I have begun this blog post so many times and then end by pushing the delete button. I’ve got so much I want to share and yet so much I want to keep private. However, the moment I began blogging back in 2007 – privacy is such a foreign word, and I readily admit it is my own doing. I have very much enjoyed sharing my life with my readers and pray that even in the smallest of ways it has encouraged someone. I find though that most often than not what I share, whether it be my own personal experiences or causes I am passionate about someone becomes offended. This is never my intention and I am not writing to simply entertain people or give them warm fuzzy feelings.
Yes, I am a passionate person who tries very hard not to do anything halfhearted. I am so thankful to the Lord for the many times He has chastised me about a belief or position that I’ve fervently held to when it was the “wrong” position. I am thankful that over the past several years He has softened my heart in areas where it had been hardened, and I’m thankful that He has given me the courage to be steadfast with the convictions He’s placed in my heart. I am sure, now that life has changed in such a drastic way for me, and my perspective on certain things has sharpened - many may find my writings even more offensive. I cannot help it - the Lord is the cause for the change in me and thus, I cannot be any other way.
We are enjoying our new country life. Our routine has changed…life has changed…but our convictions are stronger than ever. In fact, it is those very convictions the Lord placed on our hearts that has brought us to this place. My husband is approaching the age of 40 and I have been so blessed to watch the Lord transform his life and vision for our family over the years and it is remarkable. Last night I asked him if he would have ever imagined that we’d be here and want the things we currently want. His response was “No way!” We both are in awe at how the Lord has changed our hearts and minds in regards to so many things. And above all, we are thankful!
So – how are things going on the Homestead? Well, here’s a little list in no particular order:
The washing machine (brand new) is broken – again (Counting it all joy)
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| Washing clothes in the bathtub while our washer is broken |
We have three little kittens – Sweetie Bell, Mr. Bingley, and Stormie - They will be our fierce mousers!
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| Sweetie Bell (Sofia named her) |
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| Mr. Bingley (Yours Truly named him) |
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| Stormie (Charlotte named him) |
We have our sweet pup Calvin 
We have had mice! (Counting it all joy)
We had a leaking bathtub and were blessed by a sweet friend who came and fixed it – and did some other little things for us in the house
The van broke – needed a new compressor and clutch for the compressor. The Lord provided for the finances to repair the van in less than 24 hours through the generosity of family and a sweet friend and her husband!
There are several things that still need to be fixed on the van: Rear Breaks, Front Tires, Radiator, Passenger Side Mirror, Driver’s Side Window (Counting it all Joy!)
LIFE IS FULL! We are counting every trial, every little thing that breaks or falls apart as JOY! I’ve found that since we moved I have less anxiety than I did before when things go wrong. In times past I would panic and worry – the Lord has been gracious to me! When Malachi called about the van breaking down, I did not panic. I simply prayed and asked the Lord to provide and told few people the specific need. The Lord provided and proved Himself faithful yet again! One of our elder’s referred us to a wonderful mechanic who really took care of us. We are so thankful and humbled by the work of the Lord in our lives. We do not deserve it!
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| Loving my sweet baby |
I am thankful for my wonderful husband who has worked so hard and faithfully to provide for us. I am thankful for faithful family, church family and friends who have gone above and beyond to help us, pray for us, and encourage us along the way. It is funny how I thought we were living frugally until we moved out here. Now, I truly know what that means. It means washing clothes in the bathtub. It means depending on local sources for common everyday items. It means wearing the same outfit more than once during the week. It means getting back to the basic. I love that it doesn’t mean compromising the convictions the Lord has given us about health and wellness! In just the short time we’ve been out here in the country I’ve learned that Lavender essential oil is a MUST HAVE in my emergency medical kit. Sofia and Charlotte have had some nasty falls and Lavender stops the bleeding right away and cleans and heals the wound quickly! Yesterday Sofia was bitten by a spider and I applied my Purification Essential Oil Blend – this morning you can’t even see where she was bitten. We were worried she’d been bitten by a Black Widow – but thankfully it must have just been a regular house spider. Little Eleanor walked off of a step stool and went head first onto our wood floors in the kitchen – I applied Lavender oil immediately and an ice pack – she had a small bruise the next day and that was it. During some household projects of plugging up some holes the mice were getting in through, Malachi got the spray foam stuff on his fingers and it caused them to be very sticky. He tried soap and alcohol and nothing worked to get the stickiness off – Thieves Essential Oil to the rescue! It worked instantly! So thankful for my oils!
We will be getting chickens in a couple of months and I’m hoping to get my garden started in the coming weeks as well. We’ve got a list of other projects we’d love to take on – but for now we’re starting off simple – we’ve got the rest of our lives to work on this house!
I want to thank everyone who has been keeping up with my blog and praying for us. We are truly humbled by all of the love and support we’ve received over the past several months. I hope to share more of our homesteading journey! For now – we are all in good health and more content than ever!
I'm including some recent pictures - Enjoy!
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| Gave Eleanor a bath in our kitchen sink - she loved it! |
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| The girls wearing their new aprons from PawPaw and Muchan |
Soli Deo Gloria!
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <><
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