Side by Side



So much change in just two years!



Oriented

Tonight we had not one, but two, orientations. Each of our three youngest are transitioning to new schools this year. Gage is a Freshman, Drake is in 6th and his first year in the middle school, and Cora is going into a secondary elementary school. Sometimes it's hard to believe that those tiny little babies that I gave birth to 14, nearly 11 and nearly 9 years ago are already turning into these amazing, young people. They aren't babies anymore (although they will always be my babies)...they aren't toddlers (although there are days I miss this pacifier sucking, fuzzy blanket snuggling little ones)...they are intelligent, handsome/beautiful, interesting, hilarious, talented creatures and I absolutely adore each of them.
Tonight was Drake and Gage's orientations I'm so excited for them. Each starting this scary new chapter in their lives. They'll be successful...I know they will.

Today at the Homestead

As promised, we went back to work on the barn today. We are worried that with this sudden transition to cooler weather, that fall...then winter will be heading our way and we won't have our animals prepared. Today, Mark's brother, Jon, came and spent the entire day helping us working on getting the 2x4s that the siding will attach to. We also framed out the upper level doors and put rails on either side.

Tomorrow - we'll be back at it. I feel accomplished.

Me and Mark's brother, Jon, working on the barn.

Itty, Frankie, Ollie, and Jester playing "King of the Hill" with our bench.

Steve and Jester - hanging out in the pasture.



Mark and Jon - giving me a heart attack! Be careful Mark!



Safety first Mark!



Mark and Jon.

Steve's so dreamy LOL

Drake and his Uncle Jon - close up!

Drake and his Uncle Jon on the upper level of the barn.

Mark and Jon, working on the barn

Hay Delivery and Farm Tour

Hey - who is that handsome man? That's my Mark!

Our makeshift hay bale ramp

Same tool - from a different angle

Drake, his friend Eion, Cora and me - waiting to help pull the hay up.

I have to admit - Mark is pretty freaking smart. This process makes lifting bales of hay to the second level SO MUCH EASIER

Five bales up - four to go! One more will go on the main level to feed the animals from.

Push Mark, PUSH!

Pull kids! PULL!!!

The young men, after some muscle building exercises!

Me and kids, minus Gage...hey! Where IS Gage?? Probably playing video games.

Ollie! I see you!

Cora and Eion...Love Cora's outfit LOL

Eion helping the animals reach the yummy pine.

You can reach it Mabel!

Blossom and Josie wondering why I'm out there with the camera.

Drake and Eion - playing with the animals.

Stretch Flora! You can reach!

Eion and Drake - hanging with the animals.

Jeremiah -the bullfrog that apparently lives in our barn!

Hi Frankie!

Is it wrong that when I look at Frankie, all I can think about it what a beautiful sweater she is going to make??

Josie and Blossom in the pen.

Steve and Jester in the pen.

Itty and Frankie in the pen.



Mabel and Flora in the pen.

Whew - what a busy morning. I took a MUCH needed PTO day today and Monday. Today was to help Mark with morning chores - we had a lot of rain last night and the pens were a MESS. We needed to get the animals out to pasture and rake the pens, add hay and minerals for everyone and then cover the floors in pine shavings. We let Steve and Itty out to pasture and it seems that everyone was playing nicely together (with the exception of Mabel - who was as bossy and pushy as ever - it really bothers me when she just butts into the side of Itty...I'm worried that she is going to reinjure her). After this post, I'm going to grab a quick shower and then we are taking the kids to Jungle Jims International Market. Gage wants his party tomorrow to have an international theme - so I'm hoping that Jungle Jims will have a different snacks for everyone to try out. I took Monday off, since we are hoping to get back to working on siding and roof shingles on the barn and get that finished before the cooler fall (and eventually winter) weather comes in. It works just fine, now that the weather is still warm. But soon, school will be starting and we'll be busy with all that comes with that. Plus we need to have the final inspections on the barn and make sure that we are all set with the county.
I will end this post with a video of the barn/pasture area....Enjoy!

Big cities, big plans, big birthdays and more...

Wow...has it really been a week and 1/2 since my last post? We've been on the go around here. It has been a constant battle with trying to make sure that Steve stays healthy and that Itty's leg continues to heal. On Friday, Mark took Itty into the vet to get her cast removed. We've been trying to get her in with the rest of her friends. But from time to time, she continues to favor that leg. She needs to get used to using it, so we can put her out regularly.
I observed that our livestock guard dog, Ollie, is being a little rough with Steve. I think it is getting to be Fall in the barnyard and we need to revisit the idea of getting all of our males castrated (neutered/chopped). Jester, our other male sheep, likes Flora, our young female dairy goat, a little too much. It's a little bit of a same-sex and mixed species love fest around (which we support lol, but just don't want any animals broken hearts and drama).
This video was taken tonight in the pasture. We let Steve out to play while everyone else (including Ollie) was locked up in their pens. He had a blast, although he was somewhat confused by the notion of it being just Steve!

I spent this past weekend in Detroit, visiting one of my dearest friends. Heather and I have known each other since we were in high school together and although life has led us in very different directions, we've always remained close. In fact, I had the amazing honor of officiating her wedding last fall, in Brooklyn. Her ceremony was at a beautiful venue, under the Brooklyn Bridge, looking back over the city. In February, Heather welcomed the newest member of our crew, London (http://raisinglondon.blogspot.com/) and I FINALLY was able to find a weekend that we were both free and I could make the trek up to Detroit and meet her little man. London, is a very handsome little boy and just such a joy to be around, with his drooly smile and batting his eye lashes - he's going to be a heart breaker. Sometimes I miss those little baby times, but then, when I hear those little 3AM whimpers over the baby monitor, it reminds me that I'm quite satisfied with five children and the youngest being 8! While I was in Detroit, we visited the most amazing Farmer's Market I've ever seen. Eastern Market...if you are ever in the area, this is a must see. I'm so thankful that Mark was able to take care of the kids and animals, without any issues. He encouraged me to go and I had a great time. It's always good to be missed too.

London - looks at those sweet lips!!

Oh did I mention that Heather has an au pair from Thailand? So cool, right? I learned so much about her culture and she even was wonderful enough to make Heather and me an authentic Thai meal before I left on Sunday. Fish, veggies, rice, soup (with pumpkin tips). DELICIOUS! And...how cool is the lettering on her toothbrush container?!

Is it creepy and nerdy that I got excited when I saw these letters? Beautiful right?

Tonight we went and picked up a bunch of hay. We can fit 9-10 bales of hay in our min-van...that's right, we still haven't added a pick up truck or open air trailer to the farm - both are in the greater plan...but down the road a bit. Tonight we shoved 10 bales in - we were worried that with all the crazy weather that we've been having...too much rain in the Spring...nearly drought conditions in the summer...it's really affecting crops (meaning the cost of hay as well). Each bale cost $5 - which mean $50 out of the budget this payday goes to hay, those 10 bales SHOULD last us about two months. Between the grain/pellets, open pasture and hay...our animals are happy campers.

Tomorrow - our oldest son, Gage, celebrates his 14th birthday. FOURTEEN!? How did that happen? He's an awesome kid. Incredibly intelligent, protective of his brothers and sisters, helpful (mostly) and I am loving watching him turn each day into more and more of a good grown up. I just love that kid. Happy Birthday Gage!!

Gage teaching Blue new tricks

Cora, Drake and Gage

Hoping to get back to roofing and siding the barn this weekend - probably on Sunday, since Gage's birthday party is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Due to life and weather, any of our big projects have been on hold for a bit and it feels good to have a plan of getting back on track.

We've been busy

Our barn is coming along. We started it just last Thursday...so we've been at it about a week and a half.

So glad we had the trusses built for us. They are extremely heavy...nearly 200 pounds each and it's really just been Mark and me, with some help from the kids dragging these things up onto the roof and making them upright.

This photo shows 9 trusses up on top, but we actually have one more up there. Just one more to go!

The Bunny decided to pay us a visit for Easter.

The kids always do beautiful eggs.

Cora, Drake's friend Eion and Drake...showing off their climbing skills.

We've been busy working on raising our barn. We hired someone to put in all the post holes and build the trusses...but for the most part...Mark and I have built the barn together, with some help from the kids. It's going pretty smooth. Although, it is taking much longer than expected. Once we have the last truss up though, we'll be able to start putting up the roofing material (sheathing, then felt, then shingles). We have a couple pen walls up, just one more to go and one to finish off. We still need to put up the siding, doors and finish the gates to each pen. When the barn is complete, we'll need to put in the fencing for the pasture (the posts are already up). After all that, we get to go pick up all of our animals :-) I'm really excited about it. I'm going to combine all the pictures that are spread between Mark's phone, my phone and our camera and put together a timeline and cost list. Now I must work a bit to pay the bills :-)

Living In Extremes and Finding the Balance

Mark and I are the least extreme people that you will ever meet. We know what we feel is right for ourselves, each other, our children, our family as a whole, our animals and such; however, we don't ever want to designate what is right for others. We see such extreme behaviors as, well...extreme. That being said, we seem to live in a world of extremes. We have this huge, most significant part of our lives which is our family and creating the farm living space. In our hearts, we are on the edge of becoming sustainable farmers, providing for our family in a natural way. We are hard working, strong and treading as lightly as possible. There is another part of our lives that is my career. I work in Energy Efficiency and, at times, need to travel from Ohio to Portland for team building (which is always a wonderful experience to be around my co-workers, but difficult to be away from life here (Mark, children, farm etc.). I love my job though...and frankly, it pays the bills and keeps us insured. We have another part of our lives that calls us to far away places...in this year, we have traveled to Philadelphia (twice), Pittsburgh (two or three times), NYC/Brooklyn (twice), Portland (once), New Jersey (twice). At times we get to play dress up, drink cocktails and snack on hor d'oeuvres and other times we are elbow deep in mud. It's hard to find the balance...knowing where our hearts are...but knowing that we need to nurture these other, very significant elements of our lives. Friendships, careers, extended family that all need and deserve a portion of our hearts. Here's a glimpse into our extremes...

Mark and I at Hueston Woods, a State Park just a few miles from our home. Hiking with the kids. Photo taken by Ms. Cora (*note the height of the photographer).

Mark and I at my friend's wedding, in Brooklyn. I had the amazing honor of being the officiant of the wedding. I am so excited to be a part of her memories, forever. She will be an amazing wife. 

The kids at Hueston Woods. It's truly beautiful land.

The Bride and me! Although it is hard to tell, the new bride is also about to be a new mama! I can't wait to witness her in this new role. She is a wonderful soul and, I'm sure, will raise her son to be a kind, open-minded, open-hearted gentleman.

Snuggle Time with Belly and me!

Brooklyn Bridge, breathtaking during the day and even more so at night. My friend's wedding was at a beautiful venue, just below the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn side. The wedding was outside and we had the Manhattan Skyline as our backdrop!

The kids, our dog, Blue and me enjoying a round of push up Popsicles, after a hard day of planting trees.

Who needs a pick up truck when you have a mini-van??!! We've hauled so much for our farm between a mini-van, a Yaris and an old Accord. Our latest haul, and possibly our most money saving haul? We got over 1100 Ball canning jars for FREE off Craigslist. They need just a little clean up and will be perfectly for next year's canning extravaganza!

What good mother doesn't let her son climb a wobbly ladder, with a saw to saw off the lower branches of our pine trees? Oh wait! Get down Drake!!!

TIMBER!!! We have downed 8 pine trees (one that was ginormous!) on our property. Seven of them were dead/dying, one just took up SO much space and made our front lawn a little claustrophobic. A chop, chop here and a buzz, buzz there and down they all came. Of course we started with the largest tree and I must admit there was a moment of panic when the tree started to fall and I had the "what if it falls the wrong way" thought. Not to worry though, they all fell exactly where they were supposed to and no one has gotten hurt.

It helps to have friends in high places. Our friend Matt used to work for a landscaping company...and anyone that knows Matt, loves Matt. He's a good guy with a great heart and he offered to borrow one of the awesome tools that the landscaping company has and bring it to our property. This Dingo, with the Auger attachment, dug 23 HUGE holes in our land in no time at all. All I had to do is go around and point and Matt was able to plunk the auger in the hole and dig perfectly sized holes - something that would take Mark and I FOR-EVER to do by hand. Not to mention it was awesome to witness the raw power of that amazing tool. It has a bucket attachment and lifted a few of our pine trees and tossed them onto the brush stack in the back of the property like they were feathers.

I also found it fascinating how the auger would pull the dirt out of the hole and toss it around the outside. You have no idea how easy this tool (and it's awesome driver) made our lives.

It may not look like much, but that tree is going to feed my children some awesome Apricots, some day. Drake, and the rest of the kids, helped out so much on tree planting day.

Mmmm....Pear! Drake and Daddy did a great job getting this one in the ground and covered up.

Does it count as "child labor" if they have a great time and look so freakin' cute doing it? Not to toot my own horn, but that is my favorite skirt of Cora's - Dia de Los Muertos - Sugar Skulls cover the skirt and it twirls in just the right way. Cora is the perfect mix of punk rock girl, tomboy and cheerleader.

Gage and Drake helping Daddy fill holes and water our trees.

Special thanks to the kids and Blue who stuck it out to at least monitor our progress even after they got tired and sick of planting trees (who can blame them, 23 trees in one day is a LOT for anyone's attention span.

Good and watered! We have nearly all of our trees/plants in the ground at this point. Now we need to sit back and take stock of what we need and where we have space. 

Our first, of hopefully many, FRESH as can be Peaches. Isn't it perfect?

Other things happening in our world?

The kids at the pool at my parents' camp. They store their RV at a campground that they have grown to love. A couple of times we took time out to go and visit them and beat the heat with a dip in the pool.

One of our favorite spots, Glen Helen area of Yellow Springs/Clifton Gorge.

Nice cool water after a long hike...perfect.

All good things must come to an end. This summer was a doozy, but the kids have been back to school for a couple of weeks now. With the first official day of Fall coming and going, the leaves changing colors and falling over our freshly cut grass, a crispness in the air and hoodies always close by we look forward to see what this new season brings to us. We are blessed to have this warm home and dream about all the projects that await us for next Spring.

 Wanted to mention that I am so lucky to live this life with my best friend. I was only 21 when we met and I find it incredible that we still love to hang out with each other. I still have the BIGGEST crush on my husband...Look at him...Who wouldn't????

I love all the new creatures that we get to see out here. This beautiful butterfly fluttered right onto Drake's fingers.

We had a ton of the Yellow and Black butterflies throughout our property this year...I hope that continues. 

I don't know what that little guy is...but he's cute.

I'll leave you with this...THIS is the biggest spider I've ever seen in my life. She is a mama Wolf Spider. How do I know that she's a mama? See those dots all over her backside? Those...those are babies. We counted around 100! She's outside, in our shed/barn, she's not aggressive by nature and will only bite in a defensive mode. We decided to let her live...and someone recently pointed out..."so that means you have 101 of these on your property" - perhaps I should have squashed her with my shoe (I was just afraid she'd fight back!). Really though, I think she is cool. I'm proud that we can teach our children about these creatures that we wouldn't normally be able to expose them to.

In the end, I know that we will continue to work on finding that balance in our life. We do really well with it...it's just another challenge that we face. This is the life we chose, the path that was created for us - it's an amazing journey and I'm so glad all of you are along for the ride.