Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipe

Are you drooling yet? I am.

Wow, I could eat this picture. I won't, but I could. Yum.

I've come to a conclusion, the only way to stop this hankering for chocolate that I have is to make something that is delicious and satisfying. And wouldn't ya know, I have just the thing.

A blog that I just LOVE is selling an e-book called Indulge: 70 Grain Free Desserts. What more could one ask for?

Not. Much.

This e-book is crammed full of wonderful, mouth watering recipes that are sure to delight your palate and keep your tummy happy. Heck, you don't even have to be 'grain free' to enjoy this treasure. Anyone would enjoy this cookbook, even wheat eaters. There, I said it.

Are you ready yet for the recipe? Wait no more, here ya go.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

This cake is a cross between a chocolate truffle and a brownie. The cake is so rich only a sliver of a slice is needed to satisfy your craving.

1/2 cup raw honey, (125 mL)
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, (60 mL)
4 large egg yolks or 2 large eggs
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk, (125 mL)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, (125 mL)
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, (7.5 mL)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar, (1 mL)
1/8 tsp baking soda, (0.5 mL)
1/8 tsp salt, (0.5 mL)

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom of a 7
inch springform pan with parchment paper. In a bowl,
cream together honey and coconut oil. Mix in the egg
yolks (or 2 large eggs).

Add to the mixture, coconut milk, cocoa powder,
vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Mix until
smooth.

Pour the mixture into the spring form pan. Bake for 25-
30 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick is
inserted and comes out with moist crumbs. (You want a
dense cake when finished so the toothpick should not
come out clean.) Let the cake set for at least 5 hours
before cutting and serving.

Makes 8 servings

Serve plain or with a recipe of Double Double Caramel Sauce (recipe in e-book)
Note:  4 egg yolks are recommended for a richer batter.

Do you want to preview Indulge? Your wish is my command. Here you go.

Indulge: 70 Grain Free Desserts Preview

Are you ready to buy this cookbook yet?

Sure you are.

Go to Ditch the Wheat and if you enter this code  HOLIDAYDTW you'll get 20% off. That's a fabulous deal!

This sale is only going to be happening till the 31 of THIS month so don't wait, head on over to Ditch the Wheat and buy this goody before the sale ends.

Bet I'll beat you to it.

Are You Ready For Spring?

I am...getting there.

As you can see I am getting ready for the growing season by starting some avocado seeds. I've done this before, but not with much luck. I always could get the seed to start, but couldn't really get  a legit tree to grow. I figure I'll try again. What's the harm? I also have some lemon seeds I'm wanting to get going. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a few avocado and lemon trees planted around the farm that I grew from seeds that I saved?

Yep, thought so.

Last year I started a garden, but it was a major flop. By flop I mean, it didn't grow. The only thing my garden produced were beautiful produce-less plants and  miniature carrots, mainly due to the fact that my kids were so thrilled to see something actually edible, that they gobbled them up early. Sorry carrots, maybe this year you'll actually have a chance to grow big and strong. Maybe. I make no promises.

In all seriousness, I was 8 months preggo when I planted my garden last year and I did it late. I figured better late than never, but with how difficult it was to plant all those seeds, and have it be hot, AND be 8 months pregnant, I probably should have just said, "next year would be a better time to start gardening and I should just relax and enjoy this last month of pregnancy." Uh huh, riiiight.

Well, this year, NO excuses. I mean I have a full on green house. Oh yeah. What could stop me? Come on, I'm only trying to be a good
great fantastic wife, raise 3 kids, begin homeschooling, cook, clean, raise 6 sheep who hopefully will lamb in the Spring, raise 25 chicks and hope they make it to chickenhood (Yep, you heard me, 25 chickens and I said chickenhood. You know what they say, "go big or go home"), fatten up 2 cows, entertain 1 dog, and amuse 1 cat. I have time for planting seeds, caring for seedlings, transplanting the seedling to the garden, water, weed, water, weed, water, weed, pick produce, and weed. Right?

Anyone want to come and be a 'farm intern'? The pay is terrible, but I promise the food will be good, no...fantastic.

Any takers? Anyone?

No need to get down now, there's way to much to do. I'm off to go get my fingernails dirty.

Have I mentioned I hate dirt under my fingernails?

Never mind.

I Love...

You know what I love? I love family. Yes, it's true.

I love getting together with family, visiting with family, eating with family, spending time with family, worshiping the Lord with family, and yes, being silly with family.

We've had our fair share of family visiting lately and I love it. The kids' damma and dampa (according to Ella) are on their way today. Yay!

Here's a few pics of all our family goodness around this joint.

My Ella's birthday is in a few days. Pictures to come!

Rainy Day

I woke up this morning, had a look outside, and my heart smiled. I love rainy days. Rainy days on a farm can mean many things. It means an excuse to stay inside, snuggled up with kids, and not feel guilty about not accomplishing all the to-do's of the day. It means comfy clothes and baking. It means a mini-vacation.

I love mini-vacations. Perhaps, a little too much.

Rainy days on a farm can mean other things too. Not so fun things like, feeding animals wearing muck boots and being ankle deep in mud and 'natural fertilizer' , finding a new lamb and having to coax mama with the new baby into the barn, while getting soaked and covered in after birth. Or having to fix fence due to clever animals finding and making new escape routes. Believe it or not, I have probably at least 20 more scenarios in my mind. I'll spare you.

Today is a relaxing rainy day. Thank the Lord.

I grew up farming. All of the 'not so fun things' are memories that come flooding back like they happened yesterday. Most of my life was spent on a farm. We raised everything...except chickens. (That's soon to change in a few weeks!) In my younger years, I really disliked being a farm kid. I didn't like the work, the lack of freedom, and the never ending to-do's.

Amazing how time changes everything and maturity play's it's role. My dislike has transformed to fondness of my upbringing, and can I say...I love my roots.

Here's my lovely Ella before the rain really set in. Don't you love her style? I do.

Now that the rain is here to stay, I'm off to go and bake some cookies.

Au revoir.

While Your Waiting...

The remodel that I've told you is taking place is still being worked on. Lord willing, in a few days it will be finished. Wahoo!

In the meantime, I thought that I might show a few pics of my lovelies that I took with Konni. I'm still enamored with her. What a gift to be able to take such gorgeous shots.

I took these photos the other day. I hope you enjoy these pics from the farm. I sure enjoyed taking them.

Surprise!

I hope this is a surprise for you! I have been having to bite my tongue for the past two weeks while my new blog was being worked on. Isn't it beautiful? I absolutely love it and am so thankful to the Lord that I was able to have it done.

If any of you are wanting a site created or needing your blog to have a makeover I highly recommend Stewart from Nourishing Days to do it. He went above and beyond what I expected and is a pleasure to work with. You'll find his button on the bottom of my sidebar. Click on it and check him out. I love his wife's blog. Such a great place to read and be inspired.

I hope this was a surprise. Let me know what you think.

***I am currently in the process of adding pages and getting all the kinks worked out so please bear with me. Everything should be up and running shortly

 

-Noel

Why I Farm

I've been thinking a lot lately about why my husband and I have returned to the farm. Why we've been drawn to this lifestyle and why a passion for this way of life grows stronger every day. Sometimes every minute. I believe I've come to a conclusion. It is the way we were originally intended to live. When God put Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them charge over His creation, He made them in essence, farmers.
 

And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.   (Genesis 1:28-30 ESV)

 

We are still charged as believers to be good stewards of what we've been given. Whether it is a farm, family, wealth, power, influence, and etc. There are many ways to live this out. Does it mean that every believer needs to become a farmer? Of course not. Each of us needs to be tender to the will of God and His plan for our lives. However, we do all need to eat.

My husband and I are very thankful for this place we've been given. It is an answer to prayer. We've wanted to return to farming since we got married and now have an opportunity to teach our kids the importance of this lifestyle.

There is a bumper sticker that I absolutely love every time I see it.



It's true right? I mean, if I didn't grow my food, someone else did. If there weren't people out there who dedicated their lives to growing produce and raising animals, we wouldn't eat. Simple concept really.

Two nights ago my hubby and I watched a movie that greatly inspired us to continue to pursue this passion of ours. It confirmed our beliefs that if we want to eat healthy food, we need to be active in where we buy our food or take the initiative to grow and raise our own. We've opted for the latter. Sure, for the time being we are buying our food, but we are hopeful to be able to grow and raise most of the food we eat. I imagine that first meal will taste fantastic.



If you feel like being inspired, I suggest you get this movie and watch it. It's wonderful and eye opening.

Currently, we get our milk from a local dairy and our eggs from some friends who have chickens. I buy our produce from a local organic small grocery store, and I'll be buying our meat from a local butcher. Our animals are not ready for butcher as of yet, and our garden will be planted in a few months. Chicks will be here in a few weeks and we are very excited about their arrival. My kids can't wait to care for the little fuzzy bundles of cuteness. And I'll be there with my camera ready.

Are you wanting to be more active about feeding yourself and your family? Well, you surely don't need to live on a farm to do so. If you have a backyard and your local laws allow for it, you can raise chickens and rabbits very easily in a small space. You can grow a garden if you have a lawn or build some raised beds. If you live in an apartment you can grow in pots and window sill planters. Anything you can do will be a great start. And who knows, maybe you'll start an herb garden in your windowsill tomorrow and find yourself planting a vegetable garden in a neighbors yard, or even at your own farm a year from now. Who knows? Baby steps are all that's needed. Baby steps.

I farm because I love this way of life. I farm because I want to feed my family well and know where my food comes from. I farm because I can.

How about you?

I shared this post on Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

Why I Farm

I've been thinking a lot lately about why my husband and I have returned to the farm. Why we've been drawn to this lifestyle and why a passion for this way of life grows stronger every day. Sometimes every minute. I believe I've come to a conclusion. It is the way we were originally intended to live. When God put Adam and Eve in the garden and gave them charge over His creation, He made them in essence, farmers.  

 And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

(Genesis 1:28-30 ESV)

We are still charged as believers to be good stewards of what we've been given. Whether it is a farm, family, wealth, power, influence, and etc. There are many ways to live this out. Does it mean that every believer needs to become a farmer? Of course not. Each of us needs to be tender to the will of God and His plan for our lives. However, we do all need to eat.

My husband and I are very thankful for this place we've been given. It is an answer to prayer. We've wanted to return to farming since we got married and now have an opportunity to teach our kids the importance of this lifestyle.

There is a bumper sticker that I absolutely love every time I see it.

It's true right? I mean, if I didn't grow my food, someone else did. If there weren't people out there who dedicated their lives to growing produce and raising animals, we wouldn't eat. Simple concept really.

Two nights ago my hubby and I watched a movie that greatly inspired us to continue to pursue this passion of ours. It confirmed our beliefs that if we want to eat healthy food, we need to be active in where we buy our food or take the initiative to grow and raise our own. We've opted for the latter. Sure, for the time being we are buying our food, but we are hopeful to be able to grow and raise most of the food we eat. I imagine that first meal will taste fantastic.

                                                      

If you feel like being inspired, I suggest you get this movie and watch it. It's wonderful and eye opening.

Currently, we get our milk from a local dairy and our eggs from some friends who have chickens. I buy our produce from a local organic small grocery store, and I'll be buying our meat from a local butcher. Our animals are not ready for butcher as of yet, and our garden will be planted in a few months. Chicks will be here in a few weeks and we are very excited about their arrival. My kids can't wait to care for the little fuzzy bundles of cuteness. And I'll be there with my camera ready.

Are you wanting to be more active about feeding yourself and your family? Well, you surely don't need to live on a farm to do so. If you have a backyard and your local laws allow for it, you can raise chickens and rabbits very easily in a small space. You can grow a garden if you have a lawn or build some raised beds. If you live in an apartment you can grow in pots and window sill planters. Anything you can do will be a great start. And who knows, maybe you'll start an herb garden in your windowsill tomorrow and find yourself planting a vegetable garden in a neighbors yard, or even at your own farm a year from now. Who knows? Baby steps are all that's needed. Baby steps.

I farm because I love this way of life. I farm because I want to feed my family well and know where my food comes from. I farm because I can. 

How about you?

I shared this post on Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday.

A First Time For Everything

Don't ask me why, but every time I hear this phrase - insert the above post title - the song 'Some kind of wonderful', pops into my head. Weird I know, but it's true.

Moving on.

My precious Leah ate food for the first time. Oh, yeah! If you follow me on Facebook you'd know she was not fed the traditional first food, i.e. rice cereal or oatmeal. Oh no, nothin' but the best for my babe's.  She ate not one, but TWO egg yolks and loved it. And by loved it, I mean that you could hear her bite the spoon every time it got near her mouth. She sounded like a baby vacuum and indeed, she was.

Don't believe me? Take a looksy for yourself.









Now ain't she somethin'.

I love that what I'm feeding her is nourishing her and not just sitting in her gut,  rotting. Geee-ross.  If your wondering where I learned about feeding egg yolks (farm fresh, free range, organic egg yolks, that is) as a first food go HERE.

***And can we pause for a minute so I can gush about my new camera. Can you tell the picture quality is so much better than before? Can you see how clear it is and how lovely the colors are? I'm in love with Konni. Love I say. And now we can resume...

Hooo's this you say?



Meet our new pet owl. Jude named him Owl. Original, I know.



You know, at this moment, it could be debatable as to hooo's the cutest. Okay, okay, my munchkins are still the cutest. 



My dad found this little owl in the middle of the road by his house. Poor guy must have been hit. One eye was not looking great and one wing was kind of on the funky side instead of flighty. We thought he was a baby, but once Owl was taken to the vets we learned that he is a full grown screech owl. I thought they'd be larger. Hmm.

And, no, he's not really our pet. Just my wishful thinking spreading it's wings on this blog.

Can I just say that if it wasn't illegal, the owl not injured, and if I had the proper set up, I'd have a pet owl at the moment? I'm not a lover of birds really, but honestly can you blame a country girl for falling in love with such a bundle of feathery cuteness? I hope not.

Any hoo, there's a lot going on around this joint again. (Sorry for all the hooo's, I just can't help myself) It involves before and after pictures and the reconstruction is going on indoors. Have any guesses? I'll be posting about it soon, but not till the projects done and my dad gives the thumbs up. Since Seth has so much work keepin' him busy, we're having my dad do it for us.

Hurry up dad!

Just kidding. Kind of.

A First Time For Everything

Don't ask me why, but every time I hear this phrase - insert the above post title - the song 'Some kind of wonderful', pops into my head. Weird I know, but it's true.

Moving on.

My precious Leah ate food for the first time. Oh, yeah! If you follow me on Facebook you'd know she was not fed the traditional first food, i.e. rice cereal or oatmeal. Oh no, nothin' but the best for my babe's.  She ate not one, but TWO egg yolks and loved it. And by loved it, I mean that you could hear her bite the spoon every time it got near her mouth. She sounded like a baby vacuum and indeed, she was.

Don't believe me? Take a looksy for yourself.

Now ain't she somethin'.

I love that what I'm feeding her is nourishing her and not just sitting in her gut,  rotting. Geee-ross.  If your wondering where I learned about feeding egg yolks (farm fresh, free range, organic egg yolks, that is) as a first food go HERE.

***And can we pause for a minute so I can gush about my new camera. Can you tell the picture quality is so much better than before? Can you see how clear it is and how lovely the colors are? I'm in love with Konni. Love I say. And now we can resume...

Hooo's this you say?

Meet our new pet owl. Jude named him Owl. Original, I know.

You know, at this moment, it could be debatable as to hooo's the cutest. Okay, okay, my munchkins are still the cutest. 

My dad found this little owl in the middle of the road by his house. Poor guy must have been hit. One eye was not looking great and one wing was kind of on the funky side instead of flighty. We thought he was a baby, but once Owl was taken to the vets we learned that he is a full grown screech owl. I thought they'd be larger. Hmm.

And, no, he's not really our pet. Just my wishful thinking spreading it's wings on this blog.

Can I just say that if it wasn't illegal, the owl not injured, and if I had the proper set up, I'd have a pet owl at the moment? I'm not a lover of birds really, but honestly can you blame a country girl for falling in love with such a bundle of feathery cuteness? I hope not.

Any hoo, there's a lot going on around this joint again. (Sorry for all the hooo's, I just can't help myself) It involves before and after pictures and the reconstruction is going on indoors. Have any guesses? I'll be posting about it soon, but not till the projects done and my dad gives the thumbs up. Since Seth has so much work keepin' him busy, we're having my dad do it for us.

Hurry up dad!

Just kidding. Kind of.

Drum Roll Please...Ta Da!

I know you've been waiting all day to find out the answer to my riddle. Well, wait no more friends.

I am pleased to introduce to you my new sidekick. She is going to make my life much easier, the blog much more attractive, and I'm sure your going to like her too.

Meet Miss Nikon D3200. Isn't she lovely?

I think I'm in love.

Seriously.

My old point and shoot was just not cutting it and coincidentally it went missing this week. Never knew my irritation at missing an old camera could turn into a new hobby. Wahoo! I know nothing about cameras. And I am so happy that the store I bought it from is giving me free classes. I need all the help I can get!

So if you have any pointers send them my way.

I'm considering naming her. The only thing that I can think of is Konni (do you get it?). And I kind of like it.

Were you surprised?

***Sorry for the bad picture. Hubby was using the camera on his cellphone and it was night time.

Drum Roll Please...Ta Da!

I know you've been waiting all day to find out the answer to my riddle. Well, wait no more friends.

I am pleased to introduce to you my new sidekick. She is going to make my life much easier, the blog much more attractive, and I'm sure your going to like her too.

Meet Miss Nikon D3200. Isn't she lovely?

I think I'm in love.

Seriously.

My old point and shoot was just not cutting it and coincidentally it went missing this week. Never knew my irritation at missing an old camera could turn into a new hobby. Wahoo! I know nothing about cameras. And I am so happy that the store I bought it from is giving me free classes. I need all the help I can get!

So if you have any pointers send them my way. 

I'm considering naming her. The only thing that I can think of is Konni (do you get it?). And I kind of like it. 

Were you surprised?

***Sorry for the bad picture. Hubby was using the camera on his cellphone and it was night time.

Take A Guess

I'm getting something today. And it's something I've been wanting for a while now.

I'll give you five clues and I want to see if you can guess what it is.

Ready? Here we go.

1. It doesn't breath


2. It at times can be very bright


3. You can find one in most homes


4. I'm going to have to take classes to properly use it


5. It has legs...sometimes

Can you think of anything? Is your mind reeling with ideas? I will post a picture of it tonight, so if you think you know what it is...fire away.

Happy guessing!

Take A Guess

I'm getting something today. And it's something I've been wanting for a while now.

I'll give you five clues and I want to see if you can guess what it is.

Ready? Here we go.

1. It doesn't breath
2. It at times can be very bright
3. You can find one in most homes
4. I'm going to have to take classes to properly use it
5. It has legs...sometimes

Can you think of anything? Is your mind reeling with ideas? I will post a picture of it tonight, so if you think you know what it is...fire away.

Happy guessing!

Goals and Achievements

Hi everyone! I hope you have had a great start to this new year. I will apologize now for my lack of posting. My family and I started GAPS last week and let's just say, I haven't left the kitchen except to nurse my babe and sleep. If you don't believe me, as my man.

***If your new here and want to read about my decision to go on GAPS, click HERE.

And while we're on the subject of GAPS let me just say...IT'S WORKING! I am so excited. We started last week and are now working our way into the full GAPS diet. It's has been a bit draining due to the amount of cooking I've had to do. It is a whole new way to me and therefore, there is a learning curve.

Now I know the world doesn't want to know this but, my son, has never really had a normal #2. And two days into the GAPS intro diet...bada bing bada boom...he's normal. And he's had normal #2's ever since. My girlie's is better too. Now for those of you who's children's #2 have always been normal, I applaud you. However, when I can literally 'see' that my kids' digestion is improving and things are normal for the first time, I pretty much start dancing and fist pumping the air. Not kidding. This is cause for celebration I tell you!

In case you were wondering, Seth and I are normalizing too. Enough about this conversation, I'm sure your verging on the side of too much info right now. And my hubby told me that I'm not allowed to say the 'P' word to him anymore. Soo...moving on!

I have some goals that I'm wanting to write out for the new year. Not necessarily New Years Resolutions, but things that I'd like to see happen. Or should I say...should happen. I love writing down lists and goals because it gives me something to cross off. I don't know about you but I feel just as fulfilled crossing off a 'to do' than I do actually performing the task. Is that weird?

Here it goes.


Home

• I'd like to make a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule so my time can be used more efficiently.


• Continue with GAPS diet until we've had a few months of great digestion, then transition my cooking to be in line with traditional eating.


• Clean out pantry 


• Get a grain mill


• Learn how to soak, sprout, ferment, and preserve anything


• Learn about natural ways of healing ailments. 


• Learn about the uses of essential oils.


• Read, read, read, and oh wait, read.


• Finish all the touch up paint in the house. Have I told you I despise painting. Any volunteers? Anyone?

Garden

• Get my hands on a heirloom seed magazine and order some seeds. Soon!


• Learn how to harvest seeds from my garden for future gardens.


• Help hubby build the racks for the green house.


• Watch the gardening video that is going to change forever how I (and maybe you) garden. (I ordered this yesterday and as soon as I watch it I'll do a review. Stay tuned!)


• Learn how to control the little buggers naturally. No pesticides here, thank you.

Farm

• Get everything ready for lambing in a few months. Oh, I hope we get lambs!


• Order and prepare for chicks. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to get chickens. Thrilled really.


• Have a few fencing parties and get some new fences built. I'd like a few more places to rotate my ladies. I really want to rotational graze my animals instead of having to feed them hay. Such a better and cheaper option.


• Learn how to holistically and naturally treat animals for things such as worms, parasites, minor infections, and so on.

Family

• I'm going to start homeschooling Jude this fall, so I am needing to figure out what curriculum I want to use. Any ideas? Anyone?


• Be more intentional with my time with my kids. Read, laugh, and play more.


• Try to have devotions everyday with my kids. Such a wonderful time when it happens.


• Take the kids to visit the elderly. We've done this a few times and we love it. It blesses our souls to see our young ones loving on the ones that can't leave home anymore. And as we all know, the elderly love children.

Spiritual Life

• Be in the Word daily.


• Be the helper that I am intended to me for my man.


• Talk always to my kids about the reason we live on this lovely and yet wretched earth.


• Memorize, memorize, memorize. Scripture of course.


• Help the kids to start memorizing verses too.


• Put my faith in action by loving on others.


• Give the Proverbs 31 woman a run for her money!

I'm not sure this needs a category per se, but I also am really wanting to grow my blog. I am going to try to schedule my days so I can have more time for this. I'd really like to post about every other day.  I've seen it grow over the past week and its been amazing. For those of you who are new here, I give you a hearty WELCOME!

These lists aren't exhaustive, but a good starting point. I may add a few things later on.  I'd love to hear of your goals and heck, I'd love to hear your achievements as well.

And since this post runs the risk of lacking utter cuteness I leave you with these lovelies.






Such blessings.

Don't forget! Just like your getting to know me through my blog, I can't get to know you unless you talk back. I don't like it when my kids talk back, but you can be the exception.

Goals and Achievements

Hi everyone! I hope you have had a great start to this new year. I will apologize now for my lack of posting. My family and I started GAPS last week and let's just say, I haven't left the kitchen except to nurse my babe and sleep. If you don't believe me, as my man.

***If your new here and want to read about my decision to go on GAPS, click HERE.

And while we're on the subject of GAPS let me just say...IT'S WORKING! I am so excited. We started last week and are now working our way into the full GAPS diet. It's has been a bit draining due to the amount of cooking I've had to do. It is a whole new way to me and therefore, there is a learning curve.

Now I know the world doesn't want to know this but, my son, has never really had a normal #2. And two days into the GAPS intro diet...bada bing bada boom...he's normal. And he's had normal #2's ever since. My girlie's is better too. Now for those of you who's children's #2 have always been normal, I applaud you. However, when I can literally 'see' that my kids' digestion is improving and things are normal for the first time, I pretty much start dancing and fist pumping the air. Not kidding. This is cause for celebration I tell you!

In case you were wondering, Seth and I are normalizing too. Enough about this conversation, I'm sure your verging on the side of too much info right now. And my hubby told me that I'm not allowed to say the 'P' word to him anymore. Soo...moving on!

I have some goals that I'm wanting to write out for the new year. Not necessarily New Years Resolutions, but things that I'd like to see happen. Or should I say...should happen. I love writing down lists and goals because it gives me something to cross off. I don't know about you but I feel just as fulfilled crossing off a 'to do' than I do actually performing the task. Is that weird?

Here it goes.


Home

• I'd like to make a weekly and monthly cleaning schedule so my time can be used more efficiently.
• Continue with GAPS diet until we've had a few months of great digestion, then transition my cooking to be in line with traditional eating.
• Clean out pantry 
• Get a grain mill
• Learn how to soak, sprout, ferment, and preserve anything
• Learn about natural ways of healing ailments. 
• Learn about the uses of essential oils.
• Read, read, read, and oh wait, read.
• Finish all the touch up paint in the house. Have I told you I despise painting. Any volunteers? Anyone?

Garden

• Get my hands on a heirloom seed magazine and order some seeds. Soon!
• Learn how to harvest seeds from my garden for future gardens.
• Help hubby build the racks for the green house.
• Watch the gardening video that is going to change forever how I (and maybe you) garden. (I ordered this yesterday and as soon as I watch it I'll do a review. Stay tuned!)
• Learn how to control the little buggers naturally. No pesticides here, thank you.

Farm

• Get everything ready for lambing in a few months. Oh, I hope we get lambs!
• Order and prepare for chicks. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to get chickens. Thrilled really.
• Have a few fencing parties and get some new fences built. I'd like a few more places to rotate my ladies. I really want to rotational graze my animals instead of having to feed them hay. Such a better and cheaper option.
• Learn how to holistically and naturally treat animals for things such as worms, parasites, minor infections, and so on.

Family

• I'm going to start homeschooling Jude this fall, so I am needing to figure out what curriculum I want to use. Any ideas? Anyone?
• Be more intentional with my time with my kids. Read, laugh, and play more.
• Try to have devotions everyday with my kids. Such a wonderful time when it happens.
• Take the kids to visit the elderly. We've done this a few times and we love it. It blesses our souls to see our young ones loving on the ones that can't leave home anymore. And as we all know, the elderly love children.

Spiritual Life

• Be in the Word daily.
• Be the helper that I am intended to me for my man.
• Talk always to my kids about the reason we live on this lovely and yet wretched earth.
• Memorize, memorize, memorize. Scripture of course.
• Help the kids to start memorizing verses too.
• Put my faith in action by loving on others.
• Give the Proverbs 31 woman a run for her money!

I'm not sure this needs a category per se, but I also am really wanting to grow my blog. I am going to try to schedule my days so I can have more time for this. I'd really like to post about every other day.  I've seen it grow over the past week and its been amazing. For those of you who are new here, I give you a hearty WELCOME!

These lists aren't exhaustive, but a good starting point. I may add a few things later on.  I'd love to hear of your goals and heck, I'd love to hear your achievements as well.

And since this post runs the risk of lacking utter cuteness I leave you with these lovelies.

Such blessings.

Don't forget! Just like your getting to know me through my blog, I can't get to know you unless you talk back. I don't like it when my kids talk back, but you can be the exception.

Farm Update: The Last Improvements of 2012

I woke up this morning so thankful for another day. I was snuggling up with my lovely Leah in bed, my husband still sleeping, and I could hear my other two munchkins tossing and turning in their beds. The sun's gentle morning rays were beckoning my little loves to start the day and rub off the sleeps of the night.

Leah's precious little face warms my soul and the smell of her is intoxicating. I am so thankful that the Lord has let me be her mama.

Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Lovely babes have that effect.

Today is the beginning of the year 2013 and yet I can't help but reflect on 2012. It was a wonderful year and many things were accomplished and started. With living a farm life, I believe this is going to be the norm. Projects get finished and then new ones begin. A farm is always changing, growing, and going through cycles.  It is great fun to always have something to work on, but can be tiring too. You know?

When we first started to remodel our house, we thought we were going to keep the kitchen 'as is' and remodel it later. After starting to remove the counter tops (cause they were falling apart), we realized the whole kitchen was rotten. Everything. I was a little scared, I won't lie. We didn't have much money and surely couldn't afford a whole new kitchen. But God, being as awesome as He always is, provided us with a kitchen far beyond what we expected and it came in the form of my dad. He was very generous with his time and built us our kitchen. It's beautiful. If you want to see before and after pics go HERE. All this to say, there were a few things that remained unfinished. Until today that is.

Here we go.

I needed to add my dad in this post. After all, he worked so hard!

Better isn't it? My dad is such a fantastic carpenter. He finished up some other trim too, but this is the most noticeable.



And now, onto the next project.



What is this you say? In the matter of one day, we went from installing a simple filter on the main water line that went into our house, to replacing the WHOLE water line that runs from the well to our house. Turns out the pipe was super fragile due to it's age. When Seth tried to attach the filter to the water line, the pipe broke. Once he fixed that one, the next one broke and so on. It's a blessing to have it done, but it was a long and exhausting day. Glad we had an excavator on hand.

Here's the final project of 2012. Hopefully this will be completed in 2013.

We live in a two bedroom house. Needless to say, we'd like it to be a tad larger. So to further that cause, we've begun an addition on the house.



Seth got an awesome deal on some old redwood from a lumber yard. This is truly beautiful stuff. And if you ask me, the older the better. I like rustic, a lot.



Instead of doing drywall, we wanted to do cedar. And lo and behold, Seth found some that was too good to pass up. And by too good to pass up, I mean on sale. Perfect.



I have a game in mind and I'll start. I spy with my little eye Seth nailing on boards. Can you find him?

And here it is, finished. What do ya think? 







Isn't it beautiful? I feel so blessed. This is the beginning of the addition and yet I feel so blessed to have it as is. Thankful to be able to do this to our place.



View from the back. If you would like to see what it previously looked like watch THIS video till the end and you'll see it in it's ugly glory.

We still have a lot to do on the house. The siding needs to be completely redone. We are wanting to hold off on that project until we've completed our additions. You read it right...additions. It will probably take a few years to do it all, so the siding will have to remain. Old and ugly. And I'll remain continually thankful for the abundance of blessings that I don't deserve and yet thankfully receive.

I thought I'd leave you with my favorite view from our farm. The western Trinity mountains. I could stare at them for hours. 



I'd love to know what you have done in 2012 and have planned in 2013. I'm thinking about writing out a list of goals I have for the farm. Interested?