Treasuring the view, enjoying the moment!

This is the view out my back door..... LOVE our simple life.  However, sometimes we can loose focus on the blessings and get preoccupied with the struggles and frustrations.  Actually, this picture is a few years old... still the basic same view only now there are some wind turbines..... I need to do another "tour Tuesday" again.

I came across the following great reminder on Kristy's blog, little natural cottage.... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

We can enjoy life or we can survive life.

Our daily responses to the little things determine which it will be.

If the carpet is worn, vacuum it anyway.

If the furniture is old, dust it anyway.

If the linoleum is scuffed, sweep it anyway.

If the tub is stained, scour it anyway.

If the sink is leaky, clean it anyway.

If the toilet needs fixed, scrub it anyway.

If the bedspread needs updated, make your bed anyway.

If the rug is frayed, straighten it anyway.

If the pillows are lumpy, fluff them anyway.

If the clothes are out-of-date, iron them anyway.

If the shoes are cheap, shine them anyway.

If the closet is too small, organize it anyway.

If the dishes are chipped, wash them anyway.

If the table is rickety, wipe it anyway.

If the kids are fussy, hug them anyway.

If the hubby is cranky, kiss him anyway.

If the neighbors are loud, wave at them anyway.

If the clerk is rude, smile at her anyway.

IF LIFE IS LESS THAN PERFECT… ENJOY IT ANYWAY!

We can live in Order without perfection;

Peace without luxury,

and Joy without convenience.

Life is what you make of it… so do it anyway.

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING! Heather

Tour Tuesday.... Lean times but full pantry

I haven't don a TOUR TUESDAY in a long time and think I'm due to post one.... I haven't posted one since last summer!!

Thanksgiving through the first of the year are typically 'lean' times for my husband's work. Not too many folks are wanting new floors over the holidays so things slow down. He has had work (don't worry) but not compared to 'busy' times. We plan for these months by saving every penny we can during good times and have it for the lean ones. Another way that I prepare for the slower work months is by keeping a good food supply in my pantry (or pantries). I buy in bulk when it is on sale, I can fruit, veggies and meat, and I cook from scratch. The larder is full and we are going to be eating from it the entire month of January. I took these pictures back in September, but they my cupboards are still as full, just with a slightly different inventory. I always pull the older product to the front and place the new purchases in the back. It really is amazing how much you can save on the grocery bill by stocking up when prices are at their lowest. January's grocery budget will be slim... but no worries there is plenty to eat. I am going to participate in Money Saving Mom's 'Eat from the Pantry' challenge.

Anyway, for a little tour....
The first picture I am standing in the family room looking towards my kitchen (my back it facing our second bath/laundry room). The wood cabinet with the lace curtain is pantry #1! Below you can see the contents.... This yard sale cabinet has been with us for many years and has been used in multiple ways....

I LOVE old jars and use them as both decoration and for food storage.


We have a shelf in the laundry room that I store over flow of cereal and chips.
When I can get good deals on cereal I stalk up... if there isn't cold cereal the kids eat oatmeal, toast and peanut butter or pancakes from the freezer.












In my kitchen I have an island cupboard that is such a blessing... I can keep a few items that I use often while cooking.

Down in the basement I store canned goods and anything else that won't be damaged by moisture (even though we run a dehumidifier). Right now I also have home canned meat, squash and applesauce. I also hit a wonderful potato sale so we have about 30 lbs of potatoes to use up. It is so good to have a place to store these things. Notice the peanut butter stock pile... hey when it is on sale for $1/jar I take advantage!! :)





We have a nice closet next to our second bath. I am standing by the wooden pantry shelf looking the opposite way across the family room. I use this pantry to store everything from toilet paper and toiletries to pop, coffee and snacks. We make use of every storage option we have.

You can see a little of our *new* bathroom! Having 2 bathrooms with 6 people is WONDERFUL!! I am so blessed to have a husband with all the skills we need to do construction ourselves!

One last picture.... my beloved up right freezers out in the pole barn. No room in the house, but I don't mind having to go out to the barn..... I am BLESSED to have these babies!! It makes raising our own meat and hunting for deer possible... without them we couldn't do it. They aren't pretty, but they do their job.






I hope you have enjoyed my pantry tour! I will be posting more about our pantry eating challenge over the month of January. God is so GOOD!! I am always amazed at the deals he leads us to or how he provides meat. I am also blessed to have been well trained by my Mom and Grandmother in the art of cooking, canning, gardening and food storage.

I would love to see your pantries!! Let me know if you give a tour... I would love to stop by and take a look!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Simple Family Supper

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Tour Tuesday Wind farm pictures.... my new view

The wind farm is going up FAST! There are over 50 turbines up so far. This is the new view from my front yard.....







When I went for a quick walk this morning I had to run in and grab my camera... the turbines are hard to photograph... the grey color blends into the sky when I take pictures (I can see them JUST fine with my own eye).










They still have THREE to put up in the field bordering the south side of our property.... It is going to take some getting used to, but the good thing is that there will be NO other development out here so it will stay quiet and secluded.




Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Tour Tuesday!!!

It has been too long since I did a 'Tour Tuesday'! This afternoon I grabbed my camera and took a stroll through the garden. This is the biggest garden we have ever had...... I think that is a direct correlation to how *old* my children are... My youngest is FOUR!! My husband has also been helping me. We have enjoyed the time we have spent together out there.... His main job is to weed eat between the beds. This first picture was taken on my back steps... the view I see out my back door.


Here we are entering the garden at the 'front gate'....












Now looking in from the 'back gate'... you can see the back of the house off in the distance.
On the fence I have spaghetti squash, regular yellow squash and Zucchini growing..... YUMMY!



















The Tomatoes are growing like CRAZY!!!! Here I am standing behind the tomatoes... I am 5'9" and can barely see over them!!! If they produce as well as they have grown UP then we are in for a bumper crop!!


This year are garden is growing:
Tomatoes, squash (various kinds), lettuce, spinach, onions, peppers (various kinds), cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, cucumbers, green beans, sweat potatoes, mini gourds, birdhouse gourds, red raspberries and black berries.

I would LOVE to see your garden!! I am so enjoying the hours spent out there.... I feel so close to God and to my family while I am working with the plants. So now you can 'see' where I ENJOY part of my everyday!!!!

Now here is a BIG reason I LOVE the country life.... I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of some country visiting! You can see the wind turbines if you look in the back ground.... Good neighbors are such a BLESSING!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Tour Tuesday.... remodel eddtion

Remember Tour Tuesday?? It has been a long time, but here is one!

Pictures of our Weekend project! It is on-going... a few more weeks till it is all done, but we are making BIG headway!!!

Here is Chris teaching Ethan (almost 6) how to grout. Ethan is a "Hands on" guy.... He will learn the trade! It will be a good trade for him to know how to do even if it isn't how he provides for his family someday. Chris is a patient instructor!

Now Ethan is doing HIS part of grouting the wall tile on the end of the kitchen island! It has been tiled for over a year.... finally FINISHED with grout! Looks great! Now, on to tearing out the TROUBLE tile in the dining room.... this was already here when we purchased this place six years ago.... NEEDED to go... Bad!!! Chris had lots of help.....(ok, not really!). Wes hauled out all the chipped tile and dumped it in the trailer! He is really getting stronger... sorry, I didn't take any pics of my Wes..... oops!
After putting down the new sub floor, Chris framed in the new COAT closet and pantry. Robyn is helping him with some electrical work.Dry wall going up on the coat closet and pantry. The door in the middle leads to the current laundry room/storage room..... soon to be a SECOND bath/laundry room!!! Yee-Haw!! TWO bathrooms!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Tour Tuesday!!!

It is time for another edition of "Tour Tuesday"! I haven't done one for a while, but am ready to jump back in. Blogger isn't cooperating.... I can't get any pictures to upload... hope you all have better success! In the spirit of Tour Tuesday go HERE to my previous blog to go on a "tour" of my big 8 point monster buck I got last fall!!! God is SOOO Good!!!!!!

THANK YOU, Tammi, for creating the "Tour Tuesday" button! She knows I am NOT computer savvy!!! She is also the one that made the Simple Family Supper button! It has been a blessing to meet wonderful people through blogging!

Join me in Tour Tuesday! Give us a "tour" of something (anything) in your life and leave a link!
I am looking forward to visiting!




Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

*** Update.... If you read the "monster buck" post you know how wonderful our God is at protecting us! We weren't able to use any meat from that deer.... just too bruised up from the crash.... locally I have gotten to be known as the woman that took out that BIG (record book size) buck with her car! The picture got forwarded and forwarded around in emails! In fact just a couple of weeks ago someone asked me if I was the lady that hit the big buck! Not really the reputation I want... wouldn't mind it if I took it down the "right way"! It has been a great way to share about God's protection in our life.... Turning everything into Good through GOD! ******

Tour Tuesday

Tour Tuesday!

I'm a little late getting it up...I 'm sorry! I was up LATE last night making strawberry jam (more on that later) and I crashed in bed when I was done!

Tour Tuesday is a chance to exercise my God given nosiness! Go here to see the last addition of Tour Tuesday. I have always loved to see how others live, what their homes are like, what their gardens are like, what their barns, etc.........
I enjoy giving you a glimpse into my life and I love getting peeks into yours! So, here is this weeks tour... join in with your own... follow directions at end of post!

Here is my **NEW** (to me) car! It gets a TON better gas mileage than my suburban. I had been exclusively driving the gas hog for a couple of months and NEEDED to replace my van. God is soooo good. This was a GOD find! It is a 1993 Ford Taurus with only 74,ooo miles on it! It is in fantastic shape... just needs new back brakes. It has never been owned by a family with kids... I made sure to take pics of the inside, it will never be the same again! LOL! We were blessed to find this deal...$900 cash! NO CAR PAYMENT! Our goal is to be DEBT FREE! We haven't had a car payment in almost 2 years!

Summer is officially here.... at least according to me! Summer is officially here because my hubby put in the screen doors. This is the front door. I just love letting in the fresh air.















Now here is the back door with the screen in it! I just love the view.....


















We get really great cross ventilation in our 1911 home... we haven't used the air yet, and don't plan to for a long time. We count the days we run the air and really try to keep them to a minimum. These old homes were designed to stay cool. We also have GREAT shade trees all around that really help keep the hot sun out. In fact I have my SHADE loving plants planted on the WEST side of our house because the trees have it COMPLETELY shaded.

This picture of my bathroom window always brings back fond memories of my childhood. I spent a lot of time at my Dad's parents house.... Grandma had this style of white curtains in her bathroom. The breeze would blow in just like this! It is fun to have things in my home that evoke great memories from my childhood.... it makes me wonder what things my kids will remember!



If washing your hair in rain water makes it extra soft... will having your clothes rinsed in rain water do the same for them???? This rain shower came out of nowhere! The kids were out in the pasture and by the time they got in they were soaked! My poor clothes... I'm sure that they were dry!






Well, this brings us to the end of my tour... I am looking forward to yours. Just post a tour of some part of your life on your blog and then put a link on Mr. Linky. I would just appreciate you including a link back to here on your post.




Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

Summer is here! Don't stress about supper!
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com
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Tour Tuesday... will be back NEXT week!

This week I am a little extra busy having a lot of extra FUN!
My niece and nephew are spending the week here with us and attending VBS with our kids. We have been having a GREAT time! Go here to see last week's addition of Tour Tuesday.

Please join me next week for another addition of "Tour Tuesday"... I really enjoy going on your tours! I have been taking a ton of pictures.... I will have plenty to show you next week!

Have a BLESSED day, BE a BLESSING!
Heather

www.simplefamilysupper.com

Tour Tuesday

Tour Tuesday is here again!! I hope you have all had a wonderful memorial day weekend! To see last week's addition of Tour Tuesday click here. I will forever be a "nosy" person! I love to see into others lives and don't mind sharing some of mine.... lets just keep our "dirty laundry" piles to ourselves.... though my laundry is more caught up right now than it has been for a while! (YEAH!)



My husband and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on Sunday.
When I was growing up I prayed for two things relating to my future husband: I prayed that he would be taller than me and that he wouldn't be a dairy farmer..... ( my grandfather was a dairy farmer and my uncle still is.... dairy farmers never get a day off. For some reason cows want milked every day.. twice a day at that! The nerve!!! Next time you drink a glass of milk send up a little prayer for dairy farmers... they are one dedicated bunch.)
God has a sense of humor, Chris is 6' 6"!!! He is a country boy, going "farmer", but isn't and never will be a dairy farmer! God truly blessed me with this man!
Last Thursday we went on a "get-away" of sorts! Thank you again, Mary Lou! (My mother in law stayed with the kids over night).


While Chris and I were on our "get away" we went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. We realized we haven't been to a movie (just the 2 of us... no kids) since we got married!!! WOW! We enjoyed our selves and even treated us with a BIG tub of popcorn (with butter) and 2 large cokes. (a splurge for sure... but once every 12 years is probably affordable!)









We came home and went FISHING with the kids Friday night! The blue gill were really biting!
Here is Ethan with his first catch of the year....










Here is Robyn.... waiting for a bite.... she can now bait her hook and take the fish off!!! She caught several!











Wes with one of 2 Bass he caught (in addition to several blue gill).



















Nate and I with his FIRST fish!!!!!!
He LOVED the experience and caught about 6 total!!!! He did a great job. He didn't want to leave.... I think it is official: all the kids love to fish!












The "MESS" of fish!! We packaged it up to save for a big fish fry.















Here is the mystery of the week: When we went to bed the bags were in perfect condition. When we got up in the morning the top soil bags were torn open.... What type of creature would do this??????? Any ideas??





Some fresh bread!!! I am enjoying this recipe. It is easy to mix up and is yummy!!!!











The iris opened up this week!


















Nate sure does love his dog! I think it is mutual!














Here we are at the back of the barn... facing towards the road (see the house in the upper left corner? My garden is in the fenced in area on the left.)

Remember what this area looked like last week? The mess of tangled roots is gone! We spent pretty much the entire rest of the weekend working back there. We had to drag away the roots, fill in the holes, smooth over the surface and clear out some random junk. Then hubby cut open the barn to create a door to the barn and he built the corral!!! The stall he cut access to was FULL, I mean FULL, of old rotten hay. It took 3 pick-up loads to haul it all out.

We are getting some cows in about a month... getting ready! I TOTALLY understand why pioneers could eat butter, eggs, bacon and potatoes everyday..... if I worked this hard day in and day out I would, too!


My handsome hubby working away on the corral. He is the hardest working man I know... he works circles around me and I am no wimp! I can't believe how much we got done this weekend!










Wes helping his Dad!














Isn't this the life???!!!! They don't have to fork out hundreds to lay in the mud... they get "spa treatment" everyday! I tell you what, nothing tastes quit as good as meat raised on your own property!








OK.... What kind of eggs am I going to get today??? This is what I found when I went to get the eggs!!!! I guess the cats have finally found out how comfortable the coop is! LOL!!!








I hope you have enjoyed this week's addition of "Tour Tuesday"! I can't wait to go on your tour!! Post a tour on your blog and leave your link!

Have a BLESSED day!
Be a BLESSING!
Heather




It is 5 o'clock.... What is for supper???
To end this daily stress join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com

Tour Tuesday

It's TUESDAY!!! Yeah, time for another "Tour Tuesday"! If you are like me, you are nosy! I love to see what others are up to, what their homes, yards, animals, barns, homesteads, gardens, etc are like! Here is your chance to see some more into my life and to let us have a peak into yours! Please just don't show us your dirty laundry... I have enough of my own! Go here to see last weeks addition of Tour Tuesday where I showed you all how I "see" my Grandmother throughout our home!

OK... here we go with this week's tour! We HAVE to be outside... no way am I posting inside pictures of my house this week. I CRAVE weather like this all winter..... now that it is here you won't find me inside (till dark)! My house is a disaster, but the yard is looking great (and I am ENJOYING myself)!



This is my best friend! MY shovel! Nobody better mess with it! My hubby sharpens it every year for me, so I have to be careful.







Here is one of my flower beds.... I found the barrel at a garage sale this spring. The wheel came from my Grandma (see last week's post) when she moved away from the family homestead. I'm not sure what it was originally used for, but I like having it in my yard.






The garden is starting to grow... though you can't see much yet..... the strawberries are in FULL bloom (the bottom left). I am having visions of strawberry shortcake, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry jam, strawberry Sundays, ..... oh, yeah... more tour!

I also planted two 150 feet rows of sweet corn. The farmers that farm the fields around us have been generous enough to let us put some sweet corn along the edge of their field!



This snow ball bush is outside my kitchen window... it is LOADED right now!!!!


















Behind the barn.... there used to be a ton of trees right up to the back of the barn.... my hubby cut all but one of the biggest ones down this spring. We were left with a bunch of stumps and roots that needed removed. The farmers that farm the land around us did us a HUGE favor by ripping them out with their back hoe!!!! THANK YOU, Browns!!!


We now have THREE pigs!!! Pork chop isn't lonely anymore. They lined up nicely for this picture.... smallest to largest.... Mr. Ham, Miss BBQ and Miss Pork Chop. They are growing great!








Here are "my girls"! The chicks aren't so little anymore.... They are enjoying the nice weather, too.

















Our neighbor used to have chickens a long time ago.... she gave us this perch this week. Hubby did some repair work on it and then we moved it in.... They are enjoying it.








OK... here is a picture of the harsh realities of country life.... one of my baby chicks got out... this is what I found the next morning.....











Lets end on a happier note! Last Wednesday night my Ethan "Graduated" from Preschool. Ethan had a wonderful year at preschool and enjoyed his program. I am always impressed with the songs and poems the kids recite... this year I was AMAZED.... Ethan participated in his first bell choir!












Well, we have reached the end of another "tour"! I invite you to participate! I enjoy your tours very much!!! Go post a tour and leave your link!!! Have a great day!
Heather




With weather like this I won't be spending very much time in the kitchen.... but my family won't go hungry! I have my menus planned and the meals are easy! Join me at www.simplefamilysupper.com