boy for Astrid and Nathanial!
They had the ultra sound this afternoon! It is just so exciting!
Just popping in quickly to share, I am supposed to be getting ready for women's group! But I am so thrilled for them! Couldn't wait!
Hello all! I pray everyone is doing well and turning a ready face to spring!
I haven't been on in so very long. It has been a very challenging season of life here. Nathanial's father had a stroke at the end of January, we were caring for him through most of February. He was recalled to our heavenly fathers waiting arms on March 17.
Nathanial is struggling, as the shock begins to fade the grief is creeping in. It is a terrible loss. Not only to his family but our community as a whole h
We are settling in at home. It feels fantastic to be here , so much quieter then the hospital. Amy is a fantastic help and Matt's mama is here taking care of me. I managed to sneak out to the greenhouse and have some soil therapy today! Then Matt caught me .
Whew, we are in a cold snap again here. About -27 with windchill! We have the wood stove going in the one greenhouse now. And I have several layers who are not producing at all now. I worry about that young couple in the bunkie, brr
So Heather Leah is on her way, must be impatient like her namesake I think! I had a feeling over the last couple of days that this might be coming.
My water broke about 15 minutes ago. just heading into the hospital now for emergency c section...lol sounds dramatic but just means I am ahead of my scheduled one. So should be holding the baby soon! I am excited and Matt is on his way home. Luckily Amy has packed and repacked our bags about 20 times this week for me- so ready to roll!
We are getting so excited, just a couple more weeks to go and I will be holding our new little baby daughter. I am getting everything all in order and have handed almost everything over to astrid so I am feeling quite relaxed.
Nate turned one, that was a fast first year! He is a busy busy boy!
Had a fantastic Christmas season, very blessed with good family times and wonderful services this year but the weather has left a bit to be desired. Awful ice storms, and record breaking cold te
We are getting so excited, just a couple more weeks to go and I will be holding our new little baby daughter. I am getting everything all in order and have handed almost everything over to astrid so I am feeling quite relaxed.
Nate turned one, that was a fast first year! He is a busy busy boy!
Had a fantastic Christmas season, very blessed with good family times and wonderful services this year but the weather has left a bit to be desired. Awful ice storms, and record breaking cold te
Evil Houdini, must have been missing his treats and photos from the pumpkin path, since he barrelled out the side of the pig pen , which could have only been accomplished if he mustered up the gumption to go at it full tilt! then wandered down and around the pumpkin patch area, which is a good hike for a pig his size. Astrid and I could only get him home by throwing him cake scraps and moving slower then molasses. maybe I should start going out everyday and taking his picture, I think he's lo
I love this time of year so much! we woke up this morning to some swirling snowflakes- made it even more fun to go out and feed the chickens this am! The uncles have their bell harnesses out and came jingling up the laneway this morning! We are diligently working away on our Christmas hampers and will have them ready to be distributed at the church on nov 30, we'd like them home and safely tucked away for Christmas before the snow really gets flying. this post will be a pain to read,
Brrrr freezing rain out there today, but the pumpkin patch is still crammed!
Matt and I are working away on our next personal bs7 challenge
A Christmas hamper style program. For our church members.
We are just in the planning of it.
Last year we scrambled and did little gifts. But we would like this to be more extensive and organized. It is a lean(manageable but lean) winter for many others in our community. So it could be a blessing for some.
We are thinking of trying to
Hi everyone,
We are home, and th trip was just outstanding. Such a blessing!
The weather was amazing and we just had a perfect time!
Now back to the crazy ness of the pumpkin patch, Clare and Zeke are getting slammed! Which is fantastic! But they need some help lol.
Lots of Halloween orders piling in for cupcakes, and cakes.
So back to work lol.
Matt came home this morning he got off at 7 am, and told me to pack. We fly out tonight to the Mayan riviera at eight pm. He arranged all the coverage, passed my cupcake orders on to someone else and has the market covered next week. Amy is going to Heathert's for the week. Nate is going to stay with Matt's mama.
lucky Matt's mama since he is now a walking machine and into everything. I weaned him couple of weeks ago, mostly since I pregnant but also because he won't even sit to nurs
We are a tired group but the patch is all set to open this weekend and our fields are cleared!
Some canning left to deal with, but for the most part everything is harvested and stored properly. Our csa shares will go biweekly now, and we can almost breathe again.
Apple cider press will be at our farm bright and early so we have collected all our drops, and stripped the trees so we are prepared for our turn.
Butchering is done for the year, glad to see the end of it. And the smoke
Hannah's birthday is coming up, and I am very excited. We are having a big family get together on sat for it and I can't wait. We haven't picked out a store bought gift, but we are leaning towards a slide or a tricycle for her. Matt made her a big set of over 50 different blocks, all painted and cut in different shapes for her. astrid made her a four by four foot felt board, with tons of cut outs. The uncles well, they just do what they like so they ordered her a fancy pale pink canopy bed. W
Thankfully, we are blessed and it isdone with $17 to spare none the less! the additional farm is paid out! we are very relieved. praise be to Heavenly Father for pulling us through this last stretch of it!
it is rented, and our tenant has moved in. The fields are rented this year but we will take them back over next year for more csa shares, and we have a nice rolling section that will be a tree farm. Hoping to get our Christmas trees in the ground early spring.
what is next for the r
well not much excitement to report around these parts.
We are into the peak production time around here. So lots of picking and canning and dehydrating!
I have canning running on all three stoves lately, clare astrid are here helping me. In order to provide for our household, the uncles, my dad, astrid and Clare's families we will be looking to fill about 5000 jars. So 500 more then last year
It seems so overwhelming at first glance, but it breaks down ok, once you move through th
I am having trouble settling into sleep tonight.
Tomorrow is the day of meetings for the council of elders, with the bishop. We have so many items to get through on the agenda.
Now of course we have all the troubles that ours and my uncles districts are facing with folk losing income and heading into winter ill prepared.
It is a great deal of responsibility to sit of the conical under any season, but during a trying one such as this the pressure increases quite steeply.
We wi
Amy was thrilled today at the ultrasound this afternoon. It's a girl!
So she is getting her wish! She is quite pleased with how it has turned out.
We have an actual due date of jan 28th. Little off from mine of feb 4 but close enough.
Quite exciting, such a blessing she looks healthy and right on track!
No name yet, still tossing ideas around. Nothing has stuck yet.
So today I decided to grab some the compost from the back piles,not quite ready but I was mounding trees so didn't matter too much. There back behind the pile was about 12 strong beautiful tomato plants and a mess of zucchini, with about 10 ready on the vines.
Thanks lord, that was kind of you
We are in a terrible hail storm with very violent rains, wind and hailstones. We can see our field being decimated from here.
We prepped for it all afternoon, but it's never enough. Not even close
Going to be hard times ahead for folks in our church.
Makes me feel so sick inside.
Easily twice as long as the hail storm we had last year already.
Prayers appreciated,
We are halfway through what we need for the new farm, only 16500 left to go! I am getting excited to see the end in sight now.
We went over tonight , made lists of what all needs to be done in the house, then in the barns as well.
House was in significantly better condition then we thought. He had so many things piled about it was hard to tell what some of the rooms actual dimensions were etc.
So once this heat wave breaks a bit we will gut the inside and give it a makeover i a
astrid and nathanial are getting more anxious to push through their debt. The weight of owing money on the house bothers them, and they have quite a bit still to finish on it.
They have asked that I go ahead and post their budget, break down of where they are job wise and a few options they are discussing. Mostly for astrid career wise.
astrid mentioned they are just looking for a good cross section of feedback to draw on to discuss.
I am not allowed lol, to offer my opinion on it
Matt and I had a few really great conversations lately. The late night snuggly able to focus kind where you don't have twenty things pulling your attention away.
we decided that our bs7section of the plan hasn't been balanced in well for us against the drive to purchase the farm which has been our primary focus now for months.
I decided I will share our top secret, swore to secrecy under punishment of nathanials mud wasp experience from last summer if you tell plan.
So last week
Wow my calendar is flipping ahead while I scramble to catch up with it these days.
Hmmmmm where to start, lots of daily happenings and farm stuff to choose from.
I will start at the Dave related stuff and work forward I think.
we have $20 000 left to pay out on our second farm purchase. The gentlemen we are buying from took a turn for the worse so he has gone to move in with his younger son. He popped round and handed us the keys. They said go ahead and take over te house and land
Whew, took me a few days to get back on here. Just farm life busy lately.
We have purchased the farm, right on the price we agreed on last winter, so it is a big relief to have it signed sealed and rolling along. We put $110 000 down on our half, and have 35 000 to be paid by aug 15. Tight tight tight, but we will make it I have faith. Draining the account out stung a smidge though. But we just added 17.65acres.
It has a nice brick farm house on it, 4 bedrooms, well maintained,coupl
ok if you get a chance today send me some good luck out into the universe! I have my first set of field trip students today and I am super nervous! It is a jk-grade 2 group coming in at 11 am, until 2:30. should be fun, I have everything ready and lots of displays where they can try on Amish clothes, play "house " with our traditional kitchen things, wash bins etc. have a wooden toy display and they are making sugar cookies in my outdoor clay oven matt built me. We are having a picnic, then doi
