A Rant

A Rant on Society

June 29th, 2012 -- Preparation Day

Just a quick little rant. Nothing personal to anyone. :)


NOTE: THIS NOT TO JUDGE ANYONE. :) Many women have different situations in life that they have to deal with! Not everyone can be a stay-at-home mother. A lot of women have to put their children in day-care, and that's okay! But this is simply my personal rant towards people who judge me for my decisions over many things: to stay home, to not vaccinate, and to consider my husband my headship. That's all! <3


Yes. I didn't go to college. No, I never slept around before I got married. I've been married almost two years at twenty and I have a 7 month old son. This does not mean that I'm uneducated. It means that I'm not going to spend years and endless amounts of money on a degree that doesn't really mean anything in my true field of expertice: being a wife, homemaker, and mother! It means that I don't subscribe to waiting until you're thirty or so to have children when my body is in it's prime to give birth! This is what I was made for. 


 I don't celebrate Christmas or Easter. I use the Set-Apart Names to describe my Heavenly Father and Messiah. I'm modest and that's WEIRD to most people! I go into the grocery store with my head covered and my tzitzits on the four corners of my garment and I get odd looks every time. This does not mean that I'm a part of some sort of a "cult". It means that I do not blindly accept the "Mystery Religion" of the day and that I can think for myself. I don't need a "man in a tie telling a lie" to give me instruction. I have one Teacher. He is the Messiah. 


I'm going to home school and not vaccinate my children. Yes, multiple children. You can close your mouth now. :)


To continue my tangent...what's with the "standards" we set for women in today's society? Go to work, drop your kid off at day-care, be a good patient when you go to your MD (which, of course, stands for Minor Deity) and blindly accept their sage advice. You must thrust yourself into the world of men and "prove" yourself to it.


And then there's the other side of the camp, "Yay, I'm a stay-at-home mom and I have the freedom to just bum it out on the couch all day!"


Both aren't for me. They may be for other people, but not me. My child will never go to day-care. They have Mommy-care. I understand that some women don't have a choice in the matter, but I am forever thankful to Yah that I do have a choice. I go to great lengths to put healthy, tasty food on the table every night before my Husband gets home. He works all day and it is the least I can do to have a nutritious meal hot and ready for his arrival. 


Ooohh, do I hear the femmie camp getting angry? 


Yes, I DO believe that there is a spiritual family hierarchy: Yahuah, the Husband, the Wife, and the Children. My husband is my headship. We each have our specific roles within our home. They are very different, yet equal. 

My job is to save every penny he earns. I provide nourishment for the family. I keep our home in good order -- clean every morning when we wake, and clean every night before we go to sleep whenever possible. I take care of our son. We both do. And, because I respect myself, I keep my body as in-shape as I can and I don't use "oh, but I've had babies" as an excuse. 


My husband goes to work and works hard. He gets dirty. He crawls under houses and deals with the nastiest critters you can imagine. Men work and they work hard! Society doesn't give men the credit and respect they deserve. 


This rant isn't directed toward anyone and I don't have a single person in my mind as I write this. I'm just disgusted at what society has turned families into. It truly is sad. It's sad that a woman can't stay at home and provide for her family there and not be treated as "just a mom."


Women -- rejoice that you have a home and a husband and children! It is your kingdom. "In Planet Home, You are Mother Earth." As much as I dislike the whole "mother earth" concept, that's a spot-on statement! Bless your home!


Men -- reclaim your loving responsibility as head of your household and do not abuse that Yah-given position.




Okay. I'm done. :) Time to prepare for Shabbat.

Two-Dollar Eddie and the Watermelon Stand

Two-Dollar Eddie and the Watermelon Stand

June 28, 2012 - 5th Day

Up at the watermelon stand with my sweet landlady this morning, she and I had some interesting encounters with the citizens of this back-water town. I thought I'd write up a bit of it so you could experience it for yourself. I probably couldn't remember it all, but it really was funny:

"Eddie, hold up a second and let me get you do to something for me."

Kitzi stepped out out from under the shade of the blue-canvased watermelon stand into the hot Georgia sun to approach an older, thin black gentleman who stopped his bike as soon as he heard the small blonde woman "holler" at him.

"Eddie, I was gonna ask you if you would do me a favor," she said as she started fishing around in her pockets. "If I give you some money, would you run up to Gunn's and get me a diet coke?"

She pulled out two dollars and put it in his hand. "And make sure you get yourself one too."

Eddie nodded several times. "Yessma'am, Kitzi. You want that now or later, cuz I'm gonna be a little later gettin back now."

"That'd be fine, Eddie. Take your time."

The man pocked the money and continued biking down the road at an unbelievably slow pace.

Kitzi looked over at me and smiled. "That was 'Two-Dollar Eddie'. He's always asking everyone for two dollars. No one knows what he wants with those two dollars, but he never asks you twice. I reckon he's asked just about everyone in town though."

As I tried to calculate how much money Two-Dollar Eddie could make by getting two dollars from everyone in town, an oversized, red truck pulled up to the watermelon stand. Kitzi and I watched as an equally oversized white man with dark sunglasses and a blue polo shirt stepped out of the vehicle, causing it shift and creak as the added weight was removed from the truck.

"Howdy-do, ladies," the man said with a casual wave of his hand and a nod of his head. "Hot weather we're-a-havin' today."

"Yessir," Kitzi and I chimed in together as I tried not to look too wide eyed at the man who could have come straight out of a comedy skit making fun of Southern folk.

"I hear we're gonna have a hard time of it come this weekend. Gonna be blazin' out here. Whoo, look at them there watermelons! I was here two weeks past lookin out for them beans you've been growing, but I ain't seen 'em yet, now. Now my brother Jeff, he can grow some beans. He lives over yonder past the county line. You would-a seen where he stays there, Kitzi, when you go a-ridin' your bicycle down into town off-a highway 20, you know where I'm-a-talkin'bout, don'tcha?"

By this point, Kitzi and I were just nodding and saying, "Mhm-hmm, yessir" like good southern ladies, smiling the whole time.

"Well, speakin of that heat I was talkin' bout, you gotta get used to it out here. Yes ma'am, you do. I'm Georgia born-'an-raised, originally from DeKalb county. Me and my wife have traveled 'round three states with my job but she just can't seem to settle on a place I like. She ain't like us country folk, 'cuz she says we're too far out from the city."

"Can you be too far out? I didn't think you could be," Kitzi said now that the man had taken a breath.

"No ma'am, I reckon you can't be too far out. See, I'm a Hartley and my mamma was a MacIntosh and all her sisters were MacIntoshes. Her mamma ain't never had no boys so that name ain't too familiar round these part no more, but them Hartleys...you know 'bout us Hartleys, right Mrs. Kitzi? My grandmama Hartley was a Connaway back 'fore she got married to my granddaddy and you here 'bout them all over town. The Connaways used to own that building that's been a pizza place off-a the main road over there through town 'bout three times. I wanna see that place succeed, but there just ain't enough people 'round here wantin' pizza when you could just go up to the IGA or the Dollar Store and get you a frozen one. People just ain't want'n to wait nowadays."

The man took a breath. Finally.

"Well, lemme get my hands on one of them melons there, Kitzi. Boy, do they look fine. Well, I gotta head on back to the house. It was sure good to see you ladies. I hope you have a blessed day."

He waddled/walked back to his truck, but remembered something, turned around and said to me, "Ma'am, I bet you if you want to sell them yellow squash you've been growin', let 'em get a little bit bigger. The black folk round here just love 'em big to slice and fry. Ya'll have a good day now, ladies."

________________________

I love this town. :)

The Refiner's Fire - Look It Up!

Link Share - The Refiner's Fire

June 26th, 2012 -- 3rd Day

Just wanted to pass along a wonderful link to a website called http://www.therefinersfire.org/. 

The Refiner's Fire is a wonderful Messianic website that challenges everything you thought was true about Scripture. This is a good website for all my beloved family and friends who are interested in what I believe. 

Was the Messiah a Christian: http://www.therefinersfire.org/yeshua_not_christian.htm (This is a really, really good one!)

Who Changed the Sabbath: http://therefinersfire.org/true_sabbath_day1.htm

Is the Torah a Curse?: http://www.therefinersfire.org/churchianity.htm

This website is a WONDERFUL tool for Messianic believers and I highly recomend sharing it fellow believers and Christians alike. :)

SHALOM! :)

Clean/Unclean Foods in Scripture

Unclean Food: Does This Still Apply?

June 20th, 2012 -- 4th Day

A while back, someone I know quoted a verse in Scripture about how "we should eat everything that is set before us" as far as clean and unclean foods go. This truly bothered me, as I was not familiar with this verse in Scripture. I was thinking about it, so I decided to do some research and post my findings.

The verse that was quoted was 1 Timothy (Timotiyos Aleph) 4:4: "Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving."

What does this mean for Messianic believers such as myself? Well, let's read it in context, starting with verse 1.

"But the Spirit distinctly says that in latter times some shall fall away from the belief, paying attention to misleading spirits, and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having been branded on their own conscience, forbidding to marry, saying to abstain from foods which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving for it is set apart by the Word of Elohim and prayer."

Looks like Sha'ul is getting confusing again! Does he mean that all foods are "cleansed" now?

Note what he's saying here: "saying to abstain from foods which Elohim created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Because every creature of Elohim is good, and none is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving for it is set apart by the Word of Elohim and prayer."  When you think about it, there ARE foods that are set apart just for His people in Torah (Leviticus/Deuteronomy). These foods already have been set apart for His chosen ones through His Word. Sha'ul says that this good food is set apart, but  also that it is received with thanksgiving!

Go back to Isaiah (Yeshayahu 66:15-17) where he is prophesying about the end of days: "For look, Yahuah comes with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His displeasure with burning, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword Yahuah shall judge all flesh and the slain of Yahuah shall be many -- those who set themselves apart and cleanse themselves at the gardens after 'One' in the midst, eating flesh of pigs and the abomination and the mouse , are snatched away together', declares Yahuah."

Wow, he's pretty serious about people claiming to be "holy" and set-apart, but continue to break His laws!

But, what about Peter (Kepha)'s dream? Acts (Ma'asei) 10:9-19: "And on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Kepha went up on the house-top to pray, about the sixth hour. And he became hungry and wished to eat. But while they were preparing, he fell into a trance, and he saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth,

in which were all kinds of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping creatures, and the birds of the heavens.

And a voice came to him, 'Rise up, Kepha, slay and eat.' But Kepha said, 'Not at all, Master! Because I have never eaten whatever is common or unclean.'

And a voice came to him again the second time, 'What Elohim has cleansed you do not consider common.'

And this took place three times, and the vessel was taken back to the heavens. And while Kepha was doubting within himself about what the vision might mean, look, the men who had been sent from Cornelius, having asked for the house of Shim'on stood at the gate, and calling out, they enquired whether Shim'on, also known as Kepha, was staying there.

And as Kepha was thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'See, three men seek you."

Does this mean we can eat whatever we want to now? Unlikely. This was 10 year AFTER the Messiah's death, and Kepha still had not eaten any unclean thing. The vision was about accepting other nations/Gentiles into belief. 

Acts (Ma'asei) 10:28 -- "And he said to them, You know that a Yehudi man is not allowed to associate with or go to one of another race. But Elohim has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."

Believers, you can't just pick a verse out of Scripture and use it to defend your taste for pork chops and shrimp scampi! I know this is hard for a lot of people to hear -- it's how you grew up, right? And what if you stopped eating pork, what would you family and friends think?

It's not about what they think, it's about what Yah thinks! Read the entire chapter of Leviticus 11 (Wayyiqra), to get a clear picture of the food laws that are STILL in effect today!

And now...I will go to bed. :)

Head Coverings: A Scriptural Mandate?

Head coverings: A Scriptural Mandate?

June 19th, 2012 -- 3rd Day

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking and praying on the subject of head coverings recently. Where do they fit in today's society? Most people equate covering your head with a scarf, bandanna, snood, cap, etc is usually synonymous with eastern religions that usually don't look to the "Bible" as a reference. 

But, if you take a look in the Scriptures, what can we learn about this? Is it a man-made tradition that was left in the dust as modern-day Christianity made it's debut or rather a part of Yah's culture that doesn't change? Let's take an educated look!

Let's look in Isaiah (Yeshayahu) 47:1-3 to see how the pagan's customs of not covering their heads was viewed then:

"Come down and sit in the dust, O maiden daughter of Babel. Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Kasdim! For no more do they call you tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind flour. Remove your veil, lift up your skirt, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers. Let your nakedness be uncovered, let your shame be exposed. I take vengeance, and meet no man."

Removing your veil/head covering...in Yah's eyes is that nakedness and immodesty, just as much as uncovering your leg is to Him? Let's read on to 1 Corinthians (Qorinthiyim Aleph) 11:3-6, 13-16.

"And I wish you to know that the head of Messiah is Elohim. Every man praying or prophesying having his head covered, brings shame to his Head. And every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered brings shame to her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."

"Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to Elohim with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man indeed has long hair, it is a disrespect to him? And if a woman has long hair, it is an esteem to her, because the long hair has been given to her over against a veil. If, however, anyone seems to be contentious, we do not have such a habit, nor do the assemblies of Elohim."

Mkay. That makes sense, but it is a little confusing. Let's look some more at the purpose of head coverings, to show the order of the family: Yah, Husband, Wife. :)

1 Corinthians 11:7-10: For a man indeed should not cover his head, since he is the likeness and esteem of Elohim, but woman is the esteem of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. For man also was not created for the woman, but woman for man. Because of this the woman ought to have authority on her head, because of the messengers (angels).

Why because of the messengers? Perhaps if we truly do "entertain angels unaware", are we setting an example for them by honoring our husbands/Yah by covering our heads? 

Let's go back to Genesis (Bereshith) 24:64-65: And Rebecca (Ribqah) lifted her eyes when she saw Isaac (Yitshaq) she dismounted from her camel, and she had said to her servant, "Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?" And the servant said, "It is my master" So she took a veil and covered herself.

Here is also another example in Numbers (Bemidbar) 5:18, where a ritual was performed by a priest to determine whether a wife was being unfaithful or not: "And the priest shall make the woman stand before Yahuah, and shall uncover the woman's head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy, while the priest holds in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse."

So, to uncover a woman's head...it has to be covered beforehand, right? It makes sense! 

I don't subscribe to the Jewish way of thinking that you have to cover your hair for any other reason than to honor your husband -- a popular train of thought among the Jews is that  you also cover because your hair is "too sexy" and you need to keep it under wraps so you don't cause men to stumble. Um...I seem to remember Miryam (Mary) wiping the Messiah's feet with her hair in John (Yohanan) 12:3. Was she trying to seduce the Messiah? I don't think so!

"Then Miryam took a pound of costly perfume of nard, anointed the feet of Yahusha, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."

But Miryam didn't wear a covering...because she wasn't married. 

So we don't have to cover our hair "because it's too sexy" or for looks. It's to show our marital status, submission to our husband's headship, and evidence to the messengers of our willingness to obey. 

Personally, I wear smaller head coverings as to not draw much attention to myself. I don't want others to think I'm trying to "be better than them" by "showing off my piety". Pfft, please. I just want to obey my Heavenly Father and show proper submission to my husband.

Married women or young women thinking about the future -- pray on this! :)

Shalom!

Blueberry Pie Recipe

Blueberry Pie Recipe

June 14th, 2012 -- 5th Day

Doesn't that just look delicious! It was. two nights ago, I went outside to pick blueberries for Dear Husband (I thought I wasn't a huge blueberry fan myself...wrong-o!) and I notice that a lot of them were ripe, enough for four cups or so. I went back inside with a basket full of blueberries and thought -- wouldn't it be nice to surprise Scott with a blueberry pie?

Of course...I've never made a pie before in my life, so Google saved the day. I went online and looked up a blueberry pie recipe and ta-DA! We had pie.

Shall I share the recipe? Of course!

Blueberry Pie Crust -- From Scratch

Ingredients: 

• 1.5 cups flour (about 6 ounces by weight) - plain flour, not self-rising. Whole wheat is best.

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

• 1/6 cup Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (the original recipe calls for Crisco...ew)

• 1/3 cup COLD butter

• 1/4 cup cold water

Step One: Mix the flour, sugar and shortening/oil first. About 15 seconds in a food processor is by far the best way, since it is fast and the ingredients don't warm up much.  Don't make it too smooth or uniform.  Little pea sized granules makes a flaky crust.

Step Two: Then sprinkle in the water, just enough water to make it hold together; a good dough consistency. A pastry blender (see photo) works very well to mix, but some people prefer a few seconds in a food processor instead. Just mix it enough to make it into pieces that hold together about the size of a pea.  We don't want to over mix it!

Chill? If you have time, put the dough (wrapped in plastic wrap or a Ziploc bag) into the fridge to rest and chill for a half hour or more. If you don't have time, don't worry, just move on to step 3. 

Step Three: Put the ball of dough in between to pieces of wax paper. A couple of tablespoons of flour dusted over the paper will help to keep the dough from sticking to it. Roll it out to an even thickness, and just an inch or two wider than your pie pan.  My crusts are about 1/8 inch thick.

Step Four: Place the dough into the pie pan.  Don't worry if it breaks.  You can easily fix that. Press the dough into the pan, seal any broken areas, and shape the top edge in any pattern you like; just for appearance's sake.

Blueberry Pie -- From Scratch

Ingredients: 

• 3 to 4 cups Blueberries - fresh or frozen (without syrup)
• One 9 inch deep-dish Pie Plate - (grocery stores sell both
• disposable pie pans and glass pans. Get the deep type!
•  7 Tablespoons corn starch or flour
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional: mine worked without the juice)
• One 9 inch pie crust 

 Seasonings:

• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Sweetener:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

And now, choose the topping you

prefer -- I did both:

Crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup butter

Dough topping:

See the pie crust recipe and double it

to make extra to roll out as a topping

to cover the pie.

Step One: Wash your blueberries. Make sure there are no stems/bugs.

Step Two: Combine the 2/3 cup sugar and 7

tablespoons of corn starch or flour in a bowl and mix well!

Some people like 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I did and it was wonderful.

Step Three: Add the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and 3 Tablespoons of water and stir.

Step Four: Add the blueberries to the pie crust. 

Step Five: Pour the liquid over the blueberries.

Step Six: If you want the crumb topping, just mix

1/4 cup sugar 

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the pie.

If you want to the dough topping instead, roll out a circular

section of dough that you made in step 1, to 1/8 inch thick, then

place it over the pie. Seal it against the edges with the pie crust,

and make decorative slits with a knife.

Step Seven: Bake at 375F for about an hour. Remove when the pie is golden in color and bubbly.

Enjoy! This has to be the best blueberry pie ever. Kudos to Benivia at http://www.PickYourOwn.org/blueberrypie.htm

for the original recipie. 

Cloth Diaper Q&A

Cloth Diaper Q&A

June 12, 2012 -- 3rd Day

The sun is out! 

Which means it's a little hot and muggy, but that's how I like it. 

Just look at those billowy clouds. 

Just finished hanging some laundry out on the line. Somehow, it's completely therapeutic. Much more so than washing dishes...which is now a "by-hand" job, simply because I really, really, really don't want to take the racks out of the dishwasher and scrub the grossness (yes, it's a word now) off of the inside so it doesn't get sprayed onto my supposed-to-be-clean dishes!

I don't know where I'd be without cloth diapers. I think the average American spends about $3,000 on disposable diapers a year...and I don't have to spend a dime! A lot of people have a bunch of questions about cloth diapering, so lemme answer them the best I can.

Q: How many cloth diapers does it take to effectively diaper a baby?

A: About the same as regular diapers! My son is 7 months old and he goes through about 6-8 cloth diapers a day, from morning to morning. As of right now, I probably have a stash of about 60-70 diapers total. As pictured above, that's two rows of 15, so you're looking at 30 diapers there. I also have diapers in newborn size and small. My son is in mediums and larges (you can  fold them down to fit your needs, so there's no distinct sizes, really).

Q: Do you need diaper covers/how many do I need?

A: Only if you don't want pee and poop all over everything! And you probably need at least 5 in each size.

Q: How often do you have to change a cloth diaper?

A: As often as it gets soggy/poopy. Most people recommend every two hours, but I find that's not practical. Would you want to sit in a wet cloth diaper for two hours? I didn't think so!

Q: How often should you change the diaper cover? 

A: Only if it's got poop on it or if it's really wet. Diaper covers are really, really waterproof, so there's really no need to change it after every diaper change unless it truly needs it. Use your best judgement.

Q: How do you wash cloth diapers/covers?

A: With bleach and detergent. Be careful though -- you don't want to bleach or machine dry your diaper covers, because the elasticity will wear out faster. 

Q: Is there a difference in how you deal with breastfed/solid fed poop?

A: Yes! With breastfed babies poopy diapers, you want to just toss them in the wash (but not with your husband's work shirts on accident...they don't seem to like that...) With solid-fed baby's diapers, shake them out in the toilet and then wash.

Q: What about when you go out? 

A: Easy! Just take a convenience store/chain store bag with you in your diaper bag. As you use one, just pop it in. You may want to double (or triple!) bag depending whether the baby is breastfed or on solid food. Right now, I'm about to experiment with taking a cloth bag as well so I can just dump the whole thing into the washing machine when I get home.

Q: Are they really hot for the baby to wear during the summer time?

A: Not really. Civilizations have been cloth diapering since before air-conditioning came about. I just make sure that my son is fed on demand all the time (especially in the hot weather) to keep him hydrated and to protect from overheating. Make sure to dress lightly as well! A light t-shirt or a onesie with a cloth diaper/cover has never given me a problem before.

Q: Did you cloth diaper from birth?

A: No, simply because postpartum, I didn't feel like washing/drying diapers. Although, the next time around, after about three or four weeks, I will probably switch over to cloth diapers instead of waiting several months. Remember -- it's all about what is easiest for YOU after giving birth! :) It's like my midwife always told me: 5 days in the bed, 5 days around the bed, 5 days in the house and 5 days around the house.

I hope this information helps anyone who is looking into using cloth-diapers to save money and go green at the same time. 

Rainy Day in GA

Rainy Day in GA

June 11, 2012 -- 2nd Day

Just another rainy day in Georgia. I haven't gone outside yet to check my garden -- slept in rather late. I had to be up at 3:30am with Hubby to help him get ready for work. It's about a 45 minute drive for him to get there, but thankfully he has a company truck. I confess I probably have a crush on his Ford F-150 Super Duty...I get giddy when I jump up into the cab (I'm really short) and back the truck up for Hubby so we can move the car. Ah, and it has air conditioning. But it's the smell of diesel that I love the most. :)

So, because I got up far too late, I'm finding it a little hard to get started with things this morning. All I want to do is sleep! Alas, in order to convince Hubby that I can manage my dreams of keeping chickens/goats/a massive garden AND keep up with the house work, I need to start showing him that everything housework wise can be finished in a relatively short amount of time. Of course, these aren't his "stipulations", but it does make sense that he doesn't want to fund a project that will take away from housework.

Although, as far as gardening goes, there's not much funding to put into it, and actually, I'm saving the family money: 

One cucumber usually costs about $1, right? Well, I just planted 16 cucumber plants, each that will produce at least 4 cucumbers. That's about $64 worth of vegetables there. But, I bought the seed for $1. Amazing, isn't it? I think once Hubby sees the yield, he'll get more excited about my efforts. :)

I love watching the little cucumbers grow. A week has passed and they're up and at 'em! They were supposed to come up in 14 days, but they were pushing on through in three. I'm so proud. :)


Days like this where I can watch my son and garden grow are just perfect.

Cucumbers/Rainy Day Planning

Cucumbers/Rainy Day Planning

June 10th, 2012 -- 1st Day

I never knew I could be so excited about fertilizer and rain -- the two things that are going to push my cucumber seedlings through the soil and into existence. Dear Husband loves cucumbers, but we always have to say 'no' to them at the store because they're so expensive, but guess who has 16 cucumber plants out in the garden right now? Yup, me! I can't wait to see the look on his face when in about a month and a half he eats something that I grew for him. :)

It's amazing how satisfying it is to grow things. It really makes me think about plans for growing things in the future. Mr. Sprinkle (our landlord/resident farmer) is guiding me in the direction of getting a wheat field together. I'm really excited about that. I also want to acquire some chickens/a chicken coop by the end of this year. Along with the wheat, I know I want to grow as much broccoli as possible, along with lettuce, kale, carrots and maybe chard. I need to find a way to store/freeze everything...possibly another freezer? I know broccoli can be frozen for up to six months....:)

Oh, so many things I want to accomplish...I would love to build an outdoor bread oven, wood burning, obviously... A bigger clothesline would be a good idea as well...

Ah, the possibilities. :)

Little House on the Farm

Shabbat - June 9th, 2012

Little House on the Farm -- Counting my Blessings

About a year ago, I never thought I'd be here, sitting in my rocking chair, looking out the window to view farm land. It's a far cry from the view I had then -- a wooden fence, a driveway for a backyard, and bars. Yeah, downtown wasn't exactly our ideal place to start our life, but it worked. 

A year later, I have a son who's 7 months old -- the light of my life. It still amazes me how he went from being this small little 6lb/14oz sea monkey to this 18lb chunky monkey! I feel kind of silly sometimes when I realize how big of a deal I make over his little accomplishments -- sitting up, having two teeth, rolling and rolling and rolling. 

I'm so blessed though, that I do get to make a big deal over these things: most mothers don't get a chance, especially at my age. It's not common that a young woman gets the chance to stay home with her child every single day and marvel over his progress in such a short amount of time. I get to nurture him in ways that no day-care worker can, I have tools that previous generations would have killed to have had, and I have a wonderful support group of family and friends who respect my decisions to home school, breastfeed, co-sleep, etc. I am truly blessed.