RJ Homestead

06/19/2026

Ooooo...boy! That was a little too close for comfort! He was a gorgeous snake but he was too big to keep here!

I am not particularly afraid of snakes but he definitely gave me the wi***es! We wish him well in his new home with all the other friends we have relocated in the last 11 years! 😆

06/19/2026

I'm hoping this lasts until we get back. The garden looks amazing (besides the cabbage worms).

Most tomato plants have baby maters on them! Eek!!!

How's your garden doing?

06/18/2026

In the New Testament as new believers of Jesus are emerging, it often says that when the Holy Spirit enters them, they start speaking in tongues and prophesying.

I'm curious if that still happens. Or are we far enough along in generations where we don't need that kind of phenomenon to know that Jesus is real. Maybe back then, they needed proof that the Holy Spirit took hold of them and now we don't?

How do you know if you don't have a moment like that, if you truly received the Holy Spirit?

06/17/2026

I was just walking out to my milkweed patch this morning thinking I hadn't seen any actual Monarch butterflies yet, just the caterpillars. And wouldn't you know, there she was! What a beauty!

I don't think she laid eggs but was just stopping for some breakfast! That's 100% okay with me as we are going on vacation soon and I wasn't planning to collect eggs anyway.

But once we get back, GAME ON! I'm hoping for another busy season! 🤞🦋

06/17/2026

Well, I discovered cabbage worms on the cabbage plants that are in the garden. Ugh!

But, so far, the ones in raised beds seem to be pest free. 🤞 And I found they are both making cabbages! 🥳

Now I just need to figure out the right time to harvest them. I have NEVER successfully grown cabbage before so if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears!

06/17/2026

The Many Gifts of Elder: Making Small-Batch Elderflower Cordial

One of the things we value most here at Grow, Gather, Heal is finding plants that offer us medicine and nourishment in more ways than one. That is exactly why we love the elder shrub so deeply. It is a plant that gives generously twice a year—first with its frothy, fragrant blossoms in the late spring, and again with its dark, immune-supporting berries as we move toward autumn....

One of the things we value most here at Grow, Gather, Heal is finding plants that offer us medicine and nourishment in more ways than one. That is exactly why we love the elder shrub so d…

06/16/2026

Our first tayberries are getting so close to being ready to pick! We will likely o ly get a handful this year but both plants are beautiful and sending out runners!

We just love adding to our gardens! ❤️

06/16/2026

I love this so much!

God is so generous with his grace and mercy! Even when things aren't the way you think they should be, God is still in control. Like our pastor said this Sunday, God is big enough.

God is big enough to take on our trials along with us. He is big enough to answer our questions. He is big enough to conquer whatever evil is after us. And He is big enough to love us all, through it all!

God's love is eternal and unconditional and I pray you will feel that love today and every day!

06/15/2026

Amen! I hope everyone has a blessed week living in God's love! ❤️

06/14/2026

Another casualty of berry picking! 😆

Stained hands are a minor inconvenience for the deliciousness that is black cap raspberries! Luckily I've never aspired to be a hand model. 😉