Prayer Request

Please pray for Stellan and his family. This sweet baby is in the hospital with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia.

We Have Chickens!!!!

Please welcome Harriett, Fanny, Mrs. Jennings, and Henrietta to the farm! The girls took right to their new digs and began doing... well, what chickens do.

I look forward to posting some about their personalities and antics.

We did have one injury today. Sarah was trying to get into the chicken pen and keep one of the dogs out. She fell and hurt her arm. :( It wasn't deep and Hannah got the peroxide and antibiotic cream and got her cleaned up!

We Are Ready for Chickens!

This afternoon William and Hayden finished the chicken pen!! And there were no serious injuries!! (Kevin, I realize that you will be disappointed) We did think that William put a nail in his hand at one point; grazed it instead.

Hannah and I went to town to buy feed, a feeder and water dispenser. Sarah and Hannah mulch around the outside of the pen and the walkway. We are READY!!

We are starting with 4 Barred Rock pullets that are 17 weeks old. They will begin to lay somewhere between 20 and 24 weeks. The picture above is the Barred Rock hen.

Our goal is to add more chickens once we are comfortable raising these and advertise the sell of organic eggs. These eggs have a darker yoke and are better nutritionally. Our chickens will be pampered and have a varied diet.

We are excited about our new venture!

America the beautiful,
Or so you used to be..
Land of the Pilgrims' pride;
I'm glad they'll never see..

Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
Your house is on the sand.

Our children wander aimlessly
Poisoned by cocaine
Choosing to indulge their lusts,
When God has said abstain

From sea to shining sea,
Our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God's love
And a need to always pray

We've kept God in our
temples,how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
And Heaven is His throne.
We've voted in a government
that's rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door,


Too soft to place a killer
In a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby
Before he leaves the womb.

You think that God's not
angry,that our land's a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
Before His judgment comes?

How are we to face our God,
From Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
But stem this evil tide?

If we who are His children,
Will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face
And mend our evil way:

Then God will hear from Heaven;
And forgive us of our sins,
He'll heal our sickly land
And those who live within.

But, America the Beautiful,
If you don't - then you will see,
A sad but Holy God
Withdraw His hand from Thee.

~~Judge Roy Moore~~

Exciting News!

Hannah has been contacted by a company (will remain nameless at this time) that would like her to try their products in her baking and blog about them. They like her photography and recipes. We are proud and humbled, as is she.

Above is a recent picture Hannah took. We do not know what or if anything will become of all this, but she is learning a lot and perfecting her skills. It will be excellent for her resume.

She desperately needs a new camera, hopefully we can work toward that. Or if anyone has a Canon Digital Rebel XSi (or, you know, the one up from that) that they are not using, please send it on over!!

photo courtesy of Hannah Queen

The Gardening Beginnings

Today we headed to a local nursery(buy local whenever possible) to purchase strawberry plants. We hope to have a green house by next year to start seeds.

We also found some Romaine lettuce and pepper plants that looked wonderful, so we will add those to the mix!

The kids got the strawberry plants in the ground this afternoon. (We are short 4 plants you'll notice in the picture) Tomorrow we will get the lettuce and carrot seeds in the ground.

Next month the tomatoes, bush beans, peppers, etc. will be planted.

Our Farmer's Market starts up May 23rd and we can't wait! We have plans to expand our offerings and promote organic gardening.

photos courtesy of Hannah Queen

We Have a First Class Scout!

Tonight Hayden came home from scouts tonight, put his arm around me and said "you have yourself a First Class Scout"! Yeah!!! He is halfway to Eagle Scout!! I am so proud of my boy. He has worked hard to get to this point and he is just 11.

William sewed his old First Class badge onto Hayden's uniform after they got home. Hayden is so proud to be able to wear his dad's badge. While William sewed it on Hayden said that he hoped his son would want to be a scout. What a heritage!

Another Day

Last night around 10:30 we got a call from my SIL saying that my FIL had almost fallen as she tried to help him to the bathroom. She also said he was bleeding, but she wasn't sure from where. William and I ran out of the house and made it over to his home in about 5 minutes. I was concerned that his port had come out and he is on blood thinner; not a good combination.

Fortunately it was his elbow bleeding, but he was very weak. I took his pulse and blood pressure, both were ok. I had felt that coming straight home was not the best idea, that maybe a rehab place for a couple of weeks would be better. My SIL wanted him home and insisted that she would care for him. He is too weak for her to handle him and we are afraid someone is going to get hurt. We stayed until 1 am to make sure he was stable.

Today we have gotten a wheelchair (he has been using a walker) and ordered a hospital bed. This should make it easier for my SIL to handle him. She will not have to pull on him to get him into a sitting position nor will he have to walk if he feels too weak. Going 25 feet completely exhausts him. Also the hospital bed will provide a better level of safety at night with the rails.

William and our nephew built a ramp from his door this afternoon so he can go to the car in the wheelchair. We almost didn't get him out of the house this morning for dialysis. He got to the door and froze. He was scared and weak from the walk. Fortunately William's aunt and her husband live up the road; they came down and her husband helped Wm. get him to the car. When we got to dialysis, he could not make it in with the walker. I ran, got a wheelchair and got it under him just in time.

We will just take one day at a time. I think this illness has really effected my FIL, he must depend on others. He is stubborn and doesn't understand instructions, so each step will be a challenge. Fortunately, he will listen to William and I most of the time and right now my SIL is over her head.

Here is my biggest frustration: the hospital provide two lines of discharge instructions for a man that has been the hospital for 3 weeks with complete kidney failure. The doctors have spoken to the family maybe twice. TWICE! in 3 weeks. It is like they pushed him out the front door in the wheelchair and said "good luck".

This is a large hospital in a major city! I believe they took good care of him, but they did not provide the family with adequate information for his care. No idea of his limitations, what to expect, etc. I am appalled. I have cared for my MIL and my mom, I have worked for doctors, I have educated myself; I realize the power of information. Does this hospital??

Ok, I feel better, I think. Tomorrow we meet with a kidney specialist in this area and are hoping to transfer his care to him. That way we do not have to drive him almost 3 hours south for a dr. visit. Too much.

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee:
he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
Psalms 55:22

Good News and a Great Day

My FIL came home yesterday!!!! His sister said he cried when the Dr. came in and told him he could go. He was so beyond ready to get back to the mountains.

His kidneys are functioning a little and he looks a lot better than he did 3 weeks ago. He was short 1 day being in the hospital 3 weeks. He will begin dialysis Monday and have blood work periodically; hopefully he will continue to improve. Just being home should help him a great deal.

Church was great today! Pastor talked about Cornelius and his conversion. He showed us how Cornelius prayed fervently and how he gave willingly. We must do likewise to be able to really hear from God. Fellowship during lunch was a blessing as usual.

photo courtesy of Hannah Queen

"My Husband Rocks" Friday

As we continue to wait for my FIL to be released and visit the hospital, my dear hubby has been busy on the chicken coop and starting our Spring jobs. Never dull around the Queen home and he hangs in there with all the (my) madness. Thanks honey!!! YOU ROCK!!!!!

This is what I got in the mail today!! I am so excited. My study of doing it yourself, frugal living continues.

After looking at various books, The Encyclopedia of Country Living seemed the best choice for our needs. It has information on gardens, chickens, herbs and food preservation; all things we are pursuing.

We are going slow, adding a little to our plate at a time. We want to learn each thing well before we tackle something else. And we need to see what is profitable for us, as our desire is to grow things for us and to sell.

At present we are: reusing, recycling, composting, grinding our wheat and baking bread, using less pre-packaged food, hanging out clothes(warm weather), using less electricity w/ little to no AC, buying less.

This years goals: square foot organic gardening, laying hens, herbs, and food preservation. William is studying solar energy also.


I have discovered that anyone that is willing can move over into this lifestyle. This is not at all the way I grew up. My parents grew up on farms but abandoned that lifestyle as adults. They came of age when frozen dinners were introduced, restaurants became more popular and convenience and ease was the becoming more important than self-sufficiency. They, like many raising families in the 60's and 70's, embraced this new way of life.

For me, I felt that not being raised close to the land left me lacking. I was just a consumer with no ability to provide for myself. The only means I possessed was to earn money to buy what I needed. This was just not good enough for me or my family. In these uncertain times, the ability to grow food for ourselves, live on less and reuse more seems more important than ever. We want to be kind to the earth God gave us and be less dependent on outside sources.
It should be an interesting journey.

Pictures From Today

Here is our future chicken coop. We had up all the chicken wire, but took it back down when we decided to alter the design. We have to make sure our cats or other critters do not get to our chickens. There will be a door on the opposite end from the coop.

Sarah and William worked hard. This girl can do some farm work, let me tell you. She is rough and tough when she needs to be. She hung in there with her daddy!!!

Here is my sweetie cutting away. Our ground is uneven so he had to build up one end of the coop.

Hayden helped carry wood. WAIT A MINUTE, that is the dad carrying the wood!!! Ok, Hayden did help carry wood and do other stuff.

William is lifting up the low end. Strong, manly man!

Our favorite bassett/beagle, Harley.

I will post pictures of the finished coop when we get it done. And more about raising chickens.

Working While We Wait

My FIL's discharge continues to be put off, which I know is frustrating to him. He and his sister were told yesterday that he would be discharged today; we didn't go down to visit since we would be picking him up today. So far, no orders.

Of course we want him there if he needs to be; but we wish they would stop telling him that he will be discharged. It gets his hopes up, then when it doesn't happen he gets depressed. We are not sure what the hold up is now. His potassium level is down is all we have been told.

So, we are trying to rush and get things done around the house before Wm. starts back to work and his dad comes home. We are working on redesigning the chicken coop a bit, putting weed blocker (pizza boxes, cereal boxes, etc.) in the bottom of the garden beds, clearing the path to the chicken coop, making bread, getting our business ad back in the local paper for Spring and other odds and ends.

GOOD NEWS!!! The IRS finally decided to send the money they owe us. Wm. came in from the post office doing a happy dance!! What a blessing. Now we can pay our property tax and live in our paid for home another year. Gotta love America! (I actually do love America, just getting out a little frustration people) Now we wait for the state to refund their portion...

Saturday!!!

It has been a good day here at the Queen home! (translation-productive) It started off with pancakes and bacon per Sarah's request. William and Hayden went over to our property to cut long sticks for bean tepees, made bean tepees, worked on the chicken coop and put up a ceiling fan for the girls.

We girls hit the H**e D***t to pick up some light bulbs, a new mop(desperately needed), the above ceiling fan (on sale for 39.00!) and a couple of other things. Somehow I have lost the contractor bags I bought; they are no where to be found. :( My splurge was the new Southern Living magazine. I still hate that they changed the spine, but I can't give it up. I tell my girls it is our Southern bible. (no disrespect to the actual Bible that we love)

Anyway, I mopped my dining room and kitchen with my new mop! The girls and I cleaned part of our porches; they need more work, but first William needs to move some of his stuff. I also got a baby gift together which I have needed to do for a week.

Hannah in her constant need to be creating something, put this together using an old camping mug we had. The plant is a succulent. She has plans for flowers in various containers she finds also. It is not unusual to find things dumped out of something so she can plant something in the container!

Something Different Everyday

Yesterday we were told my FIL was being discharged and Wm. was planning to leave this morning to go get him. Fortunately his sister talked to someone that was to come out to assess the house; they told her there were no discharge orders. We called the hospital and sure enough, no orders.

Later today we found out that they did an ultrasound on one of his arms that was swollen. He now has a blood clot. So, no coming home until this is resolved. He was disappointed; he is so ready to get out of the hospital.

I have a new back window in my Excursion! Lost all my great stickers. I had one with a quote from Benjamin Franklin, a recycle sticker, a pro-life sticker and across the middle, our business name and phone number. I will have to work on replacing them now.

Our puppy went to her new home and peace reigns in the Queen home once again. Sad, but good. The lady has her sister as a stated in my last blog and she loves big dogs. We are excited that Scout will have other dogs her size to play with. I'm excited that Piper will not have to run for her life and we do not have to move everything beyond MY reach!

I have a sinus infection and am feeling yucky. I hate having chills. This too shall pass.

After dinner tonight we settled on what we are growing in our garden this year and who is responsible for what crops. We decided that this year each family member would take charge of one or two crops. Before we plant each person will have to study their vegetables and/or fruits and learn how to care for them, how to harvest, and what to plant after that crop is exhausted. It should be a good learning experience for us and make the upkeep easier. And I am all about easier!!! We should have the chicken coop finished soon and we will add chickens to the fray!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day and we can clean our porches, work on the coop and move some dirt. Sounds like a winner!!!

Oh, jump over to Hannah's blog, she made a Swedish Visiting Cake today and it was very good. It is very simple to whip up for a coffee get together or to take to a dinner.

"My Husband Rocks" Friday

As you can tell by previous posts, we have had a hectic two weeks. It has taken all of us working together to keep things going while trips were made to and from the hospital. William has been supportive and helpful at home while driving back and forth 100 miles each way to see about his dad.

He has built boxes for our raised garden beds during this time, helped around the house and just kept things going.

What a blessing to have a spouse that is supportive during tough times.

You Just Never Know

The last two days have been (trying to think of a word) interesting, challenging, difficult, stressful... (still not sure what word fits or all) My head hurts just to think about all the mental gymnastics I have put myself through. I have been in the forest.

First, the hydraulics that hold up my very heavy back window on my Excursion failed all of the sudden yesterday. Hannah was trying to get out groceries and dropped the door; the whole back glass shattered. Scared us to death. Wm. thought a shotgun went off. The glass went all over Hannah, but she is ok. Back window, not so good. Glass guy coming out tomorrow.

Our puppy is not working out. She is terrorizing our dachshund and tearing up the house. I am stressed everyday and can not get anything done. I can't teach for her barking. I clean up one room and she has torn up another one. We have moved stuff, hid stuff, etc. Nothing works. Fortunately, Wm. called our nephew who gave her to us and the lady that took Scouts sister wanted both dogs. So, she will take her. Sad, but good.

Wm's dad is being discharged tomorrow. His kidneys are not working nor do they know if they will regain any function. He will go to dialysis 3 days a week. Wm's sister that lives near their dad will move in with him for the time being. Wm. and their aunt will relieve her on the weekends. I hope he doesn't get weary of the dialysis; I can imagine one could get tired of it.

On a lighter note; Wm. and his sister went to the hospital today for a visit. Wm's dad, I think I mentioned, was saved last year. He had been a very bitter man for many years for many reasons. Today Wm. said that his dad was witnessing to his youngest daughter and her husband. They live a very hedonistic lifestyle. Wm. said his sister said, "daddy, I'm a good person". His father told her, "that doesn't matter and it won't get you to heaven". Wow!!

William couldn't believe it. They will not listen to us because our lifestyle is so different and always has been compared to theirs. They have always judged us. But maybe they will listen to a man that has lived a sinful life and has been bitter toward God, but now is a Christian.

I am tired, but things will settle down. God is still on His throne!

LATE EDITION: the puppy got hold of Hannah's glasses that she laid on the island in the kitchen. I found them with both lenses missing and the frames chewed. OH MY WORD! She is tore out of the frame. (no pun intended!) :)

EARLY EDITION: we have been told there is no discharge order for my FIL. Not sure what is going on. Frustrating.

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 1:24

We have been going back and forth to the hospital for over a week and our sweet girls have been taking care of the house. And their brother!!! (he is still in one piece!) By the time we get back to the country we are tired and conversation has been scarce.

SO, since the boys had scouts last night, the girls and I took on the town! Ok, not big city, bright lights, but we did go to Chattanooga. We had a great time. We went to a kitchen store which for Hannah is like a little bit of heaven on earth. I even let her get a couple of gadgets. Then off to dinner at one of our favorite places, P.F. Changs. We had crispy greenbeans which were fabulous!! After dinner we hit GreenLife, our favorite organic grocery store and to top of the evening, BARNES AND NOBLE! Sarah availed herself of Shakespeare in original/modern language; wimpy girl!! But, she is reading it.

We realized that we had truly missed our chats and we talked without stopping the whole time. There was much to just catch up on and we like to discuss Sunday sermons. Gardening is coming up soon, so we discussed our crops for this year. WOW, what an evening! What great girls!! I throughly enjoy my daughters; they are awesome young women that I love being around. What a blessing!!

Voddie Baucham

If you have not read Voddie Baucham you have missed out. He recently commented on Attorney Eric Holders comments and it is worth reading. He speaks volumes of truth regarding this "nation of cowards".

Excerpt:
Racism is big business (non-profit organizations, grants, quota-filling professorships, quote-filling political appointments, quota-filling corporate jobs, corporate extortion, etc.). There are people whose entire careers are based on promoting the idea that America is a racist Nation from which “racial justice” must be extracted by force.

Jump over and take a look at Voddie's blog!!

Just Blessed

We are so blessed to have a pastor that really looks after his flock. A pastor that will not tolerate something that would bring confusion or dissension to the congregation. WHAT A BLESSING! You know that He is seeking the Lord and His Word for direction and will not allow someone or something to disrupt fellowship and sound teaching.

Oh, how so many churches need a leader like this. So many do not feel protected from the enemy because their shepherd will not stand against false teachings and proclaim the truth of the scripture. Too many pastor have compromised for the sake of numbers or offerings. Too many have reasoned that it is not their place to correct a church member. Too many are afraid they will offend. Well, the Word can be offensive! It is meant for correction and reproof.

I thank God that we have a shepherd that wants God's best for his congregation.

He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding (Pr. 15:32).