We're Adults Now

Cam and I went window shopping for furniture this evening. 

The last time we went window shopping we came home with a $600 TV. 

And, naturally, tonight we purchased furniture.

$3700 worth. 

I'll let that sink in for a second.  

Our very innocent trip to Room's To Go turned in to a quite expensive one. We went in expecting to just browse for furniture, and came out with a bedroom suite. A whole suite! I'm actually quite excited now that I've gotten over the sticker shock. 

Furniture is expensive y'all. 

Cam and I decided we loved this bedroom suite the minute we saw it. It was elegant, rustic, and solid. And on sale. Who can beat a sale right? We actually saved $1500 alone on our king sized mattress. $1500! After he told me the price of it, I was sold. I figured what's the harm in just buying the mattress, right? 

And then our lovely salesman mentioned that our furniture could be delivered as far out as six months. Six months you say? Don't mind if I do. 

And so the shopping began. 

We actually found our bedroom suite quite quickly. I told Jeff I wanted a dark expresso colored platform bed. He lead us to the exact bedroom I had described, but it just didn't feel right. I kept telling Cam that it felt too "upitty." So, per my remarks, Jeff asked what we really wanted. I then told him that we wanted something rustic which I was positive they didn't have. But I was wrong. And Jeff didn't disappoint. 

This absolutely perfect king sized bed will be delivered to our new home on August 2nd. We just bought our first real furniture! I feel like an adult. 

An in debt adult, but an adult nonetheless. 

Family

Yesterday I spent half the day researching our birds. They're known as Heritage breeds and I wanted to know how we could register them as such to prove them meaningful.

 

 And that got me to thinking-what is the meaning of heritage anyway?

  

It means so many different things to so many different people.

And it's honestly lost on some, they don't care where they come from.

But I think deep down each of us has a desire to belong, and part of that belonging is knowing where your roots are.

 

 

For me my roots are on a 60 acre farm that was started by my great grandfather many years ago, when it was much bigger than just 60 acres. He raised his children there, my family. My grandfather. Who raised his family on the same land, my father and my aunt. Who have since raised my cousin and I there too.

 

But you see, heritage is much more than a piece of property or the four walls of a house. It's nestled down deep in your inner being, at least it is for me. My heritage has made me who I am today. It's just as much a part of me as the farm I live on, yet it can't be defined as any one thing. It's everything.   

 

If you asked my grandmother what is most important in life, after God she would say family. And she's right. My family, my heritage, is so much a part of me that I couldn't function without them.

 

 

We get together for every birthday, graduation, celebration, and holiday.

 

Those are the times I look forward to. Sitting around my grandmother's dining room table talking about life, her worn white bowls serving creamed corn and field peas. These moments in time mold me. They are what creates this thing called heritage in my mind. It's tradition and familiarity. It's my family.

 

 

I pray that one day when Cam and I have children, that they will feel the way that I do. They will be fascinated by their family members, present and past, and form a curiosity to learn everything they can about them.
It is up to us to carry on a family heritage.

 

One strong in Faith, Love, and Family.   



It's Delicious

Yesterday Cam and I tasted wedding cakes.

That was a challenge in itself considering cakes are made with sugar,
and sugar is only allowed on the weekends in our household.

But we made a decision none the less.

We will be having a three tiered carrot and vanilla wedding cake.
And let me tell you, their carrot cake is delicious.
Which is inadvertently a play on words,
considering our cake will be from Delicious Bakery.

My absolutely positively very favorite cake is carrot cake, which Cam just so happens to like also. That works out nicely for us, but not everyone shares our taste buds. Hence the need for the traditional vanilla cake option in the center tier.

If there is one thing I'm excited to eat at this wedding, besides macaroni and cheese, it would be carrot cake.
Delicious!

Don't Stop Believin'

Cam and I are planners.

We are also dreamers.

And for every dream, we have a plan to make it a reality.

 

Our dream is for our farm to become a household name.

And while we have many plans in place to make this a reality, it is still a process.

One that the Lord has His hand in completely.

 

We can try and plan all we want, but in the end He already has it planned out for us. So it doesn't matter how many numbers we crunch or which livestock we decide to invest in, if we are meant to be full time farmers, the Lord will find a way.

 

My fiancé wants to be able to wake up every morning knowing that his job is waiting for him in the field, not in a building down the road. He wants to look out over the fields while he is drinking his morning coffee and see a pasture full of black angus cattle calling his name. He wants pastures full of hay that need bailing and fences that need mending. And as his future wife, I want this for him too. 

 

But it will only happen by the Lord's grace, and a lot of hard work.

 

 It has always been a dream of mine to marry a farmer and raise our children on a large farm with rolling pastures and a white picket fence. When I met Cam, I knew I wanted to marry him despite him not wanting any of these things. But the Lord works in mighty ways! I don't quite remember when Cam decided that he wanted to be a farmer "when he grew up," or what exactly sparked his interest to do so. I can just remember being elated at the idea of him wanting to continue on my family's farming heritage.

 

The Lord was planning our farming future well before we even met.

 

It is amazing how God works if you will just let Him!

 

 

Deuteronomy 28: 1-11

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

 

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

Now That's a Bargain!

Judging by the amount of furniture in my parent's garage, 

I may have a craigslist addiction. 

Cam and I will be moving in to our own home in 6 short months!

And why pay full price for anything when you can get it a little used, but cheaper?

For the past month we have spent every weekend going to get something for our new home. Cam told me I wasn't allowed on craigslist all week just so that he could rest today. I don't really blame him.

However, I did find a great deal on a patio set this morning! 

Even though my online browsing has consumed his weekends since February, I don't think he's complaining too much. We currently have a desk, curio cabinet, gun case, dresser, refrigerator, oven, and three bookshelves awaiting their place in our new home. And the best part? We purchased everything for less than what a brand new refrigerator would cost!

I don't think he realized he was marrying a bargain shopper at first, but I think now he's pretty proud of it! Especially when it means I'm saving him money. 

Just Do It

I have a Nike obsession.

It's a bit problematic.

And almost as big as my boot collection.

I honestly don't know why I started to accumulate tennis shoes, but I have at least three pairs in my closet at all times.

I bought my newest pair last week as a weight loss reward.

I'm not one to talk about my weight. Ever.

It's been a struggle for me since I was quite young

and has never been a topic of discussion.

Until today.

Cam's the only one that has ever made me feel secure in my own skin. He's also the one that drug me, kicking and screaming, to the gym two years ago. I resented him for it at first because I thought it meant he wasn't happy with me. That he wasn't attracted to me because I didn't have slim hips and a flat stomach.

I have since learned that I wasn't as secure in my own skin as I once thought. He wasn't doing it for him, but for me. He wanted me to be healthy so that I could live a long life with him and our future children.

In the beginning I despised the gym. I went basically to pacify Cam. I had no interest in running, lifting weights, or even sweating for that matter. I went only "if I had time" and made excuse after excuse as to why I didn't go. But as time went on I realized I needed to make a change. So I began to take my time in the gym more seriously.

About a year and a half ago I changed my diet and began eating more pure. No chemicals, no dyes, no GMO's or gluten. Just food, raw and whole, the way it's supposed to be. I went from dragging my feet and putting off exercise to making it my priority. And guess what? My efforts began to pay off.

But when my school schedule became more involved, my gym time became less and less consistent. I went from being in the gym daily to maybe once a week, if that. And less gym time meant a lot of muscle loss.

I was mad. I went from loving the gym to despising it yet again. It betrayed me. All that time I spent there and I had nothing left to show for it.

After graduation in December I made a vow to myself that I would work on me again. School was over, and I had no more excuses to separate me from my goals.

By mid January I was in the gym consistently again. And now, almost two months later, I am where I was on the scales before school took over my life. That alone is motivation for me!

I decided to write this post today on a whim. It's not for a pat on the back, or recognition for my dedication, but for motivation for others that may be struggling like I have. It's not easy, nor is it meant to be, but in the end it will pay off. Stop putting yourself down. Don't make excuses. Get off the couch, get out of the house, and 'Just Do It.'

Sunny Side Up

I've totally dropped the ball on this blogging thing.
I apologize.


As of yesterday all four layers are producing eggs!

The ducks look ecstatic about that, don't they?

The girls have become such proficient egg layers that they will lay quite literally anywhere.

Their new favorite spot? The yard.
I feel like I'm on an Easter egg hunt every time I go out to gather eggs.

Mom bought this nice ceramic egg holder to put our eggs in. It holds a dozen at a time, but now that we're getting four eggs a day we need about six of them.
With the way they've been producing we'll be able to start selling eggs soon, I am excited about that!

Last weekend we tried our eggs for the first time.
After all, you have to try your product before you can sell it.

They. Were. Delicious.

I prefer the duck eggs over the chicken eggs, they just have so much more flavor! See how much darker they are than the chicken egg that's on the right?

If you've never tried a duck egg, you're missing out!
Especially when they're sunny side up.