When I said it would be just a little while before I had internet again, I had no idea what I was talking about. Apparently when you buy an Amish farm in a completely Amish town, the electric, phone, and satellite companies are not interested in running lines just for you. We have had to fight and yell and call in the public utilities commission just to get the phone. We MAY have electric by April, but it will likely be May. That means nearly 2 years off-grid.

It has been awesome. I didn't realize what a nuisance it all was until I got rid of it. I have missed the computer. I am a writer. Even if nobody reads any of it, it is cathartic for me to write. And I have so much to share. When I do get internet, I will have so many posts my fingers will likely freeze to the keyboard.

In the meantime, my kids have really grown up! As of May I will have a 16 year old! It doesn't seem possible.



Here we are in my Amish kitchen with my mom (though an Amish kitchen would NOT have a phone in it. notice the cord hanging down- it comes in under the door until the wiring goes through the house!) We have the absolute BEST neighbors in the world...but that will take a whole post in itself!

We are back in Ohio for the weekend so I have computer access. The library is so small in our town that we cannot even get on the internet and print out school papers, so until I actually defeat the electric company....

Shalom B'Shem Yeshua!

PS- was He the Passover Lamb or the Easter Ham? Just saying.

Dear Jeannie

I am still here, albeit without electric or frequent computer access. We are trying very hard to get both so as soon as we do I will be back posting. Thinking of you (and everyone I used to connect with here) and looking forward to that (hopefully) soon day when I can again share my heart.

Amy (motherofmany)

I Promise!

Pictures comeing soon- and I have a lot to share!!!! Had to order a new camera but still have smoe of the old. Once we get things sorted out I'll be back with all kinds of interesting info!

Shalom!
Amy

A Drastic Shift

I have for a while now intentionally been sporadic in my posting, hoping some people would grow tired and move on. I'm not out to offend anyone, but I found myself in the midst of battles I never wanted to be part of. I tried to be a peacemaker or voice of reason, but it was pointless. There truly are people who have nothing better to do all day than sit and criticize others. I want no part of that. I'm accountable for every minute of my life, and I don't want to answer for that waste, even if my intentions were good.

I was also hoping to dwindle the numbers down to those who are my friends and are interested in more than controversy because my life (and therefore my blog) are about to take a drastic turn. I plan to document (as much as possible) our move and all that it entails. We have bought an Amish farm, which means no electricity and no indoor plumbing. I'm actually quite excited about the whole thing! I've dreamed of these chances for years and now that they are about to happen, I don't want to get caught up in someone else's argument about temporal nonsense. I'm still perfectly open to discussion, but hoping it will be an honest attempt at understanding rather than a trap to use my words against me.

Anyway, enough of the 'crap'. I don't currently even have a computer as mine died and I am using my mother's, but it is on the list to purchase as we will need it for school. I'm going to do my best not to say where we are moving to as part of the reason we are relocating is to get away form the biological families of our kids. And speaking of the kids...the blog still says it is about motherhood, and while I cannot erase the fact that I am a mother of RAD kids, I want to focus now on the Blessed part of the title. There is so much to do and see and try in our new homestead that I want to look back and read. I'll still be honest about our challenges, but hope they become less of a reality.

So, for those who are still with me or those who might find us along the way....welcome to our journey.

Interesting Visitor

The census lady just left. I was perturbed that she came in the first place because we filled out the form and sent it back, but I wasn't surprised she came because all we answered was the number of people in our home on April 1. Nothing else. By law, we are not required to answer anything else. They try to scare you into submission by threatening fines or jail for not complying, but I did comply. It just wasn't to the level they wanted. I find it very telling that nowhere in any of the census stuff that is mailed out do they tell you directly what you are required by law to answer. So it went like this...

Census lady: Hi, I'm (I wasn't paying attention) from the census (she showed me ID) and I have a few questions for you. Is this (insert address)?

Me: Yes.

Census lady: And you were living here April 1st? This is not a vacation home?

Me: (Stifling giggles) It is the primary residence.

Census lady: And how many people were living here on April 1st?

Me: 9

Census lady: And your name is?

Me: Nope.

Census lady: Pardon me?

Me: No. I won't give my name. I'm a constitutionalists and by law only have to answer the number of people living here.

Census lady: So you're refusing to answer?

Me: Yes.

Census lady: Can I get your name then? (Tricky!!!)

Me: Nope.

Census lady: OK then. At least you were polite about it (I can imagine someone like my brother with a chew in and his hat sideways, packing heat on both sides, answering like that- poor lady probably would have keeled over).

Yeah, I saw all the advertisements. I know that to be a good citizen I should answer all the questions so we can get enough bridges and better schools, but I pay taxes for them, and the tax info along with traffic studies are enough to determine what is needed. Besides, I don't use public schools and I REALLY don't believe my filling out the census form in detail will improve them.

Uh.....

I'm Back?
Hello, Again?
Long Time, No Blog?

I'm not even sure anybody still checks in here except for those of you who have left me comments (and I sincerely apologize for just getting to them today). But between a hankering to write some things that are on my heart, and some requests for articles, I have a list of things to do here and so I have returned. Besides, I think it is good to take a break from anything that starts to feel like a distraction.

Last you heard from me I was going to start dwelling on whatever was lovely...and then my camera broke. Well, the camera is working again and I have a lot of lovely pictures but no desire to go back and load them all, so I’ll save them to use in the future if the need arises. One great part about living the life you want to live is that there are always photo ops!

Our lives certainly aren't any less hectic. In fact, we will be listing our farm and if it sells, we will be moving. This has been a very long and tough decision. We've gone back and forth, made lists, flipped a coin, prayed (though not enough), and sometimes sunk to arguing over it, but the fact is that we want to farm and you can't farm in the suburbs. It's funny to consider this the suburbs, but unfortunately there are plenty of people who want to live in the 'country' but treat it like a gated community. The land we rented to grow crops on has disappeared and now giant sprawling houses stand in the middle of perfectly good farm fields. The land that is left to rent is so scarce that prices have jumped and we can’t afford it. And lastly, with Gary’s illness and hospitalization 2 years ago, we got so far behind that it became necessary to sell our best 40 acres to pay off the house and get back on our feet. We now own no tillable acreage, though we have plenty of wooded land. And the 'snobification' of the area has created a near-Nazi zoning board who are after us and our 'farm junk' ceaselessly. It is more than my nerves can take.

Many of you (if there are any of you still around) also know that we have had issues with the biological mother of 2 of our kids. It is bad enough to be a legitimate reason to move in itself. I think there isn’t a one of us who wouldn’t benefit from a fresh start somewhere that is still farm land. We have even gone to look at real estate (which is a step, because we have been looking at farm listings online for over 2 years) and think we know where we want to end up.

So that's the news for now. I'd just like to take a minute to remind everyone that we are even closer now to the return of the Messiah, and that time is short to reach those not already sealed in His blood. Spread the Good News while there is time.