Not going to lie – I’m having an amazing time kicking off a long-awaited springtime tradition this weekend. When we moved to the farm, Isai was 3 months old. It was the dead of winter – cold and snowy. When it wasn’t snowy, it was brown. The trees were bare. Everything looked pretty “meh.” That time of year, though, revealed one of …
Splish Splash in the Springtime Puddles
My sweet, sweet littlest love. While we spent the weekend in the sunshine, E found herself a puddle. She tried tirelessly to recruit people and pups to join her for puddle stomping – but couldn’t quite pull it off. That never stopped her though. Little lady returned to the puddle over and over and over again all weekend long. By the …
Trail Riding with Cousins
Chris, Taylor and the boys popped by this weekend and we were honestly just way too excited to have friends and family on the farm again. We’ve had a beautiful run of nice weather over the past week and seeing everyone out and about always serves to remind us of why we love having this land so much. While they …
The Kids (or Goats) Snagged a Free Playhouse
Aaron has been busy at work on a renovation property in Kansas City. In fact, the home was previously owned by his sister and her family – so it’s been a fun one to see transform. The kids and I went into KC with him over the weekend to check out the progress. Naturally, a few things needed to be done, …
Tractor Rides are (Almost) Here Again
Our Friday and Saturday was filled with some pretty great time with cousins. We don’t get to see everyone in our giant extended family often – and having a large group of us together on a bit of whim is even rarer. We kicked off the weekend, though, with some quality cousin time. For Isai, that included sitting in a tractor. …
Finances and the Farm Class
As usual, we’ve stayed wildly busy on the farm. With new baby goats popping in weekly, we have plenty going on to prep for winter, keep up with the new kids and maintain the typical chores. Naturally, that means we’re asking “why not add one more thing?” Since moving to the farm, we’ve explored creative ways to grow the operation …
Sunrise, Sunset
I’m certain you made the sunset for us the night you left. It was a view that you’ve undoubtedly taken in a thousand times before from your chair on the front porch. But, somehow, it was more beautiful than any of us had previously noticed. The rich rusty reds faded into coppery oranges before dissolving entirely into a pale gray-blue. …
Robert W. Abel, Sr.
It’s been extremely hard to find the words to describe our heartbreak. My Grandpa Bob passed away this week, leaving an incredible hole in our lives. After sharing a lifetime, thousands of miles road-tripped, stories, adventures and more together – I had the absolute honor of writing his obituary. He was undoubtedly an influence in our move to the countryside and one …
Bouncing Back to Spring
About as quickly as the snow fell, it’s melting back toward the Spring weather we expect for this time of year. The tulips on my desk are blooming – hinting at what’s to come in the front yard in a few weeks. Despite being completely white yesterday, hints of the soil are peeking through this evening. The lawn, roads and trees …
The Winter That Never Ends
It’s another gorgeous snowfall on the farm. But, really? Really?! These days are bittersweet. On one hand, it’s seriously beautiful around here when giant flakes are falling from the sky and the backyard looks like something out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. On the other hand, though – these days where the temps drop after the tease of 60-degree weather in …