Friday, July 30, 2010
Ladies Tea with Michelle Duggar
I listened to the Baby Conference CD which was a recording of the Ladies Tea with Michelle Duggar. I came away from it inspired. She is such a joyful person because she chooses to be. It would be easy for me to say that its harder for me to find joy because most of my adopted children are so difficult. But that is incorrect. God has chosen to GIVE us these children and despite their issues and challenges we should be grateful, joyful and content. Beall Phillips stressed how the Duggars have prayed to be joyful in everything God gives them, good and bad. The same humbleness I heard in Jim Bob Duggar's message I heard in Michelle's. It is understandable why so many people love them because they see two people completely joyful about life, its rewards and its hardships. Were that more people were like them!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Manhood and Babies
We listened to the session on the Baby Conference CDs last night entitled, "Manhood and Babies". It was a talk given by both Doug Phillips and Jim Bob Duggar of "19 Kids and Counting". Jim Bob made some excellent points but the part that struck me the most was how humble he was. In watching their show you get the feeling that everything is always going well for them (despite baby Josie's early birth) but he explained that he has weak areas that he enlists his wife and children to call him on to make him a better dad and husband and also how they are always asking their kids about temptations so their hearts are always open to each other. Lucas, Eric and Anthony wanted to listen as well and they seemed to enjoy it and took some good pointers away. I am excited about listening to more...:-)
Here is the link for the conference CDs:
http://www.visionforum.com/booksandmedia/productdetail.aspx?productid=13467&categoryid=192
Here is the link for the conference CDs:
http://www.visionforum.com/booksandmedia/productdetail.aspx?productid=13467&categoryid=192
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Baby Conference and Night Visitors
I received my 38 CD set of Vision Forum's Baby Conference yesterday. Several of us listened to the opening session last night and are looking forward into delving more deeper this evening. I also received two other CDs one entitled "Getting Your Hands Dirty - How to Teach Your Children to Love to Work" and "Tilling the Soil-Creating An Entrepreneurial Vision for the Family" - both speeches Joel Salatin gave at Vision Forum several years ago. We listened to half of the first one last night while making dinner. I had heard it before but it was a great refresher.
Early this morning (around 4 a.m.) Elizabeth and Emma came in asking to sleep with me. As I was putting Elizabeth (3 1/2) into bed I told her I was scooting her over onto Daddy's side of the bed. She sighed and said, "I wish Daddy was here." After my night visitors joined me I didn't sleep much. These girls plus baby Hannah were a ten year answer to prayer to have more babies and so I don't mind. I cannot imagine my life without them (or any of the other children for that matter). I know when they are older I will miss having them crawl into bed next to me.
Early this morning (around 4 a.m.) Elizabeth and Emma came in asking to sleep with me. As I was putting Elizabeth (3 1/2) into bed I told her I was scooting her over onto Daddy's side of the bed. She sighed and said, "I wish Daddy was here." After my night visitors joined me I didn't sleep much. These girls plus baby Hannah were a ten year answer to prayer to have more babies and so I don't mind. I cannot imagine my life without them (or any of the other children for that matter). I know when they are older I will miss having them crawl into bed next to me.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Something to think about...then read "A Thomas Jefferson Education"
(The following was read as the valedictorian's speech at Coxsackie-Athens High School in recent weeks, creating quite a stir among administrators, to great applause from students and many of their parents)
There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master: "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?" The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years . ." (The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" (Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."
This is the dilemma I've faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.
Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.
I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.
John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that." Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.
H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States. (Gatto)
To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of "critical thinking." Is there really such a thing as "uncritically thinking?" To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?
This was happening to me, and if it wasn't for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.
And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.
We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.
The saddest part is that the majority of students don't have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can't run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation.
For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, "You have to learn this for the test" is not good enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.
For those of you that work within the system that I am condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it, and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.
For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say, do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America. Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything, and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.
So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who are sitting here watching me. I couldn't have accomplished this without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.
I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a "see you later" when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!
Erica Goldson
Athens, NY __________________
Sadly, this is true of many homeschoolers as well - duplicating the system at home. I highly recommend the books "A Thomas Jefferson Education" and "Leadership Education" by Oliver DeMille and also the Cds "Curriculum Advice" by Victoria Botkin...
There is a story of a young, but earnest Zen student who approached his teacher, and asked the Master: "If I work very hard and diligently, how long will it take for me to find Zen?" The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years . ." (The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast - How long then?" Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." "But, if I really, really work at it, how long then?" asked the student. "Thirty years," replied the Master. "But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" (Replied the Master, "When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."
This is the dilemma I've faced within the American education system. We are so focused on a goal, whether it be passing a test, or graduating as first in the class. However, in this way, we do not really learn. We do whatever it takes to achieve our original objective.
Some of you may be thinking, "Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn't you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.
I am now accomplishing that goal. I am graduating. I should look at this as a positive experience, especially being at the top of my class. However, in retrospect, I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system. Yet, here I stand, and I am supposed to be proud that I have completed this period of indoctrination. I will leave in the fall to go on to the next phase expected of me, in order to receive a paper document that certifies that I am capable of work. But I contest that I am a human being, a thinker, an adventurer - not a worker. A worker is someone who is trapped within repetition - a slave of the system set up before him. But now, I have successfully shown that I was the best slave. I did what I was told to the extreme. While others sat in class and doodled to later become great artists, I sat in class to take notes and become a great test-taker. While others would come to class without their homework done because they were reading about an interest of theirs, I never missed an assignment. While others were creating music and writing lyrics, I decided to do extra credit, even though I never needed it. So, I wonder, why did I even want this position? Sure, I earned it, but what will come of it? When I leave educational institutionalism, will I be successful or forever lost? I have no clue about what I want to do with my life; I have no interests because I saw every subject of study as work, and I excelled at every subject just for the purpose of excelling, not learning.
John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then. But we don't do that." Between these cinderblock walls, we are all expected to be the same. We are trained to ace every standardized test, and those who deviate and see light through a different lens are worthless to the scheme of public education, and therefore viewed with contempt.
H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States. (Gatto)
To illustrate this idea, doesn't it perturb you to learn about the idea of "critical thinking." Is there really such a thing as "uncritically thinking?" To think is to process information in order to form an opinion. But if we are not critical when processing this information, are we really thinking? Or are we mindlessly accepting other opinions as truth?
This was happening to me, and if it wasn't for the rare occurrence of an avant-garde tenth grade English teacher, Donna Bryan, who allowed me to open my mind and ask questions before accepting textbook doctrine, I would have been doomed. I am now enlightened, but my mind still feels disabled. I must retrain myself and constantly remember how insane this ostensibly sane place really is.
And now here I am in a world guided by fear, a world suppressing the uniqueness that lies inside each of us, a world where we can either acquiesce to the inhuman nonsense of corporatism and materialism or insist on change. We are not enlivened by an educational system that clandestinely sets us up for jobs that could be automated, for work that need not be done, for enslavement without fervency for meaningful achievement. We have no choices in life when money is our motivational force. Our motivational force ought to be passion, but this is lost from the moment we step into a system that trains us, rather than inspires us.
We are more than robotic bookshelves, conditioned to blurt out facts we were taught in school. We are all very special, every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation, rather than memorization, for creativity, rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation? We are not here to get a degree, to then get a job, so we can consume industry-approved placation after placation. There is more, and more still.
The saddest part is that the majority of students don't have the opportunity to reflect as I did. The majority of students are put through the same brainwashing techniques in order to create a complacent labor force working in the interests of large corporations and secretive government, and worst of all, they are completely unaware of it. I will never be able to turn back these 18 years. I can't run away to another country with an education system meant to enlighten rather than condition. This part of my life is over, and I want to make sure that no other child will have his or her potential suppressed by powers meant to exploit and control. We are human beings. We are thinkers, dreamers, explorers, artists, writers, engineers. We are anything we want to be - but only if we have an educational system that supports us rather than holds us down. A tree can grow, but only if its roots are given a healthy foundation.
For those of you out there that must continue to sit in desks and yield to the authoritarian ideologies of instructors, do not be disheartened. You still have the opportunity to stand up, ask questions, be critical, and create your own perspective. Demand a setting that will provide you with intellectual capabilities that allow you to expand your mind instead of directing it. Demand that you be interested in class. Demand that the excuse, "You have to learn this for the test" is not good enough for you. Education is an excellent tool, if used properly, but focus more on learning rather than getting good grades.
For those of you that work within the system that I am condemning, I do not mean to insult; I intend to motivate. You have the power to change the incompetencies of this system. I know that you did not become a teacher or administrator to see your students bored. You cannot accept the authority of the governing bodies that tell you what to teach, how to teach it, and that you will be punished if you do not comply. Our potential is at stake.
For those of you that are now leaving this establishment, I say, do not forget what went on in these classrooms. Do not abandon those that come after you. We are the new future and we are not going to let tradition stand. We will break down the walls of corruption to let a garden of knowledge grow throughout America. Once educated properly, we will have the power to do anything, and best of all, we will only use that power for good, for we will be cultivated and wise. We will not accept anything at face value. We will ask questions, and we will demand truth.
So, here I stand. I am not standing here as valedictorian by myself. I was molded by my environment, by all of my peers who are sitting here watching me. I couldn't have accomplished this without all of you. It was all of you who truly made me the person I am today. It was all of you who were my competition, yet my backbone. In that way, we are all valedictorians.
I am now supposed to say farewell to this institution, those who maintain it, and those who stand with me and behind me, but I hope this farewell is more of a "see you later" when we are all working together to rear a pedagogic movement. But first, let's go get those pieces of paper that tell us that we're smart enough to do so!
Erica Goldson
Athens, NY __________________
Sadly, this is true of many homeschoolers as well - duplicating the system at home. I highly recommend the books "A Thomas Jefferson Education" and "Leadership Education" by Oliver DeMille and also the Cds "Curriculum Advice" by Victoria Botkin...
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Generation Cedar Post
Just as I finished writing the previous post, I went over to Generation Cedar to continue reading a series of articles she wrote about a "True Beauty Makeover". The one I read today was so fitting in regards to my last post that I had to cut and paste it here:
"She has no real fear, because her eyes are fixed on following His will. Whatever befalls her has passed through the hands of the One who loves her most.”
"She has no real fear, because her eyes are fixed on following His will. Whatever befalls her has passed through the hands of the One who loves her most.”
“Strength and honor are her clothing.”
Proverbs 31
What does it mean to “wear strength and honor”? I love this verse, because it flies in the face of the perverted misunderstanding that our culture has of biblical womanhood.
The Bible exalts women far above what the feminists have. It spoke of women, 4,000 years ago, of honor, dignity, rare jewels, and strength. Why would we want to trade that picture for anything else?
Strength can be expressed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Since strength and honor are used together in this verse, I think they describe a woman strong of character. And what does a “strong character” look like?
I am prone to envision a woman with a tranquil nature, steady, even in the face of distress. Boy could I use some work here!
Strength allows a woman to be at peace, because she is not exerting HER strength; but rather, an inner reliance on God the Father. Her faith rests completely on His providence, His protection and His guidance in her life. She has no real fear, because her eyes are fixed on following His will. Whatever befalls her has passed through the hands of the One who loves her most.
To wear honor is to first know she is worthy of it. Worthy, not because of what she has done, but because of who she is in Christ. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.”
Honor: “High rank. The dignity accorded to position.”
We need to dwell on our royal inheritance! We are marked by holy distinction! We are daughters of the King, princesses fit for Heaven–do others see that in our behavior? We aren’t talking about wearing pride, but wearing honor, behaving in a way that is honorable.
Do I exhibit those character qualities that have been obscured in our day? Am I honest–even in the small things? Do people know me to possess integrity and uprightness of heart? Do I “walk worthy of the vocation in which I am called”?
I’ll add here that the way we dress speaks volumes about how we view ourselves. Given the “princess” analogy, if we really dwelt on that image, I bet our attire would begin to reflect it. Compare the attire of a woman who understands her worth before God, desiring to reflect His character, even in the way she dresses, to the popular “grunge” style of the culture?
Let us practice putting on strength and honor, and allowing the adornment of our hearts to affect the adornments of our bodies…we are representing the King!"
Two more finished and two interviewing
Two more of my children finished and passed their Martin Luther assignment and I believe they feel pretty good about the fact that they decided to do it in the first place and in the second followed through.
In addition, I took two children to interview with Job Corps yesterday. This a program that helps struggling youth and adults to finish their education, achieve their GED, get a drivers license and learn a career path. Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome don't take instruction from their parents very well (in an effort to push the parents away they ignore them and many times refuse to learn to their own detriment). These two children are unfortunately reaping the consequences of this when they were younger and realize that if they want to be functioning members of the community they need to catch up and get going. It looks like this program will help them but it does have some rough elements - mainly some of the folks that go there. We have found one campus that is 12 minutes from a church affiliated with our church and so if accepted they will attend that campus to continue with their education and in addition can worship with accountability. Job Corps has a zero tolerance policy for drugs, alcohol and fighting so it will be tough for one child in particular (he is prone to fighting) so I have explained to him that if he wants it bad enough he will self govern and walk away. He has begun talking of marriage one day and I also explained that no father worth his salt is going to give their daughter to a know it all - hot head so now is the time to turn it around and make himself worthy of a young lady's hand. I pray he takes the words to heart - we will see...
We haven't heard lately from one of our daughters who returned to her biological family family about a month ago. Within ten days of returning she was doing drugs, abusing alcohol and who knows what else. I have tried to keep in touch with her to check on her and to gently convince her of her wrong doing but now cant get in touch with her at all. We honestly fear for her safety and health in that environment but we know that God is in control.
Speaking of that, I have been struggling with being angry and overwhelmed these past few days regarding Steve's possible deployment, mainly because I don't see how I can accomplish everything that is supposed to get done plus deal with all of the behavior problems that are going to occur if we get word that he is going. We have one child who rages daily, this will worsen. Others manifest stress by defiance, breaking things, stealing, hurting themselves, defecating everywhere - top this with a brand new move and yikes... I have been praying continually about this deployment as have many around us and I had to again realize yesterday that God is not going to test us with what He won't give us strength to handle and that if Steve deploys it will be for a purpose, a purpose that ultimately blesses us. So, today is a new day and we will press on...:-)
We do appreciate the prayers from all who are doing so and hope to be able to return the blessing someday. Thank you..:-)
In addition, I took two children to interview with Job Corps yesterday. This a program that helps struggling youth and adults to finish their education, achieve their GED, get a drivers license and learn a career path. Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome don't take instruction from their parents very well (in an effort to push the parents away they ignore them and many times refuse to learn to their own detriment). These two children are unfortunately reaping the consequences of this when they were younger and realize that if they want to be functioning members of the community they need to catch up and get going. It looks like this program will help them but it does have some rough elements - mainly some of the folks that go there. We have found one campus that is 12 minutes from a church affiliated with our church and so if accepted they will attend that campus to continue with their education and in addition can worship with accountability. Job Corps has a zero tolerance policy for drugs, alcohol and fighting so it will be tough for one child in particular (he is prone to fighting) so I have explained to him that if he wants it bad enough he will self govern and walk away. He has begun talking of marriage one day and I also explained that no father worth his salt is going to give their daughter to a know it all - hot head so now is the time to turn it around and make himself worthy of a young lady's hand. I pray he takes the words to heart - we will see...
We haven't heard lately from one of our daughters who returned to her biological family family about a month ago. Within ten days of returning she was doing drugs, abusing alcohol and who knows what else. I have tried to keep in touch with her to check on her and to gently convince her of her wrong doing but now cant get in touch with her at all. We honestly fear for her safety and health in that environment but we know that God is in control.
Speaking of that, I have been struggling with being angry and overwhelmed these past few days regarding Steve's possible deployment, mainly because I don't see how I can accomplish everything that is supposed to get done plus deal with all of the behavior problems that are going to occur if we get word that he is going. We have one child who rages daily, this will worsen. Others manifest stress by defiance, breaking things, stealing, hurting themselves, defecating everywhere - top this with a brand new move and yikes... I have been praying continually about this deployment as have many around us and I had to again realize yesterday that God is not going to test us with what He won't give us strength to handle and that if Steve deploys it will be for a purpose, a purpose that ultimately blesses us. So, today is a new day and we will press on...:-)
We do appreciate the prayers from all who are doing so and hope to be able to return the blessing someday. Thank you..:-)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Hannah enjoying No bake cookies
Just had to get this shot of Hannah covered in both homemade pizza and no bake cookies - she definitely enjoyed them!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Perserverance rewarded
Our church holds an annual "music camp" for children so they can learn to sing in harmony, learn to do the dances that we regularly do at church functions (think Pride and Prejudice dances) and learn some history. This year's theme is "Martin Luther". I had been getting frustrated at the "life is about entertainment" mindset in my kids and so set before them a challenge. I told them that anyone of them that could write a well written, mostly grammatically correct with proper spelling, 20 page paper with bibliography, on the life and works of Martin Luther, by July 26th could attend Music Camp this year. I wanted them to understand that not only is this meant to be a fun time with their friends but it is also a time where many teachers are working hard to teach them and they should take that part seriously.
So far, two of my boys have risen to the challenge and their papers were really good, one of these boys who we have nicknamed "The Fool Around King" because of his mantra that life is a joke and work is too hard being one of the boys who finished. His paper was excellent and in addition to finishing a really hard job I gave him on the farm to pay back something he had broken in a moment of foolishness, he is showing me that he is growing up..:-)
One daughter is almost finished and another son is waking up a half hour to an hour earlier each morning to get his done. Two more children don't want to be bothered and two additional ones are struggling through-we will see if they make the deadline.
I am glad I did this as it shows them that anything worth having or participating in is worth working hard for and they will appreciate the camp so much more now that they have a frame of reference and worked so hard to get there.
So far, two of my boys have risen to the challenge and their papers were really good, one of these boys who we have nicknamed "The Fool Around King" because of his mantra that life is a joke and work is too hard being one of the boys who finished. His paper was excellent and in addition to finishing a really hard job I gave him on the farm to pay back something he had broken in a moment of foolishness, he is showing me that he is growing up..:-)
One daughter is almost finished and another son is waking up a half hour to an hour earlier each morning to get his done. Two more children don't want to be bothered and two additional ones are struggling through-we will see if they make the deadline.
I am glad I did this as it shows them that anything worth having or participating in is worth working hard for and they will appreciate the camp so much more now that they have a frame of reference and worked so hard to get there.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Light hearted reading
I am enjoying doing some light hearted reading right now of a book called, "Coop - A Family, A Farm and the Pursuit of One Good Egg" by Michael Perry. Cindy at "The Bodie Bunch" recommended it and so far I am loving it. Its about farming, family, taking in special needs adopted and foster kids-obviously right where I am living. The author is humorous and as I am laughing out loud quite frequently the kids are wondering what I am reading. Eric liked his section about oatmeal every day growing up (Eric greatly dislikes oatmeal so he can relate).
Anyway, other than that we continue packing and planning the house addition for our new farm. I hope to do a step by step pictorial of the update/addition process as well as the conversion from a hay farm to a pastured enterprise for livestock.
Off to church and parish fellowship today. Have a wonderful Lord's Day everyone!
Anyway, other than that we continue packing and planning the house addition for our new farm. I hope to do a step by step pictorial of the update/addition process as well as the conversion from a hay farm to a pastured enterprise for livestock.
Off to church and parish fellowship today. Have a wonderful Lord's Day everyone!
Friday, July 16, 2010
No, this is not the farm we finalized the contract on yesterday but I believe this will be the new logo and name - what do you think? Autumn is our favorite time of year and is also the time of harvest. There is a creek that runs through the new farm and we liked how that flowed with the word ranch. Since we raise heritage animals and plants and also hope to pass on a generational heritage to our children, the subtitle seemed fitting.More details to come...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What looks to be an excellent book!
http://www.healthforgenerations.com/index.htm
Her book is available for pre-order and I will definitely be doing so!
Her book is available for pre-order and I will definitely be doing so!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Still waiting
We are still in the negotiating process on the farm we hope to buy. We did get good news from the contractor we spoke with regarding an addition - he will be glad to let us do as much of the work we would like in order to save money and to learn some valuable skills. The boys are excited about the prospect of picking up some extra money for painting barns and outbuildings there and the girls are talking through decorating ideas.
We went ahead and decided to put the plants I bought almost two months ago in the ground here yesterday. Most of the plants I bought survived but are kind of leggy. Not sure what kind of harvest we will get but we figured some is better than none and by the time we move it will be about 3 weeks from first frost. One of the boys put up three cattle panels and we planted peppers (Chocolate, Purple Beauty, King of the North red, Orange Bell and Jalapeno) and tomatoes (Roma, Gold Medal, Persimmon, Goliath, Early Girl) along these.
We also planted three rows of cabbage (we eat a lot of fermented sauerkraut and coleslaw), one row of bunching onions and 4 rows of potatoes. Today we will plant the one pumpkin plant, several butternut squash and few melon plants that survived. We dont expect any harvest from these but hopefully the new owners can put a frost cover over them and get some benefit.
We had several potato plants spring up in our garden beds from last year as well as quite a few squash plants. Today we will weed those. My lettuce, peppers and tomatoes in the earth boxes are doing well and we should harvest from all of those, God willing. We have a beautiful stand of oats growing in our used hay/manure pile so we have been pulling handfuls of this and feeding it to the animals.
We plan to haul all of our used hay/manure from this past winter to the new place (going to rent a tractor for this) and use it to fertilize and mark new garden beds. I will continue with Dick Raymond and Ruth Stout methodology and see how it works (raised beds and tilled beds). I am excited to use "Dick Raymond's Gardening Year" next year.
Finally, looking forward to listening to Vision Forum's Baby Conference on CD soon and a couple of books are being added to my wish list - the first being, "Kick the Hay Habit" by Jim Gerrish and soon to follow, Joel Salatin's new book, being released in September.
That's all for now...:-)
We went ahead and decided to put the plants I bought almost two months ago in the ground here yesterday. Most of the plants I bought survived but are kind of leggy. Not sure what kind of harvest we will get but we figured some is better than none and by the time we move it will be about 3 weeks from first frost. One of the boys put up three cattle panels and we planted peppers (Chocolate, Purple Beauty, King of the North red, Orange Bell and Jalapeno) and tomatoes (Roma, Gold Medal, Persimmon, Goliath, Early Girl) along these.
We also planted three rows of cabbage (we eat a lot of fermented sauerkraut and coleslaw), one row of bunching onions and 4 rows of potatoes. Today we will plant the one pumpkin plant, several butternut squash and few melon plants that survived. We dont expect any harvest from these but hopefully the new owners can put a frost cover over them and get some benefit.
We had several potato plants spring up in our garden beds from last year as well as quite a few squash plants. Today we will weed those. My lettuce, peppers and tomatoes in the earth boxes are doing well and we should harvest from all of those, God willing. We have a beautiful stand of oats growing in our used hay/manure pile so we have been pulling handfuls of this and feeding it to the animals.
We plan to haul all of our used hay/manure from this past winter to the new place (going to rent a tractor for this) and use it to fertilize and mark new garden beds. I will continue with Dick Raymond and Ruth Stout methodology and see how it works (raised beds and tilled beds). I am excited to use "Dick Raymond's Gardening Year" next year.
Finally, looking forward to listening to Vision Forum's Baby Conference on CD soon and a couple of books are being added to my wish list - the first being, "Kick the Hay Habit" by Jim Gerrish and soon to follow, Joel Salatin's new book, being released in September.
That's all for now...:-)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Offer process
We put an offer in on the old farm I posted about on Friday - still waiting to hear back their hopefully final counter offer. So far the process is going well. We have a contractor looking at the house to see the best way to add on and I have been perusing wall paper sites looking up victorian and vintage styled wallpapers. In addition, we found some episodes of "This Old House" and watched that so the creative decorating juices are flowing.
We continue to pack and get ready, its been very warm over the last few days but a cool front is coming through today so we are going to do some garden work. I purchased quite a few plants last month thinking we were going to moving much sooner than this but since it now looks like we will not move until the end of August, I am going to plant them and hope the new owners can have some sort of harvest with them before the first fall frost.
We are all enjoying watching Molly and the kids are engaging in daily water gun battles - the fun of summer..:-)
We continue to pack and get ready, its been very warm over the last few days but a cool front is coming through today so we are going to do some garden work. I purchased quite a few plants last month thinking we were going to moving much sooner than this but since it now looks like we will not move until the end of August, I am going to plant them and hope the new owners can have some sort of harvest with them before the first fall frost.
We are all enjoying watching Molly and the kids are engaging in daily water gun battles - the fun of summer..:-)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Meet Molly!!
Molly is our first Dexter born on the farm - her mother is a black Jersey and her sire is a red Jersey. Matilda, her mother had no issues calving and Molly looks healthy and is nursing well... We are very excited!!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Happy Birthday Mom
My Mom's birthday is today - I hope she has a blessed day and we all send her our love and gratitude!!
Happy Birthday Mom!!
Happy Birthday Mom!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Are we crazy???
We had found a homestead we really liked but found out from our realtor that one of the owners really doesn't want to sell (the dad) so in light of that we started looking yet again. I asked our realtor to check on a farm that we have had our eyes on for over a year but the price has been prohibitive and a year ago when we checked on it, they werent very motivated to lower the price much. We knew it was a long shot but we are also running out of possible options here. Apparently a year makes a difference because now the owners (older folks) do want to retire and are willing to be very negotiable. We went there yesterday and the farmer who owns it gave us a grand tour. The farm itself is pristine, right now he makes hay and raises cows on most of it - he used to raise yaks. He has 35 acres of water rights and all the irrigating equipment will be included in the sale. He is also willing to include all of his haymaking tractors/equipment. Most of the land (105 acres) is in alfalfa and oats. There are extensive, albeit old, outbuildings. It has a large seasonal pond and the water for the house and land is spring fed. The farm used to be a dairy up until the 1950's and still has all the old cow stanchion spots and milk cooling room in an awesome old barn. In addition, this farmer leases 450 acres of state land for dirt cheap that he said we can take over (he has 5 years remaining on the lease). The downside is the farm house is very old and small and needs completely redone. We did something similar in NC but this will take more work. It has great bones and is very charming however. We are having a gentleman go out this afternoon to give us an estimate on adding on to the house. The location is prime for the type of business we want to run so we have to decide - buy something that wont take as much work to overhaul but is farther away and wont be as successful for a business or take on something that will be painful for a few years but could be exactly what we want long term....we will see what God has in store.
Til next time-
Til next time-
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Fourth with friends
We had a nice time with friends for the 4th of July yesterday. I elected to bring my little ones home and not attend the fireworks because they started so late but my older kids decided to drive back down and enjoyed celebrating the anniversary of the founding of our nation.
I was frustrated coming home, however. I hope that someday our youth (I know some adults are this way too) wont spend so much time speaking about movies and personal entertainment. I wish we could get back to speaking about what God has done and is doing for us, the work we hope to achieve, Lord willing, how much our families and friends have blessed us, getting help for problems we may be struggling with and in turn helping others with what they are struggling with. Perhaps we can talk about how to better the culture through God honoring movies as the San Antonio Christian Film Festival strives to do. I would hope fellowship could be a time of support for leading a set-apart life (simple, separate and deliberate as the folks at the Highland Study Center would say) not a comparison of how much we continue to be like the culture around us, partaking in music and movies that I don't believe God would find glorifying to Him or "pure, noble and lovely".
Off my soap box for now - more on Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner tomorrow...
I was frustrated coming home, however. I hope that someday our youth (I know some adults are this way too) wont spend so much time speaking about movies and personal entertainment. I wish we could get back to speaking about what God has done and is doing for us, the work we hope to achieve, Lord willing, how much our families and friends have blessed us, getting help for problems we may be struggling with and in turn helping others with what they are struggling with. Perhaps we can talk about how to better the culture through God honoring movies as the San Antonio Christian Film Festival strives to do. I would hope fellowship could be a time of support for leading a set-apart life (simple, separate and deliberate as the folks at the Highland Study Center would say) not a comparison of how much we continue to be like the culture around us, partaking in music and movies that I don't believe God would find glorifying to Him or "pure, noble and lovely".
Off my soap box for now - more on Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner tomorrow...
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Psalm One and Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Blessed is the man [1]
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law [2] of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Had a sad talk with one of our adult children who has returned to live with her biological family and it is not going well. She admitted to substance abusing and being completely miserable and greatly missing everyone but because her cousins have told her she "doesnt fit in"culturally with their partying crowd she feels unacceptable and she thinks its much more important to be culturally relevant, drugged and miserable than at odds with the culture, walking a different path, but safe, content and joyful.
On another note, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner came yesterday....more on that to come...:-)
Happy 4th of July - may we get back to the founders intent for this country - a country where we as individuals are self-governing, choose to do what is right and help our fellow man because the Bible says to do it, not expecting the government to take care of us all.
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law [2] of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
Had a sad talk with one of our adult children who has returned to live with her biological family and it is not going well. She admitted to substance abusing and being completely miserable and greatly missing everyone but because her cousins have told her she "doesnt fit in"culturally with their partying crowd she feels unacceptable and she thinks its much more important to be culturally relevant, drugged and miserable than at odds with the culture, walking a different path, but safe, content and joyful.
On another note, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner came yesterday....more on that to come...:-)
Happy 4th of July - may we get back to the founders intent for this country - a country where we as individuals are self-governing, choose to do what is right and help our fellow man because the Bible says to do it, not expecting the government to take care of us all.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Good news
We had an inspection done on the property that is at the top of our list and it came back pretty good. Our realtor was a little nervous about some of the unfinished projects but based on some of the houses we have taken on in the past, this one seems easy. We would have to put up siding and would probably but up "e-log" -(they have an internet site) on the outside and possibly some on the interior as well as we both really like the look of log. I am already planning out decorating schemes - pulled out some Thomas Kinkade farm borders I have had for awhile and also looking at red toiles and burgundy, cream, gold and forest green floral papers. Since this will hopefully we our home for awhile, (more than the 3-4 years of all of our married lives) I plan to have fun and not worry about it having a neutral color scheme for resale. I also want to do some decoupage on the kitchen cabinets (www.durwinrice.com) and on some more furniture (I did several pieces when we lived in NC and had a blast). In order to rest my back a bit yesterday, during quiet time Emma and I sat down and watched a "Sewing with Nancy" on embroidery tips, a "Martha Pullen's Sewing Room" and a "Quilt In A Day" about Pigs in the Blanket quilt blocks. Emma loves these shows and since I only watch about 10 a year it was fun for her to snuggle with Mom and dream about creating. Not much is worth watching on TV but I do enjoy these shows.
Packing up the upstairs bathroom today and cooking for tomorow. Lord willing we will put an offer in on our future home on Monday!
Packing up the upstairs bathroom today and cooking for tomorow. Lord willing we will put an offer in on our future home on Monday!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Real Estate and Packing
Lots of real estate issues going on right now. We are having to shop around for mortgage lenders because they all seem to have different standards and rules. We are praying that a gentleman who wants to lease to own our Alabama home follows through at the beginning of next week which will ease some of the financial strain we are under and make banks more willing to work with us, despite our excellent credit rating. The house we hope to buy is being inspected on Friday, we are praying good news comes from that as well.
I have been busy packing and my back is starting to feel the strain. The books inside the house are all packed now, today I move on to quilt and sewing items. Gina is organizing and packing up the workshop with some help from the kids. We are still short of book boxes, hopefully we can pick some more up on Friday.
Weather has turned cooler here - almost like Fall but it is supposed to warm up again, warming up being relative of course to this area, which means 80 degrees (compared to over 100 in Alabama).
We have been told the cooler temperatures are keeping strawberries from maturing this year and tomatoes are struggling. If God blesses us with buying the place we would like, I hope to plant a bunch of things in their big green house to atleast reap some harvest this year.
We will be spending the 4th of July with some local friends and then are back to the moving insanity...:-)
I have been busy packing and my back is starting to feel the strain. The books inside the house are all packed now, today I move on to quilt and sewing items. Gina is organizing and packing up the workshop with some help from the kids. We are still short of book boxes, hopefully we can pick some more up on Friday.
Weather has turned cooler here - almost like Fall but it is supposed to warm up again, warming up being relative of course to this area, which means 80 degrees (compared to over 100 in Alabama).
We have been told the cooler temperatures are keeping strawberries from maturing this year and tomatoes are struggling. If God blesses us with buying the place we would like, I hope to plant a bunch of things in their big green house to atleast reap some harvest this year.
We will be spending the 4th of July with some local friends and then are back to the moving insanity...:-)
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