4.27.2010

Welcome Home

No banner or balloons, but we are still excited about them coming! As I said in my last post we just bought a house on a half acre lot. When we originally started the house search we (or maybe just me) thought we couldn't live without at least 10 acres, then reality hit and being closer to work (not to mention financially do-able) meant a much smaller lot. So, the lot sizes slowly shrunk week by week, till in the end we were look at house lots as small as 8000 square feet ( and that's not a bad sized lot either). It seems we just have too many interests to fit in anything less then 20 acres. But, no we did not move to a secluded town of 300 on a 100 acre farm, at least not yet anyway. Instead we moved closer to work, shopping and many other amenities and still managed a small plot in a rural feeling suburb that embraces the rural lifestyle we so love. We are surrounded by houses and yet I can hear a rooster crow from at least 3 different directions. Our city has it's own riding arena and on our lot size we are allowed to have three large livestock animals (3 cows, 3 horses, 3 goats it doesn't specify). We went the more realistic route (maybe not to everyone) and brought our three small milking goats + one baby. These are the same girls from my first blog post over a year ago, they're Mini Nubians and just the perfect size for this place. We are so excited to have our goats close and be able to milk regularly. So welcome Lucy (Nigerian Dwarf), Sunny and Cher (Mini Nubians) and baby (no name yet). I love her lopsided black spot over her lips, guess she doesn't have a mirror to put her lipstick on. Wait and see, we are going to farm this place down to the last inch, I bet we can fit at least ten acres in here!

4.26.2010

I'm Back! and It's Done!


It's 7 months later and I am finally ready to start blogging again, some break huh. Well, I don't know if anyone will read me now but it's still fun to blog and record life. Speaking of life what a 7 months it has been! For the last year or so we have been on a hunt for our first house to buy. I will have to admit that this is not my favorite of hunts one could go on (give me treasure, Easter eggs or mushrooms any day). House hunting was just such an emotional roller coaster and metaphorically or Busch Gardens I really don't like roller coasters. After a few offers and no deals and the countless times someone telling me "the house you end up with will be the perfect one" (Oh how I absolutely despised this statement after a few let downs) It turns out that of course those wise folks were right. After some ups and downs to get the deal closed, we bought our first house in March and did a 6 week remodel in 3 (thank you, thank you, thank you family!) moved in and am waiting for the day life goes back to "normal". Can that really happen? Our current decorating theme is "city of boxes", very chic. So you might think we would be unpacking and sorting out what goes where? No, no we are fencing the back of our 1/2 acre lot for our milk goats who are all in milk right now (priorities!). I keep looking at the garden space wanting to dive in and then having to remind myself that this will not be the year for bumper crops of peas, pumpkins or beans. I did however manage to get my first sweater done in the midst of a move, vacations, an addition to the family (that would be my new niece Clara) and even an Olympic event in February (what a fun experience!). I started the Curly Lamb Sweater (http://www.knittingsoftware.com/pkits/curlylamb.htm) last August for my youngest and now have finished in time for it to still fit (good thing I made the largest size). It's not perfect and I made plenty of mistakes, but I just love the way it came out. I used Dark Horse Fantasy Yarn and in hindsight I don't know why because I really only like knitting with natural fibers, so if I did it again I would use wool. I thought these buttons were too cute. I would usually go for more classic, simple buttons, but when I found these at Joann's I knew they were for this sweater (the legs dangle freely!). The pattern has six buttons, but with the size of the lamb buttons I only used four.

Now on to the next sweater for baby Clara!

Inspirational Growing Quotes

"Gardening requires lots of water-most of it in the form of perspiration."
~ Lou Erickson, www.quotegarden.com