River adventure ~the flood~

HA never a dull moment here in the country in the wet season! I much prefer the summer I am thinking.

My day started out with normal chores like making a fire, getting firewood, chopping it into smaller pieces and overseeing the feeding of all the animals. I then went about the property tying down anything that could blow away, float away and repairing things that did.

As I was doing my rounds I realized that we now have river front property, I know we did before but now it is really visible from the house. :-)

So I then went about trying to switch over the wells because our new well is covered in quite a lot of water, how do I know this you ask? Because I realized the top of the well cap was not screwed down very well and I tried to wade out to it, umm let’s just say that as soon as you get to your hips, the water sucks out your energy!

So what does a resourceful country girl do?, She gets the canoe out of course!

Dear son lending a hand.

After tying the canoe to a rope, (so I don’t get swept downstream) I push off. Wow the current was strong!

a close up of me trying to get the well cap secured.

How far it was

A little wet but no worse for wear. Boots don't work when you wade that far in.

   

I finally made it to the new well and the cap was till there but hanging on with about 1 screw. I tried for quite a while but the water was rising quickly and I just could not see through the murky water in order to screw the screws down, besides this the current kept pushing me away, and the water was ice cold and making my arms numb!

So I gave up, yep I did. I guess we will have to wash out the new well and buy a new cap! Here are a couple of pictures of my exciting day! Now to figure out how to switch over the well……where is DH when I really need him? Onto school …I am glad I home school who would have held the rope and taken the pictures.. 

Pictures of the last month

As promised Here are some pictures from the last month

Our new chick raising "barn" Where we raise them until they can free range.

Inside with a few heritage breeds (still quite small)

Two small broilers ready for the oven, and no I could not eat them! I make a pretty pathetic "farm girl".

Our Christmas Turkeys, we shall see if I can eat them. They go to slaughter on Saturday. Just look at his cute face!

Dear son and Dear daughter #1's castle diorama, home school rocks!

My thrift store shelf I told you about.

The wonderful bed frame I found on another thrift store hunt, I love it!

The Chronicle of the Earth: Story of the World Lapbook for Volume One

The Chronicle of the Earth: Story of the World Lapbook for Volume One: Download Below. Feel free to link to this post, but not to the download directly. Thanks. ...

This is so cool!

Make-up madness

Now to just get the hair this "natural"

Had to share a wee story about shopping for "natural" make up.
So a woman from church told me about a very nice resort that sells natural make up. I have to tell you the city girl in me is missing putting on my face.
So you know me, I could not for the life of me remember the directions to the "resort"

So I wondered around down town, hehehe. So not a down town. It is a little shopping district on the old side of town. Very quaint and darling. I happened upon a little Chinese herbal store, it said natural cosmetics on the side, so I dashed in for a peek a boo. Dear daughter says" ugh it stinks in here", I reply "honey that's the "natural".

So over comes the chemist to help me and I tell him what I need, and the sweet man shows me several bottles, starts blending them together and rubs it on the back of his hand. It looks pretty good! I think he said something about grape seed oil as the base and some other "stuff" The grape seed oil is brown, but when mixed you can get pretty close to my natural color. Throw a little beet powder in and you get that rosy glow. hehe this dark man says oh, you are the same color as me! Love it!

So my dear friends it is worth a trip over just to see me, looking like I got a little too much sun, and beets on my cheeks!
I was thinking I could do this at home, grind up some grapes, rub on some beets, oh so, beautiful and oh so natural !!! :-)

I loved this little man, how often do you see a grown guy mixing up a concoction for a woman to slather all over her face in the name of vanity?
It was a good day....

Proverbs 31:30- 
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised

Country Girl goes shopping and other such stuff

It has been a full and satisfying week.

It was comprised of driving, driving and thrift store shopping. I absolutely love to find a treasure; another person’s junk is my fabulous new show piece.

I found a few items that I had been searching for, the first one being a bed frame, it is gorgeous just what I have been looking for, and it was a fraction of the cost of a new one. Funny thing is I was looking in a furniture store and found the exact same bed frame for $1600. Mine used was under $100. Yippee, got to love a bargoon!

You should have seen me cleaning it though. It kind of freaked me out thinking of bed bugs, that could have caused the previous owner to turf a perfectly good bed frame….It’s clean friends, it’s clean…..And thank you A.S. for instilling this into my head, I will never be the same…remember when you showed me the dead bed bug a client brought to your office. Can we say AHHHHHHH!

The next thing I found was a shelf you know my style shabby chic, chicken wire…love it! Cost $9.00

I may paint it though as it is really an off green, who knows it, may just stay the way it is?

I will post pictures soon!

So other that treasure hunting I have been chauffeuring my children to more home school activities than you can shake a stiff chicken at. Dear son did Rocketry which he loved, and he still has all his hands and feet, to show for it.

Dear daughters 1 and 2 participated in drama class, which they both excelled in, I mean drama really what was I thinking, they live and breathe being drama queens…Especially the little one! Her new saying is “mom, I broke my… “Insert offending body part.

 Funny thing is we have a wee little skit at church today and it is dear son who decides to act not the girls…go figure?

As for excitement, farm girl related.

 I helped Dh chop up a whole tree, stack it and pile it, wow talk about exercise!

 There are a few more to go but at least we will have wood and warmth this winter!

 The raccoon has picked off several more chickens, so we decided to put all of our “girls” in the chicken “house”, to keep them safe.

 They are so not happy, these chickens are quite accustomed to roaming all over the place pecking in the dirt and eating bugs and worms, only going in at night, not stuck in a barn. Poor dears, unfortunately until we catch the coon this is the safest place for them. These critters are pretty clever, he knows how to open the chicken coop door and choose his dinner. He also knows how to get the “bait” out of the trap without being caught…every time…. Dang, hate when a beast is smarter than me!

Monday tomorrow, and I am determined to get the kids working very hard on their studies before we take a break for Christmas. 

This home schooling gig is intense!

 I am so happy to say though that the kids and I are finally making some wonderful friendships. 

You can’t possibly know how over joyed I am about this situation. I mean not only are growing closer as a family and learning to work together in a whole new way, but we are also fostering new friendships, and that my friends is a very good thing! God answers prayer.

I know I have many dear and faithful friends back in the city, but on a long and cold winters day you can’t imagine how far away you feel.

 My family I created in the city will always be close and dear to my heart, but your presence has been sorely missed!

It has been a growing year, and I am so thankful to have had God beside me as he stretched and tested me. 

He is so, very faithful, even when I doubt, act rebellious (I know shocking, me rebellious, LOL!) and cry out to him.God is good!

Joshua 1:9-11

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Book Review: All Things New, by Lynn Austin

From the back cover

The war is over. The South has lost.

Josephine Weatherly struggles to pick up the pieces of her life when her family returns to their Virginia plantation. But the realities of life after the war cannot be denied: her home and land are but a shell of their previous grandeur; death has claimed her father and brother; and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home bitter and broken.

Her life of privilege, a long-ago dream.

Josephine soon realizes that life is now a matter of daily survival--and recognizes that Lizzie, as one of the few remaining servants, is the one she must rely on to teach her all she needs to know. Josephine's mother, too, vows to rebuild White Oak--but a bitter hatred fuels her.

Can hope--and a battered faith in God--survive amid the devastation?

~Every time I crack open a new Lynn Austin book, I am captured, transported and immersed in the lives of the characters the author so skillfully breathes into being.

It is no surprise to me why this author has won no less than seven Christy Awards; she has a real God given gift for writing.

 I have read most of the novels written by Lynn Austin, and found this one was somewhat different from her others, in the way that it was more theme based than plot driven.

Austin effortlessly weaves her story and characters together into a well thought out and entertaining plot, true to life and filled with historical detail. I especially enjoyed how the characters lives were portrayed simultaneously.
 You had the privileged mothers and daughters, and sons, the slaves, the “Yankees” and the war wounded hero.  

Often times Christian fiction deals with the concept of people being angry with God, but the idea and theme of unanswered prayer was unique in this book and well thought out. It was refreshing to read a story line that delved into the idea of prayer not being answered because of praying for the wrong things. I found this to be a pleasant change to a well-worn story line.

If you are searching for a delightful, historically rich novel to read over this Christmas season I would highly recommend All Things New. You will not be disappointed; you may however be sleep deprived.

Well done Lynn Austin! I will be anxiously awaiting your next novel.

~I received this book from Bethany House free of charge for review purposes~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, A Proper Pursuit, and Until We Reach Home have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.