Trials Begin

Why are we shocked when things don't go as planned. Not even two days even there's a complication.  We had a permit for the pond from 2017 which is such a cool thing as we didn't know we would need it in 2023 when we first applied for it.  So we went ahead and started digging.  We were still waiting on Site Plan Approval for the buildings, but we figured we had the pond permit so we went for it.  We received some comments back on the on our application yesterday and one of the comments was from the fire department saying things that needed to be changed and no digging can start before those changes are made.  Oh dear.  At first, I felt a twinge of fear and then, I admit, doubt about my husband's choices crept in, which is a classic Satan move.  But then as we talked we really didn't panic too badly.  RM is masterfully dealing with the architect and the junior designer and is helping keep her in line as she keeps stepping out of line.  I'm not exactly sure what the attack was, but I think the bottom line for me is always fear and for RM it's epic physical pain from the workload he's carrying as he processed grapes till midnight the night before, received the grapes all day and then project managed the pond starting as well as managing the stained glass all at the same time.  Is he living his best life?  Yes, but it's taking a toll on him for sure.

How I pray that one day he'll be able to relax and not be in so much pain all the time.  I wish I knew if that was even a possibility.

How I thank God for my kids and how they come alongside him in his workload.  So grateful for them.  I've been reading in 1 John how if we abide in Him the He will teach us everything.  I surely need help teaching everything.  I'm quite overwhelmed by school, the amount of prep work and all the additional things on the side that I want to do in the church.  I'm asked daily if I will ever send them to school.  I don't know!  I sure  hope by abiding that I will know.  I'm in a bit of a desert wasteland, that's all I know

My heart condemns me all day long about so many things I'm insecure about from the order in my home, to my education choices, to the reno, involvement in church, etc., etc., 1 John speaks of how He can reassure our hearts and that He is greater than he who is in the world.  How I need that reassurance.

We'll be at Brock today for our son's university fair.  My prayer is once again that the Lord will guide.  So much uncertainty about next fall as well.  Praying, praying, praying

Winery Reno Begins

 I am determined to attempt blogging again.  Not because anyone is reading this, but I just want to document the faith journey again.  Today marks the official day of alleged renovations.  There, I showed my lack of faith again by saying “alleged”.  I want to believe they’ll happen, I just have such a hard time picturing this whole thing that we’ve been planning for months to actually happen.

Today it’ll be machinery being moved on to the property and then tomorrow the pond digging will begin.  Deep down I’m super excited because at the very least we’re going to have a beautiful water feature, but at the same time, deep down, I’m afraid that’s all we’ll have.

However, if things move ahead like we hope and dream, then following the pond being dug, and permits being issued, then buildings will be cleaned up, parking lots will be made and possibly even landscaping will take place.  Then, ideally, that will fund potential home renos, Lord willing.  And that’s the whole thing, does God care about renovations?  Well, as I studied the whole Old Testament, oddly enough, I noticed that He loves construction and He loves making things new, so I am trusting Him, even though this is a very new stretch for us.

Last night as we sat in the church Vision meeting as they shared with the congregation about their dreams for the church building, it seemed oddly familiar.  Their budget, their hopes, the way they see the building as a tool.  I wanted it for them, too, because I know how it feels.  I long to have my home and property used in the same way.  For some reason it isn’t happening quite as fast as I hoped, but as the study of 1 John goes, God is like a parent who knows us better and what we need better than I do, so I have to faithfully sit back and wait while my house falls apart.

The church shared how the building on Scott St. was falling apart which ultimately led them to this building on Arlington.  This week alone, more things fell apart here - the mudroom door came right off its hinges.  I have to lift it up from the bottom to make it work.  This adds to my already broken washer, stove, fridge, water cooler, floors, heat, clogged sink, stinky rugs, furniture, dog pen where they’re chewing up the house….blah, blah, blah.  But none of this is new to God, so I try to keep the kids happy.  I try to show them how God is still blessing us.  I try to be positive even though the cloud hovers over me and I can’t seem to shake it except by doing the next right thing.

Starting in a week and a half we’ll have a new financial load that will be funded by the winery if all goes as we hope.  That kind of boggles my mind.  I can’t quite picture it except that we’ve been able to make it so far.  Again, this isn’t a surprise to God so I’m excited to trust Him.  What choice do I have?

It’s going to be fun to see what direction these two renovations take - will people give what they need?  Will the money come in for our renovation as well?  We don’t have a church congregation to support us.  We don’t have any secret sources of money.  Can’t wait to see what will happen.  Trusting God is fun and hard at the same time.

Ruins

"Rebuilding the ruins" is my theme for 2023.  Some people choose a word and last year we did - "focus", but this year, for me, it was a phrase.  My phrase comes right out of Scripture.  Over and over since I started re-reading from the beginning, I found myself in Chronicles, Ezra and now Nehemiah and the theme is rebuilding the ruins, over and over.  

This morning as I read in Nehemiah I saw the words, "rebuilt", "restore", "repair" repeated all throughout the chapter.  I circled the words each time I saw them.  Family after family was named, each one restoring the wall in front of them.   They weren't worried about the wall space beside them or down the street, just the wall in front of them.  Focused.  They laid down beams, set doors, bolts and bars.  And, it seems, they just did it, no obvious complaining written down or recorded.

The whole timed I'm reading this, I remember years ago how I was reading in this same area of the Bible and I was struck then how we had purchased "ruins" and how I longed even then to rebuild them.  We literally have a sawmill on our property from the 1930s and I met an old couple a long time ago who knew the property we lived on and said they used to get their wood milled at our place.  You would never know that now.  The buildings were standing when we moved in here and fell down after a major windstorm.  We've always wanted not to rebuild them, but to remove them!  They are kind of an eyesore now.  But the rest of our property is definitely needing rebuilding.

Even as we plan for this and a designer is officially hired and working on an overall plan, we've been watching a hilarious series called Island of Bryan.  This couple from the town near to the one we moved from, bought a dilapidated resort in the Bahamas and attempted to fix it up and bring it back to life.  Right from the beginning we felt we could relate to these people on many levels.  They risked all their financial resources, brought the kids along for the ride whether they liked it or not, went against all the worldly wisdom that told them they were nuts, fought one another and yet were on the same page throughout the experience, went through wild highs and wild lows and yet managed to succeed (though we haven't finished the series, we know from the internet that the resort is open for business!).  We don't quite have the resources they had, but we have lots in common with them, including the drive, the willingness to take on things that make no sense to anyone else, dragging our kids along for the ride, etc.  Our story could have been a mini-series, too, but we didn't document it quite the same way, though if we had it would have been a VERY long show as we've stopped all renovations to plant vines, have babies, homeschool, plant gardens and the list goes on.  But now that we are in the potential renovation stage and we see how much they took on and how much they accomplished (with what seemed like an unlimited budget), we are starting to think our renovation is small!  In fact, this Island of Bryan guy, aka, Bryan, is the one we've sent our application to for his next show which doesn't even have a name.  Now that he's done his own start-up renovation, he realized there are probably other people out there wanting to do a similar start up, but lack the resources and he wants to be the guy to come in and help AND get it done fast.  Man, that's what we want.  Let this be the day he contacts us!!!!

All this to say, there seems to be a theme in our lives and all throughout Scripture.  In fact, I even had my son put on a playlist this week and as I was listening, I saw on the screen the name of the song, "Ruins".  I was immediately curious what it was about and sure enough the lyrics were all about rebuilding, restoring, repairing what has been broken, what has been stolen and that God is the God of repairing the ruins.  I couldn't believe it as I sat there listening to this amazing song.  Lord, you are the God who repairs the ruins.  Can you help us repair ours?  Of course it's a much bigger picture when Scripture speaks of rebuilding the ruins - treasure in heaven, not treasure on earth.  I know this, but I also see our farm as a symbol, a picture of what God can do, what He is doing, so I still pray and I still hope that He'll restore our place, always wanting Him to get the glory, not us.

So, even though I sit among ruins and literally see ruins from my window, I see how slowly but surely God is bringing the ruins back to life and I'm so grateful for these themes in my life and these real life pictures all around me. 

Jan/Feb Recap.....Keeping Records of the Blessings

I'm tracking our year this year.  By that, I mean I want an actual written record that we can look back over on December 31 without everyone sitting around saying, "I can't remember what happened this year!"  So far, it's only February 12 (I can't believe we're midway through February already....) and a lot has happened.

January was the continuation of stained glass classes which are sustaining us on a level we could never have predicted.  The classes keep getting filled up and the people keep buying wine so we are in awe of what God has done with those classes.

Our son did his first set of exams with the school he's attending and we officially signed him up full time for the next semester.  Will we send all of our kids?  I don't think so.  I'm enjoying the Classical Conversations so much that I really think I'll try to go the distance with that program.  

My daughter entered her last semester of her program at the college and began interning with us at the winery.  She is an amazing addition and brings in sales like a pro.  She'll start full-time with us in the Spring.

In a surprise twist, the college wanted RM back teaching at the high number of hours he used to have before they told him he wasn't allowed to teach that many hours....what a joke.  At first we didn't want to take the hours as is was going to impact the winery and classes.  How would he be able to do all the work if he was driving into the college every day, so he gave them his ideal schedule which was to do all his in-class teaching on one day and everything else had to be online.  After a bit of back and forth, they agreed to all his conditions and even upped his pay to compensate for the prep he would need to do.  This amazing turn of events has allowed us to buy a (used) truck to replace our seriously dying truck.  We'll pick it up this week and all of us are so excited.  I have to explain how our old truck is more like a joke truck and why we are so excited.  Our joke truck is a joke for sooooo many reasons:

Only two of the doors really work.  One of them doesn't even have a handle so you have to go around the other side to get in.  There is no a/c.  In fact, not only does it not have a/c, it blows HOT AIR during the summer on your feet only on the driver's side which makes for super fun summer driving.  The driver's side window also didn't open or lock properly, so while the hot air was blowing, you couldn't even roll the window down!  The radio/cd player stopped working ages ago, so no music, no nothing.  The driver's seat was ripped and poking in all the wrong places.  Oh my goodness, I could go on and on except that I won't because this truck taught our kids so much.  Be grateful.  This truck continued to start day after day (well, after many repairs) and it made us so happy.  For 20 years (that's a LOOOONNNG time to have a truck work) it took us and our animals many places more or less safely.  We ran that truck literally into the ground and we drove it to its death basically.  That kind of feels good when you wear a truck out.  We definitely feel we got our money's worth out of it.  It also kind of feels like the sandals in the Israelite desert that never wore out.  Every day when it started, I just said, "Thank you, Lord" and I really meant it!  So now, our new truck is about 7 years old which is basically new to us.  All of us keep joking, "So you mean the windows work?"  "Yes, son....isn't that great?"  "And what about the heat on our feet....?"  "It has a/c."  "What?!"  This truck by most people's standards is still a basic truck, but to us, it's a luxury truck that has all the bells and whistles and by that I mean, locks, tires, chairs, radio......This is why I love living the way we do.  The kids will appreciate this "new" truck on a level most just wouldn't.  We've been double-buckling here and there over the years, because our other Honda also died.  This truck has a seatbelt for all the younger kids....very exciting.  So I'm grateful to the Lord for this as well.  Such a gift.

February brought another strange series of gifts.  We had hoped that we would hear from HGTV in January, but we didn't.  At least not yet.  We then applied for another show that hasn't even come out yet, but haven't heard back from them either.  So then, we sought out a designer/acquaintance from the area because we can't wait to hear from these potential shows when the spring is around the corner and we're getting behind on potential construction windows.  This lady is yet another gift.  Last summer she drove by and stopped her truck packed with adorable two year old twins and a toddler.  They ran around the property while she and I chatted.  Within a few minutes she found out what we were all about and vice versa.  Turns out she has a farmhouse just like ours, but they went ahead and renovated it making it look like my dreamhouse.  We started following her on instagram and she followed us.  As we saw what she was up to we started to think maybe she could be the designer for us.  We had her come over last week and it seems like she just might be the person we need, Lord willing.  The amazing thing is that she is new to doing this for other people.  She works for a builder, but doesn't normally do individual homes, so her pricing isn't as high as it normally would be as she needs us for the experience as well.  It looks like not only will she be designing and giving us a plan for our house, but also for the winery and then ultimately the landscaping, exterior finishes as well.  This isn't because we'll do it all in one year or even five, it's just so that we have a plan and then as we can afford it we'll do phase by phase.  So essentially we're hiring her for the plan.  Will we ever be able to do all that we want?  Only if a miracle happens.  We are working super hard to hopefully be able to do some of her design this summer.  We'll see how far we can get.  It's free to dream.  And there's always monopoly money which I really love using.

This month also saw our first official employee hired besides our kids.  We use them all the time and a lot of the time, it's for free.  What great kids.  Last summer we met a lady at one of our events who has turned out to be such a gift to us.  She can do almost anything we need her for.  If we need a charcuterie box made for our movie nights?  She's the one.  If we need a stained glass assistant instructor?  She's it.  She even does plumbing and has ran a restaurant....she is literally a Jane-of-all-trades.  And, she seems to like working with us and for us and comes whenever we need her.  We're amazed at her willingness to help us and we are so grateful for God's provision again by bringing her into our lives.  So we hired her for our large class yesterday and she was amazing.  Everything finished on time and it went so well.  Everyone was happy with their dragonfly project and we weren't stressed running around trying to help people.  She's open to more work with us and that means RM is freed up to do more winery work as the season is ramping up with farming and so on.  How does one find someone available and talented enough to teach stained glass and who has actually taught it before????  Only God.

So a lot has happened, but one thing we noticed was that in the many blessings we're experiencing, we've also felt privilege to be a part of the blessing for others.  When RM bought the truck last week, he found out it was the first sale for a new guy at the dealership.  We had to be his easiest and best customer because RM knew exactly the truck he wanted.  He had seen it online and literally walked into the dealership and said, "I want that truck".  It had to be the easiest sale of his life and what a great way to start off his new career in sales.  That was fun for RM to help the guy out.  Then, our new designer friend.  She's so excited to be doing this for us as she wanted to get into doing more of this kind of work.  She literally drove into our lives last summer and we could never have predicted what was going to come out of that random visit, but not only does this bless us, but her and her family as well.  Lastly, our new stained glass instructor.  She is a busy lady, but a lonely one.  We're hoping over time that we'll get to know her better and that by God's grace we can share Christ with her and these other people who are in our lives.  In each case, we were able to bless these people financially which is never the case with us.  We are usually the ones needing the financial blessing.....what an amazing turn of events to be able to do it for others.  Thank you, Lord.

So we're only 6 weeks into the year and already I'm in awe of what God has done.  I keep lifting the year up....so much more has happened, but I could be here all day.

Kody

Twelve years ago we brought home Kody, our new crazy collie puppy.  The boys were so happy to have a new dog that they were even willing to sleep with him in the basement of our new house we were building, just so he wouldn't whine at night.  They attempted to train him with a thousand treats.

We all say that we learned so much from him.  The boys, especially.  Our minds are full of memories.  I have a picture in my head of them faithfully walking him down our country road day after day in the freezing snow, wind and rain, no matter what.  They talked and talked as they walked.  I'm convinced this is where their friendship as brothers was solidified, all because of that dog.

He had really no health issues his whole life other than a rash here and there.  I was so grateful for that.  There was really only one time where he was unwell with some kind of fever and this made him bark at night until someone would go out and see him.  I didn't know what to do because I was the only one who heard him.  I was already getting up at night with young children, I had no interest in waking up and going outside as well.  My husband said to go and wake up my son to check on the dog.  I felt so bad, but I did it anyway and to my shock and awe, he would go and take care of him, taking him for a short walk, giving him water, putting him on his leash and leaving him outside in the fresh air (it was summer).  Night after night this happened until we got him some meds.  And each night, I would go to sleep dreading what was coming, but each night my son would say to me, "If he starts barking, come and get me."  And I would, and he would faithfully wake up and take care of him for me.  I was so amazed.  He loved the dog and he was kind to me.  

We had a "funeral" last night for him where we went around and talked about our funny memories of him.  It was actually kind of special as we have a lot.  God used him in our life, a dog, to teach us patience, responsibility, kindness and so many other things.  Why did God create pets?  They are amazing!  They add so much to our lives.  I'm not sure I can convince my husband to get another one yet, but we are working on it.  Dogs and cats are quite different.  But it'll take some time....if we do decide to get another one, it might just be one that we can breed so that's a bigger decision.  In the meantime, we walk around seeing traces of him everywhere and we keep missing him.

I'm convinced God even led us to how to make the decision.  I saw God through the whole day in helping me work things out in our complicated life.  I saw God work so that my son could be with him in his final minutes.  I saw God guide the vet to walk us through the decision.  I just see how God cares about all these big decisions, even with our pets.

Ramsey Talks, Vacation, a New Thing

Last night was fascinating.  Let me explain.  I think I've written about worshiping Dave Ramsey before - the "get out of debt" guy that was basically the reason I started this whole blog in the first place.  I've had his app on my phone before where you record everything you spend, etc.  As a result of signing up for his app he sends me emails every so often and this past week he sent one about a free seminar on building wealth.  We have been doing a lot of talk about investing and other money related topics with the kids a lot lately, so I thought, what a great idea.  I'll sign up the whole family and we'll watch together.  I did not expect the reactions I saw and heard.

The talk was basically what his first book was about, getting out of debt and how to do it.  I still loved it, but it also made me feel bad, because one of his speakers talked about timelines and what the average timeline is for paying off this or that, saving up for an emergency fund, and so on.  We hadn't experienced the timelines he was speaking about and so I immediately felt discouragement.  My husband wasn't in the room because he was still teaching stained glass, but my oldest son was.  When he heard the guy talking and he immediately started to disagree with him.  "This is for your average 9-5 guy who works the same job for 40 years."  It was as if my husband was right there, he was talking just like him.  Then RM did come in and we watched the last few minutes with him.  I told him all the things he hates hearing from me that always come out of me after hearing or reading anything from Ramsey, basically how Ramsey makes me feel we've done everything wrong.  My son stopped me in my tracks and again said, "....then we wouldn't have a winery, 8 kids, or have done all the things we've done.....Ramsey is for the average guy..."  My daughter, who I didn't realize was listening to me just said, "Mom.  Stop."

So, that is why it was such a fascinating night.  My kids are smarter than I am.  They see things more clearly than I do.  They understand what we're about even better than me sometimes.  It was great and shocking all at the same time.  And this is what it comes down to.  We compared old aquaintances of ours who did the Ramsey stuff, paying off small debts to big debts, building an emergency fund, getting a paper route to get a little extra money in the budget, having the same job for the whole time, etc.  I have no idea if they are debt-free now, but we just pretended they were for the sake of discussion.  Then we talked about ourselves.  We haven't followed Ramsey's ideal plan, which always makes me nuts as I still secretly love Ramsey, in fact, we've even incurred debt to do a lot of things and probably will need to do that again in the future, however, at the end of the day, we've added assets to our life that make our net worth much higher than it was at the beginning of this journey.  So, oddly enough, we're in a better place now without following his formula.  Drives me nuts as I love his formula.

My 10 year old came up to me and said this week, "I know what an asset is."  My husband would have been so proud.  I told him later and he was.  We went through all the things in our house or property that he thought was an asset and he got it.  He sees all the reptiles that he wants to buy as assets because he wants to ultimately have a reptile show this summer.  They'll help make him money he thinks.  We're actually encouraging him to do this.

The other irony is Dave Ramsey probably made 2 million dollars last night.  He doesn't follow his own plan.  He's entrepreneurial about his approach to making money.  He didn't sit at home putting 15% into a mutual fund.  He created a whole seminar with a "bundle" that he sold last night at "the lowest price he's ever offered".  Genius.  Everyone probably signed up and now he's counting his money this morning.  So, we're following his actual plan - being entrepreneurial and doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing.  I roll my eyes.  That, to me, is the harder way, but I will admit, more fun and exciting.

In other exciting news.....one of my greatest desires is happening.  We're going away for a vacation in March for a week - the whole gang of us, spending time in Florida in a condo with all 11 of us before the baby comes in April.  It's going to be so great and we can't wait.  The youngest one pulled out his suitcase almost immediately.  We managed to save a lot of points so most of us are flying down on points.  The last big trip was 7 years ago....it's time.

Yet, even in all the exciting things going on, I still have those days where I can feel discouragement.  I realized what my problem is - it's the calendar.  Since we built the house way back in 2009, each month that started, March 1, April 1, May 1, I would start to look at each month passing by and I would say to myself, "We aren't where I thought we would be at this time."  And then, the enemy would attack me and my thoughts and I would hear the lie "you're behind".  Instead of thinking, "Look how far you've come!" I would only focus on the negative and it would turn to sadness, discouragement and just generally feeling down because of some arbitrary timeline that I had made up in my head.  We did have goals set, but they were fluid.  Just because they weren't being met exactly didn't mean they weren't being met.  We were doing all that we could do and if they were slightly adjusted, so what?  My problem is that when my husband says something, I hold him to it. And then, when the goals he mentions are delayed, I get upset.  This has to stop or I'll drive him and myself crazy.  

This past year I heard him mention a goal and we've now already passed it.  I started to feel the discouragement set in, but then I saw what was happening and I'm really trying to not do that anymore.  Then, this morning, my verse of the day came up on my phone and it has to be one of my favourites, 

Isaiah 43:19

19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

And, I just stopped.  I love this verse so much.  "See?"  That word alone makes me stop.  It's like God is saying, "Look - stop doing what you're doing and just look around you - actually SEE.  Open your eyes because they are closed."  Why else would He use the word "see"!?  Because the person He's talking to (me) is blind and doesn't see.  That's what I do all the time.  I walk around seeing for sure, but not what He's doing.  I walk around seeing only what isn't happening.  As the verse goes on it's reminding me there is stuff going on - "I AM doing a new thing!"  A NEW thing.  It doesn't say I am NOT doing a new thing, but I AM doing a new thing.  Written in the positive, not the negative form.  I am, I am, I am.  It goes on.  "NOW it springs up" - I have to stop again.  I must stop waiting for a future thing to happen because it's happening NOW.  Not tomorrow.  This means God is not late.  I always feel late.  I always feel behind.  And it's always because I've got a manmade deadline and I feel God isn't following my plan.  Turns out I'm right.  He isn't following my plan because He has a better one - His.  And, His plan is "springing up".  Do I not perceive it?  That question cracks me up because it's kind of like He's saying, "You're so dumb.  So blind.  Why can't you see anything I'm doing?"  It's because I don't wear the right glasses sometimes.  I don't perceive it.  I don't see the new thing, only the old thing.  It's a pattern of negative thinking instead of positive thinking.  But this verse says, stop doing that!  Shakes my shoulders and yells in my face - STOP!  Then, after the shaking shoulders, God says, "I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  What a beautiful image - a way and a stream.  Maybe He uses two different images just so we don't miss it.  Our farm is a bit of a wasteland with it's old dilapidated buildings, yet there are things springing up in it and around it that are making it feel like it's coming to life.  The verse doesn't say it happens overnight, but it's starting, remember the "now" word?  So, I'm clinging to this verse today.  It helps me with my negative thoughts.  I'm asking God to help me see, to show me the new thing, where it is springing up, with perceiving it, and that I'll believe He is making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

As always, so grateful for His Word.  

999

Trying 7 Ventures, yes, 8 - Learning Who We Are and Embracing It

I recently listened to a sermon on Ecclesiastes 11 that I had missed because we were away.  Often you listen to a sermon and feel conviction and know there is much to change in your life.  That's a good thing and the power of God's Word.  However, once in a while, the sermon can also serve to encourage you and help keep you on your path.  It can reaffirm the choices you've made and encourage you.  That's what this sermon did for me.  

RM and I have done a lot of crazy things in our life and sometimes it's a little much even for me, so I can see why people might have a few opinions on us.  But Ecclesiastes made me feel like maybe we aren't as nuts as we feel sometimes.  In fact, some of the things we've done might just be Biblical! 

Here's the first two verses in NIV:

Ship your grain across the sea;
    after many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
    you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

Now ESV:

Cast your bread upon the waters,
    for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
    for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.

I'll explain a little more later why I love these verses, but first I have to explain what I have come to realize.  I'm very influenced by certain books.  For example, the book by Dave Ramsey on debt, The Total Money Makeover.  His book was all about killing debt.  It was one of the main reasons I started this blog.  Basically all debt is bad.  And it is, mostly.  There are times when it can be used to grow your money, too, when done wisely.  He recommended all the ways to get rid of debt.  But he doesn't take into account there are different ways to do this.  We don't all have the same approach to life.  His book is written for the one type of person, a Mr. Steady type, who needs it all written out with steps and rules.  The danger of his book is that he isn't married to my husband.  My problem is that once I read that book, if we didn't do everything Ramsey said, I figured we were doing it all wrong.

As we keep going along in life, I'm realizing just how differently we're doing things.  Ramsey's book is still really good and I still highly recommend it for everyone, but it's also a vanilla approach to life.  Had we listened to everything he wrote, we wouldn't have done any of the things we've done as they didn't follow the "rules".

Back to Ecclesiastes 11.  Solomon's (most assume he's the author) advice is to try a bunch of things, "cast your bread upon the waters....give a portion to seven, or even eight....ship your grain across the sea...invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight...."  I'm married to someone who doesn't like to do things like everyone else.  I tease people who are married to Mr. Steadys because I know that their life must be so much more calm than mine, but what I realized recently when I say that is that I am a Mrs. Steady, a least a little.  My life is a whirlwind.  Yes, every day is an adventure - literally - but books like Dave Ramsey's can ruin it for me.  I end up coveting the "normal" person's life instead of enjoying my own.  I long for a husband who follows the rules so I can check off the boxes!  But my husband takes his book and throws it across the room!  He sees good in it - for a normal, no-risking taking kind of person.  Why can't he just follow the rules!!!  BUT, 27 years of marriage later, I'm slowly, just now, starting to figure him out.  I'm starting to figure out our marriage!  And it's more like Eccesiastes 11, way less than Ramsey's way.

We've made "wealth" by trying "7 ventures, yes, 8", or how about "20 ventures, yes, 30" or more!  Some of it has been accidental, others on purpose, all in God's providence.  We've loved real estate and have bought and sold a few times, always doing well with that.  That's one major way we've moved forward.  We've done multiple side hustles, including buying and selling on ebay, never knowing what will succeed and what won't, as chapter 11 goes on to say, "Sow your seed in the morning,

    and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
    whether this or that,
    or whether both will do equally well."

We've worked for others, getting paid for odd jobs early on in our marriage.  We've worked for other employers, started our own engineering business, back to working for others by being at the college.  We've built and sold a house.  We've done farming, selling meat as well as hay and then moved into grapes.  We've sold vegetables and did a market garden.  We most recently started up a winery and then the stained glass business and store.  This winter will start the AirBnB business, Lord willing.  It is a way more exciting life, though it adds a level of uncertainty, which I'll call "faith" and stress, but it has allowed us to buy land and lots of it.  If we needed to sell we would be able to sell it for a good price as we're in such a good location by God's grace.  My Mr. Steady friends and my Mrs. Steady friends can't breathe after they hear what we're doing and I have to admit it's hard at times for me, too,  because, just like the verse says, "you do not know which will succeed".  I wish we knew the future, though I know we don't really want to.  I wish we knew that all we did would succeed, but we don't.  So we just keep trying things.  We are having such a hayday with the stained glass classes we can't believe it.  So those seem to be succeeding the most right now.  Our winery took off at the end of the summer last year.  This year we will be able to start months earlier so we hope to have even more success this spring and summer along with movies on the shed and other events, again, Lord willing.  All this to say, had we done it the way Ramsey says, we would have perhaps been debt-free, but we would have lived a life that went contrary to how we are wired.  

I told RM yesterday, "You have to write a book that explains the pros and cons of Dave Ramsey's book".  He needs to write a book that takes all the books and all the financial philosophies and puts them in one place.  He needs to write a book for wives married to people like him.  I read a book on marriage that really helped me understand my husband years ago, but it didn't have a financial element to it.  So, in the back of my mind, I've always kind of thought, he's doing it wrong.  And, because of that, there's been a tension because I secretly wished he'd do it the way Ramsey had said!  I've had to just keep trusting the process, trusting my husband, trusting God and the way He's made my husband.  And, I've had to learn who I am!  I love taking risks, but as I've gotten older, I get a little more cautious.  All the things I've done have taught me so much about my fears and how to manage them so I'm not living in a state of fear all the time.  I've also learned the power of two people working together.  Apart, we could never have achieved what we've achieved, to God be the glory.  I would NEVER have done any of these things on my own, but because we're together, we do it and we get stronger in our marriage as a result.  What a mystery marriage is!

Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
    whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

Those verses speak of taking your "talents" and burying them in the sand.  That is way safer and way less risk.  I love burying my talents.  But that is wrong.  We're supposed to invest and bring back more talents.  These verses speak of standing around and doing nothing because it might be too risky.  I will say, we have planted despite how risky it may appear, no standing around watching clouds and wind.  Again to God be the glory - my husband moves forward even though the world thinks he's nuts.  And, though it isn't flowing quite like a waterfall, we're seeing the reaping slowly but surely and we praise God for His goodness to us.  We still cannot say what will succeed for sure or not, but we keep sowing "morning till night" and we are trusting God to fulfill these promises.  When you read them backwards, which I love to do, it says when you plant you will reap.  We plant a lot.  

So, as I heard the sermon on these verses, though there were many applications, I heard God encouraging me.  He was telling me "Your husband isn't nuts.  You aren't crazy.  Keep doing what you're doing.  You'll reap."  I felt so encouraged as I listened to these words.  Ramsey's approach is fine and I still kind of wish we had followed his program to the letter of the law, but I'm also glad we didn't.

Humility...the Lessons and Blessings

Another amazing weekend in the books.  I think most of my Monday posts start like that.  I've written about this before, but I've been praying for my house for a long time as it is deteriorating.   I don't really remember praying about my furniture, however.  It was in rough shape, too, but I just figured we would get newer stuff when we somehow magically renovated the house.  It was given to us by a neighbour a few years ago.  It was starting to show wear and tear then, and, thanks to certain children who refuse to stop using our furniture like a trampoline, it got soooo bad that we literally bought duct tape that matched the colour of the couch, as well as patches off of amazon, anything to repair the horrible tears that were getting worse and worse.  I tried covering the open seams with blankets, pillows....you name it.  It never worked.  People would sit on them and kids would start pulling out the stuffing.  Then along came a miracle.....AS USUAL!

This is where the story gets embarrassing.  My parents offered up their basically brand new couches (compared to our's they looked brand new).  They were moving and they didn't need them in their new space, too big.  I said, "No thanks".  In my mind, they were the wrong size, wrong colour, wrong shape.  Our space was small and I couldn't picture two large couches in my house.  The couches we had that were in such rough shape were also big and I think I had hoped for something smaller to replace them or something more who-knows-what. I just kept saying no.  But I had this bad feeling in the back of my head especially when I looked at my horrible couches.  I just kept thinking, "Who do I think I am? What's my problem?"  That is when I officially starting praying, literally, about the couches and asking God what I was supposed to do as it was obvious I was being a fool to turn down such a great offer.  I'm convinced Satan had blinded me.

I was at my daughter's place (so weird to write that!) with my other daughter who is only 14 and I told them my situation how I was being offered the couches, but I didn't want the couches, but we needed the couches....my young 14 year old said, "Mom!  You're being too picky!"  and my older daughter said, "Take the couches!"  I immediately texted my husband and said, "We're taking the couches."  I knew they were right.  It was finally clear in my mind that I had been seeing things through the wrong eyes.  I had something in my head (don't know where it came from) and I had them pictured in my house not fitting.  I think I was picturing their living room space in my space.  I quickly called my mom, hoping beyond hope that they hadn't sold them or gotten rid of them yet.  Thank God they hadn't.  That would have been really bad.  They still had them and they went the extra mile and worked the whole moving day thing to have the couches delivered to our house so we didn't even have to get them.  That was HUGE.

This is where it gets very strange and another sign that Satan was trying to blind my eyes. When the couches got in our house, they looked like totally different couches.  They looked smaller!  I had pictured huge couches.  They weren't.  They were also dark brown, just like the ones we had thrown out.  I had thought the whoooooole time that they were navy.  Why?!  I have been at my parents house for 39 years.  Why did I think that?  Do I have no colour memory?  How weird is that?  At first they didn't quite seem to suit the space which I had been worried about, but then I did a quick furniture do-over and I reconfigured the whole space and it all came together in such a great way.  Everyone thinks it looks so good.  And they all look at me with, "I can't believe you almost didn't take the couches" look.  Yes.  I'm a dummy.  Like I said, so embarrassing.  We aren't the Kardashians.  And maybe it comes down to pride and being willing to accept people's generosity.  That can be humbling and quite frankly, I hate being humbled and in a position of humility on a fairly regular basis.  But, God loves that.  He works in a place of humility.  He can't deal with proud people.  I am so grateful for my children who called me out on it.  I'm so grateful for patient parents who probably shook their heads a thousand times as I said, no, no no.....I'm grateful to God who then blesses those who are humbled and turns the couches from blue to brown and from big to small (well, that's what it seems like!) and made my family room new AGAIN.

Our kitchen has also been deteriorating.  Cupboards are falling off.  Drawers are stuck.  The sink got cracked a few years ago.  The faucet is broken.  Countertops.....getting worse by the day.  But, I'm learning the humility lesson.  No place for pride anymore.  We'd been looking for a new sink on and off for weeks if not months.  Nothing was turning up that was a good price and that would fit.  But then yesterday there was a perfect one really close, so off RM went and picked it up.  It was perfect.  So we quickly pulled out the old one and then we saw how bad the surrounding cupboards and countertops really were.  They were literally falling apart, so we ripped those out and then we ended up taking out the rat-destroyed, non-functioning dishwasher/glorified dish rack, and realized we had kind of overdone it.  How would we put in a sink without a cupboard or counter to support it?  In came the plywood.  I didn't care.  I'm a newly humbled person....bring on the plywood countertop.  So we placed the sink in the middle of the plywood and now I have a working sink!!!!  I love it!  There are no cupboards below it so it looks a little rough, but we half-hope we'll get the amazing HGTV news soon!  If we don't we will figure it.  I know it's not forever.

We've been looking at our house with "people coming over for the first time" eyes because my son's girlfriend-to-be is coming over this weekend.  We wanted her to come see a quaint farmhouse, not a dumpy house.  Well, in one weekend it went from ripped couches and broken sink to new couches and new sink and almost entirely decorated for Christmas....beautiful lights and vine decorations everywhere....so cozy.  I picture her coming over and really loving our place.

So, a weekend of life lessons.  The power of humility over pride was the game changer.  I thought I was being humble, ironically, by saying no to new couches and living with my old ones.  But that's being a martyr actually.  Which, is actually pride.  Oh, the irony.  I was so close to missing out on blessing. That's where I truly see the miracle of God's patience, slow to anger, full of compassion towards me, abounding in love.  The blessing of children and our relationship which allowed them to speak into my life!!!  What if I hadn't had them in my life?  I'm so grateful for their wisdom at 14 and 24 years old!!!  Seeing how God miraculously took care of my old couches gives me hope for all things in my old house.  He knows our situation and I can confidently sit back and trust Him.

A Big Family Week and Thoughts on the Concept of "Finished"

This will go down as a big week in our family history.  Last night we celebrated my sister's book launch at an amazing restaurant in downtown Oakville.  Incredible.  It was so special to hear her journey, see all the people who showed up to celebrate her, listen to my cousin and his daughter perform their amazing musical talents and then just to enjoy reconnecting with people - which happens to be my personal favourite thing in life.  

The whole time I was thinking, "in two days my parents' life and my brother and his wife's life is about to change".  After 39 years of living in the same house, they are moving out.  Not quite into the new house, but into my sister's as their place isn't quite ready, but in a couple weeks they'll be officially into another home much closer to us, just 17 minutes away.  I can't imagine how tough this has been on them, packing up their life after being in one place for so long, but they've done it and are still doing it and it'll all be moved out on Saturday once and for all.

It's a much smaller space they're moving into, but you know, it kind of makes sense to pare down, but it'll probably take some getting used to.  How wonderful it'll be to have them near by along with my brother and his wife and they're adorable little family.  I still can't believe it's happening.  Praying it will all somehow come together and that God will guide the process so that things will go smoothly.

Meanwhile.....life on the winery has slowed to a standstill with customers, except when it doesn't.  Over the course of the summer we made some great connections with customers and they loved our wine.  On the weekend with a snowstorm on the way last week, 3 different couples came by around the same time, for a glass of wine and then a couple purchases.  But they didn't take one bottle home, they would buy a case, or half a case.  I couldn't believe it.  The snow was coming down hard, but they drove over anyway, because two of them were local - once was from Windsor - they were determined to come.  The best thing about locals is that they're local!  They buy from us because they like supporting local businesses and they like our wine.  It is quite something.  I was in shock.

Knowing we had an outdoor winery, we knew we had to come up with an indoor experience.  RM nailed it when he decided to put a stained glass class together.  We now have over 60 students who are signed up and ready to enjoy making stained glass classes....even into January now.  Those classes are now filling up as well.  We are in shock.  We honestly can't believe it.  God is so good and He's being so faithful, even when we are so faithless.  I am always in shock when I can buy groceries and that I have been buying groceries since June with no paycheque.  I was able to pick up coats for my boys.  I just can't believe it.  We hoped for this.  We prayed for this, but we never knew what it would look like.  So amazing.

Then, because life can't be funnier, my husband did another funny thing.  He applied to be on a TV show called "Farmhouse Facelift".  Our house is falling apart.  There's no denying that.  Every day it gets worse.  We have to do something, but what?  I had seen this on Facebook a couple years ago, but we were too busy to apply.  Now, we're busy, but we're desperate, so we applied!  He filmed our whole house in the messy state that it was....I was embarrassed, but oh well.  Maybe it'll get us sympathy. I wish we had heard the same day, but we didn't and maybe we never will orrrrrrrr, maybe we will?!  If we do hear, I'll follow over dead.  It isn't free even though it looks that way.  You have to come up with a HUGE sum of money, but we're so desperate that we're willing to do whatever it takes to come up with that money.  What we like is that they will design, bring in the trades, and have it all done in a certain amount of time.  We can't do that on our own.  They won't do the whole house, though our whole house needs to be done, but they'll do the main areas and then hopefully, by some miracle, we'll eventually be able to do the rest.  We are a work in progress, what can I say?  All I know is I don't know how much longer we can go with the house the way it is.....it is in rough shape.  Praying, all the time.....

What I read in Scripture all the time is the word "finished"..."Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished."  From the beginning of Scripture you see that there's the start of creation and then the end.  He didn't leave the earth half-done.  Solomon didn't leave the temple half-done.   Some of Jesus final words, "It is finished" even reflect the fact He had a job to do and He completed it entirely, on a much larger and more significant scale, of course, compared to a dumb renovation.   I believe we have this ache in our hearts when something gets started and not completed because we're wired to complete things.  Yet, I know we live in a fallen world, and maybe that's the problem.  Maybe this side of heaven we won't get to see things "complete" the way I long for and I accept that.  I just know that God creates us with these desires and so I thank God for how he's wired me and I humbly ask God to help us and our sick house that is rapidly deteriorating.  In the meantime, I continue to steward the the mess and chaos, knowing in the big picture it doesn't really matter.  I have shelter, food and clothing - we're good.

Dedicated to Dedicating

Today I'm letting my 16 year old "sleep in"....until 7:30.  Normally, he's been getting up at 5:30 each morning.  I get up at 5 (or earlier if it's a co-op day), just so I can get my coffee in and reading.  A couple of weeks ago we started a new habit - going to the gym.  I've been working out at home for years since we stopped going to the Y in Oakville 3 kids ago.  Since then it has never been a possibility.  The older boys all got memberships and I just couldn't see how I could fit it into my day or the cost,  but now I've made it a priority and we're trusting God to provide as I attempt good health!  It's also been a fun way to hang out with J every morning.

The gym is really close, but it's enough time to hang out for a few minutes there and back as I drive him to school afterwards as well.  Teen boys are challenging enough, and he's already not much of a talker, so I have to really work at it.  I'm grateful for this unique time in our lives.

We continue to marvel at how God has provided for us as the weather has turned colder.  October was amazing weather and we saw regular customers almost daily.  November was ok for a bit, but then slowed right down.  However, RM came up with a plan by doing these stained glass classes and they are a hit.  The one-day classes for Christmas ornaments filled up almost right away and the other classes get daily sign ups.  This brings immediate income and also potentially more as each customer potentially buys wine from us when they come.  I'm praying one or more of the customers will also consider using us as their corporate wine gift this Christmas.

Last night RM said he never would have imagined that he'd be making money from stained glass, yet there he is.  So amazing.  Such an answer to prayer.  Also, when it got colder, we were both wondering how we'd get people to come by and suddenly the hay sales started up again.  What hay?  Hay from 2 summers ago that we couldn't sell!  What if we'd sold it then?  We had been worried that it wasn't going to sell and that we'd get stuck with all this hay, but now, of course, we see how God knew we would need that hay to be available for sale right now.  So when the wine sales went down, the hay sales miraculously went up!  It's been amazing to watch how food keeps going in the fridge and how there's money to pay for it without a cheque from the college.  We still can't believe it.

Nearly every night we watch Airstream renovation videos.  I find them very boring, but my husband eats them up.  My 16 year old who initially didn't seem interested starting watching them, too, and now I'm praying this project will give him new skills.

I keep reading through 2 Chronicles.  It follows our whole life story.  David helped his son prepare for the temple building, got all the supplies, rejoiced at the willingness of the people and had a bit of a pre-grand opening celebration.  After he died, Solomon called everyone together, worshiped in preparation of the build, asked for wisdom, started up some businesses, got some skilled men and the building was complete in 3 chapters.  Then, he, too, had a Grand Opening/Dedication celebration.  I had never noticed these verses before because I had never had a Grand Opening, but now I'm noticing because of the place in our lives.  Solomon then gathered his assembly, which I always read as "his family", the Israelites, and he had a worship time, of "praise and thanksgiving to the Lord" saying, "for he is good. for his steadfast love endures forever".  And the "house, the house of the Lord (I really love that it is included what kind of house) was filled with a cloud, so that the priest could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God".  This is my prayer.  I just want the glory of the Lord to fill our house, our property, our businesses and that it'll be obvious to everyone - like a cloud.  We've actually had fog here recently so thick you can't see a few feet in front of you.  That's what I'm talking about.

Then Solomon kept going and stood on a platform he had built.  He "spread out his hands" and "then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly and spread out his hands towards heaven" and prayed a prayer of dedication, speaking of who God is, "God of Israel".  He says, maybe to remind those listening, "there is no God like you, in heaven or earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart....."  Isn't that what we feel, too?  We say out loud, "You are the God who keeps His promises to us, showing constant steadfast love."  He adds this condition, "if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me."  So, what could I do, except respond the same way?

I only have the 3 youngest with me now at home - SO WEIRD - I said to them, "Let's do the same thing!"  I'm sure my kids had a core memory made that day.  We all got on our knees, spread out our hands towards heaven and then we all prayed a prayer of dedication, dedicating our lives, ourselves, our businesses, the winery, the stained glass, the AirBnBs, the farm, our homeschool, everything.  It was actually kind of special.  Our arms were sore afterwards, even though we only prayed for a couple minutes.  How did Solomon pray for a whole chapter!

We chatted last night about it and decided we should probably do that again with the whole family, having a prayer of dedication for all these things, but really we are doing this every day.

I'm still marveling at all that God is doing in our kids' lives.  My son, who waited so long for a job, is now loving his new job working as a tech in the eye surgeon's clinic.  After years of working in the winter in a wetsuit in the water with whales in below zero weather, he's sooooooo happy to be warm, talking with senior citizens, taking their eye measurements, just loving his life.  He got another mark back yesterday on a different exam and he scored in the highest quartile, so he has a better chance at med school this year.....but we won't hold our breath just yet.  He'll hear in January if he gets an interview.  It's coming up!  I'm just grateful he's finally getting a break after struggling so much.  

We also have comic relief back in our life with two cats in our home.  They chase each other all day and we laugh and laugh.  One is getting neutered today so he won't be laughing much today, but it is a funny life.

The winery still demands our time and it is getting cold - so much still left to do and I feel like spring is around the corner!  Time won't slow down!

Parents and brother/sister-in-law are moving very soon out our way - it's just such a busy time!  But so fun and fulfilling.  Thanking God for his steadfast love to us.

Solomon - the Epic Entrepreneur

Two days ago, our first trailer, meaning more are coming, pulled into our driveway.  It's big!  31 ft.!  Last night we had an Airstream Marathon where we watched multiple videos of the transformation of several online just to give the kids a vision of victory.  We want them to see that we aren't the only ones out there who do stuff like this.  We watched one family in particular that even started their own Airstream renovation business, so who knows where this will go.

Normally we have a mild freak out where we think to ourselves "what have we done?"  followed by more panic, dread, fear and all those awful feelings that make you feel crazy, but this time we were mostly excited and wishing we could start right away.  We have no time to waste.  Winter is coming, although yesterday was 21 degrees which was almost hot, like a summer day.  So if winter is going to be mild like that, we might just get it done sooner than we think.  It looks like the second one will arrive this week sometime and then we're going to get started soon after that.  We really want to have multiple sites on the farm, all facing the sunset which is amazing here.  I often wished we had lived on the opposite side of the road as you can have a view of the lake, but now I'm so glad we're on this side.

We often call our ideas "crazy", but this week my husband said, "We have to stop saying that" and he's right.  We are now saying that our ideas are God-given and they are.  I was reading this week in 2 Chronicles chapter one about Solomon.  1 Chronicles ended with David dying, full of days, which sounded so positive even though the last half of his life had so much misery.  It gave me the sense that even with the misery, God had redeemed his bad choices, his trouble with his children and turned it for good in the end.  There were also Grand Opening celebrations as they anticipated the start of the building of the temple.  Then chapter one starts with Solomon as the new king.  Instead of going right into building he goes right into worship.  He gathers his assembly and it says he goes intentionally to worship God as his first act of worship.  He extravagantly sacrifices 1000 burnt offerings.  One commentary says that he does this to show how rich he is but to also show how much he wants to show everyone that it all comes from God.  The next scene is where God says to him in the night, "What do you want?"  Instead of asking for wealth or long life, he famously asks for wisdom.  This response pleases God and he is given wisdom as well as much wealth, fame and much  more.  I think everyone assumes that he automatically got money deposited in his account, but the next scene seems to reveal how it came about and this is where I was so excited and encouraged by what I read, the morning the Airstream was arriving.

This next scene then starts talking about all the things Solomon starts doing and, to me anyway, they sound a lot like entrepreneurial businesses.  He starts dealing with chariots and horsemen, silver and gold, as well as cedar.  He then starts importing horses from Egypt where his "horse traders" would "buy them from Kue for a price".  This was where I started getting excited as I read these verses.  Solomon was acting unusally clever and taking initiative in his businesses.  It went on...."They imported a chariot from Egypt....and a horse....."  So now he's importing horses and chariots - so interesting....Next it says, "Likewise - meaning, in addition to all these other things he was doing he also did this - through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria." So cool - so he had a horse and chariot import/export business.  This just means so many other things.  He, therefore, must have had a horse breeding business as well as a chariot manufacturing business and all the trades involved with that.  And these would have been very important for war, so all the kings would have needed them.  He was a genius!  Or was he.....maybe this is the very way God answered his prayers, by giving Solomon these amazing answers to prayer, these amazing ideas.  Instead of dumping money in his account he gave him ideas!  Wisdom!  So exciting.  This is why we are no longer saying to each other or anyone else for that matter, "we're crazy".  No, we're not.  We're just thanking God for the ideas he gives us, the ability to carry out the ideas, the resources we have, the access to land.  God has placed us exactly where He wants us and we're just thanking God every day for placing us between Hittite kings and Syrian kings who will buy our horses and chariots that we are now making, such as Airstreams, wine, stained glass, etc.  Even yesterday, we prayed that we would have many wine sales, yet the income we made yesterday came from stained glass sales.  We did sell wine as it was a beautiful day, but we sold more in glass, equipment, and course related sales than we did in wine.  That was another genius idea RM had when he started the courses.  He had the foresight to realize his students would need tools and equipment, so he set up a "store" in the studio and unbelievably people buy from him because they are right there and he can direct them to what they need instead of them going to a different supplier.  It was "genius" except he can't take the credit - the ideas all come from God.  This is why we are going to church today again - to worship and sacrifice our 1000 burnt offerings, to thank Him for what he's doing in our lives.  We're just so excited.   

I'm fairly certain God showed me these verses for a reason on Friday.  If I had read them a year ago I don't think I would have been impacted by them in the same way.  It was so neat to read them "by coincidence" on the day the trailer was pulling in.  I think, ultimately, this was how Solomon was made wealthy, through work, through his visioning, through multiple businesses and, of course, all these ideas were from God.  Amazing.

Grand Opening Success and Now More Schemes

What a grand Grand Opening!  We sold out all the tickets we had and it turned into an absolutely perfect sunny day.  My sisters saved the day with helping out with bb'qing and serving food and we managed to feed 100 people without skipping a beat.  I think it came together just beautifully.  I think my favourite part was the last minute "merch" that came in.  We waaaaay overspent to have that happen, but we thought it was worth it.  Every member of the family got a hoodie and it looked awesome.  I loved seeing every kid from the youngest to the oldest walking around with their Urban Tractor Farm hoodie.  Having everyone involved and having their friends involved was amazing.  It was a blessed time.

You would think we'd sit back and go, "Ahhhhhh, finally a break!"  But, no. We're already scheming.  We have to!  The grand opening was great, but it wasn't free.  We had to pay for the musician and all the food and even though people bought wine, it wasn't enough to feed the family for very long.  So, after much thought and much input from multiple sources of people, we decided to move forward into our newest venture - starting up an AirBnB on site. Or two.  

Yesterday, we made the first investment and bought an  Airstream trailer.  These are super cool vintage trailers from the 60s that are the hottest thing right now  Everyone is buying them and redoing them in super cool modern styles.  They also double as tiny homes and resell at incredible prices.  We are also doing this as a way to host my daughter and her husband when they come over, or as a way to possibly host grandparents one day or even just extra guests who need a place to stay sometimes.  Either way, if we get it done in time, we should be up and running by spring if all goes as planned.  Depending on how fast it goes, we could ultimately have two or three if we do well with our first trailer, which is arriving ON FRIDAY!  It's already gutted, so that'll save us some time, but there's still lots of hard work ahead.

We got a really good deal on this trailer and we can't wait to get started.  We're going to document the process so that we can get the hype working for us.  The hope is that it'll be fully booked all spring and summer.  So fun!  It'll feel like we're making money in our sleep, literally, while people stay on the property.  We just have to keep at it.  There's no slowing down.  The difference before this was that we were doing all this scheming but somehow still had to manage meetings, phone calls, on-site work, etc. Now, we just work for us, so it's still a lot of work, but there's this underlying feeling of freedom.  So hard to explain, but we just love it.

It's forcing our hand again.  We have a shed full of stuff we want to get rid of so that we have a place to store the trailer.  Now, ugh, we have to clean out the shed.  This is no garden shed for lawn mowers.  This is a HUGE building full of things we've stored for years including vans, cars, riding mowers, etc.  Most of that is gone now, but we still have lots of stuff in it.  So here we go again on the ultimate clean up.  I really think our life is reality tv worthy sometimes.  It's hard to keep up with all that's going on.  People just shake their heads, but they don't know what it's like to feed a large family and keep a farm running.  

We had quite a few people from the Toronto area recently at the winery.  They came from the exact area we used to live when we were first married in a condo in downtown Mississauga.  They wondered how in the world we went from condo living to a 47 acre farm.  So I told them our story in a few brief minutes.  In their minds, we were living the dream.  I have to always let that sink in because I look around always see what "isn't done" instead of what "is done".  This is what we've had to do - we've had to prioritize things that make us an income.  This has put all renovations on the house indoors on hold.  That remains to be a challenge for me.  But I get it.  So when I hear we're living the dream, in a funny way that helps me.  All that to say, hopefully things like the trailer will bring the necessary income to not only feed the family, but to start up the renos again that have been on hold for what seems like years!

In great news - our son finally got a job at the eye doctor's clinic.  This is a dream job as he's working with a world class surgeon, assessing his patients and being alongside him in his work.  I'm so happy for him.  I can't wait to hear the back story of how they decided to hire him.  I'm sure it's going to be great.  Of all the jobs he applied to, this one was the one we all hoped for, so I'm praising God.

We also had a week off school this past week.  I needed that so badly to help set up for the Grand Opening, but also just to clean up the house that has been neglected since the farming season started.  I went through all the bedrooms yesterday and we finally got on top of those.  The main floor has been mostly cleaned up.  Laundry has been behind, so not doing so great on that, but hopefully getting on top of that, too.  Today is my final day for all that.  I could have used two weeks off, but oh well, back to the grind now....

My Whole House is Outside - and the significance of Grand Openings

I have a friend who recently moved away.  She was my go-to friend if I needed help decorating for an event or for ideas if I was hosting a shower....I could call her and she would show up and the place would turn into the coolest looking space.  But then she moved.  Why would she do that and leave me on my own???  

Now we're hosting this Grand Opening.  So funny.  Still can't believe we're doing this.  I wanted to buy all sorts of decorations.  I wanted to make it super "Grand Opening-y", but I wasn't sure how.  I wasn't sure how to do that cheaply and yet make it super cool.  I wanted my friend to help me.  But she moved.  So then, as I thought and thought about it, I don't know if I prayed about it, all of a sudden these ideas kept popping in to my head.  It was as if my friend was telling me what to do!  I ignored them at first.  They were crazy thoughts and each thought seemed impossible.  Too much work.  I could never get everyone on board, but then I finally decided to just see if I could pull it off and I went for it.

In my head, I kept hearing, "Take it all outside".  First thing I thought of were the tables.  That would be cool.  Then, the chairs for the tables.  Ok....and then I heard, the leather chairs, all  of our single-seat upholstered chairs.  Next, all the vine balls and trees throughout the entire house.  Oh, and all the crates, candle holders, and anything that looked farm-y like our window frames and antiques laying around.  I would also need a dozen hay bales and pumpkins.  That wouldn't be a problem.  My husband bought 100 pumpkins a few weeks ago, so we had lots of those.

Then, I went to work.  I had all the kids go get all those crazy things and bring them to me outside and then I just started running around the farm, decorating every nook and corner creating "vignettes" of farm life.  It is hard to decorate the outdoors!  In a house you have a small enclosed space with defined walls and ceilings, but the outdoors?  How do you decorate the outdoors?!  But, I'm convinced God used that voice in my head and directed me on how to do it.  And I cannot say it enough - it looks amazing!!!!  Instead of walls to lean things against, I used giant hay bales in our maze or the farm gate.  Instead of area rugs, I used grass and I positioned all our soft chairs in a cozy seating arrangement for the seniors coming tomorrow.  Instead of lighting, I used the sky and place dall our tables (I didn't know we had so many) and made it like a restaurant, but instead of a couple feet apart there's lots of distance so my "restaurant" is soooo spacious and yet still so inviting!

I wanted people who had been here many times to see that it wasn't our regular space.  I wanted it to look like it wasn't Dollar Store decorations, though I have balloons from there still coming.  I wanted it to look like you had come to my house, but instead of coming in, you would be outside.  Well, the irony is, that it is my house, just OUTSIDE!  It is amazing.  I don't know how it all came together, but I give all the glory to God who somehow placed it in my head to think like my friend.  

We had Harvest Host people come last night while I was in the middle of setting it all up.  The couple just loved it.  As she started to see what I was doing she just went on and on telling me how amazing the atmosphere was, or as my kids say, "she loved the vibe".  I love the vibe!  And it was free!  I just had to move my indoors outdoors!  The only problem now is that my house looks awful now inside and the dust bunnies have now shown themselves.  I guess it was time for a good dusting anyway.  And, sadly, everything will have to go back in as rain is coming next week.  The other amazing thing is that no rain is in the forecast, so I was able to put it all out knowing it wouldn't rain all over the upholstered chairs.  I'm just so happy.

I've said this before, but I just see how God loves me when He speaks my language.  I know decorations don't matter, or do they?  Isn't it a way God helped me?  Isn't it a way that God reminded me of my friendship with this special lady?  I think so.  I didn't have to hire someone - I wanted to!  I didn't have to get a special events planner.  I wanted to!  It doesn't look Dollar Store-y - it looks amazing!  I always wish my husband would give me everything I want, like an unlimited decorating budget, but when he doesn't, oddly, I find myself forced to stretch, forced to grow and then, the amazing thing that happens is that I find I have abilities and skills I didn't know I had!  

Grand Openings are for the birds.  They're hard.  Starting new businesses. Also - for the birds.  Yet, the whole experience keeps opening new doors, keeps stretching us way beyond what we thought we could do and it keeps showing us we can do more than we ever thought.  By God's grace, we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for and, also by God's grace, He keeps supplying our every need, even decorating ideas.

Do I want to host a Grand Opening every weekend?  No.  I don't.  But what I like about it is that it shakes things up a bit.  I get super bored keeping my furniture the same way all the time.  I had actually just finished rearranging things in our home just last week.  I do that all the time, so this is just rearranging furniture again, but on a whole other scale.  My kids complained, at least a couple of them, the whole time.  It was like pulling teeth, but then when it was all done, I think they liked it.  So, maybe I'm a little crazy, but it could just be that they appreciate that part of their mom.  One said, "Whose parents do this?  Whose parents start wineries?  Whose parents take all their furniture outside?"  I have to admit, I don't know.  Just us, I guess.  Sorry!

But, as I spoke with our guests yesterday, they were super encouraging as they heard our story and it was fun to retell it as I do almost every time we have someone come by.  And each time I tell it, I marvel at our new freedom.  We wake up each day pinching ourselves that we can make an income off our farm.  It goes back to the sound of "marching in the trees".  We were told to quit when we heard that sound.  And, as I walked around the farm that day praying "should we quit?"  I felt the breeze in my face and I looked around the land, felt the land under my feet and I thought to myself - this is the sound of marching in the trees - we have land in Niagara!  We can make the land work for us!  I didn't know how, but I knew we could figure it out.  And, one thing people keep saying as they come to our farm is, "you're going to be ok, you'll do fine, you've got this" and I'm starting to believe them.  I think we'll make it!

Grand Openings don't sound Biblical, yet they are in Scripture!  King David wanted a Grand Opening.  He wanted to be the guy who built a house for God, but he wasn't allowed.  It was going to be his son instead.  But he thought to himself, "Ok, I can't build the house, but I'll do everything in my power to help my son build it".  He brought every single thing he could think of so his son would be prepared. He also asked everyone who was willing and able to offer their skills and freewill offerings.  Everyone did.  Everyone helped.  Everyone used their skills.  Then, when everyone had brought their gifts and saw all that had been accomplished, they all sat back and rejoiced.  1 Chronicles 29 says, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly."

David then praises and thanks God because he knows where everything comes from and who should get the glory, "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you....O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own."  Only God, he's saying.  Only God.  Yet, God uses people and, in our case, our family.  The kids have literally used their skills and their time - freely.  We don't pay our kids.  We speak of an inheritance, but we don't pay them.  We do a lot of bribing with Mcdonald's and ice-cream or gas and coffee money, but no one gets an hourly wage.  So, we say, along with David, "and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you."  Freely is the key word here.  Joyously?  Not always, but they are willing and they see the big picture.  I'm so grateful for that.

Today our official "merch" should arrive.  We will be celebrating with its arrival as it means something.  We're official.  And we will give thanks.  David offered sacrifices on the altars.  We won't be offering any animal sacrifices, except bbq'd sausages, but we'll be thanking God for sure.  And that is why I think the Grand Opening is so significant.  We're celebrating God's goodness to us.  We're celebrating the work of our family.  We're  celebrating all the preparations that went in to getting us this far.  David got it.  Verse 22 puts it this way, "And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness."  That's exactly what Saturday will mean for us.  We will eat and drink with great gladness and it'll be so fun.