Looking Forward

Tomorrow is the last day of 2014. A day of reflection and a day of planning.

What did I accomplish in 2014? Am I pleased with those accomplishments or disappointed? What new thing did I try that worked or failed? Is 2014 ending on a higher note than it began? Am I closer to God on December 31 than I was on January 1? Am I happy? Did I bless others? Are others better off because I was a part of their lives?

Some of these questions can't be answered in the here and now. One is never really sure how they touch and affect the lives of other people. I mean, so often it is the little things we do each day that makes a big difference in the lives of others, so it's hard to really know the difference we make in a person's life.

But....is our debt smaller or bigger? Our savings account? How is our job going? Is our business growing or losing ground? Did we weed through the clutter or has the mounds in our homes, garages and shops grown? Did we learn a new craft, a way to be more thrifty, less materially minded? If not...why not?

Did we leave 2014 better than we found it??

Tough questions for this lady to answer.

I guess for me it has been a lot of one step forward and sometimes two steps back. We can scream, "YAY!!" to a few of the afore mentioned questions and we can moan, "Ohhhhhhhh........." to some of the others.

However, one thing I can say that I am truly leaving 2014 with is the knowledge that while some things have worked well and some things have failed,

 I am taking knowledge into 2015.

I realize that I need to journal statistics a bit better. With our goal of being more self sufficient, I need to make sure I write down everything that does work and everything that does not...and why.

I need to become a better example of, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without", and I also need to share that with other people.

While Christmas was, financially, a bit less stressful, I have learned many things that will make next Christmas even more simple and I also learned that I need to start much earlier in the year to accomplish that!!

And I learned that Deb needs to embrace the life she desires. It is very hard to strive to live more simply and be surrounded with so much that screams otherwise. There is no room for laziness or excuses. I need to plan my days better so that the end result is a calmer, more satisfying life. I need to stick to a schedule and I need to fall deeply in love with the goal.

When striving for change, you have to realize change seldom comes easily. In realizing that, you aren't so blindsided by the hurdles and problems and forks in the road that are bound to pop up. When making changes in lifestyles you have to mentally prepare yourself for those who are always steering your focus away...and they probably don't even realize they are doing that...but when you are striving to get away from commercialism and live more simply, even a trip to the dollar store can be a real test!!

So, in looking forward to 2015 I have no idea what it will bring. A few things I do know though:

1) God is in control. I have to let Him have control and then I have to trust that He loves me so much that everything will work out for my good.

2) Each day will have it's own blessings and struggles. My job is to focus on the blessings and leave the struggles in the hands of God. (see number 1)

3) In all of the ups, downs and unknowns I am blessed beyond measure. I must never forget that and I must never dwell on the downs and unknowns. (see number 1)

4) God has this. It's not my job to try to figure it out.....(just see number 1).

Welcome 2015!!!! Let's begin this year great and finish it better than we find it!!

Just Pass It On.....

The title of my blog is Small Homestead Living. And while most of my posts are about homesteading, animals, gardens, canning and the like, it's also about life...OUR life. Why we do what we do. Why we believe what we believe.

We know that there will be folks who don't agree with us at all and some who agree whole heartily. There will be folks who agree, but just aren't interested in this life for them, and there will be folks who want to incorporate certain things in their life.

I was reading on Facebook today, a certain page that I follow. A question was posed, "How much do you spend on your children at Christmas?" This person went on to say that they thought $500 per child was fine. This person also had more than one child. This did not include spouse, extended family, etc. Let me tell you, I just nearly fell out of my chair!!!

$500 on one person...I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.

Is it okay to spend that amount of money? Yes......I guess....????

Is it right? I'm inclined to say no......at least not for us.

First of all, there is major materialism going on there. It's all around us. Mailboxes are full of credit card statements. Families need two incomes just to make ends meet...if they meet at all. Sales circulars, catalogs, commercials and online ads convince us that life would be better if we had ______. We are missing out if we don't have ________.  This is the world we live in.

And that is very sad.

We are raising a generation that has to have the most, the newest, the priciest. And that generation will soon be a generation of adults that have to work two and three jobs, each parent, and another generation of children will see that and think it's normal....and the cycle continues.

As a family, we made a decision this year that Christmas will be done differently. We have never been uber extravagant in our giving, but we ourselves have gotten caught up in the spending too much money rap and while we haven't incurred debt, how much could we have helped or blessed those less fortunate if we had been wiser.

This year, hubby and I have set strict spending limits. Gifts should be handmade if possible and most of them should serve a useful purpose with only one or two being that "just because" thing.

Our adult children are incorporating those same guidelines in their homes and I couldn't be more proud of them!

I have a granddaughter that I love SO much!! I am fully convinced the sun doesn't shine until she gets up....however, I want her and her parents want her to understand it isn't the number of gifts or the amount spent, but the love and careful choosing behind the gift that matters.

This is a rather long post, I realize...but this is something here on the Homestead that we hold dear. Simple living. Simple things. Simple pleasures.

And we hope to pass it on......

Baby It's Cold Outside!!...Or It Will Be!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy hanging my laundry outside on the line. I love the fact that it saves money, yes, but I just love the quiet...almost always mingled with dogs barking, birds singing and now, chickens clucking!

However it IS November and Mr. Weatherman has told us that the end of this week it's going to get VERY cold here in the deep south. Add to that the fact the days have gotten shorter and it really limits the drying time outside.

However, all is not lost!! We just adapt to a new routine during the cold months! I make sure my clotheslines are full before the sun goes down in the evening and by mid day the next day, I have three lines of dry clothes!!

No using the dryer and still got to enjoy my time outside!!

Homemade Cream of Mix

One of the things that we are trying to change here on the Small Homestead is the amount of processed food we eat. I'd like to tell you that we are all into that "crunchy" lifestyle...but that would not be the total truth.

It is true that if you find one of us in a Dr's office...it's serious. While we do support and are grateful for the medical world, we are big proponents of holistic medicine and doing that as naturally as we can, as often as we can.

It is true that we don't fry much around here. Too much fried food makes too much us and a sluggish heart...neither of which is appealing.

It is true that we love simple and natural....but let's be honest....you get in the way of my sour cream and cheddar chips and there is going to be trouble!! And it goes the same for my Reese Cups!!!

Truthfully we love moderation. Simply enjoy the good God has given and all things in moderation as long as it doesn't cause my brother to stumble.

Today as I was planning supper, I realized I was out of my Cream of Soup Mix. One of the many things I make from scratch is our cream of soup mixes. Way cheaper and so much better for you!! It tastes so good and is so quick to put together!!

In less than 10 minutes I was able to mix up a batch of Cream of Soup Mix that is the equivalent of 18 cans of soup...at a MUCH cheaper price.

It is so nice to just pull a few ingredients out of the pantry and mix together what you need instead of jumping in the car to run to the store because you're out of soup!!

Below you'll find the recipe I use....again, wish I could remember where I pulled this up from, but I can't. If you don't write it down right away.............

Cream of Anything Soup Mix

4 Cups Powdered Milk

1 1/2 Cups Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Instant Bouillon Granules

4 tsp Dried Onion Flakes

2 tsp Thyme

2 tsp Basil

1 tsp Freshly Grated Black Pepper

Mix together well. Equivalent of 18 cans of soup.

To make Soup:  

1/3 Cup Mix

1 Cup Water

   1 TBSP Butter

Mix gently in medium saucepan on low heat until thick. Add 1/2 cup minced or chopped whatever you'd like to make your soup. (chicken, celery, mushrooms, etc.)

Give this a try and let me know what you think!!

The Prayer Rock

Here on the Small Homestead, God is our Holy Messiah, Provider, Healer and the One to Whom our lives are dedicated. We know that God has led us to this point in our lives and we know that He will guide our steps and bless.

Prayer is very important to us. It's the glue that holds our family together and the life line between us and our heavenly Daddy.

We know and practice prayer anywhere and at any time...as a group, one or two of us or just a heart felt one on one with God.

However, we have this one special place that we migrate to whenever we want to really be in the quiet so that we can not only speak with God, but that we can clearly hear Him with no interruptions. Many years ago when we move to the Homestead, hubby set up this place under an oak tree at the back of our property. There is nothing but animals, trees and sky. No distractions.

It's where we can take someone with us and have a heart to heart knowing that the One who loves us most of all is sitting there with us, helping us work out problems or cheering us on.

We've talked there and cried there. We've laughed and smiled and soaked in the presence of our Father.

The Prayer Rock

We call it the Prayer Rock. We all shoot up our prayers at will, but when our hearts are truly broken, serious, or losing hope you can find us there, when we just want to praise Him and bask in His presence, the Prayer Rock is where we are....drawing closer to the One Who is waiting to heal, mend or just let us crawl up in His lap and hold on for dear life.

We love all areas of the homestead, but The Prayer Rock is the cornerstone of this Small Homestead, and God is the Founder....

Knowledge is Power!

I made a wise homestead purchase on Friday. This green notebook. Notice the name, Wise Gardening.

I've been reading on many sites about how important it is to write down what you plant, where and how you planted and took care of it and how much your garden veggies produced. Honestly, I'd never really given it a thought in years past just how important it was to do this.

What Hubby and I learned though, was that we had very poor soil.  So last winter we took the time to heavily fertilize and prep our garden. We kept our rows at the space we normally plant, but didn't take into consideration the fact that better soil would produce larger plants! We spent our summer harvesting within a jungle!!!! We certainly need wider rows next year......

That's what this little notebook is for. It is to help us remember and believe me, at our age, we need all the help remembering we can get!!

I'm looking forward to looking back on this notebook in a few years and being reminded just how far we've come in this homesteading process, what worked and what didn't and how we were able to share knowledge and bounty with others.

I encourage you to pick up a notebook and begin doing the same. Whether you are doing raised beds, container gardening or planting hundreds of acres, a record of what's going on in your planting world can be a very valuable thing, and remember...knowledge is power!!

Stay Strong!!

As most people do this time of year, we cleaned up our garden and tilled up a new spot for even more garden next year. Pulling up dead vines and plants, tilling the soil and planning out where we'll plant what next year on our homestead. It is a great anticipation of wonderful things to come, dreaming dreams and watching them come true!

New garden space for next spring!

During the pulling up process though, we found a couple of little guys who are refusing to give up the fight! Two strong, healthy cucumber vines, climbing the trellis and in full bloom!!

Not just in full bloom, but producing fruit!!!

When everything around them was dying and giving up, these two guys are standing strong, reaching toward the sun and producing fruit!!

What an awesome reminder from God! When everything and everyone around you seems to be giving up the fight...stand strong!!

When everything and everyone around you is dying, you can still produce fruit!!!

It's all God asks of us...reach for Him and produce fruit for Him!! You might be the seed planter or the trellis holding someone up, but fruit is the result!!

"For if you stand firm, you will win your souls." Luke 21:19 TLB

Moving Day!!!

It has been SO busy here on the Small Homestead!! A morning of catching up on laundry and house cleaning and an afternoon and evening of cleaning rabbit feeders and pens, canning chili, cleaning up around some building projects we have going on.....boy can we make a mess!!..and completing our big hen house.....well....it doesn't have nests or roosting poles yet but come on!!..The babies are only a month old!

Yes, our little Austalorp babies are quickly outgrowing their baby coop so it was time to move them to their forever home. This chicken Momma was really watching helping chicken Daddy because it's a big deal when little chicks move into their big home!!

Still need to paint..

"Are all the cracks sealed?"

"Yes dear"

"No critters can get in?"

"No dear"

"Are you sure they will be warm enough?"

"Yes dear"

.....I'm married to such a patient man!!....






Anyway, three babies at a time and five trips back and forth and they were all moved in!! And I should have never worried for a moment!! Cheeping and scratching and running and jumping!! Digging among the shavings all the way down to the dirt!! I'm telling you these chicks are on a resort chicken island!!

Checkin' out the new place!

So much room!!!

Peeking in the window!

I have to admit...before I put head to pillow, me and my little flashlight friend will make a trip down to the mansion to make sure everyone is tucked in okay and settled down for the night!











Ahhh,.....simple pleasures make for big contentment on the Small Homestead!!

No Room for Complaining

It is still raining here on the Small Homestead. We are so grateful that as strong storms came through last night and trees fell and one precious soul lost her life, that here on the homestead, we enjoyed just a good ole' fashioned thunderstorm.

Our one month old Black Australorps

As in my last post we have been having quite a bit of rain around here the last several days. Much needed rain I might add. However, when you are trying to plant your fall/winter garden and you are trying to build your chicken coop because those month old Black Australorps are quickly outgrowing their baby coop, it's quite easy to fall into complaining mode.

Rubber boots for mud and mucking stalls!

As I walked around this morning taking care of our babies though, I realized that God has provided so much to keep me dry and warm as I spend time outside in the rain and wind to help see our dream of full on homesteading become a reality.

One of 4 rain barrels to catch that free water!

I realized that He has provided free water for our babies that we don't have to pay for. That free water will also water our garden when the rain dries up for days and weeks on end.
















Yes, it takes a little longer to complete the chores.

Yes, it can be a bit tougher to walk out of the warm, dry house to hang out in the cold, wet rain.

BUT....the babies that are working so hard to provide for us and help us reach that simple, self-reliant goal really appreciate it....and we appreciate them.

Rain, Rain

What a crazy weekend here on the Small Homestead!!! This is the weekend that is set aside each year for the men in our family to take a Father/Son camping trip. They are away for two nights, three days in the wilderness, no cell phone service--depending which campground they go to--no women, no jobs, no worries.

This year found them choosing the campground closer to home and that was a wise decision. You see, Friday was overcast all day...no big with that, but that evening found our guys back home because a slight monsoon took place at our campground and....well....the tent just didn't cut the mustard!!!

Saturday morning was bright and sunny and found me cooking breakfast here at the homestead for my guys.....I must admit, for a brief moment, I was a bit miffed. For their camping weekend is also the women's hang out, eat chocolate, do mani-pedi's, watch movies and stay up late. NO WORKING.
However, after breakfast was done and I sat down with these men of mine, the conversation was great, the laughter was abundant and having time just me and my guys.....priceless!

They left again headed back to the campground to enjoy the day and hopefully actually spend the night. But.....evening came, and it brought with it angry lightning and heavy rain and three men headed back to their homes. Not the most relaxing camping trip, but memories were certainly made!!

Which brings me to a wonderful thing about homestead living. My guys talked and they are going to spend the next year clearing land on our property to build a small cabin and an outhouse so that next year at this time, no matter the weather, their plans won't be washed out!

Over the weeks and months ahead I'll be sharing pictures of that sweet little camping cabin going up and showing you just how awesome it is to live here on the Small Homestead!!

It's Not All Work!!

Life on the Small Homestead can sometimes be very exhausting!! There is always a building to build or mend. A fence...to build or mend. A garden to till or weed, plant or harvest. There is always an animal to tend to...such as the surprise Ms Sarah gave us about three days ago....She was the first critter that we welcomed on the Small Homestead and what we didn't know was that she decided to bring seven others with her! Yes, Ms Sarah is a mother!!! A total surprise and that leads me back to there is always a building to build....

Ms Sarah resting

It can get exhausting at times, but then we take an evening here and there to have friends and family over. This past Friday night found us surrounded by these friends and family to celebrate Hubby's 50th birthday!! 

There was plenty of food and laughter and then there was a good old fashioned game of horseshoes! I thought and thought about what to buy Hubby for his birthday and all I kept hearing him say was, "I want to get back to simple. I don't want to always have to be searching for bigger and better." Well, when you are trying to change your mindset from consumerism to simple, let me tell you....that isn't always an easy thing to do!!

My Daddy reliving memories himself!

Hubby getting ready for a long pitch!

Then I got to thinking about my growing up years and how much fun everyone had at the end of long hard day gathering in the backyard for a game of horseshoes. The men took it very seriously and the women enjoyed getting to chat away from cooking, dishes and husbands. The kids enjoyed running around and being silly and seeing how far they could throw those heavy horseshoes!! And I realized what WONDERFUL memories those were for me and yet such a simple, simple thing. So that was when I made my decision to buy Hubby a set of horseshoes and the new memories made sure did favor those of my childhood!! 

It's those memories I want to pass down to AF and those grandchildren to follow. Simple times that money just cannot buy. Let me encourage you to let go of consumerism. Let go of bigger and better and more, more, more!! Life on the homestead isn't all work, it's simple laughter and priceless memories.

Just Because You Asked!!

I love sharing! I especially love sharing what I've learned because typically I've learned through my mistakes and if I can keep someone from following down my mistake path...well....I'm all over that!!

A few of you asked for the Apple Cinnamon Jam recipe. I wish I could take credit for it, but it's not my original idea. I got this recipe from a canning page I'm part of on Facebook. I LOVE this page and it has really helped me on this journey. The administrators are master canners and put safety above everything else! The best part is there is no such thing as a silly question---and believe me, I can ask some doosies!!!

Apple Cinnamon Jam

8-9 Apples

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

3 TBSP Lemon juice

4 Cups Sugar

1 Pouch liquid pectin

*Peel, core and cut finely. Simmer in a pot of water until soft enough to use a potato masher.

Use 4 cups mash and put in a separate pot. Add cinnamon, lemon juice and sugar.Bring to a rolling boil. 

Add liquid pectin and boil again for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and place in hot jars. 

Seal and process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. 

Apple Cinnamon Jam and Homemade Biscuits

I have to tell you, this is truly delicious and just like I posted yesterday, it  is wonderful on hot, homemade biscuits!! 

*Don't throw those cores and peels in the compost just yet!! My wonderful mother reminded me that I can put those in a pan, add a little water and boil them down to get the juice. Once you've boiled those peelings down, strain over some cheesecloth and you have juice ready to make apple jelly!! 

We've got to get back to a way of thinking that includes not wasting! Too many things today are disposable and that is a terrible way to think and a very poor way to be a good steward of  ALL of the things God has blessed us with!

The recipe for the apple jelly can be found in a package of Sure Jell!! For those of you who might not want as much sugar as the regular Sure Jell calls for, Sure Jell offers a Sure Jell For Less version.

Give this a try and let me know how it turns out for you!! Abundant blessings and smiles flow when you witness your family enjoy the labor of your love!

Canning, Canning and More Canning!!

Yesterday was a busy day on the Small Homestead. Hubby found himself at home and made good use of his time building on our chicken house. At the rate these little Australorps are growing, they are going to need larger accommodations in the very near future!!

Just the beginning of a beautiful home for our hens!

I helped him hang a few pieces of siding, but my time was spent in the kitchen!! I needed to wrap up what I call odds and ends in canning...you know, a few jars of this and a few jars of that.

On Friday I had made a beef roast in the crockpot for supper and typically I will make noodles with the broth or I will bless our dog babies with broth over their dog food. I then had a brilliant ( I thought) idea!! Why not can that broth to use in soups this winter! So that's just what I did.

I had already strained the broth Friday evening so on Monday all I had to do was take it out of the fridge and skim the fat off the top. I prepared my jars, rings and tips and poured up the broth. I ended up with four pints and since my canner needs at least eight pints to work properly, I also canned four pints of water....which I used in my dishwater later---no wasting here!!

Hubby had also pulled our tomato plants up and I had several green tomatoes so I decided to make pickled green tomatoes. The recipe tells me I will need to wait four weeks to give them a taste....

Then the dessert of the day...I had some apples and made twelve half pints of Apple Cinnamon Jam!!! Oh my gosh is that stuff wonderful!! A plate of hot, homemade biscuits is certainly in our future!!

It was an exhausting day. Homestead living is not for the lazy or faint at heart for certain! It is so very rewarding though. It is a pure blessing to look at the shelves of food that God has provided for us and I admit I get a warm fuzzy when I see the labor my hands has done in order to provide for my family.

In the coming posts I will share a few of the recipes and the canning procedures that I follow. It's important to do that canning safely!!!

Make sure to leave a comment and chat a while!! We love to hear from you here on the Small Homestead!

Progress!

Cooler temperatures have sure been a welcome site around the Small Homestead. We are enjoying coffee on the front porch in the early morning before the day begins.We are enjoying supper on the porch in the evening as the day winds down. In the middle of the day that same porch finds me breaking beans while listening to Biblical or homesteading podcasts in the background. So very, very peaceful.

The compost pile is complete and filling up and the rabbit hutch is complete with occupants! Let me introduce Shiloh, Timothy and Sarah!! Sarah was our first addition and the oldest of the rabbits, while Shiloh and Timothy are still very much babies and in need of a tender touch....they aren't very people friendly yet!!

(I owe you a better close up of the rabbit family!)

Our chicken babies are growing like crazy!! I read it but just didn't comprehend how quickly Black Australorps grow!!

In this picture they are 12 days old and napping quite peacefully. While they are not totally sure they can trust us giants, they are great entertainment running and jumping and acting fearless---that is until us giants come around... :-)

I have to admit, I've missed this. There was a time when I was firm that once the animals we had went home to the great beyond I was done!!
 No. More. Critters.
 And I meant it! But the desire to slow down, to live more naturally, to go back to simple pleasures is what I truly desire.

Leave a comment and chat a while, then come back and visit with me!! We love company here at the Small Homestead!!

New Homestead--New Life

This is not our first trip to the world of homesteading. We tried many years ago...when the kids were small....when we had mountains of debt...when hubby had to work a full time job and then some.....when we were not focused, not on the same page, not working as a team.

We had chickens and turkeys. Rabbits and milk goats. A bull and large gardens. All did very well, but in the end......we failed miserably.

Go forward about 15 years. The kids are grown, married and on their own. We are debt free!!! Hubby is in business for himself so we are able to manage his working away from the homestead hours around homestead necessity.

But we ARE starting over.....

A visit back to the Amish community we lived in for a time reminded us just how much we missed the slower paced, back to basics life. When we tell folks we are beginning our homestead the first thing they say is, "Oh!! You're prepping!!" Well, no...we are not prepping the way that the world today views it. We are not stocking up to wait on an economic collapse or who knows what, although, in our opinion, being prepared is a VERY good thing!!! We are changing our lifestyle. We have decided that we have been commercialized and materialized to beyond the max and all we see is chaos. At 50 years old, both of us are beyond chaos and drama...

In a month we have constructed a compost bin, a cage for our chicks that will arrive one day this week, and we are preparing for our fall garden.

I have spent a very busy summer canning and dehydrating veggies, and while I'd love to double this next year, I'm very pleased with what is sitting on those shelves today!!

So, Small Homestead Living is live, running and blog posts will be increasing!!!

Share your thoughts but keep it nice, even if you disagree with us or what we're doing...because you see, drama is draining and has no place on the homestead!

With Every New Thing Comes Change!!

Life is all about changes. Our circumstances can change very quickly or slowly progress over time. One thing is certain though....change DOES happen!! And change isn't always a bad thing!!

Over the next few weeks One Single Minute will be undergoing a pretty dramatic change. First of all, regular posts after a four year hiatus will be happening. I will still be talking about being a godly wife, saving money, yummy recipes and the like, but I will always be posting about our life change.....becoming more self-sufficient---Homesteading!!

We are so excited to begin this new chapter in our lives and we want to share what we know, our successes and failures with you!!...and hopefully we can encourage you to become a bit more self-sufficient whether you live in the middle of a big city or in the middle of a vast plain or mountainous region.

So hang on!! It might get really strange around here for a short time but good things are coming your way!!

God's blessings!!!
Deb

It's All In How You Look At It

Typically I'm not a complainer. I don't like people who complain and whine all the time, so I tend to move away from that as much as possible. Every now and then though I run into events, like the ones of this week, and the urge to whine and complain leap into overdrive.

But fortunately it was just that: an urge. Awww, maybe for a couple of seconds I may have muttered or said, "You've GOT to be kidding", but it was just for a couple of seconds..and that's really good.

It began Sunday night when I texted Beth and told her that Monday,  instead of going to buy groceries in Cullman..( You mean you haven't tried Aldi's??? You have NO idea what you're missing!! But that's another post..), we would just stay in Jasper. Did I come to that decision out of the blue? Depends on how you look at it. Possibly, but for me, Holy Spirit dropped that in my spirit and that was that....until Monday morning.

When I got up Monday morning, I had changed my mind and decided,"You know what?? Let's just go on to Cullman. I can get such better deals there!" ...you see...I'm one of God's more stubborn daughters. About 30 minutes later Beth calls in a panic.Can't get the lock to open on Sally's kennel! Been workin' on it 20 minutes no! So next door I go...complete in my orange/yellow gown, stained white robe and bright pink Crocs...You should have seen me!!!....on the other hand it really is better you didn't... Just a few minutes, a few prayers and Sally was a free pup! "Hey Beth, by the way, I think we can still make it to Cullman!"

Back at home I'm primping and pruning....cause no one in town could have handled my earlier beauty...and the phone rings...."Deb, can you bring some electrical wire to the job site? It's in my shop." "Yes, dear. Be there in about an hour."....The fight has ended, we're staying in Jasper.

I notice on my way to the site that the air in my car just isn't putting out cold and so I know something was up. I found out how much something was up when I pulled in at the site. Antifreeze and steam going everywhere!!! Oh what a mess is the death of a radiator........

AH....so that's why God didn't want me driving to Cullman....He knew I was going to have car trouble. He knew I'd be stranded on the side of the road. And even when I still tried to do my own thing, He loved me enough to put obstacles in my way and then allowed me to be stranded in a safe place...with my husband!!!

He is so good to me.

Then last night.....it was cool and a breeze was blowing in the window. I was snuggled under my blankies and snoozing away when off in the distance I hear a noise. Strange noise. Unfamiliar noise. I peek through one eye enough to notice it is 3:30 in the morning...but what is that noise?????? Then I recognize it. I'd heard it once before many, many years ago.....I jumped out of my bed, ran...well staggered crazily...to the kitchen, flipped on the light, whipped open the cabinet door and reached for the water shut off. What happened? The water supply line to my dishwasher had burst and water was going everywhere!! More specifically...all over my newly remodeled kitchen!!!!!!! Water's off. Grab towels. Hubby staggers in...bless him...He reaches toward the dishwasher and I say, "Don't worry about it, we'll get it tomorrow."

As  I lay back in bed, I couldn't help but be thankful. Thankful that my floor and cabinets are soaked and we have another repair to do? No. Thankful that God loved me enough to let this happen in the middle of the night, when we were home and could quickly turn the water off. Just imagine if it had happened earlier in the day when I ran to Jasper! Or earlier in the evening when we were at church! We would have had a way bigger problem then a few wet cabinets and flooring!!!

He loves me!!!! He loves you!!  Could God have prevented the problems? Sure. He's way bigger than a radiator and a water pipe, but we live in this world doing this thing called life and it comes with it's fair share of problems and struggles. However, God is right there with us all of the time if we'll just recognize Him, and when we do, we truly are able to realize that as bad as it is...it could have been so much worse had He not had His hand over His children...

Coming Back

I've always enjoyed writing. I was an avid blogger before I went back to work four years ago but as time goes by certain things fall by the wayside and my writing was one of those things.

I've done a lot of praying and thinking and I have decided, with the prompting of Holy Spirit, to pick this keyboard up again and write once more. I'm certain that my writing, post job will be VERY different than my writing, pre job...mainly because I'm a different woman today than I was four years ago...thank God!! What a shame if I would still be now where I was then!!

So.....I'm back!!! Good thing? Bad thing? You decide. If you enjoy this, then thank you very much. If you don't then feel free to move on. I won't be offended because this is my world and it is very much a work in progress.

I'll post as God prompts and time allows because as much as I enjoy writing about life, I enjoy living life even more!!!