Daddy likes that boy's style….

Our Stihl gas trimmer wasn't working the other day and I went with my little boy into the Toro/Stihl dealer to pick up a part to fix it.  Not 30 seconds into the door, my little boy proceeded to tell everyone in the store….as loud as he could…..that they didn't have anything green in their store.  And that they needed to go out and get some John Deere to sell.

Man oh man, Daddy (who works for Deere) likes that boy's style….

It's time to bring on some animals….

Finally, both gardens are in and I must say it feels so good to have that done.

So with that out of our way, our focus has turned to the grass.  Something that at this moment just won't stop growing about an inch an hour, it seems.  Lately we've had our share of rain, which I must say that I am enormously thankful for from a garden aspect.  But when you are trying to keep up with the mowing, there are days you just want to throw up your hands and say….little help?

So this has got me thinking.  (What else ya gonna do on a lawn tractor?)  I believe it's time to bring on some animals to the farm.  Something that needs a nice little pasture.  Something that can eat weeds, grass, brush piles and anything else we got going on all over the farm.

It's time to bring on some animals.

So if you'll excuse me, I need to go and convince my husband that we need a goat, and a sheep, and a horse and some chickens and….

Oh boy, this is gonna take a while.

So tired of shopping….

I am not a shopper.

There I said it.  I don't like to shop.  I'll go to the grocery because there is that whole you have to eat in order to survive kind of thing going on.  And I'll do the occasional online shopping for things, but I really do not like going into store after store to pick things out.

Wanna torture me?  Make me go Christmas shopping…..at the mall!

So needless to say, this past week I am just gonna say it….was painful.  I have looked at a bazillion lighting books, flooring books, carpet samples and tile.  Oh, don't even get me started on that.  There are so many tile options that it should be outlawed in all 50 states.

I am just plain worn out.  I would rather spend a day grinding out the weeds in the summer heat than to shop for all of this again.  There are a thousand….and one……different things you must think about, plan out and search out in order to get this house done.

They finished putting in the insulation this week and I believe drywall is next week.  Walls, people.  We are about to get walls.  How cool is that?!  We are nearing the last few sections left on our outline that our builder gave us.  Next is the drywall phase and then it's millwork/trim phase and finally the final phase.  Which translates to me to mean….okay, gimme my key so I can move in, please.  Eight months is a long time to wait for a house.

So we just got to keep on chugging to the finish line.  Keep on picking out stuff.  And hope we're making the right choice.

A farmhouse, people.  That's what we're creating here.  And it's gonna be awesome…..I hope.

I have officially put God in the driver's seat….

This morning I finally finished planting the big garden and officially put God in the driver's seat.

You see, we have no water at the farm yet.  Okay, scratch that.  I have water.  But it's in a well down in the bottomless pit thingy near the chicken coop and I don't have any way to get to it.  We are having the workers for the house pipe the well to the garden area but I have been told that it's gonna be a while.  Ugh…

I now know what the farmers feel.  When they watch the skies and rely solely on the Lord above.  They pray a lot and have a lot of faith when they plant.  Which is a good thing.  I plan on planting the second garden this weekend, if all goes well.  And keep on praying.

So, come on Lord….bring on the rain.

 ….please

Anne of Green Gables….

My youngest daughter and I are going through the Anne of Green Gables movies again.  We have all three and I cannot say enough good things about it.  Love these movies.  My favorite quote is the one below….

"Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it."

Anne says that a lot.  It's so true.  Kind of like starting out with a clean slate.  Nice to go through life with that thought.

I love the slow pace of life in the movies.  Where tea was served on real china, and walks around the lake were common.  Where ladies dressed up to go "visit" someone and where gentlemen were still plenty to be found.  Just slowing down and enjoying each and every moment.

If you've never seen Anne of Green Gables, I highly recommend it.  It's just a good wholesome kind of movie.  I hope you fall in love with all the characters as I have.

It's planting time….

I have to for one minute brag about our soil here on our farm.  We have the blackest, most beautiful soil you've ever seen.  Our garden has been "resting" for many years now and the soil is an organic farmers dream.

My husband helped me till up the garden this week and in doing so, we got a really good look at the soil we have to work with.  It's black and rich.  We have worms, and worms and even more worms.  Hot diggity for me.  Crazy large spiders.  No, I'm not kidding about this one.  And I did not take a picture of that one.  It was the size of my fist. I actually called my husband over to see it….and then told him to pound it into the ground.  Me and spiders, not to good of friends.  There are also tons of micro-thingys in the soil.  It's all good my friends.  Best soil, ever!!

Now, for the bad news.  We have snakes.  Yes, I said the dreaded word.  And of course, they seem to be out near the garden area.  At least, we've seen one repeatedly.  Of course, my brain tells me it's a whole family of them, but I do have an overactive imagination.  My husband said not to kill the snakes though for they are catching the mice.  Mice?  Ugh….I can't win.  Can't we just put a bubble over the farm and then I won't have to coexist with snakes and mice and heaven knows what else this rookie farmer is learning.

Nope?

Fine.  I'll try to get along.  But….I'm not gonna like that one bit.

As far as the garden planting goes, our plot is massive.  We technically have two massive plots.  My husband is working the first plot and the second one is in the back.  You can see in the pictures that we have put 7 foot posts all the way around.  We'll put up a deer barrier fencing to fight off the deer and rabbit fencing will go along the bottom buried a few feet under.  For that I'm using chicken wire.  We are gearing up for battle folks.  In the end, we hope we've done enough to win.

My plants are going in the ground finally.  And I am so very glad to be outside working in the dirt again.  Love it!  The only problem for me is that there is not enough time in my day anymore to get everything done.  I need like a 48 hour day.  And that ain't happening.

So, I'll do what I can and keep plugging along.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?

Okay, look here….

I am not and I repeat not…dead.  Dying.  Not gonna pass out.  Look like I am in trouble.  Or in need of your assistance in any way, shape or form.

So get on out of here….shoo, little missy.

Seriously.

Move.  Don't even think about coming down here to me.  Or so help me, I'll….I'll….

Well, I'll think of something to club ya with.

Or better yet.  Go make your home down the road at the big white barn.  This is a no vacancy farm for vultures.

….a minute later.

I stopped to take a water break.  They called for reinforcements.  Four more showed up.

And I picked up a really big stick.