Happy New Year From the Farmhouse!

Happy New Year and

greetings from my farmhouse!

I'm inside where it's nice and cozy, while the cold rain is pouring off the porch roof by my desk. I'm thankful for a warm, dry house! 

I could be grumbling. My family is once again out for the evening at church for our once a month youth night. After 8 months I'm still gaining strength from my head injury when I fell in the spring. There has been soo much I've "missed out on" over the past months! But then again, there have been sooo many precious times with my Lord in the quietness of my empty home also! 

My area of greatest weakness is my mind. It's not only the injured part of me, but it's where satan dares to wage battle after battle. To begin this year strong I'm meditating on past lessons on being mentally focused.

"...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise; think on these things."

 Philippians 4:8

I've been writing the blog all during this time of

The picture is framed
so you can't see the
HUGE mixer bowl from
making bread in my
sink.

recovery. (I wonder if the late April and May entries even make sense!) I've been sharing with you a small part of or family, our farm, and my life. A blog is only a small picture ...mostly bloggers want you to see what they focus the "camera" at...with words and pictures. Most make their lives look perfectly organized and rosy. If you were to see what they "cropped out of the picture" you'd see where they need to improve...

My blog has been aimed at the bigger picture without "cropping". I want to share the triumphs and the struggles. I want you to see the battles that have been waged in my life that eventually bring God's blessings. Prayerfully you'll see strategies that you can use to grow also.

I gave Charity a broken
sewing machine to make
believe with. She is
"sewing up a storm"
beside me as I sew
new jumpers for the
coming busy season.

With 13 children there are a lot of blessings in my day! On the flip-side there are also many problems to deal with also. I can very easily dwell on the negative if I'm not careful. Problems have a way of growing sometimes in my mind....it's then the Holy Spirit whispers, "Is what your're thinking really true? Are you representing this child honestly to your husband without emotional embellishment? Could a good report be given of you by the Holy Spirit who knows your thoughts and and the intents of your heart? Are your thoughts about this child/situation virtuous and praise worthy?" 

I'm so thankful for these heavenly whispers. They often bring me around to a humble, "No". It's when I look at each struggle through His eyes (often through a word from my husband) that I gain the perspective I need to act wisely. 

Another way my thought life is being strengthened is how I dwell on certain people and events. The Holy Spirit has prompted me over the years to use the initial thoughts of particular people as a prompt from Him to pray for that person. I don't fully understand His ways...for I've often replied that I don't know how to pray for them! Then the Holy Spirit showed me that they are a lot like me...that we all struggle with basically the same things. (This is comforting to know!) So I use the temptation to dwell on the negative or tempting as a prompt to pray for that person as I would pray for myself. 

As I begin the new year of 2015, I want...no I neeed to be mentally focused on the true, honest, just, the pure and lovely, that which is of good report, and infusing my mind with the virtuous and praise worthy things that will enable me to be strong mentally. Will you join me on this path that will lead to blessing in 2015?

This week on the farm....

*The first planting of tomatoes has been planted, and are being babied in the farmhouse. When the greenhouses are heated, they'll be moved out there.

A frosty mountain morning at chore time.
Our outdoor furnace in the forefront is keeping our
house warm and our water HOT. We have 3 , 48' greenhouses that we heat with wood. Our young men take turns sleeping out there to keep the barrel stoves burning and the plants from freezing during the night. (Sometimes that's hard to do!) So for now, the 4 plug flats of tomatoes are inside where they can be pampered.

These are old pictures, but I wanted to announce that we now are offering 2 meat share options for the coming season!

The hogs are raised on Colvin Family Farm vegetables and NON-GMO corn. They are busy clearing out woods for us by grubbing out the roots of small trees! All naturally raised.

The chickens are pasture raised and are fed vegetables and NON-GMO grain.

For further information visit our web page.

Of course whole hog sausage/various cuts of pork and chicken are being offered now at winter markets:
Oak Ridge Farmer's Market~ Saturday 9 -12
Main Street Farmer's Market, Chattanooga~ Wednesday from 4-5 p.m.
Market Square's Winter Markets
Every other week @ Central United Methodist  Church near Downtown Knoxville (see their FB page)
Cumberland Sustainable Farmer's Market, Crossville
(to be announced)

Egg production is picking up now that the days are "lengthening" and we have a new chicken house!

Our new hen house is built on skids to allow us to move it to fresh pasture easily. 

Inside the coop there are 84 nest boxes!

Isaac and Farmer Steve got each of the younger boys involved with the building of the new coop. 

We have over 200 Black Australorp chickens
grazing on our fields.

*

Our "sour dough" French Baguettes have many health benefits. We use fresh stone ground wheat that "ferments" for up to 2 weeks. This process pre-digests the wheat's protein that makes it difficult for some people to eat modern wheat.

Request a loaf to be delivered to your winter market. $5

Fresh cinnamon rolls are made with stone ground wheat, sorghum molasses, sea salt, natural sugars and oils.  A healthy breakfast sweet!
Large Singles $3       Plates of 3, $6

Since Adam and Caleb will both be married in the next 3 1/2 months the men are all busy building their houses. This is Adam's ground breaking scene for his 1,000 sq. ft. "cabin" being built at our farm.


Caleb's home is being built on his new 12 acre farm not far from our farm here on the mountain. It is here we will be growing mushrooms and raising hogs.

The boys are busy gathering materials from saw mills to building centers!


One of my favorite times of the day....snuggling, reading, and napping with Charity!


Charity's sewing is growing into recognizable projects. :) She sewed this pin cushion by hand with tiny stitches!


Faith Anne is taking a video sewing course called "You Can Sew"!

Charity has been reading quilting books we inherited from my Momma. Here she is trying to make a "Cathedral Window" quilt! I love a 6 year old's imagination! Anything is possible!

I know I've put this picture in the blog all ready...I just loved that afternoon! Charity talked and sang to herself as she "sewed"...reminded me of my mother. She even hummed the words when she didn't know them half way through the song!

Long winter evening inside..a rowdy game of UNO kept the family occupied while supper was being made.

Have a blessed week...

"...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise; think on these things."

 Philippians 4:8

Abundant Blessings,
The Farmer's Wife
Val

Gifts from the Farmhouse!

Merry Christmas From the Colvin Family!
Take a peek at our Christmas preparations, and see the most important GIFT we've ever been given...

(I wrote this post last week, and as usual with allllll that's been going on it took a while to get it posted...I'm sorry!)

Christmas cards are going out, we're starting to decorate...rustic old farm style, we've been baking Christmas cookies galore, and the children and I have been making costumes for the Christmas play at church.... hit the music!"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

No other holiday brings a collective excitement to our home like Christmas!

Charity (6) has a countdown and has been painting "stain glass" ornaments, Levi (9) is my willing partner in odd decorations, Luke (12) with his big heart has gifts stashed everywhere, and Faith Anne is sewing up and embroidering a stack of....well, I can't tell! Noah is my quiet hunter, waiting for his prize deer to make Christmas dinner special. Titus has the Christmas bug bad too! He heads to the workshop every chance he gets, and  is making beautiful quotes and names with the scroll saw.

 The older boys all have stars in their eyes. Their gals will

probably be the only ones getting gifts from them this year! Caleb gave his gift early...Shelby Bennett, as of last Saturday, is wearing a beautiful diamond ring! Yes, they are engaged. It's very strange for this plain family...Adam, Caleb, and Isaac have all become jewelry conscience this year. 

We make a lot of our gifts. For me it's fun to sew or bake up a gift that I know will delight those I love. The guys head to the shop and fashion theirs out of wood. But a shopping trip with Daddy is a tradition in our family too. Last week we took the two "little" boys to Crossville, and had fun thrift hopping! Five thrift stores latter we each had treasures to use as gifts that cost ten cents to a few dollars! We pray the children will understand it's not the amount you pay for a gift that is important, but the love that is shown in the giving that is.

As we roll into Christmas week are there special people on your Christmas list that still need a meaningful gift? We are offering Farm Gift Cards on our main web page. They are an alternative to our traditional CSA and are being offered in large increments for this reason. We can easily sell them in $15, $25, or $100 also, just contact us with the easy link! We'll mail them directly to you, or in a beautiful Christmas card to whoever you'd like to give them to as a gift. It's a great way to say, "I love you", and also spread the word about eating local, and our farm. THANK YOU!

We made cookie plates with greenery on them to make them look festive for our loved ones.

One of our traditional Christmas cookies is Chocolate Crinkles. I'm not a big sweets person, but at Christmas, tradition takes over! This recipe comes from my Momma, Dorothy Krueger, and is Adam and Matthew's (our oldest son) favorite cookie. Folks at the Oak Ridge market have been enjoying these the past few weeks. Now you can enjoy them whenever a cozy cook day feeling hits!  It makes a large batch, but  the dough or baked cookies freeze. We like to free 1 to 2" balls that are slightly flattened. Then I slip them between wax paper for easy removal and bake up any amount at short notice during the winter!

Chocolate Crinkles

1/2 C. Butter

1/2 C. "Crisco" (we use Coconut Oil)

2 1/2 C. Sugar

2 T. Vanilla

4 Eggs

4 squares Baking Chocolate OR 3/4 C. Cocoa & 1/4 C. oil

4 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Salt

4 C. Flour

2/3 C. Milk

Cream butter, "Crisco" , and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Next add chocolate line, baking powder, and salt. Mix. Lastly add milk and flour alternately. Mix cookie dough WELL. Place covered mixing bowl in refrigerator and cool 2 to 3 hours (overnight is best). 

To form cookies roll dough into 1-2" balls and dredge in confectioners sugar.  Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper (well worth the price) and place the balls on the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for "8-10" minutes. Watch carefully and remove as soon as the edges are slightly brown. Let set on cookie sheet 5 minutes (unless overdone!) before removing. Keep in an airtight container with a piece of bread in it. (I know this sounds odd, but the bread keeps them moist).

Everyone loves whole wheat chocolate chip cookies! My
the made the house smell yummy!

Samuel (3) baking cookies with Grandma
(The Farmer's Wife).

All the "littles" helped make our holiday treats.
I like to spend one-on-one time with each child as we
make each kind. Charity and
I made Chocolate Mint Cookies together.

While I was baking on the other side of the kitchen with a
child, the other children worked at the table making chocolate
covered pretzels....a family weakness.

Luke and I experimented making "red" fudge
to fill the indents on the Chocolate Thumbprint
Cookies. Since we never do anything in a small
way, there were leftovers to use up. The chocolate dipped
Rice Krispie treats got a red drizzle...

We also have a special spinach dip that we put on our Christmas Eve buffet  that I'd like to share. It's sooo easy to make and stores well right up until New Years when we serve it again. I hope you try it also!

      Spinach Dip

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach

1/2 C. Helman's Mayonnaise ("tastes best") 

(This year I'll be trying plain Greek Yogurt with salt to taste.)

1/2 C. Sour Cream

Plain Bugles

Cook and drain the chopped spinach well. Mix in mayonnaise (or yogurt) and sour cream. Refrigerate and serve with our traditional plain Bugles. (We've also used Toll Crackers Club Crackers in a PINCH. But Bugles have been our once a year traditional splurge.) 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

This special manger scene from my Momma is in the living room,
but the Wise Men are traveling from afar so
they are the centerpiece on our 12' farmhouse kitchen
table.

The most important gift ever given is represented in the farmhouse in many ways. Our focus is Him...our Saviour Jesus Christ. We're a Christian family...so this time of year more than ever, we turn our hearts with thankfulness to the GIVER OF ALL GIFTS, and praise Him for the ultimate gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Could you give one of YOUR children up for the harlot, (John 7:53-8:11)  a thief, (Matthew 27:38-54) or the greedy (Matthew 9:9)?  How about for me? "No.", you'd answer, "I'm sorry I couldn't." But God did! He offers you and I the gift of eternal life IF we accept the gift of His Son's death in our place to cover our sin. 

" For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 6:23

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Romans 3:23

If we but cry out to Him asking for forgiveness for our sins...for we have allllllll sinned. He is ever faithful in covering our sins with His blood! There is nothing to earn, no church to appease; just an Almight God that wants a personal relationship with you! How amazing! What a gift!!

Do you want the ultimate gift that will fill that aching void in your heart? Only Jesus Christ can cleanse you, and fill that spot He created in your life. Call out for the ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS GIFT today! 

"And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
2 Corinthians 9:15

Seek Him today, 

for Wise Men still seek Him.

Abundant Blessings

&

Merry Christmas,

The Farmer's Wife

Val

One of our sows gave birth outside the barn. There were
ten CUTE piglets which is great for her first litter.
I love seeing hogs in their natural environment!

Aren't I cute?!

These hogs have just been sent off for processing.
Look for fresh, non-GMO fed hogs to be
sold at winter markets within the next couple
weeks!

The heavy frost we received this
morning looked like snow!
It was gorgeous.

Samuel really enjoyed trimming the tree
this year. It sure was fun to see it
all through his eyes!

Adam helped Charity hang ornaments
up high...this is his last Christmas at
home, so we're making the most of the memories.

Hope and Josiah (1) help put ornaments on the
tree too...

Samuel put the angel on the tree with Uncle
Adam's help. The new rag light garlands trim
each window.

Steve helped me hang the rag light swags.
Thank you sweetheart!
I saw a picture on Pintrest of a rag light
swag and wreath. I fell in love with the
rustic homey feeling after making the first one with
the children as a school project. We ended up trimming 6 windows with them! I love the warmth of the rooms!

Simply rip or cut strips of cloth into 1 X 7" strips.
Seperate your colors out into different bags. Then measure your lights around the area you will be trimming. Overlap any sections of lights back over themselves and twist tie the double layer of light wires together. Next, tie the lights up between two chairs. Begin to make your light swag by tieing the strips of cloth in a chosen pattern between each light. Fill in any gaps in the end before hanging your lights!

We had our extended family in for "Christmas Adam".
Our children name this "holiday" when our traditional
Christmas Eve celebration was preempted by a special service at
church.
Christmas Adam is Christmas Eve Eve...

Adam's fiance Allison is excited
about the Welcome sign given her for
her new home!

Jeannie Brock got into the hyper
mood of the children...

It's 12:03 a.m. Merry Christmas!

Winning Our Crown...

Colvin Family Farm is
home to 2 parents, 10 children,
1 son-in-love, 2 grandchildren, 6 cats,
300+ chickens, and 29 hogs. (This number is to increase on Wednesday.) This is where God has placed me to serve Him...it's here among the nitty- gritty of everyday life I'm "winning my crown".

Another week has flown by! With the addition of school to our still full farming schedule the week goes by in a blur. I described the feeling to one friend as as I feel like I'm "surfing a BIG wave"...the wave breaks and I come to shore each day around 1 p.m. when we eat lunch. Then I'm "surfing" again. The tide goes out each evening about 8:30 when everyone is down for the night, and the adults are quietly going about their business.

The farm work is still humming away. The rush of the season is past, so the little details that easily slip to the back burner are now being dealt with. Larger projects like getting the strawberries and garlic in are being taken care of also. And my favorite!...the final bush hogging of the season is taking place. It's a blessing to see things look beautiful again.

Levi traced this rooster a special shareholder
drew for me this summer. 

On the home front we're feeling more at ease with the shift of seasons...older boys (16 & 18) are in from the fields 4 days a week for school. (We still have a large harvest each Friday.)

It's amazing to see how much school work can be done in that amount of time when they get a chance to "relax" inside for school. My plans for the 3 high schoolers that should have taken them up till Thanksgiving are about done! 

The younger children (12, 9, & 6) are daily driven to see what we'll be doing in the learning center. It's a true answer to prayer to see how they will easily glide through the basics each day to get to the differing activities in the learning center! 

This week I introduced the topic of money with the help of the U.S. Mint. On their site there is a treasure for every parent or teacher...home educating or not! (Grades K-12) There are countless activities,

research projects, print-offs, and games to teach children with in an engaging way. They also have online games that reinforce learning that we've not played yet.

As a marketing family my children need to be comfortable with every aspect of money at a young age...with the help of the Mint, it ties history, language arts, geography, science, and math all together. This is an area of delight for Luke (12 this week) as he collects U.S. coins, and really any child is easily attentive when the word "money" is mentioned!

Charity (6) is learning to count coins in her A Becka math program. This week they added quarters to the list of coins introduced...it fit right in with what she has in her hands at the learning center!

Luke and Levi really dove into the fun! Anything to do with coins really excites Luke! I taught (and

reinforced) the use of bar graphs to introduce our topic. With small containers of differing change they counted and recorded on their graphs their totals. 

Then we went to the mint's worksheets. They were easily tailored to our needs. It was rewarding a few days later when Levi (9) called out to me to see his computer screen where he was doing his math. (This is usually not allowed...but...) There on the screen was a lesson that introduced bar graphs! The connection was made and the lesson was a breeze because of it!

We also played some more multiplication and division

domino games. I'm fascinated by the potential of this game...why haven't I gone past the basics with it before? Explore the possibilities of using dominoes in your home by doing a Pintrest search on "domino math". See my last post below for more. 

A big question I've struggled with in the past...so I know others do too is, "When do I fit the "extras" in?" Anything that goes beyond the Reading, Writing, Arithmetic some days really doesn't fit in to be honest! We have learning center Monday through Wednesday as we are still marketing full time. Give yourself a little slack...BUT, these

activities will create an excitement in your child that will motivate them to not drag out the normal basic studies. (You know, when a lesson of math that should take 20 minutes, takes an hour plus! ) So, do a bit of research yourself and try an idea or two and see for yourself! (Read my past few posts to see what we've been doing in our eclectic learning center.) 

                         

You may read my description of our week above and think, "She's really got it made!" These are the highlights of my week. We've all got our struggles where God has placed us to serve. We deal with the challenges of child training, work schedules, 3 courtships, financial challenges, relationships, and weather related issues on the farm. These are the very hardships that we all are enduring in our lives today that are given by the Master for the very purpose of enabling us to grow to be like Him, and one day win our crown.

Don't  wait for some ideal situation, some romantic difficulty, some far-away emergency, but rise to meet the actual conditions which God has placed around you today. Your crown of glory lies embedded in the very heart of these things...those hardships and trials that are pressing you this very hour, week and month of your life. 

Honestly, the hardest things in our lives are not those that the world around us sees. Down deep in our secret soul unseen and unknown by any but Jesus, there is a "little" trial we don't dare to mention, that is harder for us to bear than any suffering.

There my friend lies your crown. God help you to overcome it with His strength, and one day cast that crown at our Savior's feet.  

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death." 

Revelation 12:10,11

Abundant Blessings,

The Farmer's Wife,

Val

Our Week in Pictures

Last Saturday (the 1st) I woke up to a
winter-like scene. 

The ground was completely covered
by the time it stopped.

I was thankful to be in a warm home
while the men were busy marketing!

 

Caleb is braving Dixie Lee Market until the very end.

Our naturally raised hogs will be ready
for sale in December. Reserve yours today!

Caleb's gal went on vacation.
This allowed him time to cook with

Levi

They made apple bundles with
cottage sauce. A special, once a season treat!

Charity is a self-proclaimed artist...
This is Adam and his fiance Allison.

Since our winter squash harvest was so bountiful,
we've been eating it almost nightly this week!

This time I used sausage, quionoa, onions, garlic, and
organic mozzarella stuffed into a spaghetti squash.

Goodnight from our farm to your home.