The Farmhouse 181 about page clues you a little bit into who we are and our purpose for writing this blog. But I want to take you a little deeper into our philosophies, where our values lie, who we are and who you are spending your precious time with!
I think it is important for you to know how we approach our lives when you are utilizing blog post info so you can make it work for your own homes and families how you see fit.
Food
I start with this because, well…I love my kitchen, this blog is definitely recipe heavy, and everybody’s gotta eat…right! We may not be talking about bottle feeding vs breastfeeding a baby, but for our families, fed and low stress is still best in my humble opinion!
If you don’t have the time or the energy to cook from scratch daily, we get it. And I don’t even cook from scratch every day, but I do a lot. I know that sometimes, just the mention of what’s for dinner is enough to send you over the edge. It shines a lovely spotlight on procrastination and flaws that you just don’t want to face…or is that just me? Very possible.
Being a grumpy spouse or parent isn’t worth it to be a perfectionist in the kitchen or a perfectionist period. Are we 100% whole foods? No. Do we eat all organic and no processed or ultra-processed foods? Definitely not. Have we cut back on a lot of junk in our house little by little and are consistently trying to substitute with better-for-you ingredients. Yes! We do what we can and leave the rest up to God!
The following can really help you save time, money, and your sanity in the kitchen. More posts on these to come!
- At least a loose meal plan
- Meal Lists
- Curbside Grocery Pickup
- Slaughtering a calf or buying boxed beef
- “Better than fast food” meals on the ready
- Frequent use of the Crock Pot and Instant Pot
Farm
We live in a little farmhouse, yes. When I say farm, I do use that term loosely. I have helped finance HUGE operations in my former career as a Credit Analyst in Agricultural Lending, so it feels a little silly when I call our place a farm/ranch! But by most peoples’ standards, it is. And if you rolled up to our house, it’s very obvious that we are doing some country living here in rural Texas!
My husband and I have had at least a few cows since we have been married and have stumbled into a new venture…sheep. Some of our base rules:
- Livestock are more than adequately cared for, but we can’t get too attached. They aren’t pets and do serve a purpose.
- We have to break even money-wise. These animals have to at least pay for themselves.
- We realize that we are truly lucky to live on a farm and in this manner. It’s a blessing that we are so thankful for!
- We have worked hard for what we have, and we have to continue to work hard to maintain it. Blood, sweat, and tears are sometimes a part of it.
Something that I don’t really consider farm or ranch is our garden. But it is still something that we work hard on each year and falls into the outdoor category. It is not grand by any means, but at minimum it does give us a supply of pickled squash, tomatoes, jalapenos and much more each year.
Our hand full of chickens also work hard for us daily with fresh eggs at least 75% of the year! The garden and chickens both have to earn their place here. Do we enjoy them…yes. But they also require time and energy!
I have a family milk cow dream…but right now it is just a dream! Maintaining a milk cow requires a lot of work milking and commitment. I’d love to have gallons of milk to process into exciting things like cream cheese, heavy cream, sour cream, butter and the rest, but it’s not a commitment that I am willing to make…yet!
Family
Our number one priority aside from our Faith is our family! My world completely changed the minute I became a Mom. As most of you know, it is something that cannot even be explained. And as a work-a-holic and someone who has gotten a lot of value from my career prior to having children, you can probably guess that motherhood totally turned my world upside down, but I would never trade it for ANYTHING. Priorities shifted and my wants and desires completely changed! Family time is important and something I never want to compromise on.
That being said, I will never give you any parenting advice whatsoever. I’m not qualified, period. I am not a homeschooling mom or a teacher. Bless them! We are just doing the best we know how with our two sweet, stubborn souls that have been entrusted to us.
I’m praying more than I could ever imagine just over parenting in my best effort to turn out strong kids who have faith in Jesus #1, but will also be contributing members of society. I never knew how stubborn I was until I had two little miniature versions of myself. They are ultimately God’s children before they are mine, and they are who they are. And they are all different. What works for one doesn’t seem to work for the other.
So LET ME REPEAT…I have no parenting advice to give. You do what is best for your family in that area. You will receive no judgement from me because I will be minding my own business and busy doing what is best for mine!
Same goes for relationship advice with your spouse. You do your thing and we will do ours because everyone is different! The one thing I will say is praying for your spouse goes a long ways. I believe it is important for your children to see a healthy relationship between their parents, no matter what your familial situation is. We all need good role models…Now that is all!
Finances
Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, the budget is budgeting around here! You will see this in the recipes that I cook, cleaners I make, and the DIYs we do. Getting the most bang for your buck but also investing into things of quality that will last is a must. We also want to be able to enjoy ourselves from time to time and give where and when we can!
We have loosely followed Dave Ramsey’s tips over the years which has left us debt free aside from our very small mortgage. My husband and I are both naturally debt averse and it has worked out alright for us. We don’t have the latest and greatest things, but we have what we need and sleep just fine at night!
I have spent YEARS digging into personal and farm/ranch finances as a Credit Analyst and Loan Officer prior to that. I’ve seen it all and everyone’s personal financial management strategies can all work in so many ways. Living pretty frugally and keeping a cap on any debt is just what works for us and has given me the opportunity to take a break from the “workforce”… for now at least.
If this is an area of struggle for you, allow God into your finances. Because ultimately, every dime that comes into our homes is a blessing straight from Him. This keeps us pretty levelheaded in this area and He continually provides for us. He put breath in our lungs and He knows our every need. We can trust Him with our money as well and do our part to steward it the best we can!
Faith
Praise the Father, Praise the Son, Praise the Spirit, 3 in one! We believe that God the Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we could have a life of freedom in Him! Jesus left us a comforter and a Helper, the Holy Spirit which dwells within us when we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior! Our life’s purpose is to give honor and glory to our God in all that we do and be transformed by His Holy Spirit.
I don’t care what denomination you come from or any other side issues outside of the Gospel. If you believe in John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” then we are on the same page.
If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, I want to encourage you to, but in your time (or His!). He will change your heart and life! Regardless of your faith status, still know that you are very Welcome at Farmhouse 181. I just feel that it is very important for you to know the world view that we hold because our faith permeates through everything that we do and the decisions we make here.
I am not a preacher and definitely fall short in many areas, but the love of the Father is something that I cannot side-step talking about. Thank God for his mercy and forgiveness! Because if you’ve known me for any number of years, or even 10 minutes, you know that I need His grace!
Fruits
Yes fruits. Not the kind you eat…the fruits of your life. Not only the fruits of your labor, but the fruits of a life devoted to Christ. Yes…a little more faith here, but I think we can all agree these good fruits are truly who people want to be. In Galatians 3:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”, is what we are talking about here. Gifts of the Spirit are awesome! But the fruit…maybe not as glamorous by worldly standards, but truly the real deal!
This is who I want to be. This is the goal. This is my work-in-progress. Will I ever arrive? No…I’m not Jesus or even a Proverbs 31 woman, but I want to do my best to try and grow these fruits in my life. Even with knowing that I will never live a life of perfection, this is where I want to draw a line in the sand. This is why our motto here at Farmhouse 181 is “Where effort is essential, but perfection is not.” Effort to keep showing up and do the best we can with grace granted from God and humility is a hill that I am willing to die on. A little dramatic for some, maybe, but worth it none the less.