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Monday, April 29, 2013

What's Going On?

Just thought I would take a moment to get you all caught up on what's been going on around here while I have a few seconds.

Jody's swing decided to stop working.  This is the second swing we have had since becoming parents 7 years ago.  We thought B broke the first one when Mel was a baby because she would push it when it wasn't on so we thought the gears got stripped or something.  So, we bought another one when Mel was a couple weeks old because those swings are life savers in our book!  We bought the same model and it decided to quit working about a month ago.  That doesn't seem like a big deal considering Jo Jo is now 6 months old and shouldn't have to sleep in a swing right?  Wrong.  She sleeps fine in her crib at night, but refused to nap in her crib.  Plus, she would take a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon in her swing, so why ruin a good thing??  Well, once the swing decided to stop working we didn't have a choice.  The first few days were rough, but we chugged right along and now she sleeps like a champ in her bed.  Thank goodness.

Even Brad who can fix anything, couldn't fix it.  He tried because we really didn't have anything to lose.  I put this picture on Instagram and someone commented and said that they had the same problem.  Hmm...


Jo Jo doing what she does best:)..


Jo Jo has been on baby food since about 5 months old.  She loves everything, but prefers veggies over fruits.  I think she gets that from me.  Sometimes I let the girls feed her if I am trying to get things done around the house.   
It gets a little messy, but it helps me out... 
Mel always has her mouth open when she's trying to get Jo Jo to open hers... 
I took Jo Jo's six month pictures.  It involved a tutu.  That's all I'm going to say for now:) 
We celebrated Easter which also meant a first for Jo Jo.  The girls were so excited for her to "open" her basket.. 
The best picture I could get of our 3 before rushing off to church.  Does anyone else always run late for church or is it just us??  We always manage to make it in plenty of time, but the mornings are filled rushing to get ready.  No matter what time I wake up, I'm always running late!
The field work is still setting in idle for right now thanks to Mother Nature.  Everyone is trying not to complain especially after the drought we had last summer.  We all know we will probably be thankful for this moisture sooner or later.  Brad did take the planter out for a little test drive a couple weeks ago just to make sure everything was working right.  I posted this picture on Facebook and said"This is happening right now." I think we had everyone talking in all the surrounding counties:)
B and Mel got their pigs for the fair.  B's is Grant and Mel's is Wilbur.  B will get to show hers in the Runt class at the fair, but Mel isn't old enough.  We let her get one because we knew she would enjoy it and it would keep B's happy. 

So far the girls are doing a great job making sure they have food and water. 
Mel is becoming a champ at this... 


She had to check out their house.  She probably would have slept out there if we would have let her:) 






I continue to be thankful every single day for the people that I get to meet through social media.  I have met some pretty awesome people and some of them are now my great friends.  I wouldn't have met them if I didn't start this blog 5 years ago! We went to a birthday party yesterday for Brad's cousin and I got to meet this lovely lady.


I've been following her blog, The Unconventional Doctor's Wife, for a while now and recently started following her on Instagram.  Long story short, her husband and Brad's aunt completed their residency together and now they are in the same practice!!!  Definitely a small world!!   She also has another blog, The Orange Bird where she and her friend Birdie use their creativity to make and sell things to make profit in order to support organizations and people in need around the world.  It's a great blog!  Please check it out!!  They also have a cute little shop that you can find here all of the proceeds benefit someone in need.

I have also been babysitting for about a month now.  Miss Mo Mo is fitting right in with our girls and I think she and Jo Jo are going to be the best of pals!



Whew!  Okay time to get off of here and take the girls to gymnastics.  Happy Monday everyone!

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Chats on the Farmhouse Front Porch...

I've been a slacker once again, but I finally have photos and content to blog about...I just hope one day I can find the time to upload the photos and type up a blog post!  So, today I am joining Patrice from Everyday Ruralty for a farmhouse chat.
Everyday Ruralty

1)Do you prefer to drive or be driven?
I prefer to be driven.  I like to sit back, relax, and take in the sights.

2)What's your favorite kind of jam, jelly, or preserve?
My favorite type of Jam is the strawberry jam that I make from fresh strawberries from my garden.  A super easy recipe and super yummy!

3) Do you have any special plans for this spring or summer?
We don't have any special plans right now.  We try to get the spring planting rush out of the way and then we will talk about a possible summer vacation.

4)Lots of folks are becoming aware of issues with food. There are many articles, books, and movies on topics like allergies, GMO, pesticide use, bad or no labeling, over processed foods, foods from other countries that may not have high standards, and many more topics. What concerns you the most? If nothing concerns you, have a cookie and skip to the next question.

Well, this question was the main reason I decided to participate in this chat.  Nothing really concerns me.  While I could have a cookie and skip this question, I can't.  We live on a farm, and I see all the important "behind the scenes" stuff that I feel people are misinformed about.  I try to keep things light hearted on this blog, but I will tell you that the population is increasing.  I know that's no surprise to anyone, but we are expected to have a 2 billion increase in world population by the year 2050.  The current world population is 7 billion.  All of these people have to live somewhere which leads to a decrease in farmland because of residential areas pushing into rural areas.  So some things have to change so that production can increase to feed all of these people.  One of my good friends recently wrote a blog post about GMOs and you can read it here.  Another friend of mine has a very informative blog called Agricultured.  I highly recommend reading it and maybe adding it to your blog roll.  She talks about all kinds of hot agriculture topics.

5)Do you use nail polish often? Finger nails, piggies, or both?
I don't use nail polish often, but I often use it on my daughters.  They like to have their nails painted all different colors.  I don't know when the last time was that mine were painted.  Sigh.
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Monday, April 8, 2013

6 Months...

Jo Jo turned 6 months on April 1st.  This age has always marked a huge milestone for me.  At 6 months my girls usually had a schedule and since I am definitely a schedule kind of girl, this makes me happy.

She had her 6 month check up on Thursday and she is doing everything a 6 month old should be doing.
She is sleeping through the night.  Yay!  Most nights she sleeps about 8 hours straight, but on the nights she doesn't she wakes up about every two hours.  We usually have to rock her for a bit because she wakes up screaming.  Maybe it's dreams.?  She loves baby food.  She is finally rolling over although she still prefers not to.  She can sit up on her own!!!!!  This is another reason why 6 months is one of my favorite stages.  You can set them on the floor with a few toys around them and they are happy.  Plus, they can't crawl yet so they can't get into anything yet :)




I got one picture before she tried to demolish the sign:)... 
I did manage to get a couple more thanks to big sis #2's help... 

And just a few more because I think she is adorable!... 




6 month stats:
16 lbs. 7.5 oz. (50th percentile)
26.5 inches (75th percentile)
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The Ultimate Blog Party...

I love a good party especially one that allows me to sit at home, browse blogs while watching TV!  This is my second year participating in The Ultimate Blog Party.  If you are stopping by from the party then welcome and here is a little bit about me...



My name is Sarah.  I work as a stay-at-home mom to our three girls ages 7, 4, and 6 months.  My husband and I live on a farm where we raise corn, soybeans and have a beef cattle operation.  I started blogging 5 years ago as a way to connect with family members who lived out of state.  That has blossomed into a 
way to share our farm story with others!  Blogging has allowed me to meet some pretty awesome people.

I love to cook and bake so I often share recipes...
I love photography so I include A LOT of photos on here...
I enjoy crafting and doing silly stuff with my girls, so I share a lot of craft ideas as well..

You will ,of course, see a lot of pictures of my beautiful family...
As I said earlier, blogging is a way for me to share our farm story with others, so you will read a lot about that as well...




So sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy your stay!




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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Hanging Up the Hat for A While...

Today I had to send one of the hardest text messages I have ever had to send.  I had to tell a client that I was taking a break from photography.  

For the last few years I have had this small gig called a photography business.  It wasn't big, but it kept me busy.  It made me focus on improving my photography skills.  It also made me juggle being a stay-at-home mom and working from home.  That is not an easy thing to do.  I know of several photographers who stay at home with their kids and still have their photography on the side and they seem to manage it well.  I didn't feel like I was good at balancing both jobs.  When I was working on photography, I felt like I should be spending more time with my kids.  When I was spending time with my kids, my mind was constantly focused on photography and all the things I needed to get done.  Taking the pictures is one thing, but you also have to edit them (at least I do) which adds up to countless hours spent behind the computer screen.

I decided to take a brief hiatus after Jo Jo was born.  I had made up my mind that I would take the winter off which wasn't difficult to do considering winter is my slow season, but on Sunday I got a text from a friend who has been a loyal client ever since I started taking photos.  They were honestly my favorite family to photograph.  She asked if I could take pictures of her one year old.  I had to think about it.  I thought about it for two days.  I was grateful that this family had kept coming back to me, but I also enjoyed my little hiatus with my girls.  I was less stressed and didn't seem to be as "short fused" with my family.  In that time I also realized how fast time goes and how your life can change in an instant.  I am blessed with three beautiful girls and am fortunate to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom, so for now my life is dedicated to them.

So today, after worrying about my decision, I made up my mind.  I am hanging up the photographer hat for now. I'm not giving it up completely.  I will still take pictures and let my love for photography grow, but for now my business is being a stay-at-home mom.  I hope to put the hat back on someday, but for now I am enjoying my three girls!



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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Chats On the Farmhouse Porch...

Once again I am joining Patrice over at Everyday Ruralty for a chat on the farmhouse porch.  It's nice to have an opportunity to get the reels turning in my head when I have a sudden lull in blogging topics.

1.What did you do for Easter?
We went to church in the morning then to my in-laws for lunch.

2. How bad were you with candy or treats? (On a scale of 1-10. 1 being good, 10 being sugared up)
I would say I was a 1.  I don't even think I ate any candy except for a handful of jellybeans.  I'm not a sweets kind of gal.  I prefer salty foods.  If the Easter bunny would have left me a basket of chips, crackers and popcorn, then I would have been a 10!

3. What's one of the first things you'd like to do when you have consistent spring temperatures?
Gardening

4.How are you at gift buying? 
It depends on the person I'm buying for.  Some people are easy to shop for, some are harder than others..ahem...not mentioning any names;0  I would say I'm a pretty decent gift buyer.  When in doubt always by gift cards!

5.Do you have an projects in mind for the month of April?
I don't have any projects in mind.  Right now I'm taking it one day at a time and keeping busy with my three girls and the three month old that I'm babysitting.  I usually try to wash my windows and cabinets in April, but I don't know if that is going to get done!

 Everyday Ruralty

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