My life is...
Oh life. Crazy, mad, life. It's days like this that I feel like a giant oxymoron. In my attempt at a calm, simple, and organized life, I've found myself once again in the beautiful tornado that is...well, my life.
My Life Is...
Life as a mother is awesome. Love those rascals - especially the super little one who doesn't talk back or argue with me yet. Instead, he simply asks to be fed on a schedule and be bound in a fuzzy blanket when he sleeps. Now that's my kinda baby. His older brother, on the other hand, is currently occupying his time by being as destructive and disagreeable as possible. I often find him shoving things down the drains, flushing random objects down the toilet, licking all sorts of disgusting surfaces, and (on occasion) using his poop as a crayon on the walls (yes, seriously).Our affectionate term for him, The Hobbit, should now be something more like 'the crazy hobbit who runs around causing havoc and mayhem.' But he's also super snuggly and sweet. So I guess that makes up for some of his... zeal.Life with my G-love is always challenging. And wonderful. That girl is so much like me that we tend to... have spirited interactions, shall we say. She's stubborn. And social. And chatty. And really quite wonderful. Yes - life as a mother is sweet.
Life as a wife is even better. Year after year, I continue to fall more in love with my man. Currently, his beard is longer and fuller than it's ever been - so let's just all take a moment and appreciate how awesome that is, too. Teaching at a Classical Christian School comes with it's struggles and stresses, but I'm ever amazed at how remarkably well he handles it all. Especially since when he comes home from work, I typically throw all the children at him and run to the nearest closet to hide in.Stuart is the kind of man who takes the time to teach and love on our babies in a way that I struggle to. While I'm cooking supper or throwing in yet another load of laundry, he's able to patiently sit with Georgia and play dominoes or take Owen down to the chicken coop for the 15,294 time. It's such a good lesson for me. Family first. Tasks second.
Life as a blogger is booming! This month marks the 4 year anniversary of my blog. 4 years, I've been working on this project, loving it - fueling it with my life blood! It's given me an outlet, an objective, a creative place to hang my hat. My only regret is that I don't have time to share all of the posts that I'd like to. The other day, I got an email from a reader who has been emailing me for years. She's been a faithful follower and hearing from her was like hearing from an old friend. Though many things have changed on the blog throughout the years, it's always been a special place for me. And I shan't ever leave it. Blog + Shaye = Tru luv.Life as an essential oils advocate is cray cray. When I first started sharing these oils (I'd been using for years!) less than a year ago, I had no idea the incredible business opportunity that would come from it. It's now started to take up a fair bit of time, but I am very thankful for it. Essential oils have given us the extra income to fund projects on the homestead that we wouldn't have otherwise been able to - such as our greenhouse, the purchasing of our sheep, etc.
My essential oils company is a fantastic company to work for and is enabling people all over the world to stay at home with their families, all the while promoting a product that (literally) changes lives. I couldn't think of a better companion business to go with our blog and homestead.
....and speaking of homesteads, life as a farmer is the best life ever. Just in this last week, we've bred our oldest ewe, got a positive pregnancy result on our family cow, planted winter rye, harvested greens and root vegetables from the greenhouse, moved a second batch of meat chickens to the outdoor run, utilized our laying hens as our garbage disposal, and have been continue to reap the rewards of our pig harvest (specifically, this homemade bacon!). If all the other work we do is just to support this lifestyle, I'm content with that. Because I can't imagine living another way - oh, how sweet it is! To sit at the table to a breakfast, lunch, or dinner that has been cared for, cultivated, harvested, and prepared by our own hands is remarkable. And a testament to God's goodness! And yes, life as a farmer is goooood.
Life as a cookbook author is.... slow. Mind you, there's plenty of work going on between the recipe creating and photography, but as I learned with my first cookbook From Scratch - this process is painfully slow. It's like giving birth. There comes a point when you just want to cash in and say 'I'm finished. Good riddance.'But I can't. I won't. I'll keep at it... painfully at times... but I'll keep at it. I'm eager to get this out by next Fall. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait. Farm Fresh will hold many of the same elements as From Scratch but the recipes are fresher... more homegrown... more locally focused. They're primarily created from products that we have grown on our farm and the simplicity is a representation of that. While I'm still utilizing spices and a few oils grown around the world, it's a from-the-farm reflection of what eating this way looks like. I know y'all will love it.Life as a (!$@$@*) is also pretty crazy. Yes, sorry, I know that's vague - but truth be told, there's a secret project in the works right now that I've been devoting quite a bit of time to as well. As much as I'd like to share, I'm sworn to secrecy. Hands tied. Lips sealed. Cross my heart and hope to die.Just kidding on that last part.But seriously - while this project is also moving painfully slow, I'm hoping to be able to share it with you after the new year! Trust me. I'll be worth the wait.All that to say, life must be laughing at me. This 'simple' life is anything but that. My days are full of poopy diapers, milkings, food preparation, refrigerator cleaning, furniture rearranging, junk-purging, writing, photo editing, oil consulting, answering a toddler's question for the 1,492 time, coffee runs, late night talks with my husband, laundry, laundry, more laundry, and a lot of hard work, both on the farm and with my businesses. Luckily, I'm not afraid of hard work. I'm not afraid to push through the barriers and continue on this path. Because I love it. And because life on the homestead is pretty dang wonderful.