Trying this again

well I thought I would try this one more time, since my 2yr old decided to delete my entire blog as I was getting ready to post it...She was in terrible need of an early nap today, so she has been put down for a good nap and will hopefully feel better when she wakes up...I def. think 2 yr old girls should come with a manual...lol

Here we are in the midst of some scary economic times and I find myself worried, but I worry about everything anyways, it's just part of my allure, lol, not really but I do find myself worrying for others who are losing their homes, jobs and cars...I feel the need to reread the Grapes of Wrath, I am sure things will not get that bad again since most of us as humans do not care to be That uncomfortable for that long, so I would imagine something will happen last minute to make things better for some...But if you haven't read the book or at least watched the movie, it would be a good way to spend an evening...Maybe if more people realized how easy it would be to become a character from that book or movie, then maybe things would change a little...

After a discussion today something has been on my mind that is bothering me. So here goes,

I guess I just don't really understand the need to keep up with the Joneses...I never have..I don't understand how bigger houses, bigger suv's and more toys is bettering one's self? It's a false sense of bettering yourself, I would think, but then again I have never been driven to keep up with them Joneses...I could care less what kind of vehicle I drive as long as it's safe for me and my family and it gets us there and back...I could care less how many thousands of sq. feet my house is, if we're safe and happy...I never bought the idea that we need to have more to be more in society...if I have to live in a big nice fancy house and drive a super nice and expensive car to get your attention and to be a good person, then maybe I don't want you there with me anyways...because you won't respect or value the same things I do, so it would be like butting our heads together...and I have heard that gets painful after a while...lol

We were dirt poor when I was growing up, and I do mean dirt poor, both of my parents worked 2 jobs a piece to make ends meet, and we still barely survived... so I know what poor is, some people sadly think that I have a poor person mentality that I don't feel the need to better myself...(I was informed of this today...lol) because I choose to live on a homestead, raise animals for food, grow a garden, etc... but the truth is, I don't feel like I need all that STUFF to better myself...it is only Stuff...will it help me and my family get into Heaven? will it help me be closer to the Lord? I don't think it does...

I tried living the all american dream, even though I didn't really buy it, I thought there must be something to it, and you know where I found myself? I was so far from happy and peaceful that it was painful, not only to me but to my husband...I didn't keep a good relationship with God open because I was too busy keeping the dream alive...until one day it slapped me in the face, it had been calling my name for a long time and I chose to ignore it...I wasn't happy living like so many others...I wasn't peaceful and was def. too busy to include God in my daily life...I knew something had to change. So we found our little metal shed/haybarn up on the bottom of the hill, next to the woods and converted it into a home and have been out here for 10 years...I guess what I should say is I am happier than I have EVER been...my husband is happy and my children are Happy & Thriving, on not much Stuff...but something else that is important, Everyone has a right to be happy and if keeping up with the joneses makes you happy, then have at it and I hope you get everything you want...but don't look down on me or think I'm lazy because I don't feel the need to follow in those same footsteps...because if someone told you homesteading was easy and for the lazy...LMBO...They LIED to you...lol I work harder out here, than I ever dreamed.

So I guess this turned into more of a rant than I really intended...but sometimes things just need to be said...even if just to get it off your chest :)

Well...

Where do I begin?
I am so new to all this, that I really have no clue where to start...I guess I will start by introducing myself...My name is Tonye (pronounced Tonya) my dad misspelled it and I have been stuck with it every since. I have 2 beautiful children an 11 yr old son and a 2 yr old daughter...They are the lights of my life and I have no idea what I would do without them...I have been married almost 15 years to the same wonderful man and he keeps me sane...lol


We have only been on our homesteading adventure for 1 year now, but I am still so in love with living like this. We have had dissappointments and tears, but we have also had so many joyful events and triumphs. We do have a plan, and it is to be fully self-sustaining and self-sufficient one day.

We have chickens and really enjoy them, the kids still think it is a treat to go gather eggs and feed them. We will be adding goats HOPEFULLY sometime this fall...we are still working on the fencing for this journey...lol and a couple of hogs HOPEFULLY by the spring...If you notice I say Hopefully Alot...lol I have learned in my short year of living on a homestead that everything will get done eventually, but usually not in the time frame that I think it should be done in or even the one I would like for it to be done in...but it Does get done...

We will be tilling our garden down soon, it is pretty much done for the year, besides 2 okra plants that are still trying to put out...Here in Oklahoma our okra keeps producing until the first frost usually, but this year our weather has been rather odd...lots of rain and cooler than normal temps, and left us with very little okra, I hate to till them down, because they are such pretty plants with beautiful flowers, but they haven't given any okra in over 2 weeks so I am sure it is probably time to say goodbye to them for the season...

Well I guess I will end this for now, as I really don't know what all else to talk about right now, but just give me time, I am sure I will be talking your ears off :)

Spending My Day

Doing as little as I can get away with today, as I now have a full blown 1st head cold of the season, and it was so graciously shared by Abby. And where did it come from? you guessed it, her 11 yr old brother Adam, who has yet to have a single symptom, not even a runny nose, He just brought the germs home to share with me and sister :) We did however get the chickens out, fed and watered and part of the bathroom back in order, but I have decided that bending over would surely make my head explode, if I had to do it for much longer, so the children are fighting happily amongst themselves over which disney movie to watch, as I sit here, wishing I were able to crawl back in bed for a while. Now back to the movie situation...lol I have yet to meet an 11 yr old boy that wants to watch Cinderella repeatedly...but Abby who has crowned herself "Beautiful Princess" seems to have escaped the lesson on sharing and being nice about it, and well Adam caught the lesson, but it tends to escape his memory at times...So off to the fight we go...and it soon leads to the tears and cries of "MOMMA!!!!!!"....No actual phsyical fighting is going on, but it always seems to be on the realm of possibility for the "Beautiful Princess", she is my bruiser with the tiara and snowwhite dress on, where Adam on the other hand is my Great Prince of PeaceMaking...LOL the two could not be more different from each other and it's a very interesting combo, how they came out so different I will never know, but it happens... The weather here has been exceptional and for it to Not be hot in Oklahoma even during September is rather odd...it is strange to go out on the porch before it is full on evening and have a nice Cool breeze blowing, very strange in deed...It has been in the lower 80's and we have had many cloudy days, now don't get me wrong, I am MORE THAN HAPPY to be receiving such a beautiful gift as cool weather this time of year, but I can't help but start to get giddy about the upcoming fall..Could it be that I might actually get to experience my first fall weather? and not go from burning up hot to just down right gotta get a jacket on cold? We will see. At this rate the leaves might actually change and I will have enough time to get out and get some photographs before they all come tumbling down. Danny (my man) seems to really be in love with his new job, and well I can't really blame him...We are really happy here and have had a great response to the things we would like to get to work on...At our ladies bible class on sunday afternoons, we have many things planned and in the works and I am rather excited about it myself. The new congregation where we are now is a good sized church of Christ for this area, we are averaging (sp) about 90 every sunday morning. We have so much hope for everything now it seems. To give you a little bit of back info about the new congregation, Dans' dad was the preacher here for almost 24 years, we really really struggled with whether or not to even apply for the job after Dannys dad and mom both passed away in feb. it was a devistating blow to us both and actually thought that moving off was the right thing to do, since there was no one here for us to care for now...But things have a way of working out and it did...we sent in his resume and it took a while but they hired him. We had so many worries about being compared to his dad and mom, and that is just the nature of the beast...If your congregation has a Great Preacher, then no matter who comes along, you will be stood up there side by side with them and measured...It isn't as blatently obvious as we feared and everyone has been really great about things...We love everyone here, but we do miss our last little bunch of breatheren...We had for the last 10 years preached for a small congregation of about 40 on any given sunday..and they became so important and part of our lives after 10 years...I can't help but miss them...I just hope they know they are loved and missed in this house... Well I guess I will go until another day, seems the children are getting along for a minute so I think we will read a book together or colorOh and I told ya to give me some time and I would be talkin ya'lls ears off...LOL :)