A Long Overdue Update From Us

No, I haven't died or moved or been imprisoned or anything else that dramatic.  For a couple of reasons I've just not really been too into blogging lately. 

My health took a downturn this past Fall and I still haven't fully recovered from it.  Also, with the current political environment we feel that it's best to just stay off the radar as much as possible.

Our Family
I'm pleased to announce that we are expecting our fifth child this summer.  The baby is expected to arrive sometime the end of June or beginning of July.  We're really excited.  Lord willing, we'll be able to have another successful homebirth.

Sam and the GAPS Diet
We are currently trying to transition off of the GAPS Diet.  Some has done remarkably well on it.  January 2013 marked the 2-year point for us.  He is currently able to consume non-GAPS foods like potatoes, brown rice, oats, millet, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and raw cow's milk.  We're REALLY enjoying having a wider variety of food again.  I'm currently trying to see if his body is healthy enough to handle a gluten bread made from spelt.  Of course, we're still preparing our foods using the methods found in the Nourishing Traditions book so we grind the spelt into flour ourselves and then soak it overnight in an acidic medium.

Sam still has some "quirks" that most children his age do not have.  He still struggles sometimes to control his body.  However, he is healed enough now that he can acknowledge when he's "doing" autism and he attempts to stop his body from the behavior.  He doesn't seem to struggle at all with maintaining eye contact, he is constantly asking questions, and continues to play games with his siblings.  I am so very grateful for the GAPS Diet and the healing that it has brought Sam.

Our Farm
We're still expanding our farm and, little by little, trying to become more self-sufficient.  We're currently getting 2 dozen eggs a day from our hens.  A lot of the garden is put in already.  This year we plan on growing turnips, beets, carrots, lettuce, spinach, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, corn, jalapeno and green peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts.  The peach trees are currently blossomed out in beautiful pink flowers.  Our honey bees seem very happy that Spring is here as there's a constant hum coming from the bees visiting the flowers.  All of the other fruit trees have buds swelling but none have blossomed yet like the peach trees have.  This time last year we were already harvesting asparagus but the weather this year has pushed everything back a bit.  That's ok though.  My body is dragging more this year than it did last year, so I'm thankful for the extra time this delayed Spring has given me to accomplish tasks.

Our Freedom
Those familiar with our past blog posts know that we've always been concerned with the direction our country has taken and the threats that were being made against our freedom.  Some time has passed and we're even more concerned now that those threats are turning into actions meant to take away our liberty and force us into dependency.  I urge all of you to make sure that you are informed about what is going on in our country.  Please don't bury your head in the sand or believe that "the experts" must know better than you.  You may not be all that concerned about it, but your children are going to reap what is currently being sown.  If you are unfamiliar with them, I would recommend that you take the time to read the books 1984, A Brave New World, and Atlas Shrugged.

If anyone out there is still visiting this nearly-abandoned blog...thank you.  Thank you for taking an interest in our family and caring about what happens to us.  I do miss sharing our lives with you.  It was always nice to find others that took an interest in this lifestyle that we love living.  Lord willing, I'll be able to share more of our lives here in the future.

Take care,
Janice