My Simple Country Living

2023 Is Nearing An End

2023-11-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

This year I had lots of big plans. I had my greenhouse ready for spring planting. I had my vegetable garden planned out. Our barns were finally squared away for the goats.

Mid March I started having severe flank pain that sent me to the ER. Within a few days doctors decided I had a tumor obstructing my colon and they performed emergency surgery. After a few pints of blood, life saving surgical resection and pathology tests they determined that I had adenocarcinoma colon cancer, stage IIb w/perforation and my tumor pT4aN0M0. That was not how I expected spring to begin.

I was blessed to be treated in an amazing local hospital. The doctors, surgeons, and nurses were compassionate and supportive. What should have Ben the worst ten days of my life were calm and healing.

Fast forward about six weeks and I was flying to City of Hope Chicago (formerly Cancer Treatment Center of America) to begin chemotherapy with the platinum based CAPOX protocol. This hospital is dear to me. They treated my baby sister for two different types of thyroid cancer back in 2014 and she is doing well today. The Los Angeles City of Hope facility treated two of my sisters in law for breast cancer years ago and they’re both thriving today as well.

I spent summer on chemo. My protocol lasted three months broken down into 3 week cycles. I would start each cycle on day 1 with a 3.5 hour infusion of the platinum based chemo drug Oxaliplatin. I’d fly home and start 14 days of oral chemo pills Xeloda (Capecitebine). Day 15-21 I was drug free for a week of rest and then I’d start the cycle again. The first two cycles weren’t bad. I was able to rest following infusion, and get through the cycle able to eat. It wasn’t fun feeling nauseated all the time, but the alternative was worse.

Cycle 3 was harder. I was pretty sick. The night before the fourth and final cycle began I was still sick from the third cycle and was in the ER at the cancer hospital for iv hydration and tests. The next day I managed to get through that infusion and fly home. Two days later I was hospitalized with some pretty severe side effects. I spent the next two weeks in hospital unable to keep food or drink down. I lost almost 25 pounds. The muscles in my mouth and throat were temporarily paralyzed so I was unable to swallow the last cycle of oral chemo pills. It took a speech therapist to help me recover the use of the muscles in my mouth and throat so I could swallow to eat and drink again.

That last infusion did its job. I could hardly support my own weight to get up and walk from my bed to the restroom or living room because the chemo did it’s job well, it was killing cancer cells and it was also killing red blood cells that should have been oxygenating my muscles etc. I wasn’t moving enough. Within a few days of being discharged from the hospital for the chemo side effects, I was back in the ER and admitted to the ICU for a week with acute massive pulmonary embolisms. It was so bad the hospital wasn’t going to keep me. They waited for several hours on a cardiothoracic surgeon in surgery so they could try to convince him to accept me. They were planning to fly me to his hospital via helicopter. Once he learned I was a cancer patient on chemo he refused because he didn’t believe he could help me, my situation was grave. The hospital only had two options, ICU on an iv of Heparin and if that didn’t stabilize me soon the last resort was a drug that would break up the blood clots filling my lungs, but they feared the potential for brain bleeds with that drug could also kill me.

I’ve never been so afraid as I was that first night in ICU. Fortunately, my body responded to the heparin and my heart was soon out of danger, my breathing was improving and the pain was manageable on medication and j was back home a week later recovering.

In September the CT scan could find no evidence of metastasis, so they pronounced me (NED) no evidence of disease. That was a great feeling! I’ve learned that my tumor was advanced. It was large (softball sized), had perforated the colon and had completely obstructed the colon so the tumor itself was staged at pT4a which puts it at high risk for recurrence in a phenomenon called the survivor paradox. Basically, that tumor gives me a higher risk of recurrence and of a worse survival outcome than someone with stage 3 cancer whose tumor isn’t as advanced. Knowing that, I’ve been doing what I can to eat as anti-cancer as possible. I’m exercising and doing what I can do to support my team and to try to stay healthy.

The surgery that saved my life last spring also left me with a temporary ostomy. I recently learned that my case is complex for reversal so I’m heading to the Mayo Clinic for testing to see if I will be able to have the procedure. I will know my fate next month after I see one of the best colon oncology surgeons in the country, at Mayo.

I’m hoping to close out 2023 in good spirits, NED, and with the hope of reversal surgery in my immediate future. I plan to get a few Christmas gifts made for friends and family and I am planning my spring garden. This garden will be different as I plan to get some kind of walipini (greenhouse dug down below the frost line) set up in 2024 so I can continue into winter here in South Dakota with important organic veggies to keep me healthy. Those are the goals I hope to meet so far. Do you have plans or goals for your 2024 ???

January in South Dakota

2023-01-31T22:56:00.002-08:00

The frost envelops the trees at night, and we awaken to a winter wonderland. It was -8' F this morning when I took the photo above. No wind thankfully.

We have record snowfall for the season, over 40" so far. This region has been in a drought for a few years, so the white stuff is a welcome sight. That picnic table sits in our front yard. Thankfully, the snow doesn't all fall at once and some melts in-between storms, so we are able to get in and out of the property with relative ease on most days.

Farm Update 2023

2023-01-31T22:12:00.002-08:00

Hello World! We are back online again after a few very busy years. I have a lot of exciting changes to share with you. Here goes...

In the summer of 2020, we were evacuated multiple times due to fires close to our home. The SQF Complex fire came within two miles of our farm and produced dangerous dense smoke for months that left me and a few of my goats with long term lung issues. We made the tough decision to leave our birth state and everyone we love behind and decided to move east.

We sold the house quickly, put everything in storage and boarded our animals with friends and headed east on Interstate 80. We searched all over Utah where my BFF now lives, but property prices there were higher than those in California for small homesteads. We continued north to Idaho which had little available at that point too, so we kept moving east through Wyoming and into Nebraska and then north to South Dakota. We then traveled east to Virginia, checking properties along the route.

My heart was set on The Mt Rushmore state. The plains are beautiful. The Black Hills are majestic. The people of South Dakota are warm and friendly and they helped me win over My Hubby.

Escrow closed Spring 2021 on our latest small farm and I trailered my goats here myself to begin our journey. We bought a historic homestead with a farmhouse that was built on this lot in 1909. We have just six acres, but they're all level and tillable. We have two older barns Jerry has been remodeling for maximum comfort for the animals, a large chicken coop and the soil here in The Missouri River Valley is so fertile it is amazing.

We finally have high speed internet again, after many years stuck in the Sierras with only satellite internet so I plan to start blogging again. I am eager to share some of the things I've been working on. Stay tuned.

Heidi

We have a website for our nigerian dwarf dairy goat herd

2019-12-06T01:14:00.001-08:00

I have been raising nigerian dwarf dairy goats since 2013. This is one of my passions. I am a member of the American Dairy Goat Association as well. It's amazing to me just how many changes I have witnessed in this industry in such a short period of time. We show, milk test, and appraise our herd. We test annually for all the major caprine diseases. We recently started a website just for our goat herd. It's slowly being populated with members of the herd, our breeding schedule, news and updates. If you're interested in learning more about these special little goats check out our site here.

SPRING MEANS KIDS ON THE FARM

2019-02-03T02:37:00.001-08:00

Kidding season is just around the corner at Tres Rios Ranch and I am eager to see the next generation of nigerian dwarf dairy goats born to our herd. This year we are freshening more of our own homebred does than ever before. Hooray!

It's an opportunity to see how much I have actually learned about dairy goat conformation during all the lectures, classes, shows, linear appraisal sessions, and my own experience milking my does for the last several years.

Stay tuned.

Heidi

Kidding Season...

2017-07-08T13:14:00.005-07:00

Well, another successful kidding season is almost complete. We currently have ten kids from four does, and are waiting on sweet little Mocha to kid and that will be the last kids for our farm this year.

I brought in one adorable doe kid from the fabulous Alethia Homestead herd this season. I have had a reservation for an Algedi Farm D Capella kid for a few years and had expected it would not happen since Capella is up in years, but she blessed me with my precious Cassiopea (The Queen) and I could not be more happy.

I have to get out there to tattoo and get kids ready to go to their new homes soon. I have just one doe left for sale, a few nice bucklings, and two boys that will be wethered shortly.

Addy is as usual, my milk queen. She had been milking over four pounds a day until temperatures climbed above 105 degrees this week.

I noticed that her udder was not full this morning and saw her allow one of Goldie's kids to suckle from her teat. That was a BIG surprise as Addy has never before been caught allowing any other doe's kids get near her udder in four years. Just goes to show that people and animals can change.

We had our herd linear appraisal on June 15th and my entire herd of adults got the best scores that we've ever had I think. I learn so much from these evaluations and comparisons among my own herd members. These scores will form the basis of my next breeding decisions.

We are in another historic heatwave right now. It was 109' yesterday. Likely to be the same today. I better head out and check on water buckets again and offer some more orchard grass to keep the herd moving and drinking in this hot, humid weather.

I hope you have a great week,

Heidi

Hello World. I am still here...

2016-12-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a LONG time since I have found the time to post here, and our farm has experienced SO much since the last post. While I cannot promise to have lots of time to check in these days as farm living keeps me very busy, but here is an update to span the gap.

We have two dexter heifers, MayDay and Buttercup. We have raised them since We are planning to have one of them slaughtered and prepared within the next 60 days. This will be our first farm raised grass fed beef from our own farm. I am really looking forward to this.

This year saw continued growth in our small nigerian dwarf dairy goat herd. We brought home this sweet little gal we call Lacy. While she is just a baby now, we expect good things from her in the future.

Our Avalon gave birth to twins, a buck and doe. This is her beautiful little girl Candy. She has everyone wrapped around her toes.

The dam of our senior doe Joyful Hearts CB Adelaide (Addy) tied for fifth place nationally on one day milk test in spring. Our Addy who already earned her dairy star the last time she was on milk test, is currently milking about 4 pounds a day six months after kidding with three fantastic bucks.

We have been plagued by large predators in our neighborhood and made the decision to invest in a few livestock guardian dogs to help encourage the mountain lions and bears to make a wide berth around our property. This is Ranger, our puppy. He is less than a year old, and is supervised at all times when with goats. He is becoming a valued member of our team.

We have lost about 2/3 of our flock of chickens in the last year or so. Most times, it's our punishing summer heat that takes the girls. We still have our rooster Queenie and about 5 hens. In March 2017 they will all be five years old already. Wow! Time flies.

On the homefront, we have been blessed with two beautiful grandkids. Grandma is looking forward to teaching them both about farming and animals.

Wishing you a year of great happiness and success in the new year.

Heidi

My BEST Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2015-05-15T20:38:00.003-07:00

My Hubby's batch. He likes them well done.

Om, nom, nom...

Through trial and error I have finally come up with a gluten free chocolate chip cookie that rises nice and high like a wheat flour cookie and has a perfect texture inside too.

Here's my recipe... I hope you give it a whirl!

Begin by placing the following ingredients in your mixing bowl and blend til smooth-

3/4 cup (1 & 1/2 sticks) softened butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar (for my batch I use organic sugar instead 1 for 1)

1 cup packed brown sugar

Next, add in the following and mix well (I use a Kitchenaid, but my Mom used to use girl power *her three daughters and a wooden spoon)-

2 large fresh eggs (room temperature)

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract (mine was made just for me by my BFF Michelle)

In a separate mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients as follows...

2 cups gluten free flour*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

*(I make my own gluten free flour by mixing 2/3 c. almond flour, 2/3 c. coconut flour, 2/3 c. oat flour, and 2 teaspoons of xanthan gum powder to "bind it together" like gluten does wheat flour.)

Carefully add in the dry ingredients stirring slowly until well blended and then spoon in the chocolate chips. We use 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in this house

Here's a few tips that will help make YOUR cookies tall and fluffy like the ones above.

REFRIGERATE the dough for atleast one hour. If you own an insulated cookie sheet, use it and LINE it with parchment paper.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees before baking.

I make my cookies by scooping the dough up into a small ice cream scooper. Then, I take a spoon dipped in sugar to "squish" the balls a bit before placing them into the oven. You can of course make smaller cookies and they'll be just as good.

This recipe makes about 24 of these cowboy size cookies. It would probably make 36 regular sized cookies.

GLUTEN FREE flours generally brown faster than traditional wheat flour so check on your cookies often until you have figured out how long it will take to bake these cookies to perfection in your oven. In my old fashioned Wedgewood propane oven it takes about 10 minutes to bake them, but ovens vary, and newer more efficient ovens may make quicker or slower work of these cookies, especially if you make them smaller than I do. Check often the first few sheets until you figure it out.

That's all there is to it. Please let me know how you like them.

Heidi

We Have a Dexter!

2015-03-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right. Thanks to our amazing neighbors Don and Teriz Mosley we are the proud parents of an eight month old dexter heifer calf. We are calling her Princess Buttercup because Jerry says she looks and acts like a princess. I have to agree. Isn't she lovely?

I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself.

We've been so blessed to have the Mosleys for friends and neighbors. They're great people. They raise angus, dexters, idaho pasture pigs, a few varieties of sheep, chickens, and maintain a nice orchard and kitchen garden. They're building a Farm Stay on their property too. They are as excited about homesteading as I am, and they generously share their knowledge with others.

I could barely believe it when Teriz offered sweet little Buttercup to me. She has been there at every step of the way teaching me how to halter train Buttercup, how to manage her, and she delivered her here to help her settle in this week.

Jerry is building her a little barn all for herself in our 5 acre pasture, behind our home.

My farmgirl dreams have all been working themselves out. Our homestead is growing. Our livestock fencing and housing is almost complete. Our health has been good. I've missed gardening so much that I have decided to get back into a veggie garden this year, in spite of the drought. I need to put up more food. Digging in the dirt helps me relax.

That's it for now.

Heidi

Jerry's DIY Goat Feeder Plans

2015-01-26T23:46:00.001-08:00

Howdy FarmGirls!

My hubby Jerry is always ready to make my farm dreams come true. That is especially true when I need another structure to house or feed farm babies.

Last year our herd more than doubled in size and I decided that I needed a strong feeder for my dairy goats. A feeder with a roof to keep the hay dry, and with enough vertical structure to prevent grass hay from slipping through and being stepped on.

Within a few hours Jerry built me this wonderful feeder. He made most of it from scraps and a few lengths of cull lumber from a home improvement store.

This feeder has been a great help. I have a few more on my list once our new buck barn is finished.

Here is a drawing I made from my feeder, complete with measurements.

Please feel free to use the plan to construct your own feeders, and by all means SHARE this post. I'd really appreciate if you would send me photos/link of your feeder once it's made too.

DIY IS FREEDOM! These feeders cost almost $300 around here to BUY. Jerry built this one using recycled wood, steel, and $7 in culled lumber for the slats.

Save your money to buy more goats! That's my motto.

Heidi

One Day in the Life of a Farmgirl...

2015-01-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

Today was a busy day for a day off from "work". I spent a few hours on the tractor moving and turning my goat barn compost pile. I prepped a few raised garden beds and planted a few cuttings. I covered my hay stack in preparation of a storm that is due overnight. I even made time to play with my goats and chickens.

Tonight, I sat down before the woodstove to finish the day off with potato leek soup that I made from my CSA vegetable box. Life is pretty darn good.

You're Invited!

2015-01-25T21:46:00.001-08:00

Calling All

FARMGIRLS!

We are having a party and you are cordially invited to JOIN our Facebook group (Farmgirl Chit Chat) and to LINK UP your blog for our new Farmgirl Chit Chat Blog Party!

What are you waiting for???

PRODUCT REVIEW-

2015-01-24T19:42:00.002-08:00

CRANBERRY RIDGE FARM

Luxury Goat Milk Soap

When Matt and Rhonda Shaul of Cranberry Ridge Farm offered me the opportunity to review several of their amazing goat milk soap bars I JUMPED at the chance!

They've been making their very special luxury soap bars for more than a decade, and they've crossed this great country doing it. Read about their incredible farm journey on their website HERE.

My Review-

Jerry and I have used their soaps exclusively over the past 6 weeks. Jerry's favorite has been their bar- The Anvil's Ring (image above). Its scent is reminiscent of balsam and leather. Our weather has been very cold and dry so far this winter. Jerry loves the fragrance and tells me that the soap has comforted his dry skin and chapped hands. He wants more as soon as possible.

I have a small herd of nigerian dwarf dairy goats. Daily chores are very drying, especially at this time of year. I have to use strong cleansers and disinfectants to prepare and clean up after milking. My hands often become dry,cracked, and sore in winter months from all the chemicals and frequent washings.

I have enjoyed Cranberry Ridge Farm's Lavender, Lemongrass, and Lavender Patchouli bars. All three soaps have been very nourishing to my overworked skin. I could see and feel a positive difference in my skin's texture and moisture in just about a week.

My impression of their Lavender bar is that it has a very pleasant, lavender fragrance. This bar is not too strongly scented, which is common for this scent. It is attractive and would make a lovely gift. It cleanses well and does not leave a film on your skin or in the shower as many of the handcrafted bars I have purchased have done.

The Lavender Patchouli bar smells amazing. It's musky with the calming lavender fragrance blended into it. This fragrance is calming and relaxing. I will definitely need more of this one too.

My FAVORITE so far is the Lemongrass bar. The smell is so pure and invogorating. It wakes me up and puts a smile on my face!

There you have it. I recommend these goat milk soaps. I send a BIG thank you to Matt and Rhonda Shaul of Cranberry Ridge Farm for giving me several bars to use and enjoy.

Heidi

The Cranky

2014-04-09T23:37:00.005-07:00

Do you know what a cranky is??? I have to admit that I was not familiar with that term before The Best of the Valley Quilt Show last Sunday.

I have SEEN them, but I had no idea what to call them...

What am I talking about you ask???

A cranky is what collectors call a pre-electricity vintage hand crank sewing machine like this one.

I LOVE vintage sewing machines. I have a featherweight, a treadle, and a few toy sewing machines too. I have always wanted a non-electric machine that I could actually use if we ever went off-grid (a future goal). I am not coordinated enough to move the treadle pedal with my foot and sew a straight line though.

At the show we met vendors Ginger and Mike of SewCranky and their wonderful working antique machines.

There were several brands and models. We saw the familiar American brand Singer, a few British brands, and even a few German machines. (These machines were all imported from the UK)

Back in the days before in-home electricity, these portable hand crank machines were more affordable and more common than big bulky treadles for rural people. I imagine that the cost of transportation for a big, heavy cast iron treadle influenced this fact.

The crankies were remarkably EASY to use. My hubby Jerry and I tried them all out. I had no problem sewing a straight stitch as I cranked away. That was a pleasant surprise.

the little hamster wheel in my head was turning...

All I could think about was how practical one of these little machines could be. No more power outages ending a sewing session... or a glamping excursion in a tent. I could really enjoy demonstrating its use at a primitive rendezvous re-enactment (another adventure I hope to enjoy someday). Heck, I could enjoy sewing with one of these little babies anywhere.

Willpower kicked in long enough to allow me to finish viewing all the wonderful quilts and vendors; and to go have a bite to eat and say goodbye to our friends.

Before I knew it my hubby offered to take me back to get one. Our 23rd wedding anniversary is coming up in a few months and he didn't want me to let this opportunity go. I might not see one again. We headed back to the show after lunch.

As we struggled to find a parking space a few blocks away from the actual show (it was that busy) my heart was fluttering. We almost did not get a machine because they had just about sold out in the short span of time it took to eat and say our goodbyes...

Somehow, this machine was right there waiting for me upon my arrival.

I had fallen in love with it earlier. It's a German machine by Frister and Rossman that was made in the early 1920s. Notice the unique decorations. After the opening of King Tut's Tomb, the world was enamored with all things Egyptian.

The quilt show was great fun. You can see pictures of a few of my favorite quilts HERE. I saw a few old friend's quilts and met one of my longtime quilting heroes, Nancy Rink. I cut my quilting teeth on her patchwork patterns back in the day. She is just as friendly in person as she is in film.

So goes my cranky adventure. I plan to break it in this weekend.

Do YOU have any old treasures you love?

kidding season arrives at tres rios farm

2014-04-06T23:20:00.001-07:00

On Monday, March 31, 2014, our nigerian dwarf doe "Lily" gave birth to four healthy bucklings. I was with her as she kidded, though she did not need any help from me this time. She pushed all four babies out in just seven minutes and was standing up to greet and feed them as soon as she was done.

These boys are the first born on our farm and will carry our herd name. They all weighed in above three pounds at birth.

Hello Tigger!

We are in the ADGA Performance Plus Program this year which means we are participating in milk test, we are having the whole herd linear appraised, and we are proofing DNA for our herd leaders. Show season is just around the corner too. This summer is going to be really exciting, and a big learning experience for us.

We need to settle on names this week and get these boys registered so they'll be ready for all these adventures.

Sweet Dreams

the FARMGIRL FRIDAY blog hop #151 & WINNER of the 150th Anniversary Goveaway

2014-03-28T15:30:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to the 151st Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! Boy howdy you've all been so busy!

We are so happy today because we FINALLY get to announce the winner of our 150th Blog Hop Celebration GIVEAWAY! Are you ready?

Our hand-picked winner of the whole kit and caboodle is Solar Bizzi from looms4izzi blog!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

You won the mother lode of farmgirl goodies!

Please check out her delightful blog. She's a chicken keeping, weaving, gardening, crocheting and knitting farmgirl!

From Deb you get the spring issue of MaryJanesFarm Magazine, one large Farm Girl T-shirt, a bandana, three packets of organic seeds, a pair of sturdy work gloves, and a $25.00 Gift Card for Tractor Supply Co.

TWO fabulous homemade ( with love ) farmgirl aprons. The cute little western number in red is from me (Heidi Gonzales) and this lovely Heirloom Apron below is one of Dolly's own designs inspired by an apron her grandmother Cora wore.

As if that weren't enough, Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed made you some of her homemade Sugar Scrub. Perfect for relaxing after a nice day of farmgirlin'!

On behalf of all of your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses we thank everyone for your continued participation in our weekly farmgirl hop! Just keep doin' what you do... We love it and you!

Deb, Heidi, Dolly and Debbie~

Heidi of My Simple Country Living
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed
and me of course!

You don't have to live on a farm to join this hop!

Farmgirl is a Condition of the Heart~ MaryJaneButters

Brag a little ( or a lot ) about your farmgirl talents! Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals, quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea! Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

Enter up to three entries per hop!

Let's get H-O-P-P-I-N-G!

Let's Celebrate!!! FARMGIRL FRIDAY blog hop #150

2014-03-21T10:19:00.004-07:00

It's a PARTY. Please join us in celebration of the 150th edition of the best weekly FARMGIRL shin-dig on the web...

the FARMGIRL FRIDAY blog hop

It's our blogiversary!!! Yaay!

In honor of this fun event, we are hosting a little farmgirl giveaway on our blogs. I will let Deb, our fearless leader tell you all the details:

"Can you believe it? Today marks 150 weeks for the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop!

Where does the time go? I know exactly where it goes! We farmgirls mark time by the seasons. Planting season, breeding season, fresh egg season, farm baby season, growing season, and harvest season. And somehow in between we manage to raise families, nurture friendships, craft, run businesses, go glamping, volunteer, work, and spend time with our elders. And it's time well spent in my book! When we follow our heart we are always right where we should be.

Heidi, Debbie Dolly and I are so grateful that your hearts lead you here to our humble little Farmgirl " roundup " every Friday!

You are the friendliest, kindest and most talented group of farmgirls in blog land and we count you among our dearest friends.

We've been chomping at the bit for weeks to tell you about our

150th FARMGIRL GOODIES GIVEAWAY!

We're giving away the FARM!

Each one of us is adding to the GIVEAWAY goodies bag so be sure to visit all of our blogs to enter to win the whole kit and caboodle!

Let's get on with it shall we? I'll go first!

I love to take my farmgirl shopping at the local Tractor Supply Co. so I went on a little shopping spree with my farmgirl friends in mind!

My first item is a $25.00 Gift Card to none other than the Tractor Supply Co.! If you don't have one near you, you can shop online!

Every homegrown farmgirl needs a pretty pink T-shirt to start a new season of farmgirl'n!

I got a large so you would have room to grow!

There's a good chance you'll work up a healthy sweat while you're doin' chores in your new sturdy work-gloves so I tucked in a pretty pink bandanna for you to wipe your brow with!

What farmgirl doesn't love sunflowers? You'll love seeing these pretty ORGANIC sunflowers ( and pole beans that are hidden behind the sunflower packet ) in your garden!

The Spring issue of MaryJanesFarm magazine is choc full of farmgirl take homes and inspiration! It's a must-have for every farmgirl at heart.

But wait! There's more!

Farmgirl Heidi is adding one of her latest farmgirl apron designs to the goodies bag too! Her western retro pin-up girl fabric just whistles farmgirl doesn't it?

Farmgirl Dolly is whipping up an apron exactly like this one ( fabric is a surprise ). It's inspired by an apron her grandmother wore. It's practical and pretty designed by Dolly for everyday farmgirl work inside or out!

Farmgirl Debbie ( Farmgirl Unleashed ) is giving away some of her homemade farmgirl body products! Her

Wake me up Sugar Scrub pictured above is one of three items she's tossing in the Farmgirl Goodie Bag.

Boy howdy! That's a lot of FARMGIRL GOODIES!

One comment on all four blogs gives you 4 chances to win the whole lot!

GOOD LUCK!

It's still Farmgirl Friday so don't forget to enter your posts and

HAPPY SPRING from all of your Farmgirl Friday hostesses!"

That's all there is to it. After you leave a comment HERE on my blog please GO TO EACH of my farm sister's blogs below and leave comments there too, to complete your entry for the whole shebang!

Farmgirl Friday creator Deb of Deborah Jean's Dandelion HouseDolly of Hibiscus H ouse family of blogs Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed

Don't forget to LINK UP as soon as you've secured your four entries from all of our blogs!!!

Heidi

the FARMGIRL FRIDAY blog hop #149

2014-03-14T17:45:00.002-07:00

When we moved here we were in a rush because our old home sold the day after we started escrow. We had to be out FAST so we cobbled together what we could in a hurry. We knew we could eventually work out the kinks. This week, we did make a few improvements on the homestead and we are preparing for a new adventure in the garden too.

Originally, Jerry put together the chicken coop and run in two days. This week, he finally had time to work out the bugs.

He moved the nesting boxes from the front to the back wall, raised it up off the ground, and added a roost to the front for the hens to hop up on. It sounds like a small thing, but it gave the girls about sixteen square feet more space on the ground and there's no direct sunlight hitting inside the boxes now. We hope this change convinces our hens to lay in all of the boxes instead of just the two corner boxes as they've been doing.

**Having everything up off the ground will help me see what is in there this summer too. No more rattlesnake surprises for me, I hope.

Grow-blocks soaking up warm water before seeds are planted into them

I just planted my first warm season vegetable and herb seeds into grow blocks (above) instead of my usual seed starting medium. I am anxious to see how they do. In my farm lab classes at college the hydroponics plants always grew much faster than our row crops. I expect these blocks to give the seeds a quick start so I can plant them sooner than usual in this unseasonably warm weather we've been having all winter.

last year's garden now sits under the tractor in this photo...

This year's garden will be improvised. Jerry is starting a new large building project that will take up most of the front yard not dedicated to animal pasture, so I will not be trying to garden anything out there. Instead, I will be planting my seedlings right into garden soil bags up on the paved driveway. I will simply poke holes in the bottom of the bags for drainage and on top to plant into and water as usual. I already bought several bags for the project. I got the small one cubic foot size for easy moving and handling. I read about this in Mother Earth News and Organic Gardener a few years ago. I am looking forward to seeing how this works.

These are my closest neighbors...

The image above has been my view every day this week from my 2nd floor sewing room... Can you imagine? THIS is why we moved out of suburbia! The view and tranquility of this beautiful rural community are invigorating to me.

I have been having a blast sewing several projects for various hops and swaps lately. This week, I completed a few more fun aprons, gifts for friends. This one below featuring an Alexander Henry pin up girls print is MY favorite so far...

Even more exciting to me, is that I have had a few requests to make them. I never thought anyone would want to wear one of my homemade aprons, not in a million years. The idea that friends are actually willing to PAY ME to do something that I LOVE to do blows my mind.

Anyway, long story short, I AM going to start building up a small reserve of completed aprons and get to work selling them. I am SUPER excited at this opportunity and the chance to make a little pin money to stash away for Christmas.

Stay tuned! I picked up this new Paris Market fabric for my next apron...

There is still time left to get one of those adorable FARMGIRL magnets to put on your fridge. All you have to do is SEND ME a mailing address... There are fifteen left right now...

Finally, there are so many FUN farmgirl activities going on right now online. I hope you don't miss any of them.

On my blog, the 2nd Annual GRAB YOUR APRON blog hop runs through the month. I invite you to link up and share pictures of your apron collection HERE.

FARMGIRL CHIT CHAT, the Facebook Group for farmgirls is BURSTING with activity too... there are SO many wonderful farmgirl activities going on over there right now that I am not sure I will remember to share them all, but here are the few I can think of...

We are in the middle of Deb's awesome APRON SWAP!

We had a COOP photo day yesterday. It was a fun opportunity to share pics of your hen house and brag a little about your hens.

Every day we see more wonderful pictures of treasures ladies are getting in the mail from Michelle's Craft Swap.

Lisa Tucker of the blog My Ordinary Country Life just shared a post that made my mouth water... here's a hint- it contains quiche! Yum.

Connie Meyer of the blog Urban Overalls shared a fantastic post about aprons and it's FULL of her own gorgeous aprons. What a collection.

Well, I am sorry if I talked your head off.

Let's get H-O-P-P-I-N-G!!!

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses

Deborah Jean aka "Deb" of Dandelion House

Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking

Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed

and me of course!

Enter up to three entries per hop!

DON'T BE SHY~

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Coop Beautiful Fashion Show

2014-03-12T09:06:00.002-07:00

Join us today for a little chicken coop fashion show on Farmgirl Chit Chat.

Grab your camera, take a few pictures and share them with our little farmgirl community online HERE.

Heidi

Build-A-Sign Product Review & Giveaway

2014-03-09T18:55:00.003-07:00

Image from buildasign.com

The internet marketing team at BuildASign gave me an opportunity to create, review, and give away a series of wonderful custom magnets that I have designed just for you. Here's what I came up with in less than an hour on my first attempt...

My impressions...

These helpful kitchen measurement conversion magnets are easy to read at the size of a postcard, and I use mine nearly every day. The magnets are strong, well made, with evenly cut images. Mine holds up a few important appointment cards at present.

The BuildASign design process is fast. Their software is easy to use, and they have several great ready to customize templates to make things even faster. Once you make and save a design you can come back and order more later. This was a fun process. I liked it so much that I designed and ordered more items.

Okay, now for the FUN part... I am giving away several of these pretty little purple FARMGIRL magnets (image below).

First come, First served!

To get yours, simply leave a comment below describing what you would do with this pretty little FARMGIRL magnet, then please send me an EMAIL or FACEBOOK MESSAGE with a mailing address so I can pop your magnet into the mail ASAP!

The first FIFTY responses WIN!

Please SHARE this giveaway with friends, I want to order more and my hubby says I can't until these are all gone...

Ready, Set, Go!!!

Heidi

the FARMGIRL FRIDAY blog hop #148

2014-03-07T10:10:00.003-08:00

Howdy!

We are just a few weeks from the 150th anniversary edition of this fabulous, FUN weekly blog party. We are very excited about the anniversary. Be sure to be here (virtually I mean, hehe). It is going to be very special.

On the Homestead...

Around the homestead this week things are starting to look like SPRING. The goats love their new home. We had our first farm vet visit and both of my does had ultrasounds and everyone got physicals, vaccines, and annual blood tests completed.

BABY NEWS- Meet Mocha. She was born this week to Toffee at Sierra-Aspen Ranch in Washoe Valley, Nevada and she will be coming home to our farm in a few months. We are grateful to Heather and Sierra for our special baby girl.

Jerry has spent the better part of two days on the tractor moving literally tons of dirt so we can gain an area about 30x40 more for the pasture we are preparing for the goats. He is filling in an old abandoned drainage ditch.

I found all of these organic seeds at our Habitat for Humanity Re-Store for only 25 cents a packet!

In case you haven't heard, California is experiencing a drought and here in the Sierra-Nevada foothills on a riverbed, we have very sandy loam soil that needs lots of water in summer. In consideration of this probability, I decided to shrink my garden . I am cutting back to just the essentials. A smaller garden means that I can afford to try a few new things. I will be starting my garden seeds using grow blocks instead of my usual homemade soilless mix. I am really looking forward to trying this new medium.

Farmgirl Chit-Chat News- Our fearless Farmgirl leader Deb of the blog Deborah Jean's Dandelion House has thrown down the gauntlet!

Deb's Aprons...

We are having an APRON SWAP!!!

Woohoo! There's still time to join before midnight tomorrow... Head on over to the group HERE to get in on this fun adventure.

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses

Deborah Jean aka "Deb" of Dandelion House

Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking

Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed

and me of course!

Enter up to three entries per hop!

DON'T BE SHY~

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Let's get H-O-P-P-I-N-G!

GRAB YOUR APRON blog hop

2014-03-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

Happy MARCH!

It was about this time last year that we had our first apron blog party, and with our little farmgirl community GROWING like it is, it's time for another party. Here we go!

Participating is FUN, and EASY.

BLOGGERS- take pictures of your aprons and write a post about your collection, then link it up to the HOP below.

FACEBOOK users- SHARE pictures of your aprons on the new Facebook group for farmgirls... Farmgirl Chit-Chat.

*While you're there, don't forget to JOIN Deb's Awesome Apron Swap!

PINTEREST- There's even a board to PIN your apron pictures to located HERE!

FOLLOW the board, and I will add you to the group, so you can PIN away!

Feel free to grab the code and share the HOP in a post on your blog too, to SPREAD the word and get more fun aprons to view. The HOP will be open for links through April 4th. I look forward to seeing your aprons.

Heidi

Let's get HOPPING!

The Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #147

2014-02-28T09:12:00.004-08:00

We have some exciting news to share. I'll let our fearless farmgirl leader Deb take it away...

Dear friends,

Did the month of February fly by or what? The bitter cold and multiple snow storms we've had this month have only strengthened my resolve to make the most out of March! You see, Heidi, Dolly Debbie and I have been nurturing a tiny, precious creative DREAM seed that we'll UN veil on the 15O Th Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop!

Here's a little hint for you... Keep your pantries filled, your knives sharpened and your stoves on simmer...We'll be calling you out to join us in something wonderfully fun, deliciously full-filling and very farmgirl!

In the meantime, we welcome you back to link up and share your farmgirl ways this week on the 147th Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop!

And, if you haven't joined Farmgirl Chit-Chat already, please come and join us! It's a wonderful community of clever, creative and KIND farmgirls who will welcome you with warm hugs and a smile!

Heidi, Dolly, Debbie and I love to see what you're up to from week to week so let's get going!

Heidi of My Simple Country Living
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed
and me of course!

You don't have to live on a farm to join this hop!

Farmgirl is a Condition of the Heart~ MaryJaneButters

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop #146

2014-02-27T00:37:00.001-08:00

Howdy Farmgirls!

My trusty old laptop died a few weeks ago so I've been unable to partake in the FARMGIRL FUN for a while. My replacement arrived yesterday and after a sharp learning curve with the new and improved operating system I am here today to link up and shout hello!

There's still time to link up!

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses

Deborah Jean aka "Deb" of Dandelion House

Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking

Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed

and me of course!

Enter up to three entries per hop!

DON'T BE SHY~

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop!

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Moving Day

2014-02-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

The goats and I have been waiting patiently for several months for this very special day at Tres Rios Farm. They moved in to the new Goat House yesterday.

We've still got a few kinks to work out in the arrangement of stalls, who goes where, how to set up what- where, but I can say that everyone is resting well and enjoying their new larger, warmer, more secure home tonight.

Jerry and I also made great progress today in the yard. We disassembled the old goat yard and began tilling and scraping the new goat pasture area. We ordered a few bags of pasture seed mix for small ruminants and are prepping the soil on about an acre of relatively flat hillside for our new goat pasture.

We've got big plans for our little farm this year. We joined the ADGA Performance Plus Program for the first time. I got my tester certification card this week, and am preparing for our first year on milk test. Our veterinarian will be making a farm call next week for routine physicals, sonograms on our two pregnant does, and annual herd testing. Things are sure going to be exciting around here for a while, and then begins SHOW season... Oh, and BABY WATCH is just around the corner!!!

Have a HAPPY week friends.