Mother's Day

 Mother's Day can be such a beautiful day for many people, but I always think of the moms that have suffered losses of children, either in pregnancy, at birth, or at some point in the childs' life.  My heart breaks for them each year as they see others celebrating today. I want to wish each of you that are fortunate enough to have your children a Happy Mother's Day, but I also want those of you that have suffered the loss to know that our prayers are with you today. 

I also wanted to share a poem that I read today. 

Daily Thought

Life cannot make me treasure weeds--

I love each moment's flower--

nor do I feed on future's needs

but feast on present hour. 

No fearful tear will ever last

though hostile storms do glower

because the clouds of shadowed past

grow bright in new hope's power...

as darkness is forever gone

when earth has welcomed rising dawn.

Eugene G. E. Botelho

Reader Update

 Hi! I'm hoping with this post I can catch you all up on life around the funny farm. 

My mom is still battling the infection that sent her to the ER. Fights with insurance has been the norm here and since we could not keep her in the Rehab center, I had to admit her to the facility to be placed into skilled nursing. She can not safely come home and be here if she would be alone. I am hoping this is a temporary placing, but I truly am not sure. 

The farm is busy. We have added some new chickens ( which is another story) and some more turkeys. We have built a turkey coop and we have made some rabbit hutches home to some new chickens for the time being. I have quail eggs and I am hoping to purchase an incubator that will allow me to raise some of my own and hopefully sell a few chickens as well. 

The garden is planted and I am working on finding a spot that I feel comfortable having a compost bin. I am also planning to add some new wildflowers to the homestead and I am learning some more about making some new jams and jellies. My daughter has made dandelion syrup, rosebud jelly, and a couple of other interesting items recently that I may learn to do as well. 

I am reading up on how to can as I have never done that other than once with my daughter. I am hoping to can several things this year and I hope to have a wonderful harvest so that we are able to eat from the garden most of the winter. With food prices rising and the price of so many other things increasing almost daily it seems, we need to do our part on learning to do more of our own. Of course, my husband can hunt and so the meat sources are not going to be an issue if needed. 

We are making some changes to our barn as well. Since we no longer have horses, I am hoping to add a goat or two and another cow to the farm. I would also like to have sheep, although I don't know much about them. I do know sheep farmers though and I am sure I could learn a lot. I truly am wanting to become a much better homesteader this year. Life has just gotten in the way so much. 

My office is ready for my Pink Zebra stuff to be moved into. It is not fully finished, but it is enough that I can start the process. Events seem to not be as successful at the moment and the economy is the biggest hurdle at the moment. We have our annual reunion (training) in July and I am excited to be going and my best friends are going with me. 

Well, the husband is up and wanting to ask questions about what I have accomplished with chickens and the home today, so I will close for now. I will be reading many of your blogs today though. Take care! 

Book Review: the Coffee Corner - An Amish Marketplace Novel - By Amy Clipston

Hello! I may finally be able to get back to doing the things that make me happy. Writing my blog, reading what my friends here write and reading. I have finished a couple of books and I want to share that here as well as on Good Reads. 

The Coffee Corner by Amy Clipston is book 3 of a 4 part series of Amish Marketplace books and I must say one of the most interesting books I have read recently. I am finding that my love for Amish stories continues to grow with each book that I read. Here is the review that I briefly wrote for Good Reads. 

Amy Clipston has completed yet another great story and I am already looking forward to reading other books by her as well. There is one last Amish Marketplace book in this series of 4 and I will be anxious to read it next.

Bethany Gingerich works hard along with her cousins at the Amish Marketplace each week. Each one offers something different in their booths, but they love that they are able to see each other and chat each week. Bethany loves her Coffee Corner, but feels that she will never find the love that her cousins have found.

Micah Zook has came to live with his grandfather because he is treated poorly by his dad. Enos, his granddad, is his best friend and Micah is thrilled to be there. Micah and Enos routinely visit Bethany at her Coffee Corner and she quickly realizes that she cares for Micah a great deal. What she doesn't know is that Micah is struggling with the treatment he has received from his father as well as the love of a former fiancé.

When Bethany misses the two Zook men one Saturday, she instantly knows something is wrong, but she is not prepared for the tragedy that has struck. She knows that Micah needs her friendship more than ever, but can his heart handle a friendship at the moment. As Micah learns that truth about the business he has shared with his grandfather, he soon believes that alcohol will heal his pain and that leaving the very place he has loved so much are the answers he makes plans to sell the business, farm, and leave Bethany for good.

Can Bethany's love for Micah save him? Can Micah's own heartbreak be fixed before it is too late?

Not Missing In Action

 Hello readers! No, I am not MIA. Yes, I have been for several weeks as I was fighting an illness and now I am in the midst of another health issue, but not one of my own. Although, my husband and I are both feeling quite badly with a sinus infection and allergies. The biggest issue is my mom is in the hospital and is very sick.

A week ago Sunday, I called an ambulance to take her to the hospital as she could not get out of bed. She was admitted and it was discovered that she had a Strep A infection in her bloodstream and in her back. She is in severe pain, but is not willing to take the chance of having surgery to drain the infection in her back. She is being treated with IV antibiotics and her vitals are better, but she is in a lot of pain. IV treatment is recommended for 12 to 20 weeks and the doctors are not sure it will give much relief.

As of yesterday, she was being transferred from the hospital to continue to treat the infection and so I made the decision that she will go to a rehab facility due to the care that she will need. I am not thrilled about that decision, but feel that it is the safest and best decision to make at the moment. Due to the IV treatment and the other issues that we are dealing with. 

She is very weak and physical therapy believes that she needs more care than can be given at home. I am very worried as to what we do if the treatment does not attack the infection in the spine. I am afraid at that time that we may have to make a hard decision as to what we do at that point to keep her comfortable. 

I appreciate any prayers or good vibes that you can send for her. Many of you were here when she ruptured her esophagus several years ago and we about lost her then. She is tough, but her age is certainly playing against her in this battle. 

Blog 365 Destroyed , but Feeling Better

 Well, after a long time of being sick with some kind of infection that spread throughout my body, I can finally say that I am feeling better. I have to apologize though as I was really trying to do the Blog 365, but I just destroyed that plan as I was too sick to write. 

I intend to write daily again, but we will see how my health allows that. The doctor truly is not sure of what was going on, but I have taken 6 different antibiotics and here I am feeling a bit better, but not 100% myself. I am thankful that I was feeling well enough to do something with my granddoll while she was on spring break!

Well, I better close this and rest again, but I wanted to do a quick update on my health.

Mar 16 - Sick Again

 Hello! It  is Thursday and I am sick again. I have some kind of infection that seems to be attacking multiple places at once. I have a UTI, swollen glands in my neck, and multiple other issues. I feel really bad and I have been sleeping a lot.

I am supposed to go to a hockey game tomorrow with my daughter, son -in-law and my oldest granddaughter. I am super excited about going as I have never been to a professional hockey game. I hope to go, but we will see how I feel tomorrow. Antibiotics all day today and drinking water and cranberry juice and I hope I will feel better. 

I need to be busy planning my daughter's baby shower, but I am just not feeling up to it at this point. I have to get it done before we get so busy that we can't get it planned or worked into the schedule. Summer gets busy with vendor shows and all that comes with that. 

Well, I will leave you with a thought for today.

Wednesday Craft Day - Easter Rabbit Tray

Pink Zebra has offered me a job for 8 years that allows me to travel with my grandkids and enjoy being home. It has allowed me to homeschool my grand for one year and it has given my family an added income. I love the company values and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a way to make some extra money. 
 

I decided that I would use the garden rabbit shade to make a nice Easter tray for a centerpiece for our table. The above photo is the finished product. It shows just how versatile these shades are. Remember our shades are made to go over our Simmering Lights, but I gave it a whole new look doing this. 

I started with this. Our amazing Garden Rabbit Shade. It is a rather large shade and I think there are many options for it. I have seen people use it as a kitchen gadget holder, a flower vase holder , and just as a nice rabbit decoration. I had other ideas though. 

This is how it is normally used. You simply place it over one of our Simmering Lights. It just changes the look of the light and allows you to make it a more seasonal décor for your home. 

It is nice both ways. When I seen it though, I knew I wanted to make it into a centerpiece for my table. I simply added a piece of green felt to the bottom of my tobacco basket, I added some carrots and three small green bunnies that I purchased from Dollar Tree, added the flowers that I had here at home in other buckets and vases and added a string of battery operated fairy lights to add a little color and light to it. I think it is the perfect centerpiece. What do you think?

Farm Chores for the Day

 With all the new happenings here on the farm, I am finding that I have more chores to do. We got two new roosters last night and so they needed to be added to the chicken coop today, but one of our roosters had to be taken out as he did not want new roosters in his pen. So rooster sitting was added to my list for a bit. 

The new coop requires that cleaning is done more often and it also means that we check the heat lamp daily and we check for eggs a little more often now as well. I don't need to, but I just enjoy checking them more often. I finally got an egg gathering apron and I was anxious to use it! 

We have 24 baby chicks as well, so that means that we must do a little more feeding as well. It also means checking that they are all thriving in their new homes. Just like having a small child- they need to be checked on a fairly regular schedule. There is medicated feed to be given to them and fresh water more often than the bigger chickens. 

Of course, there are still many chores around home as well as with the dog and the rabbits. Farm life is a busy life, but I would not trade it for anything!

Happy Homemaker Monday - Mar. 13,2023

 Good Afternoon! What a busy day it has been here on the old funny farm. I am exhausted just thinking of all that I have accomplished since 6 a.m. I realized that I had to get my Happy Homemaker post written though or it would be Tuesday instead. Happy Homemaker is a series of posts by women that are proud to be homemakers and it is hosted each week by Sandra at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom

*** THE WEATHER***

Cold, snowy and truly not looking like it did just a week or so ago when it seemed as though spring was here. I am very disappointed with the weather, but I know Mother Nature is testing us to see how upset she can possibly make us before spring gets here. I just hope that she has not destroyed all of my beautiful flowers that were starting to bloom. 

*** AS I LOOK OUT MY WINDOW ***

Gloomy, snow flurries and windy. What more could you possibly say about winter. It looks cold outside. I do see a cardinal on the bird feeder and I believe it is shivering where it sits. 

*** RIGHT NOW I AM *** & *** THINKING***

I have dinner in the crockpot. I feel it is a good day for beef stew. I also hear the washer as it is spinning wildly, finishing up a blanket that had to be washed as one of the hedgehogs pooped on it this morning as my grandbaby was playing with the cute little stinker. I also am writing this and thinking about the rest that I have to do and when I might get it accomplished.

*** ON MY TV ***

I have discovered a new series on Netflix that I am enjoying.  Sweet Magnolias is the name of it and I am really enjoying it. I believe there are two seasons, but I have only watched 4 or 5 episodes so far. 

*** ON THE MENU ***

Today is beef stew and corn bread , Banana Cream Pie for dessert

Tuesday -  Fish and Macaroni and Cheese, Peas

Wednesday - Balsamic Chicken Sheet Pan dinner

Thursday - Taco Salad or Tamales

I will be at my daughters on Friday and Saturday as we are going to a hockey game on Friday night and we will be going to hear the Booth Brothers on Saturday evening.

*** ON MY READING LIST ***

I am currently finished with the Trouble in Texas series that I was reading and I am happy to say I enjoyed all three books. Now I am reading :

I am finding it to be funny and very interesting to learn more as to how she got her start in acting. She is such a talented woman and many female actresses owe a lot to her and those that blazed the path early on in this field. 

*** MY TO DO LIST ***

I certainly do not want to overwhelm any of you so I will just list what I need to finish today.

* Laundry - 2 loads

*5 sample packs to prepare for mailing for PZ customers

*1 order to package and mail

*Cornbread to make

* dishes to do

* papers to look over for the granddoll

* change bed linens on one bed

* sweep the kitchen and dining room after dinner

* egg cartons to date 

* shower

* Bible Study

* email a friend 

*** CRAFTING ***

No time this week. I will include my plans here. I am working tomorrow through Friday and then travel to my daughter's house. Hockey game Friday night, kids sale Saturday morning, Booth Brothers on Saturday evening, come home Sunday morning, 

*** LOOKING AROUND ***

I see a bit of dirt on the floor, a desk that needs cleaned off, and a couch that I would love to be sitting on reading my book. No time for that either, I am sure. 

*** FROM THE CAMERA***

A bottle of Soaks from PZ. This is our Green Tea and Lemongrass and it is great for mosquitos in the summer time. You can spray it on your clothes, skin, etc. It is safe to use, even on pets. 

*** PRAYER LIST ***

My granddolls' class as it seems many have been out sick recently.

World peace

decisions that I need to make on an unspoken area right now

parents of missing children to get the answers that they need

*** BIBLE ***

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35 (KJV)

Just a reminder to follow Sandra with this series as well as the Blog 365 she is hosting. Blogging 365 days in a year may be tough, but some of us are convinced we can do it. 

Sunday Smiles

 Good Sunday Morning from the farm! I am happy to say that I am feeling better , but not happy to say that we woke to snow. Only a bit and nothing on the roads, mainly just wet and on grass, trees, and other surfaces. It worries me that we have flowers blooming and now we have snow on them. I pray it does not kill my tulips or lilies, as I did not get them covered last night.

Anyway, Sunday is about God and family. I like to share something to make you smile here on Sunday so I hope this helps.

Still sick - 3-10-23

Still sick and have my first vendor show for tomorrow, so I guess today is all about letting my daughter take control and do the work that I would have done. 

I wish you all the best of good health. It is hard to be sick when so many people need you and you know that you need to be more accountable. I have learned that I must rest when I am sick though. So off I go back to bed to rest.