Down On The Farm

Round 2

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:24:00 +0000

I received that early morning call from the Post Office. They let me know that my chicks had arrived. They ask if I want to pick them up, or do I want them sent with the carrier. I tell them, I will come and get them. You can hear them peeping away in the background. I usually go to the back door of the Post Office to pick them up. No one sees me come in. I holler that I am hear to get the noise makers. I hear a "Thank Goodness" from one corner. Someone else goes and gets them for me.

This is half of the chicks that we got today. We ordered 100.

Here is some of the other half already in the brooder.

I took a short video so you can hear how loud these little guys can be. Star LOVES chicks. She is right there beside me. She loves to give them kisses and to hang over the edge of the brooder and watch them run around. :)

Birds and Blooms

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:04:00 +0000

I had a busy day today. I had a guest in the afternoon and then my Dad and Alice came for dinner. Joshua and Brittany also came. We had a good visit with them.

I checked the bluebird house this morning and what did I see???? Four baby hatchlings. Aren't they cute? The second picture shows my finger and you can see how tiny they are.

This is a plant that grows in my front garden. I forget what it is called. It sure is pretty though.

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:01:00 +0000

I am so grateful to the Lord and count it as a blessing to live on a farm. I never want to take that for granted or get caught up in the chores and forget the blessing. Most evenings, Michael and I go out and milk the cow together. It is a time where we can talk or just enjoy being together doing something. I am so grateful for the cows. Below is a picture of our girls. Buttercup, the honey colored one is the one we are currently milking. She is 14 years old. We have had her since she was 3. She has been the best cow. She gives lots of good sweet milk and has the thickest cream you ever saw. I am able to make our butter and some of our cheese. We are also able to share the milk with others.

The other 2 are her daughters. Molasses is the dark one. I am not sure how old she is. I will have to look it up. I believe she is 7. I think she was the first calf born on this farm. She was honey colored when she was born. I named her Honey, but since she turned so dark, we changed it to Molasses. She just got bred, so she will not calve for 9 months. Molasses does not like to be milked, but she will let us put other calves on her. So, she ends up being a nurse cow to her calf and one other.

Clover is just 2. She is pregnant with her first calf which is due in September. She looks like a Holstein, but she is a Jersey. She and Molasses are bred to an Angus.

We also have the 2 jersey bull calves, Bert and Ernie. I am truly blessed by so many things. What is your blessing for the day?

A Date With My Man!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Do you ever get a receipt from a restaurant or a store that gives you a chance to call a number or get on line and take a survey about your experience there? I have gotten quite a few from different places. I usually go online or call and take their survey. It finally paid off. We had gone to a Cracker Barrel a long time ago. We think the last possible time would have been our trip to Tennessee in February. We are not even sure we went then. Anyway, we received a gift certificate for 2 complete meals. We had been waiting to use it, but it expires at the end of this month. We decided that we would go yesterday. The closest Cracker Barrel is about an hour away. We actually have our choice of several that are about that distance. We went and had a wonderful meal. We couldn't finish the meal, so we brought the rest home. They even gave us dessert to go as part of the deal. A cheap date and some good time spent together talking and enjoying one another.

We decided to wander home the back roads. Michael had gone to Pleasant Hill Lake as a child. Joshua has been there several times to boat, fish and ski. I had never been there. It is an earthen dam that the road goes right over the top. We stopped and got out to look around a bit. In this first picture, the dam is to the right. This tower is the intake for the water. There are grates at the bottom of it which I will show you in another picture. The walkway out to it is open, but it ends right at the dam. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous.

This is called Morning Glory overflow drain. There was a board that told about the dam. It said that each dam has to have a way to get water around the dam in extreme flood conditions. That is what this is for. If the water came up this high, it could drain under the dam. I don't remember exactly how old it is, but it has never had to be used. It is a huge concrete tube.

This was growing up on a big rock. I am not sure what it is, but it sure is pretty.

I loved this little plant. It reminds me of when I have said or I have heard others say that they feel like they are all alone where they live. This little plant was growing away where it was planted. It was on a huge rock face and it was all by its lonesome. I think it is a good lesson for me. It is praising the Lord in the way it was created to praise. I need to be about the same thing.

This is the downhill side of the dam. There are steps and a path you can walk down to the water, or there is a path up and through the woods.

Here is where the water comes out at the bottom of the dam. The water in the lake was a bit low. This water looks like it was stagnant though. That is not foam from a fast flowing stream. It was scum.

Here is the base of the dam on the lake side.

Here is the walkway out to the tower.

This is looking down from the walkway to the bottom of the tower. You can see the grates the water flows into. I saw them on at least 3 sides of the tower.

This is the lake side of the dam as seen from the tower. The guardrail at the top is the road. There was not room to stand on this side of the road and look down.

On the way home we saw a doe and her fawn in the road. I grabbed my camera, but they took off into the woods. We stopped and the fawn stopped to look back at us. Michael was able to get its picture.

We had a very enjoyable day together. Take time to enjoy your loved ones. Especially your spouse. Too often busy-ness takes our time.

We Have A Winner!!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:44:00 +0000

We have a Winner!!!!!

The winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate is...... (do you hear the drum roll?)

KETURAH!!!

Congratulations Keturah!! Please send me your address via email! Thank you everyone for participating.

$25 Gift Certificate Give Away!!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:16:00 +0000

If you have read my blog for any time at all, you know that we run an online store. We are a small operation, but are adding new items often. We have a wide variety of items. We sell kitchen equipment that promotes a healthy lifestyle. We have machines that will make the process of cooking with whole foods easier for your family. We have a wide variety of cookbooks and have added some children's books to our line. We have lots of helpful kitchen gadgets and items that will help keep you pantry and home critter free. We have felted bags made from wool. We don't put a lot of money into advertising, but hope to in the future. We are mostly word of mouth and several of my friends have asked to place my logo with a link on their blogs. Thanks guys!!

So, to bring some browsers into our store, we are going to be giving away a gift certificate to our store.

There are going to be several ways to get an entry. However, I ask you to carefully read the instructions to get your name in more than once. I have also posted some pictures of items we sell in the store throughout this post.

For your first chance at an entry, just leave your name in a comment on this post. I am also asking that only one person per household enters.

For your second chance for an entry, take the gift certificate logo above and post it on your blog or webpage. Then leave a second comment with your name and the URL where you did this. Each comment is a separate entry. If you leave all the information on one comment, it only counts once.

For a third chance at an entry, post the logo or a link on Facebook or Twitter and leave another comment with your name letting me know that you did this.

For a fourth chance at an entry, send an email to five friends (outside your household) telling them about the giveaway. Then leave a comment with your name and telling me that you did this.

For a fifth chance at an entry, go and browse around the store. Leave a comment with your name and tell me one item that you would like to have in your home to use and why you think it would be helpful or why you like it.

The entry deadline is July 10th, 2009 at midnight, EDT. We will pick a winner and post it that weekend. Make sure there is a way for me to get a hold of you. If you do not want your email published in a comment then email it to me. My email address is on my profile page. I cannot edit comments. I can either approve them or reject them. This is limited to the continental United States for shipping purposes.

You have five ways to get your name in. Use as many or as few as you like. We appreciate the support that many of you have given us. I thank you for the emails that many of you have sent to me. It encourages me and makes me grateful for what God has given me.

Glory in the Garden

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:50:00 +0000

I love to be out in the garden. There is so much there that proves we have an awesome and mighty Creator. I love to see how quickly things grow. I love to see things that remind me of Him. One of the reasons that I LOVE sunflowers is because they are a reminder to me. They tell me to keep my face to the Son!! In the morning, when I go out they are all looking toward the sheep shed, because that is where the sun is coming up. In the evening, they are all looking toward the house because that is where the sun disappeared. It reminds me of that song I love...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace.

That is so true. When we keep our focus on Him and not on the problems, hurts and "waves" around us, those things don't seem so big.

Here are my bean plants. I love to see them find their way up the wires. They cling tightly to what is around them. Another lesson. What do I have around me. That is what I will cling to. If I let all the things of this world be my focus, then I am clinging to earthly things that have no eternal value and I lose perspective.

Here is my lettuce bed. It is doing wonderfully. It is protected by the sunflowers. God gives us protection if we will take advantage of it. In the midst of His protection, we can grow and flourish. Or if we choose to do things our own way and step out from that protection we will become bitter.

I meant to take a picture of the little zucchini plant and forgot. This is the yellow squash plant. It is huge and "showy". However, there are no buds on it. The little zucchini plant is much smaller and does not look quite so good, but there are several blooms on it. Sometimes we like to be "showy", but it is not producing anything but a nice look on the outside. We may not be out in front shining gaining the praise of men, but we can have real and lasting fruit if we allow God to shine instead of ourselves.

I did not mean to turn this whole post into a devotional from the garden. I have just seen so many things out there today that were reminders to me. Here are some of my paste tomatoes growing.

This is a wee baby cucumber. I am praying and hoping that these will grow well. We LOVE pickles. I have 2 recipes that I use (one for dill and one for bread & butter pickles). We are on the last jar of each. I just opened the last quart of bread & butter pickles, but there are only about 2 dill pickle slices left. :)

Here are my gladiolas getting ready to bloom. Some of them did not come up this year. I am not sure, but it may have been too cold for them last winter.

I harvested more herbs this morning. I have some hanging to dry and some are in the dehydrator. I have oregano, thyme and chives in the dehydrator. It sure smells good in here.

Here are some chamomile blossoms waiting their turn in the dehydrator. I did not want Italian tasting chamomile. :)

I truly believe that hard times are coming for Christians in this land. Start looking around you for the lessons that God has given us through His creation. Start memorizing the Word. That may be the only Bible you get to have.

Don't forget the entry deadline for the give away is tonight at midnight!!!! Get your entries in!!

Homestead Blessing Collection 2

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:22:00 +0000

There is a pre-order special going on right now on the second collection. If you place your order now, you will get $10 off the price of the collection.

The West ladies are back - Jasmine, CeCe, Vicki, and Hannah - with three exciting new instructional and inspirational DVDs. The Art of Canning, The Art of Gardening, and the Art of Herbs are fun-filled programs that include homemaking skills presented in an educational and entertaining three DVD set.

The southern charm and hospitality of the West ladies will welcome you into this beautifully-photographed High Definition broadcast-quality series that audiences around the world have come to love so much. These three fun and useful DVDs will help to complement numerous homemaking endeavors and for a limited time the set is available at a special pre-order discounted price of just $39.95. The set includes…

The Art of Canning
From the basics to more advanced techniques and tricks that come from years of experience, The Art of Canning is sure to provide you with the skill-sets you need to can a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The Art of Gardening
Everything from a small container garden in a city backyard to a large vegetable garden, this DVD is packed with helpful instruction to help you grow beautiful healthy flowers and vegetables.

The Art of Herbs
Storage, seasoning, tonics and much more, this DVD will teach the many ways you can use herbs and the benefits that come from it.

I watched the first collection and even though I was not new to any of those subjects I did learn something new.

These are real down home ladies and you will enjoy these DVD's.

This And That

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:32:00 +0000

The Wonderful Neighbors gave us some red raspberries. They are a personal favorite of mine. I decided to make a raspberry cheese danish. I got my sweet cheese out of the freezer to thaw, made the dough and put it together. I was really tired and did not feel like taking lots of pictures or even taking time to put the braid together nicely. I tried a couple of times and gave up. It tastes really good, but is not too pretty to look at. :) So, you get to see this before picture. I was just beginning to put the raspberries on.

My fennel George was hanging around. I kept watching him closely because I wanted to see him get into his jammies (make his chrysalis). They must be really shy, because they always wait until I am not around to do so. Here he is all sealed up waiting for God to perform the miracle of metamorphosis.

We had fog this morning. Here are some pictures I took of the fog.

Hope ya'll have a great day!!!

Mozzarella Cheese

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:48:00 +0000

Yesterday was dairy day again. Dairy days are determined by how much milk is in the milk fridge. I used 5 gallons to make soft cheese and 2 gallons to make mozzarella. I also skimmed the cream on all 7 gallons and made butter.

I have a mozzarella recipe on my cheese page. I am going to post it below with some pictures. I was making butter, soft cheese and mozzarella all at the same time, so I don't have as many pictures as I wanted to.

Add 1/2 tsp. of powdered citric acid to 1/4 cup cool water. Stir this into 2 gallons of cold milk. Warm the milk to 88 degrees.

Dissolve 1/2 tsp. liquid rennet in 1/4 cup cool water. Stir the rennet into the milk very gently for 15 seconds. This make sure that it is evenly distributed. Cover and allow the milk to set for 15 min. until milk coagulates.

Cut the curd into 1/2 inch cubes. I do this by taking my longest knife (which is actually a bread knife) and cutting stripes every half of inch all the way to the bottom. Then I turn the pot and do the same thing the other way. Here is a picture after cutting the two ways.

Then I have a very large flat sort of ladle. I use it to cut the layers from side to side. Often times I will gently lift the pieces and cut any that are too large. Then allow the curds to rest for 5 mins. This first picture shows the ladle that I use.

This picture shows me cutting the first layer horizontally.
This shows how I lift the curds and cut the larger pieces with the knife.
This is what it looks like after letting the curds rest for 5 mins. They all sink and disappear.

Raise the temperature to 108 degrees. Do it slowly over a 15 min. period. Gently stir through out this heating time. Continue to stir for an additional 20 mins. while maintaining a temperature of 108 degrees. During this heating stage the curds will shrink in size as they expel whey. It is important to constantly stir the curds gently so that they do not mat together at the bottom of the pot. Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander and allow to drain for 15 min. You may want to do this over a pot and capture your whey. (You can make true ricotta from the whey)

Place the mass of curd on a cutting board and cut into 1" cubes.

Heat 1 gallon of water to 170 degrees and dissolve 1/2 cup of salt in the water. Place the curd cubes in a large bowl and pour the hot water over them. Using a wooden spoon, mix the curds together. they should stretch and mold together in a large mass of curds. (I use thick rubber gloves for this step. I save them and use only for cheesemaking. I also will not do the bowl again. I will just put the cheese into the pan of hot water.) It takes about 5 min. for the curd to become stringy. Pull the curd like taffy or like when you pull wool to spin. It will become satiny and smooth. If the curd starts to cool off, place it back in the water for a bit.
Place the mass of curd on a cutting board and knead together as if you were working with bread. You want to have the curds to become a part of the mass of curd. Knead it into a ball.
Place the ball in a bowl or mold and either submerge in cold water or put in the fridge until cold. It is then ready to use.

They one thing that I never show or talk about on dairy day is the mess that I have to clean up when I am done. :)

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:05:00 +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!!

My blessing this week is that my dear sweet Michael was home on Friday and home again today. We worked on the garden this weekend. We got a lot done and I have pains in places I didn't even know I had. :) It is a joy to work together.

Here is the lettuce we picked. We had a big salad for dinner that night with some left over chicken on it.

I hope to replant something where the peas were (on the left). You see the row of beets and on the right is the potatoes. I am not sure they are doing too well. I will have to have Faith Like Potatoes.
The green beans are going up these fence pieces. The raised bed of lettuce is just beyond them with sunflowers growing up on both sides. Then I have a raised bed of flowers and the raised bed with herbs. I hung those things down from the fence, hoping to keep birds off of it. They are pooping all over everything in the garden.

This is the fence piece I hope the cucumbers grow up on. Michael had a few extra seeds of corn when he was done with his row. He stuck them in by this bed to see if they would come up. :)

The front part under the white insect barrier is cabbage. There are melons planted behind them. On the other side is tomatoes and peppers with corn beyond.
What has God blessed you with this week?

Baking Day

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Today the high was only about 73 degrees. Very, very cool for this time of year. We are not complaining. Since we were out of bread, I decided to bake today. I made my 4 loaf batch of bread. I made 3 loaves and a batch of cinnamon rolls that I had promised to Michael. I KNEW when I was shaping the first loaf that I should add some more flour to the dough. However, I was in a hurry and didn't do it. I did knead in a bit of flour to the next 2 loaves. The one I did not add flour to, went deflated in the middle. The other 2 did better. When I was taking one of those loaves out of the pan, the side stuck. I need to do a better job at greasing my pans I guess.

We have also been eating more crackers than normal. I am making lots of the jalapeno cheese and it is so good spread on crackers. I decided to make some crackers instead of buying them. They came out pretty good. I will probably add a bit more salt next time and maybe another spice or 2. They were VERY easy to make.

Happenings On The Farm

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:35:00 +0000

Earlier this year, I had a bluebird fledgling in my stove. Then I had 2 other birds (it looked like the same one twice) that came down the chimney on consecutive days. Then yesterday morning, I had 2 sparrows come down. I just got the first one out the door and about 10 mins. later, I heard Star barking.

This is my bird trap. After they get up in the basket, I slide the cookie sheet (which is then sterilized) under the basket and take the whole thing outside and let it go. Star goes bonkers when they are coming down the chimney and when they get up in the basket.

Tonight I went out into the garden and found 2 ripe cherry tomatoes. These are the first tomatoes of the season. YUMMMMMMMM.... I got one and Michael got one.

Then as I was straightening up the dill and getting it out of the fennel... what to my wondering eyes did appear???? The first "George" of the season. It is a fennel George which turns into a Swallowtail butterfly. He is now in a jar on my counter with a good supply of fennel. Click on the first picture to see an up close and personal picture of George. For those of you who are new... I name all my catepillars George. It is easy to remember that way. :)

Thoughts From My Heart

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:52:00 +0000

It is funny how you will talk about a situation or a truth in life and the principle of that particular matter fits all sorts of different situations in life. They are like parables of each other.

I have been pondering something for a bit now. I keep wanting to write it down, but it has not totally unraveled itself in my head yet. I spoke with a friend this morning. She brought up something in her life that went right along with what I have been chewing on. Then I read a post by Amy. It was on mothers and dealing with children. In her post she quoted Rick, whose post was on pitch (as in singing). :) Here is his quote:

Wisdom does not choose a particular approach and champion it over the alternatives. Instead, wisdom works to understand the pros and cons of each individual choice. It looks to understand how particular choices interact to produce results, sometimes unexpected ones. It considers how wishful thinking can lead us to make poor choices, hoping that things will somehow turn out for the best. It distinguishes between practical matters and pragmatism. It recognizes that when no perfect path is available and knowledge is incomplete, it is often helpful to reserve judgment on what appear to be poor choices that others have made. Most important, it does not refuse to participate in projects that are less than ideal, but applies itself to bring whatever improvements it can to whatever circumstances present themselves.

Life is about change. It is a journey. We are all fellow travelers and we are all at different places at different times. As my Grandma used to say, "It takes all kinds to make a world." How many times, when we meet someone, do we try to put them in a box. For instance... you meet a Christian at the park. What is one of the first things you ask... "What church do you go to?" Oh, they are Baptist. Oh, they are Catholic. Oh, they are Mennonite. Then we feel we "know" all about them. Why do we do that? It makes us more comfortable if we define them by something.

I realize that there are Bible truths. These are fundamental and unchanging. There are a lot of fringe things in the Bible that have people on both sides of the fence. I have one friend that believes that sugar is demonic. I have other friends that have a sugary dessert almost every night. They are both Christians, both love the Lord and both read the same Bible. I hear people who have one really strong particular belief. A belief that they are entitled to. However, they hammer away at it so strongly that they run people off. I know many people who feel like any Bible but the authorized KJV is not really a Bible at all. I have no problem with them believing that. However, if they come off so strong on that ONE topic it almost looks like an idol in their life. I know many people who are strong Christians and love and serve the Lord who read other versions. With some people it is wearing dresses only, or no make up, or their stance on divorce and re-marriage, the head covering, quiverful, etc. If they study it out and believe it that is between them and God. It is not their job to be a Holy Spirit to the rest of the people. I see them do that and cringe for them and for those they send running. I need to be looking in my own life. Where do "I" do this to others. Is there something in my life that I harp on over and over. I am ashamed to admit I know I have in the past. I probably still do and I need to pray and ask the Lord to show me where.

How many times do we have things in our lives that change. I know someone who used to be dead set against a Christian woman wearing pants for any reason. If someone mentioned that they wore pants to do some chore, they let them know that there was nothing that could not be done in a dress. They never quite called it sin, but you KNEW that they put it in that category. That particular person now wears pants and shorts much of the time.

The friend I was talking to this morning shared something in her life that has happened in mine. We have taken some hard lines on some issues in the past. Things we no longer adhere to. In our self-righteousness of that time, we judged those around us or many times just made them feel judged by our actions and words. She and her family went a step further than we did and they wrote a letter of apology to their family. It gave them an opening to share and really touched at least one member of the family.

If I have a conviction on anything in my life, I need to live it out. Maybe I need to not vocalize it though, unless someone asks me about it. I need to love those around me. I need to reach out to those who do it a bit different than I do. I don't need to judge them by what I believe. If someone shares with me a struggle they have, I need to try to understand where they are coming from. I need to HEAR them, not just listen to them and then give them a pat Christian answer. I can be so good at that.

We are coming to a place in this country where there may be some hard times for Christians. We need to draw together as the body of Christ, not divide by our differences.

Faith Like Potatoes

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Tonight, Michael and I watched a movie. It was not the first time we have seen this movie, but there is so much there. It was like a HUGE AMEN to the Bible study we have been doing. Our Bible study has been talking about what real faith is. It is action, it is having complete trust in God and having faith like potatoes. If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend that you get your hands on a copy and watch it. There is one swear word near the beginning and if you have little ones when you see the children on the tractor along with their uncle and the helper, look away until after the hospital scene. This is a true story.

When the movie was over, I went to my knees and asked the Lord to give me that faith like potatoes. I want people to see HIM when they look at me. I want them to see that HE is real and still works through ordinary people like me.

Faith Like Potatoes DVD

By Affirm Films

Where there's love, there's hope. Adapted from the best-selling autobiography Faith like Potatoes, this inspirational film weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith - unseen until the harvest. This powerful DVD includes God's Farmer, a gripping, 54-minute documentary on the real life of Angus Buchan. Rated PG. Approx 115 minutes.

This and That

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:46:00 +0000

I wanted to show you the onions after they were dehydrated and run through the food processor. This is 9 onions. I put a coffee cup in the picture to help you judge the size of the jar.

Here is Patsy (Josh & Britt's kitten). She is destroying my flowers and I can't keep her out of them. I hope they come home soon.

I actually caught a picture with a bee on my flowers. :)

I forget what these are called, but they are very pretty.

I am always amazed when I look at these orange lilies. They are not my favorite at all, but they have so much detail and they are all alike. What an awesome Creator we serve.

We got some rain and the garden is growing like crazy. The weeds are growing the fastest... of course!!!

The green beans are starting up the wires.

I had planted a row of sunflowers on one side of this raised bed. They got tilled up by accident, so I planted a row on the other side, because it would not get tilled. Now the other side IS coming up and I am trying to figure out how I will pick the lettuce in the middle. :)

Here is our yellow squash plant. It is doing well.

We tried using white plastic, that we already had here, to be a weed barrier. Instead it acted more like a greenhouse type effect. We had to take it up. Now we need to clear out between rows.

The lettuce looks pretty healthy so far. I have a row cover to put over these, once we weed between them.

Michael's corn is doing well. There are 3 rows this side of the corn you see. He planted it later, but it is coming up well too!!

How does your garden grow?

Sheep of a Different Color

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:29:00 +0000

It is amazing to watch the color of the lambs change. If you don't keep up with them, it can be hard to tell who is who. Here is a picture I took back in April. It shows the five lambs.

Here is a picture of Rachael later in April.

I took this picture of Rachael yesterday.

This is Abigail later in April.

This is Abigail yesterday.

This is Jeremiah on the left in late April.

Here is Jeremiah yesterday.

Here is Josiah in late April.

Here he is yesterday. He is the one in front. He is almost blonde.

Hereis Kyle in late April.

Here he is yesterday. I like his little light colored top knot on his forehead. :)

Here are a couple of pictures of the sheep from yesterday.

Blooms and Blessings

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:00 +0000

There are many advantages to having a blog. First of all, I am able to share stories, daily happenings and pictures with family and friends.

Secondly, it is a searchable data base. The Wonderful Neighbor girl (see picture below) asked me when I usually find my first "George" of the season. I was able to put George into the search box on my blog and come up with the date last year. It has helped me to see when we got our first snow or frost. It tells about days when it was unusually cool or hot. If some big thing happens around here, the day it happens is recorded.

Thirdly, I have been able to help some people with "how-to's" that included pictures or even a short video clip.

It is also a place I can share what God is teaching me and to be a Titus 2 woman in a small way.

There are also disadvantages to having a blog. You hang your heart, thoughts and feelings out for everyone to see. The Wonderful Neighbor woman said she is going to buy me a shirt she saw that said something about putting all my personal life and thoughts on the internet. :) I can't remember exactly what it said. I run into people quite often that tell me that they read my blog.

However, at this point I will continue to blog. I enjoy it and get lots of good feedback about it.

Here are four of the Wonderful Neighbor children. The youngest was not present here. Click on the picture to make it larger so you can read their shirts. :)

My Echinacea has bloomed. Here are a couple of pictures.

I believe this is a Shasta Daisy. They are blooming as well.

After the 6 eggs disappeared without a trace, the nest has been empty awhile. I checked again and there were 3 eggs and checked again last night and there were 4 eggs.

The Black-eyed Susans are starting to bloom on the roadsides. These were out on the edge of our property. My dear sweet Michael stopped and picked them for me.

Jesus Is Everything - Paul Washer

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Is Jesus truly everything in your life? This cut me to the quick.....

Count Your Blessings Monday!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:40:00 +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 for a good neighbor around the corner. He has agreed to cut our hay on shares and he allowed us to take Molasses to his farm and put in with his bull for over 3 weeks to get bred.

Getting the hay cut can be very expensive if you pay someone to do it. Buying and maintaining your own equipment can be expensive. So, finding someone who will do it for part of the hay is a real blessing.

With Molasses we have had her AI'd (artificially inseminated) twice and it did not take. She was not in milk, so if we found someone with a bull we could take her somewhere. We do not like to bring a bull here because we use one electric wire to keep our cows in. If he got loose, there is a lot of harm he could do.

More Milking Adventures

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:54:00 +0000

We had friends come over tonight to help with milking. They brought a whole gang. :) Here is big sister letting younger sister have a try.

Here is the oldest sister with a younger sister watching.

Two of the little girls helped out by feeding the calves.

Mom even got in there and gave it a try!!!

See, we were having fun. I am not sure who they are laughing at right here.

The youngest came to supervise.

Calves are all done with their bottles!!

I am not sure what the show was out the door, but everyone seems to be enjoying it.

We are petsitting Josh & Britt's kitten. This little friend of mine was loving on her. Actually she was trying to love on her, but the kitten was not cooperating.

They worked really hard and just before they were done, the cow decided she needed to relieve herself and it splashed in the milk. :( We felt very badly for them. We did have a bit of milk, kombucha and jalapeno cheese we sent them home with.

I have tears in my ears...

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:41:00 +0000

My uncle used to sing a song that said, "I've got tears in my ears from lying on my back in my bed, crying over you." Well, I have tears in my eyes not my ears, and not for those reasons. I am dehydrating onions today. We got some Vidalia onions for a good price at the store. I have yet to grow a good crop of onions. We like to dehydrate them and then chop them into pieces and use them all winter. They are like candy. I have had people who do not even like onions like the dehydrated Vidalias. The trays on my dehydrator are a pretty good size. I can get one onion on each tray. I currently have 9 trays drying. I have more onions, but will wait to do them. I also took out some oregano just before I put the onions in.

It is also dairy day again. Here is my milk heating for cheese.

Here is my butter in process in my DLX. It is actually out there draining right now. As soon as I get the cheese draining, I will work the butter.

Well, I just took a quick break to check on the news and weather. I decided to go ahead and make a post. :)

Oh, I also had a bird come down the chimney, so I set up my bird trap and caught the bird and let it outside. :)

Vision Forum Homeschool Sale - Up to 60%!!

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:46:00 +0000

One of Vision Forum’s core objectives is to be a blessing to the home schooling family. One way we aspire to accomplish this is by identifying the most practical and helpful resources for home educating parents — whether that is in the form of Christ-honoring literature, biblical worldview training materials, first-rate history resources, hands-on practical training tools, or other important resources. We are especially interested in helping our sons and daughters learn to love learning. We want them to rejoice in a distinctively biblical approach to the content and methodology of education, and to hone their skills as readers, thinkers and communicators.

The R.M. Ballantyne Adventure Library
This month we are doing something very special — we are making these important resources available to you at rock-bottom prices as part of our summer homeschool resource blowout sale. This is a great time to stock up and build Christ-honoring libraries for your sons and daughters. If you have never purchased the critically acclaimed Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, now is the time. If you are looking for excellent literature (like the R.M. Ballantyne series) that will both instruct and inspire your sons with a knowledge of world history and global geography, and that do so in the context of the love of Christ, now is the time.

Save up to 60% on Homeschool Resources and Suppliments!

For one week only, save up to 60% on a huge selection of Vision Forum products. Choose from close to two hundred supplemental homeschool resources for your family’s curriculum — including several important and recent additions to the Vision Forum product lineup. Bring Vision Forum’s conference discounts to your home during our Homeschool Resource Blowout Sale!

Special pricing expires midnight July 1, 2009 (CST). Offer good while supplies last.

This And That

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:13:00 +0000

The sheep are getting very wooly. Here are 3 of the babies. Rachael is on the left, the lightest one is Josiah and the darker one is Kyle.

Brittany came over for a little bit yesterday. She offered to help me with some things. What a blessing!!! We were getting the house ready to show last night. I have been keeping it up pretty good, so there was not a lot to do. We went out in the herb garden and did a bit of harvesting. Here is some peppermint and some fennel hanging to dry. We also harvested some chamomile. I dried the flowers in my dehydrator. It made the house smell really nice.

My dear sweet Michael surprised me with this bouquet. There are sunflowers, roses, lilies and these darker flowers. They are very unusual, but very pretty. Does anyone know what they are called?

My Mom gave me this pig probably around 20 years ago. I did not have it our for a long time and ran across it again. I love reminders of my Mom. I hung it in my kitchen. There is a hole in the top of the head to put a plant in. I am having a hard time finding a small house plant. I was thinking maybe Baby Tears or something like that. I also was thinking that maybe I could make it one of those string holders. I am afraid to try to drill a hole in the mouth for the string to come out. Has anyone ever drilled in a piece of ceramic like this?

I really encourage you to check out the link on the sidebar for Vista Print. I have had another friend try it out. She thinks it is a deal as well. I have literally gotten a lot of free stuff just for shipping costs. They do a great job as well. I have gotten t-shirts, a hat, car door magnets, business card magnets, pens, business cards, a stamper, a banner and other items. When I first tried it I could only get their designs for free, but I uploaded my own logos. They sent me emails that let me get custom stuff with my logos for free. I did pay $4.99 for some business cards, but they did a great job on them.

Dogs & Smells

amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com (Marci) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Since Joshua and Brittany have moved around the corner from us, they have a new family member. Belle, went to live with them. We are THRILLED!!!! :) She is a nice dog and very affectionate, but very disobedient. Star has not seemed to miss her at all and neither have I. :)
This is Belle...

In the last 2 weeks, we have had to give Star a bath 2 times. The first time was was when we were showing the property. When they got up to the big barn, it smelled as if a skunk had been there very recently. She must have rolled in it. The second time was night before last. There was a small skunk out by our movable chicken pens. The Wonderful Neighbor girl saw it happen. She saw something wave in the grass, Star jumped at it and WHOOSH!!!!!
Here is Star...

Here is the skunk...

It lost, but so did Star. We have a formula that gets the smell right out of the dogs fur. We triple the recipe for a dog Star's size. Here is the recipe.
1 Quart of hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup of baking soda
1 squirt of dish soap

Mix the above together and put on the dog. Work it in and then rinse it off. It works like a charm.