Tonight will be a forever memory for this new family. This beautiful summer Sunday evening was spent bucking hay together, the new husband and wife, the new step siblings...all of whom are also new to country life. As hard as the work is, it's a very enjoyable way to spend a summer evening! I like... Continue Reading →
A Typical, Head Spinning, Crazed Day Spent Learning to Be a Farmer
If it's not the kids, it's work. If it's not work, it's the farmhouse project. If it's not the farmhouse, it's someone from church with a need. If it's not someone from church, it's a friend or family member in crisis. If it's not a crisis, it's an emergency trip to the vet. If it's... Continue Reading →
The Garden Goes Slowly…But It’s a Start!
Being married to a man with a job that requires him to be on call almost all the time means I spend Friday nights alone unexpectedly on a regular basis. We had plans to go to a play tonight on this, our two-month wedding anniversary. But alas, he is at work so I am blogging... Continue Reading →
Because Rebuilding the Farmhouse Wasn’t Enough…We Added a Rescue Horse to the Mix!
We call our farmhouse project a renovation. You know what our bank calls our farmhouse project? A rehab. I told the bank the project is going to put me into rehab! We have been dealing with the south wall for weeks now, digging deeper and deeper and still finding termite damage and more wood to... Continue Reading →
Practicing Patience: Waiting to Discover the Fruits Our Orchard Will Bear
As much as I might whine about battling the neglect, as discouraged as I might be, I can always turn to the orchard for a happy heart. That is one huge benefit to buying such an old place: old fruit trees! Big, old, beautiful fruit trees full of flowers, birds, bees and character. I love,... Continue Reading →
The Wedding Is Over, Let the War Begin!!
Don’t worry, Bob and I aren’t warring. We are only 16 days into our marriage, so we are still good, I promise! The post-wedding war I’m referring to in the title is the war on neglect. Whether it’s the farmhouse or the barn or the land, we are constantly battling years of neglect. I understand... Continue Reading →
First Time Butchering Chickens
With the wedding five days away, and the caterer needing our supplies by tomorrow, today was the day to butcher the chickens. We've been raising them for the last couple of months specifically for this purpose. It was Bob's first time butchering, and my first time as well, although I have had to clean out and... Continue Reading →
Radical Homemakers: Will a Challenge to Put Your Home First Make Me Unlikeable?
I sense I’m on the verge of becoming extremely unlikable. Reading “Radical Homemakers” by Shannon Hayes has validated my unconventional thinking and empowered me to start speaking up. But that’s not all. Hayes also has me taking my long-held beliefs to a new level, with a conviction I’ve lacked up until now. And people might... Continue Reading →
Look, It’s a Farm…Not! But, Hey, It’s a Start for Our Small Farm Dreamin’
So that's our small farm so far in the photo: seeds coming up in egg carton planters. It's a long ways from the small farm we envision, but the progress at the farmhouse is slow and there's nothing we can do about it between jobs and wedding planning and very tight budgets. So for now,... Continue Reading →
“Why Don’t You Just Tear It Down?” Here’s Why We’re Saving the Old Farmhouse
"Why don't you just tear it down"? is a question I hear a lot these days about our farmhouse project. This oft-asked question comes from passers-by, the mail carrier, casual acquaintances in town...even the subs lifting the farmhouse asked essentially, "Why bother?" as they did the job. My family and close friends don't ask this question,... Continue Reading →