Prairie Oak Homestead

I'm heading out to the hospital today for 5 days. I am so thankful for the prayers that have gone out on my behalf. It is comforting knowing I'm being prayer for. And a prayer links the person praying with the person being prayed for together with God. Even if miles separate the two, they are still close together through prayer. I pray to be an encouragement to others while there and be a light for Him. I will try hard to get better and pray for the treatment to be tolerated and work. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Spending the day enjoying time together before I head to the hospital Monday. Ryan is cleaning the woodstove pipe so we can start our fires for the winter. I love the warmth of that woodstove. So comforting. We are heading out later to buy new bibles as Ryan and I gave away our bibles in Venezuela. Mine was tattered, underlined, and precious to me, but I was blessed to give it away to a Venezuelan youth. They will share the english versions amongst their friends. I will be packing a small bag to take with me to the hospital. I want to be as comfortable as I can be. I may not be able to post while I'm in the hospital, but please know I am thinking of you all and appreciate the prayers. I will update as soon as I can.

We had an interesting time trying to get our coffee we bought out of Venezuela. We bought about 17 packs and they thought we were smuggling drugs with them. Oye. My husband was taken away alone with no english speaking people to have his luggage inspected. This happened twice. After poking the coffee and tasting it, they finally let him have it. LOL. Made a memory. :) We all got patted down, girls by the women security and boys by the men security.  We had lots of tasty foods like Arepas, Cachapas, and Venezuelan scrambled eggs. :) Ryan ate quail eggs and also Capybarra, the worlds largest rodent. Um no not me. ;)  The mountains were amazing. The roads were all dirt though and really rough. We got to see a large monkey in the trees on the way up to the school in the mountains. Pretty cool. Bats. Oh the bats. Ants. Oh the ants. We were unable to renew our vows there. Just never had the chance. Plans kept changing. We will probably wait until our 20th now. :) I have never...

I'm baaaaack! What an experience! Venezuela was such a blessing to me. The people there are so hospitable, loving, and kind. The travel part was very hard on me, though. We traveled for more than 24 hours and was up for 48 hours. Not so good on my body. But, I am home now and have one full nights sleep in and boy did it feel good! I will share some pictures with you that speak louder than words, but first wanted to share some of my favorite things about the trip... Favorite things about Venezuela...Top on my list was coming out of one of the homes bathrooms and stopping to say hello to the lady of the house. She was speaking with another woman who was told at the hospital that she could find hope at the 12th of October Church so she stopped by. She confessed her sins and accepted Christ right then. It was such a blessing to be a part of that. I love how they witnessed to her and got right down to it. :) Her name is Joanna if you want to keep her in your prayers. Other fav...

“A woman whose heart is not touched by the sickness of sorrow and whose hands do not go out in relief where it is in her power to help, lacks one of the elements which make the glory of womanhood.” Heading to Venezuela tomorrow morning...won't arrive there until Monday morning.  I covet your prayers during this trip. We will be back home on the 25th. I hope to share our experience with you through pictures when I get home. See ya when we get back!

  On the above map, you will see Caracas, that is where we are flying into. We will fly from Chicago to Mexico City and have a longgggg layover and then off to Caracas. After we land we have a 3 hour drive to where we will be working. Please pray for strength, that it will go smoothly, and my sanity lol. We will be working on building a structure for the people to worship in as right now they worship outside with no shelter. I will be doing the very best I can. My disease is still acting up pretty good, but I trust He will get me through and teach me many things while there. Even if I can only hand someone a tool, I will be blessed to do so. It seems like I will never remember everything I need to take to Venezuela. Those of you that know me, know I can be a bit scattered. Yes, I made a list...but how do I know if I wrote everything down I need to take? ;)  I did some sewing (whew, getting harder and harder) so I would have some shorts to take with me, trying to get things...

When we get married, we come under the protection and leadership of our husbands. Let's face it, they have a big job. Being a leader, protector, and provider of a home can be stressful at times. They carry a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. They may become discouraged some days. As a helpmeet to him, we can bring sweet peace to them in their discouragement. And even if they are not discouraged, we can still bring the comfort, softness, and ease with how we manage our home. When he comes home from work, don't dump your days frustrations on him. Greet him with a smile and follow him to where he goes and sit next to him and ask him how his day was. Listen... Have a warm, wholesome meal waiting for him when he comes home. Good homecooking is always an encouragement. :) Make food he enjoys. And dessert never hurt. ;) Make sure the house is in order. Having a house in disarray can subconsciously lead to irritation. You or he may start to feel jumble inside because of t...

We spent some time at the pumpkin patch on Saturday. It was soooo nice out! Beautiful weather. We walked around and looked at all the different varieties of pumpkins and squash. Ryan didn't seem to be too interested...lol. Hunter, my little photographer, enjoyed taking some pictures. He took some great shots and will be entering some of them into a photo contest this week. He is getting so big..or should I say long/tall. :) I enjoy spending time with family. The only thing we are going to have in Heaven that is from the earth is our relationships/people. We need to invest in them. Looking forward to this Sunday when we leave for Venezuela. I will miss Hunter as he cannot come with us, but will enjoy serving with my husband in a country we have never been. I hope you all have a wonderful day and remember some things never change.

 There is no victory without a FIGHT. Not all things come easy. Most things, to reach victory, require a fight. Which means we can become battle worn. It's ok... Myasthenia Gravis requires you to get down in the dirt and fight for what is left of your strength.  You must fight off negative thoughts and depression. You must fight off feeling alone where no one understands what the disease puts you through. You must fight through pain to win your day. I have done all these things and will continue to. Knowing that God is spearheading this battle, makes me fight all the harder...    

This wonderful post comes from The Humble Homemaker. Great tips! See him out the door in the morning. (Something very special about this. It's very hard for me because my hubby is gone by 4:30 AM, then I can't get back to sleep, but I think it's SO sweet.) Cook his favorite meals often. (You know the old saying: The way to a mans heart is through his belly =) Look neat and clean when he comes home from work. (Being dressed up may not be reasonable depending on the time he arrives, but combed hair and smelling nice is a sure blessing!)  Handle family gathering details with in-laws. (In our family we're a bunch of women and he appreciates not having to confuse himself in our details. There are usually many details =) Spend alone time with him. (If you have small children, it's wonderful that you delight in raising them and care not for leaving them behind. But one day they will be out of the house, and there you will be with your husband. Do you ...

This is how I make whipped cream. PLEASE don't buy it in the freezer section...yuck! It is SO easy to make your own from scratch! All you need is 1 c heavy whipping cream, 4 T sugar, and 1/2 t vanilla. Use your mixer to whip this up in a jiffy! Set your mixer on high... Mine usually ends up on 9 or so...It's about here that I add in a pinch of cinnamon. :) You want to whip it until you get stiff peaks...don't whip too long or you'll get butter! (Another great thing made from scratch!) :) I used it on the Pumpkin Cream Tarts I posted in an earlier post. Very yummy! This whipped cream will be great on pies this holiday season and whatever other desserts you love to use whipped cream in. :)

If you are looking for a great place to find info on facebook, check out my Homemakers and Homesteaders page on facebook. You can find the badge on the right side of this blog above the "About Me" section. :) See ya there!

It is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and mistrusting. Can we gain anything by it? Do we not unfit ourselves for action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our struggles when we might float by faith. Oh, for grace to be quiet! Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God! The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. We may be sure that every word of His will stand, though the mountains should depart. He deserves to be confided in. Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus. ~Streams in the Desert It can sure be difficult not to fret, can't it? It's true, we don't gain anything by it. Just more worry. Resting in the bosom of Jesus is the best place to be. When we are still and rest in Him, all our worries fade away. He takes them and replaces them with His peace...

I got this from Tasty Kitchen and I wanted to share it because it was the BEST soup I have ever made my family. It was so flavorful! Very, very good! Recipe Description A hearty chowder to warm you up on a chilly day. If you like spicy food, be sure to use hot Italian sausage, but it is just as delicious with sweet Italian sausage. Preparation Instructions Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat until browned. Remove sausage from Dutch oven and set aside. Drain excess grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add onion and saute 3-4 minutes until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half. Bring to a simmer. Add thyme, basil, marjoram, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add red pepper, celery, carrot and potatoes. Return the sausage to the Dutch oven. Continue simmering for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add...

"He opened not his mouth" (Isa. 53:7). How much grace it requires to bear a misunderstanding rightly, and to receive an unkind judgment in holy sweetness! Nothing tests the Christian character more than to have some evil thing said about him. This is the file that soon proves whether we are electro-plate or solid gold. If we could only know the blessings that lie hidden in our trials we would say like David, when Shimei cursed him, "Let him curse; . . . it may be . . . that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day." Some people get easily turned aside from the grandeur of their life-work by pursuing their own grievances and enemies, until their life gets turned into one little petty whirl of warfare. It is like a nest of hornets. You may disperse the hornets, but you will probably get terribly stung, and get nothing for your pains, for even their honey is not worth a search. God give us mor...