Our New Goat Babies!!

by Steph // Sunday, May 28, 2023 // Comments off

I think it was last summer that we originally started talking about getting a real building on our land to have laying hens again.

Not long after that, Grant told me I could have one of the buildings in his yard!

For my birthday in September, the guys told me they would pay the cost to have David move the building from Grant’s place to our place.

It wasn’t long after the blessing of that news that I started talking about getting some small goats to go with our laying hens.

At the very beginning of May my new building arrived on a beautiful but freezing cold morning!!

What fun it was for us to see what David does for a living!

He also let the boys drive the mule and help set the building in our yard!

What a sweet gift this is to me!!

Thank you boys!!!

It was about a week after the building was set that we headed to Ontario to our friend’s farm to meet our new goat babies!

To say that Eliza was excited is such an understatement!!

I was excited too.

It was such a beautiful day to be in such a beautiful place!

Let me introduce you to Dottie, Poppy, and Patches – in that order.

Originally we were just getting two girl goats, but when I saw Patches and heard that he would be banded (so he can’t have babies) and dehorned, I just COULD NOT leave him there!

He is adorable!!!

We also got to see the rest of the farm and some brand new puppies – thank goodness they were not for sale!

After we got home that day, this is what Eliza’s doodling looked like –

She really has them drawn exactly as they are!!

Our sweet little building needs a full renovation – thanks to some rot.

But it will be AMAZING once my guys are finished with it!

See that little red shed in this next photo?

That’s what it should look like when we are done!

On one of Blake and my date nights we started looking at things to make the inside of the building what we will need it to be.

It was a fun date night!

I might of bought a new mug too – completely NOT needed!

We also bought a motion sensor light to put on the outside of the building.

These signs cracked us up, but stayed at the store, ha, ha!

I got four books from the library to refresh our knowledge about goats!

I am so glad I did!

We are so excited to have this opportunity for our youngest children!

Lane, Tate and Eliza got to have a date night with Blake and I recently, and we stopped at a Pet store.

Eliza wanted a clicker and treat bag to work on training Ruby and eventually our goats.

SO cute!

We also got collars for the goats.

This past weekend, there was a lot of progress made on our little building!!

My guys are SO talented with carpentry, as they both used to build sheds for a living.

I just LOVE seeing it all come together!!!

We cannot pick up our new babies until the first weekend in June because Patches is still too little.

Hopefully our building and fencing will be ready by then and we can bring our babies home!!

We also have a few laying hens coming with Kayla’s order she placed for their farm, and I have a friend who is giving us a few of theirs.

I still need to find some more – I will have to work on that!

Twin Oaks, you will look good with animals on your land!!

So glad we can give our younger children these opportunities even though we are not on the farm anymore!

Welcome to our family Dottie, Poppy and Patches!!

IT’S A…….

by Steph // Friday, May 26, 2023 // Comments off

GIRL!!!!!!

Introducing Saige Grace, our newest and most precious granddaughter!!

She was born at home yesterday, Thursday, May 25th, at 2:22 a.m.!!

Kayla and Saige are both doing very well!!

Kayla did AMAZING and there were literal answers to prayers throughout her labor!!

Watching the kiddos realize the baby was here when they woke up Thursday morning is a memory tucked deep into my mind and heart and one I will never forget.

SO much LOVE and JOY!!!

We are SO happy to have a new granddaughter AND niece!!

Welcome to our crazy Saigey girl!!

YOU HAVE SO MUCH LOVE ALREADY!!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

The Second Half of April

by Steph // Tuesday, May 23, 2023 // Comments off

After some beautiful summer like weather at the beginning of April that I wrote about here, we had a HUGE snowstorm!

I think we have a snowstorm at least once EVERY April – but they still always shock us and have everyone in the area talking about this crazy weather!!

This one really was a doozy!!

It started slowly, but picked up in intensity on a Sunday evening.

Monday morning brought these views!

Crazy weather!!

Monday morning I woke up determined to still live in the fact that it had just felt like summer, and put on my sandals, ha, ha!

It wasn’t too long after that that I had to go and get my slippers off the top shelf of our closet.

It was SO cold!!

We hunkered down, as always, during the storm.

Thankful it wasn’t longer or worse!!

By Monday afternoon it was clearing off – which is the way spring snowstorms usually go.

I took Lane to work with no problems!

The sun started to come out!

The guys scooped off the deck that night because there was so much snow and it was so wet and heavy.

It blew around so much out there, but I think we ended up with 18 inches or more.

I ordered a new rug for our bedroom that was on clearance.

The rug that was in our bedroom was very nice to look at, but that is where it ended.

Our dog, Ruby, liked to “dig” at that jute rug, and she had put about ten holes in it!

Jute also always “sheds” all over everything – and I was just tired of that fact.

Our new rug is not only beautiful, but cannot have holes dug into it, is soft to lay on, and it does not shed!

Those two cuties in the photo below LOVED it too!

Ready for some things that are in almost every single post I do???

Have any guesses??

How about school and food!

Let’s start with school, art included.

It is pretty much guaranteed that we ate well in April, that I enjoyed making it all, and that I had awesome helpers who enjoy that kitchen too!!

Look at all this yummy food!!

Did you all know that I am NaiNai??

Did you know I have five beautiful grand children??

NaiNai days are THE BEST!!

You know it is going to be a day with the grands when there are five little cups on the counter!

My hubby, those grands, these kiddos, our pups – they fill my life with JOY and FUN!!!

Blake and I just took a walk before I started working on this post, and I told him how much I LOVE THIS LIFE!!

I do not deserve all of this!!

Even though summer was over and winter was back, the second half of April was FULL and WONDERFUL!!!

I am SO grateful for ALL the Lord allows!!!

It is NOT always easy or what I would choose, but it is His best for us, that I am SURE of!

I hope you can see the Lord’s goodness in the good and the bad too!

P.S. Next up is a GREAT POST you won’t want to miss!!!

A Ladies Tea and Girls’ Night Out

by Steph // Sunday, May 21, 2023 // Comments off

I have been a part of our women’s ministry at church for many years now.

I really enjoy being on the committee that hosts a monthly gathering for the women and gals of our church!

At the end of April, we had a ladies tea on a Saturday morning.

Addie and I were in charge of the decorations and helped with set up as well.

We took our trio of helpers to church on Friday afternoon to get the job done!

On Saturday Addie had to work, so that left Eliza and I to enjoy the ladies tea together.

We were supposed to bring our own tea cup!

Since we are not tea drinkers, we brought our own mug instead.

I might have bought one just for the occasion!

Eliza and I got ready and headed to church early to help with the rest of the preparations.

The tea party was LOVELY!!

There was a delicious brunch, a skit, singing, a devotion, and a very fun craft to do.

Kayla and Briar were there too, and we enjoyed being with them!

It was Briar’s turn for a special date with her Mommy, and this is what she got to do!

Eliza really enjoyed the craft, and made one for Addie too since she could not be there!

She is always so sweetly thinking of others!!

Once we got the church all cleaned up and back in shape, Eliza and I spent a few hours at home before heading to pick out flowers for our front and back porches, and also to pick up Addie Mae from work!