Green beans........how do I love thee?

I love green beans..........they are so yummy........so delicious...........so good for you! Lucky for me my green beans are just green beanin out the ying yang this summer! They are calling to me right now...........ooohhhhgooooooddwiiiiife!!!! Come piiiiiick uuussssss! My tomatoes are starting to come on but they aren't doing near as well. I need tomatoes.......it's a burning desire. I set out 36 tomato plants every year and usually use all of them........this year my poor little tomatoes just aren't tomatoing. Could it be because I planted them when the garden was so muddy that I had to plant them wearing their little rain bonnets and galoshes? Alas, I shall just have to suffer through and hope that some of my friends have tomatoes to spare so that I can at least get my 5o to 60 jars of salsa made. Will I have to buy bbq sauce? *gasp* and chopped tomatoes for soup *the horror!* what about spaghetti sauce? *oh my word*! Such is the life of a homesteading goodwife..........some years the green beans are king.......other years it's the tomatoes that take over..........and still others it's the zucchini, or cucumbers, or horror of all horrors the pumpkins!

On a really happy note, I had a nice serving of carrots canned from my lovely garden last night. How come home canned carrots are so sweet and delicious? I can barely eat canned carrots from the store but the carrots that I canned a few weeks ago are like candy. I didn't even have to drown them under brown sugar...........

I'm thankful to God that we are in a place where we can grown our own food, and raise our own chickens for eggs and meat, and keep my beautiful ladies that give me such creamy delicious milk. God is good, God is great, and God knows all. He puts us where we need to be, when we need to be there, even if it isn't where WE want to be. Sometimes we fight him. There was a time in my life, just before we found this place, where we were living in town. I couldn't have my critters, I was boarding my horse, and I couldn't even have a garden, although I did try to grow some stuff along the fence. I was very unhappy and wasn't shy about telling God about it. I told him (much like a petulant 4 year old) "But I don't WANT to be here" and He said to me "Well suck it up sista, and deal with it.....this is where I want you right now!" and I said, "But I don't WANNA!!" and again He said, "GET OVER IT, I know what I'm doing" I was unhappy for weeks until I finally gave in and said "Ok Lord, if this is where you want us to be, then so be it. I'm not happy about it (I just couldn't resist letting Him know that once again) but I accept it, and I accept Your Will." When I did that, when I finally said Ok ok, You win, You are in charge and I accept that I am where you want me to be at the time that you want me to be there, the peace that descended was awesome. I got happy, even though I wasn't living exactly where I wanted to be, I was happy each and every day and I knew that God had a plan for us being there. Within a year God had redirected us and we moved to this place. That is a whole nother story of God's Grace and Love, but I don't want to type it all right now. It's enough to say that the Paintiff family knows without a doubt that God is in control of every aspect of our lives, from the food we eat, the cars we drive, our jobs, schooling, every single thing that crosses our paths is because of God's plan and direction and that is a beautiful beautiful thing!

Till next time.......pray for His direction and the courage to follow it.........GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!