Brandon

Brandon has received his second promotion and raise in the last six months. HW is also preparing to buy him a brand new Tesla. The charging station is being installed in his garage. He is knocking the jobs out very early which is making them a lot of money. He is receiving a lot of recognition. Clint and I are very proud of his success.

A Tip for New Homesteaders

Last week, I was asked to share a tip for people new to homesteading or raising animals. My answer was a little different from the others, and people liked it.

My answer:

Invest in good infrastructure. Put in strong pens, fences, manure collection systems, auto feeders, auto waterers, slant cage bottoms so eggs roll out, etc. You will save money and will be able to efficiently manage your workload. I like being able to "eyeball" the food and water and keep moving in the mornings.

PTL!

Clint was feeling a little off about two and a half months ago. He went to the first appointment his doctor had available and was checked over. Everything, EVERYTHING, looks great! His bloodwork came back yesterday. He has no health conditions at all. He is in perfect health. We are rejoicing!

Please pray for Karen

Karen, a long-time friend and dear sister in the Lord, told me that she has stage 4 cancer with open wounds. She has refused chemo. She has been in stage 4 for 18 months and feels what she is doing is prolonging her life without the horrible side effects. She is in a lot of pain from a torn tendon but can not get treatment from her doctor because she is not doing chemo. He then told her that because she refused the chemo that he feels she should have, she will die a long and painful death. Please pray she can find someone to treat her torn tendon. She also has a special needs son who relies on her for care. Thank you to those who pray for Karen. May the Lord bless you for your kindness towards her. 

Thank you, Lord!

This nearly caught fire last night. It is four years old. I used it to charge my phone and run my sleep sounds box. I am very thankful it happened when we were home instead of when Emily and Hannah were home alone. We discovered it when we were about to put our heads on our pillows. Clint sniffed it out very quickly, dunked it in the pool, and left it in the yard.

Harvest Time

As a young woman, I could not imagine doing what I will do today. I was too weak-minded and not connected to the food I ate. I am grateful to the Lord for the mental strength, the provision, and the ways I have grown as a person to have the fortitude to harvest healthy meals for my family. For us to survive/to eat requires something to die, whether a plant or an animal. That points us to our need for Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. The weight of my sin and my gratitude for what He has done for me grows every time I harvest an animal on our farm. #thankyouJESUS #homesteading #gratitude

Yesterday, I taught Amanda's boyfriend, Joe, how to humanely harvest quail. He was eager to learn. I gave them a dozen. I demonstrated with the first one. They did very well with it. Joe is a Marine who served in Afghanistan. As we worked he shared some stories and things he learned while serving there. He learned from me. I learned from him. Good trade! I also gave them five dozen quail eggs.

Update: From gathering to placing them in the fridge, it took me four hours to harvest 50 quail. I am very thankful for God's provision of hormone and antibiotic-free protein for my family. Some of those quail will go to Brandon's freezer so he can enjoy them when he returns home from Chemours. 

Want to Raise Some of Your Own Food?

One of the highlights of my farm chores is collecting the 7-8 dozen quail eggs a day. We have raised them off and on since 1995. The humble quail eats very little but gives so much in return.

We use every part for people food or dog food. Absolutely nothing gets wasted. We enjoy the meat and eggs. The remaining parts are used for fishing bait or dog food. Even the feathers are cooked and consumed by our dogs. (FYI: Feathers are used in commercial dog food.) Their poo is composted to eventually fertilize our garden which feeds our family, friends, and our livestock. The eggshells go to our chickens.

Both quail eggs and quail meat are considered gourmet delicacies, and I am thankful I can offer these to my family and friends. Raising quail is a great place to start if you want to raise some of your own food.

Random thoughts on Jumbo Brown Quail

A friend has been picking my brain about releasing some coturnix quail on his farm. He just wants to see them around and realizes they may not do that well. It's not something I would personally do, but it's his farm and his right to do so. I respect that freedom. I answered him and thought others would like to glean info on Jumbo Brown quail from my response.

Jumbo Brown are considered adults between 6-10 weeks. Some JB breed and lay eggs earlier than others so it can vary bird to bird. I imagine they could be released at 6 weeks or so.

You'd probably have better luck with the Bobwhites if you can find someone raising them. They are not as domesticated and should do better in the wild. I've had them before and they are more jumpy/wilder than the coturnix. Murray McMurray had BW chicks for sale this year. I've never ordered any from them, but I've ordered chickens, ducks, geese, etc. MM hatchery always compensates with a credit for dead chicks if you let them know within 48 hours. You can also get BW eggs from eBay and Amazon to incubate.

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An incubator can be built with a $6 controller from Amazon. The controllers I use are in Celcius - I just use an online C to F calculator. I have stuck with these controllers because they have done very well for me once I get them at the right temp.

I use 50w ceramic heater bulbs which are about $10-15 each.

GoVee's $12 thermometers work well. With those, I can check temps and humidity with my phone so I don't have to open the incubators and mess up my humidity levels.

For humidity, I use a container with slots cut in the lid for sponges. I keep that filled. I also use some sponges on the racks.

Clint uses small fridges people throw away to make our incubators. I also have a large freezer and a large 2-sided fridge made into incubators. Birds are going to hatch in them, so you don't need anything very fancy. You can even make one from a cooler if you don't have too many eggs.

Clint built me racks that I can shift ("rotate") with a wire that sticks out of the top of the incubator, but you could use the cookie cooling racks.

For rotating the eggs, years ago I used to lift one side of the minifridge and push a brick under it and then later do the opposite side 3x a day. 3-5xs a day rotation ("side to side shift") is all you need.

Hatching birds is fairly easy and doesn't have to be as complex and pricey as people make it. I read historical accounts of pioneers hatching chicks in boxes next to woodstoves.

Even if something goes wrong like the power is out for 12 hours, the egg will hold temp inside. Some may still hatch but your hatch rate may be lower. I had that happen this year and still had a 50% hatch rate.

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I do sell quail chicks, adults, and eggs. If interested, 757-eight1four-2eight three5

Sea Turtle Nest with Hatchling Tracks

Breathe by Becky Helmsley

‘She sat at the back and they said she was shy,

She led from the front and they hated her pride,

They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,

They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,

When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,

So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,

They told her they'd listen, then covered their ears,

And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,

And she listened to all of it thinking she should,

Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,

But one day she asked what was best for herself,

Instead of trying to please everyone else,

So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,

She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves,

She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,

And she told them what she'd been told time after time,

She told them she felt she was never enough,

She was either too little or far far too much,

Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,

Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs,

And she stopped...and she heard what the trees said to her,

And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,

For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe.'  

This poem is so very me. God knew we'd need a place to rest from the criticisms of others, so He gave us beautiful and peaceful natural places.

Big Day!

Both Emily (16 years old) and Hannah (15 years old) were enrolled in college today! Penn Foster was happy to give them both a waiver since they are under 17 years old. 

Caleb is purchasing a house that needs some repairs. He moves by June 1. He is having a carport delivered to his new home this week. He will renovate the 4 BR 2 BA brick house to make a home for him and his sweet Elora.

17 day vacation...and I am ruined for real life!

We're back. We had a WONDERFUL time! We saw the Corolla horses multiple times a day every day we were there. Clint enjoyed the downtime and beautiful scenery. Emily and Hannah fell in love with the ocean and did not want to come home. They spent most of their time hiking the beach while looking for treasures in False Cape State Park. I enjoyed catching fish at the second house. 

We stayed in the Blue Heron Hotel in Nags Head the first night. Then we stayed in Heaven's Haven which is oceanfront and right beside the 24-bedroom venue The Chesapeake (worth a Google to see it and read the controversy). After that, we were in Ocean Pearl Place which is canal front. Both were nice rentals. 

I don't even know how to behave after that much time away from the normal routine, but life calls. There is plenty to catch up on over the next few days. My love to all!

Goose Scribble

I should have switched to a different pencil for the neck to make those areas look lighter.
This was drawn from a picture of one of our geese.

Today, I choose

Sarah, Rebecca, Josiah, Angel Noel, Abigail, Benjamin, Mary, Isaac, and Jonathan

Faith is not a magic pill that removes our pain. Faith is what helps us bear it. 

Today, I choose to be thankful for the babies God made known to me and my family. I choose to rejoice as a person who truly believes God's promises will come to fruition. Choosing to honor God with my attitude, thoughts, and words does not mean I have stopped loving or love less. It means I've taken God at His Word. I believe He has a plan and what He allows is for my good and His glory. I believe there is life and a future for the babies who died in my womb. It means He has given me, and I have readily grasped ahold of, some of His strength so I can keep doing the job He has called me to do.  

Today is the day I remember my precious nine, celebrate their short lives, and thank my Father that this is not how the story ends. 

Psalm 30:11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

How to Help a Grieving Friend

 I keep sharing this because so many have told me it has helped them on both sides of the table in different types of grief including divorce. 

Repost from 10/15/2018: This post has helped a lot of people on both sides of the coin and has been printed as a handout.

Believe me, it's no time for words when the wounds are fresh and bleeding; no time for homilies when the lightning's shaft has smitten, and the man lies stunned and stricken. Then let the comforter be silent; let him sustain by his presence, not by his preaching; by his sympathetic silence, not by his speech. -George C. Lorimer

October 15 is the national day of remembrance for miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss. I've lost nine precious babies to stillbirth and miscarriage. Much of what you read here can be applied more broadly to include other types of loss and pain.

Here is a video from Megan Devine, which a friend recently shared, that shares about what works for those grieving and why other things like "cheering them up" do not. It will better equip you to help the hurting in your life.

When I lost one of my miscarried and stillborn babies, one of the things that helped me the most was someone telling me, "This sucks!!" I knew by their succinct words that they understood my pain. You don't need eloquence to show compassion. Your job isn't to move them to where you want them to be; it's to meet them where they are.

One of the most hurtful things ever said to me, for example, was by a Christian in law who claimed to be pro-life who told me less than 24 hours after the loss of my baby that crying was "feeling sorry for myself." Their words created a lot of pain in my heart. They did not care what I was going through, and their words showed it. Their words suggested I was doing something wrong by mourning my baby. I share this with the goal that others won't say such hurtful things in a woman's time of great pain. It is not helpful, but it is very hurtful. 

Crying is a normal, natural response to loss. Jesus cried in grief too. Would you have said, "It's self pity for you to cry since you are going to raise Lazarus anyway?" Or, would you have shown Him understanding and compassion? Think before you speak. Words hurt and can't be taken back, but they can be forgiven. Be gentle and kind with each other even when you do not understand what the other person is going through.

Please don't add your misplaced expectations to someone else's struggle. You will only burden them further. Acknowledge a person's right to feel as they do. 

If you have had a pregnancy loss, I am praying for you today and offer my friendship. My email is in the header. 

A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, 
but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.
-A.W. Tozer

I had a friend comment:

That person that said that to you COULD NOT be a Christian! They may be a self proclaimed Christian, but if they really had Christ in their heart they could have never said something so cruel and cold! 

My reply: Christians aren't perfect, and we fail each other often. We have to bear with each other in love to keep unity in the church. I have forgiven them completely and have love for them. Grudges lead to bitterness and that's a weed I don't want growing in my life. It's too destructive! I pray for their well being and success of their business daily. Doing that honors Jesus and gives me peace and keeps me growing in Christ. Their words are a good example to show others what not to say to someone because it does not in any way help. It creates another burden on the person. If we claim to be pro-life, but deny a mother the freedom to mourn a pregnancy loss, we really aren't very pro-life. We have to come beside people and meet them where they are in whatever circumstance life throws at them...not drag them along to where we want them to be. I fail people too and am thankful when they forgive me and bear with me in love.

Remembering My Babies Today

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. Washington Irving

Thank You, Lord, for ALL of my children. Thank You for Brandon, Amanda, Joshua, Caleb, Bethany, Emily, and Hannah. Thank You also for Sarah, Rebecca, Josiah, Angel Noel, Abigail, Benjamin, Mary, and Isaac. How much joy it gives me to speak their names out loud to You!