love is

My youngest with her calf. Goldie. This little heifer is such a doll. Sweet as the day is long. Still not sure how my baby got so big.

snow

I'll actually post something that happened today. Well actually yesterday into today. Today was the clean up. We got a snow storm. Some call it a blizzard. Some call it a Nor' Easter. Guess it depends on where you live. We got about 8-10 inches of snow, and some freezing rain and some rain and some more snow. Heavy wet snow. And wind! Yikes. We always get wind up here on the hill. My neighbors house looked like it was covered with frosting and was a gingerbread house! So fun!

Here is my road. Before the sun hit the trees. I do like snow covered trees. Someday I want to be riding my horse down a trail  with snow covered trees and get a picture. Or in a one horse sleigh. It sounds like fun!!

And here is the road after the sun came out and warmed up our snow covered home. Such a mild nice day. The kiddos went riding on the snowmobile, and we cleaned out the cow barns! LOL not the most exciting kinda day. But productive non the less!

Me and a couple of my girls. A sunny outside selfie before mucking stalls!
Enjoy the day y'all!

candy making with the kiddos

The girls and I made Christmas chocolates! All the while snacking on  the chex mix the boy and I made the day before.
We made, Reese's Squares, Buckeyes, Needhams, and Cookie Dough Balls.

No fudge. I have yet to master that. Every time I make it it comes out dry and crumbles and the flavor is off. I've followed the directions on multiple different recipes to the letter, and, nope. Never get it right.  So.....maybe someday I'll try again. Until then I'll enjoy others fudge!
I really enjoy making chocolates with my kiddos. It makes me think of my grandmother. The recipes I use I got from her. And it's fun bonding with the kids while we work, and listen to Christmas music, and then mix it up to country.
Enjoy
Have a great day y'all

what is she doing

We got a kitten. Well actually 2. One is older then the other. But this one, she is crazy! She loves to sleep by the fire place. Or as the picture would indicate, on the wood stove! As you can see the fire is not really going all that much. But still! Other times when the fire is going she will sit on the hearth pad and stare into the blaze of the fire. And that is how she got her name. Blaze. Suits her well dontcha think?!
Have a great day y'all!

cheese graters

This is what happens when you are in a hurry and have too many things going on in your kitchen. After cleaning it and wrapping it up in a couple band aids I was good to go. No dishes for a couple days to help with the healing. Now it's pretty much healed!

Have a great day y'all!

whats cookin in my kitchen

MmmHummmm.
Homemade Swiss Roll. So good. We have a monthly meal with my in-laws. I get to make dessert. I was in the mood and feeling creative, so I knocked this outta the park. I even managed to make it look pretty! Quite the accomplishment for me really. I don't always make my food look pretty, but once in while I get it done right! LOL
Whatcha think?

training them right

Belle has these kiddos trained right! She gets to ride while they do all the work! Spoiled rotten little doggie.

how cute are they?!

Some cuties wanna say "hi"

Lady Slipper "Lady" on the left. Fancy A Flutter "Fancy" on the right.

ahhh the view

Here is the back view of my place.
The sunrise was so beautiful one cold morning I ran back in the house to get a picture of it. The horses were not impressed that I took off to get the picture before feeding them. They figured I was out there so I should be feeding them.
I've been spoiled living where I do for so long. I get the sunrise and the sunset. Now when we leave I must have the sunset. Not an easy task to find one with such a spectacular view!
Have a great day y'all

spreading manure

While the boys were out spreading manure Matthew called me and said I should come get a picture. So I grabbed the camera and snapped this cool picture. Well, I think it's cool.
 That would be my boy on the tractor. I'm not real sure when he became 15 and capable of driving a tractor, but alas, there he is. I must have blinked. He enjoys driving them any chance he gets. He was even out in the fields this summer raking hay. My husband said he does a better job raking then he does. Soon he'll be out there doing it all! (Sob)
We are now done everything for winter. We have snow.
Have a great day y'all!

whats cooking in my kitchen

One afternoon while the girls were off at sewing and piano lessons Little Matt asked if he could make a pie. So I said yes! What kind you ask? Strawberry rhubarb. And here he is making it. I told him what to mix and all that fun stuff and he did all the work. It was a good pie, but more then that I loved cooking with my boy <3.

super super moon

This was so cool! Another pic by my oldest gal. I was busy in the barn milking and I hollered to her to get a picture of it. Closest it's been to earth since 1948! So if you missed it, here it is!

Have a great day y'all!

pbr came to town

So the PRB came to a town about an two hours from where we live. The boys went. I didn't. :( They offered a special deal for the Boy Scouts. A meet and greet and special seating. Really cool. If your a boy scout. And I am not. But our son is. So they went. I'm still a little jealous about it. But I'll go some other day. Sigh. So my brother and law, his son, and my boys went. They had a great time too.

the sunset

I love to watch the sunset.  Almost every night I try to watch it, camera in hand. I could probably fill a couple albums with them all. Each one is different, and spectacular. I've passed this on to the kiddos who are growing up at an alarmingly fast rate of speed. When life is busy and I'm doing whatever life throws my way that day, one of them will usually call my attention to it. Or my husband will, he knows how much I look forward to it.
Our oldest daughter has developed an interest in photography, and I encourage her to follow that. She'll grab the camera and go take several and pick the best one or two and show me.
Here is a photo she took earlier this year.

Enjoy

good quote

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."
William Arthur Ward

this never gets old for me

It was hot today. 90 degrees or so. Low to little humidity, so it was really great. My husband was out baling round bales with the baler we bought this winter. So that was good too.
Later in the evening my husband was out and busy so I took the kiddos to go swimming to cool off in the lake nearby. When we got home the sun was starting to set in the west behind the mountains. The sky was lit up and the sun looked like a ball of fire sinking lower and lower lighting up the sky with brilliant colors.
So naturally I grabbed my camera and

started taking pictures.

and watching the sun dip lower

 causing me to take it in

and gather my thoughts of the day

until it was down, ending another day in spectacular fashion.

I never tire of the sun sets. I watch them often. My life seems to be busy and crazy and stressful at times. But watching the sun set calms me and settle my thoughts about the day. Whether it was good, bad, or otherwise.
I pray I always live where I can watch the sun set.

just cause

Me hanging out in the cow pasture with my calf.

good quote

"Saving the family farm will forever be a process, not a goal or a destination. Like any necessary chore, the work never ends. It only waits for us the following morning, or the following season. So I wake, and enter the day.
Somewhere, another farm awaits it's farmer."

Gaining Ground By Forrest Pritchard

the princesses

Well the little heifers, or the babies as I call them turned out to be a couple of princesses after all.
We got a good down pour and then steady rain for a while with some thunder storms the other afternoon. My husband and I went for a walk later in the evening after chores and supper. But before we left I threw some hay in to the babies. Their pasture is low on grass and are moving them in the morning. And off we went on our walk. I really enjoy walking with my husband. We chat about our days if we spent it apart, or we talk about things on our minds. Or sometimes we are just quiet and enjoy being together. Well once we got home we walked into the driveway and saw...

the babies decided to lay down IN their hay instead of the wet ground!! Little buggers! Guess they decided dry hay was better then wet ground. Smart I'd say.

Have a great day y'all 

summer started on the beach

Well now it's officially summer. 
A bunch of gal pals, their kiddos, my kiddos, and I went to the beach to celebrate it!! Oh it was a such a beautiful day. The sun felt so wonderful, I even managed to get a burn. :/  The sun beating down, the waves coming and going in a rhythmic motion and sound. Seagull floating above letting out their usual squawk waiting for some food to drop, or steal it away from you. Sail boats sailing along. Happy children playing and splashing in the water. Yup we are even crazy to go swimming in the Atlantic ocean. Yes it's really cold. So cold your knee caps shiver! Only till your body temperature drops and you can feel nothing. LOL. But seriously!!  Even a couple got married and had some fun pictures taken down on the beach!

All and all it was nice to get away from the farm and chill. And what a beautiful ending to a great day it was.

My view never gets old. I pray I always live where there are open fields, and a glorious view of the mountains in the distance and the sun setting in the west.

Have a great night y'all.

finally

It's an absolutely gorgeous day out! Plenty of sun and a light breeze and the air is glorious! Even the cows are enjoying the sun!

 Most of the cows are laying down chewing their cud in the warm sunshine. Things are starting to green up and dry out. Can you see them?! Haha. The specks out there!

Here is our rooster. Mr. Luke. The kiddos named him. He thought a dirt bath in the sun would be nice too. I caught him!

And truth be told, I'm enjoying the sun too. I decided that having an afternoon iced coffee while watching the critters was a must. The kiddos are out and about as well. Far too nice to be inside.

Have a great day y'all!!

spring flowers

The crocus are up!
My husband and one of our daughters went for a walk the other day and saw some. At the time we didn't know what they were, so we looked them up. They are pretty little flowers.

I think I'd like to someday have a flower garden. And put some of these in it. Until then I'll enjoy others flower gardens! I know my oldest daughter is really into flowers and would like that too.
Have a great day y'all!

whats cookin in my kitchen

MmHmm. I'm usually always cooking/baking. Making a mess of my kitchen while I do it. Those who know me know I make a mess and an not quiet in the kitchen. Usually dropping things on the floor banging and clanging things around, singing, probably off key, to the music I have on. But I am usually quite happy cooking. I really enjoy it.
My husband came home the other day with some apples. We greeted each other with our usual kiss hello, after being apart all day. I noticed the apples and asked what he wanted. He grinned and said apple pie, and apple fritters. So of course I made an apple pie that night for him, lol.
Then the other day I looked up apple fritters on Pinterest. There are a ton of them. Pick any one you like and there you have it. I choose Pioneer Woman's.

I made a double batch because I knew one wouldn't be enough. We enjoyed them that night and had some left over to add to breakfast the next morning. I had several while I was cooking them. They are sooooo good! Hot and crunchy! Easy to make too.

Have a great day y'all!

heavy metal

Just one of the locals out for a morning drive!! :)

Have a great day ya'll!

whats cookin in my kitchen

So if your a lemon lover like me hold on to your hats!!! I have a tempting your taste buds recipe ya'll need to look up. I of course found it on Pinterest! So go to Pinterest and find one today and make it post haste! It is really good too. What is it?!?!?
Lemon Cheesecake Mousse!
Now don't get scared about the word cheesecake. Some folks tend to balk at the idea of attempting them. But they are really not hard to make. Really. Maybe I'll share one someday. But there is no baking involved, just cooking a little, in this little dessert. Or if you hate to cook you can find it all at the store. Just gotta mix to up together. I prefer homemade.
Here is the pics...

 Homemade lemon curd. I prefer homemade stuff. But you can buy it at the store too. Again, this is easy to make. Just be sure to not stop whisking it while it's cooking, or you'll cook the egg yolks the wrong way :)

Then TA DA. There is it.
 It has whipped cream, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar in it. Mix in the lemon curd after you whip the cream and vawalla! It's nice. Cheesecakey and lemony.
Enjoy.
Have a great day ya'll!!

goldie

Sweet little Goldie. She is turning out to be such a nice little heifer. Her personality is sweet. She is gentle enough to help build up the confidence in our youngest daughter around cows. And tough enough to make her work for it too. She loves to have her cheeks scratched and will walk right up to us in the pasture, and rub her head on you. Or give you a good lick across the face. :)
See no snow! Haven't really had any most all winter. And the frost is all but out of the ground..

I just thought you might like to see a cute little Jersey heifer today. She puts a smile on my face too.

Have a great day ya'll.

spring ahead

Well it's that time of year and has been for several weeks now. Oh to be out collecting the sap and bringing it home and boiling it down to that thick, sweet, sticky deliciousness called maple syrup. That is what we should be doing.
But this is sad news. We are not. For the first time since our son was just a little fellow and I was huge pregnant with our first daughter. I feel conflicted with this for lots of reasons. We have perfected the science of making maple syrup and we enjoy the time outside and the time doing it. My children are no longer little people, but big people that I love with all my heart and soul. I wonder from time to time as I look at them where my littles have gone. Sigh. Time passes and years go by in a blink of the eyes it seems. It also gets us outside in the sun and fresh air t take some of that cabin fever out of our system. It's also nice to work as a family at another thing we enjoy here on the farm.
But the reason we are not tapping trees is because our truck, remember the one that caught fire a few weeks ago, is still at the garage. It sat in the driveway waiting for the mechanic to come look at it, but didn't. Guess he forgot about us. So we had it towed to his place, and he had to order certain parts that have taken a long time to come in. And so that about sums that up. Now the season is all but over. That and the weather has been very mild, and if you know tapping trees you know it needs to freeze at night and be mild during the day.
We are moving ahead with our summer plans for the farm. As in getting ready for another growing season. We have ordered our broilers (meat chickens) for this summer. We are looking forward to that again.  We have contacted out customers from last year and have moved ahead with that.
 I am thinking about what I would like to have in my garden this year too! No, I haven't done seedlings. I don't have time or space for that at this time in my life. But my husband would like to build a green house! So I'll let you know if that happens. It would just be a small green house. But none the less. How cool is that?! Probably if you don't have one but want one it is cool. I'd like to try a few new things in my garden if there is space enough for it. And hopefully I don't get a hail storm to take it out again like last year...shudder.
Well I guess that's all for now. I've rambled on long enough. So I'll leave you with a parting shot.

Have a great day ya'll!!

lights, glorious lights

 Well I know I told you that we, and when I say we, I really mean my wonderful, talented husband, put lights in the barns this fall. I just stood there and was the silent, err not so silent chatter box,  go-for this and go-for that girl. I know nothing about electricity. Other then flipping the switch to turn it on and off. LOL. Here are the big milking girls in their barn. Yes we milk 3 by hand. And yes the barn is small. But for now it works, we and the cows are happy. And see. Lights! There are 2 lights in this barn. So here is the proof. We now have been milking in the lights! Before we used headlights. Which work great better then a flashlight on the floor. But then he decided to put in lights to make life a little brighter in the winter. Come February it's always a delight when the days get longer and brighter.

And here are is the other barn with the younger stalk and horses. There are 3 lights in this barn! And the lights were on. I'm standing in the corner of the barn by the door. They were all too busy eating to pay any attention to me.
Have a great day ya'll!

cows and heifers oh my

 We decided to out Callie and Goldie with Suzie and Bulls Eye. We had been rotating the pasture time for them. Then decided that it was time to put them together. They had to play some push and shove to set down who was who in the pasture. Thankfully that never lasts to long and they settled down to eat. Suzie had to realize there was enough hay to go around for all and let the younger girls eat from the hay bin.

Suzie is getting better about sharing the hay with them. She is just pushing her weight around a bit, trying to be the boss of them I guess and throwing her size around, maybe. So far they all get along, and move when she tells them too. But here are Callie and Goldie, on the right side of the picture, getting some hay out of the hay bin.
Have I mentioned how thankful we are for that thing?! It's been wonderful. Our sweet hay, (sweet hay is wrapped hay. It's cut one day and baled and wrapped the next, so it's a little fermented, if you were wondering what that was. Up here we call it sweet hay).  The round bales are a 3x4, kinda an odd size, but that is what the guy has for a baler, one fits in the hay bin and they chow down on it.
Life is good.
 See?!  No snow. Warmer temperatures. Mild winter. I love it!
Have a great day ya'll!!

monday confessions...but on wednesday

Last month my husband went on a road trip to visit some dairy farms. Some Amish dairy farms in beautiful upstate New York. They are strictly grass fed farms. He went with some other Amish from some nearby communities and some English folks. Like us :) I stayed home with the farm and kiddos. I could have gone, but that meant that the kids had to do all the chores for 3 days. I felt unsettled about that, although they are perfectly capable. Our kiddos are amazing, just so you know!  And the night he left we were having a terrible rain, wind, sleet storm. I had no idea if we would loose power or not. That would not have been ok. So I stayed home, and was just as happy to too.  The reason for the road trip was to see how their barns were set up and get a better idea and design on what we wanted to build when the time arrives for us. So now we know really what we want.

We are working on our own dairy farm. We have 6 cows and 1 steer. For us that is amazing. We have slowly built on what we have, in literally every aspect of our married life, once we decided to really take a new road and grow/raise most of what we eat.  We would like to become certified Organic. All our farming practices are currently organic, just without the certification. We were at one time, but decided to let it go for a number of reasons.

But another reason for the road trip was to look at a round baler. We decided last year that instead of depending on others for their time and equipment to get our own. Would make life a little easier for us, and round bales are the way we want to go for the cows. Makes winter feeding easier too.  We also need a wrapper, but have yet to buy one. Well, we ended up buying the baler and got it home this week. It's a 4x4 Krone baler. So that's good news for us! Now we wait for warmer weather and haying season!
Have a great day ya'll!!

another glorious sunset

Well leap year came and went. A whole extra day to be added to my life that seems to fly by me at an alarming rate.

I watched the sun go down on a glorious February night. A balmy 40 degrees while doing chores. No snow and no wind on the hill. I breathed in deep the air as it started to cool as the sun sank deep, and fast into the mountains to the west. It lit the sky up with yellow and orange and cast the most amazing shadows over the lawn and our neighbors house against the dark cloudy sky.

The extra day ended and moved us closer to another month.

Have a great day ya'll

good quote

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."

Og Mandino

nap time

Abby and Time Out wanted to take a nap in the warm air on this February morning. It was so nice out! The sun was out the wind wasn't blowing and it was just a great day to be taking a nap in the sun. Well, if your a horse covered in a thick winter coat that is!

Check out that manure pile out back. With all these critters it sure does add up! Don't worry about that tipped over water bucket. Their water is in the barn!
Time Out is on the left and Abby is on the right.
Have a great day ya'll!