Winter Farm Chores…Work Gear for Mild Winters
In Virginia, we have mild winters with occasional snow and ice. So we don’t have snow boots or pants, we just layer, layer, layer with our regular, hard-working chore gear.
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5 Days of Summer Reading {Books You Need on the Homestead}
This week I’ll be part of a 5 Days of Summer Series and I’m talking about 5 Days of Summer Reading. Each post comes with recommendations for how to choose good books, tips to encourage a love of books, and ideas for how to enjoy reading as a whole family–as well as a book list, so be sure to check them all out! MONDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Homestead} TUESDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Boys} WEDNESDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Girls} THURSDAY: … Continue Reading…
Controlled Burn…Managing the Family Tree Farm
We recently did a small controlled-burn on the family tree farm. This was the first time all 3 kiddos had been out there to help at once. In this scenario I was just there to take pictures and supervise the munchkins. My Father-in-Law and Mr. Fix-It were managing the burn itself. The tree farm is a couple hundred acres of longleaf pine, mixed with some cultivated fields, a beaver pond, and hardwood edges. Longleaf pine is native to this area, but is now found in less than 5% of it’s … Continue Reading…
10 Thoughts on Finding Land…The Dollars and Cents of Starting a Small Farm
So, in the back of our minds, I think all of us small-farm-minded folks have some kind of Old MacDonald, little patch o’heaven, green pastures and babbling brooks daydream going on when we first envision our place. Or maybe it’s wide open prairies with clear blue skies and rugged, snow-capped peaks in the background. Either way, it’s beautiful. It’s perfect. And when push comes to shove, it’s really expensive. Farming begins and ends with land, and these days land is hard to come by. Even if someone was to walk … Continue Reading…
Hauling Water, and Cold Farm Kids…the Daily Farm Adventures {100}
We had an interesting situation this last two weeks. Last Sunday we suddenly got snow while we were in church and everything’s been pretty much frozen or just barely above freezing since. This makes doing winter chores a little (sometimes a lot!) less fun. It’s the same work, but it’s colder. {smile} Your hands are stiff or your gloves are in the way…gate latches are frozen and have to be thawed or busted open…and you’re wearing 27 layers of bulky clothes every time you try to move! The really difficult … Continue Reading…
Our Kids Favorite Chores…the Daily Farm Adventures {82}
Our kiddos do chores. Every day. Every morning and every evening, actually. And every weekend. Around here, everyone does–right down to the babysitters and the dogs. So when Speedracer came up to me last weekend and said, “can we do chores like last weekend? that was so fun!” which chores did he mean? Cleaning out the barn. But he really meant any of them What he meant was can we all go out and do the chores together? Because that’s their favorite chores. When the kids and the parents are all … Continue Reading…
Always A Bird Thing Going On…the Daily Farm Adventures {67}
I’m not sure what it is about our kiddos, but they seem to be a magnet for hard-luck cases. Remember the Ladybug’s little bird adventure over the summer? And then there’s the case of the crazy, snuggling chicken (who is still living hale and hearty in the backyard). Well, now the Cowboy (who’s been inside most of the weekend struggling on and off with stomach issues) comes out of the house for ONE MINUTE Saturday evening to check on me working sheep alone–apparently the’re not sure I can handle anything … Continue Reading…
Spring Gardens and Growing Things
It’s spring! It’s spring! {smile} Everything is green, and growing, and even 57 degrees feels warm with the sun shining! I’ve been having a heck of a time keeping the kids in coats and hats! Yes, I’m a little militant about hats or hoods. But I’m also not a fan of ear-aches and migraines–and besides, the Cowboy’s “highlighter” hat is the only way I can keep track of him sometimes! Their Carhartt gear just blends right in! We’ve been letting the kids hit the woods right at the edge of … Continue Reading…
Momma Does the Chores and a Farm Year ReCap…the Daily Farm Adventures
The crew is off visiting their Grandma and Grandpa Oliver for the last few days of their Christmas break, so Mr. Fix-It and I have been doing up the chores in the mornings and evenings while they’ve been gone. I’ll be glad when they get back home! I have to admit, I’m a little out of practice. {smile} Most of the time these days I’m more of a supervisor and emergency assistant than a chore-er for the daily stuff. Our little farm-hands keep the daily chores well in hand alone. … Continue Reading…
Chores in Skirts…and Other Daily Adventures
Around here, we don’t let little things like being a girl, or wearing a skirt, slow us down! Believe me, I don’t think life is ever going to move too fast for this lady! The Ladybug has to wear skirts every day for school, and it has yet to stop her from doing her chores every morning and every evening. No matter what those chores may include. Sometimes I stop and think about how shockingly competent our kiddos are compared to myself at that age. I don’t know that I’d … Continue Reading…
Hayrides, Peacocks, and Sneezing Sheep…Daily Adventures on the Farm
This past Saturday, our church had their first Fall Festival and Food Drive. It was a Thanksgiving food drive (obviously) and a fund-raiser to help our youth raise money for summer camp. Since the Ladybug went to camp last year (and loved it) and wants to go again this year, our family was helping man a “booth”–the hayride. (Did you see the Facebook pictures while we were fixing up the trailer?) I think it went really well, although Mr. Fix-It and I seemed to end up manning the booth, while … Continue Reading…
In the Snow…the Daily Farm Adventures
Laugh if you want to, but we got A LOT of snow. For here. {smile} First the back field looked like this… Then it started snowing… And when we woke up the next morning… I’m beginning to wonder if the kiddos will ever go back to school again! {smile} They’re really enjoying it though. We’ve done a lot of Legos and played a lot of Go-Fish, and I’ve sent them out with faithful Penny for at least an hour a day–although they usually only make it about 40 minutes. I’m finally … Continue Reading…
Teaching Children to Be Good Animal Visitors
The Saturday before Easter we (meaning our fuzzy, four-footed residents!) were invited to the Piggy Cottontail Easter Egg Hunt put on by our local Historic Resources Department at one of our local historic properties. If you’re wondering what in the world is “Piggy Cottontail?” Well, this is Smithfield, home of the World’s Largest Ham Biscuit. It’s the original home (and still headquarters) of Smithfield Foods. Everything here has a pig-spin to it! So we packed up a few cute spring animals and set up a little display for the kids … Continue Reading…
Friday Farm Updates
Well, I missed Thankful Thursday this week–but I was thankful on Thursday. Thankful for safe travel back and forth to a conference for 3 days. Thankful for the pretty wildflowers on the side of the road while I was stuck in traffic behind a logging truck, a school bus, a combine, and two tractors. Thankful for the beautiful weather that I hardly got to enjoy–because at least I didn’t have to drive 70 miles each way for three days in the rain. And thankful for Mr. Fix-It holding it all … Continue Reading…