Spring and New Life

mama Beatrix

A year ago tomorrow we moved to our dream house on a lake. I won't lie to you, it hasn't been an easy transition. I miss the farmhouse and the amazing little farm we created. I miss my goats and turkeys, and big garden. Heck, I even miss my two grouchy alpacas. But, I've realized the last few weeks that "Being a farmgirl is not about where you live, but how you live." -mary janes farm, holds so much truth. I don't have to stop doing the things that bring me so much joy just because we changed zip codes.

Just born

Spring was always a new beginning for the farm. It was usually when I tried to time my angora bunnies to be born, although not always successful because of the Michigan weather(It's snowing here today). New chicks also became part of our spring agenda. Well, as you can see our first batch of bunnies was successful and next week I plan on heading down to the feed store to pick up 4 or 5...or 6 chicks for egg layers. We brought 5 hens with us to the lake and I'm now down to three thanks to critters getting into them.

One week old

Two weeks old

Cyrus and I (The grey hair is for a whole other post)

 Last week I had the opportunity to go to the school where my brother-in-laws teaches and do a fiber arts demonstration with about 80 middle schoolers. I really enjoy doing thing like this and hope to also do more in the future.  

Alice has an Idea

 I am still working on my children's books with the hopes of getting them published someday. I have about five completed books and my daughter has done some of the illustrating for one of them. My dream would be to take the rabbits, spinning and books (the first two are stories of our farm) and go to schools and libraries and speak to children. 

With child #4 of 5 graduating this spring I hope to have more time for all of these great adventures. It will be bittersweet though. I had two years left with the youngest and then our almost 20 years of homeschooling will be complete. I know I'll be able to help out with the grand kids as they start and I look forward to that time as well. 

I have been working on some special orders lately that I finally finished after months of working on spinning and an epic yarn dyeing fail I finally got both hats complete and shipped. I made the first one for a dear friend of mine and a few weeks later she contacted me complaining that she couldn't keep her husband away from it and would I please make one as a surprise for him. They both turned out beautiful and were much loved by both of them.

#realmenwearfur

I talked to our neighbor here at the lake house and she is talking about bringing her two little goats from the farm where she keeps them to her little lake house yard. I was giddy. I might have scared her a bit with how much. But it just helped me realize that if you can figure out how to grow where God has planted you, you don't have to give up those things that make you happy!