Make Peace, Be Blessed

Matthew 5:9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Those Parenting Moments

If you have children spaced about 18 months or less apart, you know they will find mischief together. I have two sets of children spaced about that far apart. As of this morning, I have another story to add to my collection. Yiddee and H-Bug decided upon a midnight snack last night. H-bug is in a growth spurt so it makes sense she would be hungrier than normal. I would have happily fed her IF she had asked me. Only, she didn't ask me. 

My little girls raided the fridge together, took a smorgasbord of foods to their beds, and made an enormous mess! Then, I think they fell asleep in what they spilled! Yuck! I woke up to two very sticky little girls, stained clothes, a mattress that had to be thrown out, and a BIG mess to clean up. The mingled food smells weren't easy on the stomach. Blech! So much for the sugar and spice...wait, I think they had some of that on the bed too!!

Em is independent and likes to take care of things she feels should be done. That is a very desirable quality in appropriate situations. "Train up a child" means we encourage what is right and discourage what isn't. It means we give a lot of thought to our parenting, respond with a goal in mind, and don't just react to the situation by letting our frustrations take control. We should discipline with wisdom, grace, and patience with a goal of building and not tearing down. 

I don't want to discourage Emily's independent nature that has her acting where she sees a need, but I am working to teach her wisdom and discretion. For Hannah, we discussed about going to the appropriate person for help and for not going along with doing wrong even if it gives personal gain. I am thankful for experiences like this, as frustrating as they can be on an already busy day, because they give me opportunities to shape their character. 

It also gives an opportunity to to self check myself. Am I exampling self control, patience, forgiveness, etc? This morning, I did OK. If it had been another morning, I may have had to apologize for my reaction. 

Apologize?! To children?!! The Bible tells us to apologize to people when we do wrong. Children are people too!! Humility goes a long way in building strong relationships. Please apologize to your children when you mess up, fellow parent. It will only sting your pride for a moment, but they will love and respect you more for it. Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. (Do a Bible study on pride vs humility, and see what is reaped from each.)

Take heart young moms: ALL of us mothers have these types of stories to share; even the mothers who pretend otherwise. Children do crazy things, and like their parents, none of them are perfect. Start seeing "those moments" as divine appointments for parenting and growth for your own walk. Each situation is the perfect opportunity to mold and shape your child for the Lord. Each situation is also used by the Father to mold and shape you for His purpose in your life.

May there be JOY in your parenting!

A Way to Dress Up Those Plastic Storage Containers

If you use the big plastic storage bins made by companies like Rubbermaid and Sterlite, you might enjoy seeing how one mother covered hers to make it attractive.  

Sleuthy Pups

Nancy Chew is ready to play!

Sherlock Bones is wondering what the "meow" was.
He had never seen a cat before. Now he has a kitten as a best friend and chew toy.

After hearing so many wonderful things about the breed for many years from dear friends Susan and Jennifer, we decided to add dachshunds to our family and farm. We're just going to ignore the wicked little dachshund stories from Nurse Heather. 

It's time to retire our sweet poodles in our licensed kennel to forever homes, and we decided to try another breed. We'll be raising pet quality dachshunds in a couple of years if all goes well. 

Every once in while, we offer a puppy for free as a way to give back to our friends, family, and community so keep an eye out in the distant future. They go very quickly on a first response basis.

Proverbs 12:10  A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Recognize Your Blessings

As I was distressing that the floor needs to be mopped again this morning, I stopped and realized THAT in itself is 3 blessings. I have a HOME with a FLOOR and a FAMILY to make it need cleaning. In third world countries, a floor is not the norm. Just down the road from me, a neighbor lost their home and everything in it in May. A mother I know lost three of her young children in an accident. She'd be thankful to clean up after them again. I am BLESSED to have a floor with a little dirt on it.

Isaiah 5:20 

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Wise Words

Proverbs 3:1-12

Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;
    take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
    a long life lived full and well.

Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.

    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people. 

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

He Takes Delight In You

I have left my camera at home a lot this year, 

but I did remember to take it on our trip to Maryland.

This was part of the Religious Freedom National Scenic Byway in St. Mary's County.

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

The Almighty God will rejoice over YOU with singing!!

Frank Whitley and Family

Frances "Frank" Woodward Whitley

son of Elisha Everette Whitley
pictured with Frank is his wife Alice C. Whitley

and their five children

including my great grandmother Lillian Estelle Whitley who together with her husband Henry L Bailey

ran Bailey's Flower Market in Churchland (Portsmouth, VA)

Lillian was mother to my grandfather Rollis Ivans Bailey.

Meet Forrest and Gump

My friend Kris asked me to take this little one and give it a chance. She works full time and her neighbor was taking care of him, but the neighbor was going on vacation. 

They named the little Toulouse gosling Little Bit, but we changed it to Forrest. Amanda and I had just watched the movie, so it seemed a likely choice. Our friends at the local market liked it! 

It has spraddle leg/splayed leg. "He" hasn't been able to gain weight because of limited movement. We also observed that Gump was eating most of the food and knocking Forrest down repeatedly. So, we put Gump in with our other goslings.

I tried soupy feed to encourage it to eat more. It worked...he soon had a crop full! We added electrolytes and B complex drops. These goslings are the same age (approx a week old), so you can see the noticeable size difference.

Kris' neighbor was taping off the legs, but she felt bad at how hard the gosling struggled so she'd only leave it a little while before removing it. Sadly, that defeats the purpose. The bones, cartilage, and tendons need to grow into the new position to correct the problem. It also helps the gosling's brain reprogram itself for a new way to achieve locomotion.



Forrest is standing, but his buddy Gump was still causing him to fall. So we separated them. We put Gump in with our Toulouse goslings. Althought a week older and bigger, they accepted him right into their gaggle.

Right after taping his legs in the right position, Forrest could not only stand up, but walked (awkwardly) the entire length of his new space! The shelf liner gives a better grip than traditional brooder bedding. Grip is very important with this condition. Having never been alone, Forrest was lonely. Sweet-hearted Bethany volunteered to sleep downstairs where he could see her beside him all night.

Hebrews 12:12-17 

Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

A Dad on Messy Houses

"A few years ago, Mel and I got into an argument about the house. I told her it was embarrassing. I asked her what she did all day. “It really can’t be that hard to keep the house clean,” I said. ... I stopped worrying about the house, and started paying attention to the development of our children. I started to pay attention to how happy they were, and the kind of relationship they shared with their mother, and I noticed that we have a messy house, and really happy, bright kids."
Read the rest here.

Jumbo Pearl Guinea Keets

Guinea keets don't sleep upright like a chick. They stretch out and sleep on their sides. I went to the poultry shed early to check on them the first morning after arrival. I saw all 42 of them sprawled out with legs and necks extended and thought, "Oh, I have done something really, really wrong!" That was right before I remembered...keets sleep like that!

Jumbo Pearl Guineas grow around 30% larger. That means they eat more bugs. Guineas are known for eliminating ticks and snakes. They will pick the ticks out of the grass or off of a dog that lies still long enough. Some dogs come to enjoy the "grooming."

I grow wheat grass for my juicing. I cut a handful off and snip it very short into their brooder twice a day. They love it!

The Day the Peep Order Arrived

We are very pleased with our order from Cackle Hatchery. Our peeps were originally planned to ship on 5/14, but they did not have enough hatch to fill our order. The next hatch date was 5/28 which put it at a very hectic time for us, but we rolled with it. They all arrived alive on 5/28. They included $30 worth of extra birds in case of loss which included three extra pullets and two extra turkeys. The marks you see on the goslings help identify their gender.

Hoop Coop #1

This will be a movable grower pen for pasture raised birds.

Clint built this one out of recycled and left over materials to see how he would like it.

Putting wire on the bottom. This isn't the wire we wanted to use, but it is all the store had, so we used it.

bracing for around the door

how he did the wire on the corners

predator proof

He and I always work together on whatever the project is.
Sometimes that is good and sometimes.... Well, did you know that when you cut that last little piece of rolled wire, it will coil back up on itself and anyone who is working on the other side? I caught a Clint! :-) He laughed and used it to teach the children about kinetic energy. I asked for volunteers for another demonstration. :-)



Where two pieces of wire overlap, we use crimps or tie-wraps and fold the edges over like this for added strength and protection of the flock. Some predators only need a tiny hole to enter a coop.



a tarp for shade and cover

In the winter, we will convert it to a greenhouse with a layer of plastic.

The bend at the top is because these cattle panels were recycled fencing. We will add a perch, a self closing latch that can be opened from the inside, and automatic waterer. We won't need nest boxes in this one. Clint liked it enough he immediately purchased supplies to build Hoop Coop #2.

It's Serious

One key to the Bible: Because of the seriousness of every person’s sin, no harsh treatment by God is ever too harsh. Ever. -John Piper

Romans 3:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Coccidiosis and Your Poultry

Don't medicate unless needed, but please stop spreading the old myths!! Ignorance and unwilingness to believe new research is killing a lot of birds. You can safely use certain medicated feeds with waterfowl.

Stop believing old wives' tales and start saving your poultry from coccidiosis. As an herbalist, I have tried many natural alternatives, but nothing has been as effective at stopping it as quickly as the medicated feeds. Coccidiosis kills birds FAST. I educated myself on the best way to handle it because I care about the lives of my birds.

Coccidiosis is a devastating disease. Ampolium is safe for all birds.
http://www.amprol.com/Phibro/Company/Safety.html

"They found research that had been done here in the United States and abroad on the effect of these four drugs on waterfowl. As Dr. McDougal said “Not one of these papers described any harmful effects to waterfowl except where the normal dosage was significantly overdosed.”... “Frequently publications pertaining to waterfowl state that medicated feeds should not be fed to ducklings and goslings. In some localities, producers and hobbyists who raise a small number of ducklings and goslings can only purchase medicated chick, turkey or game bird starter and grower feeds. Because of the lack of documented information on this subject and the numerous requests for advice on this matter, anticoccidial drugs zoalene, sulfaquinoxaline and amprolium were mixed in mash feed and fed to ducks up to four weeks of age.”Therefore, it appears research shows these drugs do not harm waterfowl if used at the rates commonly used with chickens and turkeys. Have there been coccidiostats used in the past that were harmful to waterfowl? Probably and that is why the myth began. But those drugs are no longer allowed or no longer used in the United States. What if you have the choice of medicated or non-medicated starter feed of equal nutritional value? My recommendation would be to use the non-medicated feed. There is no point in feeding medication when it is not needed. HOWEVER, if the choice is nutritionally correct medicated starter feed or non-medicated feed that does not meet the nutritional needs of the ducklings and goslings, I would definitely recommend the nutritionally correct, medicated starter feed. Research shows the medication will not harm the waterfowl.

http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/11/can-medicated-feed-be-used-for.html

Rainbow Over Contentment Acres

We had a full double rainbow for a while, but I did not grab the camera fast enough to capture it. This was taken after a storm sometime late spring. I do several blog posts at a time and keep it scheduled ahead of time.

Genesis 9:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

Saving Time or Making Opportunities: It's a Choice

Caleb learning how to put on a set of steps.
This was several weeks ago.

People are amazed that our children have amassed so many life skills and are so capable at young ages. I think this is because Clint and I have never been afraid to try our hands at something. We exercise self control and keep a good attitute even when things go wrong because we aren't afraid of failure. This makes the children see work as opportunity, not a chore, and our attitudes and playfulness make them want to be around us. There are times when the tools are dropped and someone is chased down, picked up, and tickled or hauled to the pool for a dunking!

It takes longer to work with your children beside you, but done with the spirit of thankfulness and joy that there IS a child to work beside you, it can be a great deal of fun. Passing down knowledge is also a wonderful time to pass down wisdom because tasks are often filled with life lessons. Teach your children. Then, with the idea of leaving a legacy in mind, teach them to teach their children and keep it going.

Character building conversations during the step building included: the importance of a solid foundation, solid foundations vs shaky footholds, helping others, working with a good attitude, working as unto the Lord, and wise people build and gain while/the foolish tear down and suffer loss at their own hands (words, attitudes).

Proverbs 1:7-9 Knowledge begins with fear and respect for the Lord, but stubborn fools hate wisdom and refuse to learn. My son, listen to your father when he corrects you, and don’t ignore what your mother teaches you. What you learn from your parents will bring you honor and respect, like a crown or a gold medal.

I Rode in Her Eyelashed Car

Last Wednesday, Amanda asked me if I wanted to go shopping with her. Because Hannah had been in CHKD's ER on Monday, I really didn't have the time to spare. BUT, I also know parents need to seize the opportunity to do things with their children. So, I juggled my schedule around and made sure the other children were supervised as they worked on their homeschool to stay on target for their reward: an upcoming Busch Gardens trip. 

Amanda and I were near Clint's work when lunch rolled around, so I called him to see if he wanted us to bring him food. Then, we knew Brandon worked nearby, so we called him to see if he could meet us. It worked out so all four of us could eat lunch together during a normal work day! What a blessing! 

We enjoyed seeing Eric G., Charles, Kevin of Yorktown, Dave P., and everyone else too! It is always a wonderful to pop in for a quick visit! We love our Printpack family!!

Amanda and I had a fun day together and found many bargains! She has invited me to go again next week.

Chicken Facts of Life

Leghorns start laying around 18 weeks which is why they are a favorite breed of chicken. We have a few of those, but our main flock will be a dual purpose breed (meat and eggs).

I have had quite a few people who did not know the following:

Hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs. Without a rooster, they will lay infertile eggs. What you buy from a grocery store is infertile eggs.  If there is a rooster, they will lay fertile eggs if he covers all of the hens every day. The rule of thumb is that a healthy rooster can cover about 10 hens. If he misses a hen on a particular day, she will lay an infertile egg a few days later. It takes a few days from when the egg is released from the chicken's ovaries to pass through her oviduct until the albumen (egg white), membrane, and shell is added. Then it is laid in the nest. In other words, there can be several eggs in different stages inside of the hen.

If you buy eggs from a farm that has a rooster in with the hens, you might see some evidence of development if the eggs were kept warm enough. Summertime temperatures can cause partial development. That's why it is best for the flock owner to pick the eggs up a few times a day and put them in the fridge or cool spot in the house. The cook who buys from a farmer or produces their own eggs should use a separate bowl to crack each egg before adding to the main mixing bowl.

****

I had the hardest time explaining chicken reproduction to one family who came out to our farm to buy a goat. They wanted to buy some of my chicken's eggs to put under a lightbulb at home. I told them I did not have a rooster in with the hens so the eggs would not hatch. "All we want is the eggs from them so we can hatch them." I said, "The hens would need to be kept with a rooster before that could happen." They told me I was wrong. Being home with my children the last 20 years has taught me patience.

When I gently told them that would make the chicken an asexual creature, they thought I was calling it a homosexual. I looked back at Clint at this point, and he gave me "I am on the edge of laughing, so I can't help you with this one" look. Thanks honey!

It was one of those conversations that go around and around in circles. After many questions from two adults and one very curious child, I tried to spell it out without getting graphic. "Look, the chickens need to do the same thing we do to make a baby. Male and female need to get together. Their development occurs outside of the body in this little egg while ours occurs inside a womb. No seed = no chick...just an egg." Then they wanted to know if a lightbulb in a dresser would hatch the same eggs we were discussing. (Fly Away Home makes it look so simple!) I gave up trying to correct their thinking. I told them to try it, and see how it worked. 

We still laugh about it!

Proverbs 30:29-31 There are three things that act important when they walk—really, there are four: a lion—he is the warrior of the animals and runs from nothing, a rooster walking proudly, a goat, and a king among his people.

Judging Texts, Emails, Statuses, and Internet Posts

Friend A was reading a Facebook status out loud on her phone. After she read it, she commented on how self-righteous and condemning the person sounded to her ears. It happened to be a mutual friend who had gone through something very difficult that went along with what she was sharing.

I knew the friend who posted the message was anything but self-righteous or condemning and shared a few things about the nature of the person's heart, some of the things she had helped me with over the years, and a little public knowledge of what had been going on in their life that had probably triggered what she wrote. 

Friend A, who has a humble and teachable spirit, said to me, "You know what, I was putting my voice to the written words. It wasn't them who I was judging self-righteous and condemning....it was the voice in my head and the emotions in my heart. YIKES, I was really revealing ME!! I am the self-righteous and condemning one!" 

I am so thankful for friends like Friend A. Iron sharpening iron! She brought to light a valuable lesson we can all take home today. I've done it too! I've read something and interjected my own tone and thoughts and made assumptions about the person's meaning, motives, and frame of mind. I've let it color my opinion of someone and affect how I have treated them.

There is so much lost in written communication so we tend to fill in the blanks with our own thoughts and emotions. The danger in doing that is not realizing we may be way off base in how we perceive the meaning and intentions. We can do a lot of damage to each other directly or indirectly this way. Let's tread gently and hold ourselves more accountable while we show others more grace.

Don't Give Up Your Blessing

As I talk to women, I find one of the things they struggle with the most is forgiveness. One of my older children has been challenged to forgive repeatedly over the last year in the work place. Forgiving others is the probably biggest struggle facing all Christians. It's why I often share stories and quotes about it.  How easily and completely we forgive is also a good indicator of where we are in the Lord. 

One of my friends was beaten by her husband (now an ex) who also forced himself on her. He ruined their finances, denied one of his children as being his, quit jobs repeatedly, lost their home and land, and ran up debt on credit cards she didn't know they had. He became an angry, violent alcoholic. She knows her life with him is over. She told me she wanted to have no reaction whatsoever to his name when she heard it, but she gets angry, tense, and resentful. She admitted she'd like to see him get what he deserved. She realizes she needs to forgive. I shared the following with her, and she said it helped.

The key to forgiveness is not in looking at what the other person did to you. The key is in looking at how much YOU have been forgiven. Because of Jesus, we escape what we deserve. God commands us to extend forgiveness to others so we can reflect Him. Forgiving doesn't just release them. It teaches us and grows us in many ways. It's powerful! Once you get to that place, blessings flow! That doesn't mean you go back into an abusive situation. Forgiveness means you aren't seeking retribution in any form. 

"Sometimes, people haven't apologized because they're ashamed. Forgive them anyway! Sometimes you have to be okay with a sorry you never got. Forgiveness unblocks your blessing." - Unknown

"The real lesson to be learned is that the struggle to forgive is the struggle to be like Jesus." Mike Ruffin

Grace

Grace exposes your moral weakness, but never mocks your failure. Rather, grace blesses you with moment by moment forgiveness and strength. ~Paul David Tripp

Air layering Tree Fix

The other container proved to be not stable enough, so I changed it out with this one in early May about two weeks after I tried the other. We will see what happens between now and next spring. This branch is not an ideal selection for this form of propagation. I was going to have to cut down the awkward branch or try this, so I opted for this to try to gain another tree.

Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make strong thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

He's a Handy Young Man to Have Around

Clint's auger needed a new fuel line. While he was at work, I decided to see if I could fix it for him. Caleb saw what I was doing and took the job over. In 15 minutes, he had found the line, saw the problem, decided to try aquarium air hose as a temporary fix, tore out the old line, and put in a new one. When he couldn't get one side to make a tight seal, he grabbed a small tie-wrap and used that as a mini-hose clamp.

Not bad for a 12 year old!

Joyful

photo is mine

free to use as long as it is unaltered

A link back is appreciated, but not required.

This is something Amanda has personally seen in her circle of friends over the last year.  Those who are doing right have JOY...that abiding happiness that is not touched by circumstance.

My Every Day of the Week Man Crush

and my favorite:

It was a spring of work, work, work!

Amanda has worked on our farm beside Clint and I since she was little. She knows the benefit of hard work and has girded her loins with strength. She will be a big blessing to her future family.

installing the window

insulation

walls

Clint taught her how to do the wiring since this was her first time. She has done the other things before. She cuts her outlets close!

Time out for fun!

Clint and I and the rest of our family helped her when we could. I don't just take pictures. I get beside them and work hard too. Amanda was able to start using her art studio in just a couple of weeks after receiving it. She put in two lofts to increase footage, an extra window, wiring, insulation, lighting, walls, and an air conditioner. She has more she plans to do, but she is waiting until she can save more money.

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus. Acts 15:11

These Are My People

This is my paternal grandfather's mother's people (or my great grandmother's). Elisha was her father. I hope to attend next year and share with my children what a wonderful group of people they come from. This reunion has been going on every year since 1865. 

"Elisha Whitley was married Jan. 7,1855, to Mary Eliza Barnes, daughter of John Elias Barnes II and Jalitha Buxton. They had nine children.

Whitley enlisted in Company G, 31st North Carolina Troops on Sept. 12, 1861, and was paroled on May 2, 1865, after the surrender of Gen. Joseph Johnston to Gen. William Sherman on April 26, 1865, at Bush Hill in Randolph County, N.C.

Tradition has it that when Whitley returned from the Civil War, his sisters gave him a birthday dinner on July 4, 1865, and he asked that this be continued.

Since that time, there has been an annual reunion carried on by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren." from whitleyfamily.info

Organic Eggs

See the patch in front of the large movable pen? The chickens really eat down the grass and pull out the insects. These Leghorn pullets will start laying around 18 weeks. We have a lot of grass and insects on our 14 acres. It is a blessing when instead of spending time and money to cut it, we can convert it to something we can use and sell like the freshest organic eggs possible.

"Range fed eggs have an omega 6:3 ratio of 1.5 to one whereas the "supermarket egg"has a ratio of 20 to one." Mercola.com

For Christians Afraid to Help or Trust

A group of ladies and I were discussing how we can know who to safely help or let into our lives. All of us had stories of people who abused our trust. This is where we ended up with in our study: 

I would rather find out I was generous to someone who didn't really need the help than to have neglected to show Christ's love to someone who had a genuine need because I wrongly judged their motives. I am able to seek the Lord for discernment about who and when I will help, but that doesn't mean I will get it right every time. Sometimes, the Lord may lead you to show kindness to someone who is not genuine in order that they will see God's love, or be exposed to warn others, or even to heap coals upon their head. If God leads you to it, there is a purpose in it.

I would rather have found out I showed love and forgiveness by opening a door to someone who was set on deceiving me than to have shut out someone who truly sought to mend a relationship. The former might make me angry and feel manipulated, but the latter is too important to miss since God Himself "has committed us to the message of reconciliation." I'd rather deal with my own anger and hurt caused by the deceiver than to have shut out the genuine person and be the one who caused them pain.

I want to serve the Lord and in doing so, it means I sometimes will make mistakes in perceiving people's intentions. Sometimes I might give to a greedy person or trust someone who is scheming behind my back. But I am not judged for their intentions. I have to diligently seek the Lord in every area, use the wisdom found in His Word, and trust in Him to lead me. If I have sincerely done that and end up trusting someone who does not deserve it, I have to trust there is a lesson in it for me as well as them.

Being a compassionate, joyful, kind, gentle and self controlled person who endures in a world that is harsh and full of embittered people seeking to serve themselves is not easy. However, we weren't called to easy work. 

Around Here July 2014

We had a very pleasurable family vacation! The weather was perfect-not too hot or too cold! Brandon and Amanda both were able to spend time with us. 

Clint surprised everyone by buying and cooking a huge crab boil to feed 5 families!
We had a wonderful gathering!

He cooked his famous recipe of crab, shrimp, crawfish, corn, potates, carrots, Andouille sausage, onions, garlic, Creole seasoning, Old Bay, etc.

Ca c'est bon! Laissez les bon temps roulet!

We often had many fishing lines in the water with double hooked bottom rigs. I don't know if a school of fish swam under us or what, but there was one point where we were pulling out fish every 2-3 minutes for a couple of hours. No sooner than we'd pull one out, we'd have another one. I could tell Caleb was enjoying it immensely. He grinned at me and said, "It's like when Jesus told the disciples to throw down their nets!! There are fish everywhere!" We kept all we could and were able to put many meals in the freezer. We'll be talking about our vacation and enjoying the fish for many months to come!

They were so into it, I just sat back and watched!
just off Windmill Point

We saw dolphin swimming right beside us every morning and evening!! At some points, they were close enough to touch, but our healthy respect for wild animals kept us from attempting. They are such breath-taking creatures that thrill us each time we see them! When I dared to take my camera out on the water, I did not capture any good out of the water dolphin shots like I did when we went to Rudee Inlet. 

Caleb amazed all of us by hooking a skate and pulling it up so we could get a good look at it. What a beautifully and uniquely created fish!

the beautiful Chesapeake Bay right off the Rappahannock River

We enjoyed boating, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and much more. We enjoyed the spectacular sunsets and sunrises. We were able to help a person find their missing dog when it came to us for help. Last year, we were able to see an osprey sitting on eggs. This year, we were able to observe chicks in the nest! We even observed the parents hunting, feeding the chicks, and protecting them from a sudden strong storm. I'll share pictures in the blog.

heading towards a hazy Windmill Point

We've been extremely busy since we returned to this wonderful place we call home. Homeschool resumed the very first day after vacation was over so the schedule is very full with the addition of incubator care, farm chores, chicks hatching, new baby bunnies, building a 400 square foot outdoor aviary, gardening, and more puppies being whelped. 

Amanda has been promoted again to head assistant manager! Yay!!!

We have so enjoyed seeing everyone who has come out to purchase from our farm! We have more ducks that will hatch from the incubator weekly until mid-September depending on how long the hens lay.

Hannah's smiling over the crab served on the crab plate!

The garden is giving us a harvest, and I am preserving what we don't eat right away. It's making for some very busy days. Our wild blackberries are producing and will be followed by the grapes and then the pears. I'll be planting the fall garden next week. 

A big "HI!" to Henry! It was nice meeting you in Newport News! Thank you to Richard of Suffolk for the bunny for Emily for her 7th birthday, and here's another picture to tick you off cause you know it's my "favorite thing to do!"

Last but not least: We've been asked if we would take a group back and forth to the local bowling alley like we did years ago. We don't have the shuttle bus any longer, but will consider using our suburban.  If you are interested, please send us an email (see header or sidebar). We are switching phone providers so email is the best way to contact us at the moment.

Although not a volleyball, could this be a future "Wilson" headed out to the Atlantic Ocean?

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Yes, It's Me

No, I have not been hacked. I am moving to a new Facebook account. I couldn't sync my original FB account with my phone, so I am setting up a new one. Thank you to everyone who called and is looking out for me. :-)