Hindes' Happenings

I think I have written 4 different blog posts, but none ever seemed to make it to the "click to" post stage.  I think that just maybe photos may do this post more justice here.  Hindes' Homestead is still alive, but whew it's been a crazy couple of weeks!

So I was gifted 6, 7mo. chickens for Mother's Day.  What could be better than increasing your flock on Mother's Day?

As promised here is the egg laying song:

I thought I carefully checked these new chickens for parasites, but 4 days later I discovered they had lice. ALWAYS check their vents....or results can be disastrous.

Please note how pleased I am.  I am trying to keep the chickens organic so first a bath in DE.  Then Nustock ointment is drizzled on the feather shafts with eggs.  Lastly, a thorough cleaning of the coop and a good spraying of Neemoil.  The jury is still out if we are cured, but I am so glad the lice are species specific. Egg production is increasing and I am hoping for the best.

With said chickens come crazy amounts of flies.  I am sick and tired of swatting them so here's my review should you need an option.

This fly trap, from Walmart, is totally worthless.  The only thing it has caught is my 7 year old and I had to pry his curious little hands off of it.  Not a single fly in our home, 3 currently, landed near or on it.

This fly trap on the back porch is totally worth it.  I purchased it from the Natural Gardener and that is 1 day worth of flies it has caught in it.  Love love love this product.  Sorry if I grossed anyone out!

We've kicked off yet another diet. Here is a stir-fry from our new Autoimmune Paleo Diet.  It has actually improved Craig's symptoms so yay!!

I've bought many odd products and am soon venturing to an Asian market to locate a couple other hard to find items for this crazy diet...I mean lifestyle.

I am not sure this photo shows the evidence, but this is what happens when you go off trail on a nature hike. Lil' guy is covered in head to toe poison ivy. He's a trooper though and recovering nicely.

Very little has changed in the world of roller skating, with the exception of the rolling walker.  I love how homeschooling has created a deeper bond in my children!

We've started harvesting cucumber and squash from our garden and they are yummy!

Last but not least we are wrapping up our school year and boy oh boy is it nice to complete another year of math!:) This is something Cole is earning tomorrow!

There's a quick rundown of our immensely blessed life...learning opportunities, life, and love all rolled up into one big beautiful mess!

Faithfully,

Betsy

City Farming

I am totally in awe of God and his creation in and through our little city farm. Today is the second day we received a teal egg from Elizabeth, our family chicken! We still have 3 more preteen hens that should also start laying sometime in June, but until then we have the lone hen.

Did you notice the size of her egg compared to the egg we get from the grocer?  I sure did!  Apparently we are in the pullet egg stage so as the hen matures so will the size of her eggs.  In our research we also noted that hens can sometimes produce these eggs, but at the mature stage they are called "fart eggs." I apologize profusely to those of you that my kids will repetitively share this information with.

In other news, on April Fool's Day our 2 roosters started crowing.  We were able to prank some friends before the roosters served their sole purpose of nourishing our family. 

If was perfect timing as our friends had their windows open and were fully able to enjoy the melodious sounds of our farm from the comfort of their beds!:)

Shortly after they were carted over to another friend's home who helped us humanly slaughter and process them.  This was a HUGE experience for the boys.  I tenderly watched as one sweet boy shed a tear over his buddies and their fate while the other boy was more than happy to pluck feathers and prepare the bird for our dinner.

I was so pleased that our family was able to experience how God provides for us....he gives us dominion over the animals and the birds of the air, but they are ultimately HIS creation. 

It was a dinner I don't think we will ever forget and I am sure they will think about the sacrifice made for future meals.  As city dwellers we just think about going to the grocery or farmers market, but the animals have paid a price for us...they died for us.  Everything, everything points us back to HIM. 

Charasmatic what?

Have you ever met with someone and they just oozed God.  I have a friend that every time we meet, I cry, laugh, and feel like God was at the table with us. That wherever 2 are more gathered verse (Matt 18:20) really applies in this friendship. I've done lots of bible studies, been to numerous conferences, and been faithful to the lord but sometimes I just don't hear anything from God and I want to be that superhero of the faith God speaks daily to. I mean what if God was so pleased that I was the Enoch of our generation and he decided to take me up to heaven without an earthly death??!!


I just felt promted to ask her to help me "Hear" God.  She is the friend that stretches me and is for sure more charismatic in her faith but faithful ever so faithful. Before this friendship and honestly probably even a year ago I would scoff at the new me.  I am a far cry from the big Dallas blond hair and fake nails(not that I judge you if you do) that was my signature trademark in the '90s.  I mean for the sake; I own chickens, homeschool 4 beautiful kids, and use essential oils but Jesus sure does amazing things!


 I digress, so I wanted to hear God more and I needed someone to help me get back on the path.  She gave me a book on supernatural encounters and told me I needed to find a place to tone out the noise and be still with God.  Well I have an action packed quiet time but I homeschool and life, well life, just gets crazy 'round the Hindes house. So I took her advice and started reading the book but was not consistently meeting with him in the AM.  The book was fascinating though and the author actually conducts a ministry at a coffee house here in town one Saturday every month.


Going to the said coffee house was another personal barrier but curiosity got the better of me.  So this last Saturday night I found myself entering a coffee house with a prophetic ministry. I was honestly afraid that there might be snakes or people falling to the floor with prophetic words being pounded into them but it was surprisingly an amazing time with God.


I wish I still had the tape I recorded from the meeting, but I accidently deleted it.  From my memory the biggest take away was that I needed to get rid of the gawking gaggle of geese and be still to find my quiet place with the lord.  The women actually said she was having trouble hearing anything over the noise in my life...surprising?...no!


Fast forward and I stopped by another friends house and had fun catching up.  At the end of our visit she said she had a book she felt God was prompting her to give me.  Yep...guess who it was for...Busy Moms!  So should you need me in the AM...I will be on the back porch or in the hammock getting my early morning time in with the Life Giver, Yahweh Ro’i!  No more I'd never but rather Lord I'm ready for where you want to take me today! #chistianadventruesarefun

Thanks dear friend...

Today I stepped out in faith and was a substitute tutor for our classical university. We attend and thoroughly enjoy homeschooling with Classical Conversations, but it's a little unnerving stepping into a classroom of kids who are used to a certain style and routine and taking over for only 2 weeks.

Right before I entered the classroom, a friend met with with words today that renewed my spirit.  She knows who she is, but those words of "Your family is a blessing to our campus" meant more than she will ever know. I pray that my words have that same kind of positive impact.

In other news, the chickens survived their night in the coop with temperatures dropping into the teens.  People this is a huge deal since I don't naturally have the gift of raising animals.

The late afternoon was spent enjoying Duck Dynasty reruns and eating cookies and cream ice cream because sometimes you just have to celebrate the small victories in life. Thanks dear friend for making me want to keep on running the good race.

Hello 2014

I feel like I just awoke from a long slumber and how can it now be 2014?  Between transitioning from being homeless, to the great and final move of 2013(only 7 of them last year), getting back into routine with homeschooling and attending a Classical Conversations campus, the ever so crazy holidays, my hubby being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and chicken raising, life has kind of been one big blur.

It's in the blur though that I ever so clearly make out the hand of God.  He's always there it just takes more effort to locate HIM and hear HIM in the busyness we find ourselves wrapped up in.

With that said, I have made some changes to part "some"ways with my heavily trafficked FB account and get back to blogging about all the wonderful things God keeps doing in our family. It's not that I don't love you but I find myself being caught up in the FB world vs. living in the everyday life world. Here's a photo run down of the changes in our home for 2014. May you all be equally blessed by HIS presence in this coming year.

Before House renovation Part 1

 

Not everyone could see the vision we had for this house but we knew it was "the one" after viewing 100's of other homes.  Pat Gunter is an amazingly patient relator and helped us find the home perfect for us!

 



During Phase 1(5 or more to go but who's counting)

I quickly realized that I have failed to take many photos of the "current stage" of our house because we have been so busy living life!

 

 

Hosting a friend's 40th and still not complete but for sure livable and enjoyable! We prayed for a house that our friends would want to gather in and what a blessing this house is! This house has also allowed for Craig to join us for lunch a couple times a week due to his shortened commute...huge Praise!



 

One room almost complete...the entryway! It involved popcorn scraping, wall removing, lights being added (Thanks to the wonderful Billy Wilkes) and the floor being patched, but one area is complete!



We were blessed to be able to better learn how to treat out bodies as holy temples. I may not have broached this topic of study had Craig not been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, but in true God form HE blessed this journey. Some meals were a fail while others have ben added to the rotation! 

 

 

Our family is jumping in to a more holistic world and researching how to better use essential oils. Let me know if you want more info.  I have been blessed with a wealth of resources in this area!

 

 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

 

 

 



 

We discovered that chicken farming is not just a hobby it's hard work and smelly, but awfully rewarding too! Our family is looking forward to sharing our eggs in 2014.

 

 

 

Sometimes there are variables beyond our control and life is precious.  These eggs did not hatch due to a poorly regulated incubator.

 

 



 

But in true God form, we had sweet homeschooling friends that knew our eggs didn't hatch and let us come watch their eggs hatch.  They even blessed us with some of their baby chicks. 

 

 

 

These chicks had lots of love!

 

 

These said chicks lived inside while they grew their feathers out.  Farm life had now officially encroached our living area and we realized it was a choice to love through the stench!

 

 



Then the first coop had to be upgraded to host a larger amount of chickens and keep them safer. After a hawk incident that killed two of our chickens for dinner, my sweet husband picked up the special delivery on Christmas Eve day!

 

Our current project involves adding the enclosed run to the coop. I love how the kids just watch their every move.  You can learn a lot from the chickens.

 

Matthew 6:26

New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

 

After looking back at 2013 and planning for 2014 we decided to be more intentional about looking for God in every little thing we do so we made reminders through our the home.

 

 

 

Remembering to be grateful through the day...

 

 

We'd love to pray for you in 2014!

 

 

This is more because I am a germaphobe but isn't it the cutest Pinterest project.

 

 

We want to have more friends over to eat with us and candles will still be lit at every dinner.

 

 

Best of all know you all are loved in 2014!

Romans 5:8

New International Version (NIV)

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 





 

Faithfully HIS,

Betsy

 

 

 

 



Life is a highway (scatch that) Life is a roller coaster

Remember that song "Life is a Highway?"  It goes something like this, "Life is a highway....I wanna ride it all night long." These days life is more like this...

Have you ever been on the Texas Giant?  Oh my lands, it is such a rush.  You look up and think there is no way I can ride this and end up alive but somehow you muster up the strength to get in the long, ever so long line.  After waiting for hours you get in and buckle up (figuratively).  The first part is really bumpy with lots of jerks...it is a steep incline but you see the people lining up to ride and hope that it worth the jostling pain, anxiety of viewing the entire town from your little seat with an even smaller metal safety bar.  Insert  our lives here!!

We are on the crazy roller coaster ride with God right now!  I am so anxious to see the view from the flip side and enjoy the rush coming down the coaster but right now we are in the painful, jostling stage.  So many of you have been sweet to ask where we are in the moving process, and in all fairness this move is so minor in comparison to other trials, but it is a faith walk none the less.

So hear we sit...among a ridiculous amount of boxes and wrapping paper. All our worldly goods will be housed in cardboard boxes....see the irony?  Friends, we are making our third attempt at an offer on a home today (yes still homeless and supposed to move out on the 24th of June), our potential buyers may or may not back out this week, and all this packing could have to be unpacked and put back away in this home or be stored for who knows how long in storage.  I am packing up our "vacation" bags to go and house sit for the month of July.  We call it vacation because by golly it's gonna be fun!  Life is just about to get really interesting so I am placing the full armour of God on and relying on HIM to direct us and lead through Craig.  Who knows if we will end up with land, a permanent home, or chickens, but we are walking with Christ and although I may be crazy at times I know I am obeying the one who orchestrates it all...

Until then....Giant, you got nothing on the Hindes family........

Divinity in the Details

Divinity in the details was kinda a "fluke name" choice.  One of my friends, Tiffany, won the "name a blog" contest.  So I sat with this amazing blog name but not yet really sure what to do with it.  Fast forward and after chatting with sweet friends, they assured me that a blog chronicalling my move to the back woods, aka coutry living, would be fun to follow.

BUT....I just can't chronicle the move because life has a way of creeping in and reminding you that this life is not our own.  We were designed for way bigger things than we could ever even imagine.  So as I sit and watch Divinity in the Details of my life unfold I thought some were just way to good and to significant not to share.

"drum roll"

About a month ago a friend of Craig's invited us out to a friend's who runs a farm.  Not the go to market and sell your eggs kind farm but a hobby farm with 30 chickens, 5 goats, too many to count qauil, and the craziest fly paper I have ever laid eyes on.  Anyway, this is me "Betsy" and "Betsy their pet holding chicken."  Divinity in the details??!!  I learned so much from that 1/2 day visit.  I learned that my kids thrive in the open, they love animals and love learning about them and apparently so does everyone else who visits her hobby farm. My heart's desire is to have something on a smaller scale we can bless others with...but I lay that dream open to the creator.

  
Our house went on the market and in 24 hours we had 2 full price offeres.  It was crazy trying to decide who to give the house to, but the family with the turquoise couch won out. I figured they would really fit nicely into this home. In my defense, there was very few details to pick from as far as deifferences in the families.We had plans to head out to Dallas to visit family and be out of dodge as we tried to show the house.  The kids had their heart set on visiting family so we headed back to my childhood home.

This is the house I spent most of my formative years in.  Funny thing now is that there are very few reminders of that childhoood there.  My parents divorced 2 years ago and despite our urgings it was an ugly battle that left bitterness at every turn.  Our visit ended up being a pleasant visit but still saddens my heart for what I hoped for my kids to grow up in.

The really intersting thing is that the same neighborhhood I grew up in reminds me of the houses we are currently looking at...older, sometimes distressed, but have the potential to be great homes.

But, the houses in the neighborhood I grew up in are actually being torn down.  Not just remodeled but leveld and rebuilt upon. The land has more value than the structure on it.  So as with my family sometimes we have to be sripped down and rebuilt for a far grander purpose than we could even know how to ask for.  God can turn ashes to beauty but letting go of the expectations can sometimes be our hardest hurdle.

So as we plan to move out in 27 days, we have no premamnet home to move into, but we have amazing friends!

Friends that we choose to do life with... (End of the year tea party celebrating our daugthers and the amazing way God created each of them)

 

Friends that we want to raise our families with....(presentation day where the kids presented their talents as an offering to the lord)

Friends that make life fun and share each other's burdens... ( I did survive my first camping trip and the survial nutella was instrumental!)

 

Friends that want to raise biblical men and women. (our eldest earned his first pocket knife on a camping trip)


Friends that are letting us house sit while they are on vacation and crash at until we feel God's leading.  It is a faith walk but super fun to know God is into the details. Some things in life you just can't plan beause they are far better orchestrated by an all knowing infinate creator. Until then, I'm clinging to the one who clothes the birds of the air...and sinking my roots deep into his words...

I'm also gonna be trying to submit to my husband and allow him to lead us to the next adventure!