This blog post is not meant to make anyone feel bad nor is it a list of complaints about this line of work we have chosen, but rather observations I have had over the years. What are your thoughts? There seems to be, at least in some circles, a movement towards buying local. People are looking for and hoping to find local sources for their food. I believe this was already happening, and then, out of a fear of scarcity, it was expedited in some ways by COVID19. As a small f

If you follow my Instagram page (@ReluctantFarmersWife) then you may have seen some posts about our Misfits Market subscription. Like many of you, Brandon and I had both seen adds for this subscription service online and it peaked out interest. I’m not going to lie, I know I was a bit hesitant and skeptical and I think Brandon was as well. Finally, Brandon had some time and gave it a look and encouraged me to read through their material. Once I finally educated myself on

As I shared when I began this blog, it is has surprised me how living on a farm and living the way we do, has affected so many different aspects of our lives – including our parenting style. And this is where I will stop for my first public service announcement to say I truly try to respect all different parenting choices and styles.  I won’t say I’m prefect at it, we all have room to grow, but what I’m about to share about choices we have made and how they have worked for us

I remember in college when my campus pastor mentioned Brandon, thinking maybe we would be a good match for each other.  My immediate response was, “Yeah right, he’ll never leave Pomaria!”  Part of this quick response was because I could never have imagined myself living in such a small rural town, but also because I was fairly certain I wouldn’t be living in the US much longer.  I already had my dreams set on serving through a program called Young Adults in Global Mission (YA

I love going home! As I said in my opening blog, my childhood was great and the neighborhood I grew up in was wonderful. My parents still live in the house I grew up in, complete with the heights of myself and my three older siblings on the door jam of the master bedroom. Every inch of that house holds with it some incredible memories of the laughter and tears of the six of us along with our pets and so many friends and family members. The house was and is still great, bu

Disclaimer: For those of you who know me well, know I preface things far too much. It’s a character flaw, I’m aware. But we live in a world where we jump to conclusions when people state opinions – if I say I like chocolate ice-cream than of course, logically, that means I HATE vanilla…WRONG! This is not how I feel at all, ESPECIALLY around the topic of parenting. Everyone must pick what’s best for their family and their child AND respect others’ choices as well. Just b

Wow! I was working ahead and started drafting this blog LAST week to be able to post on Sunday. I wasn’t even waiting till the last minute! (My mom would be so proud.) But as I began to write, I kept going down rabbit holes I didn’t want to go down. As I continued to write, edit, delete, and write again, I have settled on the following. There are many topics to elaborate on that will come from this blog over time, but my hope and intention is just to give an overview of

It all started back when we were dating. I was wearing a necklace, and like a nice attentive boyfriend, Brandon complimented me on it. “Thanks so much, I actually made this one,” I responded with pride. “You made that?! You know you could definitely make those and sell them!” His response was more than flattery. There was a seriousness in his voice where he really thought I should do that. Well, I had no interest in making and selling jewelry, it was just something fun I

Given Passages for Today: Acts 9:36-43, Psalm 23, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30 I am a called and consecrated Minister of Word and Service in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). I attended seminary and received a Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Missional Outreach. Many of those with an MACM may serve in congregations as Minister of Children, Youth, and Family or as Minister of Christian Education, Minister of Worship and Music, M

The Confessions of a Reluctant Farmer’s Wife is something I have thought about for over a year now. One time Brandon was talking about wanting to blog and I jokingly told him I had the perfect name for one if I ever decided to blog (which I knew would never happen – wrong). Since then, in passing he or I would mention “That would be a great blog post,” or “#ReluctantFarmer.” I have learned so much from Brandon and from living on a farm and I guess I have finally come around