The air is crisp, and as I look around, I can see a lot of progress being made on the farm. It finally feels like we are getting ahead of things, but if I’m being completely honest, getting to that seasonal rest always requires one final sprint.

This past week was exactly that—a total whirlwind.

We butchered our final round of chickens and turkeys for the year, and Caleb got a beef hanging too. It’s heavy, exhausting work, but there is so much gratitude in knowing the freezers are full. Right alongside that, we harvested the last of the tomatoes, grapes, and raspberries, put up square bales, cleaned and planted our einkorn, transplanted a new, large bed of strawberries, and started a small area of potato onions in the ground for next spring. Through all of it, the homeschooling didn’t stop either.

There was always a project going on the kitchen counter, whether it was the cheesecakes for Kailey’s upcoming wedding, cheese and butter from the enormous amount of milk coming in, or produce being processed along with all the scratch meals we make three times a day. We are also using our cookstove again, and I love the coziness that brings. It keeps me from feeling rushed because the oven is on all day and something is always cooking.

In the middle of the chaos, we hosted our fall party. We did an adventure costume theme, and Cory, Zachariah, and I dressed up as a traveling prairie family caught up in a gale storm. We also had a deep-sea diver, a cave explorer, a pilot, a lost tourist, a hot air balloonist, an astronaut, and a few others whose adventures had something to do with horses. We ate homemade chili and cinnamon rolls made with mostly ingredients from right here on the farm, did some dancing and singing, and played games.

It was a very full week, and I went to bed completely exhausted most nights, but honestly, I woke up every morning feeling energized and great.

Don’t get me wrong, our house is clean and organized, but weeks like this and different times of the day, it often explodes. It isn’t always neat, and it doesn’t look picture-perfect, but my secret is just multitasking everything to stack our efficiency and get things done. When things get crazy, I just try to reset and get everything put back in its place as quickly as possible before moving on to the next thing and try not to let it cause anxiety.

There is such a deep blessing in the harvest—in looking at the tangible results of a hard year’s work. But honestly, the biggest blessing right now is knowing that the quiet winter rest is just around the corner, bringing more time with my husband and extra time snuggled up with the kids reading.

If you are in your own chaotic sprint right now, just take a breath. It doesn’t have to look perfect to be a good life. The seasons always change, and rest is coming.

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