41/365 The farm life doesn't stop because you are sick!

So, as I mentioned in a few posts back... we have new hens!  Well here are a few pics of them, sweet as can be huh???

Well the next image isn't so sweet.. along with these beautiful hens came 'Pepper'.  Upon picking her up, the owner said she'd be de-feathered by a group of Roosters.. not the case at all!  She actually has MITES!  So, after reading up on the mites I learned that my whole flock could get a bad case of mites!  Oh no, not my hen house.. so with stomach bug and all, I decided to powder down all my chickens!  I called up my right hand wo-man, Casey (who too had a bad stomach bug) and we set off to Tractor Supply.  We bought all the doctoring aids we needed to nurse her back to health and prevent my flock from mites.. After catching each chicken and dusting them it was dark before we were finished.. but the job is done!  Oh my, when I took on this job of raising livestock I didn't know I'd be out in the hen house all day while having a stomach virus, dusting chickens!  I have to say, it's well worth it all & I'd do it all over again.. but today was a super long day! 

Thanks 'Pepper' for getting Casey and I out of the house & working.. it may have sweated this cold right out of us!

40/365 Dentist/Stomach Bug

Needless to say.. today didn't get a picture!  I was at the dentist at 8am (with both kids) and didn't even think to bring my camera.. I mean it's not like I was overloaded with stress of the dentist and two children or anything ;)

Dentist went well.. we had both children's teeth cleaned & they both did wonderful!  Being Lyla's first time, she had a few tear drops hit her cheeks but they were soon gone with the promise of Target Toy directly after we left... so once we left, you guessed it.. we headed to Target!  The kids had a quick trip through the toys, as the stomach bug hit both myself and Lyla all at once!  The remaining portion of the day was spent laying on the couch, covered by countless blankets due to our fevers and countless trips to the bathroom.. not a cool virus at all!  Want to get detailed?!?!?  I must say I can't normally clean up my children's throw up very well, but have you ever tried to clean it up while you, yourself is sick as a dog?!?!  It really doesn't work out so great...resulting in double the mess!

2.9.11

39/365 Wedding FUN!

I know this is a image a day project I'm on... but I can't post pics from today's journey, as I've swore secrecy to Casey!  Today Casey, Evon (Casey's Momma) and I worked on wedding stuff!  WOOO HOO ~ Nolan and Casey are getting hitched this May!  I'm beyond excited & truly enjoyed my girly evening with them.. we made cute kissing balls and can't wait to see it all come together :)

38/365 Baby chicks @ Uncle Nolan's work.

37/365 I need new boots!

I've been saying this for months.. and since I just bought a sweet new pair of cowboy boots I've not been aloud to purchase boots to wear to cut wood.. just been using my old cowboy boots or rainboots.  Well for those of you who haven't walked in the woods in cowboy boots it's almost impossible!  Where is all this rooting from??  Well today after Church we decided we'd stack firewood.   While stacking I twisted my ankle sooo bad that I was unable to walk!  Once Rob saw the pain I was in, he is now convinced that I need new work boots ;)  These are the ones I'm thinking of..

Secondly, today is the day we decided to go ORGANIC!  We'll be buying a meat cow in June, will be raising our own meat chickens, and will double/triple the size of our garden.  One day I hope to have fruit trees, blackberry bushes, blueberry bushes, etc.  My goal is to only rely on the grocery store for small things & the things we do buy will be all organic.  If you wonder why this has came about, just watch the movie  FOOD INC.  This was what has pushed me into this change, though this change was coming anyway I was shocked at what I was feeding myself and my family!  Please watch this movie and make a change, even if it's a small one.

36/365 Sleepy, work day... turned chicken gettin' day :)

Sleep.. I needed it today!  After staying up till the weee hours of the night finishing the Valentine Pictures I was beat!  I slept a good portion of the morning away.. I woke with the kiddos, then napped on the couch for a few.  Then they woke me wanting me to journey up to Lyla's room to play house.. guess what role I played?!??!  The Baby, ya know that way I could lay in the bed like a lil baby while Lyla covered me in stuffed animals and Tate covered me up with 30 blankets ;) Well I conked out for another 20 minutes as they played Momma and Daddy to me and woke knowing I had to go in search of location for Photo Days to come.  So, we grabbed some mud boots and warm clothes and set out..  picked up our pizza and ended up out Hwy 282 by a dear friend of mine's house.  After yacking with her for a few minutes we continued on our journey.  And what did we see?!??!  A little handmade sign reading "chickens for sale"  if any of you know me, you'll know that I had to stop!  We talked to the sweet lil' lady named Marie and looked at her chickens, (which I just had to have).  We left without chickens and promised a return later in the week... then my sweet friend, Cindy offered her carrying crate!  Bingo, we can get our chickens!  So, after getting the crate we pull back up to the lady's yard to claim some cute hens.  (Please note, I think she was a bit thrown by me.. thought I was a crazy lady to go get a crate and return directly lol)   So, we loaded 5 full grown hens into our truck and went home happy!    It's the random days like these that are my favorites!

Overlook the poop image quality, took with my phone.. but this is one of the new girls :)

35/365 Squeaky Clean!

After the snow fall late last night I got into a huge cleaning mood.. just this wet cold weather & nothing better to do, I broke down.  Laundry Room is so clean we could eat off the floor, kitchen is clean for the next hour until we cook again, dinning room CLEAN, living room.. swept & mopped, Master Bedroom and bath ~ we'll not talk about that!  lol

Here's our beautiful winter weather from late last night :)

And I'm gonna go ahead and add a lil big of my opinion on the whole "I'm over this snowy weather" thing!  I see & hear this all the time.. all I have to say about that is GET OVER IT!  Just be thankful that you woke to see the snow fall.  Be glad that you live in a place that gets light snow from time to time.. There are people who have never seen snow fall from the sky and there are people who have to dig their cars out from the snow!  Just take a minute to appreciate the snow and it's beauty and that we are blessed enough to see God's work.  And one more little thing.. we all know that this season will pass, we will soon be in the beauty of Spring months and then Summer.. (you know those months were we all miss the cold weather!)  So instead of always wishing for something other than what we have, take a minute and live in the moment.  With all that said, I'm gonna go crawl in my warm comfy bed on this cold night & enjoy my toasty fire :)  I hope all of you wake up happy & enjoy your day tomorrow and as the cold wind hits your face, just be thankful that you can feel it!  Night night.

2.4.11

34/365 Normal, if there were such a thing ;)

Today was just your average, normal, run of the mill kinda day.. nothing over exciting happening at The Engle house ~ oil change on truck....which means 1 hour of Walmart shopping.. which means Tate owns a new cowboy hat & Lyla owns a sweet lil baby penguin :)  She has carried it everywhere ~ and even shared her silly bands with it :) She is going to make the best lil Momma one day!

Tater bug has been begging for a black cowboy hat for the past 6 months.. so I broke down, he proved me wrong and has yet to lay it down :)  2.3.11

33/365 Fiddlin' around

Yes, it is true I have a mad love for the fiddle and no, I don't know how to play it.. but I got my second one today!  After saving my $$$ I was able to pick up the fiddle I had dreamed of!  So now it is on... I gotta learn how to play!  Still waiting to find the perfect teacher with patience that will help me start.

2.2.11

32/265 While brother is at school

 This is the time of day that is all yours!  While Tate is at school you love soaking up Mommy's attention.  While Mommy does laundry you sit at your art table making sweet creations with those little fingers.

 I love you Sunshine!  Thanks for our fun days together :)

31/365 First birth at Engle Farm

 Today we found a pile of hair in the corner of the Hen House.  I didn't first thought that something might have happened to our bunny, as it was bunny hair.  I left to take Tate to school without looking further.  As I was gone I remember reading that Rabbits will pull the hair from their stomach area to make a nest upon delivery of their young.  As Casey and I returned to the Hen house to feed and water the animals we looked at the hair ball and found 5 tiny lil babies inside.  

As Casey and I stood in amazement, we debated if we should bring them inside or leave them for the mother to care for where they sat.  I wish we'd have let them stay as they were, but as we stood there MoZelle (the pygmy goat) ran through and came within inches of the nest.. we directly brought them inside.  We also brought Momma Bunny inside and made a soft lil place for the sweet babies to rest.  I went directly online and read up on handling and care for the babies.  Little Lyla loved every second of the nest fixing.. she was able to see each little bunny as we moved them over. 

31/365 She's good as new :)

During the last Snow/Ice storm we were hit in the front end by a driver who lost control on the ice.  While he was uninsured it made for an expensive trip to town for me.. ended up going to town for a $10 pizza and spent $260.00 on my deductible and the pizza ;)  Though we had to pay money for an accident that wasn't our fault, we were all safe and sound & that more than I could ask for.

Thanks to Spivey's body shop, my sweet ole gal was fixed right up!  We picked her up today & I've never been happier.. just feels to good to be back in my truck.  I love feeling safe while driving my children around, I love to feel like I have no limits.. no limits on what I can haul home ;)  I love driving a truck, and will never be able to go back to car!  

30/365 Oh the sweet sound of a chainsaw..

It is one of my favorite things to hear!  Why do I love the sound so much?  The sounds of the chainsaw humming means we are together as a family, we are outside enjoying the beautiful wooded land, we are planning to heat our home by our hard day's work.  

After Church we came home and changed clothing, fed the livestock, and packed a sandwich... and we were off!  The kids enjoyed their ride through the logging road in the back of the truck.. I sat back there with em' and was able to hear "Gosh, Lyla this day is fun!"  If you ask me, that's the sweetest words, especially when we are doing something so simple... our day together didn't cost a penny, didn't involve a television set, and we were together ALL day.  While splitting wood I look over and see my kids with a HUGE tree limb (atleast 5ft long) and they had a log turned over making a seesaw.  This is what happens when you turn your children loose in nature.. they use their imaginations and find things to play.  

There are times while we are out in the woods working that my husband stops what he is doing for a split second and smiles up at me as I lug the wood to the truck.  We have this unspoken moment that lets me know that he too loves these moments just as much I do.  If someone were to ask me if I'd rather go out to dinner with my husband or cut firewood with him, I'd throw my boots on & head to the woods!  We are a team while we are out there, and never forget to HIGH FIVE at the end of our job, well done. :)

I am thankful for today, it was a beautiful day at 63 degrees in late January spent with family.  I wouldn't trade today for nothing else in this world.  

And here is the image for the 365 day challenge... what does this image have to do with anything?!?!  Well, it shows that I brought my camera with me.. but forgot to get the battery off the charger ;)  It was meant to be, as there is no possible way to capture today with a camera or any other device, today was just one of those days you'd have to have been here.. it was one of the sweetest days!

01.30.11

29/365 Feels a lot like Spring in late January!

Oh my, today was nice!  We've sure enjoyed this snowy weather but today was much needed.  We spent the entire day OUTSIDE, and enjoyed our 63degree weather.  We started our day in the hen yard.  I rocked our sweet lil pygmy goat to sleep, added salt licks for our bunnies, and cleaned the coop a bit.  Afterwards Rob got an itching for the the grill to be fired up!  We set off to town to pick up some steaks. We made a quick stop by the park for the kids to catch some scooter time.

Once we finished with our park adventure we picked up steaks at Ingles and returned home.  As Rob grilled the steaks Tate and I practiced his skills on the 4-wheeler.  I had to bribe him with his rabbit knife, telling him that if he'd just try to drive it with Mommy he could have a new knife I'd picked up for him.  That is all it took, he over came his fear of the size of 4-wheeler and just kept it in 1st gear and did great! I rode with him for a long while while he did it all, then he decided to try for himself... by dinner time he knew how to reverse under the garage area and hook the wood trailer.  He hauled the trailer full of wood to the porch, unloaded it & returned it to the garage.  Such a big boy he is growing to be.  So proud of my big boy!  

Tate.. you look like such a small lil' lad here.  Please stay this little for a while... gosh what am I saying, you are growing big & I'm thankful and proud of you ~ keep sprouting into the man you will become!

While I was talking to the neighbor, Tate decides to turn the 4-wheeler around on his own.. he did sooo good :)

And this last image is the result of Momma saying "let's go inside to eat dinner".  Poor lil turkey just loves to play outside!  Gotta add, I love her dirty, ripped up knees ;)

28/365

27/365 Like heaven on earth...

This sweet lil creek is what I look down upon each time I step outside my backdoor.  Years back, when my parents were just dating my Dad used to work in these cow pastures.. even the pasture my home rests in.  I love this land, love the history this end of the county holds for me.  My mom has told me numerous stories of this area & they always put a smile on my face.  Here's one...

'Back when I was just dating your Daddy the bridge that crosses this creek was out and wouldn't allow anyone to cross.. well your Daddy decided to get smart and throw a 2x4 board across this creek.. He took me out riding on his motorcycle and thought it'd be real funny to cross that small piece of wood with me on the back! '  

 What I would give to see them riding across this creek.. I can see Momma in her cut off shorts & my Daddy in his Bobcat Purple jersey.  :)

  This beautiful creek greets me each morning on my return from taking Tate to school.  With each morning greeting the sun dances on the water.. Just inviting me to photograph it.  I have been meaning to capture this sight for months now, glad I had my camera handy today at 8:34am!  Why 8:34 exactly?? you ask....  well I've tried before to run up the hill and grab my camera, but what most of you don't realize is lighting doesn't last~ within 5 minutes of this image being taken the sun is no longer dancing on the water.  Blessed to travel this road daily so early in the morning. :)

26/365 Meet our little MoeZelle

MoeZelle wasn't a purchase we thought we'd make today, though I just couldn't leave her once I saw her.  Isn't she perfect for us!?!?!

So here is the story behind today's adventure...

We have a sick lil boy in our house, though Tate is shaking his cold somewhat he has just been down right rotten feeling this week.  So we tried to cheer him up with a bunny the other day, that worked but he needed out of the house today, so we went to rest up at Nana's.  I thought it'd be a great idea to bring one of my extra Rooster to Nana and get her lil farm going.. so we loaded him up & drove over the hill and through the woods.. As Tate was resting with Nana at his begging call, I decided I'd go find a Hen to go with Nana's Rooster... which lead me to MoeZelle.  I pulled up at a cute lil farm in Chatsworth to pick up the hen and was curious as to what was making that crying sound?!?!  Well it was a group of cute lil Pygmy Goats.. and I was in love :) So, I bargained a deal and had the owner throw the chicken in for free if I took a Goat with me.  **This is the part where I should note that I'm a split decision maker & rarely call my hubby to consult before bringing home a living animal**  With hen & Goat loaded up I waved good-bye to the farmer & promised to be back for a pot belly pig soon ;)

When I returned to my mom's house the kids knew nothing of MoeZelle.. they were so excited when they did see her!  We've wanted a lil goat for months now & I'm so happy to welcome lil MoeZelle into our home.

Where did the name MoeZelle come from???  MoeZelle was a lady who lived down the dirt road from us, from my childhood.  I was between the age of 1-9 when I knew MoeZelle.  The thing that stuck out the most about MoeZelle was that she gardened in her bra!  She was a hoot & probably someone I would've loved to know as an adult.  She just didn't care, she was herself no matter what others thought. She knew she was going to be pulling weeds from her garden in the hot summer sun & wanted to do it in her bra, so she did!  And just for a visual, she was not a little lady.. lol  Power to MoeZelle, you made an impact on my life :)  RIP.

25/365 Sick day for my lil fella

What do you do when you are sick, and it's yucky & rainy outside???  You sit inside playing with fluffy little bunnies!  Tate has been home from school for two days now & is finding rest on the couch with his side kick Narnia (the bunny)  Oh to be a kid again... (or a bunny;) 

24/365 Let this lil farm grow!

If you guys know me well at all, you'll know that when I get a wild hair I can't stray from the crazy idea I had.  Well today's idea was to bring in a couple new bunnies.  When we lost our Lion Head bunny, Zeek I swore I'd own another one.. he was just so sweet & so cute with his fluffy head :)   So, instead of getting just one, why not two??!??!  So, we brought them home today.. Lyla named her MALE bunny Lucy, and Tate named his lil fella Narnia and his middle name is dawn, last name treader... I know, I know my kids are almost as crazy as I am ;)

23/265 Taking the long road to get to where I'm going ;)

So today is Sunday (day 23) and we had all plans of trying a new church out this week...but then came Rob's out of town trip to Illinois and I still had to take all the decor down from our shoot.  So, without having his help with the kiddos on Monday.. I had to do it today.  I told the kiddos to get dressed and we were going to a candy shop where they could eat whatever they wanted... oh how they loved that!  I was able to bribe Lyla enough to get a few shots of her before we took it all down ;)  

After finishing up there, Casey and I went to return the heaters we had borrowed for the shoot.  Which belonged at the Pink Pig in Cherry Log.  Well if you know us, that is an all day task ;) We went the long way to Blue Ridge.. heading out Big Creek and stopped a few times along the way!  We just can't pass up a falling down house, we have to explore!  Which leads us back to the photo of the day...  Sweet Tea in hand ~ we take the long road to get to where we are going :) 

Happy Sunday to all!  We'll see you in church next week.

21 & 22/365 SLUMBER PARTY!

Today was the day I've waiting for... over the last 3 years I've talked of doing a Candy photo shoot for kids and adults.  Today was the day we were setting up the Candy photo day in a super old house in downtown Ellijay.  Once arriving at the house we realized the heat didn't work.. so we were off to find a source of heat!  We ended up relying on a good friend, and she came through once again!  We had heat.. but now to light the heaters... remind you, it was Casey and I alone trying to complete this task!  So, we went to Walmart and finished buying the last minute candy and props we needed, then we had to photograph a basketball team, then we went back to the house to set up the heaters.  After realizing we needed a wrench to tighten the threads we were back on the road to the BP, returned back with the wrench only to find it was too small.  We were both certain of two things.. we were going to get the heat fixed and were NOT going back into Walmart!  So, living in the sweetest small town around we were able to find a cop parked with a wrench in his car.. fixed our problem!  (and this sweet cop will have his niceness returned with a yummy pound cake!)  So, at 1:30 am we had our heat going and set up our beds in the house that is older than you and I put together.  

Set up time!  @ 2am.  

Set complete by 3:15am.

Day 22, work day.. Final Product ~ well worth the time invested!