What a week it’s been around here!
Between an exciting hunting adventure, processing meat, getting garlic planted, a wonderful evening supporting our son’s upcoming mission trip, and a kitchen that still seems to be overflowing with tomatoes, there’s been no shortage of things happening on the homestead.
But more than anything, this week has been a reminder of God’s provision and the blessing of having good people in our lives.
An Elk for the Freezer!
The biggest excitement of the week was that my husband shot his very first elk!
We are so excited and incredibly thankful for this blessing.
If you’ve ever been involved in elk hunting, you know that the work doesn’t end once the animal is harvested. In fact, in some ways, that’s when the real work begins!
Getting an elk out of the mountains and back home is no small task. Thankfully, we have some wonderful neighbors and friends who stepped in to help.
From getting the elk back to our house to helping us process the meat, we were surrounded by people willing to lend a hand.
Let me tell you, we needed those extra hands!
We’ve been processing the meat ourselves, which is quite the undertaking. It’s a lot of work, but knowing that all this meat will help feed our family makes every bit of that effort worthwhile.
We’re so thankful to have this meat filling our freezer. With the amount of food our family goes through, it’s such a blessing to know we’ll have plenty of nutritious meat to enjoy in the months ahead.
We couldn’t have done it nearly as easily without our friends and neighbors, and we’re incredibly grateful for each person who gave their time to help us.
What a blessing this harvest has been!
The Garlic Is Finally Planted!
In between everything else happening this week, I managed to get the garlic planted!
Just like every other year, I feel like I’m getting it into the ground right in the nick of time.
You’d think after several years of growing garlic, I’d be a little more organized about it.
Apparently not.
But it’s done!
Honestly, it’s always such a relief once those cloves are tucked into their beds and ready for winter.
This year, I’m planting my two favorite hardneck varieties, Music and Chesnok Red. I’ve really enjoyed growing these varieties, and after a wonderful harvest this past summer, I’m hoping for another successful crop next year.
I love that garlic is one of those things you plant in the fall and then let nature do its work over the winter.
There’s something encouraging about knowing that while the garden is resting beneath the snow, next year’s harvest is already getting started.
Now I can officially check garlic planting off my fall to-do list.
One less thing to think about!
How To Plant Garlic in the Fall
A Special Evening Supporting Our Son
Another highlight of our week was attending a fundraiser dinner for our son’s upcoming mission trip.
This February, he’ll be traveling to Kosovo with a team from our church, including other members of his youth group.
We’re so excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to see how God uses this experience in his life.
The fundraiser dinner was wonderful!
The kids helped serve the meal, and we had the pleasure of having our own son wait on our table.
I have to say, it was pretty fun being served dinner by him for a change.
If only we could get that kind of service at home!
All joking aside, it was such a special evening.
Several of the students had the opportunity to stand up and share why they want to go on this mission trip, what they hope to see God do while they’re there, and how they’re praying He will work in their own lives through the experience.
I was so impressed by each one who spoke.
It takes courage to stand in front of a room full of people and share what’s on your heart, especially at their age.
Hearing these young people speak so openly about their faith and their desire to share God’s love with others was incredibly encouraging.
Of course, I was especially proud of our son.
Watching him step outside his comfort zone and speak about his faith was one of those moments that makes a parent’s heart so full.
I’m thankful for the opportunities our church provides for these kids to grow in their relationships with the Lord, serve others, and learn to trust Him in new ways.
We’ll certainly be praying for the team as they continue preparing for their trip in February.
And Somehow, I’m Still Processing Tomatoes!
Can you believe I’m still dealing with tomatoes?
Because some days, I can’t.
Remember all those green tomatoes I picked before the freezing temperatures arrived?
Well, they’re ripening!
And that means my kitchen is still busy turning tomatoes into food for our pantry.
This week I’ve been making more salsa and tomato sauce to freeze-dry.
At this point, I’m fairly certain my freeze dryer has forgotten what it’s like to be turned off.
But I know I’ll be thankful for every batch when winter rolls around and I can pull homemade salsa or tomato sauce off the shelf.
It’s funny how the garden can be completely finished for the season, yet the harvest keeps us busy for weeks afterward.
I’m not complaining, though.
Okay, maybe just a little when I look at another pile of tomatoes waiting on the counter.
But what a blessing to have so much food to preserve!
Thankful for God’s Provision
As I look back on this week, I keep coming back to one thing.
God provides.
Sometimes His provision looks like an elk that will help feed our family throughout the year.
Sometimes it looks like neighbors and friends showing up when we need an extra hand.
Sometimes it’s a garden that produces more food than we know what to do with.
Sometimes it’s the opportunity to watch our children grow in their faith and step out to serve others.
It’s easy to get caught up in the work of everyday life and forget to stop and recognize just how blessed we are.
This week has been full of reminders.
I’m thankful for a hardworking husband, for friends and neighbors who willingly give their time, for food filling our freezer and pantry, and for the opportunity to watch our kids grow into the people God created them to be.
There has been plenty of work, a little exhaustion, and probably more tomatoes than I’d care to count.
But there has also been so much joy.
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
Here’s to full freezers, garlic tucked into the ground, children growing in their faith, and remembering to thank God for every blessing—big and small.
And hopefully, by next week, I’ll finally be finished processing tomatoes.
Although I’m not making any promises!
From our homestead to yours,
Eliza
