Here I am 2 years since I made a blog post. So much has changed since then! The journey to where I am now has been both very difficult and wonderful at times. Two years ago I posted about the changes that were beginning to happen in our lives, especially with the farm. Many things have happened since then. Not too much after that we bought a house closer to town. It was a foreclosure and needed quite a bit of work so it was cheap enough for us to afford with the little bit of money we managed to save plus a bit from my great-grandfather. We spent most of summer 2016 working on the house trying to make it livable. We finally moved in on Thanksgiving day just before the snow came. Around this time Andrew also started a new full time job which meant we saw him a lot less than we were used to farming. We even switched to a new church and had to try to get to know new people.
In September 2016, in the midst of all that, I suffered a very traumatic miscarriage and ended up in the ER twice. After that and the complete upheaval of our whole lifestyle I felt pretty lost and unmotivated for awhile.
Over the winter I focused on homeschooling the children, unpacking and trying to get settled into our new home. When summer rolled back around everything hit me really hard. Without the market garden and farmers markets and with the kids on summer break there wasn’t much to occupy my time. I had lots of time to miss our old life and did plenty of crying about it.
Soon I discovered I was pregnant again, and I didn’t feel ready. Frankly, I was pretty scared after what had happened last time. I also felt worse during my first trimester than with any of my other pregnancies. I was more nauseous and so, so tired!
As I slowly started feeling better and we began sharing our news with family and friends and I started becoming more and more excited. At the same time we were feeling more settled into our new home and adjusted to our new routine.
This past winter I have really enjoyed doing a lot of reading and learning myself as well as trying to instill a love of learning in my children through our schooling. We read lots of good books together, sing songs, make artwork explore nature, and play games.
As March approached I prepared for the birth of our newest baby. On March 16th just after midnight our sweet baby girl arrived. We named her Mercy Olivia. She is absolutely the sweetest and most precious baby and has brought so much joy into our home!
So here I am in a completely new season, with a new baby and perfectly content. The path to get here has not always been easy but I am grateful for how God has guided us through it all.
I haven’t’ really been sure what to do with this blog, but I think I will try to keep posting. It will probably be a combination of projects, homeschooling ideas, gardening, recipes, natural skin care and whatever strikes my fancy!
Celeste, I SO understand how hard it is to get back to blogging after you once blogged about farming, and that whole lifestyle! When we moved off of our farm, I was depressed for a while, and could not bring myself to write at all. It was like I didn’t know who I was anymore. If I didn’t have fresh milk from our own Jersey cow and baby piglets escaping and coming to my back door for treats, who was I? Our stories are similar. We didn’t have a miscarriage (I cannot physically have any more babies, unfortunately), but we lost kids we were hoping to adopt, because the “system” is broken. I was devastated, so that just added to the depression. Like you, we lost so much–the farm–the kids we hoped would stay with us forever…And yet—God brought us through! I am content. I am thankful for where He brought us and everything He taught us. We can use that knowledge and experience to bless others! Keep blogging! 🙂 You have things to say that others might need to read! Blessings!
Brenda, Thank you for your kind words. I definitely struggled with even knowing who I was anymore for a long time after leaving the farm, but now I am figuring it out and am so grateful for all God has taught me.
Beautiful Celeste! As challenging as your move, major life transition, and the sad, difficult experiences have been, you have gone through them so very graciously. I’m sure you’ve become even more aware that your ultimate identity is in Christ because He sure shines in you! The way you live in faith and contentment is encouraging to me. .
Dear Celeste,
have just been blessed by your story! i have just retired from teaching (and can well understand the identity crisis described above). My husband and I are just about to make a big move from the small town we live in in Ireland to my ‘piece’ of the family farm. We are planning to grow organic vegetables and renovate the old family home …seems daunting at times but we are trusting the Lord. This summer we drove Route 2 from Spokane to Seattle – are you some where along that stretch?
“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers” 3 John 1:2
Blessing from us in Ireland, Charles and Maria
Thank you for your sweet comment! What an exciting adventure you have before you. May the Lord’s blessings be with you! We are just about an hour north of Spokane.