And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:
knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us. Romans 5: 3-5

Praise You, Almighty Father:~

• That my blog page is up and functioning once again. I don’t remember praying for patience recently, but it has been well and truly tested during the last few days. Praise God that Stephen was able to fix it, and a big thank you, also to PSD2CSS for migrating the files across properly. I also praise God that there are good friends, such as Susan, who are willing to offer their help in fixing the problems.

• For friends, who make this world a much better place to live in, friends who build us up and encourage us to look inward at ourselves, to see what God sees.

• For my husband’s relatively pain-free knee – he has been able to cut many loads of firewood recently, so that we don’t go cold this winter.

• For our children – in particular, my son, who rode three kilometres to bring my husband home with the car, and the nebuliser during a severe asthma attack. I praise Him also for my daughter’s help in cutting and collecting firewood, for she shifts all of the loose sticks so that my husband doesn’t trip over.

• For our home, which is safe, warm and comfortable and is a refuge in the times of trial.

Psalm 62:8 tells us that we need to trust in God at all times,

that we need to pour out our heart before Him,

and that God is a refuge for us.

• For warm, autumn weather, enabling us to prepare for the cold winter ahead of us.

• For farm-fresh goats’ milk, which enables each one of us to have a regular intake of calcium ( I wonder why it’s not called goatcium, when it’s goats’ milk???), and enables us to make delicious home-made goats’ milk ice-cream.

• That we have homeschooling freedoms within Australia that many countries don’t. For instance, did you know that homeschooling is illegal in Germany and Brazil, and that Sweden seeks to introduce a law stating that the only way that you can homeschool there is under “exceptional circumstances“? Please continue praying for Dominic Johannson and the swift reuniting with his parents, Annie and Christer.

The HSLDA are currently looking for families to host persecuted homeschoolers, and while we have the room, we don’t have a vehicle capable of transporting extra people, and living out here, they would need a reliable vehicle. Does anyone want to take on this important role in helping the persecuted homeschoolers? If you do, please contact the HSLDA here.

This goat set of salt and pepper shakers used to be my nanna’s, and when we moved into our first home, they were given to us. Although we don’t use table salt anymore, as it contains aluminium, and my husband had a severe reaction to it – tinnitus and hammer toes – but since we stopped the table salt, his tinnitus and hammer toes have both disappeared, it is still a rather interesting ornament.

However, I digress – I remember this goat salt and pepper shaker sitting on the table whenever we were gathered together, and times with my nanna were such special times. She was the sort of person who could make you feel special just by being there. Her way of interacting with people was one that I shall always remember, and her love and kindness toward me makes me smile each time I think of her.

Was it predestined or just coincidence that we have a farm with 21 goats? I don’t know, but just as I have fond memories of my nanna, I enjoy each and every one of our goats, although the billy goats are a bit smelly at the moment, as it is rutting season – makes it interesting when the wind is blowing the wrong way. Oh well, at least this billy goat doesn’t smell. What do you think of him – is he cute, or what?

Mary, I thank you for hosting this Meme – care to join, visit Mary at Hope Echoes.

Isn’t he gorgeous? This is David, our billy as he prunes the Bottlebrush. In this photo, can you see his wet beard? It is at this time of the year that the billy goats really start to stink, as it is rutting season. Call me crazy if you like, but I still love him, as he sires the most delightful babies.

Do you have any rose cuttings or native plant cuttings that you need to dispose of? Goats love them, but don’t feed any animal Sugar Gum, as  our vet informed us that it is high in arsenic!

Yippee! My husband is teaching our son new skills – skills that he will need when my husband has the much-needed operation on his knee. My son is learning how to milk our goats – Delilah, Jemimah, Ruth, Cleo, Deborah, Esther, Aquila and Priscilla. Praise God that we have the most patient goats, and they have been extremely tolerant of a novice milking them.

Some of our goats have tiny little teats and are difficult to milk, while others like Deborah, Aquila and Priscilla have wonderful teats for milking.  Priscilla is one of the most patient goats ever, and she has LOTS of milk. My daughter has also expressed a desire to learn how to milk, and her small hands would definitely be an advantage in milking some of our goats.

Today my husband and son went out to cut firewood, and they came back with a HUGE amount of firewood in the shortest time ever. What does my husband think of his new chainsaw? He ♥♥♥ it, as it makes the job of cutting wood so much easier, and my son loaded the trailer for him while he used the chainsaw.

My husband was going to show our son how to use the chainsaw, but we have a slight problem. The chainsaw is too heavy, and when you rev it up, it kicks back- maybe next year??? I love homeschooling, as there is so much to learn – new life skills everyday!

A week on, and my husband has stronger pain medication. I pray that his knee will hold out until August, and on his visit to the doctor today,  he was given  Durogesic 75 micrograms/h, which means that 75 mcg of Fentanyl is released every hour. August seems such a lifetime away. Sigh! Two hours after placing the new patch, my husband has said that the pain is much less, and that he can cope with the level of pain that he has, now.

Yes, it’s strong, and in a perfect world, it’s not ideal, but he needs to be able to walk and do light duties until August so that he doesn’t become too bored. I am so looking forward to August, when my husband will be having a Total Knee Replacement, and total relief from pain.

In the meantime, my husband will be teaching our son to milk – his choice, as my daughter said that she wouldn’t mind milking the goats, and we have three new nannies ready to kid in the next month. I’m praying that they will be easy to milk, as first time milkers are often jittery and can be challenging to milk, even for a seasoned hand.  ‘Twill be rather interesting here over the next five months, so please keep us in your prayers.  Believe me, they will be very much appreciated.

My son is also working toward his year 12 Academic Certificate over the next couple of years, so he has a heavier school workload to cope with, and my daughter is currently undertaking studies for her year 10 Academic Certificate. There are animals to feed, wood to collect, meals to prepare and household chores to be done as usual, but if we band together, all things are possible.

Mind you, there are certain subjects that are taking a back seat at the moment, such as German and music, but I really can’t push the children any harder. With all of the extra work, there are only a certain number of hours in a day, and believe me when I say that we are using every one of them to our advantage.

God promises that those who honour and obey their parents and God’s Word, will be blessed. Our children belong to God and we are commanded to bring them up in His ways, but the Fathers are also exhorted to provoke not their children to wrath, but to nurture and admonish them when necessary. The children will only be obedient to us, and to God’s Word, if we have their respect, and if they can’t be obedient to us, they will never be obedient to God’s Word.

It is here that we see the results of child-training, as our children grow up and take on added responsibilities, and it is wonderful to see them volunteer to help around the farm. We feel extremely blessed by their attitude of quiet obedience to what is needed at this time.

Praise God that we can do all things through Him which strengtheneth us, and that He hath said that He will never leave us nor forsake us!

I’m having:~

Dilmah Green Tea in an insulated stainless steel cup, which although it is not very pretty, is very practical, especially during school time, as the tea stays warm for a very long time.

My Cup:~

Looking at the photo of my tea cup, I noticed that this tea cup is much more beautiful than I thought it was, as it reflects the beauty of the items around it. Isn’t that what we are like? As Christians – we are called on to reflect the glory of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, but I think that we are I am just like the tea cup. It depends upon the surroundings that we are in, as to how much of God’s glory and beauty is reflected, and yet, God’s glory should be reflected in all and through all.

I’m feeling:~

• very refreshed after a sleep in this morning.
• happy that we have found a church where we feel loved and feel as if we belong.

On my mind :~

• my husband’s knee, which is still very painful.
• our new church building – praying that building will begin soon.
• the new kid yards, so that we can lock the kids away from the nannies. We have some kids that are little escape artists, squeezing through even the tiniest holes and fences.
• swimming – the hot weather is still here with us, and my husband has vacuumed the swimming pool, so we are going for a swim today.

Thank you for stopping in to share Tea Time with me, and to Ruth from Celebrate Friendship for hosting Tea Time each week. May we continue to share the blessings of God through Tea Time each week. If you would like to participate in this meme, feel free to visit Ruth and join in the fun. If you are not a tea drinker, just grab your favourite drink and join in the friendship.

Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. Psalm 71:8

God for…

• His eternal greatness and provison over us – for the food that He so generously puts onto the table, His provision of a comfortable home where we are sheltered from the elements and enough money to pay the bills.

• our church, where we can be filled with the knowledge of the things of God, and grow into the sort of people that He can use in His ministry.

• my husband, who is suffering with an extremely painful knee – prayer for his knee would be very much appreciated.

• our children, who have stepped to the fore, taking up the challenge of extra chores so that our home continues to function as God designed it to be.

• our goats, who continue to provide us with milk, ice-cream and meat.

• the newborn chickens and turkey poults, who continue to grow each day. We have started to turn their lights out at night, so that we can have a good night’s sleep, and while the weather is warm they sleep well, too.

• granted travelling mercies – our road is extremely rough, and there is a very real danger of puncturing a tyre each time that we go out, so praise God for keeping us safe while travelling.

• the fencing iron that we bought at a reasonable price on Friday – it will be put to good use making new chicken coops.

• the homeschooling freedoms that we take so much for granted, here in Australia. Please keep praying for the reuniting of Dominic Johannson and his parents, in Sweden. Please also pray for homeschooling laws in Germany to be relaxed, allowing Christians to homeschool openly. At present, homeschooling in Germany is illegal.

• warm weather – the warm summer days are wonderful for swimming and a laid back lifestyle;  and the balmy nights are conducive to sleeping well.

May we remember to count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations, knowing that the trying of our faith works patience. It is so hard to remember that when we are going through difficult times, but it is one of God’s promises, and He never lets us down. His promises are new every morning, and great is His faithfulness!

Thank you to Jennifer for hosting “Praise” each week.

Bathsheba was the first goat that we bought, and she was the most beautiful goat. She:

1. would climb up against the house fence and eat the climbing roses from the other side.
2. gave the sweetest goat’s milk that you’ve ever tasted.
3. would come up for a nuzzle and a pat whenever she saw me.
4. also produced some of the most beautiful kids.

I really miss Bathsheba, but her daughter is so much like her, except that her daughter, Susannah, has horns, as we haven’t budded any of our goats. Budding, unless it’s done properly leaves the goats with scurs (horny plates) that continue to grow, and sometimes will grow around into the goats’ eyes.

~~~oo0OOO000~~~

In the Old Testament times, goats were kept for:

• their skins that were made into tents, carpets, cloaks, sacks, slings, and various camel, horse and mule trappings. They were also made into bottles for water, oil, semn and various other liquids.
• their flesh, when neither beef nor mutton was found.
• their milk, which was drunk and made into cheese and semn, a sort of clarified butter which was used in cooking.

Kids were slaughtered for honoured guests, and were also used for sacrificial purposes, as the goat was one of the clean animals. Goats would have to be one of the most destructive animals, and are largely responsible for the condition of deforestation around Judea and Lebanon. The male of the species are renowned for their wonderful beards.

~~~oo0OOO000~~~

Susannah is one of my daughter’s goats, and she loves her so much – Esther is her other goat, and the two goats are like chalk and cheese. Susannah is black with horns, and Esther is white and is naturally polled.

Esther has a beautiful temperament, and so does Susannah toward people, but Susannah tries to be boss in the paddock, and doesn’t have a hope, as Quiily is boss out there. At the moment we are trying to cull our herd, as we have twenty-seven goats and kids – it is really hard, as I would keep them all, but this is impractical, so we eat the boys and keep the best of the does. There is nothing better than roast goat, and the taste is not dissimilar to lamb.

Years ago I would have had a real problem with eating anything that we had raised ourselves, but these days I’m a little more countrified, and the benefits of eating your own produce are that you know what they have been eating. I still miss Bathsheba – she was one very special goat, but her daughter is, too.

The recipe that we used is:

Goats’ Milk Ice-Cream

Ingredients

400 mls of goats’ cream
4 egg yolks
rounded 1/3 cup of castor sugar
2 mls of vanilla essence

Method

Place eggs, vanilla and sugar into a bowl and mix thoroughly until well combined, then add the cream. Beat again, put into freezer to cool down. Set up the ice-cream maker and pour the mixture through the mixture hole as per instructions in the book. It takes about twenty minutes to make about a litre of ice-cream.  Place the mixture into another container of about a litre capacity (to cut down on ice formation) and freeze.

In our household, we have people who are allergic to cows’ milk, so having ice-cream used to present a real problem. My daughter used to cough and cough, and snore like you wouldn’t believe when she had ice-cream, but with the goats’ ice-cream she has no problems, and it is so delicious. This is just another way for us to use the goats’ milk that we are provided with, and another step toward self- God-sufficiency.