Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Stilts...

 
So we are taking a few days in between fetivals to just play, and this is what came to mind...
"Hey, why am I always the first one to try this stuff?" he said...

Something was just not working out...


There we go...I was the first to make it up the steps without falling...

He's much better though...

Now they are all doing it, its a blast! Now to try the 16 footers...

Monday, October 11, 2010

Farm Update

Good morning! We just finished up an excellent festival weekend! Cory had the privilege of a Bluegrass filled day in Todd at the New River Festival, and I had the much more honored experience of my 4th year at the Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest jam-packed with 13 hours of Oompah music! The oom-pah sound is usually made by the tuba alternating between the root (tonic) of the chord and the 5th (dominant) — this sound is said to be the oom. The pah is played on the off-beats by higher-pitched instruments such as the clarinet, accordion or trombone. Oompah is often associated with Volkstümliche Musik, a form of popular German music. It is often associated with polka. In triple time genres such as the waltz it is oom-pah-pah. The musical Oliver! contains a song named Oom-Pah-Pah, which is named after the oom-pah. I highly recommend both of these festivals to be put on you calender for 2011! The oompah music is starting to grow on me, I think. The farm is a little quite right now, which is nice. We are mainaining our fall crops, which should be ready for harvesting very soon! A little rain is in the forecast for this week which is greatly needed! This upcoming weekend we will be in Banner Elk again for the Wooly Worm festival! It is the largest of the festivals that we do, and offers a lot of fun things for everyone, so go and find yourself a fast wooly worm and enter in the races for your chance to win $1000 on Saturday, and $500 on Sunday! The kids love it! We received a few feedback emails from this year's CSA members, thank you, but we would appreciate a few more! Also, not to put it in stone, but we would like to get an idea of who might be interested in next years CSA. We plan on adding a couple of weeks at the beginning, and maybe change up a few things. We enjoyed the year and loved being able to supply good food to the community! Have a good week! I will let you know when the lettuce/brocolli/cabbage/spinach and other items are ready!

Dale



Glory's usual face...

Unless she has this one...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sky and Glory are good buddies...

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Beach Trip

We had a great time at the beach last week! Everything was perfect, 80 degree days, 60 degree nights, clear and sunny with a breeze. The house was perfect, right on the water and there was even a full moon for night walks! This is a great beach to visit, and we plan to return next year, or sooner if we can!

Scary day at the aquarium...

Cedar looking at the fish looking at Cedar...

Glory Z. intently looking at momma...

2 of my girls...
This is the dock from the beach
house that led to the water.

Beach bums...

The guys...

This particular beach was a "turtle sanctuary"
This was our find...

Keaton's beach doo...(is that beach doo-doo?)

"The Amazing Flying Cedar"

Happy girl...

Not sure if he was being funny, or
if his head was sunburnt, I think
the first...

Look at those kids...

Jewel-feet in the sand...

Sunrise, day 2...

Momma and Glory...




Where's Skylar?

There he is...

I think she had fun...

The working crew...


Sisters...

Wow, look at all that water...

Can we go in yet?

Friday, September 17, 2010

A few random things...

Summer crops are ending, that being said, we are eating as much as we can in hopes of remembering them throughout the winter.  Fresh is so good, in fact, most of our market customers have a lot of the same thoughts we are having, "What are we going to do this winter? Grocery stores?". Hopefully at some point we will be able to acquire a greenhouse, which will be second best to field crops. Winter time is definitely as welcomed as summer time, a lot less activity, which its always nice to have a little break.  This picture, one of our last pickings of beans, is a great meal all by itself. We use about a pound of green beans, one cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds, minced garlic, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper and a fork! Cook a few ears of corn, and you have a great meal!

I made this walnut spatula the other day, and the maple cutting board its on. It works great to chop up the ingredients for the green bean meal, and to stir it while cooking! I finally got a belt sander, so watch out trees! One day I'll get a welder, then I will have officially accomplished one of my last "building" goals!


This is how we make work fun, ingenious...


Now the fun part...

Pea shoots have been a huge success this year! People love them! They are growing so much better with these cool nights...











Sunday, September 12, 2010

Dangerous!

This is something I came across in my songbook today as we were singing. I think I wrote about 4 years ago, it's sort of like my version of "Rocky", meaning it's motivating, you know, makes you want to run a marathon!

Nov. 14th, 2006
A dangerous church can only come as a byproduct of Godly families. Dangerous families! Families willing to answer the call to live a radically different life than the world around them. We are admonished to be in the world and not of the world. The big question is “What does that mean?”. I propose that it means several things. If you are alive and live on earth, I would have to say that you are “in the world”. If then, you: buy the same things, watch the same movies/TV, celebrate the same holidays, read the same magazines, listen to the same music, suffer from the same; fear, guilt, worry, discontentment, practice or fall into the same sins ( III John 1:11, Romans 5-8), then I would have to believe, according to God’s word, that you are “of the world”. (Read I Corinthians 5:9-13, I John 2:15-17, I John 5:4-5). I Cor. 6:12 says “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” With our desire to be a dangerous church, let’s avoid common mistakes among Christians, ( I Cor. 10:1-13). Not only does God not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle, but he also provides a way of escape! WOW! Romans 12, and I Cor 13-14 are wonderful chapters on instructing how Christians, being followers and heirs of the kingdom of Jesus, should think and act.


In regards to my mention of celebrating the same holidays, read Romans 14:1-12, verse 5 speaks of regarding one day above another or every day alike. It also reminds us not to judge, but let each man be fully convinced in his own mind, and that each one shall give account of himself before God. Don’t just do this or that because you always have, or other “christians” are doing it. Pray and seek the Lord in ALL things, ( Phil. 4:4-7). We need to know why we do things and make sure it brings Him glory. He desires obedience, not sacrifice, ( I Sam. 13:8-14). Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel to come and offer burnt offerings, and peace offerings to the Lord, but Samuel did not come when Saul thought he should have, so Saul “forced” himself to make the offerings. King Saul was trying to do what God wanted; sacrifice. But he was not obedient in his sacrifice, so God took the kingdom from him and gave it to another.

Back to being dangerous! So how do you get a dangerous family? It starts with a dangerous Dad. One that is willing to give his life to his kids, one willing to set aside his own interests and time to discipline, train, encourage, listen to, prune, and challenge them in there own maturity, holiness and obedience to our Father.( Eph 6:4) Modeling for them Jesus.( Prov. 22:6) Jesus tells us not to hinder them from coming to Him. If we are not teaching them daily we are hindering them, and according to Jesus it would be better for us to be thrown in the water with a stone around our neck! (Mark 9:42) Not me! This process takes lots of “TIME”, time the world is not willing to spend. How can they?, sadly, with all of the school functions, sports activities, church functions, movies to watch, ministry to do, cd’s to listen to, e-mail to answer and things to look up, who has time? Our answer, according to the world, and most churches ( need I even separate them?) is to remember “they are only kids and won’t veggie tales teach them bible stories and Godly character?”

Is the church keeping the next generation? Sadly, I believe the answer is no. Why not? There are many reasons, but it all boils down to this: The hearts of fathers and mothers have been turned away from their children, and the children have been left to be raised by schools and TV/movies. No wonder the thoughts and morals of our country are the way they are today.

So how do we bring back the church of Jesus Christ? How do we recover and keep for Jesus, the things that have been lost in our daily quest for the American Dream?

It was done 2000 years ago. Jesus has already made the way. When we get saved, the fruit of our lives should show a radical difference than that of the world. A difference in motivation, a difference in reason, and a difference in our purpose. We once lived to gratify the lust of the flesh but now we have died and are raised to a new life in Christ! ( Gal 2:20-21) We are no longer our own, we have been bought with a price.( Eph 2:8-10) We are to mortify the deeds of the flesh,(Col. 3-5) and obey Jesus. If there is not a change/difference, and if we are not set free, we should question our salvation.

So what else does a dangerous family have? A mom, a mom whose heart is for God. A mom planted in the center of her home. A fruitful vine. Tending and caring for her husband and all of her fruit. (Prov. 31:10-31) Teaching them when they rise up, when they walk by the way, and when they sit down. (Deut. 6:6-9). All day, everyday training, encouraging, loving, and disciplining. She is a good manager of her home, she does not eat the bread of idleness. She extends her hand to the poor, cares for the homeless and needy. Her children are with her when she does these things. She teaches her children to pray for others and to have self control. Sadly these things are not possible when she has other things to do which take her away from her kids, or sends them away to watch a movie (good or bad) in the other room so she can clean up or “get things done”.

She should be teaching them to work with her. All children, 1yr old and up, should have jobs around the house, no matter how small the job may seem to us. They want it and need it, try it and see! Give them a sense of worth. Children who are pushed aside daily when they are young, will push you aside when they are older! A child left to himself, will bring shame to his family. Proverbs 22:6 says that if we train a child in the way he should go, he will not depart from it, even when he is old! We either believe God’s word or we don‘t! Proverbs also tells us that the wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands. (Prov. 14:1)

So a dangerous church is made up of dangerous families, families with disciplined, obedient, full of life children excited about worshipping God and learning the word. So should they, once again, be pushed aside to be baby sat while the adults worship and hear the word? All of the time means ALL of the time. Training starts at home. Are we raising them to be children or arrows in the hand of a mighty warrior!

Psalms 127:3-5

“ Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Dangerous is the church that is filled with dangerous people, including children.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Enjoying September

                                     
Lazy day game of football...
Cedar taking a break...
Tobacco Hornworm Moth, not a welcome creature on the farm...
Same...
Big...
Jewel practicing mommy skills...(and some daddy skills!)
Almost done...
She gets this face from watching Daddy do it...
Sky and Glory...
All their cute faces...
And, part 2 of all their cute feet...