Half Pint Gone Country

    Growing up I loved watching Little House on the Prairie. It was one of my favorite shows. My dad and Pa always called me Half Pint. That's where the name of my soap Half Pint's Sheep Milk Soap came from. I have always thought of myself as a country girl but I guess I never really knew what it was to actually feel like a "country girl" until I came to the farm and I don't mean country girl in a redneck term although I have felt that way a time or two since living on the farm.
    Mud has become my best friend. I think my clean clothes are a target for mud and I think I've finally accepted it.
    I've discovered a love for fishing. I love competing with my husband, we have a lot of blue gill in these ponds and I'm pretty sure as soon as I throw the little fishy back in the pond I'm reeling him right back in. But hey, whose counting?
    Catching craw fish. Who knew you could spend so much time in the creek catching something you'd never seen before could be so much fun.
    Cracking black walnuts. Yep, that was a winner! Our hands and nails were stained for weeks.
    Gathering black berries. What a sense of accomplishment it was to be able to gather my own black berries and bake my own black berry pie.
    Picking wild flowers. Ever since I was little I was always picking flowers out in the yard and giving them to my momma. It was only appropriate that I picked wild flowers off the farm the day before my wedding for all my center pieces on the reception tables.
    I love my boots! I don't get to wear them outside the farm much cause I can't seem to keep the manure off them.
    I think we need more animals! You'd think after having 69 ewes, 7 rams, 3 border collies, 2 guard dogs, that that would be enough. Well, this is what's on my list to get, a few wool sheep, a horse, a cat, a rabbit, and some chickens. That's not a lot to ask is it? After all, I can put up a good fight as to why a horse would be a great idea. I could gallop to the pasture to check on the sheep and not waste the gas in the Kubota. :) I know, I could just walk, that would solve everything!!
    There's something about being from the country that makes you appreciate things a lot more. I know I do. Not that being anywhere else doesn't make you appreciate things but just being outside working or doing a simple task makes me feel closer to God. I think a combination of being raised right, having a loving family, and growing up in a good environment has taught me to appreciate even the simplest things that others may not find so easily to appreciate. So many people depend so much on their iphones, ipads, ipods, video games, or whatever to make them happy. I don't want to be dependent on those things. I enjoy spending time learning new things, finding new hobbies, and being with my family. I want to raise a family completely away from worldly gadgets. Isn't it true that the less we have the more we appreciate?  I think it is.
    Morals and values are slipping away more and more each day and I'm finding that world outside the farm a bit scary. I'd love to be able to have children and raise them up based on Godly principles and to teach them an appreciation for the simple life. With the way the government is working right now they are making it harder and harder for a family to become self-sufficient.
    My prayer is that doors will be opened and chances will be given to those yearning for this kind of lifestyle. Living simple isn't always easy but it's definitely worth it.