Thursday, October 5, 2023

Time sure gets away!

 

The last time I posted here it was spring planting season. Now here we are in our harvest season. So much has happened since the last time I posted. I accepted a dream position with my county Public Defender's office. I absolutely love what I do. The past few weeks I have been trying to get my strength back after a hard fight against covid. My lungs are so weak I feel as if I have smoked packs of cigarettes. UGH! I am not one who just sits around and does nothing. So this has been quite challenging for me. I am trying to listen to my body and rest. I miss life! 


The calendar says autumn, but the temperatures do not! It is currently 80 degrees! Supposed to climb higher than that. One reason I like living in NY is because of the mostly cooler temperatures. Anything over 80 and I'm not a happy camper. 

This past year has been a year of Healing for me. I attended my first Healing Journey class. This is an intense 29 week Bible study that shows you how to process and heal from past, current and future hurts in your life. Anything from physical, emotional and sexual abuse to family turmoil. I completed the course and went on to what is called Boot Camp where I learned how to lead others through healing. Check it out. Bible studies are offered all across the United States and even online. I will be starting my classes next year. 


I have started back with Close to My Heart cardmaking and scrapbooks. I really miss being creative and working with my hands. Social Media and my phone have taken over my life. I need to go back to the days when a phone was just for calls and texts. So much time is waisted scrolling senselessly. I have started reading more physical books, doing crafts that I miss and enjoy. One of the other crafts I have started is needle felting. 



This was my first set I ever made. Needle felting is where you get to stab something and not get arrested for it. HA! You take a piece of wool and stab it with a barbed needle. The more you stab the tighter it gets. I am currently working on a few pieces to hopefully be able to sell at craft shows. Same with the cards I am going to work on. I pray everyone is good! I am going to try and check in more frequently. 


Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Garden Plans

 Hello and Happy Spring! There is something about everything waking up from the Winter's rest that really gets me excited. 



I am thrilled that I got my 50mm lens back! I have absolutely missed being outside just snapping pictures of everything around me. 

We have this small little shed on our property. I decided I wanted to keep it and make it into my very own gardening shed. So I am excited to take on this project. Probably will add some paint and find a window to fit. Make it look something like the one below.


Isn't that just the cutest thing??? My garden is going to be over behind the small shed in the picture above this one. We are expanding it from last year. We have a huge deer problem and put up a nice sturdy fence. We also found a garlic spread that worked like a charm last year. We purchased it at our locate Tractor Supply! 

I have started my seeds indoors this year. Something I have never had very much luck with! But with the guidance of our Pastor's wife it looks like I will have success! 


I started two of these Burpee trays this year. I have 2 different varieties of tomatoes and a mixture of bell peppers and jalapeños. We already have our onions and potatoes planted!! SO excited to can some sauce and salsa this year. 

This is my tray of tomatoes! I planted WAY more expecting to get less than half. But praise the Lord for His abundance! 


My peppers seemed to take forever! I thought for sure they were not going to do anything, but then one day a few popped out. NOW every one of them has sprouted! WOOHOO! The peppers I have are a colorful mixture of bell peppers. Looking forward to trying them!



We purchased a handy little cultivator that has done wonders in breaking up the ground! Look at the dark soil. I decided to also put in an orchard on the back corner of our property. I already have Elderberry bushes in, this will be year 2 for them. Our lawn guy accidentally wacked them last year. UGH! But they are coming right back!!

Looking forward to making jam, juice and syrup with these! I mentioned in my previous post that I really was jealous of those that had acres of land to grow things on. Then it hit me that I could do the same! It would just take a bit of planning on my part to get everything in the correct location. I am putting in a strawberry patch and grapes! Perhaps a couple of apple trees and peach trees. I already have the fence ready to go up, along with netting to keep other animals out. 


The rhubarb was given to me by a friend. Look at it! Last year was year 2 with it and we got a lot. I make syrup and jam. I froze a lot and made bread and crisps with it. SO good. High in Vitamin C also, which helps out a lot in the winter months here. 


Here is the second bunch of rhubarb that we have. When I harvest the rhubarb, I cut the leaves off and lay them into the bed to act as a mulch for the plants. I am also planning on putting in a lot of sunflowers this year as well. Happy Gardening!



Friday, April 7, 2023

Back to Simplicity

 

When I think of the world today I think of chaos, messes and just a lot of stuff. I don't know if it is the fact that I am getting older, maturing, or going through my grandparent's belonging that has me thinking. It is probably a mixture of both. I miss the quiet and simple life. I am so blessed to have grown up on a farm. It instilled in me a work ethic that many do not have. I am happiest when I am in my garden, walking among the chickens, or in my kitchen putting up food for winter. 


 The above picture is the farm I grew up on in the southern tier of New York. The barn in the picture is no longer there. It burnt a long time ago. But oh there are so many memories for me on this piece of property. From all of the work that goes into running a farm, to the family celebrations we had, sitting at the counter watching my Grandmother cook, sitting at the same counter watching my Mother and Aunt can up our garden produce. 


I often think of the view out of the door at the farmhouse. Just miles and miles of dirt roads just waiting for me to explore. OH how I wish I could return to that way of life. I love my job, but I really desire to be at home taking care of my family in all the ways a wife and mother should be doing. 


So instead of wishing for things in my life to change, I decided that I would do what I could to try and get a little bit of simplicity back into our lives. I have drastically limited my time on social media. I have not opened Facebook or Instagram in a week. Let me tell you I already feel SO much better. I was becoming so envious of those that were living the life I dream of having again. It was really causing me to sin with envy. I also find I have so much more time to do what I enjoy. Blogging is one of those things. Yes my blog is pretty much old school but also shows simplicity. I am anxiously awaiting the replacement lens for my camera. My 50mm lens was dropped and broke. So I sent it away to be repaired. I should have it in my hands soon! Photography has been such an outlet for me. I can just wander around taking pictures forgetting everything going on around me. 


You will be seeing a lot more of the things here that bring me joy and peace. I am excited to be putting in a good size garden this year. I hope to get a lot of produce put up this year. I am digging out my trusty canners to help me with this task. I plan on canning salsa, pickled garlic, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, pepper jelly, raspberry jelly, dandelion jelly, and a number of pickles. I am getting excited just thinking about it. It has been about 10 years since I have done any canning or gardening. 


My pray is that one day soon I will be able to give up the corporate world and be back doing what I was truly created for. Worshiping God (which I already do!) and living a life of simplicity. Which I can do now as well.