For the last month, my family and I have been traveling around the western side of the United States. There are plenty of inspirations I could talk about from the raging wildfires in Helena to the majestic waterfalls in Glacier National Park; from the glorious sunsets across the endless plains of the Dakotas to the…

Watching chickens establish a pecking order is fascinating and somewhat disturbing. In the beginning, we acquired two of three roosters – choosing the more gentle ones, of course, because who would choose a dominating chicken? It only took a day or two before the roosters decided who would be the next alpha. The previous owners…

A few years ago my mom taught us how to make butter by pouring heavy whipping cream into a sealed jar and shaking it until the liquids separate from the solids, resulting in butter and buttermilk. This process, though simple, takes effort and perseverance. This week I thought making butter again to spread on homemade…

Every year toward the end of winter I feel depleted, burnt out, and zapped of all energy. If the sun is used to power electricity, then a human’s lack of exposure to sunlight after enough time will certainly result in a lack of energy. My lack of energy is usually accompanied by discontentment and an…

The world looks like a different placeThe filth, the dirt, it’s all erasedCovered by a radiant faceOf snow. Abandoned houses left to moldDarkened windows dreary and coldNow a glorious sight to beholdIn Snow. Firewood stacked up like a wallAnd garden fences standing tallEvergreens grand and smallCrowned with snow. Piled up logs from fallen trees,Abandoned hives…

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. I John 4:18 Our hen house rests on the outside corner of our garden so that the left side of the coop, along with fencing, forms the…

There’s a momentary pause. The thick snow has stopped falling and the Sun is piecing through the evergreens whose branches are throwing snow in the air like confetti and sparkling like fireworks on their way to the ground. For a brief second diamonds fill the air, catching the Sun’s light at just the right time…

We were extremely blessed this week to be given a large flock of laying hens and a friendly rooster. After putting hobby farming on pause for three and half years, it feels so good to pick back up where we left off. I had forgotten how much fun they are to watch and how easily…

A few months back my family and I took a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We did so many memorable things from exploring the red rocky shores of the Keweenaw Peninsula, learning about unique rocks and minerals, visiting an Iron Ore museum, trying Pasties for the first time, being refreshed by the cool,…

Dear Dad, I see you smiling from far away.You keep saying, “It will be ok.”And I’m trying to trust you.Really I am.But no one seems to give a damn about morals or traditions or integrity.Gone are the days of prosperity,the things we fought for so bravely. Deep in dementia, you felt it too.Somehow your soul…

Day eightDisappointmentStill no grassFor enjoyment Then day nineMuch shouting“Baby grassFinally sprouting!” He has made the grass grow! Ten-day forecastSunny and dryNot a cloudIn the sky Faithfully waterFaithfully toilFaithfully prayOver soil Lord, please make this grass grow! What is that?I hear thunder!Rain coming?I wonder. Drops feltExcitement risingDark cloudsQuite surprising! Only He can make the grass grow!…

Fall the treesRemove the rootsBurn the brushMud on boots Chop the logsStack them straightLine the pathMake a way But we can’t make the grass grow. Use a plowRake the yardPull up rocksThe work is hard Kids help outPick up sticksSpread more soilNice and thick But we can’t make the grass grow. Then the dayIs finally…

It finally happened. After living two years in the thick Manistee forest, a black bear confidently waltzed through our yard sniffing the bonfire pit and then slowly strolling down OUR nicely manicured path in OUR backyard as if HE owned the place. After Kyle took a couple of pictures for proof, he ran into the…

My one-year-old baby girl doesn’t seemed phased by the fact that it is still snowing on the second of MAY. I walked her outside for only a few seconds into the unseasonably cold air that didn’t seem to affect her spirits in the slightest. She still napped her normal amount, played like usual, and even…

Today I am staying at one of my favorite vacations spots – The Wigwam in Litchfield, Arizona. The fragrant flowers, the rich green grass, and the inviting pools make this place a true oasis in the desert. I came here a couple of years ago to write a big portion of my book You Can…

It’s been months since I’ve felt inspired enough to sit down and write a post, not because of a lack of inspirational things around me, like the beauty of winter or staring into my baby’s face, but because all I keep thinking is, “Look at what God made! Here I am touching something He made,…

A month after moving, a month after my father died, a year after my sister went through a divorce, seven years after having my “last” baby, during the tail end of the Covid drama, at age 40, I found myself pregnant. Growing up in a Christian home and being adamantly against abortion, I struggled to…

A couple of days ago my mom and I were driving around with my kids admiring the endless displays of brilliant fall colors. As we drove around one bend, we were welcomed into the presence of warm, orange and yellow leaves enveloping us like a gentle hug and then waving us on into the next…

Essie, my five-month-old, has a strong personality that is beginning to shine. At times she’ll lay still as we deeply gaze into each other’s eyes making a love connection deeper than words. At other times, she is a very active and busy little girl, looking around distractedly by everything except my eyes … the spinning…

I’m sitting here in the lobby of a cozy lodge located here on beautiful Lake Michigan at a Bible conference called Maranatha. My children are safely tucked in their classrooms allowing me time to write, read, hear great messages, enjoy God’s creation, and rest for a moment from the responsibility of keeping my kids alive….

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. -Isaiah 40:29-31 I’ve been taking…

I grew up in the small village of Richland, Michigan with my good friend Corie, who still remains one of my closest friends today. Her mother, Ruthie, has been like a second mom to me and both she and Corie have been there for me through my pregnancies with comfort, advice, prayers, and support. Corie…

Psalm 29 A psalm of David. 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;    worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;    the God of glory thunders,    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;    the voice of the Lord is majestic.5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars…

As I open my blinds, I’m not surprised by the blanket of snow covering the ground nor by the gray sky and air filled with snowflakes adding to the think layer of white. Not a blade of grass to be seen nor even twig. Every movement feels slower as though the world is asleep and…

After living in Arizona during one of their hottest summers on record and then moving back to Michigan during one of their longest summers in history, I am so ready for fall! Last year my family and I spent a year in a somewhat seasonless desert. Many people move to the Phoenix valley for the…

When we first arrived in Arizona back in June, we housesat for my sister while she and her family were in Michigan. I was sitting out by her pool one day and noticed that between some of their beautiful white pavers lived hundreds of tiny ants. Each day I would grab a bucket and pour…

Lightning illuminates the sky. Sounds of thunder fill the air. Waters rise higher and higher across the surrounding fields and create new ponds in our yard – and basement. Trees bow nearly flat on their faces as the wind whistles through their branches. We draw the curtains, stoke the fire, and nestle deeply into the…

The Spring rain is gently falling as it usually does this time of year. The robins are increasing and singing their normal cheerful song. The buds on the trees are peeking through at just the right time. The chickens are roaming around looking for bugs, bathing in the dust, and laying their daily egg. The…

Oh, the joys of those who do not    follow the advice of the wicked,    or stand around with sinners,    or join in with mockers.2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,    meditating on it day and night.3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,    bearing fruit each season.Their leaves never wither,    and they prosper in all they do.4 But not the wicked!    They…

For Christmas, we surprised our kids each with their own barn cat. So though we vowed not to buy any new animals in 2019, we technically kept our promise by acquiring 3 free kittens from a shelter. We put a small cat house in our garage that we got for free on Craig’s List. It…

A middle-of-the-night epiphany inspired by the intricacy and enormity of the Ark that Noah was commanded to build and it’s duplication in Kentucky 1000s of years later: “Noah built an extraordinary boat with beautiful, spacious, even luxurious rooms. All of it “just” for his family – or so it must have felt. But in reality,…

Three scenarios have me thinking… Living in the country we get some of the biggest spiders I’ve ever seen. I’ve lived in the Caribbean among tarantulas that are as big as your hand. The ones I’ve encountered here are not far from that. As we drive up to our house at night our car lights…

If God can choose YOU. He can USE you. It’s 5:30 am. I can’t sleep because this quote keeps running through my head. Two weeks ago I got up in front of my church to help lead worship as I’ve done a handful of times for the past few months. I don’t have the best…

Did you know our bodies are not designed to digest pesticides and other harmful chemicals found in non-organic, GMO, processed foods? Nor are we created to consume or inhale whatever we want just because it’s found in nature. God does not need our help to re-create the foods HE designed for our bodies to eat,…

1.Praise the Lord, my soul;    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.2 Praise the Lord, my soul,    and forget not all his benefits—3 who forgives all your sins    and heals all your diseases,4 who redeems your life from the pit    and crowns you with love and compassion,5 who satisfies your desires with good things    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.6 The Lord works righteousness    and justice for all the oppressed.7 He…

When you pray say “Father…” -Luke 11:2a Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the…

Tonight my husband and I were sitting on our front porch watching thousands of fireflies flicker across the field and sparkle in the trees like Christmas lights. All their glows were sporadic and unpredictable just like a blanket of snow shimmer in the sun. I love the way these amazing and uniquely designed creatures radiate…

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and…

I find it odd that companies advertise “Vegetarian Fed” on their egg cartons as though it was a good thing. Chickens are not vegetarians. They are omnivorous which means they are meant to eat both plants and meat. Depriving chickens of bugs, worms, ants, and other grubs also deprive egg-consumers of all the vitamins and…

I have erased, added, read, and re-read this blog more than any other blog I’ve ever written, and I’m sure you’ll still find many typos (mainly because Word Press keeps undoing all my edits.). I’ve been hesitant to publish this post wondering if it’s more of a “soap-box” than an inspiration, and also because I’m…

To test if your eggs are still good, fill a glass or bowl with cold water. Carefully place an egg in the water. If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays flat on its side it is a fresh egg. If it stands up on one side but is still at the bottom of…

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ” – John 14:26 Thank you, God that through creation and just living life, you remind us of truth… I’ve been teaching my kids how…

I’ve written a lot of posts that have been inspired by my animals or by plants and trees. This post may not initially seem to go along with the theme “Inspirations from Creation“but I believe it is inspired by the greatest creation of all – people. I just need to say how much I love…

There’s a tree in our yard who is still hanging onto her leaves from last year. It’s spring and time for the new buds to form. If the tree could understand me, I would tell her that she needs to let go of her old leaves to make way for new ones. Letting go can…

We had a warm day a few weeks ago. The kids played in their new sandbox while Kyle tackled the butterfly garden. Thirty minutes with a leaf blower and a chainsaw made quite a transformation. He cut down dead trees and blew out last year’s leaves exposing the intricate rocks and stone pathways. From a…

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way [a]raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she…

We built a new coop for our chickens this past weekend. It has a wooden door where we can come and go without having to step over a sagging fence. Our plan is to add electric wire to the top so our chickens won’t fly out and predators won’t get in. Some of the birds,…

Kids are so resilient. I can’t count how many times I have lost it with my children and have had to go back and apologize again for raising my voice or being overly harsh. I keep expecting to hear “No mommy, I don’t forgive you cause you just keep doing it.” But they’ve never said…

I’m finding that I actually have to be in nature to be inspired by nature. I was wondering why I was feeling kinda dry until it occurred to me that I’ve been spending most of my time inside. I have good reasons for being inside. It’s cold, gray, muddy, and windy – all of which…

We haven’t actually killed a Coyote… Yet. I was just bragging to some friends about how we had only lost 1 out of 35 chickens this winter – even with temperatures below zero. We were feeling so confident in our coop, our feeding system, and having roosters to protect the flock, that we started to…

I’ve observed that some of the most beautiful things in life happen without any effort of our own. Take a chicken egg for example: Last week our chickens, that we had purchased as chicks last fall, have started laying eggs. This was an exciting moment for us. It was different than the already-laying hens we…

You’ll never believe the end of this story. I was out delivering groceries a couple Wednesdays ago when I felt in my Spirit that I needed to go home and pray. Normally Kyle and I take our kids to Awana on Wednesday nights and we use that time to go grocery shopping or have adult…

On my way out to feed the chickens and rabbits, I noticed tiny black dots all over the melting white snow.  It looked as though someone had taken a pepper shaker and sprinkled pepper all over our yard. I wrote it off as dirt carried in from last night’s windstorm until Elijah, who had been sledding…

I was watching “Becky’s Homestead” on a Youtube channel a while back and I was recently struck by something she said. I remember her talking about how our agrarian ancestors would wake up when the sun rose and would go to bed when it set. This lifestyle worked in perfect harmony with the planting, growing,…

We moved onto land with scattered patches of overgrown weeds, shrubs, and vines. There is one rather large patch between our house and barn. When we bought this house I had no idea what was hidden in those weeds but one man who helped us move said it was a butterfly garden. You’d have to…

Just before Christmas, my kids piled up some old toys they no longer played with in order to make room for new toys. We did the same with their outgrown clothes.  I placed all their used items in a donation bin hoping that somewhere someone might be blessed by them. A few days ago we acquired…

In my last post, I talked about how the mommy rabbit couldn’t protect the babies from “Their Own Free Will.”  I just wanted to mention that baby bunnies are blind until they are 10 days old. At different times, two of the kits wandered away from the nest – probably just feeling their way around –…

Our Rabbit Emma was reluctant to breed with our buck, Jordan,  knowing the harsh winter was on it’s the way.  We didn’t understand her resistance until later when we learned that female rabbits (called does)  instinctively know to resist breeding when cold weather is approaching. Male rabbits do not seem to have the same intuition. Jordan…

The other day I was shopping with my sisters in Holland and went in a store that had these really interesting plants and hand-made pots. Written on one of the pots it said, “GROW Dammit!” I had to chuckle because I have totally done that -yelled at my plants to get them to grow –…