2017

                        Happy New Year!

Normally I am diving head first into a new year with goals and plans out the wadzoo.

Right now I am hoping for a 3 hour stretch of sleep at night. New babies are needy and demanding and hungry and fickle. So this is my reality at the moment. Don't get me wrong, for I am super happy to have this little angel, but I must dampen my usual enthusiasm for accomplishing lots until he is less needy.

Today the younger kids and I did attend a meeting for a new home school co-op. I decided to enroll them because they honestly do not get out of the house much. When I had just the 3-4 oldest girls I had them in music classes and play groups and art...lots of activities.

I do not wish to be that busy with outside activities, but one day a week is perfect for my young crew.  They are super excited to start too!

We had a huge cold snap over the weekend in which we became snowed in with a little less than a half inch of snow. That's the South for you. It was very cold, though, not above freezing for a few days.

I needed more hay for the cows, but Devin was out of town. Fortunately I had several friend offer to come fetch hay with the tractor. My goal this week is to have Devin show me how to get the hay myself. A HUGE THANK YOU to Larry for helping me out and to all the many people who checked on me to see if I needed help.

I am currently looking at ordering new pullet babies for eggs this summer, and we plan to run at least 2 batches of pastured chickens. I was hoping to have a nice brooder built, but it might be  project for me and the girls to tackle. I just don't feel like having rubbermaid boxes as brooders placed all through my kitchen this year. Time to upgrade.

I have several farm projects to tackle before spring which includes pregnancy checking cattle, finishing orchard/garden area and deciding/buying temporary fencing to move cattle with on property.

But today I am going to hold my needy little earthling and maybe warm up a cup of coffee. Dinner is staying warm in the Instant Pot and the kids are playing downstairs. 

It is a new year, and I hope 2017 is a blessed and prosperous one for everyone!

Blessings,

Sami

The Color Green

It's not that life has been uncontrollable, but it was time to sit and decided what I want this upcoming year to encompass.
Farming has taken a new level, with 15 cows, and I have found myself to be consumed with ways to make it all function more smoothly and with more self sustaining qualities.

My beef cow operation is starting to grow, albeit slowly, but that is not a bad thing. I have 3 heifers now that will one day make great beef cow mamas. Slow can be good, especially since grass based farming requires lots of grass. I hope to start leasing nearby land for my cattle this year.

Egg production was very low last year, so I am raising 80 pullets in anticipation of being overwhelmed with eggs come spring. If I need to sell off some of the hens I will, but I am hoping to cover my feed costs with egg sales.

I have yet to decide how many pastured chickens to run this year. I am still feeling the exhaustion from raising 3 batches last year, and it might take a longer break for me to feel the enthusiasm of raising more birds. If you have raised pastured poultry, you know what I am feeling.

I will never be without a few pigs in the forest. They are extremely easy, profitable, and nice for my own freezer. Expanding the fence line through the woods will happen as soon as the weather plays nicely.

As my milking cow numbers increase I am finding ways to manage the lactation and pregnancy schedules a little better. It would be, of course, more simple if I could AI the cows myself, so that could be a potential skill to learn this year. I am hoping to get a few farmers together and have a class taught. Details, details.

Cheese, cheese, cheese! My cave was nearly wiped clean through the holidays, so I am currently crafting cheeses to fill it back up full. Looking for new flavors, I have been inspired by some of the larger creameries and hope to have a few fabulous wheels ready this spring. I have also come to rely on a couple of simple, yet delicious wheels to always stock my personal refrigerator. Ricotta Silata and Queso Fresco have quickly become staples in my kitchen, as they are delicious, versatile and simple to make.

School never really stops. Sure we have days where we sit down with books more than other days, but in reality it never does stop. My goal and hope for this year is to find what they are most passionate to learn and focus heavily in those areas.

I have a fiber studio full of unfinished projects that I am determined to finish this year. That sentence almost made me laugh out loud. :-)

The break from the web was a much deserved and needed rest so that I could spend some time analyzing what I hope for 2016. Farming and family top my list, as they should.  Now I only need get through the cold, dull and lifeless days of winter. I much prefer the days of spring, when trees bud out and the landscape turns green. Green is my favorite color. It always has been.

Happy 2016 Ya'll!

The New Year: 2015

Today is a new day, new year. I am happy to be here greeting the start of another trip around the sun.

We had a nice Christmas, despite the fact that all but 3 of us came down with the blasted flu virus. It was not quite the Christmas I had planned or hoped, but since when do things go exactly as planned? I have learned to be flexible and to be grateful for the good things that do come my way.

Now the New Year is here and like many folks I am busy plotting a way to make this year more. More productive , more organized, more successful.
I already have a new notebook filled with all the calendar pages, organizing pages and goal pages to make this all become reality. (cough, cough)

I have decided to really focus lots of energy on a few main areas:

1. School. I have a few main goals for each child written down and theses have deadlines to be accomplished. For example, Quinn has her ACT this spring so we will really be focusing on her prep for the test. Setting school goals is a great way to see progress as you educate your children too.

2. Budget. There are few house projects that really need to be finished up this year. I am focusing on really cranking down a good budget so these can be possible goals for us. In addition, this is a year we really need to purchase a tractor. That is a huge expense and I will be working to pay down a few debts quickly so a tractor can be possible.

3. House Organizing. This is a constant, especially when you have kids. I tend to be fairly well organized and have made great strides the last few years to de-clutter. I must admit, however, that 2014 was a year that I let many things fall into disarray. It happens. This year I came a across a blogger who has a plan for a weekly de-clutter and organizing plan. 52 Weeks to an Organized Home is a very attainable challenge and goal. I printed out the monthly calendars and will be getting started on this goal!

4. Fiber! This new year has brought a new opportunity with my fiber sheep! A good friend and I have collaborated to start a new venture. Farm Girl Fiber. We are hand dying lace weight yarn to use in color work embroidery. All of the fleece from my sheep are being spun into lace weight and we will begin dying that yarn as soon as it arrives. We are hosting an open house in a week at our newly renovated studio and hope to begin classes and groups to focus on color work, embroidery and other fiber arts. You can follow us Facebook too!

5. Cheese and all things cow. I have long term goal of one day making cheese on a larger scale. This year I will focus on increasing my herd by one or two cows, making 3 fabulous cheeses consistently, and increasing my cow knowledge. This might even include a 3 day class on Artificial Insemination of cattle as well as reading more books on sustainable farming and rotational grazing.

I hope everyone has a fabulous New Year! Today I am fixing a simple meal of beans and cornbread so that I can sit back and relax and perhaps work some on my new goals. We will take 1 more week off as a school break and then hit the books once again.

I didn't get around to sending out Christmas cards this year but we did take out annual family photo.

Happy 2015 Ya'll!

Happy New Year! *Video link fixed!*

I cannot believe another year has gone. I have spent the last few days trying to rest and relax.

Today I am planning and gearing up for the remainder of our school year and all of the activities that go along with spring. I have a pile of seed catalogs to comb through too as I plan the garden.
It's pretty cold out here now but I know spring weather is just around the corner. I love Georgia:-)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

I will be back Friday but I want to leave with my annual year in review through pictures!

Have a great week!

 

My Barefoot Farm Year in Review 2012

Happy New Beginnings!

Wow, I had a nice holiday break and today is the start of a new year for us! Welcome 2012!

I usually picture my house in order and the children dressed and ready for a fabulous school day, but the reality is that we are all upstairs, kids in pjs (most of the kids), and I have been paying bills and now updating ya'll, my friends. It's is a good thing that I realize the picture perfect images in my head are always quite contrasted to the reality that dwells in my house.

I suppose that the new year also brings resolutions, attempts to do life differently or to set a high goal to reach for,but I have never been the make a list and try to stick with it for a year kind of gal. I get too distracted with the seven humans who rely on me for food, education, companionship and love. I tend to make up a year long theme in which to encompass my entire being throughout the year. This year I choose joy. JOY!

As much as some people like to trash social networking and internet use in general, I am so thankful for all of the people that I have "met" or reconnected with through my computer. There are some amazingly wonderful people out there who I would have otherwise never crossed paths. Yesterday a childhood friend posted this on her face book status: 

You know, I think we spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched, issues to be resolved, maybe this year to balance the list, we should try walking through the rooms of our lives, not looking for the flaws, but for the potential we all have hidden deep inside. 

Perhaps that should be the theme for all of us this year.  Although the word potential never was a "good" word in my book because it meant that I was capable of doing something. I would always rather be doing something, not sitting and capable. This year I will keep the joy and lose the potential:-)

Enough reflection. This year I have started work on a few projects. One is the Little Birdie Stitches quilt.

 I started block number 5 last night. This will be a favorite quilt for me, I know already. I have plans to get it finished and to my quilter in February.

 

Next, I learned to crochet granny squares over the break.

They are far from perfect, but I intend to make a ton with yarn that I have in my stash. They are dainty and pretty and will one day make a pretty baby afghan.

Finally, I received as a gift the most wonderful book by Amy Adams.

That meant only one thing: time to hit the thrift stores for wool sweaters. I did and they are felted and ready to be cut and sewn into a collection of lovely softies.

It must be the child in me that is so excited to sew and collect these delightful creatures. I will be sure and post my progress!

Here's to a wonderful beginning for you all! I will close with my 2011 recap video of My Barefoot Farm! (and because I am a true Psych fan, there is a pineapple in there. can you find it?)




Have a fantastic week!