From Our Home to Yours

I've been involved in a few conversations over the past few years about whether Christians should be celebrating Christmas or not.  And I'm not going to talk about it here except to say that I think that people are looking for meaning in life and the Christmas Season can be an incredible opportunity for us to share what the true meaning of Christmas is really about.    

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)   To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.   And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.   And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.   And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.   And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.   For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:4-11

King James Version

We would like to extend our most heartfelt, "Merry Christmas" to you and your family 

and may you look to the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation.

The Peterson Family

Saddlebrook Ranch 

It's a Sad Day

Cooper and his buck.

 

  We had to snap some pictures of the guys getting ready to head out for the last day of hunting season.

For some of us, it's a sad, sad day.

So far, Cooper is the only one who took a deer;

a 9 point buck.

The next Annie Oakley!

Stratagizing.

Nice hat.

A meeting of the minds.

November 2015
Sandy

Our First Video: On to Greener Pastures

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow, it's amazing how fast the time goes by!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since our last post.  We've been busy enjoying visits from friends, hunting, learning to pressure "process" (I guess I would say), and getting ready for the Thanksgiving weekend that I didn't even realize that the holidays were just around the corner.  We have some family coming to spend the weekend with us so there is a lot of preparation going on.

Oh, how I love Thanksgiving!

It is so easy for me to get so. caught. up. with what we need to do, that I take for granted so. many. things!  I don't even realize, unless I purposely take the time to stop and think, that we have been blessed with so many family, friends, neighbors, people that come across our paths, and material things! 

And I need to be thankful for all aspects of life!  

Sure, we all have things that we think we need or want in life, including me, but we need to focus on where we are in life right now and what we have that has been given to us.  So many books will tell you to be content, but living the life of contentment and truly resting in it can be a completely different thing.  

For the most part, I can honestly say that I am content with where I am in life.  Most of my restlessness and anxieties now a days come from my "worry" about where my kids are going to be in the future and who they are going to marry.  

And yes, we have six boys and four girls. 

I wish I could go back to the years when my kids were younger and life was so much easier, but I can't.  Not that I haven't trusted in my Lord since I first came to know Him as Savior when I was 10, I have, but I think that in this "season" of my life, my trust just has to be that much stronger.

Now, on a lighter note............................ 

  Here is something we've been working on and it's been kind of fun.  

Who knows, maybe film making is in our future. 

Smile............sigh.

 We hope you enjoy it!

November 2015
Sandy

It's all about France

Cabbage seedlings that I planted about 3 weeks ago.

One of the first books I read about gardening was Elliot Coleman's book, "Four Season's Harvest," and that was about 15 years ago.  Since then, the one thing that keeps coming back to me is what Elliot said about his garden and France.  

Here are two excerpts from his book: 

Page 2, "Four Season's Harvest"

Just a map.

Page 3, "Four Season's Harvest"

When we lived in Illinois, I was so excited to hear this because no one ever talked about growing a garden in the winter.  And now that we're in Missouri, I think we have even more potential!

It's quiet interesting that in just about everything that I read and listen to, France seems to be mentioned almost 95% of the time.  

Oh, and the things that we hear from people that we meet!  

For example.

A few weeks ago, when Barrett and I went to buy some electric fencing, the couple that stayed late to help us with our order, spent almost 45 minutes telling us about their trip to France that they took some years ago.  They had been to a lot of other places, but without any prompting from us, they mainly just talked about France.  

And just today, as I was planting the seedlings, I was listening to my iPhone and once again, France was mentioned, more than once.

France, France, France!!  They must be doing some things right over there otherwise I'm sure people wouldn't be talking about them so much!  Oh, if I could just jump in my car and drive over to France, I would do it in a heart beat! 

If I wait until I have all of the "right" things I need to plant anything, then I'll never get anywhere.  So today (I couldn't put it off anymore), I needed to plant my seedlings and I didn't have what I thought I needed.  So after trying to think outside of the box, I thought I could build a tray to "re-pot" my seedlings. 

"..............necessity is indeed the mother of invention."

   --Jo March, "Little Women"

So, I went about looking for what we had laying around and sure enough, I found some scrap wood to make a few boxes.  So Cooper and I set out to do that.  Oh, how I love to build things.  It's been a while since I've used a hammer and it felt really good.  

I have more boxes to build tomorrow and more seedlings to plant but I'll be on my own because the boys will not be home, so hopefully, I can get it done.

I have so much to learn about gardening, and that's alright because I'm not afraid to try.  I guess I'm a little afraid to admit it when I do something wrong, but I shouldn't be, but that's human nature. 

While I was working today, I was listening to some podcasts and one of the things that I heard was that if you don't make mistakes, you don't learn.  And I know that!  It's just hard to put yourself out there for people to see what is really going on.  Unfortunately, pictures can tell a story that isn't reality, but I would like to get to the point where I can be as transparent in a blog as I am in person, so I'll work on that.  Smiles! 

  So here I am, trying to learn.  I have the drive and the desire and--

Someday, I'm going to visit France.

In this little section of seeds there was about 225 little cabbages.

It doesn't really look like there are almost 225 seedlings in here.

Cooper and I built two more boxes for more seedlings.

One my way out to the creek to get some sand for the potting mix, I passed these Jersey ladies just relaxing in the pasture.  We bought them from a friend up north and they came to live here with us a few months ago.  The little guy, BoJo, is about 3 weeks old:  our first calf born here on the farm.  His mom is the light one in the middle.

Tanner's peacock came to visit me while I was planting the seedlings.

Two more boxes that we built.  The "soil" on the right was soaked to prepare for the seedlings.  Those lines on the one box are just water that ran down the side, although it looks like blood.  Ew!

Our turkey came to visit me also.  We're not eating him because we would like him to help us get baby turkey's next spring.

As soon as I started moving my soil "parts" around to prepare my mix; peat moss, sand, and vermiculite,  the birds thought I was going to feed them.  In the picture are some Peking ducks, a female turkey in the center, two guineas and some Muskovy ducks.

Here I am trying to finish the last tray, in the dark.

Elizabeth came out to hold a light for me so I could finish.  Three trays done.

October 2015
Sandy

October Babies

We just received and opened our package of our new baby chicks!  Aren't they cute? 
How do you count 50 playful chicks chirping and moving around?  You take a picture and then count 'em!

Earlier this year, there was a bird flu that killed thousands of turkeys in the Midwest.  So hopes of ordering any last spring to raise for Thanksgiving and Christmas was not going to happen.  The hatchery's were all sold out for the year.  

Now that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about what I'm going to serve for the holidays, right?  Well, not really.  I should have planned this months ago.   

 Unfortunately, because I waited too long to place my order for turkeys in the spring, (although I didn't know what was going on) we won't be eating turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas!

 This is sad!!  

"Tom", the "star" of our Thanksgiving Dinner, 2014, growing up on fresh pasture.

So now what am I going to do?

Hm................chicken!!  The next best thing, right?

 After growing our own turkey, it's hard to go back to buying one from the store so we'll have to wait until next spring to start growing some more.

Last year was our first Thanksgiving that we celebrated here on our farm.  And, last year was the first time, I ever prepared and roasted a turkey (and I'm old)!   Smiles!

It was a real treat to be able to raise our own turkey.  We've done quite a lot of chicken processing in the past so processing a turkey, we thought, should be pretty much the same, other then the size of the bird.  And even though "Tom" was was quiet a bit larger than a chicken, everything went smooth.

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Ever since we've been married, we've been able to see both side of our families for all the holidays.  We lived fairly close to each of them so it was easy for us to split up the day; one family earlier in the day and the next in the evening.  So because of that, I've never had the opportunity to host a holiday at our home other than a few Christmas Eve's--which I loved doing.

But that's okay!!  I'm not complaining, because I sooooo enjoyed going to see our families and spending the holiday's at their homes.  And I knew that someday, I would get the chance to be the hostess, so I just needed to be patient.

Now here I am. 

At my age, you would think that I would be over wishing that my mom and grandma were still here to prepare our holiday meals for us, but I don't think I'll ever be over it.  I really miss those days now that they're gone, but I'm so very thankful for the memories that I have.  They always made those times very special and their homes were always so very warm and inviting, and now I have the opportunity to follow in their foot steps.

 Do you think it's too late to start our own family traditions?

I don't think it's ever to late for us, or anyone else for that matter.

It's just that the transition might be a little difficult in the beginning.

Oh, I can only wish that I could go back and really thank them for all that they did to make our holidays a special one, but I can't.  So, it's time to look to the future and start making some new memories here on the farm.

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We processed young "Tom" about a week before Thanksgiving last year,
and let him sit on ice until the "big day". 

Wow!!

I have never tasted a turkey like this before!  

It was kind of funny too, because, we had Grandpa Mickey, Uncle Mark, Aunt Karen, and the girls for the Thanksgiving weekend.  Of course, I was nervous to have them share in our meal with us for my "first Thanksgiving".  Especially since they're "suburbanites" and the star of the Thanksgiving meal was a turkey that we had raised.

Even though my husband and I were born and raised in the suburbs, we've always longed for the country and did many things that suburbanites don't usually do. So Uncle Mark and his family knew who they were dealing with here.

And because of that, I'm sure Uncle Mark and Aunt Karen were a little nervous about our turkey too, but they would never have told us.  Smile. 

When the time came for us to sit and enjoy our meal together, I think we were all surprised at how amazing the turkey was!

 We didn't do anything to this turkey to make it taste the way it did except give it a place to roam free under the sun, drink clean fresh water, and eat as many bugs and creepy crawling things that it could. 

Tender, juicy, and Oh!  So tasty! 

Now, how am I ever going to break it to them-- and my family--that we were not going to be having turkey again this year?  I don't know?!?  Especially since Esther just told me that Uncle Mark said that he and his family were not going to come back again this year if we did not raise our own bird!   

"What!"  I thought. 

Do you believe he just said that?

Well, I haven't told anyone this yet, but this year, it's going to be chicken and all the trimmings for the coming holidays!  And a chicken is a bird, right?  

Anyway, everything will be just fine--right?

Yes.

 It will.

 I will be, because Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what God has given us.  And, if it's not going to be turkey, then................

We'll be thankful--for chicken! 

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(If all goes as planned, our little chicks will be in the freezer in about 8 to 10 weeks.)

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This is a photo of a confinement turkey house in Australia.

This is a picture of how these birds live.  I wanted to link to the website, but I can not.  No human being should see the way these animals are treated.  Everything that we can touch and hear and see and smell and taste is a gift from God and we should treat it that way. 

This type of farming is also done in the United States of America.  In these houses, the birds never see the light of day and you have to wear a mask to even enter the building.

October 2015
Sandy