Maid-N-Meadows Update

         

Cara Bonita

                     Fall is in the air and the farm is buzzing with activity! Cheese making has been an exciting adventure and while absolutely exhausted from the grind, enthusiasm has yet to wane. There are too many cheeses to attempt to make and too many cheeses we have yet to even try. Our learning curve is just beginning and we hope it never ends. The cheese making world is ripe with curiosities!
       Jake is milking his goat and sheep as we prepare to experiment with making soap. We are looking for ways to finance these critters while we wait for the flock to be large enough to be worth milking commercially. Our goal is to try and make some felted soap with our milk and wool. Anyone ever try some of this?

www.thetwistedpurl.com

       The goats are looking to start their kidding season in a few weeks and we look forward to cuddling those cute critters! Barn clean out is in full swing and repairs on feeders and fencing are underway.
                           

       We lost a bee hive this summer to wax moths and we think we are about to lose another. We started the summer with 3 and it looks like we will end the summer with 3 as well.
       It is hard to manage everything and we admit to falling short all over the farm this summer. It is only possible to fit in so much.....time is in short supply. But Lord willing, the fall season will allow us to salvage a few things. The most desperate thing we need right now is HAY!

Calling Isolated Conservative Quakers

         Nine years ago, upon reading the precepts of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), we knew we had found our own peculiar home. In reading these precepts, our inner knowing answered back. Christ is our foundation, and the light that lights every man. His words, along with his spirit, light our path. Our testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, remind us of the lessons of our Lord and remind us to act on those lessons in practical ways.

"Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth"

         Though we seek to blend with others, we have a distinctly unique calling or message. And while we encourage all to follow the Light they have been given, we too seek encouragement for the Light we have been given.
          We are always seeking fellowship! Infact, that is how this blog came to be. Because we know not where others are, we seek to let others learn where we are!

          Fellowship has so many blessings! Let us see if we may walk together!    

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

                                            
                                                Proverbs 27:17
    Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

     We feel sure there are others like us. We wish there was some way that isolated Friends could network with one another easily. Just knowing other families are out there and visiting when opportunity allows would take some of the isolation away.
      As of now, we love to encourage our friends in Christ as we travel along the path the Lord has lit for each one and continue to wait upon the Lord. 
       If you are interested in Quaker meetings in your area then check out these maps! Regardless, may the Lord bless you on your journey!
      

Small Business and Big Families: Keeping It All Together Part 1

         Our family business,  Maid-N-Meadows, is our family's dream come true. We are providing other families with a healthy product and caring for our cows in a way that honors them. But beyond our obvious love of dairying and all things farm, is a dream to work, play, learn, and pray together as a family. I feel there are other families out there with the same goal and I wanted to share what we have learned so far. If there are veterans out there, we would love to hear from you and perhaps pick up a tip or two!

     

Simple Is Beautiful!

        Friends for over 5 years now, Amy and I have seen a lot of changes in each other's lives. One thing we have both sought after is a way to create with our hands and share those creations with others.  

        Our first priority is caring for our families. It has to be. Managing the home and helping our husbands is our highest calling. Our children are our greatest labor of love! But there is another side of us. We have a side that is craving to bless with the work of our hands.
       

Great Logo Design Roll-OUT

             Logos are a visual expression of one's business. It is the logo and name of the business that customers will remember.....so it has to be memorable! We worked with budding graphic designer, Elizabeth Hoffman, and lots of consumer feedback, to come up with the logo we have today.

Maid-N-Meadows: Full Circle Farming

 Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

         These words describe our journey to this moment and the grace required to continue the dream. There have been many happy tears this week. There has also been a lot of driving, a lot of juggling, and not much sleep. We are exhausted, but feel triumphant!

         

Big Announcement: Maid-N-Meadows

      Get ready folks! Our family is taking the plunge to fulfill a dream we have held dear for the last 7 long years! Purely through the grace of God and the generosity of another local cheese making family, we are on the verge of producing our own aged cheeses! We are spurred on with the hopes that we can create a truly healthy product, using sustainable practices, while giving our cows the best care possible AND offer it to the public as an affordable option.