Thirty things I am Thankful for.

I copied this idea from my niece's blog, because I loved it!

I am Thankful for ......

1. Mark- my sweet, hardworking man, that always makes me laugh. My husband of 21 years. He's part of everything I do & love.
   
2. K1- my sensitive, persistent and happy girl. She is a freshman at Castleton State College and I know she will be a great teacher!
   
3. K2- my fiercely loyal, dedicated, and wonderful girl.  She is a senior in high school and I know she will make a fabulous Cosmetologist!
   
4. K3- my funny, caring, and animal loving girl. She is always trying new things and puts 100% into whatever she is doing.
   
    
   
    I love and adore our beautiful girls! Nothing makes me happier or more proud than the K's!
5. My family that is large, fun to be with, and always here for me if I need them.
6. My friends- we've shared a lot of fun times through the years. They are the best!
7. My dogs.

   

   Miley & Carter

   
   

   

   Our newest addition J.D.

8. Leo & Arlene for providing us with the opportunity to fulfill our dream of farming.  Leo is always helping Mark fix things, or offering advice. Arlene does all the flowers & helped me decorate this fall. Both will come out and help anytime they see us struggling or trying to get in loose animals. They are simply awesome & we are thankful for their support.
9. That we are healthy!
10. To be able to raise all our own meat. I know exactly what goes into my meat & that my animals lived a great life. There is nothing better than a Triple K burger, our bacon smoked at VT Smoke & Cure, or a pasture raised roasted chicken. Yummy!
11. That I live in Whiting VT and always have!
12. For sunshine- when the sun is shining, everything is better!
13. For coffee with Simonds Sugar Shack maple syrup each morning & a well deserved drink at the end of a long day, with the one I love the most!
14. Sugaring season- always a fun time of year with family & friend. Nothing beats warm maple syrup fresh from the arch.
    
15. My pool - I love summer.
16.  To be a Farmer and to do chores every day. I love my animals and they bring me joy.
17. Scented candles.
18. Country music.
19. Wood heat that keeps my house cozy & warm.
20. Fresh vegetables from my garden & raspberries in the fall.
21. That my girls never went to daycare. I cherish every minute that I spend with them. I loved being home for their childhood. 
22. Pictures & scrapbooks to capture memories
23. Danskos & flip flops.
24. Cell phones, so I can always get a hold of my girls & Mark. I love my iPhone.
25. Internet - provides so many options, opportunities, and blogging of course!
26. Watching my girls play field hockey, race around on four- wheelers, ride horses, and play with little kids. Basically, watching them do anything that makes them happy.
27. Christmas lights & Christmas trees, symbols of my favorite holiday.
28. Desserts- apple crisp, sugar pie, and homemade cookies come to mind.
29. Everyone that supports our farming business - members of our CSA, visitors that come to the petting barn, and anyone that buys any of our product. Allowing us to do what we love.
30.  That in a lot of ways we all make our own luck and happiness. And I am pretty lucky & very happy!

Meet JD

Life has been interesting around here! Last Wednesday, my niece called me about an abandon 5 week old puppy. Of course if you know me, than you know I said I would take it! I picked him up and he was 3 1/2 lbs. He couldn't hold his body temperature, so we held him & he even slept with us. Thursday, I brought him to the vet. They said he was healthy, but too little to be away from his mom. I needed to feed him special food & keep him warm. We named him JD (Jack Daniels), for Mark.

Those first few days were rough, like having a newborn. I would feed him, wash his face, clean up his poop & pee  (it was too cold to take him outside), hold him till he fell asleep. Then put him in his crate with a hot water bottle,  he would sleep for a few hours. Repeat the whole process. It was exhausting! Not to mention I did a load of dirty peed on blankets everyday.

It's been a week and he is doing great! JD weighs 5 lbs. We've started taking him outside. He sleeps 6 hours at night. Hasn't had an accident in his crate in two days. When he wakes up he wines & I take him out. He is becoming playful. He has this super funny growl that makes us all laugh. He only plays for an hour or less, than he's worn out.  He is so smart, sweet, and absolutely adorable!

First Day!

JD loves to eat!

This is how he likes to sleep & I am tired by day 3!

His favorite toy - sometime he attacks & growls at it!

Miley can't wait till he plays with her!

Checking out his toys!

After toy bin is empty, he was to tired to play!

If I'm in the kitchen, he will find me & fall asleep at my feet.

Another busy weekend!

Picture from the party last week. K3 is quite the baker/decorator!

Friday, I spent the day with K1 & 2, oh how I love those girls! We went to lunch & ran errands, including finally getting my oil changed- way over due!

Again, we spent the weekend getting ready for old man winter (whom I could live without). We brought in more wood, worked on buttoning up the barn (almost done!).  Saturday, we moved the chicken coop.. Mark hooked onto the coop & got stuck with his truck. We really have to bite the bullet & buy him tires (one of those things I hate spending money on). He had me hook my Mariner to his truck & shockingly it pulled him out!  The hens were very happy to have the leftover popcorn.


Then K3 & I pulled out my snow babies & put up some lights inside. I love being warm & toasty inside with white x-mas lights & a scented candle. Definitely one of my favorite things, I love Christmas!! Mark, K3 , and I spent the evening watching season 3 of walking dead. We are all addicted. We don't have cable, only Netflix so we have been watching last season all week & we finished it on Saturday!

Sunday, morning I went riding with K1 & 3. I rode K1's horse Ranger. I haven't ridden in a year. K1 gave him a pep talk to be a good boy, & I reminded him I bought his grain. We had a awesome ride!
After, lunch, we moved the cows. We brought the big ones home in two loads. We loaded them much easier than I expected. We had my nephew Quinn with us for the last load. We had him outside the fence, holding the trailer door opened. Once the cows were loaded, we told him he did a good job. he said " when the big one with horns came, I almost let go!"

 
 We weaned Black Jack from his mom & brought him in the barn. He is a big boy, bigger than all our other calves, that are older than him. Both him & his mama have been protesting this all week. Lots of moos around here. Doesn't he look sad?

Sunday, night we had Quinn & Peyton- they were so fun!

Peyton got a hair cut, by K2.

Crazy Animals

Our calves all comfy in their new pen.

I love my goats!

Friday was my first winter CSA pick up. It was great to meet new members. It was also a very rainy day and Mark was unable to work, so he worked on the barn all day. We have been working on getting the back half ready to bring in animals for the winter & a few border heifers. That meant demoing the stalls, building some pens, redoing the gutter cleaner, and getting water to the back of the barn.

On Saturday we had 7 ram lambs in the pasture. We put one in with the ewes, than we sold 3. Here's the three that are left & they are cute!

 On Sunday we had our last b-day party in the barn for the season (my nephew). It was cold. K3 made an amazing cake (as always). We have an understanding, I bake the cakes & do all the cleanup and she comes up with the ideas, makes the frosting, and does all the decorating. This time I had to make a cake, cupcakes, and sugar cookies!

Monday I planned my meals for the next two weeks & went grocery shopping. Tuesday I spent in the barn cleaning, because we moved animals around & the borders came in. Today was clean my house and bathe the dogs, who found something nasty/dead to roll in! Tomorrow we have an appointment & Mark will be home, so that means work on getting ready for winter! Friday is paperwork day. In case it's not apparent I am a planner. My white board is full of list - Marks jobs, the menu, to do list of the day...

As always we've had a few surprises:  We treat our animals so well, they think they belong in the house!

K3 sent me this "Well Hello there!"

K1 found this when she woke up this morning.