With everything going on around here lately I forgot to mention that I won the giveaway at Maple Valley Farms   Homemaker Ang email me to let me know last weekend.  What did I win you ask?  This cute little dress from Shabby Apple   Of course my bugger youngest son mentioned that this wasn't my size (innocently of course;))  I explained to him that I did get to pick my correct size;) Thanks again Ang and Shabby Apple, can't wait until it arrives!

Everyone who has farm animals know how they tend to multiply in numbers quickly.  When we started our little farm with chickens eight years ago we had no idea what was in store for us.  We had planned on getting one more pygora goat this spring to add to our spinner flock.  After Claire died a few weeks ago I thought about getting rid of all the animals...for a minute or two:)  We also saw the results of her death on our other two goats who both cried for a week afterwards.  We knew if we were going to keep them we wanted to get a couple more so that there was more of a herd out there (they are VERY social animals). So the kids and I took a road trip/field trip to see Allison at  Great Lakes Pygoras  and brought home not one, not two but FOUR new pygora goats (pygmy/angora) !!!! So without further ado here are Alex, Fiona and her two sons (who will become wethers;)) Tripp and Tiberius (yes, those are Star Trek character names, and yes we named the...

I will be teaching another drop spindle class in April with Homemaker Ang at Maple Valley Farms.  Follow the link to join in a day of fun and fiber!  You can also click the link at the left here on my blog! Drop Spindle Class at Maple Valley

I am putting some of my products right here on the blog to make it convenient for you to shop!  Just go to the "Home Spun Products For Sale" page and see what is there!

Spring has really sprung in our neck of the woods!  We are expecting almost 90 degree temperatures the next two days!  In Mid Michigan!  In March!???  What is going on?  We are not complaining and are taking full advantage of the unseasonable beautiful weather.  The garden is being cleaned out along with the compost pile.  We have some beautiful black compost this year that we are passing off to friends and family to enjoy;) School is still moving ahead, but with all the beautiful weather comes thoughts of summer break about two months too soon!  I have had a hard time focusing even!  My brain is in a fog because it feels like it should be May and I have a lot to do this year with our oldest son graduating from homeschool and Hubby will be teaching and leading at the Michigan homeschool convention during this time also.  I have to keep reminding myself it is only the middle of March and there is no reason to panic! I am teaching...

Homemaker Ang at Maple Valley Farms is having a great giveaway for a beautiful dress!  Go to her blog and simply follow the directions to enter!!

Our house remodel is almost complete now (yes, it has been a year!).  Our sun porch is attached to the part of the house that was redone and in the process it had a wall removed and put back up.  This wasn't finished until late fall so I have put off redoing this room until now. The warm sunny weather has spurred on my "nesting phase" and I started working on it last week.  I wanted a warm yellow color in here.  The first paint I picked out looked like a school bus had crashed into the walls:))!  I choose another yellow, hoping that it would cover the first and look more like what I had in mind.  It isn't exactly what I wanted but it is close enough.  I don't enjoy the process of painting, but do love the finished product when it is done. I used antique hankies from both our grandparents and put them into frames (they were just sitting in boxes and decided to use them!)  The curtains are aprons one from my grandma and one from Scott's....

We have another new addition to the farm this week thanks to my friend Hope at Briar Lane Rabbitry !  She dropped off the sweetest little French angora rabbit last night.  Meet "Tucker": Hope breeds for show rabbits and I breed for fiber, so I am hoping to get some beautiful rabbits from our combinations! Rooster and banty hen in barn Above hen's eggs Dark Cat in the barn...look closely Robin  Around the farmhouse Antique table and suitcases from grandma Joyce Antique blue Ball canning jars The Robins are back!!! We are studying Flight, this is son's glider he created for school We continue to have strange weather here in Michigan.  Youngest and I were outside in the sunshine taking this pictures, a few minutes ago, and now as I write I am watching a snow squall outside the window!!  Next week we are supposed to have 50's and 60's all week long!

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die;  Eccelesatics 3:1,2a After losing my goat Claire this past weekend, this brings a smile to my face.  Six new English Angoras join us! Kiree, momma 6 naked really newborn bunnies

After being gone last week and having wonderful 6 course meals at The Cove I was feeling inspired last night, after being a bit relaxed in my meals lately.  I also was inspired by the latest edition of the Where Women Cook Magazine   that had some mouth watering recipes. The strawberry creme pie recipe is in the recent edition, although they did theirs in individual tarts, it still was wonderful! Free Range Chickens raised here Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese Garlic Mashed Potatoes with too much butter... Strawberry Lemon Creme Pie

So our youngest son walked up to his sister this morning during school and asked "Do you want to borrow my "ball point pencil"?" 

For all of you local mid-Michiganders I will be teaching a drop spindle class at a local yarn shop here I don't see where she has updated the blog for March classes yet, but it is Saturday March 24, 2012 from 10 a.m. until noon. Drop Spindle 101 The ancient art of transforming fiber to yarn can be done both economically and efficiently through the use of a drop spindle. In this class, you will not only learn this skill, but also how to prepare fiber to be spun. Your time will be made complete with a spindle of your own and some fiber to spin.  Cost 30$ You can email me at rmccausey@yahoo.com or Suzanne sipnknit@yahoo.com if you have any questions.

Things die on the farm, I get that. Everytime we have someone watch our animals that is the first thing I remind them. That doesn't make it any easier. It has been a rough morning. I am not going to go into great detail, but Claire, my favorite pygora, died during the night. I am devestated and feeling pretty guilty. I have two other goats bawling in the pen because they know she is missing and that makes it harder. Claire was a clown and loved to play, the other two, not so much.

  We are back from our trip down south.  We had a great time!  The "plague" hit the three youngest here a home, so that put a damper on the trip for me trying to not worry about the kids here at home with poor Grandma's and Grandpa. The college visit was good, helping us to answer some questions about where Eldest might be next year.  We also went to North Carolina and stayed at Billy Graham's The Cove Retreat Center.  WOW is an understatement!  This place is amazing.  It is beautiful and very peaceful. We went here for a writers conference that Hubby was teaching a class at and the two oldest boys led in worship.  They all did a great job and the boys were a blessing to the whole thing.  The retreat center is in the middle of the woods and has lodges set up like hotels.  The room was beautiful, the food was top notch (it was hard to come home a cook:)).  We also were able to attend the conference classes...