Technology Free Week

Ok, I have received lots of encouragement about going tv free, so......we will be having a completely free technology week next week. Basically in order to entice my hubby and daughter to give up their television, I agreed to give up the computer. Yes, I do spend a good amount of morning time on the computer. Much of that time is spent doing research for articles or projects that I want to do around the farm, but still... So I will try to get quite a bit of blog posts done this weekend to tide everyone over for next week. If all goes well maybe we can get rid of the television all together. I think going without for a whole week is a good start. I am prepared to take what I can get in baby steps if that is what we have to do to break our family of this terrible addiction. God bless and thanks for all the encouragement.

Ok, It is Cold!

Ladies, it is cold outside!!! I mean really cold for us poor southern folk. We haven't had winter temps like this in years and I have gotten.....wimpy! I know you folks up north have been dealing with bitter bitter cold temps this winter and I feel for you...I really do. I also appreciate the gesture when you choose to share, but this is one thing I don't mind sharing. I know this cold will be helpful in killing some of those awful bugs that seem to have thrived through the winters of the last several years. That will be a good thing. Right now however, I don't know who shivers more in the morning at milking time...the goat or me. This cold has made me thankful that God has seen fit to give us the desire to be prepared for anything. We have heat and we have backup heat. We have plenty of food and hay in the barns for the critters and they have shelter from the wind. We have plenty to eat here and don't have to get out on the icy bridges and after tonight snowy roads to get something to eat. We can simply all hunker down and stay warm. There are many many here in the south that simply cannot do that. Many that have propane to heat with that couldn't afford it this year and no fireplace for backup. The shelters are filling up with folks that simply can't stay warm at home. My biggest concern during all of this is hauling warm water to the critters and breaking ice in water buckets. Others are simply trying to survive and having a hard time of it. So my prayers go out for them. I pray that they also use this as a wake up call to be more prepared for future events no matter what they might be. I pray that God keeps them safe during this terrible, bitter cold and whatever else the weather might bring. I thank the good Lord that my children and I can hunker down here at Whisperwind and wait out the cold in comfort. God bless and everybody stay warm!

Response to Comments

I received so many wonderful comments left on the When Families clash post, that I thought I would respond to them here. First of all thank you ladies for your heartfelt words of encouragement and understanding. I wrote the post because I know that there are many of us out there that have decided to separate from society and many times it seems as if we are all alone. So to all of us everywhere, we are together and no....we are not crazy nor deranged! As I said in the post many in my family seem to think that we have chosen a life of poverty. Well....so what if we have. Is it a sin to give up worldly riches for a more humble existence. I don't think so and many throughout Christianity have done exactly that. The riches that we seek so desperately simply cannot be found in things of this world...money, material goods, etc. My children certainly do not do without anything, but the one thing that they are gaining in our life is understanding that true wealth comes from God in the form of peace and happiness. No our life here at Whisperwind is not perfect and not always blissful. We have our share of problems just like anyone else does. However, the difference is that we give those problems to our Lord and simply follow His guidance on the issue. It is a peaceful existence that only those who live it can understand. Another thing about the life that we live is that to use a well worn phrase...we find the joys in the simple things in life. It might seem mundane to some seeing a bunch of chickens running around picking at bugs and such, but to us those little chickens are so funny in their antics. Every seen chickens in a field full of grasshoppers? They are hilarious! Or the peaceful moment of quiet in the barn in the early morning with the smells of hay and the sounds of animals quietly eating their breakfast as you watch the steam rise from the milk going into your bucket. Or laboring for days and weeks to plant the field not really knowing if anything will come of your labors or not....then seeing that first little tomato appear or a tiny little squash in the midst of a dying bloom. These are the riches that only God can provide and they are riches that reach right into the very heart of your soul and make it leap for joy and be thankful that you had the privilege of receiving such a gift. When I had biddies that were being ornery about going back into the chicken coop I sent the best chicken catcher on the farm after them....my 3 year old daughter. She could catch a baby chicken faster and better than anything on the farm. The sound of laughter as she caught chickens and brought them to me was something that money could never buy. From all the comments that I received about that post it is clear to me that many of us have discovered that true riches can only be found when we stop pursuing "riches". Does that mean that we have to live in poverty...no. Our children are well fed, well housed, warm in the winter and somewhat cool in the summer. They have clothing appropriate for the weather and two parents that love them. They have time to play and laugh with both friends and family. And yes they have toys to amuse themselves with. However, they are much richer than many would think simply because they are open to the joys that God provides them each and every day. Living a simpler life gives them the opportunity to see so much more and experience all that He has to give. No thanks world...I'll take green acres any day of the week! God bless you all!

Living without Television....is it possible?

We have been contemplating giving up our satellite service. This decision has really been a struggle for our family. I don't know why it should be such a difficult decision as there is really very little on that we actually want to watch. Usually in the evening it is just something to do when we are tired and have very little energy. This discussion has come up a lot lately in various places. Over on the homesteading today forums I found many many people who did not have tv and many who had not had tv for years. Despite concerns they have survived quite well. Well, this morning as I was reading through several blogs that I followed I found another who is doing quite well without television. This blog post over at SAHMville Blog is worth the read and certainly gave me some encouragement in my struggle to give up the idiot box. So ladies if you have made the plunge also, leave a comment and let us know about it. If you are also struggling with letting this security blanket go, let us know about it. I find sometimes it helps make a decision when we know we aren't the only ones out there. So, I think my husband and I will have to really talk about this and come to a decision quickly before the next bill arrives! God bless.

When Families Clash

My husband and I have moved ourselves and our family out of the "mainstream" society and their way of thinking. As Christians, we have moved toward a more biblical structure in our family. We have moved toward a more Biblical agrarian life in which we believe that it is our duty to be producers, instead of consumers. We also look more closely at the things which influence our children and come into our home. All this being said, it has caused conflict within the extended family that still lives within the "world". They simply don't understand and don't want to understand why we have chosen this and have even gone so far as to accuse us of damaging our children's well being. In fact my oldest daughter was misbehaving at a family get together over the holidays and my husband corrected her rather sternly. Apparently, this did not sit well with the family gathered as one member later called me and told me that I needed to tell my husband to "Just shut up and let you handle it". I was really shocked at that statement. Even not understanding that my husband is the head of our household and answerable to God for the actions and behavior of his children, how could anyone suggest that one parent tell the other to shut up when disciplining a child?! So when I replied with the fact that I would in no way shape or form tell him to shut up and explained the reasons for it, I was told that I was being ridiculous. Modern society seems to think that only the mother has the right to discipline and teach the child and the father is just to be some buffoon that stays in the background. I find that so sad, because every child needs the direction of a father. Maybe that is what is wrong with the current generations coming along is the lack of a strong father. I remember when my Dad was talking about his childhood and when he would get into trouble. He said he always thought it was funny and would continue with his troublemaking as long as my grandmother was disciplining him. However, all she had to say was, "Do I need to go get your daddy?" and the very thought of Grandaddy being called into the matter would set him on the straight and narrow. Face it, we mothers can be suckers when it comes to our little ones, however daddy's can stand their ground. I know I have been guilty of caving into my children, sometimes simply because I am tired and don't have the energy. However, that is why God placed Dads in charge. They have the energy and can effectively correct and guide swiftly, whereas with a mother the correct and guide can take half a days arguing and going back and forth, so to speak. We are also very aware of the things that our children see, hear, and read. I have written before that I do not approve the Twilight series and will not allow it in my home, nor will I allow my daughter to see it elsewhere. For some reason this series has caused no amount of problems with the "family" and us. They think we are simply cruel and unreasonable. Instead of simply accepting our decision, time and again we are faced with our family pushing this Twilight. I thought I had made it very clear that this issue was not up for discussion. During the last month it has been brought up time and again. One family member wanted to take her to the movies to see, you guessed it, the latest release of the Twilight saga. Then got irate when I said no. Another family member had gotten it for her daughter and wanted them to watch the movie together, then got upset when I said no and that maybe we needed to go home if that was the plan for the evening. And on and on it goes. For some reason with this movie being pushed by so many of my family members it simply strengthens my resolve that my Christian daughter should not watch a movie that has so many adults (and children) alike bewitched so much that they need to push this film/book series. For me it truly strengthens the thoughts that I have that this thing is loaded with withcraft. Yep, I said it. Yes, I know it is about vampires, but witchcraft often surrounds things that are not blatantly about witchcraft. Even so, vampirism is against God's word! Can't these professed Christians see this?! I feel like no one can see the implications of a girl giving up life for eternal death. Do they not see that Jesus Christ is eternal life and that choosing eternal death is to not only separate from Him, but choosing hell. Is there nothing wrong with this in their minds? Then there have been the issues of our living a more agrarian life. I don't understand why someone would care whether we raise our own food or buy it from the grocery store. Why would that be a concern to anyone? However, in our extended family most see that as the most ridiculous thing they have even heard. Of course, most of the "concerns" of theirs is that our food is not safe because it hasn't been inspected. Even when you try to educate them that our food is safer than anything they could buy in the grocery store (because I don't fertilize my spinach with raw sewage) they simply won't listen. They simply think that living a simpler life in which we produce what we can for our own needs is choosing to live in poverty. Only poor people live this way, is there comment. My children are suffering because they are forced to eat vegetables instead of processed waffles and pre-made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of processed junk. I am setting my family up for a serious stay in the hospital by feeding them eggs which have not been bleached first to get rid of the germs! How cruel can I be to make the kids eat meat that was walking around a few days ago and which they petted and helped to care for! My whole point in this is that once the choice is made to step outside of the "mainstream" way of life and thought process then the road can be hard even within the extended family. Even though the decision is a good one and a noble undertaking, the road is not easy and there will be many if not most who simply don't and can't understand. What the trigger to there understanding will be, I don't know. I haven't found it yet. Just know that we are not alone even if it seems like it. God is always with us and through Him we will find our strength to continue on the path that He has set for us. We are also not alone in our struggles as there are others struggling, just like us, all around the world. However, I have to say this....despite the family clash, I have never been more at peace, never been more content, never been happier than I have been living outside of the "world". It was only when our family chose to live within the Biblical outline and plan of God that we found true peace and happiness even though the "world" tries to make us think we are unhappy. For parents this is difficult because we can withstand the attacks of the world, however it is difficult for our little ones. They don't have the fortitude just yet and the world tries very hard to make them feel unhappy about their life and what they are "missing" out on. It is our job more than ever once we start to step out of the mainstream flow of humanity to armour our children so that they can grow to withstand the assault. It is no longer a black and white world in which we live, but gray has become not only acceptable but the chosen color. With God's help we can separate the gray into black and white and teach our children to do the same. May God be with us all!

Consignment Sales coming

In our area we have a group of women that have been doing a large children's consignment sale for years. They do 2 a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. I have found that it is a great opportunity for me to sell some of the better clothes that my children cannot wear and use the money to buy things that they need (that I don't make) with the money. So basically there is not much of an out of pocket expense for things like shoes and such. It works pretty well. So the spring consignment sale is coming soon and I will be little by little getting things ready to take up there. They are pretty strict about the condition of the clothes and how they are hung and tagged, so it is a lot of work. It isn't so bad when you start early. Anything that does not sell at the sale is donated so that is nice also. I get a little money, spend it there and the rest is donated. They also of course, have toys and such so this is a great way to get rid of things that the children no longer use. I know for our family it is a great way to save money on buying things that the children need. Children's shoes are simply so expensive and they just don't wear them for very long. They could easily be the biggest expense that we have as far as clothing for the kids. So these consignment sales are a great thing for us. Hope you can find something like this in your area. God bless.

Heirloom Acres, Highly Recommended

I have been asked where I get my seeds. I get 99% of my seeds from Heirloom Acres. I highly recommend this company. It is a Christian family owned company with excellent customer service. When I first attempted to grow mangle beets I was having trouble getting them to germinate. I contacted the company about my problem and they immediately responded with the answer to my problem (it was still too hot here for mangles). So I saved the seed I had left and tried again later, worked like a charm and my chickens are very thankful to Heirloom Acres. I have been ordering from them for several years and have never had any problem with their seed. There prices are very reasonable for open pollinated seeds also. Ok, so there is my plug for heirloom acres. I usually do not endorse companies or products, but one of my readers asked and I thought others might want to read the answer. God bless.