Signs of Spring...

Crocus in bloom, green grass, buds on the trees, and SNOW!  Yes, we are getting a bit of snow tonight with temps 40 degrees lower today then they were yesterday (74 yesterday afternoon!)  New York in April, ya gotta love it!

Last week was a week of being on the road...Wayne had tests done Wednesday in Albany to rule out the return of the cancer.  Praise God there is NO cancer!!!  He goes back to Albany to the oncologist/hematologist for a recheck on Friday when he'll have some blood drawn off since his red blood count is elevated a bit, but we are very thankful that his symptoms are not from the return of cancer.

Rachael went to visit a college on Schroon Lake, NY (3 hours from here) last week for a couple days.  She's decided that Word of Life  Bible Institute isn't where she's supposed to be heading in the fall.  She still doesn't know what she's going to pursue, but she'd like to do something with her art.

Marc visited Otsego Academy which is a 2-year post-secondary residential school for developmentally challenged individuals. (45 minutes from home)  He's prayerfully considering attending this school which teaches life and vocational skills to young adults with the goal of apprenticeship into a regular job at the end of the 2 year course and life skills to live more independently.  It will be a BIG step for Marc, but we know that stretching out of his comfort zone is what has brought him this far and that God has big plans for him.   If Marc does attend Otsego Academy he will come home on weekends to see the family, friends, and farm animals.

I'm busy trying to organize things at the Town Office before my last day (the 30th) to make the transition easier for my co-worker.  I'm really looking forward to being back home and being more involved with the children's homeschooling and focusing more on  home life instead of ruminating over office issues.  It will be a challenge to 'let it go' since the office is visible from home, but I know this is the right thing to do for the family...and for me.

Our neighbor came and cut down our dying maple tree last week.  Thank you, John!!  He and our other neighbor, Ray, helped Marc and Wayne cut up and move the branches and logs.  What a major blessing since hiring a tree service to just 'drop' the tree would have been $500!  We now know where our firewood for next year will come from.

The sheep and alpaca are due to be sheared within the next few weeks.  I'm awaiting schedule confirmation from the shearers.

The baby goats are in with the mama goats and sheep in the barnyard...even the little female that we didn't think would make it.  They are so fun to watch.  The kids run and jump, twisting in mid-air.  The big sheep stand in the midst of all the kids' activity and occasionally let out a deep 'baa-aa' as if to say, "Why am I in the midst of this craziness?!"

We are 'chicken less' right now.  The old hens were sold to a local farmer and the plan is to buy chicks in the near future to replenish our stock.  I'm thinking that my herb gardens may thrive without the constant scratching of the foraging chickens this year.  In the meantime, we're enjoying the eggs from another local flock owner who needs help emptying his fridge from all the eggs the 'girls' are providing.

The peepers are serenading us most evenings but I have a feeling they won't be tonight!  The 'old timers' tell us spring isn't really here until the peepers have frozen 3 times...I think tonight is the 3rd!

New additions to the farm...

We've tripled our goat herd in one week's time!  Josephina gave birth to a boy and girl last Tuesday...

 and this a.m. Mavis added another boy and girl to the herd. 

We weren't sure if the little girl of the first set was going to make it, but she's gaining strength every day and is doing well now that she's been pampered a bit.  She's in a dog kennel enjoying the comforts of the mudroom and bottle feeding.

Josephina and her son are back in with the sheep and have access to the barnyard again.  In a few days we'll try moving Mavis and her 2 back into the main pen, but for now they are bonding in the kidding pen.

Temps hit the 60 degree mark this afternoon...spring has sprung!

Wayne's Winter Project

Here is the window Wayne is making for some friends. 

Mid-March Fun

Yesterday Wayne and I drove out to Bath, NY to see Matthew in a musical production of Les Miserables.  Matt was cast as the innkeeper and he did a great job of acting sleazy.  The production is amazing--as are all the productions at the Family Life Ministries Center.   Experiencing such wonderful acting/singing in south central upstate NY is not what you'd expect.   (Check out www.fln.org for further info on all they do.)  It was such a great show that I'm planning on driving out again in the morning with the '3 middles' to see the matinee tomorrow afternoon. 

We also had the wonderful blessing of meeting Matthew's girlfriend Hannah.  We look forward to spending lots more time with these two.

The four of us went to the Corning Glass Museum Friday afternoon.  The displays were really interesting and the galleries were filled with beautiful glass artwork.  We watched demonstrations on glass blowing and forming as well as glass breaking.  (I now know why my Pyrex bake ware shattered the way it did when it hit the floor a few weeks back.  It was 'tempered' so if it did break, it would shatter into little cubes instead of sharp shards).

The red-winged blackbirds have been sighted in our yard and a woodchuck ran across the road in front of us on our way home today...Spring is close!!!

March 2014...Really?!

I can't make any excuses for not updating the blog...life has kept us busy and I've neglected the posts!  I hope to be more consistent in updates and to do a total overhaul on our website in 2014.

The biggest news is that I plan on resigning my position at the Town Hall by the end of April, which will free a bit of time to focus on our home business.  I'm really excited about being home 'full-time' again and look forward to developing new avenues and projects for Abundant Blessings Farm.

My current project is developing classes for teaching children and parents traditional handcrafts.  I'm also working on a presentation of the process of turning wool/plant fibers into fabrics using the traditional crafts of our ancestors.  In our modern culture we take for granted the ability to go to a store and buy an item of clothing, but our ancestors invested much time and effort in producing the necessities of life.  I hope to develop an interesting program to help this generation realize how blessed we are and to see how much we take for granted while at the same time, giving them an appreciation for the traditional handcrafts.

We're expanding our garden with the intent of selling produce at the local farmers' market this year.  I'm starting seeds this week for the long-season plants.  Herb seedlings are going to be added to the sales potential, too.

Add the adventures of supplying inventory to the Unadilla Artisan Guild,  homeschooling the remaining 4 school-age children (with one due to graduate in June), 2 goats due to deliver at the end of March, normal household activities, doctor appointments, and music lessons,  and you can imagine the activity level around here.

2014 looks to be a busy and exciting year!

And here is December...

I just typed in our blog address and it brought me to a post back in May of 2010!  I had a reminder of my visit to Maine and spending time at my good friend's camp on Wilson Lake...ah-h-h-h memories.

But, back to reality...it's snowing/raining/sleeting in south central NY and I'm hoping Nathanial decides to sleep over at his co-worker's house in Binghamton when he gets off work tonight.

I've been busy keeping inventory in the shop. This week I finished a small wall quilt, 13 catnip mice, and a skein of merino/angora yarn to finish a cowl I started last week.

The shop had a very good November. Wayne manned the store yesterday for a few hours and sold over $300 worth of merchandise!  We're gearing up for a "kid's store" in 2 weeks in which preschoolers through age 10 can come to the shop and for $5 per gift can shop from a selection of items made by the artisans which will then be wrapped and ready for Christmas morning surprises for Moms and Dads.  This was something that the Officers Wives Club did for kids when we were in the Air Force and the boys loved 'going shopping' without our knowing what they bought until Christmas morning.

I've spent the evening decorating miniature wreaths I had made in the fall from tarragon and dried in the attic.  As I take my 'sanity' walks I pick up little treasures such as berries, cones, and seed pods.  I've decorated the wreaths with those treasures and dried herbs/flowers from my herb gardens.  Tomorrow we're decorating a tree with all the ornaments I've made from "Creation's Treasures" at the local tree festival.  I hope to get a picture of them, but our camera has not been cooperating lately.  (I think it's time to get a new one).  I've really enjoyed working on these decorations knowing that all the materials (except the glue) are from the bounty of creation.

I bought fabric for 2 quilts today.  I 'owe' Marc and Jonathan their "5-year" quilts (Marc turned 20 and Jon 10 this year) before the end of 2013 so I hope to get at least the tops pieced by Christmas.  With the nasty weather predicted for this weekend, maybe I'll get a good start on them tomorrow.   

With all the projects I have on my 'to do' list it wouldn't be too bad to be snowed in for a couple of days!

Passing it on...

Nathanial took this picture the other night when Ian asked for a spinning lesson.  Ian has shown an interest in learning the 'old time crafts' that he sees me enjoying.  He's fascinated by the fact that yarn can be made by turning the wheel and holding the fiber a certain way.  His favorite new game after our lesson was to try to get the shaft of the wheel to stop at the "12:30-1:00" position by using only the treadle.  (It's trickier than it sounds)

Ian also is eager to learn to play the violin so Katelyn is working with him on that.  He keeps asking us to measure his arm to see if it's long enough to play her full size violin (Katelyn passed on her 3/4 size a couple of years ago to another young player who needed an instrument).  Since his arm isn't growing 'fast enough' (his words), she's helping him learn to read music and recognize notes that she plays.  He hardly lets a day go by without asking her for a lesson. 
Who knows, we may soon have another violinist in the family!