New Friends

We made new friends this week. Real life and in person friends.

There is a family from Georgia , now living in Ireland, and visiting the states for the summer.
We were blessed to meet them and spend a day with them here on the farm.

The Creech family lives in Ireland, serving the church and bringing people back to Christ. It is a worthy mission for sure and it was fascinating to learn more about the culture of Ireland.

Between lunch and visits, we walked the farm and introduced the many animals to the children. The Creech family is planning to start some homesteading on their property soon and wanted to see how I manage my many, many critters here in my space.

They already have hens back home but the girls still enjoyed picking up and holding my hens for a bit. In Ireland they must deal with issues such as frequent and often times strong winds. so building animal shelters and structures can be more challenging.

Although I think they will be venturing into a dairy goat, their son made friends quickly with the cows.

This is where I get on my soap box and let it be known that the internet has done some wonderful things in this life. I have made many, many friends via the web and this is another shining example of how we can connect from far away. Sure, there are the Ashley-Madisons in the world, but I still feel that most people use the web for good.

Kids played games, gifts were exchanged and hearts were connected. It was a great day, and now Ireland is on my list of places to visit! I will have to time it around a big sheep shearing event too!

Thank you, my new friends, for spending the day with us and sharing your life in Ireland!

Happy Friday Ya'll!

Enjoy the Ride

I have been up off my feet for a week now. Today my foot is only slightly swollen, but it sure does throb still.

I am referring to my wild weekend, a week ago. It was my high school class reunion weekend, and like everything I do, I have a great time. Here is the picture from that weekend, and it perfectly sums up me and Devin. Life is nothing if it is not a big, fun adventure.

It started out nice enough with a dinner and a local music club. My BFF brought her family up from Atlanta and we headed out for a fun night with high school pals.

After dinner, we headed to a local joint that was featuring an 80's cover band. Who could resist that kind of excitement? Well, not us.
The next day we decided to throw together an impromptu back yard gathering at the farm. We had a spread of food, lots of marshmallows and chairs tucked in around a fire pit. Add some great friends and conversation, and you have the makings of a fabulous evening.

Then there was Sunday.

                                     ****My cheering section during the volleyball match****

Sunday was the day of the Alumni Volleyball match. I played volley ball back in the day, so very long ago. Among the more young alumni, there were was me and 2 other gals. We were the "oldest" of the players, but we had a great time playing. I had a fabulous time playing until I experienced my very first sports injury ever.

I fell on my ankle and tore the ligaments. Although I am very happy a bone did not break, my week has consisted of limping around in pain.

 

It was a memorable weekend. It is lovely how friends can be separated by so many years, and yet feel like the best of friends still when they are together. Years can separate us, but history keeps us close.

We are planning a gathering for October and hope to keep meeting every couple of months, despite our busy work and parenting obligations.

 

Finally, because I wanted to branch out and get back to my interests rarely followed since having kids, I rested my foot all day Monday and then attended an audition for a play at a local theater. I am finally at a stage in life when I can leave in the evenings for an activity, so the timing seemed right.

I am happy to say that I got a part and will be performing in October.

 

This, of course, means only one thing. I must get my schedule ready and planning in gear for the school year and farm year. We will begin some lessons the first week of September and I suspect Lucy will be calving by that time, or close to it.

 

It's all in the logistics and planning. I will be busy this week planning meals, lessons and activities.

The Shiitakes have been fruiting this week as well, so I hope to get some dehydrated for winter use.

 

We also got a new batch of meat bird chicks to process in October and placed an order for pullet chicks to be delivered in 2 weeks. My laying hen numbers are low and I am hoping to replenish my flock by spring. The farm never stops.

Sometimes you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

Happy Monday Ya'll!


Zebbie

I am recovering from an eventful weekend, but today I wanted to talk about Zebulun.
Last week Zeb celebrated his 7th birthday, so naturally we had a family party.

He specifically asked for a treasure chest filled with goodies. We had a treasure map made up and everything, but Mother Nature decided we needed lots and lots of rain instead. Of course he also got the traditional box of fish crackers that each child loves to receive from grandma. Those crackers are a real treat around this house.

This changed the party from an outdoor pool party to an inside house party, but the boy was happy to celebrate in any way!

Rose made cupcakes and I set out snacks. We also grilled burgers, which are always yummy.

Happy Birthday Zeb!!!

Cows and more cows

I just realized that I often share videos on my Facebook page that should also be shared here!

It has been a very busy week, but I hope to properly update tonight or tomorrow. Until then, here is a video update via my new You Tube channel.

Feel free to subscribe, as I am toying with the idea of adding some instructional videos in the near future.

Have a great Thursday Ya'll!

What's Next?

If there is one thing I can NOT stand it's a disorganized and horribly messy house. I  just can't think when I have laundry piled up and zero plans for dinner. I'm feeding a family 9....no meal plan=major stress.

Today I sat by the pool pondering my lack of motivation and wishing, really, that it were still June. I love summer. I love the heat and the green trees and the muggy air. The sounds of the frogs, crickets and cicadas singing is intoxicating. (No, that was not the pre dinner beer talking.)

                                 The ladies cooling off with the central unit fans.

At any rate, summer is quickly drawing to an end and this girl needs a plan to get things back into school year shape, ie. organized house and a game plan.

I have stated in the past that one thing I have learned when I feel overwhelmed with projects and ideas is to simply "do what's next." For me today, that meant dinner.

I have started by cooking a Cuban dish, Picadillo. Who doesn't love chicken and rice simmered with olives and garlic?
While the dinner simmered I threw all of my kitchen rugs into the wash. I then swept the floors downstairs and ran a quick mop over the floors.

That's it, really. I have no other plans but to get a solid night of sleep and then tackle "what's next" tomorrow.

                                                      Back into a milking routine!

I suppose chores, a grocery list and meal plan for the week are top priorities. My pantry will then get a good dose of organizing and then I will be a good way towards my "normal life."

Who knows, maybe I can get enough done by Friday that I will have more time to sit by the pool to ponder summer and listen to the cicadas.

 Just maybe.

Happy Hump Day Ya'll!

My Mexico Vacation

I am back!!!
The farm girl needed a vacation, so Devin and I took a week off for a Western Caribbean cruise.
 Thank you to parents for watching kids and my big girls for keeping my blog fresh with posts.

It was a nice vacation. I love Mexico.

I have always loved Mexico, especially the intense Caribbean sun and the cold Mexican beer.
The people? They are fabulous too.

Although most stops were a little too commercialized for my liking, we did eat some authentic food at a couple of stops.



One stop was in Cozumel. We spent the day sitting on the beach and in a pool drinking beer. It was  a luxury to not have any schedule or agenda for the day. The food there was better than any of the cruise ship food too, but I am partial to authentic Mexican food.

We also made a stop in Belize.  I had never been to this country before but had only heard wonderful things about the landscape and the people. It was all true.
Although Belize is a poor country, the people were friendly and educated and spoke English quite well. We paid for an excursion that included zip lining through a part of the jungle and tubing through a crystal cave. I do have a fear of heights, but the zip lining crew was fabulous and I had a blast. Afterwards we ate some authentic beans and rice, along with a Belizean beer. Our guide (Nuri) was such a super guy and made the trip top notch.
One of the aspects of Belizean life that stood out most to me is the mix of culture. There are many different dialects of language spoken and many different cultures of people and yet everyone seems to get along. There were no overweight people there either, as their version of fast food was fresh fruit along the road. There were may small vendors too selling a meal of  rice, beans and a piece of fresh bread. No McDonalds.

Did I mention we cruised with a couple of close pals? This made the trip even more fun, plus we had pals to hang with during dinner and after dinner.

Of course, our favorite stop was in Costa Maya.
We actually visited Costa Maya 12 years ago when it was still "untouched" by cruise commercialization and we fell in love.
There is a small fishing village just there and its residents are some of the lovliest you will ever meet.

This trip was not the same, but the water was still pristine and beautiful, and the people who served us food and drinks were very generous. ( I even got a peck on my cheek from lovely man)

Again, the sun and air there is like nothing you will ever experience in the sates. Devin spent some time wading through the water while I sat back and enjoyed the air and the view.

Now we are back home and feeling some "vacation jetlag." It is difficult to get my mind back into a farm and home school routine, but I am sure that by the weekend I will be there. I hope.

How does someone like me manage a vacation when I have 12 cows and numerous other farm animals?
Well, I have fabulous teens who can manage ALL of the farm chores. This is important for any farmer, to have a back up person should illness happen or a vacation is needed. We also have parents who can step in and help with some child care. If you don't have parents, maybe you have a close friend?

If you ever get a chance to visit Mexico or Belize, I highly suggest you do so! I hope to see the beautiful sun and beaches of Mexico again next year...we will see how that goes:-)

Glad to be back Ya'll!!!

Costume & Luna by Awesome Daughter

Hey everybody. It's Quinn again. I was supposed to do a blog post yesterday but I forgot...Oops.

 

 

Today I have an update on Luna, the puppy.

But also, since (If you saw my last post, from last Saturday, this will make sense) I updated on my armor costume project last time, and my helmet was still in its really early stages, I'm gonna show you guys a more updated picture of it, since I've been working on it this week, and it's looking a better now.

 

 

 

So as you can see, it's looking a lot better. I've fixed up a lot of details, and sill adding some on. It's almost ready to be painted, with the rest of my suit.

 

 

ANYWAYS THOUGH

 

Throughout the week, I've been taking selfies of Luna and I everyday, so I could post them all on here for you guys to see.

Though she's cute, she's slightly evil. Waking me up in the morning, and barking at random things. She's a little bit of a bum, but we love her anyway.

 

So please, enjoy. :3 

 

 

I posted this one on my first blog post on here.

This is from last Saturday, when she woke me up.

 

Sunday.

 

Monday (freaky psychotic puppy, just look at those eyes)

 

 

 Tuesday (I wasn't choking her, by the way)

 

 

 Wednesday. Luna freaking rejected me that morning, and wouldn't cuddle.

 

 

 Thursday. I made her cuddle with me.

 

Friday. And I made her be happy.

 

And this is today. Overall she probably loves me. I mean, come on.
She clearly can't resist the love.

 

 

 

OKAY BYYYYYYYYYE!