Acorn Showers

So in one of our beautiful old oaks was a flock of birds creating an acorn shower.  Purposefully.  Delightfully entertaining while causing us to proceed with caution.  There is never a dull day in the country.

The End of the Road

I love love love the walk to the end of the road from our house to the mailbox.  The birds singing and chirping, the sound of hopping & crawling critters in the grass, the rustle of the soft wind in the trees, the sound of the dog whirling around me in play, the coolness and crispness of the air on my cheeks.  Thankfulness wells up inside of me for the beauty surrounding  my daily life.  Once, when I was at the end of my road, my Savior, Jesus Christ, met me there, and I accepted His gift of Grace.  He came to give me life and life more abundantly.  He remains.

Slap Your Face

At night it gets so dark out here in the country that you can slap yourself in the face and not see it coming.  And it was especially spooky when the boys and I were out here without Hubby during the beginning of our move process.  So of course we hung white rope lights from one of the big old oaks in between the camphouse and the main house.   Therefore our path is lit to and from the main house.  Been told the lights can be seen from the Farm To Market road which leads to the county road that runs in front of our place.  Reminds me that God's Word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet and we are to not hide our Light but put it out for all to see.  Are you living in the Light?

Fresh Hen Eggs

No, we haven't had the time to focus on setting up our own chicken coop and procuring chickens yet, but Hubby found fresh hen eggs for $1.25 a dozen locally.  What a deal!  He picked up 4 dozen - some brown, some white, some speckled.  He thought it was a little odd that the lady had to have a calculator to figure that 4  dozen would total $5.  Anyway, I'm anxious to get our chickens and egg factory up and running.  I'm reminded of the I Love Lucy episode when they were living in the country and she wanted to raise chickens for eggs....and the dance.

A Tear Jerker

Finally got around to chopping about 30 onions and putting in freezer for winter cooking.  Started the job in the camphouse but had to move outside - it was a crying shame.  Grapes are still drying into raisins.  Apples, bananas and mangoes have been put up.  A lot were eaten, too.  We re-organized one of the storage rooms (it was like moving AGAIN and found some items for outfitting our newly ready bathroom in the house.  Hubby is getting ready to wire the electric for the kitchen.  My eldest son is drawing and painting a Star Wars Yoda on youngest son's bedroom wall.  Next we sand the wood floors.  It would be wonderful to have another room FINISHED.  The cricket catching experiment yielded no crickets in the jar, yet they are still running rampant in the house.  We'll try a new approach.  Need to go into our second storage room and look for mirrors for the bathroom.  Making headway.

Fried Crickets and Fried Bologna (Baloney)

So I'm really getting into this blogging thing.  Today I thought we would do a homeschool science project.  Capture live crickets for frying or roasting.  I understand we must keep them alive (for up to a week in the fridge) and cook them alive.  Just like a lobster must be cooked alive.  And they sure turn out yummy.  What prompted this particular project is that our house and yard are full of crickets.  The farm cats and dog keep the yard controlled by snacking all day, but our indoor domestic cats, not so much.  So we'll begin our cricket project in the house.  Crickets are a great source of protein and is a common snack in many countries.  This will be living off the land!

As I began this my hubby came in and asked if I would like some fried baloney and eggs.  I said yes.  And it has arrived with a "dollup" of mayo.  What is a "dollup" you ask?  Just the right amount. 

Simplifying Is Not Simple

Simply put.

Boudain And The Matchmaker

Hubby and I just stopped working for a Zummo's boudain snack.  Very filling.  Just enough for a quick lunch.  Discussed making boudain ourselves.  We'll see.  Gotta go throw some apple slices in the dehydrator.  I love my husband.  Let God be your Matchmaker.  After all He knew you before He formed you in your Mother's womb.  Who best to choose?  You're probably still getting to know yourself.

If God Calls You To It

If God calls you to it He'll provide what you need to do it.  Are you listening?  Do you hear?  His is a still, quiet voice, but His Word will not return void of its purpose.  Now back to laundry.  Wind is picking up.  Supposed to rain this afternoon so must bring clothes off the line.  Chicken is still cooking.  Fruit and veggies drying.  Hubby asked if I might touch up paint the house bathroom.    Excited about the bathroom, not so much the painting.  I've painted outdoors since we "landed", but not inside due to "vocal cord dysfunction" which causes my vocal cords/throat to spasm when triggered by chemicals, fragrance, smoke, wind, etc.  But I'm willing to give it a try - ready for that bathroom to be finished!

How Do You Cook 33 Pounds of Chicken With No Kitchen

We were blessed with 33 lbs of chicken but we have to cook it like now.  And no kitchen.  So we've grill-baked some, cooked some in the electric frying pan, simmered a couple of pieces in the crockpot, and baked a little in the toaster oven.  Ate some - de-boned and froze the rest.  That was yesterday.  Will repeat today.  We'll soon be "chickened out".

Drying A Myriad of Fruits & Veggies

We were blessed with a fruit and vegetable bounty yesterday and we are so grateful.  We want to be wise and think forward so this morning I have just prepped and place in the dehydrator banana chips, grapes for raisins, and  mango and papaya slices.  Tomorrow I will try to do carrots and onions and cabbage.  This is great for later in the winter for creating dishes/soups or for snacking!

Ten Weeks And Counting

Now I never was a fan of camping.....always said my closest thing to camping is staying in a hotel.  My family of four has now been staying in a 10'x20' camphouse on our new country location for 10 weeks.  That's 10 weeks of not being in my own bed.  No kitchen.  For awhile we were washing dishes with the water hose and had our washing machine hooked up outside to a water hose and hanging laundry on the line.  Our living space is outdoors except where we sleep and use toilet facilities.  But you know, surprising as it is, we are really enjoying the experience.  Along with the hard work of readying our property and renovating the house and all of the inconveniences we are growing closer to each other, closer to God, and certainly are getting in better physical shape.  Look for the hidden jewels of life.  As we begin our 11th week we will continue to forge on with the renovation hoping to get in the house before bad weather. And we will continue searching for a church home to worship, grow, and serve, and continue seeking other homeschool families in the area.  Oh and I really found great pleasure in hanging my laundry on the line!  Reminiscent of my childhood and grandmothers.  There is always joy to be found in the journey.

Nothing Stays The Same

In our case that pretty much sums up the last few months.  We have moved from a Colorado city to a small 1942 farm house on a few acres in the Texas country with a shed, a barn, and a dry pool/pond.  And nothing has stayed the same - even our relationships have grown stronger.