Down On The Farm

Store Give Away!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:41:00 +0000

This will remain at the top until the Give Away is over. Scroll down to see new posts.

We are having a give away at the store!!

Here is the give away prizes. You may choose 2 towels from any of the colors shown in this picture and get the chicken timer and the bamboo spoon as well. To enter this give away, you must go to the store (link below) and tell me one item that would be at the top of your wish list. We are going to be doing other give aways so stay tuned. There has to be at least 15 entries before we draw a name. If you enter this one, that will count as an entry toward the next give away. :) You have to enter by either leaving a comment under THIS post or leaving a comment on the store page on Facebook (link below)

Amazing Graze Farm General Store

Store Facebook Page

Latest Sourdough Adventure - Tortilla Chips!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:37:00 +0000

We LOVE to eat Mexican at our house. Chips and salsa are among our favorites in the food category. We have not been eating as many chips as we used to just because we are cutting back some on grains that are not soaked our soured. On Friday nights Whole Foods makes some really good fresh tortilla chips. However, the ingredient list is long and not just good old fashioned ingredients. We have had them several times and I LOVE them. We don't go to Whole Foods often because it is not close, but I really shouldn't be pigging out on those chips. :) I saw on GNOWFGLINS that they make sourdough tortilla chips. I really wanted to try them. I figured that homemade would taste just as good as those other ones. So, I made them. YUM!!!!!! I am telling you, these things are WONDERFUL!!! I hope there are some left when Michael gets home. :)

First of all you make sourdough crepes. I made these a few days ago and stored them in the fridge.

I can see where these would be handy to have on hand for lots of things. They are really good and VERY easy to make. Then I cut them in wedges.

I fried mine in coconut oil. I used the kind that does not taste like coconut. I used my cast iron skillet. I used an 8" one so I would not have to use much oil.

After I browned them and let them crisp up I put them on a piece of paper towel. I don't always have paper towels, so in that case I would use a non fuzzy towel.

As soon as I took them out of the oil and put them on the towel, I sprinkled them with Himalayan salt. I let them cool and put them in a bowl.

You have to try these!!!!

She Wants To Herd

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:14:00 +0000

We have a fenced area out our back door and the gate to the garden is in this fenced area. Skye has been running the garden since this summer. We put up a gate and she went right under it. She loves to be in the garden. We will have to fix that before we plant anything this year. On one side of the fenced area is a gate that goes into the sheep pasture. The sheep and Skye have been nose to nose almost. I was afraid the ram would come through the fence a couple of times as Skye was barking at them.

Yesterday morning I went to put Skye out back. I opened the door and saw a line of sheep coming in from their pasture and going into the garden. Some how that gate had come open. Skye wanted out there in the worst way. I would not have minded if she herded the sheep back into their pasture, but she would have gone in after them and I am not sure if she would come to me while enjoying chasing sheep. As soon as I opened the door, the sheep changed direction and started filing out. I shooed the last 3 out and closed the gate and locked it. Then I let Skye out. She instantly went into that crouch you see herding dogs go into. She went toward the fence and lifted up her one paw like she was ready to go. I think she has excellent herding instincts. I wish I knew of someone nearby that trained herd dogs. She is so smart, just a bit joyous and rambunctious.

I loved the way the light was on the fern in the window and this lamp on my table. It screamed to me to take a picture. :) The lamp was a gift from friends for my birthday. There is a fun story behind the purchase.

Death of a Snowman

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

This has been the strangest January, weather wise, that I can remember. We get several days of bitter cold and then it warms up into the mid 50's. Sometimes those warm days stick around for a bit and other times they are here for a day only. In my Count Your Blessings Monday post, I showed you a picture of my latest snowman that the Wonderful Neighbors built for me. He did not last long (and he was a LOT of work).

Yesterday it got up to around 55°. Last night the low was 20°. I have not looked out there this morning to see if there is anything left of the big guy.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:38:00 +0000

Incessant Drumbeat

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:05:00 +0000

I just finished reading this book again. I believe that it is a book every Christian ought to read every year or so.

It tells the true story of the Rascher family and all their triumphs and tragedies on the mission field and how God was faithful to carry them through.

Mexican Crock Pot Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:16:00 +0000

I do not have any pictures for this post. Sorry. Just use your imagination. :)

I had someone ask me for my recipe for Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas. Many times when I make this or my Crock Pot Tacos, I get requests for the recipe and it cracks me up. When our home fellowship meets on Sundays, we normally have a fellowship meal afterwards. It used to be that every person brought whatever they liked. Now, whoever is hosting that week provides the main course and we all bring things to compliment that. One Sunday I did not know what I was going to fix. I had not been diligent and prepared my food on Saturday. I like to take something that will stay nicely in a crock pot on warm. My normal food that I bring is a big salad. People seem to really enjoy my salads and I like making them. I may not have had salad fixins' that week, but I was racking my brain trying to come up with something. I had some hamburger thawed and that is always a good base for something so I started browning it. We love Mexican and I decided to try an idea. So here is what I did that morning that everyone loved. :)

Crock Pot Tacos

1 lb. of hamburger

1 onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

Taco Seasoning (See recipe below)

1 pint salsa

2 cups cheddar cheese or other cheese

1 pint sour cream

3 to 5 tortillas

Brown the hamburger along with the onion and garlic. Add the taco seasoning and mix well. I normally do not use the water in the recipe and don't even measure the other ingredients any more. Put the browned hamburger in the crock pot. Add, the salsa, cheese and sour cream. Tear the tortillas into large bite size pieces and put them in the crock pot as well. Stir it all together until mixed well. Put it on high for about 30 mins. and then put it on low or warm until ready to serve. So simple and so tasty!!! All of the above amounts of each item are totally changeable. I sometimes put in more or less depending on what I have or how it looks. :)

Another week, I thought I would try the same thing with Chicken Enchiladas and it worked just as well.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

I cook a whole chicken, pick the meat off and add about half the meat or maybe a bit more.

20 to 32 oz. of milk

16 oz. (or so) of the broth from the chicken

3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder (can use corn starch if non-GMO)

Taco Seasoning (See recipe below)

1 pint salsa

2 cups cheddar cheese or other cheese

1 pint sour cream

3 to 5 tortillas

I normally cook the chicken with lots of onion and garlic, so I don't add more here. I put the chicken in the crock pot (remember mine is already cooked) and add the taco seasoning and mix it well. Again, I do not use the water in this recipe. In a pan, I add the milk and chicken broth together and start to heat it. Take out about 1/2 cup of this mixture before it gets hot and add the arrowroot powder in with it and mix well. Then add that to the milk. You need to stir this or it will start to stick to the bottom of the pan. When you notice it starting to thicken turn off the heat and add mixture to the chicken. It will thicken up much more in the crock pot. Add, the salsa, cheese and sour cream. Tear the tortillas into large bite size pieces and put them in the crock pot as well. Stir it all together until mixed well. Put it on high for about 30 mins. and then put it on low or warm until ready to serve. So simple and so tasty!!! All of the above amounts of each item are totally changeable. I sometimes put in more or less depending on what I have or how it looks. :)

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbls. dried onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. arrowroot powder (optional)

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp. cayenne

Put all of the above on the ground beef or chicken. Add ¾ to 1 cup of water and let simmer for at least 10 mins.

Coconut Oil & Chocolate Coconut Bark

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:37:00 +0000

I get lots of questions about Coconut Oil and the bark that I make. Hopefully this will help to answer some of them. The following 2 paragraphs are from Tropical Traditions website.

Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body’s metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.

Virgin Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body’s immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother’s milk. Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet to take in an equivalent amount of lauric acid that a nursing infant would receive from breast milk.

This is from Dr. Mercola's site.

The many benefits of coconut oil are finally reaching the mainstream.

Benefits like:
Promoting your heart health
Promoting weight loss when and if you need it
Supporting your immune system health
Supporting a healthy metabolism
Providing you with an immediate energy source
Helping to keep your skin healthy and youthful looking
Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid gland

I could post a lot more from other sites, but this gives you the gist of it. You can get coconut that still has the coconut flavor and you can get coconut oil that does not have it. I have tried several different ways of getting coconut oil into our diet. Some people eat it right off the spoon. I could do that with a tiny amount like 1/4 of a tsp. or less. I have put it in my herbal tea and took it like that for a period of time. What happens though is the coconut oil floats on top and cools while sealing the heat in the tea below it. So, you test the drink and it feels cool and you take a big drink and then the hot tea hits your mouth and you get blisters. I know this from first hand experience. Some people really enjoy it that way and I am glad for them. It did not work for me for very long. Then I heard about this coconut bark. I tried it and have been in love with it ever since. It is SO EASY to make and tastes delicious. So, here is the recipe for the bark. I normally triple this recipe when I make it.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract, org.

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

3 to 4 Tbsp. Real Maple Syrup (or you can use stevia to taste)

4 heaping Tbsp. of unsweetened coconut (I did big pinches)

Sliced almonds ( This is optional - When I use it I put 3 to 4 big pinches)

You can melt the coconut oil, but I do not. It was soft enough to be stirred. Add the vanilla, cocoa powder and maple syrup with the coconut oil and mix well. You need to make sure that this is truly mixed together well or it will separate on you. The last batch I made was getting firmer before I got the rest of the maple syrup out of the jug. It was like a thick frosting. It was the best batch I have made to date. (I would melt the oil if I was making this as magic shell)

Add in the nuts and coconut. If you melted the coconut oil, you can probably pour this into an 8"X 8" pan. I had to spoon it in and spread it around with a spatula. Line the pan with waxed paper or parchment paper.

Put it in the freezer for at least 10 mins. Get it out and break it into pieces to eat. I break it up into bite size pieces and put in a bowl in my fridge. I use this as my coconut oil that I take before a meal. I grab a piece about 20 mins. before we eat.

I want to put a banana on a stick and roll it in this and freeze it. YUM!!! You can halve this recipe as well.

Finding My Niche

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:47:00 +0000

I am sensing a new era in my life. I am not sure those are the right words but I am making some changes in my routines and other areas of my life. I really feel like God is nudging me to move beyond where I have been. One of those areas I feel the push in is teaching.

I have been teaching things on and off for most of my adult life. I love to teach and share with others. Sometimes these go in cycles. I know there was a time period while we still lived in Florida, that I had people calling me like crazy with herb questions. Joshua wanted to know if I was a doctor. :) And before any of you say it, I did not tell people what to do. I shared information with them and asked them to do research and make informed decisions. I am NOT a doctor, nor do I play one on television. I have taught people the basics of good nutrition, whole grains, bread making, cheese making, butter making, soap making, sewing, crocheting, knitting, painting, herbs, food storage and I am sure there are other things as well. It is not that I am an expert, but people would see or hear of me doing something and want to learn. They would ask me if I could show them and I was happy to. That is really how we started our store. I was teaching people all these skills and then sending them other places when they wanted to buy things.

I have some things to schedule in my life in the near future.... a tooth extraction and hernia repair surgery are 2 of them. Once I know where they fall in my schedule, I will be setting up my first class I am going to teach. I am giving a class on making feta cheese. I have people interested, but obviously scheduling will play into how many take the class. I think my first class will be limited to 6 to 8 people. I am also talking to someone who would like some help with starting in cooking and basic nutrition. In other words using whole foods.

I seem to have my own place in the whole foods and traditional cooking arena. I love the Weston A. Price group and Nourishing Traditions. I love trying new ways to preserve our foods. I am also a realist though and know that for me to try and raise and grow as much of our own food as possible, I have to use some methods that they don't "approve" of. I am also a realist in the fact that not everyone can afford to buy everything organic. I try to be balanced in my approach and that is what I will teach.

One of the blogs I read shares pictures of some of their readers "real food kitchens". You can get some really weird stuff in a real food kitchen. Here are some pictures from our house.

Don't you love my backdrop in this first picture? That was a map that I used when Joshua was young. There are no names on the states, just numbers. I would say a number and he would tell me the state, its capital and the nickname. :) It serves a purpose here to block a pass through window into a very cold porch. We have insulation stuffed in the window. This covers that on the kitchen side. :) The chamber pot on the left is the bucket I use for scraps I give to my chickens. Next to that is my electric yogurt maker. I use it to make my yogurt mother. I make the mother out of heated milk so it will last. I then use the mother along with raw milk that is not heated above 115° to make my raw yogurt. Next to that in the jar with the little red cap on it is my kombucha scoby or as some call it mushroom. It is waiting on some more tea to be put in. The little jar with the amber colored liquid is my super tonic or "gack" as it is called in our house (that is the noise Michael makes when taking any). :) It is made from garlic, ginger, horseradish, onion and cayenne peppers in a raw apple cider vinegar base. I use it in cooking and take it by the spoonful. I love the taste.

Here is my compost bucket. Our coffee grounds and egg shells make up a lot of our compost. If it is edible we give it to the chickens, if not it goes in here. Compost can really be beneficial if you plan on gardening. I also use a lot of fresh garlic. The little crock with the cork lid is my garlic cellar.

Here is my non-electric yogurt maker (Yogotherm). I make my raw yogurt in this and love it because I can make 1/2 of a gallon at a time.

The jar on top of the warming oven is my whole grain sourdough starter. I was told to keep the 2 starters at least 5' apart. I have a San Francisco sourdough starter on the counter. I keep a thermometer up by the whole grain one to make sure the temperature stays right for it. You can also see some of my herbs I dried hanging from the ceiling.

Here, I am starting to rehydrate some milk kefir grains.

I cooked down a whole chicken to make my Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas for Sunday.

Here is the broth from that.

Speaking of broth, I have a bunch of broth in my fridge. This is one area where I am different than the traditional food people. I will be canning this instead of freezing it. I don't have the freezer room to keep everything there. I can pressure can it and put it on my shelf. It is still better than what I am able to buy in the store. You can see my homemade butter in the mold on the top left. Then look right below the broth on the right and you will see a roll of butter from a local dairy that keeps their cows on grass and don't give them a bunch of junk. I bought that butter through the food co-op I run. I use it as a back up, if I run out of butter. It will be going in the freezer. The bowl in the middle with the dark stuff in it is my coconut bark. This is the best way I have found to get coconut oil into me. It tastes just like chocolate candy and is totally good for you.

I also make most of our cheese.

I make most of our bread. I am really enjoying all my experimenting with sourdough.

Here is my cheese cave. The bucket on the top is a brine I use for some cheeses.

We are blessed to have milking animals. Here is some grass fed, Jersey cow milk.

The cream is so thick that you can mound it up.

This is a cheese spread I made to take somewhere. It is my easy ricotta recipe and I have added Italian herbs and spices.

Here is butter made from grass fed Jersey cream.

This soft cheese I made with jalapeños and garlic and onion. It was so good.

I hope to share more on here about cooking with real food and also about the classes I will be teaching. I am moving slowly, because I truly want God to lead in this.

Camera Shy

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:34:00 +0000

I have been so thankful that we have Skye. I still really miss Star and the house seems a bit empty, but then I am reminded by this fuzzy friend that it is not. She is very relational and loves to come over and get some lovins'. She will come sit beside me and stare. I invite her to put her paws on my lap. When she does, I start to scratch and pet her. She puts her head against me and enjoys every minute of it as do I. What is funny is that this is SO out of character for me. I have always loved dogs, but not on me. The #1 rule for dogs with me though is DON'T lick me. :)

Whenever I get the camera out, Skye gets a little nervous. I will admit, I have enjoyed "getting her" with the camera in hand. I do let her come over and smell it and see that it is harmless. Here she is seeing the camera pointed at her and wondering what is going to happen.

As the camera starts to focus and make noise while doing that, she goes into the I am totally ready for flight mode.

Here you can see her mouth starting to come open as she is barking at me.

Then she took off to be a safe distance away and barked away. :) I have too much fun with her.

This has nothing to do with dogs, but I really like how it turned out. I am hoping this tree will still bloom in the Spring. See all the buds on it?

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:01:00 +0000

It provides a warm place to sit and read my Bible or knit. It also saves us on propane. Saturday, I cooked a chicken so I could make Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas for Sunday. I just put the pan with the chicken on this stove and it cooked all day. As you can see in the picture above, I put my mug of tea on a trivet on the stove and it keeps it warm for me.

My husband makes sure we have wood to burn and he brings in plenty of wood each day for me to feed the fire. The Wonderful Neighbor young man has helped Michael on several occasions to cut up wood drug out of our woods. We have had men from our church go out and cut wood and bring us truck loads, and they even split and stacked them. During the winter months, Michael reads out loud while I knit. We are reading Joel Salatin's newest book, Folks, This Ain't Normal.

One of the things he talks about in the book is how young people today sit around and watch movies or play on their computers or iPhones. He talks about the rights of passage for young men of another era. One of those was cutting wood to keep the family home warm. It was more than just going down and chopping down trees. You had to know which trees to cut, which wood burned the hottest and the longest, etc. It was a true skill and one that you normally did with another person so you had times of fellowship. He talked about the good feeling of riding back on a huge load of firewood. It was good exercise and they felt like they had contributed to their family and home.

I never want to take for granted the hard work and dedication it takes for the men of the family to supply their home with enough firewood to keep a fire going. I am very grateful to the Lord for my husband and his willingness to do this and also for the help from others he receives. It is so much nicer for him when someone is working side by side with him.

What are YOU thankful for?

January's Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Our January started out so beautiful and very unusual for Ohio. We have had lots of sunshine and warm weather. There has been several days that with long sleeves you could be outside without a coat. The grass greened up a bit in the sun and the animals were all enjoying it as well. I got some good pictures of the sheep out grazing and sunning themselves.

Here are Buttercup and Clover coming out to see what we are up to.

This farm is over behind us on the next road. It is a beautiful view that we only have in the winter.

Here one of the steers and Honey are coming out to see what we are up to as well. We pulled the stock trailer down near the barn and that makes them all suspicious. Someone either shows up or goes away when we bring the trailer down.

Honey wanted to see what Michael was feeding to the other two.

Yes, it was Clover's turn in the trailer. She is a milk cow, but we can't get her bred. We have tried AI several times and she spent a long time with a bull. She was taken off to be processed.

We are so thankful for a truck to pull our trailer. God is so good!!

We went from those beautiful sunshiny days to this. :) The wind howled all night and is still blowing fiercely today. It is 16° with a wind chill of -1°.

Skye begs to go out and then she does not go far and looks back and wants to come in. :)

I am glad that we have her. I still miss Star a lot and the house seems empty without her.

My turnips are starting to grow in my pantry. :)

Still Life Photo. My cheese is drying and acquiring its rind. The tea kettle is one that Michael bought me before Joshua was born. It has finally rusted on the inside and is not usable for tea water. I think I may plant something in it.

I think this will be a good day to sit by the fire and knit or read. I have a few more things to get done and then I will head that way. Stay warm and dry wherever you are!!

Tonight's Light Show

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:58:00 +0000

I noticed the beautiful colors in the sky and grabbed my camera and went out to try and capture them. We have a wonderful view for sunsets or incoming storms.

This is looking away from the sunset toward the East. I love the bright color it splashed on everything.

These are trees in my yard. It looks like they are glowing with embers near the top.

After Michael got home we went up on the hill to try and catch the beautiful red that we saw. By the time we got there, most of the red was gone.

Mentored by a Milker of Cows

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I received a set of 3 books for my birthday. I read them and loved them. I loved them for several reasons. One, they were about a place that I LOVE to visit and I felt like it gave me some history on that area. Another reason is that it was about a doctor who learned through practicing in a small town that some of the old wive's tales work. Plus the stories were very good and based on real life. Here are the books... they are the Bryson City series.

After reading these books I found the author's blog and have been reading it. He had a post this week that really meant something to both Michael and myself. I asked his permission to share his blog post on here and he gave it. I will also post a link to his blog at the end of the story. I believe if more of us took the time to find these types of relationships (the blog story) we would be very different!!

Mentored by a Milker of Cows

By Walt Larimore, MD

I knew I needed a mentor. I was busy with my career as a physician and convicted that I wasn’t spending enough time with my family. My priorities were out of whack. I needed someone who would encourage me and keep me on track. So I asked the pastors I met in our local hospital, “Who’s the one layperson you know in this area who looks most like Jesus?” When I heard the name Bill Judge multiple times, I said, “This is a guy I’d like to meet.”

I called Bill and asked if he would mentor me. I was taken aback when he quietly said he would meet with me once to decide.

Early on a Tuesday morning, more than twenty-five years ago, I shared with Bill about my life and struggles. He responded by saying he wanted to pray about whether we would spend more time together. (I felt like I was waiting for a medical school application or something, to see if I’d be accepted!)

What I later learned was that Bill was considering committing himself to me in an unusual way, even getting up an hour before our early morning sessions to pray for me. Although his experiences of raising five daughters and nearly going through bankruptcy before committing his finances and farm to God were rich and extremely valuable to a young man like me, he wanted to bring more to our relationship than just what he had accomplished.

Bill wanted to teach me about the Creator, the Father God and His Son Jesus. He wanted me to understand what the blood of Christ and the resurrection meant. He wanted me to be indwelled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit. He wanted me to discover my gifts and to bask in the joy of seeing the Lord produce fruit in my life. So he wanted to pray about it first!

When he called back, he said yes . . . with conditions.

“The first is that we’ll meet at 5:30 in the morning, usually at Joanie’s Diner in downtown Kissimmee, for breakfast. And bring your Bible.” Next, “The first Tuesday of each month, I want you to bring your checkbook and your credit card bill so we can go through them together. The second Tuesday, I want you to bring your schedule, so we can discuss the stewardship of time.

“Before our meeting on the third Tuesday of the month, I want the freedom to be able to call your kids, Kate and Scott, so that you and I can talk more meaningfully about what type of dad you are.” (My kids loved those phone calls! Imagine trying to discipline your little boy, and he says, “I’m going to tell Mr. Bill. I’m going to call Mr. Bill.”)

It got worse, because before the fourth Tuesday of each month, he said he’d also like permission to call my wife, Barb. She looked forward to that week, and they often had long discussions about our marriage! “And when there’s a fifth Tuesday,” he said, “I’d like to be able to talk to your staff and your business partner. Will you give me that permission?”

I have to tell you, I thought long and hard about those conditions. That’s where the rubber met the road, and it was a tough deal. But I agreed, and we began the mentoring relationship.

Someone has said that mentoring is a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a push in the right direction. But for me, mentoring began as a brain to pick, a shoulder to cry on, and a kick in the pants!

I’ll never forget that first Tuesday when we were to discuss my finances. I was nervous because there were some things I wasn’t too proud of. Bill arrived with a little satchel, and he pulled out his checkbook and credit card bill for us to examine. Instead of just requiring me to do it, Bill showed me what it meant to budget, give, and save by sharing honestly about mistakes and victories from his own life.

That humility and transparency characterized Bill’s way of working with me. He has never asked me to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. His relationship with God was honest, vibrant, and fresh. And it changed my life. In recent years Barb and I have been on the road more and more, but Bill and I still talk regularly. The accountability continues.

There are plenty of New Testament examples of mentoring. Jesus mentored His twelve disciples, and specifically the three. Peter, one of the three, then mentored Barnabas, who in turn mentored Paul. Paul mentored Timothy, and also gave the pastoral admonition to train other men (2 Tim. 2:2). Men mentoring men and women mentoring women—that’s how the church began and spread.

Make no mistake, one-on-one relationships are costly and time consuming. And the difficult work of relationship doesn’t start in a church building. It starts at places like Joanie’s Diner on Tuesday mornings.

Early in my relationship with Bill, I asked God to give me one or two men I could pour my life into the way Bill was pouring his into me. The Lord gave me two men, the first people I had ever mentored, to meet with for a year.

Eventually those men moved away, and I lost touch with them. Then recently, as I was teaching at Baylor Medical College, about fifty people came up to me as a group. One of them said, “About twenty years ago, you mentored a man for a year. He then started a business, went to seminary, and started a church in our town. He led us to Christ and discipled us. And he sent us here to learn from you and to thank you.”

I think that’s what heaven is going to be like if we’ll make the effort, like Bill, to mentor others. You don’t have to be that far down the road. You just have to intentionally get on your knees and say, “Father, would You give me someone I can mentor and pray for and love?”

Mentoring Basics

Here are a few principles for mentoring that Bill brought into our relationship:

He took me to God’s Word. We did not have a time together that Bill’s Bible wasn’t there and open. He lived the principles and promises in God’s Word, and he taught me their value.

He prayed with me. I don’t remember a time we met without prayer. Even now, I can’t call him on the phone from anywhere in the world that he doesn’t tell me what he’s praying for me—and of course he wants to pray with me over the phone.

He lovingly monitored my progress. With every three steps forward, there were usually two back (sometimes more!). Through all my failings, I could always call Bill and find a man who was willing to accept and encourage me no matter what.

He protected me. I remember a period when I was wrestling with some movies I’d watch on the road. Instead of judging me, Bill just said, “From now on, when you check in at the hotel, you have the receptionist call me and tell me that he or she has turned those things off.” I’ve witnessed some funny expressions on the faces of receptionists around the country when I checked in! But Bill loved me enough to protect me.

A Word from Bill

I milked cows for a living. I tell you that so you will understand how humbling it was for someone like Walt to ask me to mentor him. Walt has a tremendous mind. He is not only a medical doctor who built a successful practice, but he went on to become an author and television medical commentator.

What does a milker of cows have to offer a man with that kind of résumé? I certainly didn’t feel qualified to be his mentor. But I’ve since discovered that every person has something special in them that they can communicate to another person. We need each other, and whoever you are—even if you milk cows for a living—God can use you to help someone else move up.

I marvel at what has happened through Walt’s and my friendship. As we’ve met together, I’ve just tried to wait on God to give me answers to the questions he’s asked. I’ve trusted Walt, and he’s trusted me, and we’ve just walked together in that with God.

First Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” He calls you to do it, and then He will do it. So why are we sweating? It’s Him! It’s Him in us that does it.

Dr. Walt's Blog

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:34:00 +0000

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

Today, I am thankful that I am once again feeling human. :) I got an abscess in one of my teeth and had to go to the dentist last week. They gave me antibiotics to take. I had not been sleeping very well at night because of the tooth and then the antibiotics killed off not only the bad, but also my healthy flora and fauna and the crud finally caught up to me. Sleep is very important to your immune system. If you have trouble sleeping then you have to be extra careful. Also, your diet plays an important part in your immune system. We were not really bad, but we did eat more stuff than we normally do during the holidays. Michael had been off for a long stretch and that throws our schedules off, so we were not taking our herbs and vitamins like we should either. I firmly believe that my health is in God's hands, but He does want me to do what I can. :) All of the above combined left me open to catch something and I did.

I have a lot to accomplish this week and I am hoping to get it all done!!! I am making lists and hope to start marking them off one by one.

What are you thankful for today?

Farm Life and Living

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Michael was off for quite a few days over the holidays. We had a great time together and even got somethings done!! We had to run some errands up north a little ways so I took the camera along to grab some picture.

This is how many of the Amish do their crops in the fall. This is corn. Shocking, isn't it? :)

I just loved how this farm looked. It say all by itself up on this small rise.

We went to Lehman's Hardware to get some firebricks for our stove. Something was going on at the sale barn across the way. We name all the different types of buggies. We call the kind that in this picture, is shown with the orange triangle on the back, the pick-up truck model.

There is a business up near Walnut Creek that has this HUGE sign up on one of its silos. I love how they proclaim the name of Christ. You can get a feel for how big the sign is by looking in the lower left hand corner of the picture and compare it to the pick up truck parked there.

The sky and sunset were especially beautiful that evening. Someone told us the next day that the Northern Lights had been visible.

Skye is afraid of the camera. :) Part of that is because I sometimes chase her with it. Here she is very nervous wondering what I am going to do. :)

I focused on her face and then asked her if she wanted a treat. This is the face I got then. :)

We did get a little bit of snow the other day but it is mostly gone now. There is still a wee bit in places where the sun does not shine directly on it. There is beautiful sunshine today and it is 53°!!

I am going to start teaching some classes here on the farm. One of the first is going to be on making Feta Cheese. We got these baskets in to sell in the store. That is what I use to make my Feta.

We also now carry the Yogotherm. It is a non-electric yogurt maker that makes 1/2 gallon of yogurt at a time. I use this all the time to make my raw yogurt.

I have avoided getting all the yucky sickness that goes around for two years now. It finally caught up to me. I am eating lots of vitamins and garlic. :) Hopefully, it will be short lived. I have an abscessed tooth and I am taking antibiotics for that. The tooth has kept me awake quite a bit, so I think the lack of sleep and the fact that antibiotics kill the good along with the bad might be the reason I got sick. Once I get rid of the abscess and this cold/cough stuff, I will have the tooth pulled. I will also be scheduling surgery to have my hernia fixed. I am not looking forward to that at all.

Vision Forum's New Year Clearance Plus Coupon

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:01:00 +0000

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Count Your Blessings Monday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Two things really stood out to me. One was get unplugged from all that is around me (phone, computer, etc.) and get alone with God and read His Word. He talked about how when he sees things in God's Word, it is so simple so he starts to do them. People rise up and tell him he is too radical and that is not meant to actually be done in today's world.

Then he shared how when Christians hear these truths, they don't do them, they memorize the verses or do a Bible study on them or study the Greek, etc. He likened it to him telling his daughter to clean her room. What would his response be if she told him she memorized what he said and that she was going to invite a group of her friends over to discuss it and study it? We are supposed to DO IT!!! Step out and even if you are alone in doing it, DO IT!!!

So many in the church in America are focused on what makes them feel good... entertainment, fellowship, how they dress, etc. We are called to be different... to suffer. The suffering part scares me. After listening to this message though, can I still say I don't want it?

I encourage you to take the time to listen to the message. It may just change your life.

Merry Christmas!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Fruits of My Labor

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Today, I had a lot to get done and I managed to succeed. :) I made 3 loaves of sourdough bread. I am still using the San Francisco starter, but this bread has part wheat in it. I am slowly going to change it over to whole grains and see if I can keep it going. I also made butter and a round of cheddar cheese. Here is a picture of everything but today's butter.

The cheese is in the press, draining. The jar holds my starter, there is homemade butter in the blue butter dish. The jar beside the raw honey is a tea blend I made from my garden this summer. The bread is cooling on the rack.

Great Deal on Batteries

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 02:33:00 +0000

Amazon is having a great deal on batteries right now. You can get a 28 pack of AA for $10.29 shipped. Go to the link below and scroll down a little bit and you will see a $0.75 coupon. Clip the coupon, then choose the subscribe and save option. There will be no shipping and they will ship the batteries right to you. You can choose to have them ship them every 6 months if you want. Once the first shipment arrives, you can cancel your subscription at any time without any penalty.

This and That on the Farm!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:33:00 +0000

This will be just one of those "This and That" type posts. Many of you prayed for us about getting a truck. We shared that the Lord provided us with one. Here is a picture of it. :) We are very grateful for it.

There is still some grass for the animals, but we are feeding hay as well. Last year we started feeding hay in late summer. This year it was not until December!!!

Skye sees the camera and she goes into playful escape or hide mode. :) I kept trying to get her and she would leave. I caught her as she came around the chair.

This is what we woke up to one day last week. It only lasted until the sun came out.

We wanted to get a truck cap since we did not have an extended cab. Most of the ones I found that were cheap were red. ;) Michael kept teasing that we would have a Christmas truck. We found a really nice one for a great price. It matches nicely too.

Here I was pretending to come after her with the camera. She was barking at me. I will have to say I am so grateful we have her since we lost Star.

These are the socks I am working on. I need to get on the ball and get them finished. They have been sitting on the needles way too long!!

It was foggy yesterday morning. I love how things look in the fog.

She kept running in circles and coming back to this spot. I focused on this spot and when she got back there, I took her picture as she started to run again. :)

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day!! Make sure you spend time with family and friends and take time to remember Who the day is really about!!

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Here is an opportunity for all of us to give thanks unto the Lord for a blessing in our lives. If you would like to take part great. If not that is OK too. If you would like to share your blessing, just leave it in the comments. If you want to use the picture above and list a blessing on your own site, then leave a URL to your site in the comments. There is no pressure here. I just know that I am incredibly blessed and I would like to share that and give thanks to Him who all blessing come from. This is a way that we can encourage one another. I know that I am often encouraged when someone shares a blessing with me. I think that many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us. We can share so many other things.... special gifts, recipes, let's take the time to share how God has blessed us!!

I am grateful for the most important gift I was ever given. It is also the most important gift you were ever given. I am thankful to the Lord for sending His only Son to earth to live as a man. I am thankful for His willingness to come in such a humble form. I think of the God of the universe who has all of the angels in His command to do His bidding, coming to Earth as a tiny infant that had to have His diapers changed and be burped and be fed. He came in a helpless form. And the whole reason He came was to die. He came to live that perfect life so that He could give His life as a sacrifice and take my penalty of death for my sins. I am thankful that He offered that gift of eternal life to each of us. I am thankful He drew me to Himself and made me one of His own. That is certainly the most important gift I will ever receive.... the right to be a joint heir with Jesus and to be adopted into God's family. The right to spend eternity with Him. Thank you Lord!!!

What are YOU thankful for?

White San Francisco Sourdough Bread!!

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:16:00 +0000

My San Francisco Sourdough starter is abundantly alive. It is much more active than the whole grain one I am feeding. This is not unusual though. I fed the starter this morning and when it was at its peak, I made bread with it. I am going to be using up the rest of my white flour I bought, but then hope to switch this starter to whole grains as well. The loaf of bread came out of the oven all light and fluffy. We cut into it while it was still warm and added fresh butter. We were both mmmmm-ing and ooohing and aaaahing. This bread is delicious. I am really enjoying working with sourdough. I want to keep experimenting!!

Need Advice

noreply@blogger.com (Marci) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:01:00 +0000

A long time ago, I used to collect pigs. I had a HOUSE FULL of them. When we moved from Florida, I got rid of many if not most of the pigs. I did keep some that were special to me. My mother gave me this pig planter.

It is hollow inside to put a plant in. It hangs in my kitchen and I have never put a plant in it before. I would love to make it into a string holder like this one.

They would hang on the wall and you would put a ball of string in them and stick the end out of their mouth. When you needed string you just pulled on the string until it was as long as you needed and cut it off.

Most of the vintage string holders were made of chalkware. This pig of mine is ceramic. What would I use to drill a hole in its mouth and not cause it to break?