The Farm Dream
I see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, and feel it. The deep desire molds and transforms into a vivid dream. So vivid I can feel the rock and dirt beneath my dusty boots. My hair is blown off my face by the gentle breeze swaying back and forth the tall blades of grass. I can feel the callous formed on my hand from turning nothing into something. I can hear breathless children running to roam, explore, and grow. The sounds of familiar animals abound and meander through field and tree. The scent of rich earth, old wood, and life are present in every breath I inhale. I can see the raw beauty of new growth, life, starry nights, and the rising of a sun dripping warmth on everything it touches.
The dream continues at a slow, intentional pace.
I can taste the sweetness of the simplest of foods raised in nothing more than rain, dirt, and sunshine. My mouth waters as the simple turns into a creation of love placed on a table filled with precious people all around. The stories shared and memories tucked away around the old scratched table brings warmth to my heart. I can feel the softness of worn out couch cushions and can hear the squeak of the porch swing. This is just too much, my heart may burst.
I can see it. I can see the little home filled with every lovely piece of family history. Small chunks of dried mud are scattered from one porch to the next. I hear the slam of the screen door as the freedom to run flows through my children’s veins. I feel shade from hovering trees providing a sanctuary. I see the old worn quilt laying in the grass with remnants of children’s lunch scattered across.
I can feel the sense of values, experience, honor, hard work, determination, curiosity, ingenuity, encircling and taking place in our souls where there were empty spaces we never knew existed. I want to stay here. The place I want to grow old with my husband in. The place I want to raise and love my children in. The place where others flock to get away from it all in my piece of paradise…
Though the dream is beautiful, I must open my eyes. I am missing it. Missing the here and now. The beauty of the wait.
For now I’ll take the desire that gave birth to my beautiful dream and praise the good Lord above. Rest in the contentment. The desire that was woven into the tapestry of my life was done by Him. I’ll wring my heart out so my desires can flow into the every day. To let them seep into every crevice of my life. I’ll strive to live and walk out those desires right here and right now. Not to wait on the planned circumstance or when the next time I close my eyes lost in a daydream. I don’t want to miss the chance to live the beauty that lies within today.
So until the farm dream burst into a beautiful reality, I’ll let the desire take over and live it now, for Him.
Are there desires in your soul that you haven’t allowed to surface? Subscribe and share your heart…
Photo credit by pixabay
I Found My Dream Homestead!
Have you ever had a dream that you have prayed to God to fulfill? I have! For as long as I can remember I have wanted a small farm or homestead to call our own and raise our family. At certain times it was all I could think about. Looking online for land, watching gardening videos, and watching food documentaries are my usual pastime. My husband and I have had numerous discussions on when and where we should build our homestead.
Friday afternoon while the kids and I were outside in the garden and my husband was at the fire station I had an epiphany. I am at my perfect, dream homestead. The Lord has answered my prayer. Not in the way I thought or imagined but I AM LIVING MY DREAM. The Lord has been working on my heart in showing me true contentment. I pulled out a piece of paper and pen and began to jot down all that we had accomplished toward self sustainability with a fresh set of eyes.
I was floored when I looked around our yard with my change in perspective. In all of my searching for a homestead we had been building one all along. We have already come a long way in our journey. How did I miss this? I learned that during all the searching…it may be right in front of you the entire time.
Wen I looked around me I no longer saw just our yard… I saw the Styron Homestead!
Here is a glimpse..
We live on a corner one acre lot with a 1700 sq ft 30-year-old home.
We have four children and home school the ones old enough for school. We spend our days outside playing or making new things in the kitchen from scratch.
To the side of our house we have a 10×20 heirloom organic garden that we started from seeds in our basement.
Beside our garden we have a 5×7 hand-made compost bin made from wood pallets.
To the back we have a chicken tractor made from scrap materials by my husband with 4 egg laying chickens.
We have 2 bee hives and got our first quart of fresh raw honey this year.
We use our basement as a root cellar for bulk food storage that we have purchased from local coops as well as a large freezer for local grass-fed meat.
We have a wheat grinder to make our own flour for homemade breads.
We buy raw milk from local farmers.
We make all of our own cleaning supplies and detergents.
We make all of or own toothpaste, deodorant, and lotions.
We have 3 large raised beds for herbs that we use for cooking as well as for medicinal purposes.
Yes, I am aware there is a creepy boy head statue in this pic. It is a family inside joke!
Our goals for the future are to extend our garden and add-on a greenhouse. We want to start a worm bin to add to our compost endeavours. I want to learn the art of canning and making fermented foods. I would also love to start raising chickens for meat. I want to maximize what God has given instead of looking for better. I want or homestead to reach its potential and the only way to do that is by focusing on what we DO have not what we DON’T. Oh man, this lesson applies to many areas in my life:)
What about you? Do you have any dreams that are waiting at your doorstep?
Sharing this with: The Prairie Homestead, A Mama’s story, Raising Arrows, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Growing Home, Time Warp Wife, Thankful Homemaker, Mamal Diane, Teaching What is Good, Mom’s the word, conerstone cofessions, A proverbs 31 wife, Some of the best things in life are mistakes, Let this mind be in you, A Wise Woman Builds her home, Deep Roots at Home, Graced Simplicity, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Hope in Every Season, Jill’s Home remedies, Little Natural Cottage, Our simple country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows, The Purposeful Mom, Happy and Blessed Home, Homemaker by Choice, Your Thriving Family, My Joy Filled Life. New Life Steward, Hometead simple, Let this Mind Be in You,
How To Turn Ordinary Games Into 4th Of July Fun
Photo courtesy of nixxphotography/freedigitalphoto
I love the Fourth of July! Unfortunately, as a kid I paid little attention as to the fact that we were celebrating our countries freedom. It was more about the hotdogs straight off the grill, ripened watermelon, and sweet peach ice cream with the night ending in beautiful fireworks.
Don’t get me wrong, I want all of those same fond memories for my children. As a homeschooling momma feel the need to bring in some patriotism while they run wild in the backyard. I came up with a little list of games to play at our Fourth of July get-together. I am hoping this will encourage them to ask questions and will be a great way for me to sneak in some awesome history lessons.
How To Turn Ordinary Games Into Fourth Of July Fun!
1)Instead of an Easter egg hunt do an “American Flag hunt.” You can buy them pretty cheap at the dollar store right now. This gives us an opportunity to talk about the importance of our flag and what it resembles. The kids can go inside for a few moments while the grown ups hide them all over the yard. The kid who collects the most flags is the winner.
2)Let them divide into two teams each with a bucket of water balloons. Let them pretend they are at war for our freedom and throw water balloons back and forth at each other. This is bound to get rowdy so whatever talking you want to do, be sure to say it before they see the buckets of water balloons:)
3) Capture the flag is perfect! Instead of using someones hat or shoe like we did as kids, you can use a real American flag:)
4) Have a, “Soldier’s obstacle course.” They can army crawl, march, roll, salute, hop in a potato sack and jump, then run through a sprinkler to the finish line! (I might even do that)
5) Dye some eggs red and blue for a relay race of, “Egg on a spoon.”
6)Play “I Spy” with only the colors red, white, and blue.
7)Let them be creative and find objects in nature to recreate the American flag in the yard.
8)Have a sidewalk chalk contest to see who can draw and color the most beautiful American flag. (My girls will love this)
9) Provide a fun Scavenger hunt to find things in nature that are anything patriotic.
10) This last one isn’t really a game but it is something I would love to implement. I want to have a table full of pencils and crayons for them to write letters or draw pictures to our troops. I want them to see that fighting for our freedom isn’t something that just happened a long time ago, but that there are sacrifices being made today to keep it that way.
I want to start more traditions this year as my kids are getting older and give them even more to be excited about. I want to keep it as fun and simple as possible, yet give them a new found appreciation for how blessed we are.
It’s great to be a kid!
Sharing this with: The Prairie Homestead, A Mama’s story, Raising Arrows, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, Growing Home, Time Warp Wife, Thankful Homemaker, Mamal Diane, Teaching What is Good, Mom’s the word, conerstone cofessions, A proverbs 31 wife, Some of the best things in life are mistakes, Let this mind be in you, A Wise Woman Builds her home, Deep Roots at Home, Graced Simplicity, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Hope in Every Season, Jill’s Home remedies, Little Natural Cottage, Our simple country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows, The Purposeful Mom, Happy and Blessed Home, Homemaker by Choice, Your Thriving Family, My Joy Filled Life. New Life Steward, Hometead simple, Let this Mind Be in You,
Back To An Old Fashioned Way Of Thinking
Photo courtesy of Usamedeniz/Freedigitalphotos
I am intrigued by simplicity and the days of old. I love the thoughts of aprons around a mammas waist. The warmth of a kitchen with the enticing smells of bread in the oven. I can see bare feet and mud pies lined in the driveway. To see feet dangling from a tree limb they just learned to climb. I can hear the static of a radio playing in the background. It was a time when daddies walked in the door to a houseful and aromas of a homemade supper. A time when laughter was shared around the supper table and stories were told. Where kids learned their manners, how to eat what was given, and how to clean the plate. Where the food was real. It was mixed, stirred, and tasted. It was soaked, baked, and seasoned with love.
A time when you could spank your wild child then hug them after. A time when hard physical labor was a sought after character trait and the Gospel was the best story ever told. A time when they used their hands, sweat, and common sense. Neighbors knew each other by first and last name. They were the first person you called when needing help. I love the thoughts of recipes being swapped and encouragement given. The days when being married to one person your whole life was just how it was. Back to the time when a swollen belly with life meant the marriage was content and blessed. Go back to the day when an animal was used for the good of the family, protection, not as an accessory. To go back when little boys could carry pocket knives. A time when the sports you played were all teams you formed in the backyard. When kids were called inside for supper and were filthy from a full day of play.
This is my mission.
To get back to family values and true quality of life. To live beautifully and simply and work hard to keep it that way. To slow down the pace and make something from nothing. To grow food and cook it with your own hands. To give the sweet gift of childhood to a generation that has lost it and to restore marriages back to what they are meant to be…forever.
Who wants to join me in this journey of reclaiming the best days of the past as we move forward in the future? Let us join together and show the world how to love on their husbands, children, and home. It has been placed on my heart to reach more women in encouragement. My vision is to cut loose of unnecessary distractions and focus on all the God-given things that matter on the short time we all have.
What about you? Want to Join me?
Country Dreams
I dream of a place off the beaten path. The familiar sounds of gravel flying signaling we are home, just as in my childhood. I dream of starry skies and firewood smells. To see open creation and God’s wonders all around. To breathe in fresh air of a dream coming true.
I dream of children running barefoot through tall blades of grass. Learning and loving alongside me to care for our land. I can see muddy little feet and sweaty faces running through sprinklers. I long to see my son climb up on his daddy’s shoulders with my girls in boots to their knees walking close behind to go on a pasture walk.
I dream of waking up while it is still dark to care for livestock and gardens that will nurture my family. To have that warm cup of coffee in hand as the sun makes its entrance welcoming another hard-working day. I dream of chickens scratching through the new dew of morning as a child tries to grab feathers. I can see my girls and I laughing hysterically to milk a goat ready to give nutrition to our family.
I can hear the sounds of the ice cream maker on the back deck churning as we unwind from our day of turning this piece of overgrown land into our livelihood and future. I dream of family gatherings for Sunday suppers where they all come to get away from it all. I can see the birthday parties, celebrations, and late night conversations. I can taste the flavors and sweetness of our homegrown food with all hands in, enjoying every bite.
I long to knead the bread, can the tomatoes, pick the berries, mix the dough, separate the milk, and prep my chickens all while wearing my favorite aprons. I long to feel the breeze not obstructed by buildings but seeping though the leaves and limbs. To feel a late evening thunderstorm rolling in just before the first heavy clouds appear.
I dream of standing by a farmer that’s learning, working, planning, raising, and harvesting our land and children. A farmer that puts life to my dreams and holds my hand through it all. To see him turn into a man of God who stays on his knees.
I long and dream for different, for honesty, simplicity, and life’s sweetness that can’t be bought. God can make this dream He has given us a reality. For it is He who places the dreams. Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him: and He shall bring to pass. Psalms 37:5
Hey Y'all! My name is Brittany Styron. Sweet Country Roots is a place I hope to encourage, inspire, and bring a chuckle. Grab yourself a cup of coffee and join conversations about marriage, babies, homeschooling, frugal living, good food, and an old fashioned way of thinking.
