Greene Valley Homestead

This post contains affiliate links Growing up in a Christian home is a great privilege and we are thankful for our parents who have trained us up as children in the way we should go, so that we shall not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Family worship is a new and trying concept for us. New because we did not grow up with a consistent routine of family worship. Trying because we are a new family with an 18 month old toddler and busy schedules. This book  has given us guidelines in our family worship and I would suggest it to any brave parent who is ready to be humbled and challenged in their faith and child rearing.   This book  is our foundation for breakfast worship time as we strive to study catechism with a 18 month old. I would definitely recommend this book for 2 year olds and beyond! Spending time in The Word of God I splurged this Christmas and added  this Family Worship Bible Commentary  to Edward’s Christmas gifts from me. It has been a ...

Life gets busy and my blog gets neglected. We have officially gotten back into our routine with school starting and the weather getting colder. My grandparents have many infamous sayings, and “Back to the Old Grind” is the only way I can describe these last couple of months. There have also been many changes and adventures along the way. Although we have nothing to do with the school system and plan on homeschooling Jesse, I keep up with the school schedule now. I watch a 2 year old in our home on school days as his parents work for the school system. He is a sweetheart and Jesse’s best friend. We really miss him on snow days!(like today). The chickens are full grown and all laying eggs despite the cold weather. We have a heat lamp on them all the time when it’s below freezing, which keeps them warm and keeps their water from freezing. After welcoming a 2 year old in our home, Jesse quickly learned to walk to keep up with him! Now he runs and dances all the time. His newfound t...

This summer we have been busy chasing a crawling baby around while trying to keep up with the garden. Our half runner green beans seem to be growing about 2 bushel a week! For those who are unfamiliar with a bushel, that’s a lot of picking, stringin and cannin! I couldn’t have done it without my mom’s help and those who were gracious enough to buy a few bushels from us! The chickens are growing so much and should be laying eggs by the beginning of September. We have four Rhode Island Red hens. I anticipate opening my nesting box, which now sits on my front porch, and seeing little brown eggs ready for the frying pan. I have a couple of pet cows who return for the apples off our of tree, along with leftover corn husks, cobs, and squash. My sunflowers have been my own little haven which I escape to once Jesse goes down for the night. As they die out the chickens love feasting on their seeds... free treats! Speaking of Jesse, he is now one year old and not a baby anymore. He is...

I talked my husband into getting chickens this spring, instead of waiting until next year. He must love me a lot to put up with me. He has regretted getting them ever since. He was working close to the feed store that we had visited a few weeks ago and I knew they had them. I was holding on to hope that they still had some left, and they did! We paid 50 cent more for them because they were already about 5 weeks old and their feathers had come in.. worth it to not have to buy a brooder!! While Edward went  to pick them up, I hurried to Tractor Supply to get everything I would need. We housed them in Jesse’s pack-n-play until we could get them a permanent home outside! Jesse and our dog, Oakley, loved watching them explore their temporary home. I have done so much research since the day we got the chicks that I could probably graduate with a Google and Pinterest degree in chickens. Edward has been a trooper building two different chicken coop/runs for me!  I have sp...

Taking the time to pray has become a new challenge and journey in my faith. Life with a 10 month old who never stops moving unless he’s asleep doesn’t give much time for anything! I used to pray during my morning drive to work. I would pray over the new day the Lord had given as I seek to serve Him. Now, instead of a quiet drive, I am awaken to a cooing babe and cheeping chicks to feed and change and prepare for a new day. I wouldn’t trade this time in my life for any other, and I am seeking new moments of time to spend in prayer. Believe it or not, I do still get a few quiet moments! The real challenge lies in whether I make the most of these moments to spend time with God instead of checking off my to-do list. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:15-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ I must work to find the will of the Lord in ea...

Through the winter I made a total of 10 quilts. These quilts were made out of precious fabrics into patchwork quilts. It is so special for me to be able to create something to hold memories for others to cherish. Some hold memories of past sport teams, loved ones who have passed away, or old baby clothes. After taking all of this time to make these quilts for others, I realized I never made a quilt for myself! For Christmas I was gifted a quilt top from an antique store that needed to be finished, so I took this opportunity to make some memories of my own! As Jesse naps, I stitch away on my homemade quilting frame my husband lovingly put together for my as a birthday gift. I listen to sermons online as I work. (usually John Piper or Voddie Baucham) It is a good quiet time with God as I accomplish work in our little home. I have a passion for marriage sermons/ sermons about family life, so this is usually what I end up listening to. (I will link some of my favorites in future...

The rain has set in for the weekend as Jesse and I fight off spring colds. Cabin fever is also starting to set in, so I am reminiscing back to last week when I planted so many flowers and vegetables in our garden! I have been reading this book since Christmas to learn more about what, when and how to plant. It has been a huge help and I plan on using it in the future if we get bees, chickens, and a milking cow or goat. Some green bean, corn, okra and squash seed we picked up from the feed store. Local is the best to use for green beans and corn. The rest of our veggies and flowers were purchased at your typical garden/outdoor living store. I transplanted my cucumbers and tomatoes that had been growing inside for the past month and were ready for more space to grow. My cucumbers have done great! The tomatoes are getting used to the garden. I used the lazy gardeners approach and planted them as seedlings instead of plants... we will see how they do! My grandparents ...