A Process Driven Wife

Happy Trails!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:59:00 +0000

I have decided to close this blog. One of the main reasons why is because we now have four working blogs for this household and that is too many in my opinion. I also want to spend any time I do have for blogging on teaching Jennifer and Robert how to write properly on a blog. Thanks for all your comments and keep following the other blogs in this household:

The Process Driven Life

The Mellow Rose of Texas

Growing Up Agrarian

Happy Trails!!

Reforming Daily,
Danielle

My six year old!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:03:00 +0000

Here is a picture of my Sarah Grace. She is always ready to smile for the camera!

Sarah is Six!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:56:00 +0000

My youngest child, Sarah, turned six this week. I really can't believe she is six already! Her birth marked a huge step towards the Lord for me. I had already had three children before her and each hospital experience made me never want to go back to a hospital again. When I had Tracy, in 1993, it took me 2&1/2weeks to be released because of the infections I developed after an emergency C-section. When I had Jennifer, in 1997, they were bugging me day and night about my decision not to have her immunized against Hepatitis. When I had Robert, in 1999, the anesthesia for his C-section did not work like it was supposed to work. So needless to say, going back to a hospital was the last thing I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to raise more children, just not deliver them in a hospital. I thought the hospital was my only option.

Then in 2002 Michael, Tracy and I went on a ministry trip to Australia. There we stayed with a family that had had a homebirth. I had never heard of this in my life! Of course, after 3 C-sections this was not going to be a typical homebirth. I really felt that the Lord was testing my trust in Him again. In 1998, I quit my job at an IVF lab. That was a huge step for me. Deep down I knew I had to quit but it is easier said than done. I was still very fooled by the world and its ideas of what women should be doing. "Go to college, graduate, get a job, and then you can work AND be a mom(and maybe get married too)!" More money = more happiness. I finally let go of that security blanket. Now the idea of having a homebirth after 3 C-sections!

The first challenge: convincing a professional midwife to help me in this endeavor. I felt like the Lord opened this door for me. The first midwife I tried I had found online. She had mentioned she was a Christian and that is why I contacted her first. This was a huge blessing since many midwives out there are in to new age or some other non-Christian philosophy. When I first contacted her she said she was going to pray and fast about it. About a week later she came out to meet Michael and me. It was actually while we were getting ready for for the first ever Bunkfest(aka Ranchfest now). She had not yet agreed to take my case. We met then and talked. She had question after question for me. I gave her a copy of my medical records for her to look over. After that meeting, I think we talked on the phone 4-5 more times. She had obviously done her own research on homebirths after 3 C-sections. She finally called and told me that I had given her all the right answers to her questions. In other words, I think she was asking me so many questions waiting for me to give her a reason to backout. She agreed to take me as a patient! The Lord was providing a way.

She agreed to take my case in March. After that I was on the computer constantly researching homebirth. I found an online group that proved to be priceless. It was through Yahoo and it was called HBAC, Home Birth After C-section. I read and read and read some more. So many stories about homebirths after 1 or 2 C-sections but not many after 3 C-sections. It had been done though! I knew that if it had been done I could do it too with the Lord's help. I would soon be labeled a hopeful HBACx3. I read every single birth story I could get. The good ones and the bad ones, although the bad ones were a small fraction of all stories. The Lord was teaching me and showing me how to FULLY trust EVERYTHING to Him. If the worst happened, uterine rupture, I could die but I really was not afraid of dying. I was doing what I KNEW the Lord was wanting me to do.

I got a mixed reaction from my friends and family. I remember talking to my brother. His wife is a nurse so I am sure he got all the details of what could happen. I remember telling him during the conversation, "IF I die trying this know that I died fulfilling the Lord's will for my life." Of course these warnings were coming from a man that raced cars at high speeds around a track every Friday night, and he was good at it too. Still, everytime I watched him race I knew he could die anytime on that track but I would never try make him stop racing. I told him that I was fulfilling a calling and a hospital birth was out of the question. A few others called and talked to Michael including my uncle Bob. He is a doctor and had all the medical "facts" about homebirth too. My friends were a bit better. Many of them were in the fellowship that met at our house. They understood better why I had to do this. However, my homeschool friends were a little more mixed. They ranged from supportive to looks that you would give a crazy woman.

My pregnancy was fairly uneventful. I always gained alot of weight when I got pregnant. I think I gained about 55 pounds. I did have lots of swelling towards the end of the pregnancy but Sarah was due in August and it was hot! Some of my swelling went away when I finally propped up my feet and sat still for most of a day. I did have our ministry group praying for Sarah. She kept flipping into a breech position. My midwife had me sitting in funny positions to help position Sarah the right way. She flipped positions daily, if not hourly! Sarah was born 9 days early on August 2nd, 2003. She was a tiny baby, 5 and 1/2 pounds. Kelly, my midwife, had never delivered a baby that small! I do have a birth story written but will spare the details unless you really want them. Let me know and I will send her birth story to you.

What a huge step this was for me. Trust the Lord. Do you really TRUST Him with EVERYTHING? If you are struggling with this one important lesson, I learned He never fully takes away the fear but He is always there to comfort your fears and strengthen you for any challenges He may have put in your path. A little fear can be good for you. Just know that He is in control and whatever happens, it is all good! "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Ps 27:1 What a blessing Sarah has been in my times of trouble since her birth. Many times when God had me in the valleys of life teaching me His ways, she was always there to bring a smile to my face.

Shabot Shalom,
Danielle

Gifts...

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Motherhood is so fun sometimes! Robert made me a wooden sign, Sarah gave me more flowers and Tracy made breakfast. Michael got me this book:

It has Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. It was published in 1938 and is in great condition! Then later on that day while we were processing the nopales I found this one:

That is not what a heart really looks like but I thought it was different! We processed 14 quarts of nopalitos and pickled 5 quarts. I got the last tiny spine out of my thumb yesterday! I think it was from the laundry I hand washed that had the spines in them. I learned how well duct tape works at removing the tiny spines. Wow, another use for duct tape!

Last week, I was looking through a magazine and came across this set of rules for teachers from the 1800's:

1. You will not marry during the term of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be at home between the hours of 8pm and 6am unless attending school functions.
4. You must not loiter down town in any of the ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have permission from the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright colors.
9. You must wear at least two petticoats.
10. Dresses must not be more than 2 inches above the ankle.
11. To keep the school neat and clean, you must sweep the floor at least once daily; scrub the floor at least once a week with hot soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day; and start fire at 7am so the room will be warm by 8am.

We have come a long way since then, sadly enough. Now parents are just happy to have other people teach their children as long as the teacher is not arrested for drugs or some other illegal activity. They turn over their parental rights to the government. Now look where we are, metal detectors in the schools and school shootings are still a common occurrence. Not to mention what these public schools get to teach children today. I praise the Lord that He turned the path of of my life towards Him and away from the world and its Antichrist systems. What a gift!!

Now I take pleasure in simpler things like a loaf of bread that turns out nicely:

Or some nice homemade garlic rolls:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Reforming Daily,
Danielle

Keeping It Real

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I came across this blog post on the Ladies Against Feminism website and really enjoyed reading it. I thought you all might like it too.

The delicate net of home, with its everyday doings, projects, gatherings, relationships, laughter, cooking, baking, crafting, plans and friendships is a joy and blessing. However, we cannot forget that home and family means life - real, down-to-earth life. Sometimes this life is not as clean, neat, pretty and peaceful as we wanted it to be, or thought it would be. Sometimes our plans go amiss - and it's normal.

I've had people incredulously ask me if there's "anything at all I dislike about being a homemaker". To this, I can only say: ladies, life at home isn't, nor is it supposed to be, a bed of roses or a never-ending holiday. Homemaking has its frustrations and downfalls, but hey, can't the same be said just about any job? Yes, there will be days when we are unorganized, unmotivated, when things just seem to be falling out of our hands, or an unexpected flu delays our plans. Still, it doesn't change the big picture - the one of making a house into a true, heart-warming home, which is a special, noble, and irreplaceable occupation.

I'm not perfect - and I will never be perfect. I doubt I "have it all together" more than any of you ladies. I'm a young wife and soon-to-be-Mom with a lot to learn and improve about my character, attitude, skills, abilities, organization, planning, and anything you can think of. What I write on my blog rarely conveys my everyday frustrations; instead, I try to focus on the more profound, lingering satisfaction of being a wife and having my own home to tend to. It doesn't mean that I always hop around sweeping the floors with an enthusiastic smile on my face, but I do love my home.

Yes, sometimes I groan when I notice the sink loaded with dishes just when I was about to take an afternoon nap. Yes, sometimes I'm still in the frenzy of cleaning and cooking when my husband comes home, because I've been too tired during the day, and wasted too much time. My life doesn't consist entirely of peaceful bliss, but I do love being a wife and a keeper of my home. The solution isn't running away from home to leave it neglected, just because we are frustrated by the slow and tedious process of making it into the cozy nest we want it to be.

Also, when I talk about the beauty and peace of home, I'm often told, "Oh, just wait until you have that baby! You'll never have a peaceful moment again! You will never be able to spend time together with your husband, or enjoy a quiet dinner together, or do any of the things you love."

As we haven't had our baby yet, it's indeed difficult for me to predict what will happen when this little one joins us, but I can already tell you this: I don't expect we'll have a baby who smiles and coos all day, lets me know she's hungry or needs her diaper to be changed by gentle, delicate sounds, and sleeps throughout the night from the moment she is born. Little ones do keep Mom on her feet, and need, at least for a while, lots of undivided attention. Having a baby will produce a shift in our schedule, availability, mobility, plans, routine, and family dynamics. And yes, from observing other Moms with young babies, I expect that for a while we'll feel as though everything else is put aside. I pray for a gentle, patient and contented spirit to help me be a good mother, but I absolutely cannot guarantee I will never be frustrated or exhausted. Most likely I will be, at least at some point.

However, seasons change. I suspect it might be a bit difficult to look a couple of months ahead after you've just had a sleepless night with a colicky or teething baby, but undeniably, everything comes and goes. Babies eventually start to eat less frequently and sleep in longer stretches. They grow; the older children help around the house and with new little ones; the entire family network is dynamic - it shifts, changes, adjusts, and from more experienced Moms I've heard the advice that it's better to just let go, and go with the flow of whatever needs to be done at the moment.

I'm sure I will never be "Mrs. Perfect Mom". I can already say this with a good degree of certainty, because I'm merely a woman, flesh and blood, a faulty human being. Perhaps many evenings in the near future will include burned dinner, unanswered phone calls, and a crying baby. However, if some peace and stability are eventually to be achieved, where will it happen if not in the realm of home? Will I gain freedom, contentment and peace if I give up the care of my home and tiny baby over to someone else, and instead run around frazzled all day at an outside job? Somehow, I seriously doubt it.

I'm not perfect, just as none of us is perfect. Our family is as real and has as many real-life faults and challenges as you can think of. This journal is of my dreams, hopes, plans, and moments I like to remember and cherish. I'm on an ongoing journey of learning and improvement, and sometimes it feels as though I take two steps forward and one step backward. But as long as I keep it real and preserve, the rewards are sweeter than I could ever have imagined.

Mrs. Anna T.

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Pro. 31:27

Rainy Days and Mondays...

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:21:00 +0000

We were blessed with another rainy day today. Lord willing, we are forecast to have another one tomorrow. Rainy days are a blessing for the land and bless us with a somewhat slower day. Not much outside work is done and we enjoy the cooler temperatures during the warmer seasons. Inside though much of the normal work still goes on. Today I finished canning Boss Hog and started to render all the fat we got off of him. Michael cut some pretty nice pork chops from the meat before we cut up the rest. We also saved the ribs to smoke and Michael is curing the 20lb ham.

Here is another reading selection by Rev. William Jay from his book "Morning Exercises for Everyday in the Year" p. 148-149:

We judge prematurely. He that believeth maketh not haste. It is good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the salvation of God; and one reason is, because it will prevent a wrong conclusion. "Therefore," says the apostle, "judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come." You would not judge the abilities of the limner from the unfinished sketch, but you would wait till the canvas had received the last touches of his masterly pencil. You would not judge of the perfection of a building from the digging of the foundation, and the coarse materials lying in a kind of disorder all around, especially if you had never seen the plan or the model; but you would stay till the parts were all put together in their places, and the top stone brought forward with shouting. Let us stay till God has done. "What I do," says he, "thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Then everything will speak for itself. Then shall we walk, not by faith, but by sight. Then we shall see what we now believe, and for ever acknowledge, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He."

As I write the family is working on their first batch of sauerkraut. I have never tried sauerkraut before so I guess I won't be prejudiced about the taste of our homemade batch. Here is a picture of Michael supervising Jennifer cutting up cabbage:

And here is Tracy cutting up cabbage too. Funny thing that she is unsupervised since she is the one that cut the tendon in her finger while she was sharpening a filet knife. Nothing that a "little" surgery won't fix though!

Reforming Daily,
Danielle
"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." Mark 10:15

Ranchfest, Weather, and Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Time to mark the ending of another Ranchfest. We all had a great time. It just all seemed to go so quickly. The men did fencing, roofing, and we had a few new doors installed. The ladies made some cheese, made some soap, some went to the local thrift shops, and there was lots of mommy stuff to do. We had a large number of children this year, 15 to be exact and there were 17 adults. It was a really great time! Here is a picture of me attempting a batch of soap:

Today's weather was a crazy temperature swing day which is pretty normal for springtime in Texas. This morning it was in the lower fifties and I actually thought about starting a fire for some warmth. I decided not to since it got to the lower nineties yesterday and I knew it would be warming up pretty quickly. It actually got into the 100's today! I did not know it was going to get that hot! I had already decided I was going to can some plain potatoes today but if I knew it was going to get that hot I would have planned the canning for a cooler day. Wow, it got hot on the porch! Here is a picture of the end product. My camera is missing so I used the camera on my phone.

I hope to can some more soon. I would like to can some sweet potatoes soon. Many of the sweet potato recipes I have tried call for mashed sweet potatoes. If I had some on hand that were canned that would be a quick way to get mashed sweet potatoes! I will have to experiment and see if the flavor changes much if they are canned first. I have really grown to like the sweet potato. They have a pretty flower too!

In Christ,
Danielle
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12)

1 Peter 4:12

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Are we then, before we really suffer, to suffer in imagination, tormenting ourselves with gloomy fears, and imbittering present comfort by future apprehension? No.

But neither are we to indulge presumption. We are to consider difficulties as well as advantages, and though light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun, yet we are to remember also the days of darkness, for they shall be many. If we do not admit the possibility of disappointment and distress, we shall, when they occur, be dismayed and confounded, and say "If I am His, why am I thus?" What is unexpected is overpowering; it does not leave us, for the time, the use either of reason or religion, and we resemble a soldier who, while seeking his weapons, gives the enemy an advantage against him. But to be forewarned, is to be forearmed; and what we reckon upon in the course of an enterprise, confirms, by the event, the reasonableness of our scheme. The apostle would not have us to be surprised, or deem it a strange thing, even if our trial should be fiery. A strange thing is a thing unlooked for, and which we had no reason to expect. But is this the case with our afflictions?

Think of the ordinary state of humanity. Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward, and is it strange that he should inherit? How numerous and how delicate are the organs of the body; yet they are constantly in use and in danger. To how many accidents are we exposed! How many seeds of disorder are lodged within us! Every possession makes us capable of loss; every connection, of bereavement; every enjoyment, of grief; every hope, of fear. The wonder is we are ever free from trouble.

Hear the declarations of Scripture: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." "In the world ye shall have tribulation." "Through much tribulation you must enter the kingdom." Are these true sayings of God?

Trace the history of His people. However dear to God, or eminent in grace, which of them escaped?

"The path of sorrow, and that path alone,
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown:
No traveller e'er reached that blessed abode,
Who found not thorns and briars on the road."

Is this only the language of poetry? "What son is he," asked the apostle, "whom the father chasteneth not?" "As many as I love," says God, "I rebuke and chasten."

Consider the disposition of the world: "Marvel not if the world hate you." If they hate the light they are not likely to love those who diffuse it. The principles and walk of the Christian reproach and condemn not only the profane, but many who would pass for religious, but who dent the power of godliness, while they have form. The mere moral and pharisaical are often the bitterest enemies of evangelical piety. The rule was once deemed without exception: "Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The absence of it now is owing not to the want of disposition, but power. Many things restrain it, yet it is restrained only in the degree. The hand is tied, but the tongue is free; and how does it deal with the decided followers of the Lamb? And what is the carnal mind, but enmity against God?

Survey the Christian's spiritual imperfections and necessities. Without suffering, how can they resemble the Savior; and be weaned from the world; and be witnesses for God; and be prepared for usefulness? Can the welfare of the year dispense with winter? Is it a strange thing for the husbandman to plough up the fallow ground, to receive the seed; or for the vinedresser to prune the vine; or for the refiner to put his gold in the furnace? Such a needs-be is there for all our afflictions, and he only who is ignorant of it can wonder at the event.

But, Christian, while you look for the fiery trial, so as not to be astonished at the expirience, remember you have enough to encourage you. He who died for you, and rose again, and rules over all, has amde provision for every condition in which you shall be found. As thy sufferings abound, thy consolation shall abound also. If the way be rough, thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy day, so shallthy strength be, till the last tear is wiped away, and all shall be peace and quietness and assurance forever. Rev. William Jay

"Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you"1 Peter 4:12

In Christ,
Danielle

Blog Under Reconstruction

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Please bear with me as I am restarting my blog.

Thanks!

Danielle

Survived the December Project!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:32:00 +0000

OK, Michael is away from his computer for the day.... so here goes.... an actual blog post! The December project went pretty smoothly. The first two weeks buzzed by as we butchered, and butchered and then butchered some more. The last two weeks went by fairly well as I caught up on laundry, got back into large amounts of bread making, and wondered what I was missing by not going into town for a month.

The laundry went much easier as we were blessed by warmer temperatures in December! The weekend would be cold, the beginning of the week was cool and by the end of the week the temperatures were spring-like. It was great for doing large amounts of laundry by hand. Michael also helped by being careful to not create loads of laundry. Which was tricky, I am sure, because of all the butchering we did! Sarah was not so careful! As usual, her outfits got dirty on a daily basis but her outfits are much smaller and easier to wash.

The bread making was an adventure too. I tried different combinations of wheat flour and white flour. My battle is trying to really limit the white flour and use more wheat flour. The more wheat flour I would use the less it would rise. My mind is stuck on the picture of pulling a loaf out of the oven and it being like Mrs. Baird's store bought bread. I also worked on making loaves the size that the propane oven would cook all the way through before the bottom burned. I remedied that by making buns for sandwiches.

Now as for what I missed. I honestly have to say it had to be the thrift and antique store visits. I did not miss the stores, the people, and especially not the holiday madness! I like the thrift and antique stores because you never know what kind of good deal you will get! It is like a treasure hunt! Sometimes you find treasure and sometimes not! It is the same way with garage sales - you just never know what you may find. I did sort of miss the driving just because that is when I could enjoy some silence away from the day to day activities of a wife and mother. I did not miss the yoyo gas prices either.

With the beginning of January came community work day. Most of us picked up rock for the smokehouse project. We found a few rocks that you could tell were cut pretty square like they were going to be used in a building project. It would be interesting to know how the people that lived on this land many years ago cut the rock as square as they did. It was a pretty nice day all in all. Then we gathered at Michael's office and enjoyed a taco supper. Praise the Lord for all his wonderful blessings!!

In Christ,
Danielle

New Animals Here at the Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 22:40:00 +0000

It has been a great week here at the ranch. Michael and some of the men from the community built a strong pen to hold some wild pigs that were purchased this week. So on Friday Michael, Mr. Plumbley and Robert went and picked up the pigs. They don't look like the pigs we are raising. They actually have long black hair and seem to be leaner that our pigs. Here is a picture of them in the trailer before we unloaded them into the new pen.

The children think they look like dogs!

We plan to grow the bigger ones a bit and the smaller ones will be allowed to grow until about January. They all will eventually be butchered for food here for various people here at the ranch. The whole group here at the ranch went in together to purchase them. The men in the community helped build the pen and everyone that bought a pig(or two or three) will help feed them too.

We also had a chick hatch this week! It is so cute:

We had another one hatch but it did not survive. Lord willing, we will have more hatch soon! We have been caring for Mr. Plumbley chickens while he gets settled in and he had his first egg today too. So I will be giving it to him tonight when the community gathers for our weekly question and answer time.

Reforming Daily,
Danielle
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts 26:18

Still Canning

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:36:00 +0000

Well, now that October has come and gone I thought I would post and let you know what is going on here... ready?... canning. Although October was busy because of Ranchfest too. The Thursday after it officially ended we got our pig and Longhorn steer back from the butcher. We have also been canning produce from our fall garden. Mrs. Peck over at My Journey to Separation was visiting and helped me with the canning. Together, in 5 days, we got all of the pig finished except for the fat rendering and the broth made from the leftover bones. She was a great help! Thank you Debbie! And as always thanks to Tracy and the other ladies in the community for either their time, the use of their equipment or both! In a week we were able to can 129 quarts and 27 pints. I am canning the Longhorn ground beef this week. I used the meat in a batch of chili and canned it. I am also going to can some taco meat using the ground beef. Maybe some other recipes too. We got 70 pounds of ground beef alone. Lots of meat! For the first time we got the beef fat back too. So, I am going to learn how to render beef fat too.

Last Wednesday was community work day. In the morning the ladies worked together to move a big rock in the road. The last stages of the process were caught on video and posted on the Ranch Weekly. Go visit that blog to see some of the fun we had with that! In the afternoon we met at the Ante's and mended, altered, or worked on current projects. It was a fun time. The men worked on getting Michael's books out of storage and into his almost finished office.

It will be another week of canning. We will also be canning more pork in the near future. Michael is working on getting more pork. Check his blog out for up coming details.

Here is a butterfly the children found on Saturday. It is a Black Swallowtail. The children knew immediately what it was because we often play Butterfly Bingo. It is a fun game that Aunt Tracy sent us. We have learned how to identify many different butterflies and had fun doing it. While Debbie Peck was visiting she gave us Yahtzee. I had not played that game since I was a child(yes they had it WAY back then!). We have had fun with that game too. We have been playing lots of games lately because Michael found a few in storage while he was moving his books this week.

Have a great week,
Danielle
"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23

Week Of Canning

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:55:00 +0000

What a long week of canning it was last week! I started off by canning lard and brisket and then Michael and I found a great deal on some fresh tomatoes. The first 75lbs. we bought were $17 per 25lbs. When I went back to buy 100lbs., they sold them to me for $15 per 25 lbs. We canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, and tomato sauce(check out the process). Then, during that process, we got 4 gallons of fresh milk and canned milk(2&1/2 gallons) and the butter we made from the cream. I also ground up our basil harvest and it takes a lot of fresh basil to make 1 quart of dried ground basil. This week I will be canning more butter and some hamburger. Not to mention the preparations going on for Ranchfest.

Jennifer(turned 11 on Monday!) got a new goat this week. Her name is Heather and she is so cute. The ladies we get the milk from gave her to us. They raise Boars and this one was a bottle fed kid. When she was old enough to go back to the herd she did not do well. She has a very laid back personality and likes to be around people. Tracy also got a new kitten from the Sustaires. I am sure pictures will be posted on their blog soon.

I recently tried cleaning up an old quilt. It went pretty well. I soaked it overnight and had Jennifer help me work on some of the spots and then she got up on a ladder and held the quilt as I gently wrung out the water. The water it was soaking in looked like pond water! I was so amazed. I did not realize the quilt was that dirty. I took it to the laundry that week and washed it on gentle. I was a little nervous doing it but I hoped it would take a machine wash. I did secure some weak spots with safety pins. I did take some before and after pictures but they are kind of misleading since there was more light the second time it looks even cleaner.
Before:

After(the dark stripe is a shadow):

Tomorrow is community work day and we will be working on getting everything ready for Ranchfest. It is always a fun time to get to meet more like minded brethren. The work, food and fellowship are always great. It is a blessing to be able to come together with these people from around the country and around Canada.

I will close with my favorite pictures. Flowers! Here is my echinacea plant that I thought had died but after the rains we had it came back strong and put off some pretty blooms.

Here are my marigolds.

And here are some blooms from our sweet potatoes.

Reforming Daily,
Danielle

More Laundry Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:48:00 +0000

This is a picture of my laundry set up as it is now. From the right to the left is my dirty clothes hamper, presoak bucket, wash basin with the washboard in it, my 2 rinse buckets, and my clean laundry basket. I do have to say the handwash system really gets the clothes clean! It has kept me from throwing away some of Sarah's dresses that a machine would have never gotten clean. Recently I brought some clothes lines from my line at my old house because the line is better than any I have ever tried. It is called Green Vinyl Coated Galvanized Wire. It lasts much longer than other lines I have tried and it does not sag much under the weight of clothes when they are wet. The lines I recently put up were already 5 years old and they are still doing great. I found some of this wire at our local general store. They sell it by the foot and you can find it in a hardware store(Home Depot, Lowe's, etc) where they sell chain by the foot. At this store it was 31 cents a foot but I think it would be cheaper at Home Depot or Lowe's. It might be more expensive than the line they sell in the laundry section but it is worth the investment.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a surprise last week when I went to the root cellar for some supplies to make breakfast. It was about 5:30am and I was going down to the root cellar for some sausage we had canned recently. We can alot of our meat so it does not require a freezer or refrigeration. Anyway this was at the bottom of the steps:
It is sort of difficult to tell but it is a recently shed snake skin. It was about 4&1/2 feet long and really kind of cool to look at, the children thought so too. Although I did not need any thing like coffee to wake up that morning!! In the light of my flashlight it looked like a real snake! We have been leaving our root cellar door open at night since the evenings have been cooler lately. The root cellar starts to heat up a bit after a long hot summer. The skin was pretty intricate, you could see the eyes and mouth along with other details:

Later on that day after a day of chores and other work Tracy made some sugar cookies again and I did get a picture this time:

I also promised Sarah I would post the pictures that she painted that day. Here is some of her handy work:

She really enjoys painting! You all have a blessed week!

In Christ,
Danielle

Laundry Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:08:00 +0000

It has been another rainy week here at the Ranch and today we started really thinking about Ike coming through here and dropping more rain. These storms are so unpredictable but this one does seem like it is going to be an intense one.

Michael posted some really good articles last week. One on anonymous internet cowards and one on separatism as a fundamental principal. You all really ought to read them, they are really great articles!

With all the rain we have had this week one chore I did not get done is hand wash. I usually try to get it done on Monday or Wednesday. I have, through trial and error, come up with a system that works. I have learned many things about doing laundry and especially doing laundry by hand. One of the most helpful things I have learned recently is how valuable prewash or presoak can be. It really helps get tough stains out of the clothing. So now I presoak most of my hand wash laundry. When I first started doing laundry by hand I had only 2 buckets, one wash & one rinse. Now I have gone to 4; a presoak, a wash, and 2 rinses. I also use a washboard(from Lehmans) and wringer. Sarah, my 5 year old, really gets her dresses dirty and the only way to get them clean is to hand wash each one and give it a good scrubbing. I also use either Fels Naptha or Zote soap. They both do real well removing spots and whitening whites. And the girls and I wear white headcoverings and the Zote has brightened them up since I started using it. The Zote is less expensive that the Fels Naptha too. I also use vinegar in my rinse water as a natural softener. Here are some pictures I took of the laundry I did one morning:

Over the years I have also learned some things about hanging the clothes out properly. I usually turn them inside out so the sun does not fade the outside colors. Things like Sarah's dresses take 2 clothes pins at the shoulder:

The shirts and light towels I hang can be hung together to save on the number of clothes pins I use. I also hang the shirts upside down so I don't get the clothes pin marks at the shoulder of the shirt. They are less noticeable at the bottom of the shirt:

I hang Michael and Robert's pants inside out and upside down too. But I have not gone to washing them at home. I do need a bigger wash basin for those large items as well as stronger arms and more water!

I will be trying to do some hand washing tomorrow. I will post more pictures of the process then. Oh, also I will post some pictures of the surprise that was waiting for me Thursday morning as I started to prepare breakfast.

Tracy and I have been canning bacon and brisket this week too. Tracy also made some yummy sugar cookies too! No picture though, they went too fast!!

Keep all the people in the path of Ike in your prayers. The Lord's will be done but I hope it is not a devastating storm for us or the citizens of the Texas coast.

Reforming Daily,
Danielle

Giveaway, Workday, and Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:47:00 +0000

Brandi has another great book giveaway this week. It is called, HOMEMADE from Reader's Digest, and it looks like a great book! Sounds like it has lots of great information! On top of hosting another giveaway Brandi is busy taking care of her sick son so keep them in your prayers.

We had community work day today. It was busy, fun and windy! In the morning we, the women, picked up some rocks to help some repair some of our community roads. After lunch we went to the Ante's house and worked on some mending and altering. The men worked on a few different jobs like Ms. Irby's cabin, planting some trees, and working on the Sustaire's shed. The we had a taco supper that was really good.

We have been working on our fall garden this week. With the blessing of the rain came incredible weed growth! The children & I spent all of Tuesday morning pulling weeds and hauling them to the chickens. The chickens really enjoyed all that grass. Praise the Lord that the ground was still moist which made the weeds easier to pull!

Here are some homeschool articles to read.

In Christ,
Danielle

Some good news for the homeschoolers in CA:
On August 8, the Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles reversed its February 28 ruling that made California's 166,000 home schoolers truants from the public school system. In order to homeschool legally under that ruling, all parents who wanted to teach their own children would have to have been credentialed teachers. The reversal came after a huge public outcry from citizens, the governor of California, and the state school superintendent.
Read the Article

Bad news for Brazilian homeschoolers(How many is that?LOL!)
MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL, August 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) -
"Two homeschooled children face a battery of tests this week in a showdown between the Brazilian government and a Christian family over the educational rights of parents in the South American nation.

"The children of Cleber and Bernadeth Nunes have already passed the entrance exams for law school at the ages of 13 and 14, but that doesn't satisfy the Brazilian government, which has been trying to force them into its troubled school system since 2006.

"After over a year of battling authorities for the right to home school their children, the Nunes' two prodigies will be tested on a variety of subjects to prove that their parents are not guilty of 'intellectual abandonment,' a legal term that indicates that one has not fulfilled the obligation of providing for the education of one's children."
Read the article

Another Rainy Week!!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:18:00 +0000

It has been a busy week. It has been a rainy one too. I think it rained about three times this week, and we are grateful to the Lord for all of it! We have been getting used to the humidity returning too. This week Michael's father came down and helped us run some of the extension cords, we have running outside, underground. It's good to have them out of sight now and out of the elements.

We have also been trying to get the chickens to lay more eggs. The egg numbers have been going down lately. The number usually goes up when the rains come after a long drought, and we have cooler temperatures. We cleaned the chicken house thoroughly and put lots of hay in the nests. We have also been checking them more often to discourage "egg eaters." Some chickens get into the habit of eating the eggs in the nests, but I don't think we have any of those this time.

After we got everything on the porch rearranged from the work Michael's father did, I made some Mequite bread. It was really tasty! I substituted 1 cup of ground up Mesquite pods for one of the cups of white flour in a wheat bread recipe I had tried in the past. I also partially roasted the pods because raw pods have sugar that gets "gummy" in the grinder. The partial roasting helps solidify the sugar. Here is a picture of the ground mesquite pods in the freshly ground wheat:

Then I mixed all the ingredients together and had to let that rise for about an hour:

I placed about a pound of batter in each bread pan. This bread recipe is different from any I have ever tried because it makes a stiff batter in stead of a stiff dough. So the loaves are actually spooned into the bread pans. Which tends to make the loaves look different from ones you can knead and makes smooth on the top.

I also use smaller bread pans now because the propane over never thoroughly cooked the pound and a half larger pans I used to use. They were actually more of a standard size whereas the ones I use now make small loaves but they are cooked all the way through. My first attempt a 2 loaves kind of failed because the loaves fell before baking. I think the fact that the children were cleaning the motorhome at the time has much to do with it. My oven is in the motorhome and it moves around a bit when people are moving around in it.:

I got up early Saturday, put some in to rise, and baked them. The children were still asleep so the motorhome was still, and this time the bread did not fall! I was able to get a picture of only one of them since we ate the other one for breakfast:

I am hoping to make some more this week since I have to bring a bread to fellowship next weekend.

I hope you all are reading the posts on Country Mom and Debylin's blogs. They have had some thought provoking ones lately. Country Mom also has a store opened up that has some really cute stuff she has made.

You all have a blessed week,
Danielle

Bunkies

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:46:00 +0000

OK, here are my nominations for the coveted Bunky Awards . Everyone get their acceptance speeches ready!

1. Best All-Around Agrarian Blog. This is the blog you read every day, no matter what. This is the blog you would miss the most if it were gone. This blog out to be a stand-out blog in the Christian Agrarianism field, so we want to recognize a blogger who is standing out in his field. A Process Driven Life, he was standing out there last night shooting at varmits!

2. Most Educational or Informative Agrarian Blog. If you have a proper education and the right information, this blog award title ought to be self-explanatory. The Deliberate Agrarian

3. Best Newcomer Blog. Also self-explanatory. Sifford Sojournal

4. Blog most likely to make you look up words in the dictionary and to challenge your brainal functuosity. This award will go to the blog that most makes you have to think. A Process Driven Life

5. Best Looking Blog. Given for overall aesthetics and attractiveness. R&V Farmstead

6. Best Blog most people have probably never read or heard of. A great way for a great new blog to get some traffic! Darkwood Farm

7. Greatest Agrarian Posterboy Blog. This award will go to the blog that is most likely to make industrialized city people chuck it all and move to the country. A Process Driven Life

8. Best Children's or Young Person's Blog. For the chillens. Growing Up Agrarian

9. Blog most likely to have its owner and author arrested and/or summarily executed by the Government. You know what I'm saying. A Process Driven Life

10. Best Feminine Blog - A great blog many fellas may not read or know about. This blog ought to be one that celebrates Christian femininity. Country Mom

And a thank you to Brandi over at Mountain Morning Homeschool for hosting the giveaway that I won! I look forward to getting my hands on Quilts From Lavender Hill Farm: 12 Projects Inspired by Life in the Countryby Darlene Zimmerman.

In Christ,
Danielle

New Growth, New Tricks, and New Books

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Hello finally. I hope everyone had a great week! All of us here at the Ranch had a wonderful week started out by the blessed rain! It was a blessing to have to put up with all of the mud! And just a few minutes ago I killed my first mosquito! Sadly though it was INSIDE the cabin! It was a big one too! The rain stopped early in the week but I always love to see all the new growth caused by the rain. Flowers getting ready to bloom, trees growing new leaves, and plants sprouting up right out of the barren soil:

As I was walking around the land I came across the funniest thing. Our Longhorns have obviously been eating a good number of Mesquite pods because in a few of their "cow pies" there are many tiny seedling sprouting out of them. I assume they are Mequite seedlings but, who knows, I guess they could be some other plant! I hope you all can see them in this picture:

One of the many things I have learned while living the agrarian lifestyle is how beneficial rain water is to the plant life. I never really noticed before how everything comes to life so well after a good rain especially after a long drought. I knew it was beneficial but not to the extent that I notice now after leading a simpler lifestyle and seeing the spiritual lessons behind many things. Noticing these small things and slowing down enough to allow the Lord to teach you and bring you closer to Him. Appreciating His government, His commandments, and His love. All of this is so much more of a blessing than pondering the things of the world.

Sugar is doing well and getting bigger everyday. I have taught her some commands too. They are sit, shake, lie down, stay, speak, and crawl. She is a pretty smart dog. One thing I learned when I was a teenager is a trained dog is much more pleasant to be around than an untrained one. It was then that my family got an ex-show dog. He had gotten into a fight and a cut he got in the fight kept him from being in shows anymore because it was on his nose. He was a well trained dog and a joy to have in the house and take on walks. Since then all of the dogs I had were taught "dog manners". It is sort of like kids. Most of the world today does not know how to train the kids and so no one wants to be around them most of the time. Usually though, once someone sees how it is done the right way they are ready to learn how to do it the right way. But there are some who think they are just fine. I saw that this week as I got a few moments to read some other blogs. It amazed me how people were attacked when they talked about doing things the Lord's way. Stepping away from the world's ways got you accused of not having a brain, being uncultured, abusing your children by making them work and so on. And if you want to do things more simple you better not go and eat some fast food you hypocrite!

I started a book called Female Piety by John A. James. It is really good so far. So many lessons to learn that were not taught to me as a young woman. I also just finished a book called Darcy's Story. It is Pride and Prejudice(a book by Jane Austen) from Mr. Darcy's point of view instead of Elizabeth Bennet's. It was a good read too.

Shabot Shalom,
Danielle
PS Michael and I have been married 16&1/2 years today!

Quilts and Blessed Rain!!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Hello all! Computer problems have prevented me from posting but my friend told me about a book giveaway that peaked my interest. It is a quilting book! It is on Mountain Morning Homeschool . Here is a picture of my favorite quilt that my daughter & I made for a quilt show:

And the ribbon she won in the junior division:

Brandi your quilt looks great! She did a wonderful job. I like quilting when time permits but right now all my sparetime is spent on a cross stitch project. Thanks again for the giveaway!

And praise the Lord for the great amount of rain we have been getting in the last few days!

In Christ,

Danielle

Long Hot Week

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:31:00 +0000

Wow, what a scorcher it has been this week! But I guess it is July in Texas so what else did we expect? The heat during the day is tolerable until it stops cooling down at night. And the lack of rain adds another negative to this heat. Although, everyday we go through this heat we get one day closer to fall! This heat can really interfere with the initiative to get things done but it's all good, right!?! Like the fact that laundry dries really fast in this heat! And IF you find any mud it does not last long so no need for mud shoes. And no mosquitos to worry about -no moisture! And the Mesquite pods dry out really fast! Seriously though, one thing I like about Texas is that we get a good balanced dose of all four seasons. We don't have a long winter and short summer or vice versa. And in our winter we get short spells of warm days but I guess I am partial to Texas since I have not lived anywhere else!

I ground some Mequite flour up this week and had Tracy mix it in her tortillas. It was yummy! She did a blog about it so check it out . I need to get a larger amount ground up into flour and try it in my bread.

Sarah has finally learned her letters(she will be 5 on Saturday!). It's funny, I heard that boys are tougher to teach than girls. But I had Robert reading at the age of 3 and Sarah has been a whole different student. Jennifer was reading by the time she was 4 and Tracy was 4 also I think. When she was young I had her in day care until she was 5 and I got to quit my job and start homeschooling. What a blessing that was! But Sarah Finally reached the age when things I taught her actually stayed in her memory. I knew it would finally click for her but I did not think it would take this long! She really is enjoying it too. And she really does great with her Bible memory verses. Very little practice and she's got it.

I hope you all enjoyed the video of Michael. Thanks to all of you that voted! Michael's mom sent me some pictures from the same visit and here is one of the children, Sugar our puppy, and me. Michael is not in it because I think he was perfecting the Double Ringer Dance for when Logan Ante returns!
Have a great sabbath!
Danielle

Crossstitch, Mesquite, and Horseshoes

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:27:00 +0000

It's been a great week. I finished my first cross stitch project. I had started it awhile ago and I did not know anyone who knew how to cross stitch. I found the kit for $3.50 at Dollar General and thought I would give it a try. Well the instuctions weren't that good and I ended up doing it wrong, kind of. I used too many strands and when it was time to add detail by outlining things of course it was difficult because it was too tight. It was put up for a good while in my sewing bag. Then Tracy started embroidering and I saw her using less strands and realized what I had done. I was going to throw it away because I had found another inexpensive kit to try. Kris Ante talked me out of that and I worked on it some more. Then my friend, Lori, taught me how to do a French Knot and I finished it. Here it is:

I found a book that got me cross stitching again. It was at an antique store in Mason, TX and it is called Picture it in Cross Stitch. It had ideas for births, weddings, greeting cards, and family trees. I am really interested in doing a family tree soon. I am going to do another project first then on to the tree. The book shows you how to make your own pattern on graph paper and it has all kinds of cute ideas.

We have been processing a bunch of Mesquite pods. A 5 gallon bucket is filled almost everyday. We just pick them up off the ground.

Then we snap them into smaller lengths and trash any parts that aren't good. There is a wide variety of ways the pods look but, in general, if they are hard and have beans in them then we can use them.

The shorter sections can be used for a variety of uses. We are primarily using them for coffee and tea right now. They can also be ground up for flour. After we get them to this stage, we dark roast them. We are using a solar oven(borrowed from the Siffords, thanks!) and the propane oven in the children's motorhome.

After we roast them, as we need them, we grind them in a coffee grinder. Coffee drinkers tell me it tastes good. I am not really a coffee expert. I like all the stuff you add to it! For other reasons I have all but given coffee up. I need to stick with my hot tea if I want a warm drink.

OK, so here is the real reason everyone is here today. Michael posted a goofy picture of me first and claimed I was blackmailing him. Not true, like I said before, I was threatening him. Here is the video. The lady in it with Michael is his sister, Tracy.

Shabbot Shalom,

Danielle

Off the Subject of Agrarianism

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:43:00 +0000

OK, Michael says I am "blackmailing" him in his blog post today, not true! I only threatened to post the Double Ringer Dance video. I will not lower myself to revenge tactics after he posted that goofy picture of me but I will respond to peer pressure. So if you want to see the video, "PLACE VOTES NOW!!!"

More Later,
Danielle

Goathouses, Bulls and Fireworks!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:41:00 +0000

Since my last post many things have happened. I did that post early in the morning before Michael left to go to Pennsylvania. Thank you to all of you that helped that trip happen. It was a long one for Michael and he is glad not to be doing that anymore. He used to be gone for 2-3 weeks at a time when he worked for the Prophecy Club.

Shortly after he left we had community work day and Mr. Ante, Mr. Sifford and Mr. Sustaire moved and basically rebuilt a goat house for us. Here is the finished project:
Thanks guys it looks GREAT!

We also welcomed Quitachon back to the land. He is a Longhorn bull that we had with our Longhorn cows. We returned him when we thought he was done with the herd. Since then we acquired a Holstein milk cow. She had never had a calf so we needed to solve that problem. That job is for Quitachon.

I took the children to watch some fireworks too. Aside from the Amerika worship we had a great time. They had a homemade ice cream contest. We got to buy a sample of the entries. I had birthday cake flavor and the children enjoyed the vanilla. That was some yummy ice cream!
When Michael came home he brought us a puppy. She is cute and there are some pictures on A Process Driven Life blog in today's post. Her name is Sugar and I joke that Michael named her after my one addiction! He also brought home a ministry student named Dusty.

Michael just brought in some peaches from our tree. I will be making peach preserves after I am done with the pig we got from the butcher.

Thanks to the Lord for the rain we received while Michael was gone! It made such a difference in the garden!! The amount of growth was amazing!!!!

In Christ,
Danielle

Peaches and Goats

noreply@blogger.com (Danielle) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:14:00 +0000

On Monday we processed some peaches we brought back from Fredericksburg. This year we got some really good peaches. Last year when we went and visited the wildflower farm there we got some peaches that weren't as good but we still enjoyed them. Here are the peaches when we started:

Here they are all skinned and sliced up and ready to be canned:

We got 6 full pints to process in the water bath.

The children really liked the fresh peaches and are looking forward to eating the preserved peaches:

A special thanks to Tracy. She helped me get the peaches ready to can and while I was finishing the peaches she prepared the supper I had planned. After the sermon that evening I came back and canned the peaches.

We also got 2 new goats on Sunday.

The tan goat we got from Mr. Woods and the one in the background we got from the Siffords and it is the brother of the one the Antes got. No official names yet, we are still deciding.

Y'all please pray for Michael, Chris and Joseph to have a safe trip and that all goes well at the ranch while they are gone AND that we get some rain!

In Christ,
Danielle