Robert Duncan

I had to share this link - I have some of this artist's children and winter pictures which are some of my favorites - my two favorite artists being Thomas Kinkade and Robert Duncan.  Here is a link to a new group of paintings-they are breathtaking!!  Enjoy!!

The Farmers

Spring Cleaning Conference and Feminine Modesty

I cannot rave enough about the Spring Cleaning Parenting Conference Steve and I attended this past weekend - "Faithful and Unafraid - Parenting for the Future" by Douglas and Nancy Wilson.  It really was excellent and CD sets will be available in the future from Canon Press Audio.

While we were there, we picked up a CD set from the book table called "Feminine Modesty" also by Douglas Wilson.  We have listened to three of the four CDs in the set and wow is it powerful.  Modesty in our culture and especially in the church is an issue that grieves me greatly but its so hard to address.  In our own home we have high standards that we externally control, even if the heart of our girls are not in line, for the simple fact that we do not want to cause our Christian brothers to stumble.  Further, how our girls dress (and our boys as well)  is a reflection on Steve and his leadership in the family.  For children we have not had from the beginning but are rather trying to teach right things later in life this can be challenging as the government school indoctrination of "I must dress to be accepted and cool even if I look like a hooker or moron" is hard to overcome.  We train in right principles and have faith in God for the internalization.

Here is a link for the CD set : Feminine Modesty CD set

Finally, a link to  three book companies I really like and a conference I am praying the money will be provided for me to attend - check them out!!

Monergism books

Crown Rights Book Company

Lamplighter Publishing

Baby Conference

Farm learning experiences

This week has been particularly challenging in regards to our novice farming.  We were excited about getting Tamworth pigs because of their heritage status and because of their excellent taste status from the Slow Food movement.  Our two sows and boar are very gentle and have been a joy.  I had read in Greg Judy's book Comeback Farms how his sows farrow on pasture - they just go into the woods, have their litter and appear back in a week to ten days with piglets in tow.  Unfortunately for us, this didn't happen in reality.  Our sow had her litter but the other two pigs (all three always want to be near each other) kept going near her and accidently stepped on a few.  When we discovered this, we netted her in away from the others but then that night the weather changed and we think we lost the last few to cold and the fact that by this time the sow was pretty agitated.  So, we will build a farrowing shelter for her next time with a separate, heated place for the piglets to go in to.  Steve found a good plan that is not too restrictive for the sow as I find the narrow farrowing crates pretty cruel.  Hopefully we can have one built before our next sow gets ready to farrow.

On a brighter note, we made the acquaintance of a livestock dealer in this area that rescues Jersey calves from confinement dairies and then resells them.  We were able to get 3 calves (all about 2-3 months old) for about $100 a piece (calves usually run $400-$800 a piece and up).  We will get them healthy and then have them ready to help begin our raw dairy in a few years.

Tonight Steve and I will be attending a Spring Cleaning Conference with Doug and Nancy Wilson sponsored by our triad of churches up here.  I look forward to hearing them in person after reading their great books.

Tilling and plowing

I have read quite a lot over the last few years about how plowing and tilling are so bad for the soil, how we lose so much top soil that way, how "nature" doesn't plow or till but grows seeds through the "duff" which falls naturally on the ground and accumulates.  I have believed all of this until yesterday when in my Bible reading I came across references to plowing.  I did a Strong's concordance search for plowing and tilling and there are many references for both in the Bible.  So, it appears plowing and tilling are good ways to grow crops.  Perhaps the problems with our soils are both the massive use of pesticides and herbicides, the fact that we do not let our growing areas rest appropriately and the fact that we don't feed the soil.  I will do more research on this in the future.

On another note, Emma finished her phonics learning book yesterday.  She was very excited and we are both very proud of her - good job Emma!

Townshend Winery

Steve and I had a "date night" last night and we went to one of our favorite local places, Greenbluff Growers, specifically to Townshend Winery to do some wine tasting.  I love their Red Table Wine which is very robust, not typical for me since I am usually a sweet wine sort of person.  They have a wine club on their website that I will join once the double mortgages are done.

Also, during church yesterday our pastor spoke about dying for or "killing" your brother - specifically using the example of Cain and Abel in the literal sense.  It is interesting to me that the first covenant child created was evil - I want to do more research on this in the future once I can somewhat wrap my mind around that concept since we hope that most children born to Christian parents will be covenant keepers.

Finally, I will begin my correspondence sewing course with the Smocking Arts Guild of America today, Lord willing, plus lots of new things going on at the farm - hopefully piglets and poults soon...

A wonderful surprise

Steve and some of the boys were supposed to go work with some church members helping at an older gentleman's home nearby.  Anyway, he surprised me this morning by saying he was taking everyone (except Lucas who isnt feeling too well) so I could spend the day sewing..

So, off to work on summer clothes for Emma...

Fresh Cream again!!

Little things in life can be so rewarding!  I have been without fresh cream in my coffee for a little bit while our cow was "dried off" in preparation for calving.  I was using goat's milk in my coffee but it just isn't the same.  I am so thrilled to have fresh cow cream again-its the best in coffee!

I found out something interesting in my Bible reading yesterday from Leviticus - cattle form a herd, sheep and goats form flocks (I always thought it was a herd of goats). 

Finally, I finished the book, "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen yesterday (required reading for my Agriculture class).  The middle part of the book that speaks of his figuring out how to make food was inspiring (however all of God's providence was left out of this book) but the ending was awful.

I have a bid on a four volume set of "Farm Knowledge" books (published in 1819 by Sears and Roebuck).  Our mentor strongly suggests these and they look wonderful!  The one thing I do believe is that in our current and deepening recession/depression, farming will be one of the most profitable ventures as people always need food.

Until next time...

Turkey eggs

Well, the turkey we thought had taken off on the run was instead doing her God given duty of sitting on a clutch of eggs under a very large spruce tree in our front yard, we just couldn't see her.  She apparently has twelve eggs she is attempting to hatch - we are hoping the naturally nested eggs will work out well.  We are also hoping to buy a Royal Palm pair, with separate chicken tractors for the Palm pair and Bourbon trio.

Received "All Through The Ages" by Christine Miller yesterday.  Lucas is very excited as this is a huge book list for history from the beginning to more current history. 

Finally, the folks from CA who are interested in this house will make their decision this week we have been told.  We continue to pray that both houses will sell at the same time so we can make a wise decision as to a farm to purchase to continue this dream we have of producing good food for our local community and church body...

Pigs are moved

We spent the weekend sick but in spite of that we were able to go pick up a rather large, round pig feeder for our ever growing sows and boar (they each weigh about 500 lbs each we think) from a gentleman on craigs list who didnt need it anymore to feed his elk.  Our pigs had been in a smaller size hog paneled area for the winter with a make do shelter but the mud level was getting extreme with all the rain so we wanted to get them on fresh ground as both sows will be farrowing soon.  We did this in temporary netting and a larger electric stringed pen will go up today, Lord and weather permitting.  Greg Judy allows his sows to farrow on open ground - he said they go into the brush and come back about 10 days later with their little piglets in tow - much better for the pigs than farrowing crates in confinement facilities.

On a sad note, our Jersey cow had her calf this past weekend as well but she didn't survive.  We will try to figure out if there was something unhealthy in her diet and pray her next calving season is more successful.  It also appears that one of our Bourbon turkey hens decided life with the wild turkeys was better.  We have seen a wild tom on our property recently and found out Saturday that she was missing.  We think she is on her honeymoon...

Happy Birthday to Gina... and food

Happy Birthday to Gina who celebrated her 21st Birthday yesterday.  She had an enjoyable evening of herb bread soup bowls filled with baked potato soup, peppermint bars and ice cream.  After that she watched "Sherlock Holmes".

On another note, we have been reading lately in the blogosphere (and I have come across bible verses this week as well) that talk about all food God has created to be allowed if received with thanksgiving, nothing is restricted.  I used to have a prohibition against pork and shellfish because of things I had read in Jordan Rubin's books but I no longer feel that is the case based on these scriptures.  However, I do have a problem with conventionally raised pork and other meats because they are fed antibiotics and hormones which are not food.  Its the same reason I would say God isn't talking about most of what is on the grocery store shelves in this verse because if you pick up these items much of what is listed under ingredients is not food, its chemicals.  Further, same thing for produce sprayed with pesticides - pesticide is not a food.

So, God made allowable all foods, if received with thanksgiving.  We just need to make sure what we are calling "food" is actually food. 

An excellent quote for Abraham Kuyper

"In any successful attack on freedom the state can only be an accomplice.  The chief culprit is the citizen who forgets his duty, wastes away his strength in the sleep of sin and sensual pleasure, and so loses the power of his own initiative.  Among a nation healthy at its core, whose people still live soundly in the various spheres, no state can subvert the principles of justice without meeting the people's strong moral resistance under God."

Easter Celebration

Our Easter celebration yesterday was wonderful.  We actually began the celebration Friday night at our church's Good Friday service.  After that, practice for the choir/brass/organ piece.  Saturday morning some of us woke early and went to help prepare the Easter brunch.  Sunday morning up early again to go help set up, get all dressed up, have a wonderful brunch and service and then home for fresh smoked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and cobbler.  In the midst of this we listened to St. Matthews Passion and discussed how we are so thankful to God for these feast days interspersed in the midst of our daily lives.  They bring joy and cause us to reflect on all of the blessings He has bestowed and in return all that is required of us to further His Kingdom here on earth while we wait for his future reign.

We hope your Easter celebration was wonderful too!

Dinner with Steve

After nearly 20 years, Steve has picked up his trombone again and will be playing with a group of other church folks at this Sunday's Easter service.  I am glad he now has the time to do this again and hope he can continue it since it brought such joy to him in the past.  After his practice we went to a local restaurant called Clinkerdagger.  It had been recommended to him by a co-worker and it was very good, especially the french onion soup.  The time spent together was even better...

Vision Forum has two exciting things coming up.  Our family will be listening in on one (not me as it coincides with the Constitution class I am taking so I will listen to the recordings) and the other is something we wish we could attend but cannot afford in the wake of paying two mortgages right now.  Here are links to both-they both look excellent...

Vision Forum Baby Conference

Vision Forum Great Authors Webinar