The farm is covered in a blanket of fresh, clean snow. The sun is shining, the air is still and cold, and the sheep, cows, and goats are lying together on a carpet of clean hay, chewing their cud, and quietly basking in the sun. They are rudely interrupted as I make the rounds to check and observe the health of everything, making a little extra noise to ensure two of the calves aren’t dead, because they are so relaxed. The chickens pull back some of the hay to discover what’s hiding underneath. Even the pigs have decided to sprawl out in the hay outside their shelter to enjoy the sun’s rays. They are oblivious to the impending blizzard. It is winter, and it’s days like this that make us excited for spring, but we know that the time will come too quickly, so we enjoy today and give thanks in all things. We also utilize this time to plan for the growing season and keep pushing forward on the house projects.

Several of the mornings in February have been so frigid that the milk freezes to the side of the milk bucket during milking. My pinkies and toes are frozen and numb by the end, and the water is frozen solid at the top of the tank, but I have made up my mind to be thankful. Thankful for the barn that shelters us from the wind, the warm outerwear and layers that keep the body heat inside, the tools to break the ice, and especially the cozy, comfortable home to return to with the fire burning. We are especially grateful for the benefits we have reaped from having our own milk cow, and Lord willing, my hope is to milk year around from this day forward.

Despite the fact that we are in the dead of winter, our sweet, milk cow is giving us about 2 gallons of milk per day. This is a small amount compared to the 10 gallons most dairies get from their cows, but we have smaller, old fashioned Jersey milk cows that are perfect for our small family farm and our values. Some of the larger sized Jerseys will produce 3 to five 5 gallons of milk per day and require grain.  With our cow’s smaller size, and the fact that we never feed grain, our milk production is lower. We believe this may increase again once she is on pasture. During the winter we feed good quality hay that we raised last summer on our farm and natural minerals. We buy organic alfalfa pellets to feed on top of a little hay that keeps her busy during milking and eager to come inside the barn. Our butter is still yellow despite the fact that she is not on pasture. Most people don’t realize that most of the butter produced in our country is actually white because of the large amount of grains fed to the dairy cows and confined conditions. Some form of yellow food coloring is added to the butter, even though it’s not labeled as an ingredient. This is just one more reason that we like to produce our own food or buy from a local, trusted farmer.  

Over the years I have learned that if I have processed, convenient food in my house, most of the time I will use that instead of making something from scratch. More recently I have made up my mind to simply keep all the basic ingredients in my home so there is never a temptation to use something more processed. We all feel better and have greater energy and focus. It’s taken us a lot of years and a lot of questioning, “Why did I eat that? Now I don’t feel good!” to get to this point. We do still buy organic mustard and ketchup all the time and pasta occasionally. I have learned to make all of our favorite foods from scratch and we have even learned to love new creations. If I don’t have an ingredient for a recipe, I often substitute to get by. It’s not as good, but running to the store is not an option. At times when we are low on eggs, and after a quick trip to the henhouse to verify that no chickens have laid, I substitute ¼ cup of dairy to replace 1 egg. Sometimes I simply leave out an ingredient.

Cory and I have established a long list of goals for 2019. My number one goal this year is to track all of our expenses. I have spent years trying to wrap my mind around accounting, and have finally found a system that works. Our accountant has been very patient with me. I love Microsoft Excel and have created many spreadsheets to track all three of our businesses – electrical, skin care, and farm along with all of our household expenses. My hope is to monitor our expenses for each product, cut unnecessary expenses in our home and business, understand what projects save us the most money, and have everything organized and ready when tax time arrives. So far it is working brilliantly and I have kept up with everything. I’m also tracking the ways we save money by keeping one person at home.

When I left work over 12 years ago, I felt terribly guilty. Today, I can honestly say that I have no guilt or regret and haven’t for years. It has produced bountiful fruit in our marriage, our children’s lives and education, our health and well-being, and so much more. As a bonus, we have saved large sums of money by growing food, tackling remodeling projects, burning wood, living without things we used to hold as important, cutting tuition costs by educating our children, and simplifying our lives. My hope in this project is to encourage families, that are seeking ways to get a family member home, that it can be done with some sacrifice. This tracking has taken a lot of discipline on my part so we will see how it turns out in the end. Finally, I’m hoping to track our time to make sure we are utilizing it the best we can. In the end we plan to determine what is the most profitable use of our time, think through ways to make things more efficient, and let things go that aren’t worth doing.

At the beginning of the month, the younger children and I had the privilege of listening to a Nebraska speaker portray the hardships of her great, great grandma’s immigration to Nebraska all the way from England. She lost her husband, some children, crops, and suffered many hardships. Like so many other families in that time period they were resourceful, determined, thought for themselves, cherished freedom, understood that children are a blessing, and were not as afraid to take risks. What resonated with me the most was this family’s faith, their determination to work hard, the selfless sacrifices they made for each other and their neighbors to keep the farms going, and their plan of saving for a rainy day. After droughts, grasshoppers, and hail in the mid to late 1800s, many people packed up and left the area. The speaker ended by saying that family is everything, and that it was their faith and saving for a rainy day that got them through and kept them on the farm.

This season used to be a slower paced time of year, but since our move to the new farm four years ago, it has been a continuous hustle to keep things moving. No matter how busy things get, I’m continually reminding myself to take time for the important things. To love and care for my family, to really listen to people, and to cherish our time together. I will never regret holding babies, snuggling on the couch reading one more chapter with our kids, riding along for a “date night” to look at equipment with my husband and little ones, taking a leisurely walk, visiting with a guest, playing a game, or finding ways to serve others. Every day we have a choice in how to spend our time. We are striving to be efficient, organized, and wise in our work and in all things to make the most of our time. It’s a daily struggle, but with the Lord’s guidance and continual help working through us, I pray that we will persevere.

The Lord has really put it on my heart to empower others about how our food has changed over a short period of time. We are reaching more and more people with our website and newsletter and LOVE to hear your stories about how natural, clean foods have changed your lives. Please help spread the word and keep those stories coming! As we get closer to spring, we look forward to the work that lies ahead and to blessing others with our products. Homesteading and farming are not simple tasks, but when you enjoy the work you are doing and get to feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, it is completely worth it. This winter we pray that you are encouraged to grow great food, find and meet a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health!