Happy New Year! (a bit late *blush*)

We're hanging out here at the FarM, getting into the swing of things. T has been super busy with trim in the house, finishing up odds and ends, and generally getting stuff done.

On the house side, the trim ROCKS. T and Papa have done an awesome job, and it looks amazing. The loft also rocks. Papa found an old 20' cherry picking ladder that we (and by we, I mean T) cut down for the ladder to the loft. T built a platform for just outside the loft gate, and it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. The girls' think so too!

                                 

The remainder of the ladder went into my laundry room. We line dry most everything, it's very rare that we use the dryer. I pretty much love it.

T, awesome T, fixed up this old wine rack (on the left) and mounted it on the wall for our hats, gloves, and other miscellaneous. While Banks is upset that he lost his cushions to lay on, I am ecstatic that I no longer wear dog fur on my head.

In other news this winter, A and I built one (1) snowman with one of our few measly peasly snowfalls. It was tons of fun though.

The kids and I have been attempting to take Tally for walks, this dog makes the Energizer battery look fatigued. J was present, but tied to my back. 

Speaking of J, he's growing like a weed. Here's his GQ pose:

The kids have started up swimming again. J too!

Thanks, Aunt Jenny, for the swim trunks!

The FarM is still hangin', laying mostly dormant while waiting for summer. We've got some awesome things cooking - pigs, turkeys, and 'lil chicks. More Muscovies too, if we can find them. Oh, and Grim? He's leaving in May for a few months to git some trainin'. He's super excited, can't you tell?

Punzi and Chop got a Christmas present too, invisible fencing. They are responding to it great, and we love that we can let them out and not have to chase them a mile down the road (and 4 miles back). While the fencing isn't quite invisible (I wasn't going to dig 10 acres, sorry), it does go around the perimeter of our property and we feel pretty good about it.

Punzi and Chopper, I'm not so sure. I don't think Chop has left the barnyard since we've hooked them up. Punzi went on a walk with me the first day around the perimeter (I suppose it's called Training). Got shocked twice, and the 2nd time ran back to the barn and wouldn't come back. The next day she walked with me for a very short time before giving up, laying down as the Queen of the Hill, where she could keep her keen eye on me as I walked. Thanks Punz.

We're continuing to live and learn out here. I tell ya, the things about farming you don't know before you do it! For example. We ordered a different breed of turkeys to raise for Thanksgiving this year. Last year our turks grew fairly little, the Toms dressed out in the lower teens the the hens around 8#. They tasted good, but we wanted to go a bit bigger, so we researched and put on order a bunch of 14 poults of Bronze Breasted turkeys. While realizing that the way we feed them (mainly on pasture, with natural food sources) will lead them to grow a bit slower, we set a March delivery. Then, I read today that another person had these turkeys grow to 60lbs in 8 months. Yikes! A bit big, I believe. While T was excited and wanted to grow an 80lber I also read about, we think that most people probably won't want their Thanksgiving turkey to take up the entire table. Now, the poults will arrive in May and we'll have awesome Thanksgiving turkey. I'm just glad I read about that one, rather than us having to live with 700lb of turkeys on the FarM!

My girl

Training a pup is no easy task. I'm proud of A for sticking with it, so proud. We're battling demons, she has her mothers quick temper sometimes, and it's hard for one who isn't always in control to help. But, by God's amazing grace, we're getting there, learning better ways, and A is falling in love with Tally more every day.

Today.

After our walk, the girls played "crabwalk" numbers.

Because we're weird homeschoolers like that.

Tally supervised. 

(unsure who Tally is? It's A's little pup, a 6mo Toy Aussie. She saved up the money for her (for the entire summer) and we picked her up last Sunday.)

 J found himself in the mirror. I imagine his conversation went something like this:

"Hey, who's this?"

"Com' a lil' closer"

"Let me touch ya"

"Oh man! Are you a handsome sonofagun!"

"Toodles"

It was amusing. Can you tell?

(no children were harmed in the making of this montage. and yes, the mirror play was completely, 100%, supervised. and will be hung tonight.)

FarMin some Pictures

A wonderful lady named Melia came out to the property in mid October to snap some pictures. We hadn't had family pics since A was a wee babe. A and K were the subject of a few maybe a year and a half ago, but it was in the 90s and the studio had no air. Needless to say, they weren't great. This year was the opposite - the weather was a bit on the cold side. But yet, we had fun. I mean really, where else can you get pictures taken with turkeys stalking? I'm serious, see below.

Harvest Fest!!

So, if you remember (anything like other campers at the TC State Park do), you'll know that last year we camped at Harvest Fest and dressed up as "The Hungry Caterpillar"...and brought home the first ever 1st Place group award. Winning a gift certificate for 1 hunger filling 16" pizza, for the dozen of us to share. This year we returned, once again victorious. We rocked an enchanted forest like no other forest has rocked before, and that ain't no pun either.

Cast of Characters: Trees, Forest Goddesses, Fairys, and G-nomes

Trees, hangin' loose with their kind.

I have to give props to my sister. She worked really hard on these trees, and they turned out amazing. Lets just say, we found out why people don't often dress up as trees. It's really hard!

Homeschooling on the go - the Salmon were climbing upstream, it's spawning season. We took a few walks and saw many Salmon, learning facts about Salmon, their habitat, and life cycle along the way.

I don't know if it's good or bad that I had to Google it while in the field. I feel like I cheated...but I didn't want to miss the opportunity! And Adalynn soaked it up like a leaf. (sorry, couldn't resist).

Adalynn, bless her heart. She cut out (herself, the girls' did amazing cutting on their own pumpkins this year. they're growing up so fast! *tear*.) two teeth, and then another. Below is how it finished. Which, if you know A, (and A, I say this with the most love in my heart a Mama can), it's just ironic. That's all.

The group carved some amazing pumpkins this year.

Ryan couldn't get over the novelty shots...I have some amazing flip photos of him falling demonstrating the age old question, "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?". And here, a tree in a tree.

Baby J loved the acorns hanging off the "trees".

Henry kept asking kids, "If I have acorns, what kind of tree am I?", as random kids would come up and touch his "limbs", so they called them. Rarely could anyone tell him what kind of tree he was...in fact, one answered, "Pine tree?". Um, no. 

It goes without saying, but J was the Cutest G-nome Ever!

The Hugging Tree!

And one of our trees met his demise with a woodchopper along the way.

Super fun times, fam.

-C.