Hello. Can you hear me? Or is my voice muffled through the foot and a half of fresh, powdery snow that is currently covering the homestead? I hope you can hear me. Because I've got some things to say, yo. After all – it's almost Christmas! Time for love and mushy stuff and reflection and all kinds of good stuff like that.
Another year down in the books my friend – another year down on the farm.
We were shocked out of our minds to find out we were expecting our fourth, very unplanned, child. We recorded cooking videos with a (real!) Production Company. We started homeschooling.
We welcomed new Old Spot breeding stock. And said a horrendous and painful goodbye to our very most favorite dairy girl in the entire world.
We signed some very important contracts (the details of which we can't wait to share with you in the new year!).
We pre-released our second cookbook, Family Table (due Summer 2016!).
Frankly, we worked our tails off. I say tails because the word I really want to say isn't appropriate. But you get my point.
I look back at this year with tremendous love and appreciation for it's lessons. Truth be told, I'm rarely thankful in the moment. I tend to blow up, scream, cry, kick my feet, and curse the skies. But then, eventually, I decide to act like an adult for 3 seconds, and I can easily see God's goodness and mercy through the pain and toil.
… amongst the chaos, the mess, the destruction, the death – there is so much goodness. When we lost Pocket, I spent more time praying than I care to admit. And after we lost Sal, well, I wanted to curl up and die. And since I found out I was pregnant the week she died, that's pretty much what I did for the next 12 weeks anyway. (Though, I'll admit, I was thankful to not be dry heaving next to the milk bucket the entire first trimester like I did with Will).
But throughout all that, there were some seriously killer meals. There were breakfasts with homecured bacon and pastured eggs from the hens. There were garden tomatoes. Bumper crops. Lots of kisses (hence the 4th baby…) and lots of hugs. The kids flourish with farm life – getting in on milking, harvesting, cooking, and feeding – this year that really began to take root. I can't wait to get to the new farm and get into the routine of their work and chores this next year – Georgia's quite smitten with our new Champagne meat rabbits (‘Raspberry' and ‘Moonbaby', the does, and ‘Chanceaux', the buck). This year she'll be completely responsible for the meat rabbits. And Owen? Well, I anticipate him to spend his days riding the pigs and breaking eggs. He's not too much help yet. But when the boy's ready, I'll have a heck of a farmhand.
Our last month has been complete chaos – filled with packing boxes, garbage bags, and the financial beating that is home-buying. It's excruciating. We're celebrating Christmas with a tree drawn on butcher paper tacked to the empty wall. There's one lone gingerbread man ornament that's hanging from our kitchen light and perhaps a popsicle stick snowflake or two hiding around the house. Hardly the send off I was hoping for the year! But in 14 (!) more days we'll be at the new house. And even if I have to sleep on a tarp in the front yard, you bet your bottom dollar I'll be there on closing day. We're heading into the new year with something we've never experienced before… our own home.
And, I'm sorry, but how cool! We're beyond thankful for this madness. This blog – the entire farm – would not be possible without your love and support. I mean this. We now earn most of our income from this blog, so I mean it when I say it – THANK YOU. You don't just offer your support with kind words and prayers, you choose to support us financially as well by spending your hard earned dollars on cookbooks, essential oils, meal plans, and online products.
THANK YOU.
You show up here, post after post, to read whatever madness I'm spouting off at the moment, and yet you still come back.
THANK YOU.
You take time out of your day to email me and tell me how this blog, it's recipes, it's resources, it's community, have been a blessing to you and your family. Or have inspired you in some way to give it a go yourself.
THANK YOU.
You are continually a part of building this dream with us.
THANK YOU.
There are currently 1,193,572 things that I can't wait to share with you. I very much look forward to our new year together – a year of hardwork, progress, sweat, sore muscles, beautiful cookbooks, new babies, and even more!
And did I mention sweat and sore muscles?
May you and yours be blessed this Christmas, my friends. Thank you for sharing your time and your love with me. I love you all.
And Amen.
Carrie Bews
Great job, Shaye. Keep on truckin’ toward your dream! God bless you all in 2016!
Jennifer A
Merry Christmas! I can’t wait to see what the new year brings you and yours Shaye!
Pamela
Thank you so much for taking the time to thank us readers. This is truly inspiring. I love the blog and am so happy that I was inspired by a handful of you to stay my own. Hopefully I’ll get as good at it as you are!
Thank you for all you do for us and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Christi {Jealous Hands}
What a year! So thankful you continue to share here. Can’t wait to see what 2016 brings. Merry Christmas!
Lady Locust
Merry Christmas and many blessings.
Hayden Lorraine
You are a tremendous blessing in so many people’s lives! I pray for continuous blessings for you and you precious family! Merry Christmas!
Jen Wilmoth
So happy for your family and look forward to hearing all about your new adventures on your new farm! Merry Christmas!
fiona
Merry Christmas shay and family xxx looking forward to reading your blog in 2016 !!!
Simona
Yay for all the hard work! Great job, pat yourself on the back! The new year will bring awesomeness and I can’t wait for you to share it. Merry butcher-paper Christmas to you and your lovely family!
Miley Davis
Hi Shaye!
I LOVE reading your blog – you have a little farm just like ours! I was beyond excited to finally realize a dream I have had since I was old enough to know farm life was for me! After traveling all over as a child – getting married and having kids – did we FINALLY find the perfect little farm for us! We have 2 horses (right now, they are just lawn ornaments as I had back surgery earlier this year), 20 Katahdin sheep (2 rams and 18 ewes). I can’t wait to see the little lambs running around come February or March! Right now, I work full time – but, down the road – I too want a milk cow and a big garden! So, keep up the great work – I am taking notes!!! 🙂
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR WONDERFUL FAMILY!!
Denise watson
Thank you Shaye for your honesty, humor, you make me laugh and say to myself “see I’m not the only one who has these feelings”! I don’t live on a farm but have dreamed of it most of my life, so I live vicariously through you!! I so look forward to your new adventure on your very own homestead! I look forward to all you have to share with us in the future!!!! God Bless you and your family!!!????
Charlotte Moore
WOW!! You are moving to new farm!! Where is this new farm?
CONGRTULTIONS on all your achievements.
Amanda
This blog has been a blessing to me because of your honesty. Too many time I see articles and blogs where things run smoothly and everything gets done and I feel as if I will never get to the place where I will have my dream, which is a small farm. But you are always honest about the chaos and admit when sometimes things don’t get done or happen in a way you hadn’t planned. It gives me hope that I can make my dreams a reality but also lets me know it will be ok if the path that gets me there is not exactly perfect. We lost our first chicken this past week and as I stood crying in my backyard I was thinking about what you had written about some of your losses and knew what you had experienced. So thank you for being real and sharing the good and the bad instead of only showing us the perfect side. Wishing you a happy healthy new year!
Annie
Merry Christmas to you and your family Shaye. (Critters included)
Thank you for all that you shared this year. Reading about your adventures inspires me to keep trying to make my dreams a reality. My little farm is still waiting for me to discover. When I do I will remember your adventures. Wishing you all peace, love, joy and prosperity in the coming year.
Lyndsey
It’s going to be an exciting year! Very happy for you and yours. Happy New Year!
Nancy Mosley
I look forward to seeing all your new posts and adventures for 2016. Wonderful news about getting your own home!! Blessings to your family!
Brenda Nuland
I remember how my daughter felt with a surprise fifth child, there were some tired tears. But baby Anna is such a blessing now at age five. She looks a lot like her Grammie… me!
Heidi
What a year! We have had similar loss and triumph as well….I’m starting to see that the pattern is likely just the way homesteading is. up and down, up and down. Wishing you and your family many more “up’s” then “down’s” at your new place!
janina
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see all the beautiful pictures you will be sharing with us in the spring! Your pictures get me to dreaming more and more of a productive garden that I can feed my family with!! Wishing you many homesteading successes this upcoming year!
P.S. I’m excited! Can you tell my all the exclamation points? 😉
Barbara
Thank you so much for your spirit, and your writing. I will be leaving Alabama to try to create a similar setup on some land I own there. Unfortunately it will mean starting from scratch without even shelter. As a disabled senior, I expect my plans will be a very truncated version of yours, but your posts have given me hope that I will be able to have a greenhouse and the Gloucestershire Spotted pigs I have wanted. My wish is that no matter how it turns out, I will be a peace there.
Barbara
Sorry, I left out “leaving Alabame to go to.Georgia”