After 10 months of unemployment, I finally found a job in Markham. Thank you Lord for answering our prayers. We are also very greatful that many Christian friends pray for us too. I am sure that your supplications have reached His ears.
Last year was great even when I was out of job. As you read in previous posts, I did a lot of things with the kids. Now the only concern we have now is little Melody, who is still suffering from eczema. So please pray for her. We don’t know why God does not heal her immediately, but we believe the Lord is teaching us something valuable here. Patience and long suffering is definitely on the list. Because everyone has to take turn looking after her, our older kids are also developing these good characters. It is through tough times that we find grace in the Lord.
BTW, our firewood is now down to the last bushcord.

Even though being covered under snow, the scenes in the country during winter time are still breathtaking. Imagine everything around you is covered in white. Very quiet and peaceful. I stood still on my farm and decided to capture some of the views. These pictures are nowhere close to any good but I am awed by the powerful creation of God, who gives us seasons.

Our property does not have a spot that gives good slope for tobogganing. So we came up with this idea. We put a long picnic table on top of another wooden table to make a better slope. And it works. Talking about creativity.

Recently I have purchased a book named “Money issues for Christians Today” by David L. Martin, published by Rod and Staff Publishers. This is a very practical book in helping Christians today how to deal with money in a biblical way. It touches areas like economics, investing, earning and borrowing. This book challenges me how to be a better steward of money that God has entrusted me. We are called to be a steward for whatever God gives us in life: wealth, children, possession, church …
I have copied the topic “Single-household income” onto our webiste. You can view it here. Since day 1 of our marriage, we have been living solely on my salary. And now we have 8 people in the household, me being unemployed, the money has never been tighter. However, God has always been faithful to us that each month we have just enough for food and raiment. Granted that my parents had helped me financially in the past, we also strive to live simply. I challenge Christian readers to rethink the secular household model where both the father and mother HAVE to work.
It is no doubt that in order to rely on one income, a family has to give up many things: expensive travel, extra-curriculum programs for children, flat-screen TV, double vehicles….this list goes on and on. We have to ask ourselves constantly, “Do we really need this?” Of course, if you can afford that nice stainless steel fridge without stretching the family finance (meaning you are not in debt and you have offered to the Lord first), then go ahead. However, a good used white fridge from kijiji will serve the same purpose (we found a 6-year-old GE fridge for $150).
We have made many mistakes in the past. For example, we were pursuaded by my parents to purchase a house rather than renting. I don’t agree that buying a 300,000 house and end up paying 400,000 in mortgage interest a wise investment. We simply cannot assume house prices will always go up and we can sell for a profit at the right time. We also purchased brand new appliances when we moved to the country and I regretted to this day that I did not search for good used ones. Anyway, I hope the readers can pounder on these things and be prudent on their finance. I highly recomment the book.

Some of the corn did not have summer heat long enough to develop the cob. So we have this very tiny corn with fully developed kernels. Compare this with a normal corn.

There is a skunk living under our deck because one night we were waken by this nasty strong smell. Initially I thought it is some wiring fault somewhere but the smell is different. It came from the crawl space but I couldn’t find anything wrong. Next day, we saw a skunk running under the deck, despite me shouting and protesting. So we boiled a mixture of black and cayenne pepper, strained through cheesecloth when it is cooled down. Then I sprayed it under the deck. After this I stapled chicken wire around the deck, also leaving 2″ extra on the ground to prevent digging. I purposedly left a small hole and cover with waddle newspaper. After a couple of days the newspaper is unmoved so I know the skunk has left. I then covered the hole with chicken wire as well. Sure enough the smell is gone now but it is a smell that I would never forget!

After 3 weeks of splitting and piling (on and off depending on the weather), we have managed to finish the firewood preparation for this year. It was a dirty, sweating and hard work but a sense of satifaction is much enjoyed afterwards.
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The winter is over but the weather is still somewhat chilly at times. We have burned 3 bush cords of wood end of March so we are back to oil full time. It is usually cheaper to buy firewood in Spring because it is green wood and lots of supply. I am taking a risk of seasoning the firewood myself this year in order to save some money. In fall, I would pay $300 for 1 bushcord but I found a deal of 4 bush cords for $900. Sure enough they are all green wood and a mixture of hardwood and softwood, but that is $300 savings. So we have to stack he wood and season them and hopefully the hot summer sun and wind will dry them enough and ready to burn in winter. The girls all help out in this tiring job.
Ideally, the pile is located in a sunny spot and stacked in a single row. The firewoods are placed either on logs or crates to keep the mositure of the ground from touching the bottom. The pile should be less than 4 feet tall. I like to split the firewood into various sizes so some can be used as kindlings. Finally, I place a tarp to cover just the top out from rain and leave the sizes open.

After searching on used pump, I am better off purchasing a new one. I bought the shallow pump from Canadian Tire. I found out a shut-off valve was also burst open so I have to replace that as well. After an hour’s hard work wrestling with pipe wrenches, I was able to replace the well pump. That would be $130 if I hire a plumber.

Well, the downward economy finally affects me. I received the termination of employment on Thursday because of shortage of work. I was hoping that I could work 2 more months and apply for the parental leave. I would have to pray for the Lord’s direction on whether I should look for a new job or just wait until our new child is born.
To make thing worse, I just found out the barn pump is broken for the second time. Somehow the door of the shed is opened (may be because of the strong wind). The water in the pump freezes overnight although I have the heater on. The pump is burst open with a big crack. Another $250 down the drain. I was crying “Oh God, no again please”. I will have to buy a new one this time, probably using the Mastecraft Jet Pump from Canadian Tire. Moreover, I will try to install it myself. Hiring a plumber is so expensive.
The more I live on the farm, I more I admire being a farmer. A farmer is truly a jack-of-all-trades. Therefore, if any reader wants to live the self-sufficient life, make sure you either have the money, or the time to learn plumbing, wiring, mechanics, construction, gardening, animal husbandary, etc…… Sometimes I wonder if I am better of living in the city, without spending so much money on tractor, snow blower, generator, well pump, chicken wire, fences (the list goes on and on). Anyway, life is never full of surprise.