Welcome from North Texas! We have alot in common! I'm also a homeschooling mom of 4 and live on 5 acres with dogs, cats, horses, and eventually chickens, and whatever else my hubby decides we need...we've only been here a year and still have alot of work to do on the property.
Come on over to the vintage board and share some pics of your treasures with us. There are lots of people with a ton of knowledge on these beautiful machines, and I'm sure between them all your questions can be answered. A word of warning...once you get your hands on one of these antique machines you'll be hooked. I started with one in June of last year and I now have close to 80.
I also use new machines. I have a 20 yr old Bernina that I thought was the best thing I'd ever sewn on, then "upgraded" to a used Viking Designer I. Hubby bought me a Viking Ruby about 8 months ago and I love it. I haven't sewn a stitch on it for myself yet, and I mostly use it for embroidery, and my vintage machines do my personal work.