Prairie Oak Homestead

I want God to be Lord of my life... I want God to reveal Himself to me... I want God to reveal Himself to others... I want God to bring brokenness if necessary... I want God to speak to me... I want God to convict me... I want God to search me... I want God to use me... I want God...

"And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you...blessed are all they that wait for Him" (Isa. 30:18). We must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is more wonderful still, of God's waiting upon us. The vision of Him waiting on us, will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His children. And you ask, "How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the. help I seek, but waits on longer and longer?" God is a wise husbandman, "who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it." He cannot gather the fruit ti...

I will be a non-credit instructor for one of the local colleges here in town.  I will also be their herbalist.  I will teach classes on herbs and their uses.  I'm pretty excited about it.  It is very part-time which works great for me.  I wouldn't want anything more than that.  It will be great to be able to share with people my passion for natural living.  I also had an opportunity to share God in our small meeting we had today. :)  He is good, yes? :)  I pray for more opportunities like that. I'm exhausted from my running today, so I think I will get some rest.  I'm feeling pretty wiped out and run down from a busy weekend.  Hope you all are having a great start to the week. :)

I'm pretty excited! I was offered to have a booth at a farmer's market in town to sell my soap starting in June.  It is held every Saturday!  What an opportunity. :)  I will probably only do one a month and possible two if I can keep my stock up. :) I also was approached by our local community college to be on staff as an herbalist and to be an instructor for non-credit classes to teach about herbs and such!  It would be an occasional thing, which works great for me. :)  My first class I would teach would be this summer.  What a great opportunity to get some speaking experience for missionary work.  He is good, yes?  I meet with them Monday to talk more about it and to let them know for sure if I want to accept the offer. I just wanted to share some of the things going on over here at the ole homestead. :)  I'm so glad to have the chance to share my passion with others and be an example for Christ at the same time. :)

"Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow" (Isa. 50:11). What a solemn warning to those who walk in darkness and yet who try to help themselves out into the light. They are represented as kindling a fire, and compassing themselves with sparks. What does this mean? Why, it means that when we are in darkness the temptation is to find a way without trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him. Instead of letting Him help us out, we try to help ourselves out. We seek the light of nature, and get the advice of our friends. We try the conclusions of our reason, and might almost be tempted to accept a way of deliverance which would not be of God at all. All these are fires of our own kindling; rushlights that will surely lead us onto the shoals. And...

Find my soaps on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wiseley-Used-Herbs/193102270706764?ref=ts "Like" the page for updates on soap and lip balms. :)

I've been suffering from migraines for quite awhile.  I'm on day 3 of one now. :(  I really dislike these.  It's not like you can massage the pain away the same as a sore leg.  It's just there...no medicine helps.  So I've decided to add feverfew to my daily routine.  I am hoping this helps. :)  It's worth a shot anyway... Winter is back in my neck of the woods. :(  We started the woodstove back up.  It's only supposed to be in the 40's for a while. :(  Yuck...I was just getting used to the wonderful warm 70's.  The frogs have stopped their croaking, too. :(  No birds are singing either....I guess that gives me something to look forward to though. Here is a question for ya....Do you believe the weatherman more than you believe God?  Example, when the weatherman says it's going to rain, you take your umbrella because you believe what he is saying.  But, when God says something do you act on it?  Do you belie...

This is Double Chocolate Bliss made with real Ghiradelli white and dark chocolate. :)  It smells so good.  Chocolate is actually really good on your skin...it's full of antioxidants and is a skin softener. I can't wait to try it! It will be ready on April 19th. :)

The sun isn't out much so I couldn't really tell. ;)  But, the weather is nice and warm and makes me happy. :)  Chickens are running around scratching the ground and looking for tasty bugs to eat, buds are forming on my lilac bush, I'm starting to hear the wonderful sound of the wrens again, and the air just smells like Spring....good times. :)  Had another meeting at church last night for our mission trip to Appalachia.  Looking forward to serving there. :)  I'm going to practice more on my fiddle and maybe I will take it with me....but, if I can't get better, then nope not takin' it. LOL   Made another batch of soap today.  I'm trying to get enough stock so that I don't sell out anymore.  I just love doing it.  It is relaxing and so much fun for me. :)  I'm so glad I started doing it. God is really working on me to live in the moment.  Carpe Diem so to speak.  "Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead...

O Lord, as I go about my daily tasks, cause me to radiate with love for Thee that my whole house might be an altar to Thy glory. As I make the beds, help me to smooth the wrinkles of anxiety and fear from my face, and learn to trust more in Thee. As I wash the dishes, teach me to think of it as washing away the sins of the day and to remember that Thy favorite detergent is penance. As I bake an apple pie, remind me to flavor my life with good fruit, some spice, sweetness and just enough crust to give it purpose and meaning. O Lord, it isn’t that I bring Thee down to the level of homely things, but that I raise them to Thy level of godliness. Amen ~ Author Unknown

"I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me" (Hab. 2: 1). There is no waiting on God for help, and there is no help from God, without watchful expectation on our part. If we ever fail to receive strength and defense from Him, it is because we are not on the outlook for it. Many a proffered succour from heaven goes past us, because we are not standing on our watch-tower to catch the far-off indications of its approach, and to fling open the gates of our heart for its entrance. He whose expectation does not lead him to be on the alert for its coming will get but little. Watch for God in the events of your life. The old homely proverb says: "They that watch for Providence will never want a providence to watch for," and you may turn it the other way and say, "They that do not watch for providences will never have a providence to watch for....

This to me is comfort food. :)  It reminds me of my grandma (whom I haven't seen since I was a child)  We would visit them up in the woods of Wisconsin where they lived.  They lived deep in the woods.  I loved it there...In the summer, my grandma would pick berries for us to have for breakfast.  It was such a special treat to have berries-n-cream.  Topped with sugar it was so wonderful. Even though I haven't seen her since I was a child (she is my dad's mom) eating berries-n-cream brings back good memories of that time.  Funny how food can do that. :)  To this day, the smell of dill takes me back to those good times in the woods and my grandma.  She had a cellar and she would can pickles and the cellar smelled like dill. :)  I loved it down there...

I've set up a new poll at the sidebar for you to vote on. Would you please stop by and vote? :) Also, I've added a way for you to follow me through your email.  You can find that on the sidebar also, just enter your email address and wallah, you'll be able to follow my blog that way. :)

Yesterday we had a taste of spring...oh how wonderful it was!  I sat at our picnic table and read a book feeling the sunshine soak into my face.  The grass and trees are still a bit dreary, but I know that will change soon and I will be mowing again. :)  This morning is overcast AGAIN, but it's supposed to be around 70.  I will be cleaning out the chicken coop and getting that all tidy.  Those chickens are sooo funny!  Yesterday I gave them some leftover spaghetti noodles and they were hilarious running around the yard with those noodles hanging out of their mouth!  Good stuff...I will probably try and get my bird feeders all cleaned up, too.  Shucks, I might even get some of the old garden spot cleared of dead weeds.  Anything to be outside in the warmth (which I love by the way) I have another 4-H meeting tonight with the kids.  They will be shooting in the standing position.  Interested to see how they will do.  I thin...

When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work. --Dr. Jowett God is never in a hurry but spends years with those He expects to greatly use. He never thinks the days of preparation too long or too dull. The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair. Joseph's was a long trial, and God often has to burn His lessons into the depths of our being by the fires of protracted pain. "He shall sit as a refiner and ...

He's a clever fellow...life seems to be going along it's merry way and then he comes... God has been stirring our hearts for months...His call is getting more clear everyday.  He is preparing our family for a big move in our life.  We don't know when it will be, but we know God is calling us to do His work.  (Don't worry, we won't leave ya hangin'. It could be months or years away.  When we know, you'll know) Although the move will probably be physical (don't know for sure yet), it's not just that. It's also a spiritual move.  He is moving us closer to His will.  And guess what? Satan hates that!  And he is sure letting us know with physical ailments, frustrations, arguments, having lots of those days...etc. If we aren't careful, we will begin to make agreements with satan.  Something I despise doing.  We have to force him out and allow God to be our only focus.  Hard to do sometimes when satan is very crafty and wants to have ...

I started having pain yesterday evening in my right hip...I woke up in the night with excruciating pain that made me sick to my tummy. :(  That continued into this morning and I in desperation took 1/2 of a Vicodin.  It took the edge off... My muscles are weak due to the Myasthenia Gravis...My joints are loose because my muscles aren't always strong enough to hold them tight.  So my right hip ended up with bursitis again for the 2nd time in 10 yrs...It's a terrible pain.  Mind you, I am very thankful that it's only the second time for the hip pain in 10 yrs, but I do suffer with pain on a daily basis, but mildly with the other joints and muscles.  I am going to take it easy this afternoon and see if I can't get the inflammation down.  But, too much rest is not good either as my muscles will get weaker and atrophy with too much rest. :( This is just some of the fun that comes with Myasthenia Gravis.  I have been blessed for quite some time to not ha...

"Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was" (Exod. 20:21). God has still His hidden secrets, hidden from the wise and prudent. Do not fear them; be content to accept things that you cannot understand; wait patiently. Presently He will reveal to you the treasures of darkness, the riches of the glory of the mystery. Mystery is only the veil of God's face. Do not be afraid to enter the cloud that is settling down on your life. God is in it. The other side is radiant with His glory. "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings." When you seem loneliest and most forsaken, God is nigh. He is in the dark cloud. Plunge into the blackness of its darkness without flinching; under the shrouding curtain of His pavilion you will find God awaiting you. ~St...

I've been busy. :) I have a couple more soaps to make yet. Then it's just the waiting. lol I really love doing this and love that I have an all natural soap to use that I made with my own two hands. :) ~Orange Creamsicle~ Made with natural orange essential oil that smells like a freshly juiced orange. It’s like sunshine in a bar! Give your skin a sunny start to the day! Ready April 5th. :) ~Rough and Rugged~. Made with natural kelp essential oil from the sea, this soap is great for men. Smells rustic and earthy. Kelp is rich in minerals and is great for the skin.  Ready April 5th. :) "A Walk in the Garden" A garden fresh medley of basil, sage, and mint. Close your eyes and let your senses take a walk through a summer garden. A great soap for men, also!  Ready April 7th. :) Oatmeal, Honey, Almond. A wonderful combination of sweet golden honey and almond. Gluten free oats are scattered throughout to gently exfoliate your skin. Pamper yourself with t...

"Encourage one another daily." Hebrews 3:13 God has blessed us as women with the ability to be sensitive to the needs around us. We sense when those in our family are in low spirits or need lifting up and encouraging. I believe this is one of the special privileges and responsibilities we have as a wife and mother---to be an... Encourager --encouraging your husband and family each day. Your husband is desperate for encouragement. He thrives on it. Encouragement will change his life and even his attitude toward you. Your children need encouragement. It is the rich soil in which they grow to heir full development. We must give it daily, and even more than once a day. It should become a habit that flows from our lips. But more than an encourager, you are also an... Enricher --making your home richer each day. This word means, "to make richer." Is you home filled with love and joy of the Lord? Make it richer with more love. Perhaps there is no loving ...

 This "Me, A-Z" is going around the blogging world and I thought I'd give it a go...so grab a cup of coffee and get to know me better. :) A. Age: 35 B. Bed size: Queen C. Chore you dislike: Folding laundry! D. Dogs: A doberman named Magnum E. Essential start to your day: Whatever devotional I am reading at the time F. Favorite color: varies between pink and blue G. Gold or silver: silver filigree H. Height: 5' 5" I. Instruments you play(ed):  I played the flute for a short time in school and am trying to learn the fiddle now J. Job title:  Helpmeet, Mom, Soaper K. Kids:1 L. Live:  Central Illinois = boring. :) M. Mom’s name: Maureen N. Nicknames:  Kitty...don't laugh O. Overnight hospital stays:  Several for Myasthenia Gravis treatments and to deliver my son P. Pet peeves:  laziness and people purposefully hurting someone Q. Quote from a movie:  "You're a daisy if you do" R. Righty or lefty: Righty. S. Siblings:  5 T. Ti...

"We are troubled on every side" (2 Cor. 7:5). Why should God have to lead us thus, and allow the pressure to be so hard and constant? Well, in the first place, it shows His all-sufficient strength and grace much better than if we were exempt from pressure and trial. "The treasure is in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." It makes us more conscious of our dependence upon Him. God is constantly trying to teach us our dependence, and to hold us absolutely in His hand and hanging upon His care. This was the place where Jesus Himself stood and where He wants us to stand, not with self-constituted strength, but with a hand ever leaning upon His, and a trust that dare not take one step alone. It teaches us trust. There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust God than to enjoy lif...

I got a new hairdo I suppose you could say.  I got 4in cut off and this is what it looks like now.  I usually wear my hair up in the front with a barrette, but the captain prefers me to wear it like this now.  I really dislike having my picture taken and now that my son took this picture, I realize I have a crooked smile.  I have a bit of an "Elvis" smile. I tend to curl the left side of my mouth more than the right. lol... God is calling our family into some sort of ministry and we covet your prayers on direction in this.  Church planting and/or missions has come up, but we need to have a clear focus as to His will.  God is stirring something, but we aren't sure exactly what that will be.  I do know that my main focus will be supporting and taking care of my husband as he fulfills God's call in his/our life.  God has called me to be a helpmeet no matter what my husband does. :) I will be busy this week making new soaps and I will post pics...

I made this Lemon Poppy Seed soap the other day and I just LOVE it.  It smells wonderful good! Fresh, fruity, lemons! Now I just have to be patient and wait until March 30th for it to be ready.  I'll be busy next week making more soap.  I have 6 new soaps I want to try. :) You can check out my soaps that I do have available here http://wiseleyusedherbs.weebly.com/

I made this the other night and it was pretty good. :)  I tweaked it a little, but here is the recipe. It's naturally gluten free.  Enjoy! 3 bell peppers chopped 1/2 c onion 2 tomatoes chopped 1 15oz can tomato sauce 1 can black beans drained 1 T brown sugar 3 t italian seasoning salt and pepper to taste (I added some creole seasoning to mine along with some garlic powder) 2 c water 1 c cooked rice Combine all ingredients except rice to slow cooker and cook 4 hours on high or 8 on low.  When does stir in cooked rice and heat through. :) The picture is a little blurry, but I'm sure you can feast your eyes upon my treat. :)  I absolutely LOVE chocolate, but only if it's good chocolate.  No Palmer's chocolate Easter bunnies for me....yuck!  This tasted wonderful and I love the dark chocolate (my fave).  If you are in need of a treat, I highly suggest you try this.  I love the sea salt that is scattered throughout.  It really b...

"Followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12). They (heroes of faith) are calling to us from the heights that they have won, and telling us that what man once did man can do again. Not only do they remind us of the necessity of faith, but also of that patience by which faith has its perfect work. Let us fear to take ourselves out of the hands of our heavenly Guide or to miss a single lesson of His loving discipline by discouragement or doubt. "There is only one thing," said a village blacksmith, "that I fear, and that is to be thrown on the scrap heap. "When I am tempering a piece of steel, I first beat it, hammer it, and then suddenly plunge it into this bucket of cold water. I very soon find whether it will take temper or go to pieces in the process. When I discover after one or two tests that it is not going to allow itself to be tempered, I throw i...

The sun finally came out yesterday for the whole day! It was so nice to see and feel.  I let the chickens out of the coop and enjoyed seeing them run around the yard scratching and looking for bugs and worms to eat. They are funny to watch. I made a batch of soap yesterday, Lavender Chamomile.  It's still in the mold and I will unmold and cut it today.  I like the fresh herbal scent it has.  Today I am making a Lemon Poppy Seed soap. :) I need to sit down and dream up my garden for this spring.  I am doing raised beds this year.  I am hoping that will be easier for me with the weeds and my muscle disease. :)  I will start small and only do tomatoes, green beans, and a variety of peppers and herbs. What's going in your garden this year?  *Here is the Lavender Chamomile soap cut and on the drying rack...

"Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked" (Eccles. 7:13). Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape; contriving a situation which no human judgment would have permitted, had it been previously consulted. The very cloud conducts them thither. You may be thus involved at this very hour. It does seem perplexing and very serious to the last degree, but it is perfectly right. The issue will more than justify Him who has brought you hither. It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will not only deliver you; but in doing so, He will give you a lesson that you will never forget, and to which, in many a psalm and song, in after days, you will revert. You will never be able to thank God enough for having done just as He has. "We may wait till He explains,...