What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Monday, August 04, 2014

A Week Ending (and me being chatty)

 

 


 

 










Usually I am pretty excited for Mondays.  I enjoy the fresh week stretched out in front of me.  I haven't had a chance to make any major mess-ups (yet) and I am well rested (a benefit of taking a rest on the Sabbath) and feeling somewhat ready for anything that will inevitably be thrown my way.

But this Monday stinks.

Because last week, Matt was home for the week.  And this past weekend, we got a long-overdue visit with far away and not-as-far-away friends.  And the whole week, from beginning to end...was sweet and good.  There was plenty of wood-splitting for this winters' heat (yes, we are late!), a family day at the zoo, an abundance of milk to store, first (and second and third) cheese making experiments, homemade butter, the bluest eyes you ever did see on a beautiful boy, a book I am excited to read, a four hour long baby shower, conversations about deep and real and intimate things between friends~ the good kind...the kind that mean something.   

Why must it end?

I still feel...chatty.  
Would you mind if I chat for a bit?

~ I am not loving the taste of home cow milk.  It seems almost sinful to admit but it tastes different than the store bought stuff-and at this point, anyway, I can't say it is for the better.  There is a bit of tang in it that I am unaccustomed to...a sharpness. I know that you dairy people/ real food junkies will think less of me (I think less of myself) but there it is.  I hope it is one of those things that grows on you because otherwise I am in TROUBLE.  I love dairy products.

~ Corynn and I did make a rosemary and black pepper flavored queso blanco that was pretty darn edible.

~ For the month of July I gave myself a personal challenge to jog every morning and eat salads for lunch.  I began on June 29th for good measure and missed only two days (thanks to a bee stinging the bottom of my foot making running exasperate the swelling and pain.) I jogged two miles up and down hills every day. I ate salads for lunch half the time and the other half I ate very healthy, modest lunches.  I was excited to see what the results would be.  Until they came in, that is.  I initially lost two pounds and by the end of the month they were back on again.  That equals NO CHANGE.  And- for the record- I dislike running.  So I wonder- WHY go to the trouble of doing something you dislike when it does not result in...well, anything at all?  I dunno.

~ I finally finished the bridal shawl I've been working on.  One of these days I will show you.  It's perdy.

~ Not sure what I am going to start on next... maybe Christmas presents?

~ The Granary housed its' first visitors this past weekend- room enough for a whole family, their own space...with a fan to boot!  That was fun.

~ I have added an amazon affiliate link in my sidebar (under the picture of Matt and I).  In case you are as new to this whole technology thing as I am- basically, if you click through that link to make any amazon purchases (that you were already intending to make) I will get a small referral fee.  I have also added, a bit further down in the sidebar, a few of my favorite things.  I only put the things I personally own and recommend (or books that I want) in that box. In case you are interested.  So- don't go buying anything on my account...but if you are planning to buy something and think of it- I'd love it if you'd use my referral link!  I'd greatly appreciate it!

~ I found two large piles of harvested squash out in the garden yesterday- that had apparently been out there for quite a while...the skins were as hard as wood.  Apparently, I have children who enjoy harvesting but not bringing IN.  The chickens got the wood-hard grub and the children were cast out of the garden, so to speak...only being allowed to harvest things if they first ask or ARE asked.  

~ I have been torn with my computer time lately...knowing valuable time is squandered online but not really wanting to give up that outlet.  This blog is a source of great joy for me and peace.  At this point I don't want to even think about getting rid of the blog~ it's too much fun (and the lazy persons' way of not printing pictures) but I decided I COULD get rid of reading other peoples' blogs...many of whom are complete strangers who do not even know I exist.  Me knowing the intimate details of their lives (or of their recent craft projects, homeschool plans or last nights' dinner at their house) doesn't further mine or their lives in any way.  

So I erased all the blogs on my blog reader except the 10 most helpful, encouraging, Rebecca-stretching ones.  The ones that I learn from, grow from, and that add to my life.  The only two exceptions to that rule are Ginny and Alicia...because those two blogs are just downright therapeutic to me.  They may not teach me how to can a particular type of vegetable or suggest good art projects for the kids to do throughout the year...but they encourage me and point me toward beauty like no one else.  And that, too, is life changing in a way.  I had been thinking about doing this drastic step for some time now, knowing that the time spent even just on my own blog was too much time on the computer- let alone the time wasted scouring everyone elses' blogs.  But when it was finally done-and the reader was practically empty- I felt immediate relief.  I didn't realize, until that moment, that the pleasure of reading blogs had actually become a responsibility that had been weighing on me.  

And it just shouldn't be that way.  

I'll miss some of your blogs and some of the random blogs I have grown accustomed to visiting too- but I am excited at the prospect of showing my family (and myself) just where my priorities lie.  And maybe I will find I have a bit more time eeked out of my day than I did before.  

Which would be helpful because...well, there is wood to split and cheese to make and a school year to plan and a garden to harvest and a Bible to read and dinner to make and letters to write and yarn sitting in baskets waiting for me and laundry to do and those darling skirts I've been meaning to sew for us girls...

9 comments:

Jenn in Indiana said...

So what blogs are you reading? I am always looking for a few new good ones!

Southern Comfort said...

I am sure you already know this but your milk might not taste good
because of what your cow is eating. There are lots of plants that alter the taste of milk. The worst is bitterweed. You might do a little research about the plants in your pasture. I know this because I have been there! Otherwise the milk should taste very mild. Good luck. I love your blog!

terricheney said...

I clean out my blog cache at least twice a year and start fresh. Yours is one of the few that is a perennial amongst the annuals. And yes, when you have a long blog reading list there is a certain pressure to keep up the reading, a sort of feeling that you are obligated to be invested in the lives of folk you might not even associate with. At least I've found that to be true. This year I've also cleared out all the emails subscriptions to web pages etc. And I've shortened my Facebook list to the people who are actually family or long distance friends. It's very freeing to cut those strings.

Renata said...

I also do a blog cleanout every so often. It always feels great to reevaluate your priorities.
Don't worry about not enjoying your dairy. It took us a few months to get used to the taste. E best tip I can give is to have it as flavoured milk or in coffees etc and slowly you get used to it. We now love it and store brought milk tastes awful! How is the milking going?
Your pictures are amazing - as usual ( do I say that in every post here? I should, because it's true!)
Have a lovely day
Blessings
Renata:)

Full of Grace said...

Am I one of the deleted? I hope not, You are the only person that comments on my posts so I sure do hope that you kept me along even though I dont' teach you much if anything at all. But if not, it's okay. but still hoping anyhow ;)

Unknown said...

For some reason while Phoebe was up nursing 131 times last night, the only thing I could think about was your nasty milk.

Two things came to mind (so I can sorta sleep through the feedings and I don't have many or very deep thoughts...)

First, didn't she calf like just 7-10 days ago? It took Holly about that long before all the colostrum was out. And some poor fellow is the designated taste tester (usually Bill) until we get the green light.

Secondly, I don't know what your processing routine is in the morning but basically our #1 goal is to get it to fridge temp ASAP.

We were in a milk share one time where sometimes we would drink milk the farmer milked out and sometimes we would. When we milked it, we loved it. When farmer did, it was awful! But he'd leave the bucket to hang while he did farm chores and then leave the lid off the milk while it was in the fridge. We strain it into the mason jars, cap them, and stick them in the freezer, set the timer for an hour, and transfer them to the fridge.

Takes it from tasting like hoof to liquid ice cream like all good raw milk should :)

Unknown said...

Please pass me one of those sandwiches. YUM!!! :)

Rebecca said...

Jenn- that would be a fun post to do...I'll share them some time soon!

Southern Comfort, Renata and Quinn- I think it is just a matter of my own taste buds because everyone else loves it. We do all that was suggested so I guess I just have to get these tastebuds of mine to have better... taste. ;-)

Elizabeth~ I've never had your blog on my feedly since it is private. What I will probably do with you, since you are my sister and all, is to pop over every few weeks. You don't post too often anyway so I think that this will work both so that I can encourage you while simultaneously encouraging myself to get off the computer and doing!

Leah T. said...

"conversations about deep and real and intimate things between friends~ the good kind... the kind that mean something.

Why must it end?"

You put it so perfectly. I've been thinking the very same thing! It was such a blessed and encouraging and inspiring and wonderful visit. I needed it so desperately and am so thankful that God worked out all the details for it happen. God willing, the next visit won't be so far into the future. We're so blessed to have your family as friends and I'm so thankful for you all. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the precious time spent together and your hospitality. It was a trip we'll never forget. :D

(Could I have your pizza crust recipe? The breakfast pizza was divine!)