Made to... Inspire, Encourage and Equip

Welcome to December! I can't believe another year is almost gone.  Christmas is only a few weeks away and then the New Year. AHHHHHHHH!   I am so thankful that every month Jesus gets us through.  It may not be much but it's enough.  I heard once that "enough is as good as a feast" and I'm learning to live like that.  Being grateful for the small things and being content.  I hope as we rush into the Christmas madhouse that you will also learn to just be content :)

Check out this egg one of our chickens laid! Yes that's an egg :) After cooking it blended right in with the others and we could hardly find it:)

God has been doing amazing things in my life in the last few years.  He has been showing me how much he loves me and is teaching me how to trust him more.  I have been praying for the last few years that God will show me how much he loves me.  Not me as part of humanity but ME as in Sarah.  Some awesome things have happened!  One day as I was driving up my driveway I looked up at my house and there was a heart shaped cloud right above my house.  I was blown away because a few hours before I had asked God to show his love for me in a way I could see.  I struggle so often with insecurity and low self worth and that has really affected my relationship with God.  Sometimes it's hard for me to understand that he loves me as an individual not just as a part of the whole human race.  Have you ever struggled with knowing your worth and value in God's eyes? Psalms 139:13-16 says "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers w...

Welcome to the Farm! Today we got two new pigs the big one is  the one we already had named Chops. The two little ones are not yet named:)  Although Kyla says they should be Wilbur and Mr Tiggywinkle :) Hmmmmm...... I wonder where the expression eating like a pig came from

For any of you who know me well you'll know that   I'm scared of heights and get motion sick on a swing :)  I went to a women's retreat with my church this weekend.  Terrifying in itself because I didn't know anyone.  On Saturday morning we had an amazing time of worship in the morning and as I was praying Jesus told me to go on the zip line because he had something to tell me.  My first thought was "can't you tell me right here:)"  That afternoon we had free time and the zip line was open.  So along with a new friend I trudged up the mountain to the zip line feeling extremely sick to my stomach.  I stood and watched for awhile (probably not the best idea) then got in line to get on my harness.  I stood in line asking God "are you really sure you want me to do this?"  My turn came up so up the tree I climbed, 40ft up on little staple looking things for handholds and footholds Ahhhhhhhhhhh!  My...

Oh Ya just submitted a recipe @ A Thrifty Mom.  Maybe I'll win

Reading my Bible today I read this verse Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." With our current economy this is really important for me.  I have to trust that God is who he says he is and that he will provide for me and my family.  To let him be in control is sooooo hard for me. I want to fix everything :) I always feel like I could do more when in all reality he's asking me to trust him!  What a concept :)  A very hard one to grasp for people like me who are doers not trusters :) If you want a challenge today read Hebrews 11

It's amazing that while I think following Jesus should be easy, in reality it's a constant struggle of dying to myself and seeking him.  I love Php 3:12 it says in the second half of the verse "  but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."  That is such an encouragement to me.  That God has a purpose for my life.  It gives me the courage to continually die to the things that I want and the courage to take hold of the things he wants to give me.  As our family seeks after the purpose God has for us it has been a very growing time.  Bryan and I as well as our kids are learning more and more about faith. My encouragement to you is to continue to press into him he has amazing things planned for you :)

Saturday was the day. The crew was the family. The goal- 46 chickens in the freezer! We did it! 46 chickens in 4 1/2 hours.  That's roughly 6 min. per chicken :)  What a family!

I had an awesome time with my Dad this last week.  I am so humbled to see what God has done in restoring our relationship.  I LOVE it!   Our kids get Dad dates when my husband takes them out for dinner or ice cream or in the case of our son fishing:)  When my Dad was here he took me out for dinner and as we were getting ready to leave my youngest daughter pulled me aside and asked where we were going so I told her I was going on a Dad date it made perfect sense to me but she gave me a look like I had just sprouted horns and said "Mom, that's weird"  Oh well, her view aside we had a great time.

Just got home from Boise where Bryan and I shared our testimony at the Vineyard Celebrate Recovery.  It is such an awesome opportunity to remember everything that God has done.  Where we were, were he has brought us, and where he's taking us now.

Man the last week has been rough!  We have been working hard; getting wood, cleaning up the farm, all that kind of fun stuff.  But in the middle of all that God has been working so much in my heart.   He is showing me how much he provides what we need when we need it. He has also been showing me that I am still as screwed up as ever just in deeper place:) The neat thing is that as he reveals things he's also giving me the strength to repent and heal.  For instance yesterday as I was driving down the road I had a really critical thought about someone then in the same instant God showed me that there was a deeper issue that he wanted to work on in me.  After praying about it I realized that I have a low self worth and that when I think critically or judgmentally about someone I'm actually just trying to make myself feel better.  Kind sick hu? :)  The awesome thing is that I'm able to take that to the cross, repent, and ask God to show...

I'm sooooooo tired!  We got 3 cords of wood today.  I must say it is really nice to have kids old enough to help :)

WooHoo I LOVE getting a good deal!  I'm getting all my coupons together today to shop tomorrow.  For anyone interested in starting check out a few of my favorite websites. http://thekrazycouponlady.com/ http://athriftymom.com/ There are so many other sites I can't even begin to list them all.  Also if you facebook check out GV coupon queens

I couldn't ask my family to do something that I wouldn't do so I butchered our first chicken. Kinda..........

Yesterday I got a call from a friend saying that my cow was running down the middle of the road.  So I jumped onto my handy dandy ATV and roared off to find her.  I find her in my neighbors field with his cows and a Humongous bull!  So a got my lead rope and walked( very bravely I might add)  into the pasture to retrieve my cow.   Keeping a very close eye on the bull I got to about 20 feet away, and called "Lucy".  Lucy looked up at me with her beautiful big jersey eyes, mooed and  walked  over behind the bull.  She looked at me again and I swear she was laughing!  I go and talk to my neighbor and he said that the bull is really very gentle. OK, here we go again.  I walked confidently up to the herd of cows(animals can smell fear you know)  and the promptly ran to the other side of the pasture. 45 minutes later after a friends help and twisting my ankle by slipping in a cow pie I had my cow back into my poss...

So many things happen in my life I thought it would be a lot of fun to share them.  My family and I have an acre in the mountains that we are turning into a little farm.  I never thought that I would do something like this, but I LOVE it.  It started out as necessity as the economy has continued to get worse and worse.  My husband and I wanted to be sure that we would be able to feed our family.  Our first adventure was chickens for eggs, and meat.  We fell in love with the idea that we knew exactly what went into our meat and eggs.  Over the next two years we have grown to include; a dairy cow named Lucy, a pig named Chops, three rabbits, two dogs, a barn cat, close to fifty laying hens, and 40 meat chickens.  I know, I know, what can I say, I do nothing by halves.  Combined with all these animals we raise a garden, can, make cheese, butcher our animals ourselves, home school, and do 4H.  My daughter Kyla has six goats that she raises a...