Missy the Energetic (or not)

 Missy is alive and well, but she has slowed down a tremendous amount over the past year.  It is hard having a dog that is so loved getting old.  She is still capable of going up and down the stairs, and with great effort she can still climb into our bed.  Whenever she gets up, she has a pronounced limp for awhile.  She sleeps the majority of time, but that is nothing new for her!

She still has to be with me at all times.  If I go outside, she must accompany me.  She is my dog through and through. She has enjoyed our oldest son moving back home, and she will curl up with him every chance she gets.

I obviously don't have any way of knowing how long Missy will be with us, but I do enjoy every day that we have with her.  She is still the sweetest dog that we have ever owned.  I know this one thing for sure--never leave food on the counter. She can still muster up the strength to get a yummy piece of meat off the counter by standing on her back legs.  She no longer bothers herself for anything much more than meat now.  In times past, I have lost many loaves of bread and several desserts to her tummy!  She has trained me well, and I still don't give her the chance to get any food from the counter.  Who knows when her sweet tooth might just kick back in?

grace and peace,
julie

I have no idea where the thought came from today, but I suddenly felt an urge to blog.  It has been a long time since I even thought about our blog.  I have considered in the past deleting it all together, but I just can't bring myself to do it.  Then out of the blue I felt the urge to post.  I lost my love of blogging when I went to work as an English  teacher at our local high school.  The thought  of making a spelling/grammar mistake overwhelmed me, and I don't have oodles of time for proof reading.  However, I do miss writing and sharing bits of our life.  I also miss farming and gardening.

I guess it is easier to blog than build fences, so I will start here.  We are still a happy family that is hoping to start a small, self-sustaining farm.  We have recently added chickens and bees.  We have two hives of honey waiting to be extracted, but we are lacking the equipment. Our garden didn't do very well, and I didn't do much canning this past summer.  I asked Hope to run downstairs to get a jar of jalapeños from the canning pantry.  She came upstairs with a jar and an announcement of doom in the event we had to live very long from our canning storage.   Perhaps next summer will be a better garden year for us.  On the upside of things, our neighbor has shared tons of his garden produce with us.  We have enjoyed his bounty all summer long, and we are thankful.

Our dogs are still alive and well.  Missy is still her old Mastiff self, and Lynryd has had some ups and downs in the past few months.  I will share those later.  Our kids are all thriving and there are lots to share concerning them, but that will also be for a later time.  Until next time...

grace and peace,
julie

Such is the Life of a Dog

 Our area recently received a bit of snow, which caused these two girls to have a relaxed day of video games.  Missy couldn't stand to be left out of a relaxing moment, so she allowed herself to be used as a foot rest.

While the girls "killed" the bad guys, Missy selflessly gave them a place to rest their weary feet.

Missy doesn't mind being a resting point for anybody.  She is just glad that she has human beings that want to be with her.  After all, a nap is a nap in her world!

grace and peace,

julie

No Perfect System

 I was talking with a dear friend this past week.  I asked her how homeschooling was going this year, and she smiled and said, "There is no perfect system."  This is a mother who has home schooled for years, and when she speaks I tend to listen because she is seasoned in the art of motherhood.  I knew exactly what she meant.  I could write a book on the pros of home school, and I could write another book on the negatives of home school.  By the way, the same holds true for public education.  I started thinking about the time that we home schooled our children.  As I was thinking about this time in our life, I considered what our life would have been like if we had never home schooled at all.  It was about that time that I realized the best part of home school for our family was the relationships built between each of our children.  They are best friends, and I truly believe that wouldn't have happened if they had gone to public school at the age of 5.

 This weekend Matthew drove down from college to pick up Jacob.  They headed out to Missouri to visit Josh.  This was a new experience for Michael and I.  Our sons were going on a vacation that they had planned and for the most part paid for without our help.  Josh rented a cabin on a lake, and they provided and cooked their own meals.   I know that memories were made this weekend...probably some I don't even want to know!

 They called Hope and told her next time she was going to go too.  They needed her to help cook and clean!  She laughed because she knew them well enough to know that there was some truth in that statement, but they also like her company and her cookies!

I wouldn't trade those hard years of home schooling these kids for any amount of money.  I certainly wouldn't trade their friendships! 

Just in case your kiddos aren't the best of friends yet, don't worry.  Home school may not be the solution for your family.  Remember, there is no perfect system.  My brother and I didn't do so well together when we were children.  However, we have grown into wonderful friends now that we are adults.  It took awhile, but it was worth the wait!

grace and peace,
julie

2012 Year in Review

 2012 started as a usual year finding Missy curled up sleeping on the couch.

 Winter quickly turned into spring, and Missy found her way to the pond to get some much needed exercise. 

 The spring also brought Jacob's first experience with high school baseball. 

 Spring also brought our first hive of bees to our home.  (I pray those little darlings are still alive because I sure would like some honey next year)!

 Easter came and went and our college son was able to come home and enjoy his Easter basket this year.  We also enjoyed our Easter dinner on the front porch with good friends and warm weather.

 May brought graduation for Josh and my first graduation ceremony as a teacher at Rhea County High School.

 May also brought Hope's 8th grade graduation!

 The summer brought heat and a drought.  Our garden started off wonderful and ended up in weeds.  This was probably the worst garden season that we have ever had.  On a high note, Josh brought this little darling home as a gift to his siblings.  Lynyrd has become Seth's best friend and a joy to us most of the time.

 August found our family saying good-bye to Josh.  We held a going away party complete with a cool Marine cake.  The night we left him to go into boot camp was one of the hardest things I have ever done as a parent.  August also brought a new school year for our family.  Jacob grew into a 10th grader, and Hope joined the high school as a freshman.  I started my 2nd year teaching at our high school.

 Joshua's boot camp months found us racing to the mailbox hoping to find word from him.  We got his first letter on a Friday night.  After the football game, we gave the letter to Jacob and Nick to read right there on the football field.

 September brought Hope's 14 birthday.  I know it is cliche, but it seems just like yesterday when she was a baby!

 November found us in South Carolina celebrating our new Marine's graduation.  Seth missed Josh so much while he was gone, and Josh missed Seth's first year of football.

 I knew what it was like being the wife of a military man, and now I know what it is like being the mom of a military man.

 Jacob enjoyed time away from school while we vacationed in South Carolina!  He also enjoyed being with his brothers.

 We even brought this special someone and her family with us to celebrate our Marine. 

 We took some time for family pictures while we were away.  I guess it is only right that we now have a family picture that includes Seth.  It only took us 8 years!

 When we arrived back home, our neighbor had decorated our home and farm gate welcoming us back.  I cried when I saw the huge sign for Josh hanging on our gate.  This year was Seth's first year of deer hunting with his dad. 

 Josh was able to watch Hope play a basketball game while he was home.  Thanksgiving came and went in a whirlwind with Josh home a few days before the holiday.  We celebrated  and then said good-bye once again.

 Only three of our children were home to decorate the tree this year.  We had to go to extreme measures this year to hang the star because the tree was so tall. 

 The middle of December brought Jacob's 16th birthday.  Matthew and Chelsea came and surprised him for his special day.  We now have our 3rd child driver in the family.  I am thankful that I got a job!  Insurance rates are outrageous!!!!

Lynyrd has grown into a member of our family, and I look forward to seeing what 2013 brings to our home.  

grace and peace,
julie

Christmas 2012

 This boy lied to us and told us that he wouldn't be home for Christmas.  I spent about 30 minutes in complete panic mode trying to figure out how we were going to bring Christmas to him in Missouri. 

Let me start at the beginning.  The Friday before Christmas was the day that Josh was suppose to find out if he was going to get Christmas leave.  We spent all day waiting for the phone call from him.  Matthew had already been home all week, but he left to head back to Greeneville to visit with his girlfriend and her family.  He was going to be home around 6:30 that evening for dinner.  While I waited for word from Josh, I busied myself with a good book.  I noticed Jacob was cleaning house, but I never guessed he was up to anything.   Around 6:00 p.m., Josh called and said his leave was denied.  My heart sank and the realization hit me that this Christmas wasn't going to be what I had planned after all.  Matthew came home and we all sat down to dinner.  A few minutes later our back door opened and Josh stood in the doorway.  I have never been more surprised in all of my life!  Turns out all 3 of our boys knew that Josh was on his way home.  Matthew wasn't in Greeneville that day after all.  Apparently he was in Atlanta picking up his brother from the airport.  Jacob was home getting things in order, and Michael and I were left in the dark.  I cried my eyes out when I saw him.  I know for sure having all 5 my kids at home for Christmas was my best gift ever!

 Josh wasn't impressed with our new tea glasses.  He missed his mason jars!  The child in the beard is the one who lied to us too. 

 The child in the flannel also lied to us.  He was the one busy cleaning house while I was reading.  He even managed to convince me to cook a nice dinner complete with yeast rolls.  The other two children were just as surprised as we were. 

This happy daddy didn't know about the Christmas surprise either.  We now realize we had better keep a better eye on our older three kids.  There is no telling what they might accomplish together!

grace and peace,
julie

P.S.  Stay tuned for the highlights of the rest of our vacation and the new things ahead for 2013. 

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to stop by and wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.  Our Thanksgiving was celebrated last week when our young Marine came home for the week.  Today has found me relaxing on the couch with a new book from Jodi Picoult. 

I hope to start writing again some day soon, but I think I have said that several times in the past.  It seems that the hours in the day are consumed with everything but writing.  Until next time, have a blessed day!

grace and peace,
julie

Encouraging News

Great story from our area

Wisdom, You Don't Get It Overnight

It's not time to quit the day job just yet, oh and I'm thankful for it.

Over the past 12 years, Julie and I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience attempting to build our farm and our dream; both positive and negative.  We now know what it takes to successfully grow tomatoes, but we also know just how hard it can be to pay a medical bill on the income from selling them.  I know a lot more about producing a quality soil and how to grow good pasture, but can't afford sufficient pasture because it has a "mountain view".

Twelve years ago, I was under the impression I would just waltz into East TN, buy up some cheap farmland, work hard and bam; quit my day job in a couple of years and enjoy the simple life forever more.  What I learned is just how complicated and difficult enjoying the simple life can be.  It has been very discouraging at times, and when we left Greeneville two and half years ago, I stood in my front yard and cried as we loaded up the last of our stuff and moved.  At that time, it seemed that we had just given up on our dreams that we had poured so much into over the previous 10 years.

For the last couple of years, I've been in a holding pattern and sort of a recovery time.  I've had time to really reflect on those experiences.  I know a lot more know than I did 12 years ago, (not just how to grow tomatoes) and I'm ready to start over again.  Making dreams a reality is hard and in this age of instant gratificication, it can be very difficult to stay the course.  It has taken me a while to realize it, but I know that we didn't waste our time, we were just gaining the wisdom necessary to make those dreams reality.

Stay tuned.

Michael

Oh, How Times Change

I was just sitting here using our blog to show some pictures to a friend and it got me started down memory lane.  It is amazing how things change over time and how quickly that seems to have happened when looking back.  Admist all the change, thank God, some things remain constant.  Family, laughing, loving.  I think you may see more of me around here.
Mike

Sausage Pinwheels

Everybody needs a quick breakfast every now and again. This recipe fills that bill, and it is also great warmed up the next day.  I serve these pinwheels almost every time we have overnight guests because most people really like these.  Hope your family enjoys!

grace and peace,
julie


Sausage Pinwheels

2 cans Crescent Rolls
1 Roll of Jimmy Dean Sausage or your favorite brand

Open each can of crescent rolls.  Lay out each can into 2 rectangles like the above picture.  Next, sprinkle raw sausage over each rectangle.  When you are finished, you will have 4 rectangles.  (If your family is smaller than mine, you can use 1 can of crescent rolls and a half roll of sausage).

Roll each rectangle up in a jelly roll style.  Cut each rectangle into 5 slices.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the rolls are brown.  

You can serve these with an egg dish or a side of fruit.  These are our quick breakfast for those days that I want to cook, but I don't have much time.

 Another variation of these rolls is to cook the crumbled sausage in a skillet.  Then sprinkle the cooked sausage onto the rectangles of crescent rolls.  Next, crumble cream cheese on top of the sausage.  Roll up and slice into 5 pieces.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in 375 oven for about 15 minutes.  My brother, who is a retired fireman, serves these particular pinwheels.  He fell in love them with them while working at the fire station.  They made them for breakfast a lot.  

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Lynryd.  (I didn't name him. There is a story with his name.  I also didn't bring him home.  There is also a story with that, just in case you were wondering).

Josh, our future Marine that will be leaving in 6 weeks, came in the other evening with this puppy.  He gave it to his siblings and told them it was a gift from him.  He looked at me and smiled.  I glared back at him and told him he better start talking and fast!  He explained that a girl talked him into going to the pound with her.  They were putting puppies to sleep because the pound is so full of unwanted dogs.  Josh and Morgan picked out this little tyke and brought him home.  They both were counting on Michael and I saying, "Yes."  As you can see, he was right.

Missy has enjoyed his company, and the little guy is always with her.  She allows him to pull and bite her lips, neck, and belly.  I am amazed that she is so gentle with him!

When she has had enough of him, she takes herself upstairs and goes to bed in our room.

 Josh named him Lynryd because his best friend was suppose to get the puppy's brother and name him Skynyrd.  Then there would be Lynryd Skynryd.  However, the other kid decided to ask his mother before bringing the puppy home, and she said, "NO!"  Now we are just stuck with a very cute puppy with a very bad name!

grace and peace,
julie

This picture was taken several years ago at our other house, but I still have the same basket that is just as full of squash and zucchini now as it was then.  My legs are sore from picking green beans so instead of walking my lazy self downstairs to take a picture, I just pulled from my archives.  We weren't suppose to have so much squash and zucchini.  I had a moment  of  not paying attention and I planted double squash seeds instead of watermelons.  I should have known better since squash seeds are yellowish and watermelon seeds are black, but I was thinking about other things.  My husband wanted to till the extras up and replant watermelon, but I put my foot down.  He said he didn't want to hear me complain about the overflow.  Thus far I haven't said a word about the overflow of squash, but I have complained daily about the overflow of green beans.  I have 70 quarts of green beans in our pantry.  We have eaten enough green beans to float a boat, and we have given bushels and bushels away to friends. ( By the way, if you live close to me you are welcome to come pick green beans for your family.  They are free for the picking)!

Well, now that I have all of these squash and zucchini plants, I have to come up with creative ways of using them.  I wanted to share a quick recipe that I made for supper last night.  My family loved it.  Plus it was easy, quick, and cheap!  What more could I ask for?  I could ask that you would come pick beans and save my back and legs from that!!!!!

Smoked Sausage Stir Fry

Cut  into bite size pieces as much smoked sausage as needed for your family.  Put it in a stainless steel skillet.  Add a bit of olive oil.  Cut up an onion and turn on the heat.  Slice squash and zucchini in the desired amounts.  Add Crazy- Mixed- Up -Salt.  Be careful to taste before you get to heavy handed with the seasoning because it does have a lot of salt content .  (You can find Crazy-Mixed- Up-Salt in Walmart or your grocery store.  It is located in the spice section).  Cook until tender. I served over rice with some homemade sourdough bread.

grace and peace,
julie

This Post Made Possible by Contributions From the Cleaning Fairies

I awoke with a jerk this morning around 4:00 a.m.  The first thought on my mind was the mounds of green beans still waiting to be broken and canned.  I then remembered the state of the kitchen.  I left it so undone that if my own mother showed up unexpectedly I wouldn't have allowed her through the door.  At that moment, I had a thought that I could just give the green beans away to a friend, a stranger, or an enemy.  I didn't care who got them, but I knew that I couldn't do everything that was before me for the day.  I went back to sleep only to wake again around 6:15 a.m.  I once again remembered the green beans and my decision to give them away, and then I panicked wondering what I would do if I couldn't find someone to take them off my hands.  I decided if I couldn't give them to a person I would share the loot with the cows.  My children and husband could never know of the deed since they also spent their time picking the beans from the garden.  I felt pretty safe that the cows wouldn't tell on me. 

With my plan fixed in my mind, I climbed out of bed dreading the chores that I had left undone all day yesterday.  I quickly dressed and headed slowly downstairs in search for a cup of coffee.  As soon as my foot hit the last stair, I noticed that the living room was put together.  The strewn blankets were no longer on the couch.  The shoes that had become an obstacle course were no longer in sight.  Then my eyes slowly glanced at the kitchen table.  It was spotless.  There were no remnants of last nights late dinner to be seen anywhere.  My counters were spotless too.  I then saw one of many garden baskets full of green beans that had all been broken and left as a gift.  There was a beautiful toilet paper bow tied on the handle, and a precious note left by my three cleaning fairies.

 One of my sons, who will remain nameless because he doesn't like anything that he does to be made public, and two of his friends stayed up late last night.  They sat on the front porch  and drank coffee.  This is something that happens almost every night at our home, but my husband suggested that while they sat and talked they could break a few beans.  After they broke ALL the beans, they came in the house and started cleaning.  I have waited all of my life for the cleaning fairy to show up, and quite frankly, last night was much needed.  Those boys couldn't have spent $1,000 on me and made me any happier than what they did for me last night.  The only negative about last night was that I was left with an eerie feeling...if those boys could break all the beans and clean the house without us waking up what might a burglar get accomplished while we slept?  Maybe we need to purchase a better watch dog!

grace and peace,
julie

Sunflowers and Green Beans

I haven't posted much about our garden this year because I have been disheartened with it.  First, we were much later than usual getting it all planted.  I still have more corn and flowers to plant, so technically I am still not finished.  Second, we have grown a bumper crop of weeds.  I don't know how this has been possible, but we managed.  Also for the second year in a row I can't get my okra seed to germinate.  I have come to conclude that it must be me because I am now using seed from my neighbor.  His okra is thriving while mine has done nothing.  I have planted okra twice this year already, and I will be planting it again this week.  I don't have high hopes of seeing my own okra this year, but our neighbor is good to share his bounty with us.  Next year I will be starting my okra seed in my basement so I can watch it!

With all the negative talk out of the way, let me share the joys of the garden from this year.  I have sunflowers everywhere.  They are standing tall and proud in the first two rows of the garden.  I also have them in vases and containers all throughout the house.  They make me happy!  I also have zinnias in bloom and they too are poked here and there in pretty jars in our home. 

This year we planted bush beans because I wanted my green beans to come in all at the same time so I could can them in one fail swoop.  Oh boy, has that ever happened.  This past week we have picked 7 bushels of green beans from our garden.  I have spent so much time picking beans that the treadmill is starting to look pretty good to me right now!  Don't think it is just me picking these little treasures.  My kids, husband, and the neighbor children have joined in to help.  When we haven't been in the garden picking beans, we have been on the front porch breaking beans and drinking coffee.  If all goes well, I have one more day of canning ahead of me.

We are also enjoying green onions, zucchini, squash, peas, and lettuce from our garden.   We also planted 3 more small rows of pole beans so that we can have fresh green beans for eating all summer long.  I won't be canning these!

What have I learned from this year's garden?  Although it may not be perfect, I can still enjoy and use it.  I just have to step over the weeds from time to time.  Come to think of it, it is kind of like my life.

grace and peace,
julie

Summer Time

School is out for summer!!!!!!  I know that an English teacher should know better than to put 6 exclamation points at the end of the sentence, but it seemed appropriate for the announcement of summer.  I have spent the morning doing a few relaxing chores.  I cleaned a few windows, and straightened up the front porch a bit.  I also made homemade cinnamon rolls for the children.  They have complained vehemently about my lack of cooking.  I still stick with the story that I cook almost daily, but  I don't make all the baked goods that they have grown to love.  Summer time will find me baking again.  Last night I made 2 loaves of Banana Bread, and I enjoyed every moment of the process of baking and being in the kitchen.

I am planning on enjoying the slower days of summer.  We will still have to adhere to a schedule because both Jacob and Hope play high school sports.  This will require several trips a day to the high school for me, but I get to come home in between! 

Keep an eye out for posts coming more often.  I love writing and it is something  that I have missed dearly.

grace and peace,
julie