Lots of new happenings on the farm!

We just returned from the Seafood Festival in Morehead City, NC.  This photo was taken in downtown Beaufort.  It is so beautiful.  Now, we are back at the farm!  There has been a lot of construction going on this summer.  We now have a huge walk-in freezer to store the meat, so we can ship quick from the farm.  To purchase our wonderful emu meat or just find out more about the "other red meat"... visit amaroohills.com.  It is much healthier than beef and since it is not mammal meat, it is safe for those with the alpha gal allergy!

I have been busy with the shop too... my studio isn't done yet (I still have a lot of cleaning out to do... huge yard sale coming soon!)  But, I have a lot of great new products!  I now stock several essential oils, oil blends, salves, Grapefruit foaming facial cleanser (this is my absolute fav!), body butters, scrubs, and a huge new line of jewelry! (floating lockets, charms, essential oil diffuser lockets, snaps, and more!!)  Please be sure to check out the shop @ paisleytrading.com!

I hope everyone is having a great fall!  I will be back later with recipes and crafts to get your fall going!

Have a blessed day!

~JaAnna

Psalm 23:1  "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" The Lord is my provider and protector. There is not reason for me to fear or worry.  God is in control and since He already knows the outcome, He can do a much better job than I can!  Thank you Lord for watching over me and providing for me!

Gifts and forgiveness

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love Him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." I Peter 1:3-9

Thank you Lord for our gift of Salvation! We just wrapped up Christmas (pardon the pun) and it has me thinking abut gifts. Within a couple weeks after Christmas, most new toys are sitting there in a corner, already old. Everything is cleaned up and not a trace of the celebrations left. But, God gave us a gift that continues on everyday!He gave us the ultimate gift... eternity in heaven. All we have to do is accept it. We have to have faith and believe that He has offered us this gift. A gift that cannot be bought or earned by us. It is a gift offered by God's grace. It is a gift that we will always have provided that we believe, repent and accept it. Accepting God's gift does require that we acknowledge that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness. God will always forgive us our sins when we repent. In turn, He commands us to also forgive others when they sin against us. Not once in a while, or if the offense is not too bad. But all of the time, no matter the hurt it has caused. He forgave the worst in us and expects us to forgive the worst in others.

My challenge today is for you to reach out to someone who hurt you. Someone who you have been holding onto the hurt and anger toward for far too long. It is a great step of faith to simply forgive the hurt and move on. When you forgive someone, you let go of the bitterness and anger toward that person. It is more than just saying "I forgive you". It is an action that shows love. It shows God's love through us. It is a love that can change people's lives. It will free you from the burden of the hurt and anger. You may not realize how anger and bitterness towards someone can affect other areas of your life; other relationships.


Today, I rejoice in the most precious gift I will ever receive. Thank you God, for my salvation! Help me to share this Joy with others and be an encouragement to them and a light for them.

Blessings!

~JaAnna

Random thoughts

"What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ". 

Philippians 3:8

Well, Monday flew by and I really didn't accomplish a lot. I went back to work and starts digging through the pile of emails waiting for me after being off last week. Before I knew it,  it was lunch time. The afternoon and evening flew by just as fast.  It took me all day to get my bearings again and get organized so I am ready to hit the ground running tomorrow. That's my plan. Now I'll wait until tomorrow to find out God's plan.

After all that I  amazingly relaxed and joyful. I can only attribute it to God.  I am energized. I am sleepy. All at the same time.  I am so excited to talk about Jesus!  I want to write, I want to talk, I want to spread it around everywhere. I really want to impress the importance of putting Christ first to my kids and help create in them the desire to spread that around to their friends and peers. Teenagers are a difficult breed sometimes. i want them to put less importance on "stuff" and more on their hearts and their souls. I want them to put Christ first in all of their decisions, words, actions, music, books, and social media posts.  My best bet is talking to them about it frequently without coming across as preaching and setting an example. I should try to always encourage my kids and show them joy, even in discipline. If they can find joy there, they are on the right track!

Have a blessed day!!

~JaAnna

Vacation is over and I still have to find Joy!

"Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.". Philippians 4:13

Vacation is over. It's back to work tomorrow. I figure I will need all the help I can get tomorrow to get back at it.  I have had a great vacation. We played several late night games of monopoly, Played FIFA on the PS4, Ice skated outside with my girls while Collin and Jay watched, and saw Star Wars in 3D.

Now it's time to go back to work. I have to find a way to be joyful about getting up at 6:00 am. I am joyful that I have a wonderful job with some great people. But that alarm clock is going off early in the morning. I hope everyone has a great Monday!

~ Blessings, JaAnna

Off and Running

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Well, January is off and running.  I know before I turn around, it will be February and I'll be left saying, "Where did January go?"!  It seems like Collin just came home, but he will be heading back to school next weekend to start the second semester of his Freshman year of college.  I still haven't actually adjusted to this whole "he's in college" thing.  In my mind, he's still in middle school, Karsan is in elementary school and Cassie is just a baby.  They are actually 18, 15 & 8.  I just really don't know where the time went!  I remember growing up hearing adults say "the older you get, the faster time goes".  Well, they weren't kidding!  I hear myself telling my kids the same thing and I wonder if they really believe me or just sigh and think, "I hope I never say that when I get old".  (I'm not old, just saying…)

One of my goals this year, is to have a family devotion time weekly.  It is so hard to get everyone together anymore.  I pray for my kids daily and one of the things I pray for is that they will seek God's guidance in their daily lives and decisions.  I pray that they will be a light for others; and that they will be blessed with at least a couple of Godly friends who can help keep them encouraged on their daily walk.  I also know that I must be a constant light and encouragement to them to set a good example for them.  Another goal this year is to always seek God's guidance in my decisions for the kids and in the way I handle situations with them, instead of reacting to the situation.  I want them to see the light in me, so that they will glorify God.  Then we can go out and shine our lights for others to see and glorify Him!

Have a wonderful and blessed Sunday!

~JaAnna

No more New Years Resolutions!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

A new years resolution is something that we suddenly attempt to make a complete change about.  We try to take it in one leap and then when we don't immediately succeed in changing the habit or we do it for a little while and then slip, we give up on it completely.  From now on, I am setting GOALS for myself for the year.  That way, I can slowly work toward the change and then (hopefully) I will have more long lasting success.

Some of my GOALS for 2016 are:
1. To talk (or listen) to God and read from His word each morning before doing anything else!
2. To encourage someone every day!
3. To find joy in every situation (that illusive silver lining)
4. To slow down and NOT over-schedule myself and family
5. To enjoy the little things!

I will take it one day at a time and work towards my GOALS.  I may slip and stumble along the way, but I will not beat myself up for doing so because that would only bring me more discouragement.  I want to encourage others and spread joy each day and I can't do that if I myself am discouraged and feel as though I have failed.  I am not perfect and I will have setbacks because I am human.  I accept this and will praise God each step of the way whether I am on track of if I slip and stumble.

I hope each of you find joy and encouragement each new day that God gives us.  Remember, each day is a new blessing in itself!

Blessings to all,

~JaAnna

Blessings for 2016!

Happy New Year! I am so glad you have stopped by tonight! My "goal" for the new year is to put my main focus each day on God! No matter what I am doing, to make Him my priority and work as though everything I am doing is for Him! In starting toward my goal, I have decided that instead of toasting in the new year with champagne, at midnight, I will be focused on God's word. What better way to start the new year?!



"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2



I started with this verse, because, first off, I need to give myself to God, my life, my work, my family, my finances, everything. Secondly, I need to separate myself from the world's views. By reading God's word, I know what is right and wrong according to God and no matter what the world (our government, hollywood, or others) try to tell us is right; I know the truth and must adhere to it… not change according to what others say I should.



"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3


When I give God control over my life, He will take care of my life. It requires a lot of faith to let go. His plans may not be my plans, but I must have faith that His plans are the best (perfect) plans for my life.



"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13



This is what I must do first thing every day. That is my main goal for this year. I want to wake up and talk to God or just listen to God and read His word before my feet hit the floor each day. Before the world has a chanced to throw obstacles at me, I want to guard myself against losing my temper, getting distracted, whatever the devil can throw at me!



"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39



Next, I want to be a light to the world… to share God's word and love. If I first Love God with my whole heart, He can help me to love others without judging, without jealousy, without looking for what they can do for me, without a care of where they came from, how much money they have, what kind of house they have, if they have a house, where they go to church (if they go to church), without prejudice; just to love them and show them God's love through my actions and words.



"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people," Ephesians 6:7



In all that I do, I should do it as if I were doing it for God. I want to do more community service. I want to find ways to help others. This could be in simple ways such as Random Acts of Kindness, paying for someones meal, sending a card to someone to encourage them, talking to someone I don't know because they seem lonely or depressed. There can be a million ways of sharing God's love with others everyday!



"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7



Okay, this is a big one… not worrying. I have to give it all to God, knowing He will take care of each situation. I must pray instead of worry. I must pray continually, but not anxiously. I must pray until I feel God's peace. Then I can rest knowing God has this!



"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13



I will repeat this to myself daily as a reminder. Nothing is impossible with God! He is the source of my strength and my Joy!



"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:12-13


No, I'm not saying "tolerance" of things that we know to be sinful. God has commanded us to love even our enemies. We can hate the sin, but still love the sinner. We are all sinners. We must forgive others, the way God forgave us. There is no end to that forgiveness; there are no limits. God doesn't say, if the sin against you is bad enough then you don't have to forgive. He says Forgive… every time, for everything. We are not to hold grudges. It is amazing how it frees us by forgiving others!



"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1



"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8



The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is true. When you listen to and focus on bad things long enough, it does come out… in our words, our actions, our deeds. If we focus on God's word, loving others, helping, being encouraging, serving, then that will shine through all areas of our life. I truly believe that when we start by making God, the main focus of our lives, reading His word daily and sharing His joy, He will bless us abundantly. Our greatest blessings will be waiting for us in Heaven!I hope you all have an abundantly blessed year!


~JaAnna