Slow and Steady

My motto for my Thanksgiving Preparations has been "Slow and Steady gets you ready." I know it is silly, but it makes me feel better about not buzzing around the house cleaning and cooking everything in sight. While I feel a lot better, I still am dealing with the yucks and little energy. I am so happy that I am not hosting a bunch of people that I would want to impress. I would have to call off the whole deal. I am just hosting my brother and his family which are easy keepers. Love covers a multitude of dirt and things left undone. No pressures...Well there is one pressure...I can't taste anything. How in the world does one go about seasoning all the dishes without being able to taste? This one is a bit concerned about that!!!!

grace and peace,

julie

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Moms

I had my Thanksgiving week planned out to a tee. I was suppose to be preparing scrumptious pies and homemade breads. I was going to finish the cleaning and have everything nice and together for my family. The one thing I didn't plan on was getting sick! We sure were glad there were homemade goodies in the freezer when I was unable to make anything else. Our second son loves Pumpkin Bread and he made sure to thaw it all out and serve it with hot tea when I was unable to fuss about it. Pumpkin Bread did make a nice breakfast, but it was suppose to be served on Thanksgiving morning along with the Banana Bread!!!!~ I am thankful that we are all starting to feel better. I am still looking forward to Thanksgiving, but knowing full well that I won't be as together as I had originally planned. But you know what, not one person around my dinner table is going to be too concerned about all of the other stuff. It just isn't that important after all.
grace and peace,
julie

Thought For the Day

No Momma should EVER be sick....especially not right before the holidays!

grace and peace,
julie

The Sounds of the Farm

As I was waking up this morning, I kept thinking something is missing. I was fully awake, but something just wasn't right. I couldn't put my finger on it. I crawled out of bed and made a pot of coffee. As I sat drinking a hot cup of java and planning my day in my mind, I realized that my wind chimes were playing a beautiful song. I stopped and listen intently. My wind chimes were a gift to me when my dad died. Instead of sending flowers to the funereal home, this precious family sent me a beautiful set of wind chimes. On the card was written, "Every time you hear these, think of your daddy and smile." As I was sitting there this morning thinking of all the times that my dad and I had coffee together in the morning time, I realized what was missing this morning when I first awoke. The sounds of the farm were silent, and they have been silent for awhile now. How many times have the wind chimes made noise and I haven't even heard it? When did our neighbor move the donkeys from the side field and how long had I missed the peculiar sound that they make? And how could you not hear the sound of a bunch of donkeys? And how could you not realize the moment it left? I also realized that our chickens don't make noise any more. I miss hearing the rooster in the morning. Then I remembered the day the rooster made me mad. Then it dawned on me this morning I wonder what else is happening all around me on a daily basis that I somehow miss.... I get so busy with all the doings of life that somehow I miss the listening and living of life. "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10 seems to fit for me today.

grace and peace,

julie

Fall Garden

Our fall garden has been a bust this year. We started off strong, but we didn't take into account the chickens. Our chickens didn't bother our summer garden so I had no reason to believe that our fall garden would be in danger. However, by the time I realized what the chickens were doing it was too late to salvage much. Apparently chickens enjoy broccoli and cabbage leaves along with collard greens. I don't know why, but our chickens haven't bothered our lettuce too much. We are enjoying bowls of fresh garden lettuce and green onions. I will also be picking some of our spinach and serving spinach salad when my mom is here. The temperatures have dipped into the low 30's and upper 20's here, but I haven't taken the time to cover the lettuce. As of yet, it doesn't seem to be hurting it at all. My goal was to see how long we could eat fresh produce this year. As much as I miss the broccoli and collard greens, we are still able to get by without purchasing too much produce from the grocery store.

grace and peace,

julie

Clearing Continues

Robert is about half way finished clearing our woods. He is leaving the hardwoods in tack. I haven't actually been back there in the last few days. I am anxious to see what it looks like.

He spent yesterday burning a large brush pile while he continued to clear more trees. I am looking so forward to getting this project completed. Michael will be breaking up the soil in the new area this February and planting seed soon after that. We have spent $2000 on hay to feed our animals this winter, and he is concerned that we will still need to purchase $900 more. The reason we have sheep is to make money, and if we keep spending large sums to feed them then we will have to rethink the whole sheep for profit thing. Our goal is to be able to produce enough good grass that we can cut hay here on our own farm. We don't have a square baler or any hay equipment, but that would be a better purchase than to continue to buy hay from other farmers.

I think we went about this whole farming thing kind of backwards. We got the animals before we really had the facilities to take care of them. The fences were suitable for large cows and horses, but not for calves or sheep. Now our animals are all stuck in a small pen off the side of the barn until Michael can finish the fence. This first section should be completed by the end of this weekend. Each new day brings about some other farm lesson for us to learn around here. Not a bad way to spend your days if you ask me.

grace and peace,

julie

In the Kitchen

Groceries have been bought for the next two weeks, and now it is time to head into the kitchen and start my pre-baking. For the entire week of Thanksgiving, I am responsible for the company's breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I generally do a large lunch/dinner whenever we have company and then everybody snacks around in the evening time. The one meal that causes me frustration is the breakfast. It usually requires me to get up EXTRA early to prepare enough whatever to feed everybody. This year I have decided to make some things that can be prepared ahead of time. I tried a new recipe this morning for a french toast type casserole that is made the day before and baked the next morning. Unfortunately, it wasn't good. Truth be told, it was down right nasty! So we won't be putting that on our menu. The other issue that I have with my family that is coming is that they don't eat eggs! That eliminates all of my great breakfast casseroles with eggs. So...

I am heading into the kitchen this morning to make pumpkin bread and banana nut bread to freeze for Thanksgiving morning breakfast. I am also starting to make homemade wheat bread to freeze for a quick breakfast. If you have any great non-eggy type recipes, please feel free to share them!!!

grace and peace,

julie

Take Care of the Pennies and the Dollars Will Take Care of Themselves

When my mom first graduated high school, she worked in a lawyer's office. The lawyer was an older Jewish man that always said, "Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." My mom used to tell me that when I was a child. To this day whenever I walk past a penny on the ground I pick it up and hear that saying. His point was that when we watch and are frugal with our pennies, that the dollars will start to add up all on their own.

Yesterday I was at the grocery store. It was late and I was purchasing meat for our family for the next two weeks. Catfish was on sale and I decided I would treat our family to a Sunday afternoon dinner of Catfish and the works. Any good southern woman worth anything knows that you don't serve catfish without also serving coleslaw. I hate to make coleslaw. I don't know when this aversion to making coleslaw started, but I just don't like to make it. I was picking up the last thing on my list and I was headed to the produce section to pick up cabbage for the slaw making. I had to walk past the deli section of the store, and I knew full well that their coleslaw was good. I NEVER by deli salads, but I was tempted to purchase it this time. I gave in to my temptation and got a container of coleslaw without even looking at the price. This afternoon when I pulled out that container I glanced down and my eyes about popped out of my head when I saw what that small container of coleslaw cost. I am not joking when I say that a little container of slaw cost $5.02. That was more than I spent on one package of fish! While the slaw was good, it wasn't THAT good. I figured I could have made a much larger container of slaw for about $1.50.

I was shocked. I was tired and I gave into convenience. I wonder how many pennies and dollars I have wasted giving into convenience. While I do not do this often, I am sure over the years I would be amazed at how much money has been wasted. I do know that there are times that convenience is worth the high dollar amount paid, but last night I was just being lazy. I just wanted to share my new found discovery and encourage all of you to skip the deli coleslaw and go home and make it fresh!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Sunday Scripture

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Thanksgiving Preparations

I have spent the last several hours thinking and planning out the next two weeks of menus. I will be heading out later this evening to do the grocery shopping. Once that chore is complete, then I am ready to enjoy the holidays. I was looking for notebook paper to write down all of my thoughts, and I happened to stumble upon the notebook that I did all of my planning in last year. This was truly a blessing from the Lord. I was able to quickly look at all of my meals that I cooked last year and then I just adapted a little bit for this year. What a time saver!!! I believe I will keep this little notebook tucked away for future uses.

grace and peace,
julie

Poll

Just a reminder to cast your vote for your choice of political party. Don't forget to post any comments you may have for one party or the other. Here's an interesting article by Andrew Davis comparing the two parties.
God bless,
Michael

Friday Evening Thoughts

This is our first Friday without football in quite awhile. It almost seems odd, but in a nice sort of way. The funny part is that some of the kids went with Michael to watch a local football playoff game. Go figure... Not me...no way....no how.... I have sit outside in the freezing cold and rain enough over the last few weeks. I am not about to do it unless one of my own children are playing. I am planning a hot bubble bath, an evening with a good book, and time to chill with my daughter. She likes to read too so I guess we will both be curled up together enjoying some quite time. I might just brew me up a nice pot of coffee and beg one of my boys to concoct something chocolate for our evening at home. This is the life for me!!!

grace and peace,
julie

Important Decision

My wife and I have been members of the Republican party since we were first old enough to vote. I came from a family that was mutually Republican where she came from a Democratic household. With these being the two dominant parties, we've never honestly considered a third party. But the time has come for change (not the kind of change being touted by the President elect).
While it is a no brainer that we do not identify with 90% of the Democratic party's platform, we have become more and more dissatisfied with the Republican party's non-adherence to what used to be their platform. Many of our elected Republican leaders have drifted further and further from upholding our constitution and show no signs of correcting this behaviour.
Therefore, we are in the midst of deciding on a new political party and would like your opinions as we make this decision. There is a poll posted to the right, please vote and then post your opinions and/or experiences with either party. We have narrowed it down to these two parties and aren't considering any others. If you are not familiar with either or them, follow these links for more information Libertarian Party or Constitution Party. I will be following up with more posts on politics as we look to become more active in our community, state, and national policy decisions.
God bless,
Michael

A Few of My Favorite Things

With all the organizing and cleaning that has been taking place in our home the last few weeks, Missy is having a hard time finding her favorite spot. She still isn't allowed in our bedroom and now the boys' upstairs bedroom is off limits. She tries her best to sneak in our daughter's room every chance she can get, but Hope is vigilant and keeps her out as much as possible. No one can blame Hope for not wanting Missy anywhere near her things. When Missy was a puppy, her favorite things to chew were anything belonging to Hope! Let's just say Hope has never really found that soft spot in her heart for our beloved Missy.

Missy finally found her favorite thing. She loves to find Seth laying in the floor and then she lays right on top of him. It is one of the few things that keeps Seth still for any length of time. He loves it when she snuggles him up!

grace and peace,
julie

Organizing Continues

I pulled our almost 15 year old son to help in Jacob and Seth's bedroom yesterday. I turned my back for just a minute and I found him playing with his four year old brother's toys!! Even with all the toy play, we did manage to get quite a bit accomplished in there. We still have a lot of office equipment to move out of the room. About 2 years ago, we moved the boys out of their adorable baseball room down to the basement to sleep with their older brothers. At the time, Michael was working full time at home and needed an office. We were out of rooms so the younger boys wanted to sleep with the older boys and we combined them all. Job situation has changed and we no longer need a home office. The younger boys are excited about heading back upstairs to their own room once again. The cleaning will continue for today. I REALLY need to repaint the room, but I think I will first try washing the walls. Did I mention that I don't like to paint???

grace and peace,

julie

Happy Veteran's Day

I wanted to take a moment and say "Happy Veteran's Day" to all the people who have served in our military. I am so appreciative of the time that you gave to keep our country safe and fight for our freedoms that we so dearly love. My husband is also a veteran. I know the cost that we paid during his time in the Navy. I know what it was like to have a 3 year old child stand by my bed in the middle of the night sobbing uncontrollably because he wanted his Daddy. I know what it is like for another son not to really know his Daddy and cry when he was left with him because his Daddy had been gone so much. I know the heartache of standing at the pier to drop my sailor off and know that he would be underway soon with no communication. I also know the joy of standing at that same pier waiting for my sailor to come across the plank to greet me once again after being gone. The tears that came when I started seeing the men come off the sub and my heart beating faster just waiting to see MY man.

Michael will be celebrating Veteran's Day with several other ex-Navy guys. They are going out to dinner and then going bowling. I am sure there will be many Navy stories to tell and many wonderful memories relived tonight. We wouldn't trade Michael's time in the Navy in for anything. It was good for us even though at times it was very hard. It gave him a good career that he has pursued after his military time. It grew us up and made us strong in ways that other things never could. The Navy gave us friendships that have stood the test of time.

grace and peace,
julie

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love cooking the meal and having company. This year my brother and his family will be coming to stay with us and my mom will also join in on the fun. The key to having a fun holiday is in the PLANNING. Making my Thanksgiving menu is easy because I am a traditionalist and nothing changes there from year to year. We use the same menu that my mom cooked all of my childhood. I do add a few extra desserts some times, but I am satisfied if I just have pumpkin and pecan pies. I do use the month of November to catch up on things around the house. We do not usually have company over the Christmas holiday so this is the time to get those last minute chores completed. That is why the laundry room got a major overhaul. Jacob and Seth's room is now the priority because we need the space for extra people to sleep over Thanksgiving. Hope's room also goes to the top of the list because that is the room that we use as a guest room. These type of things take TIME so I have been steadily working on them for the last few weeks. I also need to plan the menu for the entire week and get as much of that cooking done ahead as I can. Did I mention that our second son has a birthday the day before Thanksgiving this year? That takes some extra thought. I usually allow our kids to choose their birthday dinner and cake. This year I chose for him, but I did clear the menu with him first. He was satisfied so that made things a bit easier for me. I encourage you to take some time this week and do some planning for the holiday. I PROMISE you if you are cooking a large meal just planning a few weeks ahead makes all the difference in the world. Instead of feeling stressed and frustrated, you will enjoy the holiday so much more!!

grace and peace,
jule

Ashley from Many Blessings has tagged me to play a game listing 8 things about myself that you don't know.

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose 3 people to get tagged and list their name.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.


1. I graduated college while Michael was stationed in upstate New York. I majored in English and I minored in Education. I love teaching, and I never dreamed in a million years that I would home school my own children. During my college years, I thought home schooling was a very poor option for any child. Now, I think it is the BEST option out there for children. Although our two oldest boys did go to public school for high school, I still think home schooling is the best.

2. I grew up in a neighborhood, but my dream was to live on a farm. I loved going to my grandmother's farm in Indiana and spending time there during the summer. I loved going through all of her old junk in the outbuildings. One summer her husband made me a play house out of the old chicken coop. It was adorable and I still treasure those memories today. After we got married, Michael served many years in the Navy so it took even longer for my dream of a farm to come to reality. By the way, I still love antiques and old junk.

3. Not only had I dreamed of living on a farm when I grew up, I also dreamed of having many children. I always wanted at least 6 kids. I wanted my home to be full of children and fun. We ended up with 5 children, and I ended up having 5 miscarriages throughout the years. I have a very soft place in my heart for people who have trouble conceiving or have experienced miscarriages. It is a sadness that words cannot explain.

4. I love to read. I love to read so much that I don't do it very often because I become so engrossed in the story line that my home falls apart. Once I start a fiction book, I can't put it down until I am at the end of it. My answer to my lack of self discipline is just not to read fiction. Usually I do tend to curl up with good books during the winter months. I especially like to have a roaring fire and a nice hot cup of coffee. Dessert is also much enjoyed during these quiet reading times!

5. I hate to exercise, but I do it any way.

6. I have developed a love of photography over the last few years. I would love to purchase a great camera and take photography classes.

7. I love to be outdoors. I enjoy hiking and camping. I never get tired of spending time outdoors. I love waterfalls and mountains. I think fall is my favorite time of year, but truth be told each season is my favorite! I love to go for walks with Michael around the farm and just drink in all the beauty that the Lord has blessed us with here in Tennessee.

8. I am truly happy with the life that the Lord has given to me. If I had my life to live all over again, I would choose the same path that I have walked. I truly enjoy the journey that God has given me and my heart is full of thanksgiving. I love being a wife, mother, and homemaker. I do believe that I am fulfilling the call that God has on my life... and I am happy.

grace and peace,

julie

Sunday Scripture

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20

Creating Beautiful Tablescapes

I saw the most beautiful tablescape on a new blog this morning. As I was sitting dreaming about all the lovely things that go into a stunning tablescape, I remembered I had my own perfect tablescape that fit into our family quiet nicely. Although it does seem to impede the actual meal somewhat, I thought I would share my creative idea on tablescapes and see if you would like to create your own!!




My tablescape stands....

And sits....
And in the end, she takes a bow!!! How is that for talented, and beautiful, and creative???!!

grace and peace,

julie

P.S. If some how you aren't quite for sure that this tablescape will be right for your home, perhaps you might want to see what this lady has to offer.

Between Naps on the Porch