Preparations

Tomorrow is our annual "Day to Give Thanks for Udders" customer appreciation day. The event also functions as the Thanksgiving turkey pick-up day. We have been extremely busy with preparations. On Wednesday and yesterday, we processed Elliott's 75 turkeys, which takes much longer than processing chickens. His turkeys averaged about 20 lbs. each! With reservations for almost all of his turkeys at $3.95 lb. (seriously!), tomorrow is going to be a nice pay day for Elliott. He has offered to take the entire family out to dinner some time soon to thank us for our help with processing.

After processing, I got a shower and baked a couple hundred cookies for tomorrow before washing a couple dozen dirty jars that collected at the barn. Today I have one milk delivery this morning (I'm supposed to be leaving right now...) and then I'm coming home to quickly clean the house before I leave for a second milk delivery this afternoon/evening.

I cannot wait for 36 hours when everything is finally over!!! I will feel like I have the rest of my life ahead of me. :)

Seasons of Uncertainty

I had previously heard that seasons of uncertainty can be seasons of spiritual refinement. Recently, this 'head knowledge' has shifted to a personal 'heart knowledge'. I really dislike uncertainty and I especially don't find much enjoyment in waiting, but I do see how God has undoubtedly orchestrated the current season I find myself in the midst of and how He is using it as a tool for refinement and growth in my spiritual life. I am calling out to Him so much more-- asking for His strength as I trust His will for my life, and praying that "my wishes are what God wished." I am experiencing a new closeness to Him as I watch Him prove His faithfulness over and over again through every little detail.

"How can God work His will in me if I am clogged with wishes of my own? Thy will be done.... 'Clogged with wishes.' I was wishing that my wishes were what God wished, and if my wishes were not what God wished, I wished that I could wish that my wishes would go away, but the wishes were still there." -Elisabeth Elliot's journal from her early twenties

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" -Philippians 4:6-7

"When ours are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable) 'toward the goal of true maturity' (Romans 12:2)." -Elisabeth Elliot

"What then are we to do about our problems? We must learn to live with them until such time as God delivers us from them...we must pray for grace to endure them without murmuring. Problems patiently endured will work for our spiritual perfecting. They harm us only when we resist them or endure them unwillingly." -A. W. Tozer

"Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone to accept, His lordship." -Elisabeth Elliot

"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him." -Jim Elliot

Barn Dance Video

Staying up until after midnight to simply watch a football game and post a video on my blog is not a smart way to begin a productive, new week, but did anyone else just watch the Colts vs. Patriots game? It was worth staying up for, especially if you're a Colts fan (or just not a Tom Brady fan).

Elliott created the following seven minute video of footage from the barn dance:

Barn Dance

(All photography courtesy of the Henderson family unless noted otherwise)The barn dance was a great success! Elliott and Oliver began planning a "Young Adult Barn Dance" a couple months ago and spent the past week clearing out the hay loft, wiring electricity, building an outhouse, constructing stairs to make the hay loft more accessible, and completing a host of other jobs in preparation for the big event. Their hard work paid off and approximately 125 old & new friends came out for the evening. After several days of pouring rain and dreary weather, the sun finally began to shine brightly and gloriously less than one hour before the first guests arrived. As friends came and eagerly awaited the square dance caller's arrival, a volleyball game took place in our front yard.Harrison watching the volleyball game...

I'm sure the cows must have been confused as to what was going on in their barn and why they weren't being milked until 9:30 pm!

Sweet Sheridan...Friends getting reacquainted... (Following three photos taken by Alexanders)Beth Nell, Kate, Maddie, and I...Kendal, Kelsey, and Erin...Mr. Henderson took some incredible pictures around the farm...

Everyone was invited to sign this board in our new farm store, which doubled as the snack and drink area... (Photos above and below taken by Alexanders) The girls brought something sweet to share, the guys brought something salty, and each family brought a drink, so three tables were filled with refreshments! After eating, everyone gathered in the hay loft for the dance.(Photos above and below courtesy of Micah)(Following two photos courtesy of the Henderson family)

After the dance caller left, some enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the bonfire while others continued to dance in the hay loft.

Thank you to all of our friends who made the long drive out to our farm to join us! To read more about the evening, check out the recent posts written by Oliver, Anna, Abigail, Rachel & Sarah, Allie, and Micah.

You're Invited

As we did last year, we'd like to open our annual customer appreciation day to any friends or blogging friends who would like to see our farming operation. We'd love to see you on the 21st!

**********Second Annual**********

"Day to Give Thanks for Udders"

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Rain or Shine
1:00 to 4:00 PM
at Avery's Branch Farms

~ Farm Tours
~ Hay Rides
~ Meet the Cows, Pigs, and Chickens
~ Hot Cider and Fresh Cookies
~ Showing of Newly Released "Food Inc." Movie at 2 PM
~ Lunch Offered by our Mennonite Friends at Countryside Shoppe Next Door

Bring your cooler to pick up your fresh turkey and stock your freezer for the winter!

Shop for your holiday pies and sweets at Countryside Shoppe!

My Hope Chest: Part Two

Words that could describe my decorating style would be vintage, classic country with a touch of the coast. I don't care for the modern or contemporary look, and I think styles that originated in the victorian era tend to be too fancy. When reading decorating magazines, I often tear out and save any pages that capture a look I want to emulate in my home, so that it might be a warm and inviting place.

The following pictures give a general idea of the items I have collected:

Kitchen

Cookbook stand and matching trivets:Two large serving bowls with a matching pitcher from Anthropologie: Assortment of Pyrex bakeware dishes, glass storage containers in various sizes (primarily for leftovers), two boxes of assorted cooking utensils, two cookie sheets, plastic cake keeper, four cake pans, four cheesecake pans, two measuring cups, wire rack, glass three-tier cake stand, and a Pampered Chef quick-stir pitcher:For my graduation gift, my parents gave me a beautiful nautical dinnerware collection. Unfortunately, the box containing most of the collection is being stored at my grandmother's house, so I could only take pictures of the different designs on the salad plates: An elegant glass pitcher, glass butter dish, and a few pieces from a classy Oneida silverware collection my grandmother kindly gave me:Cookbook collection (I don't know if I can fully consider these "hope chest-related" since I use them often, but I figure the cooking skills I gain now will benefit my future family!):Variety of dish towels, oven mitts, and wash cloths:Recipe box, several measuring spoons, red gingham canning lids, and an assortment of Pampered Chef kitchen utensils:Pig-shaped cutting board (I saw these in a magazine and was then blessed to find one for $1.98 at a thrift store!), beautiful serving bowl (my mom bought it for me earlier this year while in Mexico), fish-shaped glass plates (for serving appetizers or other snacks), electric skillet, belgian waffle maker, and plastic, reusable plates for large gatherings (they have two parts combined into one so you can place dried flowers inside the plate for a lovely look):Silver dishes for tea time (they need polishing!):My beautiful tea set is such a blessing! I had been wanting a tea set for a long time, but found they were very expensive. When we were moving this past summer, I came across a mysterious box with my name written all over it. Judging from the dates on the newspapers that wrapped each piece, it appears to have been packed in 1998-- probably about a dozen houses ago. I couldn't have been more thrilled to find it. I look forward to using it for my '4 o'clock tea' with my dear friends Elizabeth and Marie one day:Bedrooms and Decorative:

I loved this framed needlework my mom found at a thrift store. She is currently using it in her own bedroom, but she said I can have it for my own home when I get married: I have quite an assortment of picture frames, candles, and other items that would have looked rather junky if I took pictures of all of them together, so this picture just gives an idea:I love this trunk my grandmother gave me last year for my birthday:
I finished this quilt last winter with various fabric remnants that had been given to me:It is not large enough for a bed, but it could serve as a lap quilt or just as a display: Or it could live at the foot of a bed, but not with the larger quilt pictured below because the shades of peach clash really badly! I don't know what I was thinking when I put the two together. My great-grandmother made the large quilt for me when I was a baby:The following quilt is very small. I'll probably just use it also for a display or lap quilt if it fits in with the color scheme of a room: This is a twin size quilt I did last winter, but I only had a full size bed to display it on: It could work as a throw quilt on a couch (this is a very old, ugly couch, but with the quilt and matching pillows, it doesn't look quite as bad!):

Or I could use it at the foot of a bed with my white matelasse as the bedspread. This is my favorite style:My very favorite quilt is my queen-size sampler quilt. The following picture was taken about a year and a half ago, and I think that was the last time Alli and I worked on our quilts together. I don't know that our lives will ever allow us to get together like we frequently did previously, so this winter I hope to complete mine on my own. The top is finished, so I just need to quilt it all together.
Alli and I also made fleece love knot baby blankets for our hope chests a couple years ago. Today is actually Alli's due date, so her first baby girl should be arriving any time now!

This is a baby quilt for my first baby. I hope to monogram his/her initials in the center square:

An entry about my hope chest wouldn't be complete without a couple pictures of my current bedroom because almost everything I buy is bought with the thought in the back of my mind, "Will this be practical in my future home?" As I bought my bookshelves, bedding, and decorative items, I felt that everything purchased could serve another purpose again in the future:

My embroidery machine (on the right) was a rather expensive purchase, but I justified spending the money because I love anything monogrammed and would like to monogram towels, linens, pillows, etc. -- just like in the really expensive stores -- for my own home. I will also be able to sew dresses for my daughters and monogram their initials on the front like in a Pottery Barn catalog. The only problem I ran into right after buying the machine was that it was a little difficult to 'prepare' all of these items for my hope chest when I didn't know what my last name's first letter would be. ;) That's pretty much everything! So, now that you have seen what I have, I'd love to get any ideas of other items that might be of use in my home one day! For those who may have a hope chest, what other things have you collected? For the married women, are there items you wish you would have bought prior to getting married?

My Hope Chest: Part One

During my rare spare time over the past week, I have enjoyed sorting through the items from my hope chest, taking pictures, and preparing a blog entry to be posted soon. Throughout the week, my bedroom has been a disaster area and it appears as if I am moving out! Although I have barely endured the great mess, it has been a fun experience and reminiscent of "playing house" as a little girl.

I received my beautiful white wicker hope chest as a Christmas gift from my parents when I was 17. While my collection has outgrown the small chest, I have added a trunk, several boxes hidden in the triangle behind my bed, and at least one more box in a closet at my grandmother's house. I suppose you could say I'm pretty serious about collecting things for my future home!
It is such a joy to think about my future home and family, and I find it very rewarding to accumulate items that will hopefully contribute in making our home a sweet and refreshing place. I love my hope chest collection very much because it reflects my love for my future home and family. I can't even begin to express how very eagerly I await the day when I will be some man's wife and can welcome him home each day to our cozy, little abode. That is the reason my hope chest collection is so special to me. It represents creating a peaceful haven for the man and children I'll love.

I envision our home to be a place of rest and refreshment, a solace from the craziness of the world around us, a place for the training of our precious children, and hospitality toward believers and non-believers alike. Of course I'm not so naive as to think that there won't be days of discontentment, disagreements between my husband and me, nights of crying babies, and plenty of trials and hardships! But since Christ will be at the center of our home, we will have the hope that the difficult days will be bearable through His grace, and we can have confidence that even the trials He will bring us through will "all work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose..." (Romans 8:28).

I hope to post the pictures and their corresponding details very soon!

"Six things are requisite to create a happy home. Integrity must be the architect, and tidiness the upholsterer. It must be warmed by affection, and lightened with cheerfulness, and industry must be the ventilator, renewing the atmosphere and bringing in fresh salubrity day by day; while over all, as a protecting and glory, nothing will suffice except the blessings of God." ~Rev. Hamilton 1878

Answers: Part 3

What are your beliefs on girl's dress? (Modesty, dresses vs. pants, jeans.... etc.) While I respect those who feel strongly that they should only wear dresses or skirts, it is not my personal conviction. However, I believe we should strive to honor God in every area of our lives, and the way we dress should be an extension of that desire.

What is your stance on girls that go to college? I think that every girl should individually seek God's specific will for every aspect of her life, realizing that true fulfillment and peace is only found when we are living in submission to His plan for our lives. While it was not God's will for me to attend college, and I have no regrets in regard to that decision, I believe God's plans for us are certainly not identical and it is of utmost importance that we strive to serve and glorify Him wherever He has us-- whether that may be in college or with our families at home.

What are your views on evangelism and outreach? I desire that my life would be a living testimony, so that others will see something different about me through the way I react to challenges and interact with my family. Because of our farm, my family and I interact with many, many people of very diverse backgrounds on a regular basis. Our business is a massive mission field, and we strive to live in a way that represents Christ and the change He makes in our lives.

I believe our family, as a unit, is the greatest evangelistic tool we have. So many of our customers have never even seen a fully functioning family -- parents happily married, everyone getting along (for the most part!), enjoying working together, etc. Our customers see that there is something different about us and show interest in getting to know about what makes us different. Of course, what makes us different from the world around us is entirely the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Do you think you make the most of your opportunities? How could you use them better? I think often we get caught up in the busyness of our lives and are not as intentional as we could be. I wish I personally were more bold in sharing my faith and interjecting references to God's provision and faithfulness as I converse with non-believers.

How does your family use their business to reach other businesses, clients etc. with the Gospel? We strive to practice hospitality with customers, sometimes including them in family events, and sharing our lives with them through our blogs and website. In emails sent out to our contact lists, we give glory to God for His provision and blessings. God has definitely given us a huge responsibility, and even as I write this I am challenged to more diligently reach out to those with whom I interact.