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I am so far behind with Project Life already – it makes me sad. I cannot wait to get back in to a normal routine at the farm then clean and organize my studio so I can sit down and play catch up with everything. 2013 has definitely started off horribly with the loss of my dad but I know I want to document it all – it will be a real treasure to look back on thru the years, especially for my future babies when they want to know more about their grandpa in heaven.

I managed to complete Week 2 of my Project Life album when I was home with a cold in January and have had the photos of it on my computer but never got to posting them – til now! So bear with me..I’m trying to get caught up as I’m currently about 14 weeks behind, so posts will be random and weeks will definitely not be in order!!

 
Week 2 – gosh seems like such a long time ago already! Hard to remember the week but so thankful for this project, just looking at the photos, I’m instantly brought back to January and this week in particular..
 
 
Above is the left side of the week, which was the week I came home to the farm from being in the city with my Daddio due to a sore throat and all around just feeling ill. The stress of Dad’s situation finally took its toll on my body and I felt absolutely horrible that I wasn’t strong enough. I came home to rest but also so that dad could come home for his day passes without worrying about catching a sore throat on top of everything else. I settled in with lots of tea and homemade soups and revelled in my time just being still. This was also the week I received my “I Wear Blue for My Dad” colon cancer awareness sweater in the mail. I took those series of photos and sent them to my dad and it sure made him smile:)

 
This is the right hand side of the page – full of snow, construction, crab legs and of course, this was the week I lost my sweet Dharma. She was such a sweetheart! I love seeing these photos of our crab leg night that we had with my inlaws, so yummy!!

 
Just a few close ups..please double click to enlarge if you’d like!

 
And that was Week 2, in the books! So glad I’m still working on this project and not letting the fact that I’m so far behind get me down. Can’t wait to get more weeks under my belt!!
 
 
 
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  • dawn - Hello!! I rememnber this week too, that blue sweatshirt and you being sick and poor Dharma, that was a rough week for you. Love the photos and seeing the different way you journaled in this week pages. Cute collage of you and I bet it did make your dad happy seeing them. Glad to see Adam in there too and those sweet dogs! WOW, look at that snow!!

    Good job having this week done and getting more done when you can. Just keep it fun and YES YES YES you will LOOOOVE looking back at this one day yourself and with your little ones one day.

    Hope your having a good day! I’m doing ok and excited about the Taylor Swift concert tonight with the girls, YIPPEE!!

    Slowly catching up on my PL pages too!
    HUGS!!ReplyCancel

Turning in my stiletto heels for tractor wheels 3 years ago was just about the best decision I ever made in my life, next to marrying my farmer. I am only now beginning to realize how its changed me, allowed me to grow and expanded my mind, my thoughts and my knowledge to levels I never thought possible. Yes, I never knew a thing about farming before I met Adam..sure I had the romantic ideals of what farm life would offer and knew the basics from movies, tv or my personal experiences at my grandma’s homestead that is now run by my uncle, but I truly didn’t have a clue…

 


When I first started chatting with Adam and was going to come to the farm for the first time to meet his family, I wanted to impress them. I wanted to know more than I really did, so I called in backup. My girlfriend at the office was married to a dairy farmer and I sat in her office and asked questions and I will admit, I believe something came out of my mouth that sounded like this: “All I know is that those green machines are called combines…I think”. I shake my head and giggle just thinking about that. Of course my coworker was kind enough to inform me that not all combines are green and that, on second thought, maybe don’t bring up farm machinery at all. {that point there saved me}

Now, 3 years later..I’ve become a part of this land. I have put blood, sweat and tears into this land. I’ve worked the soil with my hands, grew food that fed our families, raised chickens here, tend to them daily and collect their eggs. I could tell you about summer fallow vs chem fallow, sprayers, tractors, grain carts, cereals, pulses..the list goes on. Farm life is hard work but its a great life. Yes I get to work alongside my husband almost daily, he’s home for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day except for when we are seeding or harvesting and, even then I’m often with him. And I’m so grateful for that.

Planting peas in my garden last May
 


I love the pace of life here. I love the silence of the countryside and hearing my rooster, Tiny crow at the crack of dawn and every hour after that. Which is another thing I learned, by the way..its a movie myth that roosters crow at dawn and thats it. My rooster, Tiny..will crow all day if he feels like it..up until about 7:30, which is then his bed time..

Tiny, my ameracauna rooster
 
This is the good life and I get to live it every.single.day. I love that farm life and raising chickens has become popular again with so many people. Its a true reflection of how we as a people are wanting to get back to our roots in some way, shape or form. Sure its not as glamorous as I once imagined, but thats okay. Its perfectly dreamy just as it is…unless you are scrubbing poop off an egg, theres no way to romanticize that one! But, nevertheless, I’m perfectly smitten with my country life. And that leads me to the biggest awareness I’ve learned since moving to the farm..supporting local, eating local…getting back to SIMPLE.
 
 




Living on the farm, growing my own food, raising my own chickens for their eggs {I don’t butcher my chickens as they are our pets} combined with all the news, reports and movements that surround us regarding changes in diets, GMO’s, etc has really made me aware of what we put in to our bodies and of wanting to go back to the days of trusting what you are eating. I grew an approximately 2,000sq ft garden last year and, I’ve gotta tell you, those were the best tasting vegetables I’d ever had. I grew most of them from seed, I watered them and fertilized them..sometimes using compost from my own chicken coop and I knew exactly where it all came from. There’s a power in that! Nothing is more satisfying then waking up, heading out at the break of dawn to your garden and tending to your piece of land..be it a tiny strip of dirt in your backyard or a massive garden that spans acres and acres. Watching plants grow from your own hand is truly satisfying and nothing beats walking out to the garden to pull ingredients for supper…nothing!!

I know that I personally relished in watching my hardwork grow and bloom and, eventually, feed us. I also relished in the sounds of working in my garden while listening to my chickens cluck and my roosters crow. When I came across I basket full of tomatoes that had overripened, I walked them down to the chickens to give them a treat that made them dance with excitement. seriously, chickens loooove tomatoes and they are hilarious to watch! But the best part is? They reward you with this,

 
 
So please, do yourself a favor this Summer..go local. Plant a garden, even if its in a pot. Support your local farmers and attend your nearest farmers market. Spend your hard earned money on groceries that are pure and good for you. Not full of preservatives and grown at a mystery plant thousands of miles away. Take a small step to getting back to our basics..you just never know where it can “grow” from there..
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  • dawn - LOVE LOVE THIS SOOOOO MUCH!! Now I really want a farm, like RIGHT NOW!! What a great job you’ve done trading in your heels and becoming such a wonderful farmer/country girl.

    It is pretty awesome when you can eat the foods you’ve grown, that’s how we feel too.

    I never knew chickens liked tomtoes, how funny to get pink/red eggs after that.

    Keep posting these farm life posts, I LOVE LOVE THEM!!ReplyCancel

 



Drinking: Coffee…I used to hate it, then I started drinking a little bit at the hospital this Winter and now I can easily down 2-3 huge mugs of it/day. I find it so comforting, from the smell of the grinds when you open up the canister in the morning to the smell of the freshly brewed pot and that first swallow of warmth that trails right down to your tummy…*sigh*

Eating: Eggs! I currently have 5 dozen fresh eggs from my chickens and I’m running out of room..anyone need some farm fresh eggs? They’re good..believe me!
Listening: to the sounds of saws once again. My brother and father in law are currently laying hardwood here in the dome now that the tiling is done and things are getting exciting. There has been talk of a possible move date after seeding..and that? Well that just made my month!
Wearing: comfy pants and sweaters folks…its Spring and its snowing. ‘Nuff said, lol
Reading: The newest UK editions of Country Living and Country Homes and Interiors. I am a monthly subscriber and these magazines are divine. Going to England and discovering their countryside is a must do on my bucket list!!
Feeling: excited to switch houses and finally have a home of our home. Frustrated with all the bad things that have been going around lately. Happy my little Honey is making a recovery. Sad but also contentment. I’m a ball of emotions apparently!
Weather: Its snowing…in April. Which actually isn’t totally unusual for us but still, I’m so over Winter this year it isn’t even funny
Wanting: my Daddio
Needing: a change. Change in seasons, change in routine, change in life..
Wishing: I could rewrite this Winter and have a completely different outcome
Thinking: about renovations for our future farmhouse, our future family, my 2013 garden and all the possibilities that await us
Enjoying: having Honey and Daisy inside with us again. I really missed not having the chicks inside {they do belong in a brooder outside but its so fun having them in with us}their antics make me giggle and somedays..thats just gotta be enough!
Loving: my texts from mom lately. She’s keeping herself busy at home and by busy, I mean she’s tearing rooms apart and redoing them like her and dad always said they would. Its keeping her going and some of the things shes doing make me smile {homemade gyproc putty anyone?! lol}
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  • dawn - I loved reading this post, these are always fun to do. The smell of coffee is wonderful to me also but the taste is to strong? but tea is perfect for me. Doesn’t smell as good though, too bad.

    Hoping spring will really come your way to stay soon, we all need that change of seasons too.

    Hugs for you and your mom, glad to hear she’s keeping busy.

    LOVED your post below, you are such a good mama to your chicks. Hope they stay healthy and continue to grow for you now.

    Oh I have a recipe for a dish that takes 8 eggs if that would help.

    Take one bag of southern hashbrowns, you know the cubed kind in the frozen section.

    spread them into a 13×9 baking dish, mix in a whole box of microwave bacon, crumbled up and 1/2 cup shreded cheese and sprinkle salt. Mix this together, I use my hands.
    Then stir together 8 eggs in a bowl and pour evenly over the top of the hashbrown mix and sprinkle Paprika over it.
    Cover with foil and cook at 375 for about 50mts. check and see if eggs cooked enough to your liking and cook a little longer if needed.
    I LOVE LOVE this dish and makes enough for leftovers the next day.
    You could serve it with bisquits or toast like we do and some fruit. Hope this helps.
    Have a good weekendReplyCancel

On Friday afternoon, I went to randomly check on my chicks in their brooder after feeding my big girls their treats as I often do. I came across a very happy brooder minus one poor little Buff Orpington that was laying off on it’s own, I thought for sure she was dead. I picked her up immediately and when I realized she was still alive, I carried her inside and set her in her own little brooder with a heat lamp so that I could carefully observe her. She was completely limp & lifeless, couldn’t move nor walk, couldn’t even lift her poor little one month old head. I thought for sure she wasn’t going to make it. But I knew that at least this way, she could sleep peacefully without being stepped on or pecked by any of the others. At bedtime, she was fast asleep..not moving or opening her eyes but still fighting…

I asked Adam to check on her in the morning so that he could take care of her before I saw anything.

Saturday morning I got up and was shocked to see the heat lamp still on and Adam drinking coffee beside her, surely she hasn’t made it thru the night in her condition? But, she did. She hadn’t moved much and when she did it was painfully obvious she couldn’t walk as any movement was abrupt and ended with a scootch backwards. Her eyes were still closed and the poor thing..she broke my heart. Dying in little chicks is very common but I hate when they have to struggle. I cried and not because she was dying but because she was just laying there, fighting to live and there was nothing I could do. And then it hit me, I had nursed chicks back to health before without knowing a thing about what I was doing. I just went with my gut and it hadn’t failed me yet! So I held her close and I filled the cap of a pill bottle with water and I forced it in her face. She had no interest at first, but I didn’t give up. Eventually, she took a sip..and then another, and another, and another

After a little nap I noticed my little girl had perked up a bit, I couldn’t believe it. After texting the breeder, I decided to add a tablespoon of brown sugar to a gallon of water and fed that to her and she wouldn’t stop drinking it up! She amazed me at every turn..

 
Saturday night, although she had shown so much progress in 24 hours, I again didn’t know if she’d make it thru the night. Her right eye still appeared paralyzed as she could barely open it and she could barely lift her head let alone stand..but I had faith that I was doing the right thing. I fed her some more sugar water before bed and I asked my sweet Daddio to help me out. I asked that if she was to go be with him, to please take her..or help her get stronger, then went to bed.
 
Sunday morning, I walked out of our bedroom and was greeted by this..
 
 
Her eyes were open, she was chirping, she was holding herself up and walking {shakily}, she was drinking and when I gave her food, she couldn’t stop eating. I couldn’t believe it. If I hadn’t followed my gut and helped her, she could have either still been lying helpless at the bottom of this box or, worse, she could be dead. Now, she’s far from being out of the woods yet..Lord knows anything is possible! But today, shes walking and flying and showing true signs of recovery.
 
 
 
After a full day of showing recovery, I could see my little girl was quite lonely. Whenever I checked in on her she would come as close as she could to me so that I’d pick her up and take her with me. She’d fall asleep in my hands {made me melt} and I had to laugh when our “family” took a Sunday afternoon nap..what a sight we must have been! Adam sprawled out on one couch..Jakey sleeping at his feet and myself sprawled out on our other couch, Honey sleeping on my chest:)
 
But because I cannot be her constant companion, I went back out to the brooder and brought home another Buff Orpington that showed signs of being pecked on..{a small bit of dried blood on her comb, completely natural} and, although at first they stood frozen, unsure of what to make of their new situation, within minutes I found this..
 
 
The two of them, snuggled up next to each other. Made my heart melt:)Chickens by nature are very social creatures and are stressed when they are alone for very long. While its very important to confine them when they are ill or injured, its also important {in my experience} to either have them in a box right next to their fellow flockmates or reunited when in the clear. Because I am keeping an eye on her for at least a few more days, but knew she wasn’t going to contaminate any other birds, I knew this was the right thing to do. Just this addition alone has helped little Honey perk up even more..its truly amazing to see!!
 
Saving an animals life is powerful and I feel so grateful that I was given the chance to take care of these little babies and raise them on our farm so that they can grow up and happily provide our family with fresh eggs daily. Its a blessing for a former city girl like myself to be able to experience.
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