What a busy time it has been at the Homestead. A lot is going on and it is an exciting time around here. We had a mini snow storm (see video below) last week and it has been cold. But that is expected here in January. 

The family is doing great! As most of you know, I left my job at Schwan's at the end of 2019. It has been a true blessing to be able to spend time at home with our new little baby girl these past few weeks. I have been enjoying the family time and I have got a ton done around the Homestead as well. 

But lately I have been getting fired up to get back into the job market. My juices are flowing again and I'm ready to go! I needed this break to get re energized! I opened my part time welding shop, but that will just have work trickling in here and there. I'm looking forward to getting back out there! 

PLEASE pray for me this coming Monday (1/27) as I have my first interview at 10:30 AM. 

This week was the first time I have applied for a job in a long while. I updated my resume and sent it to 4 different companies. I was very picky on what companies I sent it to. I don't want to make the mistake of sacrificing my home/work/life balance. I am relying on the Lord's leading and am content to where ever He leads me! 

The position that I'm interviewing for on Monday is the one that is most appealing to me, so I am trusting in The Most High for His guidance. If this doesn't work out, He will provide and I am perfectly comfortable with that! 

In other news, it looks like we will finally be able to get some cows this spring! We expected to have some by now, but it has taken us a while to get everything in order to raise them. I went and looked at a friend of mines cows and he raises Lowline Angus (see pic) and that is the breed that we are going to raise. You don't know how excited I am for this. I have wanted to do this since we started out on this path to be more self sufficient 6 plus years ago!  We have almost pulled the trigger on sheep and goats over the past year, but we just haven't been ready yet. (fencing, stalls, etc.)

As I have recently posted on YouTube, I am slowly learning to enjoy the ride. I was always trying to make things fall into place on the Homestead and was getting impatient. I expected to have a gigantic garden and tons of animals by now, but it has been a slow process. Things cost money. Life happens. There are a lot of ups and downs that can slow you down. But you can find joy in the midst of the journey and that is what I'm going to do! 

I want to enjoy this "modern Homesteading" ride. That was my "resolution" for 2020. So far, so good! 

​I did my first welding project and you can see the video here. It has been a joy getting back into welding. I was  a certified welder for 13 years and enjoyed many aspects of it. God has been gracious to help me get back into it with my own little shop! 

The chickens are doing great and they have started getting back to laying eggs. Every year when it gets cold out they slow down. After a while they start laying better but nothing like when it is warm out. We get an insane amount of eggs in the summer. I'll post a video below that I recently made about raising chickens in the cold. 

Finally, Janel has been busy with her knew Cricut machine. We have been kicking around the idea of opening up an Etsy store for various items. We still aren't sure yet, but we are thinking about it. We would have a ton of home made items for sale, from t-shirts to metal art. We are still praying about it and trying to figure out if it would be worth it or not. 

Thanks for checking in! We appreciate all of you who pray for us now and who have in the past. I am thankful that you would take the time out of your busy life to follow our pages and read our blogs. We are truly blessed. Thank you and God bless!  -Steve

What an amazing first week of 2020 it has been here on the Homestead. God has been good! Psalm 150:6 says: 

                          Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

What a wonderful God we serve! 

There is something about a new year that brings a newness to life. I can't explain it. I'm not really into New Years Resolutions for myself. I don't particularly think they are bad, I just never have been able to follow through on most of mine! This year I have made a semi-resolution. I have decided to slow down a bit and enjoy life. I actually started that this year, but am carrying it over into 2020. 

As I look back on the blessing of this land that the Lord gave us, I realized how quickly 6 plus years has went. I have been so busy doing stuff, that I haven't enjoyed the process. Time to enjoy getting there! 


In other news.....Payton is doing great. She just turned 4 months and she is a blessing to our family. She is beautiful and healthy. It is amazing how fast time goes by. It just seems like she was born! Mama is doing great as well. Janel works from home for a few hours each morning so I usually get up with Payton. It has been amazing to spend those times alone with her. I am so thankful for this beautiful baby girl! 


​Our daughter Hannah is about to have her first book published! We are soooo excited. We will offer it on the website once it is out. It will be for sale on Amazon and other retailers as well. I am so proud of her. She worked hard on this book and the publisher should have the final copy done in a month or so. The name of the book is called "Rebel Heart". I can't wait to see the first copy in book form. She is 16 years old and is an outstanding writer. 

Finally....here is a little encouragement! As we look around us, there is a lot of turmoil in this world. So much hate. So much pain. Watching the news or scrolling through social media can be depressing. To see the vitriol that is out there can be very disheartening! To see the nations rising up against one another, or rumors of wars, those things can bring fear. 

We've been going through the book of Proverbs this week for our family devotions. One of the verses the kids picked out when we were in chapter 16 was verse 9. The verse says: 

                              A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

It was interesting how well the kids understood that verse. Think about how many times you have made plans, yet what actually happened was totally different than what you had planned. No matter what men may plan or scheme, The Most High God is in control. He directs our paths. 

That brings me so much comfort and peace. It is so easy to get caught up in the "rage of the day" that is sweeping through the news or through social media. But knowing that our King is sovereign and rules this world is amazing. Don't forget that. We do not have a spirit of fear as Christians. We serve the Creator of all things. That should bring us so much joy and peace. Rest in the beautiful promises of God! 

Below I posted a couple video's I just uploaded. One is a "how to" video and the other is a review. Check them out! -Steve
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