we're moving!

No, not really. Not real-world really. Just internet-land really. I'm moving the blog! This old blog was supposed to be my artsy-crafty blog, and it kind of morphed into the farm blog. Since creating a facebook page for the farm, we decided that we should have a blog dedicated to the farm, not just this frankensteined ol' gal. There's a rumor floating around that Davey may even join in the fun. So go check out the new page. Follow us here for all the farmy goodness (and some crafty and foody goodness from time to time as well!). It's what all the cool kids are doing.

fireflies in march

So. Wednesday was the first day of Spring, and I've decided to roll with the fact that it's actually been Spring around here for a least a month now. Apparently, the fireflies got the memo, because I saw the first twinkling bug butts on the way home from church wednesday night. Speaking of which, imagine trying to explain to someone that has never seen a firefly - "yeah, we've got these bugs around here in the summer, and their butts glow! It's really cool!" Just think about how crazy that sounds.

Also, speaking of crazy, check out Davey at the Pot O' Gold run in Athens:

Now, that's what I call sexy!
He ran all 5k's in that kilt. And those socks. I love that man.
And speaking of 5ks, yours truly is training for the Moo Run in May. And I will not be wearing a costume. Sorry.

But back to spring, and gardening and all that. We've already got the veggie garden tilled and halfway planted, and  I've got a whole lotta seedlings sprouting in my makeshift greenhouse/utility room. It's pretty exciting. We've also started our three sisters-style cornfield, which we're going to plant in 3 stages, which will hopefully mean lots and lots and lots of fresh corn and beans. Probably waaaaaaay more than we can eat, but that's ok! Anything we can't eat we can give away. The rabbit and chicken setup isn't done yet, but I'm hoping we'll have it done before the end of this month. We should be having a big work party here soon. Hopefully the first of many. I've had so many people come up to me and say, "Any time you guys are having a work day, let me know, I'd love to come out and help!" To which I smile and respond, "Sure, that would be great! There's plenty to do!" all the while secretly thinking, "You're a crazy person if you want to come pull weeds..." and then realizing ".... but if they do it, I don't have to! Score!" And so was born the genius idea of Farm Days. Every other Saturday, all summer* long, I'm going to have an open invite to anyone local who wants to come out and get their hands dirty. We'll provide the food and whatnot, and all you crazy people can come get your farm on! Genius, I tell ya.

This is gonna be a good year.


* the term "summer" is kinda relative here... considering that "spring" arrived in February, and it's been 80-plus degrees here for a week, it's pretty much summer now. I figure Farm Days will start in April. Stay tuned...

awesome ahead

First off, I gotta tell everyone - I'm kinda freakin' out over this non-winter we've had. It's February 29th, and I'm wearing my chacos to church tonight. Please understand,  I love my chacos, but this winter that never was is so uncool. Literally. Ha. On the one hand, I keep thinking that if  it's this warm in February, what's it going to be like in August? But yay! I love these temps right now! Let's get the garden going EARLY!! And then on the other hand, I'm thinking Oh CRAP, how hot is it going to be in August? and will we get the mother of all blizzards here in a month or two?
Seriously. This crazy weather is wearing me out. But on to other news.
Cool things are happening around here, ya'll. This month, we start a new partnership with our church, where we'll be teaching the teenagers how to garden and can and farm and make things for themselves, so that they can go out and teach people how to garden and can and farm and all that good stuff. I'm so excited about this, because it is everything Davey and I have been hoping to be able to do. We'll be starting a community garden at the church, and also using the extra produce grown here at the farm to help feed people who are hungry, but even more exciting than that, we'll be going right to where they live, and setting up gardens for them to grow food for themselves. Our chicken coop is slated to be repaired and electrified this month so we'll have eggs to add to the vegetables, and we'll be getting our first rabbits! Add to that my plans to start FINALLY selling crafty goods again, and a possible job at the Mayfield farm for the summer, and it looks like things are about to get crazy awesome around here.

'Sup.

Howdy ya'll. I'm a terrible blogger. Sorry 'bout that.

I'ts not as if there hasn't been plenty to blog about. But, well, the truth is that I discovered google reader, and didn't need to go to blogger to keep up with everyone else's blogs, and so I got distracted with other people's lives, and uninterested in keeping track of my own. Excuses, excuses.

So. What's new down on the farm? Let's see... August was disgustingly hot, and I was having some repercussions from two pregnancies in a row, and so I pretty much sat around wearing as little clothing as possible and waiting for it all to be over already. September was pretty much the same way. Sometime in the middle of a few rainy days, the stupid raccoons killed all my chickens again, and I cussed alot. Sorry. This time I'm really not trying chickens again until I get some razor wire and electric fencing. Maybe I'll put frikin' lazer beams on their frikin' heads. Is that too much to ask?
October was pretty awesome, it always is. Halloween is so much fun! We had a big party here with a bonfire and a "tractor" ride for the kiddos. Oh, and we learned how to grill meat. I mean for real. Like, the most tender and delicious grilled meat ever. Maybe I'll write a post about it sometime. Or maybe I'll just tell ya'll to go to amazingribs.com. You know you wanna.
November is the busiest month of the year for me. Punkin's birthday, Maezie's birthday, and then Thanksgiving. Three big events, 3 weekends in a row. This year was even bigger, because it was the first year I was hosting Thanksgiving at our house. There is nothing like trying to cook dinner for 13 people in a house that looks like Toys'r'us just threw up on it. I think I may have to institute a 1 toy per child, per birthday rule or something. Especially with Christmas being just a month later!! It's definitely time to do a toy purge around here.
But, back to Thanksgiving dinner. I want to tell all of you a story about gracefulness, and skill, and me falling over the baby gate 2 days before Thanksgiving and seriously jacking up my knee. But I just gave you the punchline, so we'll leave it at that. I am eternally thankful to Grammy and Nana for coming over and doing whatever I told them to while I sat at the table in the kitchen with a knee the size of a canteloup. I commented to Davey after the dinner that I couldn't believe how smoothly everything went, and that's when he so kindly pointed out that I hadn't really done most of the work. (>sigh< There's always next year.) Still, the food was awesome, the company was awesome, and it was a pretty darn near perfect holiday. Even if I did have to get around with a cane.
Fortunately my knee got better VERY quickly, and we were able to pretty much stay on schedule getting the Christmas decorations up and whatnot, and then started the December baking and cleaning and present-buying and present-wrapping blur that is Christmas. This year wasn't a big year for presents, but I'm just so thankful that we were able to buy any presents at all, because I honestly thought for a little while that it was not going to happen. But God is way, way too good to us, and this Christmas was a great one. Not really because of the presents (though don't get me wrong, I love me some presents) but because the girls are getting old enough to really start enjoying everything about it. And because I got to do nice things for people I like an awful lot. And, I'm not gonna lie, because of the cookies. I really love cookies.
On the 29th of December, Maezie-bell had her surgery. I  had the mother of all panic attacks beforehand, but seriously, the surgery itself only took 15 minutes, and she came thru it like it was no big thing. Afterwards I freaked out ( I do that alot) because her smile was different, but then the swelling went down, and it's not so different, just bigger, and toothier, which is not a bad thing at all. And we're already seeing improvements in her eating and noise-making! Hooray!
So. Now it's 2012. I ushered in the new year sitting on the couch and trying to figure out why any of the "musicians" on New Year's Rockin' Eve are getting paid for what they do, and why people seem to think they're so awesome. Maybe it's just because I'm getting old, but Beiber? singing Let it Be? With Carlos Santana? Come ON. I've heard kids at highschool talent shows do better covers than that. And don't even get me started on Pitbull or Lady Gaga. Yep. I'm old. But I'm totally ok with it.
So. To sum up:
The last 5 months have been crazy and typical.
I've started my midlife crisis.
and I'm a kluttz.
Yep. That's pretty much it.

he was a good dog. he was a great dog.

Today is a hard, sad day. 11 or so years ago I found Jake while I was on one of my evening walks. I had prayed and prayed for a dog. I wanted a buddy to go walking with me. I did not pray for a skinny, wasted, mongrel dog, but that's what I found on the road that night. He was so thin and hungry he could barely walk. He followed me home (with no prompting from me.. no, really. I, uh.. it wasn't my fault!), and I told my father to feed him or put him out of his misery. 20 minutes later, mom and I were at the store and we got the phone call to bring home dog food. And you know what? That scrawny mongrel turned out to be a handsome dog. A good dog. A Great dog. The whole neighborhood knew him. He went for daily runs, 3 miles or more, with our neighbor. He went "visiting" to all the neighbors' houses (where they gave him treats). He was the friend and champion of all our outside kitties. He followed my dad anywhere he went.. he was ALWAYS ready for a walk in the woods. He loved bonfires. And oatmeal cookies. And pepperoni. And roadkill. He was a faithful friend and companion.
Last week he started having trouble walking, and after 4 days of being in visible pain, it was time to let him go. We knew this day would come. He was at least 12 years old. That doesn't make it any easier.


Jake with his best friend, Little Boy

 He was the best dog I've ever had, and I'm going to miss him so very much. Goodbye, Jakey boy. I love you.

A Very Big Day

Today in the Lewis household is a Big Day. Today, Davey starts his first day of work at a new job. A new job that is 40 miles closer to home, and pays a good deal more. AND he gets the fancy-pants title of Director. Movin' on up!
This Big Change for Davey means some changes for me as well. For starters, he will still be here at 6 am, when I'm usually just having my first cup of coffee and enjoying some kid-free internet time. He'll be here, and he'll probably be on the computer. Curses. BUT, he'll also be here at 7:30 or so when the girls wake up and have breakfast, which means we can all eat together as a family. Which means that now I have to do more for breakfast than break up a banana and dump a handful of cheerios within reach of little grabby hands. Curses. He also doesn't get free lunch any more, so I'll need to fix him up a brown bag every morning before he leaves. He'll also be home at a regular and consistent time, which means I'll know when to expect him for dinner and we can all sit down and eat together... which means that I need to get dinner made at a regular and consistent time. Curses!
Seriously, though - I'm very excited for this change. We'll have more time together as a family, and anything that forces me to be more organized and consistent in my daily schedule is a very Good Thing. Because on my own, I suck at time management and organization. I really do. So even while I mutter curses under my breath and wonder when I'm going to get time to sit and read all my blogs and waste time on Pinterest, I know that this is a good thing for all of us, and I'll just have to remind myself continually: paid holidays! sick days! consistent schedule! less gas and  miles on the car! more time with the family!

Yep. A Big Day. A Good Day. But no matter what Davey says, I'm still not calling him 'Director'. So there.

why every girl should own a pair of overalls (and muck boots!)

Today my father-in-law came out with his tractor to mow our VERY overgrown pasture. It's very overgrown because a "creek" runs thru the middle of it and for 10 months out of the year turns the majority of it into a bog. The 2 months out of the year it's not a total bog, it's still at least a little bit of one. So, say it with me kids: Tractor + bog = STUCK. When the FIL came up to the house for lunch, he said "I think it might be time to call a tow truck", after trying unsuccessfully to get the tractor out himself. But wait, isn't your truck 4wd? Why, yes it is. Now, I may not be much of a farmgirl, but I'm sure willing to try. So I suggested we try to pull the tractor out with the truck before we call a tow service. I mean, how hard can it be?


I put the girls down for their naps while the FIL went down to get the truck in position and the chains on the tractor. And then I decided that before I headed down to the pasture, I needed to change. A cotton tank dress is not the outfit for pulling tractors out of creekbeds. On went my overalls and my pink muckboots, and down I went. 10 minutes later, the truck was out of the bog, and I. FELT. AWESOME.



My trusty christmas pitchfork. Don't I just look so farmer-y? Yeah I do.



Now, you may be wondering what overalls and muckboots have to do with anything. They don't really. Except that dressing like a farm girl makes me feel like a farm girl, and makes me feel capable of doing farmgirly things, like pulling a tractor out of a bog. Seriously. If I ever feel like something is just too hard for me to do, all I need is to put on my overalls and muck boots, and suddenly I'm capable. I can take on the world. Or at least an overgrown flowerbed. With my overalls on, household chores tremble. They know I'm coming for them and there will be no mercy. With my muck boots on, no weeds will deter me. There are no bugs to fear because they will not crawl across my toes. And if they try, I can pulverise them. With my muck boots. Forget diamonds. Overalls (and muck boots!) are a girl's best friend.