Here We Go Again!

Whenever I feel the crispiness of Autumn in the air, an internal alarm begins to signal: "It's Starting!" Well, the "It" used to be school, and in a year, that will be the "It" again when Elias catches up to age 5 and kindergarten. This year, thankfully, "It" is not school. "It" isn't anything, really. "It" is just a feeling I get at this time of year. So I decided that "It" would be the start of my blogging again.

I overwhelmed myself with the subject I attempted to begin blogging about in my last post. The first, oh, five or so times I thought about sitting down and writing about temptations, I found a reason to not do so. Then, spring, vacation, summer hit me in the head like an open cabinet one forgot to close prior to bending down to pick something up--WHAM! UGH!...Ouch, that REALLY hurt. Not that the past two seasons have been bad. Not in the least. They've been a lot of work. They've come and gone--FAST. We have reaped and are reaping much fruit (from our farm and local farms near us). Vegetables (beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, collards, swiss chard, peas, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, beets, turnips, corn) and fruits (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, plums).

Last April we butchered the 14 cornish cross chickens we raised in our back yard for 8 weeks. In July, we butchered our two roosters, that we hatched from our very own, and dear hen's eggs last February. We sold our goats (those rascals) on the day we left for our vacation (literally a few hours before our airplane departed), and picked up two lambs (literally a few hours post-vacation airplane arrival). Our order for two pigs this autumn is in and paid for. The freezer filled in the spring with Mr. Pettitoes, local-pastured beef, and whole chickens is now only 1/3 meat, and 2/3 berries, with a little room to spare for apples, lamb, peaches, and maybe another few gallons of blackberries if I can eek out another picking in the orchard below us which belongs to Shirley, our neighbor.

Practically, I've learned a lot, too. I've been using techniques described in How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons, involving "double digging", raised garden beds, composting, and companion planting. Paired with great sun and warmth, these gardening methods will forever be tools in my farming belt, or should I say overalls? wheelbarrow? I don't know. In any case, I won't be hanging up my farming belt or wheelbarrow or overalls or muckboots anytime soon. I really truly enjoy working our small farm and I am looking forward to trying out new winter gardening techniques come the dreary gray autumn so near at hand to us here in the world of the Pacific Northwest.

In addition, I recently read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and feel inspired-- inspired to grow and nurture and learn and understand what is feeding me, and my family. I grew up in a "farming" family, in a way. So many of my childhood memories are filled with playing (sometimes working) near my parents and grandparents at Grandma and Grandpa, Jack and Lenny Hovde's Christmas Tree Farm. Dustin has some great stories about barely escaping the sow hog at his grandmother's house (think:four second-grade boy cousins, sneaking into the pen, and clambering under barbed wire just-in-the-nick-of-time before Mrs. Sow chomps or tramples you...yikes!). The Christmas Tree Farm provides helpful income. Mamaw and Papaw still plant and put many pounds of fruits and vegetables for food throughout the year.

For whatever reason, both Dustin and I have a developing, perhaps even deeply-seeded drive within us to farm. Unless God's calling is clear, it is unlikely that we will ever settle into a chicken-less suburban neighborhood...and if we do...watch out! Over the past two years we've lived in this suburban neigborhood (which never was completely chicken-less) I've gone from hearing our roosters crow, to hearing what I think are five different crows coming from different directions and distances. And from talking with and touring neighbors' back yards, I'm pretty sure I'm right. Not that our family has been the driving force in the surge of neighborly chickens. No, "local" food and backyard farming is so en vogue right now (at least among those I rub shoulders with) its no wonder my ears have discovered this crowing trend. I wonder how long it will stick around?

In my opinion, I hope this trend is here to stay, and grow. In all honesty, I am still the cheapskate, convenience consumer I have always been. I can't pass up Old Navy's "extra-50% off clearance" sale, for example. But, my hope is that it becomes more convenient for me to buy the local small farmer milk, vs. the 1,000 mile away milk at my favorite grocery store. There are many changes still to be made in my purchase choices, and the changes we have made have been slow, sometimes sporadic, but, nevertheless, manageable (which is a vital factor, especially when parenting three wee-ones). All in all, I feel I'm in a continual process of de-cluttering--my living room, my grocery list, my mind, my heart, my soul.

Yes, decluttering my heart and soul.
Titus 3: 4- 7 " But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous thins we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
Oh how often do I have de-clutter my heart. Have you ever realized you've twisted the Gospel in your heart and mind? I have. It typically takes me 30+ minutes to fall asleep at night, even when I'm really tired, so I have a lot of time to think. It's usually during these times that I realize I've "exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25). Most of the time, I'm worshiping myself (either internally gloating about nice I am or wallowing in my lackings or sin--in both states, neglecting to glorify and fear God). I easily trip into a "works-based" religion, that it is my good works that make me "more righteous" or shortcomings that make me a sinner. That concept a lie. I am a sinner by nature, inherited from Adam. Even in my most self-sacrificing and loving moments my heart (and yours) is deceitful and self-centered. But, it is "by one man's [Jesus Christ's] obedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19).

In Wayne Grudem's book, Systematic Theology, he states that it "is essential to the heart of the gospel to insist that God declares us to be just or righteous not on the basis of our actual condition of righteousness or holiness, but rather on the basis of Christ's perfect righteousness, which he thinks of as belonging to us." And, in the words of the apostle Paul: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 5:1.

So, as I seek to declutter and simplify my heart, my home, my money-spending, our farm operations, may I do it all remembering Christ, and with a grateful heart. Thanks for reading through this long post. And hopefully, I'll post more often about our farm and life ventures.

Temptations

In The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, he writes "No one is completely free of temptations because the source of temptation is in ourselves. We were born in sinful desire. When one timeptaion passes, another is on its way. We will always have temptation because we are sinners who lost our original innocence in the Garden."

I would like to meditate and reflect over the next month on temptation--in general, and in my own life and how God provides a way out for us in every temptation that we face.

January

Here are a few snapshots of what I've seen around my home this past month: Elias in our backyard: stick and sword in hand--a dangerous combo
One of our Barred-Rock Hens peering into our house from the deck

Red the Rooster and Henny Penny...a courtship not to be separated (or Red will attack you)

Elias in the January Sun

Nearly every morning, Elias awakes before me, comes into Mommy and Daddy's room and whispers in my ear "Mommy, I'm hungry for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich"...here he is making it so early in the a.m.

Adventures

Elias LOVES to hold Georgia in his lap! She likes it too.

Jillian playing "Princess"

Jillian loves to dance in this Princess Dress from Pop Pop and Emmy Rudolph (the dress has a built in music box that plays "Swan Lake" when the person wearing it dances--a little girl's dream!).

Last Saturday I had the fun of spending the day in Seattle with my dear friend Rebecca Jones. We roamed all over downtown together in the January sun, had time to laugh, chit chat, and catch up. We even went to Nordstrom to look for a pair of shoes for an upcoming event in which Becky is to take part. I felt very unsophisticated at this store, wearing REI, toting an infant in a carseat, and a two year old bolting this way and that. Plus, Steve Madden was there...THE Steve Madden shoe guy sporting a dorky pair of faded jeans atop a pair of pointy black shiny shoes. I have one pair of pumps. They are black. They are Steve Madden. This personal fact made it a little interesting to see the designer in person.

It was also interesting to browse the clearance rack at Nordstrom. I saw a sign advertising "50-60% off original prices"--an advertisement to which I am drawn like dust to a ceiling fan. I found a shoe I liked the look of...but it was a little out of my price range, even with the discount ($369.00 after 60% off).

Jillian and I had lots of fun while Becky modeled shoes. We rode escalators, elevators (a thrill for Jilly who found them to make her dizzy...which made her want to ride them over and over). Jillian also got to get a make-over at bareescentuals.

While I was feeling unsophisticated in Nordstrom, Dustin was experiencing the opposite feeling while hanging out with Elias, Elijah and Makaio. Dustin and Elijah took their boys to just about the ultimate Father/Son event ever: Monster Jam. They had a great time, and Monster Trucks are now ranked as fun to play with as Lightning McQueen Pixar Cars at our house.

It was a fun weekend.

Snow Cream

This is snow cream. Dustin introduced me to it our first year of marriage. It snowed a bunch that year. I remember snowboarding down the driveway to our apartment. Pre-kids, just a couple of kids, in married bliss, playing in the snow together. Playing in the snow with Dustin is one of my sentiments because I first developed a crush on him during our snowboarding excursions throughout the winter of 2000-2001 while we both went to Seattle Pacific University. Sometimes I still get those little "crush" butterflies when I see him trapsing through snow in his snow clothes. Cheesy, TMI, I know. But its true.

Here is that delicious creation: Vanilla Snow Cream. To make, scoop loads of clean, fresh, white snow into a large container or big bowl. Add a little milk, a lot of vanilla extract, and a little sugar to taste. Mix it all up (preferrably outside where its cold so it doesn't melt too quickly). Then eat!

Happy New Year!

I have that empty feeling I usually get after Christmas ends or after snow melts away! This New Year is a double whammie! The snow is gone and Christmas 2008 is a memory stored in my mind and on the "J" drive of my computer (the extra memory drive where we store all of our family pics. It's called Maxtor).
We had a really great Christmas season this year. We celebrated Christ's Birth in many ways and I feel that it is always a challenge to remember that this is why we celebrate Christmas.
Here is a list or our season highlights:
Hovde Tree Farm days
Christmas Dinner at church
Christmas Shopping on Amazon
Decorating our home with a Christmas Tree, Laurel Wreaths, and lots of red "shatterproof" ball ornaments
Lining our Driveway with Christmas Lights with the kids
Advent Calendar countdown
Nick and Sarah Kheriaty visit us
Christmas Eve (at Grammie and Grandpa's and at GiGi's)
Christmas Morning at Home (ahhh....home is best)
Our baby chick hatched on Christmas morning! Its name is appropriately "Christmas".
Christmas Dinner at Greatgrandma and Greatgrandpa's
The Rudolph's arrive in the Northwest the day after Christmas!
Dec. 27th Rudolph Family Christmas!
Board Game Day!
Elias' first ski day with Dad!
Rudolph family leaves :(
Visit Shoreline to see the Cabiles'
New Years Eve @ the Tarrells
New Years Day Brunch at Grammie and Grandpa's with David and Sarah.
I really truly enjoyed this busy season. Not that we don't have our moments of being marred by the curse of sin, but as we are married longer, Dustin and I are growing closer. We have the same vision, same goal for our family (to magnify Christ) and in desiring that end, we both seek to serve each other and our family. Dustin is kind, patient, trustworthy and loving toward me. He leads me confidently and firmly. I really like that. I really need that. It is a joy for me to submit to his headship in our marriage because of how he leads us. And when I submit to his headship, it is a joy for him to be the leader.

I will post some new photos of our family tomorrow.
For now, a thousand words will have to create the picture of the Rudolph Christmas Season.