Buying Cattle At A Livestock Auction: Good Deals & Sad Deals

        Having recently been back to the stock pen for a few more cows, I felt some attention needed to be spent discussing the finer points of dairy cattle auctions. So many cows are going as hamburger, not because they are not valuable milkers, but because their weight make them more valuable dead than alive.

Small Business: Marketing Cottage Food

         

       Starting a business is like a maze of possibilities with twists and turns galore. The wrong path can cost the business its future, so careful choices are a must! We have made our share of mistakes in running Maid-N-Meadows. We have made the wrong product at the wrong time. We have taste tested product with stuffy noses, before shipping it out. (Please, don't make THAT mistake!) We have been inefficient and ill equipped for the task at hand....causing us to work around the clock. We have been wrong in our cost of product forecasts and labor forecasts....The list goes on and on!

Your Story Hour is here!

       Looking for clean and edifying entertainment for the whole family? Check out the audio stories on Your Story Hour! When the children are sick or nursing a injury and are bed bound, these stories pass the time. When we are in the car on long trips, these make the time fly by. When cooking dinner and the children are hungry and antsy, listening to a story calms all of our nerves.
       They have stories with a lesson, historical nonfiction stories, and Bible stories too! They are so engrossing, my husband has been known to sit in the car in the driveway until the story is over, when he would normally be jumping on to the next project.
        Currently, we listen to the free stories and one day we hope to contribute to this ministry which has blessed so many. So check it out and tell us what you think!

         While you are there, check out Adventures in the Holy Bible. We have used this course to help the children practice navigating the Bible as they have to hunt through it to find the answers to questions. Parents will want to preview it though to ensure it lines up with family theology.

Maid-N-Meadows Spring 2018 Update!

        Goodness! It has been a long climb to get to this point! (Literally and figuratively) Here is the hill poor one-eyed Bertha slid/tumbled down in a roaming adventure gone wrong! Landing upside down and ready to bloat, another hour and we would have lost her.

Walk In The Light!

There's a Light that was shining
when the world began,
And a Light that is shining in the heart of man:
There's a Light that is shining
in the Turk and the Jew,
And a Light that is shining, friend,
in me and in you.
Walk in the Light, wherever you may be,
Walk in the Light, wherever you may be!

Maid-N-Meadows: Springing Into Action

       Spring is right around the corner and the family is preparing to return to milking and cheese making. We have had a few set backs and challenges though. So as we work to overcome obstacles we hope you will wish us some heavenly encouragement!

Favorite Books For Family Reading!

      We love books but we also want to spend our time on things of a noble nature. (Phil 4:8) This can be a challenge when time is limited and it feels as though we are stretching ourselves beyond our limits to try and pre-read every book we want to offer our children....and yet we want to guard their hearts at this tender time.
      Over the years I have been blessed by the book lists of others and tonight I offer a list of our own. Though we are Christian and our understanding of theology falls under the label of Quaker, you will find some secular books and some from non-Christian parts of the world. We are not afraid of other cultures or peoples because God is the light that lights EVERY man. We feel called to answer or speak to that of God in everyone and we ourselves have much to learn in response.
        We read as family in the morning during breakfast and sometimes in the evening after supper. It is a time many of the children look forward to. For me, it is an opportunity to squeeze in one more noble thing in the day.