Gina Marie

Learned something new today…

So I’ve had a nice garden area that my husband built for me several years ago that has never been great if you know what I mean… I plant stuff, it never really does that well, I get disappointed then I just say “well then forget about you”… terrible I know.

Last night we were talking and I had mentioned that I want to increase my garden area, mind you the post are concreted in…so not sure how I would do that 🙂 then he brought up the dreaded fact of “Your garden has never really done much why would we want to increase the area?” I mean he’s right but come on give a girl a chance to live would ya? But then he brought up something else.. we need to replace the soil in the beds and maybe that would help. I thought well maybe that’s the problem? Anyone have any ideas on that one??

Fast forward to this morning when I was looking on social media and there is a page I follow on FB called @MIgardener his website is http://www.migardener.com, this morning he was talking about the difference between planting perennials and annuals in your garden area. Perennials are to be planted using your zoning area so when you hit the coldest part of the year in your area those plants will survive. I thought ok I knew that.. then he was talking about annuals like tomatoes, squash, sunflowers etc.. basically what he said was -anyone can grow anything in any area what you must first determine is “your growing season”. Days to maturity. I was like that’s it.. that’s part of the problem here. Replacing the dirt is part of the problem but finding things that fit within the “Days to Maturity” category for our area will help! Now you are probably thinking well duh.. how could you not understand that? I’ve seen that on my seed packets but I guess I never ever have figured out how many actual growing days we have here. Anyways food for thought today as we are all dreaming about spring and what’s to come. I gives me a little hope for some warmer and sunnier days..

Give him a follow on fb he does alot of great videos and I believe he is on youtube also..Have a fantastic Saturday. xox

We’re coming into a new year…2021

Just a check in…How’s everyone feeling? Are you ready for a fresh start? A new year filled with a new hope and new beginnings? I know I am…

Although, looking back on 2020, I see some good things that have come out of it. I have had more time to spend with my family and tackle some new projects. I have enjoyed slower mornings and days. It was a much needed break, but I am ready for something new and fresh. I haven’t figured out quite what that is, but I want it 🙂

I saw a post today about setting goals and getting perspective for the new year. I have never been one to set goals. I am not really sure why except for I guess I don’t really know how and when you’re not really sure what you’re shooting for, it’s hard to really figure that out and then you think to yourself..what actually is the goal. It’s a vicious cycle in your head 🙂

Is there a good podcast for that or youtube video? If you have some insight of how to do that and how to figure out what your goal is, please let me know 😉

I pray for 2021, that this year would be filled with a joy and peace that is unexplainable. Where we would be firm in our faith and stand unshaken by the weightiness of the world. Let our eyes and hearts stay focused and when it gets rocky or uncertain, let us stay focused on the thing that will keep us upright..Jesus

Be safe friends and keep our eyes up…xox

Matthew 11:28 (NLT)- Then Jesus said “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”

A little update on Winston & Nelson…

These two goofballs have been keeping us entertained all summer! We have sure enjoyed spending time with them. Although we did have some different expectations. We expected them to be our friends..well they are our friends..sort of … but only when we have treats for them, it’s really annoying. We have seen all of these other goats in videos following their humans around and climbing on them but that’s not the case here. If anyone has some ideas of how we accomplish this please let me know 😉

Winston loves bananas which is so funny! You can take one to him and he will gobble it up, peel and all and Nelson wants nothing to do with them! They have also begun fainting (they are fainting goats it’s normal) and it’s actually pretty funny and sad all at the same time. Poor guys but it does give us a good laugh. You should look up videos on fainting goats it will keep you entertained for a while.

They are just so dang cute! We are wanting to get a bottle fed one in the spring maybe… I’ve heard that’s the key to making them your friends. Enjoy the small simple pleasures life brings you these days! Have a blessed week friends.. xox

A little regrouping..

Sometimes in the midst of chaos and a pandemic, you just need to get away for a little bit to regroup.

During this time away I’ve been thinking about several things. I’ve been thinking about some different things like who am I and what do I love to do. Although I haven’t discovered the answers to those questions, I am definitely taking some time to reflect and figure it out.

Although I don’t agree with all of these lockdowns and mandates, I do believe that God is in control and will always be in control, I just need to continually remind myself so I don’t loose my mind.

What are some things your working on right now to help you during this time?

Conya’s Potato Soup

Recipe:

In a large pot melt your butter then add the onions and garlic and saute them together until soft. You will only use this one pot for everything so make sure it’s big enough

1/2 cup butter
1 large onion chopped
4 green onions chopped
1 clove garlic chopped

Saute the above ingredients together

add to the pot

6 cups water
6 chicken bouillon cubes

and bring to a boil

add to the pot

6-7 rustic potatoes chopped up

Boil until soft like you would for mashed potatoes. Use an immersion blender of you have one or you can use a regular blender if not. I prefer the immersion blender as it is easier and less mess. Blend everything together until smooth. Add milk or cream until desired consistency is reached-roughly 1 cups but I just wing it to be honest. Serve with lemon pepper and cheddar cheese. Today I added bacon bits and sour cream also and it was amazing!

It’s been awhile…

Well it’s been awhile since I last posted. I’m not sure why other than I feel like a funk has been on me and honestly didn’t feel like I had much to offer anyone. Not that I am feeling particularly any different right now I feel like I need to do something because doing nothing is worse.

As I sit here today my state is literally burning up! We have hazardous smoke levels at our house and can’t really see 2 feet in front of your face. Ok maybe its a little farther than that but you get the idea. The smoke is really really bad here! I am so sorry for all of the people who have lost their homes or their lives. I’m sorry for their families and all the sadness they feel and for the half million displaced people in Oregon my heart is just heavy. I keep thinking about all of the fire fighters on the front lines and I can’t even imagine how they are feeling and I instantly get worried for them and a little anxious. I grew up in a fire fighter family and my oldest son is a professional fire fighter and my 2nd son is just starting his college career to become one also. So these times are really dear and near to my heart. I am fiercely protective over first responders and I believe in them and all they stand for and I always will. There has been a lot of negative media against them and honestly it makes my blood boil. Sure there are a few bad ones but people are sinful and so you will always get a few bad ones (no matter what profession). It’s called sin and free will but then grace enters….grace is extended to all of us even the bad ones. God will continue to purse even the bad ones as he doesn’t want not even one to perish. I am very justice driven so this is a hard one sometimes. Most times I find myself think man he’s a really bad guy and deserves eternal damnation but then grace enters… Sometimes thats a hard pill to swallow isn’t it?

This has been a really hard season for just about everyone I know. I can’ think of one person that doesn’t feel either sad, scared, angry, hopeless etc… this is where I have been landing myself and not really sure of what the future will look like or feel like. I am grieving what we once had and that honestly won’t go back to that way because well it can’t. It can’t because I believe the Lord is calling his people to rise up. He’s calling us to a different place and I believe he is preparing us for battle. Which is honestly exciting and scary because of the unknown but I have read the end of the book and God wins!

I feel like this may just be a bunch of rambling but this is what’s been on my heart lately. It’s time to rise up and step into what God is calling each of us too and watch what happens. What a time to be alive!!

Keep your head up soldiers together we can do anything…

Galatians…

Galatians 1:15-16 (esv)

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, (16) was pleased to reveal his son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

journal entry….

These verses have struck me today with a complete sense of awe. I’ve read them before and have heard them multiple times, but today I am really thinking about them. He set me apart before I was even born. He set me apart before I was even born to do great things for his kingdom. He knew before I was born I was capable to do what he has called me to. Before I was born, he put a fire inside of me for his kingdom that I might preach about him before people who don’t know about him. That they would know and see his goodness. That they would come to know him in a relationship for themselves.

This is a piece of my journal entry that has sat with me for a few days. I am not sure how to fully process it yet myself but the wonder of it has me really thinking. What do you think? How do it make you feel? Give me your thoughts?

Our Newest Farm Addition…

Meet Nelson and Winston, these crazy two little fainting goats became part of our family today! This is an adventure that we have never tried before hahaha…

To prepare for these guys we purchased a shed and my husband immediately painted it for me 🙂 He’s a pretty good sport at most of my ideas and he magically makes them happen relatively quickly. We painted the outside garlic clove which is an awesome white and did a black trim on it. It’s so adorable. We still need to do somethings but it is shaping up quite nicely.

Please feel free to share all of your goat knowledge with me and be prepared to hear a lot about these two and all the farm drama that they will bring! We are so in love with them..now just to make them not so scared and faint too much….I know it just takes time and persistence.

Follow along on Instragram @ginamarie_blogs for all the pictures!

xoxox

So Much Farm Drama..

So we live on a small farm..we have chickens, ducks, a donkey, dogs, barn cats and we are getting 2 goats in 5 days~ fainting goats to be exact! There is always so much animal drama here! I kid you not, it almost has become so comical that I can’t not tell you about it. Last Friday, one of our chickens we named pigee because well she looks like a pigeon got attacked by our male duck. This duck has been after her for a while but she usually manages to escape him. We last Friday that was not the case, she just wasn’t fast enough. My daughter and nephew went out to the chicken coop to fill up their waters and feed them and that’s when they found our favorite little chicken mangled. Her poor little face and head were very messed up. I won’t go into details because I can’t even handle it. We immediately grabbed her and brought her in the house.. I know gross.. but farm life is well.. another thing hahaha…

We got all the different stuff out to begin to try to clean her up and hopefully save her life! I was trying to clean her off and I don’t handle gross things or blood at all. I was trying my best to be strong and I had to take the chicken outside to get myself some fresh air and sit down. My daughter looks at me and said “maybe I need to take over you are very very pale” which is usually the case in these situations. So thankfully she took over. We got her as cleaned up as best we could, got a small portable dog kennel and waited for my husband to get home which is usually what I do when things are gross.. 🙂

We have been very faithful for the last week of keeping her very clean and putting a couple different medicines on her and giving her water with probiotics in it and keeping her little kennel very clean. We weren’t sure if her eyes were going to survive the attack. I will let you imagine what her face looked like using that information. We were cleaning her yesterday afternoon and my daughter said “mom I just don’t think she has an eye in there”. I said “I believe she does and it’s just swollen”. I have been praying over this chicken since Friday. I tend to pray and believe for God to heal my animals and honestly God must really love me a lot because they usually survive. I have countless stories of our animals that should be dead but God heals them! That’s a whole different blog. Anyways back to her eye.. We got her all cleaned up and put her back in her little crate and that was that. We went to dinner last night and came home and got ready to take care of the chicken and we pulled her out and bam there was her eye! All the swelling went down which is crazy because it was huge and I kid you not all the swelling was gone and her eye was there! Both of her eyes are still there! She is healing so great and I honestly can’t believe it. I believe in the power of prayer..I know it’s a chicken but I believe God loves us enough that he cares about what we care about, to come down and heal even our little chicken.

I would love to post a picture to show you what we were up against but that would probably be a very horrible idea..you’re welcome 🙂 For now just know little pigee is doing great and I can’t wait to watch her run around again..don’t worry she won’t be with that duck anymore. I’m considering making her her very own chicken house and getting another little bantum chicken just like her to be her friend.

The moral of this story is nothing is too big or little for God. What things have you prayed for that are so random that it had to be God? I would love to hear them!

Available…

I was scanning through social media today and came across this song. I love Elevation Worship so I took the time to listen to this song. As they sang this song and I let it just sink in I was almost moved to tears as I sat here. I asked myself am I available like the Lord needs me to be? My first thought is yes of course but am I really? Am I really always ready for what the Lord is directing me too? Give this song a listen and let it wash over you and your spirit and ask yourself the same question. Lord am I fully available for you and your will?

My prayer today for each of us is that we will be available with our hands and hearts open to what the Lord is saying today and everyday moving forward. Here I am, you can have it all.

Yes Lord I am available..use me