I Wish I Took Juggling In College...

Rejuvenate and give yourself grace!

I wish I took juggling in college.

It was an actual course! As a class option to fulfill a gym class requirement, I chose weight lifting instead. That may have prepared me to lift the 50lb bags of chicken feed which the chickens appreciate but...Maybe taking that juggling class would have prepared me better for my adult life.

Maybe it could have taught me how to juggle all the responsibilities that this City Gone Country Girl has on her plate.Husband, kids, family schedules, animals, farm chores, home chores, home cooking, gardening, friend time, church, blogging, etc...


Some days I just don't know how to do it all!



Taking on our mini farm added additional chores, responsibilities, and has stretched us financially in a way we may have not been ready for. There are days I feel pushed to the edge of my energy.

I make lists, and love to check them off with a BIG RED PEN.

There is something cathartic about scratching off the items that accumulate on the "to-do" list. Yet, that "to-do" list never seems to have an end... and I swear I hear it laughing at me! There will always be that ever growing "to-do" list on the Allen Family Homestead. Whether it is farm chores, home chores, or family responsibilities,  I have begun to make peace with it. I refuse to let it taunt me!

I have found my secret weapon. In order to tackle the day I must allow for rest and grace in order to be that supermom that I expect myself to be. Resting is not easy for me because I am easily haunted by that never ending "to-do" list. But by giving myself grace, I can rest and refresh. Instead of beating myself up for what I haven't finished, I reassure myself that I worked hard and accomplished what I could with what God gave me for the day. We can be our own worst enemy. We are only human. There are only so many hours in a day. It's okay to give yourself grace!

I realize that even professional jugglers cannot juggle items in the air indefinitely. Without rest their arms would get tired, and the items would crash to the floor shattering anything that was precious. I realize that my high expectations can cause me to feel that I am dropping the balls in the juggle of life. But by giving myself rest and grace, maybe I'm doing okay juggling my daily life after all!

Take time out for a cup of coffee.

Rejuvenate by giving yourself grace as you juggle your everyday!

City Gone Country Girl ~ Jenn Allen

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Can Winter Be a Season for Growth?

Snow covered gardens

Here we are once again, in the thick of the 2015 Winter season. It seems that the writing bug bites when I am stuck inside, hibernating from the cold.

This City Gone Country Girl has a secret. I have loved acclimating to country living, but it is hard surviving the winter season on the Allen Homestead. I have endured the figurative and literal meaning of being "cooped up"!

The sunshine offset the cold temperature outdoors today, so I bundled in my coat and put on my boots to do some photography. The sunshine felt so good on my face, I had almost forgotten what it felt like. In Upstate NY, the rays of sunshine are worth more than gold. It peaks so infrequently from behind the clouds, that when the sun makes its presence known, it's a day for praise! Especially for me, I am solar powered you know.

When I lived in the city, winter didn't seem to be as slow as it does here on the farm. There were things to go do. There were well plowed roads, warm malls, museums, movie theaters, and restaurants to visit. Even the local parks had plowed the park sidewalks for those who brave the cold to run the trails. These luxuries are not within many miles of where I live now, and there are days I truly miss the conveniences of city living. I find I miss it most during the winter.

Spring is a time for planning and prepping, summer for planting and growing, fall for harvesting, and winter for resting. I don't do well during time of rest because I don't like to sit still. I am a doer. Without having something constructive to work on, my brain goes into overdrive. So what do I do in the winter? I sit in my bay window, coffee in hand, fire in the woodstove, staring out at the snow white covered garden at rest. I spend my time overthinking. Over analyzing. Second guessing my choices. Wondering if I am doing things right. Hating the fact that I am cooped up inside like my chickens in the barn.

I realize that this is counterproductive behavior, and I know that I need to find something that will help me grow in a different way. It may not be planting seeds, digging in dirt, or pulling carrots, but there must be some constructive activity that can help this City Gone County Girl to personally grow during this seasonal dormant period!

In the next few weeks I will post what this City Gone Country Girl is doing to beat the winter blahs. I want to spend time with my family, take on some projects, learn something new, make things, whatever it takes to push through the season I don't care for so much. Maybe, just maybe, what is a dormant period for my gardens may be a growth period for me!

May We All Grow in the Wintertime!
City Gone County Girl ~ Jenn

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

A time to be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time to tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance,

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

A time to search and a time to give up,

A time to keep and a time to throw away,

A time to tear and a time to mend,

A time to be silent and a time to speak,

A time to love and a time to hate,

A time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil?

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 NIV