted together and then you realize that those days are actually extraordinary. Looking back you see the ordinary days making a beautiful tapestry that we call our life. This morning was one of those ordinary mornings. The same ordinary habits occurred that come together to make this family function efficiently. Yet on the inside I was marking something different in my heart. As I drank my coffee this morning, I felt a tear roll down my face. Not the kind of tears that are uncontrollable, but the kind that just slide down from the corner of the eyes. These kind of tears don't come from uncontrollable grief or sorrow, but instead they come from a soft sadness. In my case, they came this morning because I knew that today marked the three year point. For three years, he hasn't been a physical part of my life even though he has been in it some way every day.

Three years ago today at around 7:27 p.m., I said goodbye to my dad. I knew it was time and that he was being ushered into the very presence of the Lord. The hospice nurse hugged me and whispered a soft reminder that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I am at peace with him being with the Lord. I have no doubts there. I have no regrets where my relationship with my dad is concerned. We lived our life with a great relationship. I just miss him. I miss him being a part of our ordinary everyday life...sharing with him the milestones that make each day special.

grace and peace,

julie

Lunchbox Memories

Growing up I was the one that always helped mom with after dinner clean up. Part of my job was to make my dad's lunch. This lunchbox was one of his originals. It was placed on the basement shelf at some point and replaced with the same kind except the new one was plastic. I asked my mom if I could have his old metal lunchbox and she gladly passed it on to me. My sister in law decorated it for me and made a recipe box. (Thanks, Kelly!! You did a great job)!!

grace and peace,
julie

Grape Jelly and Beautiful Peppers

I ended up with 9 pints of grape jelly all together. Making jelly was something that I had never done before. I always make jams because I like the pieces of fruit that stay in jams. The flavor of this grape jelly is wonderful. I didn't read the whole part about skimming off the foam. This is why my jars look unclear on the top. No, my jelly wouldn't win any prizes at the county fair due to forgetting to skim off the foam, but nobody at my house will really care. They will gobble it up so fast that they won't even realize that it is unclear on the top!

The next thing on my morning list is to process these beautiful peppers. I will be making more pickled jalapenos as well. For the bell peppers, I cut them in half and pull out all the seeds. I then bag them in freezer bags and freeze them. This will give me peppers to use all winter long. Of course if I want to make potato salad or something with fresh peppers, I will still have to buy one from the grocery store throughout the winter. It saves so much money having these peppers tucked away in my freezer. I use them in any dish calling for sauteed peppers.

grace and peace,

julie

The Rain Is Still Here

It rained yesterday for a few hours. Our pastures are in desperate conditions. The only thing that remains green are the weeds.
Sully Man seemed shocked when the water started dropping from the sky. I would think it would have to feel good to him. The rain started again last night. In fact, I went to bed before my husband. When he came to bed, he snuggled me up and whispered in my ear that the rain is here. It was a beautiful sound. It is still raining this morning. Yesterday's newspaper discussed the fact that South Greene (which is where we live) is in the highest class of drought, and the rest of Greene County is in the next to highest. But for today...it is raining!

grace and peace,
julie

Look What's Heading Our Way!!!

There's rain on them there mountains and its heading straight for us!!!

Even the old trusty weather dog says, "Yep, I smell rain in the air or maybe its just the hot wings I ate last night, but it sure does look like rain either way!"

grace and peace,

julie

Moon and Stars Watermelon

This is one of the watermelons I was telling you about earlier. I have never been able to grow watermelon. It obviously must be me because this watermelon grew itself. This came from an heirloom plant that we planted either last year or the year before. I honestly can't remember. Whatever year we planted, we didn't get anything from it so I decided we just couldn't grow watermelons. Michael plowed the field up in late May with the intentions of planting, but we never got that far. The watermelon grew itself from the earlier plant and now we have an abundant harvest of watermelons. The flavor is amazing. It is sweet and has a great texture. I hate mushy watermelons! I did just discover that 4 of our 5 children do NOT like watermelon. I have been dedicating a garden bed each year to grow watermelon and I didn't even KNOW my kids don't like it!!! What kind of crazy kids don't eat watermelon???!!! I guess I won't have to worry about mastering the production of watermelon around here, and I won't even have to end on a failure. After all, we have an abundant crop this year even if I didn't know they were out there!

grace and peace,
julie

Evening Harvest

Two more bushels of tomatoes have been picked from the garden this evening. I also picked some beautiful peppers and flowers. Another good harvest and another day of canning tomorrow. My heart is full of thanksgiving for this bounty.

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scripture

"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?" Luke 12:24

Football, Tomatoes, and Other Things

Friday night was an exciting football opener. Our team won and my son played some awesome Defense. Here he is wearing #2. The real truth is I am thrilled we made through the first game without going to the hospital!!!

Tomatoes are on the docket for this weekend. Michael and I are heading to the kitchen store to purchase another stainless steel large pot to use for canning. This will be a huge time saver for me. Truth be told, I should have done this before canning season ever started.

grace and peace,
julie

Friday Night Football Begins

Tonight is our two older boys opening night of football. Matthew is a senior this year and Joshua is a freshman. I am looking forward to watching them play. Friday football time is fun around our house. The older boys get home early. I encourage them to bring football friends so we can all eat a big meal before the game. I try to have everything all done around 4:00 so we can eat and have time to rest before the game. Everybody is usually excited and ready for some football!! I try to choose meals that will stretch if unexpected teenagers show up for dinner. Tonight I am baking a ham so I need to get back to the kitchen!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Canning Class 101

I grow Roma Tomatoes for sauce making. They are a small meaty tomato that cooks down nicely. Making sauce is easy, but time consuming. First, I add the washed tomatoes to a boiling pot of water. I let them sit there for just a minute or so then I quickly take them out. This allows the skins to pop off of the tomatoes. I always take the skin off because my food mill is just a cheapy and it won't handle all the skins and seeds. It is a good idea to let the tomatoes cool a bit before trying to handle them!

See how the skins just pop away from the tomato. I cut the top off and the skin comes right off the tomato.
Next I fill a large pan with the tomatoes. There will be enough liquid from the tomatoes themselves that there is usually no need to add more. I let them cook on medium until the tomatoes are soft. This takes about an hour. Watch and stir the tomatoes some so they don't stick.
If I want to make a flavored sauce for pizza or spaghetti, I add chunks of green peppers, onion, and minced garlic. I let these cook with the tomatoes for flavor.
Next, it is time to run the cooked tomatoes through the food mill. The seeds will remain in the top, and the juice will flow through the bottom.I use my stainless steel mixing bowl because my food mill fits it perfectly.
I then take the good juice and put it back in my large pot. If I want a flavored sauce, I will add oregano, basil, italian seasoning, crushed red peppers, sugar, and salt to my sauce. I will cook it until it becomes the thickness I want. This takes time. It may take several hours so be prepared to stir throughout the day.
Following the instructions in my Ball Blue Book, I add some lemon juice to each jar. I put my sauce in a water bath to finish the canning process.

If you are interested in canning, I have found the Ball Blue Book to be the best source for information. It is not expensive and it is usually available at Walmart. Our store keeps them with the canning supplies. Happy Canning!!!

grace and peace,

julie

We Chose To Feed Hay

After supper last night, Michael and I once again discussed feeding the animals hay or grain. We made the decision to go ahead and start feeding hay. We are hoping that if they have more to eat in the field that they will be easier to keep at home. Our smallest Black Angus keeps slipping through the fence in search of greener grass. Yesterday morning a neighbor, whom we did not know, stopped by to tell us there was a cow out down the road. It was ours.
The sheep were curious. It didn't take the cows or horses long to find the loot. They will eat their fill and then the sheep will get to eat too. Our horses are a bit greedy so the sheep will have to wait for a few hours. We spent the rest of the evening fixing the drip works that waters the garden. It has been a few days since we watered the garden and the plants were showing the signs. While I was down there, I noticed another large batch of red tomatoes. We have several beds that are just about finished for the season. As soon as we can pick the tomatoes, we will be tilling those beds up to prepare for fall planting. My little seedlings are doing fantastic. I really should be downstairs repotting them today or tomorrow, but I can't do that and can tomatoes. The seedlings will have to wait for a few more days.

grace and peace,
julie

Send the Rain

I miss the rain. You know the kind that sets in while it is still dark out first thing in the morning and lasts until you fall back asleep that night. There is something so relaxing about the rain. My mom says that if it is cloudy outside she can't see the dust so she isn't compelled to do something about it. We were hoping to get some of the rain from the storm down in Florida. All week the radar has shown that we would start having rain around Wednesday evening. I had been planning for this. I even scheduled time this afternoon to pick all the produce from the garden. Michael checked the radar before leaving for work this morning, and it now shows no rain in sight. Our pastures are in dire need once again for a drink. As we were having coffee this morning, we talked about feeding the animals some grain or going ahead and feeding them hay. We will have to do one or the other soon especially if no rain is in store for us.

There are things in life we can control as people, but we can't control the weather. It is a humbling realization just how many things that we have no say or control over in this life. We can either yield to the Lord with grace and style or pitch a fit and kick and scream, but in the end the outcome is the same. The Lord is in control. I personally take comfort in this. It isn't my responsibility to control everything, but I am told to trust Him...and I do. We pray for the rain and we wait. If it comes, we thank Him. If it doesn't come, we still thank Him. As we watch and pray and wait for rain, would you please join us and ask the Lord to send some rain our way?

grace and peace,

julie

grace and peace,

julie

We Almost Had to Sell the Farm Over...

My husband is usually a pretty easy keeper. He is easy to get along with if you overlook him for the first hour after he wakes up from sleeping. It is very seldom that we exchange cross words with one another. However if cross words are going to be exchanged, it is usually in the first 15 minutes of his morning. This past Sunday morning was no exception. I left early to head to Walmart before church. I was responsible for bringing 10 gallons of tea to a church picnic and I needed to purchase that and a few other things. While I was at Walmart, I made a decision. I was standing in the aisle with the frozen breakfast and I decided to purchase some Toaster Strudels. This would be a treat for my kids and it would help me make sure I had time to get everything done before leaving for church. Knowing full well that Michael doesn't like sweet starts to his day, I also purchased some Toaster Scrambles which was sausage, eggs, and cheese. I was satisfied. Upon arriving home, my daughter met me at the door and helped me carry in the groceries. She was thrilled to find toaster strudels. Bingo...she was happy with my treat for her. Then came my husband. He picked up the box of Toaster Scrambles and that was were the day got funny. He read the ingredients.... "How can they possibly put sausage and eggs in a box"??? He also read the part that said cheese sauce which in his mind was a disguise for something other than cheese. He started in and it took everything inside of me to keep from laughing out loud. "Well, now... You might as well sell the farm now that you are serving this processed "food". Perhaps we could just have the Schwan's man deliver all our meals in our nice new neighborhood because we don't need a farm if this is what you are going to serve for breakfast"!!!!

A little melodramatic don't you think...3 boxes of Toaster Strudels doesn't exactly constitute a reason for selling an entire farm. After having a cup of coffee, he did come back to his senses. He ate the toaster strudels and all was once again well here on our little farm in East Tennessee. Mental Note: NEVER by Toaster Strudels or Scrambles again. It just ain't worth it!!!
grace and peace,
julie

Saturday Sheep Fun

As I have mentioned before, we do not have the proper handling equipment for animals. We use what we do have which is teenagers and hog panels! It works and other than counting the feed for the teenagers, its cheap!!
We had to catch the 9 lambs to give them their last shot. We are required to give them this shot in order to sell them as meat so we are willing to comply. Once the lamb is caught, the shot is easily given...it is the catching that is the hard part.

I promise you this teenager does have shirts and shoes back at the house. I don't know why he never uses them for summer time farming. I bet if a cow or horse stepped on his foot he would wear boots!!! The sheep had been separated from their moms' for almost 10 days. On Saturday evening, they found a hole in the fence and went right back in with the moms. We are thinking that they were apart long enough to be weaned, but we aren't 100% for sure. We will have to separate them out again soon because we need to feed the males corn to help them gain weight faster for market. I don't know if I am going to handle meat sheep very well. They are my favorite animals that we have here on the farm.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Evening Bounty

We got a call from a farmer down the road inviting us to come down to his place and pick peaches, pears, and grapes. He didn't have to ask us twice. We loaded up the kids and we picked. The peaches have a great taste even though they are small. His trees and grapes need some pruning which Michael offered to help him with this fall. The pears weren't quite ripe yet although I did squeeze enough to find a few soft ones for eating. After that, we came home and picked another bushel of tomatoes, some peppers, and a watermelon. I grabbed the cantaloupe because the plant had died, but I think the cantaloupe will continue to ripen. We have yet to get a cantaloupe out of the garden this year. This is our first!

My day will be filled with canning jalapeno peppers and tomatoes. I will let the Roma tomatoes sit for a day or two in order to ripen to the fullest then I will make another batch of sauce. I will cut up the peaches and sugar them and freeze them. One family can never have enough frozen peaches in my opinion. I am planning on making grape jelly for the first time in my life. I won't tackle that one today, but maybe tomorrow. I also need to clean the kitchen from top to bottom. It is undone from canning so many tomatoes!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scripture

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

It's All Fun and Games Between Brothers

Oldest brother invited a girl over to eat dinner with the family and watch a movie.
Younger brother spent some time thinking about what he could do to have some fun. (Remember the camping trip where older brother and friend shot younger brother and friend with paint ball guns in the middle of the night??? Paybacks are never fun).
Youngest brother had the perfect plan. He went into the barn and caught and adorable hen. He brought her into the house and sat down with her on the couch. Apparently oldest brother's new friend is terrified of chickens. Laughter breaks out as the chicken is let loose in the room. Well, you get the idea. All this right after I found the beloved Mastiff gathering the new girl's sandals in her mouth. What do ya want a bet she doesn't return again???

grace and peace,

julie

Hands Still Full

My hands are still full canning tomatoes. I did take the time yesterday evening to go for a walk on the farm with my husband. Hope you enjoy the butterflies as much as I am enjoying them this year!!

grace and peace,
julie

Gifts from the Lord

Yesterday we picked another bushel of tomatoes. Some of our peppers are starting to turn red. I think peppers are a beautiful garden bounty. Seth has learned that picking peppers can have a lasting effect. He picked peppers and then later rubbed his eyes which made them burn like fire. I don't know if he REALLY believed us when we told him that it was from the peppers. However just to be safe he has decided that picking tomatoes is a better option.

For several years, I have wanted to plant a butterfly bush. I love butterflies and I always thought it would be a nice thing to have in the landscaping. However since we keep changing our minds on what the landscaping should look like I have never taken the time to really plant one. Yesterday the butterflies lined up in the garden all over the zinnias. I have never seen so many butterflies all at once. I was mesmerized with the beauty all around me, and my heart was full of thanksgiving to the Lord. I still have butterflies even though I didn't plant a butterfly bush!!! Just another gift from the Lord, and I am delighted to receive His goodness.

grace and peace,

julie

Can You Guess What's On My List of Things to Do?

School is high on the list. We started back on Monday and the kids have done a great job already. I have been under the weather this entire week, but Jacob and Hope have been diligent all on their own. I am feeling better today than I have all week so I have high hopes for the day.
The other thing that is high on my priority list is canning tomatoes. The garden produce doesn't slow down just because I am not feeling well. No, the tomatoes just keep coming! I am thankful for each and every one of them because I need to make as much sauce as possible for the upcoming year. If you have ever eaten homemade pizza with garden fresh tomato sauce then you know why I put so much energy into this. Making tomato sauce is a time consuming endeavor, but the rewards are worth every minute spent!

Last week when the lightning struck several things in our home we also realized that we had lost our oven and our refrigerator. We decided to purchase a new refrigerator and we have been pleased with our decision. I haven't had an oven since then, but today the repair man is stopping by our house to fix our oven. We have eaten a lot of sandwiches and grilled things this past week. I haven't minded the easier menu. It truly has been a blessing because I just haven't felt like cooking any way. I am ready to make some homemade bread. I bake bread several times throughout the week and this past week we have eaten store brought bread. It hasn't been that bad, but it is time once again to have homemade yums fresh from the oven. I know my family will agree wholeheartedly!!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Garden Thoughts

I have worked my tail feathers off over the past few years trying to grow watermelon. Surely it isn't that complicated, but somehow I have never managed to grow any watermelon worth eating. This year has been no exception. I planted a ton of plants and I think there are four watermelons on all of them combined! Somehow I don't think that 4 watermelons is worth taking up an entire bed. Our son was out the other day working on fences. He came in carrying a green round thing with little yellow dots. He found it in the horse and sheep pasture. He announced that there were 5 or 6 smaller ones over there. I knew immediately what it was. Last year I planted Moon and Stars watermelon in that pasture (before the animals were there). They never did do anything even though I carried water to them by the bucket loads during the drought! After the field was plowed this year, I guess they reseeded themselves and managed to grow without any care from me. I think it is me that is bad at growing watermelons!!! I am still amazed that our horses and sheep didn't eat them.

I have been trying to grow a second batch of squash and zucchini. We didn't get our fill earlier this summer because of the bugs. Right out in the field with the horses and sheep I noticed a beautiful squash or zucchini plant loaded with picture perfect yellow blooms. I was thrilled and shocked all at the same time. I am unsure how the seeds even ended up out there and again amazed that the animals didn't step on it or eat it. Go figure!!!

Each year my garden is truly a learning classroom for me. Sometimes I am successful and other times we go empty handed. Guess what I learned yesterday??!!! I learned that cows will eat pepper plants.... Who knew??? I also learned that cows like Cosmos flowers! I did win the fence battle with the cow at least for now. She has now been out of the garden for 24 hours and the sheep remain out as well. YEEHAW!!! Now I feel like a real farmer!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Farmer Takes On Animals

Michael and the boys have been working on separating the lambs from their mommas. It is a test in one's patience and agility. First, the agility part. We do not have any proper handling equipment so pretty much they have to chase and pen each lamb. (Jacob has always said that he learned his moves for the football and baseball field by catching the farm animals)! Next is the patience part. After several attempts of separation, the little lambs ALWAYS find a way back to the big field with their mommas. This time however the farmer has won!!! Michael found and fixed all the problem areas of the backyard fence. The sheep have been separated for the last few weeks.

The next issue was that the little darlings were getting into my garden area. They ate all of my okra and most of my green beans. Little farmer tried his best to fix the electric fence and even added another strand. He sat and watched the little lambs get shocked, and he was satisfied that the job was complete. It only took them about 8 hours to figure out how to break through little farmer's handy work. Big Daddy Farmer spent Sunday evening solving the problem. There was no way that he could have those lambs eating his newly purchased hay that he has sitting out by the garden. It has been 2 days now and the little lambs have NOT found their way back into the garden area. Big Daddy Farmer won!!! But the cow broke through the other fence and now she is enjoying the hay as well as the garden!!!!

grace and peace,
julie