Spring is finally here! We are so excited to share all our life and homesteading updates with you. There is also a yummy recipe at the end of this post!
Life updates
Our sweet Judah Shepherd made his fashionably late appearance on February 24th, and has made our hearts so full! Now having 3 kiddos in tow, it’s so hard to believe that at 23 years old I also have an almost 2 and 3 year old. We are so grateful and praise Jesus for their little lives!
We have spent the winter mostly indoors snuggling our littles, watching more TV than we would’ve liked, cooking and baking cozy things, and waiting in anticipation of the newest member of our family!
This season went so unexpectedly, but God had us covered in ways we still don’t even fathom. So many questions, prayers and dreams, and although a good amount of them seem to be panning out, there’s a lot of things I thought would’ve happened by now. For instance: chickens.
I know that might seem silly, but it’s been a desire of my heart since about the day we were married. There are a few other examples I could use but the point being, my Father has it in His hands, even when I’m not a fan (I speak this as a recovering control freak). Jesus specifically said He would give us our hearts desires (Psalm 37:4). No if’s and’s or but’s about it, not even a maybe. He is a firm believer in being a promise keeper (wasn’t trying to rhyme, ha). Simply put, He is faithful to keep His word and we are called to have faith in that fact! So if you are in a season like me, struggling to believe, waiting and trying to hold on to hope, you are not alone. The good news is the reward is beyond what we can dream up and imagine (Ephesians 3:20). And even though it can take what feels like an eternity to wait for, sometimes you have no idea how wonderful His timing is. It may seem painful, but once the time comes you will likely understand why. I pray peace comes to you in the waiting. All of this boils down to the fact that His timing is perfect.
This is my encouragement for you no matter what season you are facing: get outside and breathe deeply, and thank God for even the littlest of the blessings He’s given you (that includes the air you breathe!) Take a walk in your bare feet, even if it’s just in your yard. The biggest piece of advice I have is to simplify your life with healthy things, rather than to overcomplicate it with the unnecessary things that add chaos. Pray fervently for the grace to do so, and God will give it!
Home & Garden updates
We have finally been getting into a routine since having the baby, so I have been starting to keep up with chores again. But in more exciting news, I am falling more in love with my house as we’ve put more work into it through painting, decorating, and other ways. I love thrifting and finding new ways to make our home more cozy and feel like us. I also have been hard at work with cleaning up and landscaping our property! The flower beds needed raked out, and we moved around retaining stones to make pretty borders.
As for our garden, on Saturday we refurbished an old metal swing set to use for our hanging pots, and we planted three strawberry plants! This will keep the strawberries away from our kids who like to pick them green.
This week we will hopefully be planting onions and potatoes in our garden boxes. We also plan to grow some herbs, and would like to grow green beans too.
I can hardly take the excitement of knowing what I’ll wake up to see in the garden!
Cranberry Rosemary Chicken
9×13 pan (glass or other)
1 pack of chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons olive oil (avocado or coconut oil to substitute)
1/3 Cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves (minced)
Salt and pepper to taste preference
1 orange juiced (naval or other)
Fresh rosemary herb
1 small package of cranberries (frozen)
Combined syrup, oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, seasonings, and orange juice together, mixed until fully combined. Pour into your pan until the bottom is fully covered. Place your chicken on top. Pour the rest of the mixture on top. Puncture chicken with a fork a few times to let in the juices, leave in fridge overnight covered. Place rosemary leaves (and stems) as well as the frozen cranberries on top. Bake at 350-375 and pull the pan out to braise the chicken 2-3 times during the process, until lightly golden (internal temp of 165).
You can serve with rolls, side salad, and or veggies and corn (I love deviled eggs too)
Enjoy!