Author: desiredhavenfarm

Things are happening here! Lots of things. I can hardly believe it’s November 6th and we’re still doing projects. I’m learning how much we depend on the weather in the country. If it’s nice, you get outside projects done. And you move fast, knowing the weather could change at any moment.

You may look at this photo and think, what is it? It’s just a field. Well, we took all the fencing down on the south and west side of our pasture to change it. More to be revealed on that later.

The kids are amazing workers out here. They’ve learned to help with lots of different projects and I believe it’s giving them great skill sets for life. We had to rework the fencing for the goats since we removed fencing. I think 80% of hobby farming is taking fencing down and putting fencing back up!

Often when I say, “I’d like to…” Andrew probably thinks, “oh, great. How much is that going to cost?” But, he’s a good sport and goes along with my crazy ideas! I don’t know if you can see it, but he’s grinding out the ancient windows in this shed. We’ve had new windows for a couple years because they were free and, well, this is the beginning of one of my crazy schemes.

This shed has been pretty much unused since we moved in six years ago and it’s time to make good use of it! Sometimes things sit so long we don’t see them anymore. And one day, I was looking around and realized, we have this great little shed. Why am I not using it??

And so begins another project! My new garden shed! Kind of a she shed, except I’m letting Andrew have part of it for tools…which I’ll probably use too! I have lots of old barn wood to be made into signs, you know!

Andrew got us lots of cabinets and countertop on the cheap and I’m excited to transform this space!

I’ll show you updates as we go! Can’t wait!

It’s the epitome of a blustery fall day today. The rain was falling along with the leaves earlier and both were being whipped around by the wind. All too quickly the trees are becoming bare. Twenty years ago today was much the same. A blustery fall day that blew in grief and hardship and so many unknowns.

Twenty years ago today my mom came home from a week’s stay in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. Three months later she was gone.

I remember that day so vividly. We were living with my parents at the time with our twin baby boys. They were just 2 months old. The front door opened right into the living room and I was seated on the couch with the babies. She came in, smiled and said Hello. I asked if she was feeling better. Then she told me. I just remember crying and crying.

The next three months were a blur. Well the next year was really. Taking care of two babies while grieving isn’t what I’d call easy.

Now I’m crying over my boys turning twenty and getting ready to leave the nest. I choke up when one tries on his new suit for his wedding. I choke up when I think of my boy entering the military in this volatile world.

But, today, for some reason the grief of my mom hit me hard. Something about two decades having gone by, maybe. What I wouldn’t give to hear her say “Hello” again. To hear the phone ring and it be her on the other end. To talk into the wee hours of the night about everything and anything. To have her hug all these grandbabies. It never ceases to amaze me how and when the grief hits. You can’t really anticipate it and you can’t predict it. And after twenty years, it doesn’t happen often. But it has been twenty years! Twenty. Where did that go?

My mom loved Neil Diamond. I can vividly picture her dancing and singing to his records in our living room growing up. I knew all the lyrics and sang along. “Hello Again” seems fitting for today. Someday I’ll get to say, “Hello” again.

I am certain of that, you know. She is in heaven, not because I wish it so or because she was a good woman. She’s there because of the power and blood of Jesus, who she accepted as her Savior when I was young. And because He’s my Savior too, I’ll get to be there with her and say Hello.

So, while I grieve, I don’t grieve as one without hope. I believe Jesus died and rose again and so I believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14.

Do you know him? Truly know him? Can you grieve with hope? Can you look at this world and say, it’s not my home, there’s a better place waiting for me?

While twenty years is a long time and I’m thankful for all of them, we don’t know how long we have on this earth. My mom wasn’t quite 44 years old when she died. Too young, we say. But who are we to know? I’m thankful she knew Jesus in this life so that she could spend eternity with him in the next. I’m thankful He has given us that option, that free gift, if we’ll just take it.

Here’s another great Neil Diamond song I remember singing with my mom.

Yesterday was my 42nd birthday. I spent it scrambling around like a mad hen all day to get ready for camping. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, packing, running to Walmart…again!

It wasn’t exactly what I’d have chosen for a birthday celebration but I knew it would be like that having planned to leave the next day.

On top of camping prep, one of our cars broke down in the middle of the night on our son. The brakes went out and, Praise Jesus, he wasn’t driving. He had gotten in to come home and found the brakes were bad. I’m so thankful he wasn’t on the road! But, because that had happened, Andrew had extra work to do. Go tow the car home, try to find parts, try to fix it. He ended up working on it until 11 pm!

This morning we got up bright and early to pack up the camper and hit the road.

Things never seem to go as we plan. About halfway to our camping destination the camper started hopping and we saw smoke in the side mirrors. Blown tire.

Of course we were on a busy four lane highway with cars whizzing by at 65. And, of course, it had to be on the driver side. I’ve honestly never been more afraid for Andrew’s life. He’s been sky diving and that made me nervous, but this? I see how many people drive looking down at their phone. I’ve seen the videos of people getting hit on the side of the road because of distracted drivers.

Our friends and I started praying. And, no kidding, a few seconds later we looked up and there just happens to be a tow truck coming up to us.

What a coincidence. Ha! (I don’t believe in coincidences.) I do, however, believe in the power of prayer.

Terry the tow truck driver just happened to be heading home from work. He jokingly said, “I saw you having a picnic on the side of the road and thought I’d see what you were having for lunch.” He was all smiles the entire time he helped, pulling out every tool you’d possibly need to change a tire. I told him I was just praying for protection and he came along.

“Well, praying works!” He smilingly replied.

Of course the spare was shot so we ended up putting our friend’s spare on to get to the next town. We ended up at a Walmart. I’m telling you, there’s some sort of time warp in Wal-Mart. I met a really nice employee though and had some good laughs with her while I was waiting for Andrew to change out the two tires. She said (and I agree with the sentiment), “Why can’t anything be easy?” 2 hours and $300 later we had two new tires and were ready to actually camp.

While it didn’t go as planned, we finally made it. We joked that we might have to set up in the Walmart parking lot for a bit there!

Now we’re sitting around the campfire, enjoying each other’s company, thankful to be alive, well, and safe. Our son was blessed to have the brakes go out in a parking lot. We were blessed by Terry aiding us. We were even blessed by kind employees at Walmart. And now we’re blessed by a beautiful night with great friends.

God loves each and every one of us. He knows when we’re afraid and He hears our cries. He is faithful in every moment of our days.

Our day didn’t go remotely as planned. We could look at it and grumble and complain about all the things that went wrong. Instead I choose to focus on how God intervened and showed us He is present and cares deeply about us.

Oh goodness! It’s been awhile since I’ve been here writing. I don’t like it when things get so busy that writing gets set aside, but sometimes that’s life!

So, what have the Schwabs been up to?

I think we could answer the question, “what haven’t the Schwabs been up to?”easier!

We have realized we took on easy too many projects this spring at one time. I think I make the mistake of thinking they will take less time than they really do and that Andrew is home more hours than he really is.

We added two raised beds to the garden. (I still don’t have enough room!) We used limestone block that’s been on our property for probably 100 years as a foundation to an old grain shed. The shed was sold last fall. It ended up being a lot of work, and all work I couldn’t really do. Those blocks are heavy! It turned out beautifully though.

Then out of pure rage, I tore the entire raspberry patch apart! I have been fighting the weeds since we moved here and they won. Last year, I got a small bowls of raspberries and spent hours pulling obnoxious weeds. This year I said, “No More!”

So I dug all the good plants out and tilled and tilled. I laid black plastic and heavily mulched and replanted. It all took way longer than I expected so I lost some plants while they were waiting to be replanted. But it looks amazing and I hardly have to weed, so I’ll call it a win! And, raspberries will send new shoots so I’ll get those plants back eventually.

Then we can’t forget there was a garden to plant! That got in very late, but it’s flourishing except for squash bugs. I moved my squash to get away from the bugs last year. It didn’t work. Now I have three kinds of bugs. Makes me really angry. And, let’s face it, they’re gross and I have to pick them off!

And, of course, if that weren’t enough, we decided to remodel our camper. We were going to just replace the roof, which was leaking, but why not just redo EVERYTHING! It’s been a fun project, but, of course, it’s taking way longer than we thought. And we keep finding things to replace or fix. We’re camping in August so I guess we better just keep pressing on so we can enjoy it! I’ll do a separate post with photos of that and show you all we did!

Of course, in the midst of this three cars needed repairs, taking up much of a weekend for each, other things on the farm needed fixing or replacing, there’s animals to take care of, and most importantly, there’s kids to raise!

Thankfully in much of this they’ve been able to participate, but they need down time too, just like us. More than us! We took them bowling and fishing and we’ve been swimming a lot. We’ve been so thankful for the pool this summer! Four of them got to participate in Frozen Jr, the musical, which was so fun!

Oh yeah, the pool took 2 weeks to get clear too! There’s always something! We feel busier than ever but it’s all been good, fruitful busy. We love to work as a family and play a a family. And we’ve been doing that this summer, for sure.

Often, when we pray, I just thank God for the strength he gives us each day to do the work He gives us each day! We definitely need it! And I don’t take it for granted!

I know I’ve forgotten things. All I can say is, wow! I hope the last half of the summer slows down a bit! I feel like I’m trying to grasp at reigns made of water to stop summer. I guess I just need to take one day at a time and be thankful for it. I hope you are too!