This blog/site has been so quiet for a very, very long time and I realize that very few people may actually ever even read this as it HAS been so quiet but I wanted to reach out there and explain what has been going on! I often think about getting back into blogging but the truth is, does anyone even read blogs anymore?! I actively post on my Instagram account and to me, most days, thats really enough…

I started shooting sessions back in 2009 with no real direction of what I wanted out of my photography. I even attended an amazing workshop in the Fall of 2014 with none other than THE Joy Prouty (love that lady!) and I left feeling completely inspired by what was to come. I took the Winter off to think about where I wanted my photography to take me and honestly, I never really got much clarity in that down time either. I am so inspired by photographers and nothing moves me more than I well shot photo… I still am unclear about what I want to do with this passion of mine but I do know that I am currently enjoying this chapter in my life where I simply shoot for myself and shoot from the heart. My life, my family, our farm, our garden and our animals is what makes me happy and truly inspired. Photographing and telling the stories of our life here in the country is something I want to pursue further and for that reason I am excited to tell you about some very big changes that will be occurring here next month!

I have made the decision to combine my two websites (photography & farm life) and upgrade it into one amazing site designed by a designer whom I am so very excited to be working with in September! The farmgirl diaries website will no longer be activated as I focus solely on the new site that will be simply.. www.dawncosgrove.com. I wanted a site that was an extension of my Instagram account, a place where those that follow me could come to find out more about the photographer behind the lens, read my stories, buy my prints and possibly even collaborate with me for future projects. But don’t worry, what has become my online journal of sorts, the farmgirl diaries.. isn’t really going away! My new site will feature a brand new blog interface that will feature fresh new photos and words..a blank slate if you will for a brand new website!

You guys I cannot wait to show you what we will be working on..a website that finally feels like home to me.  I want you to come and feel like you are right here on our farm, cozying up to the images that drive this passion of mine. I don’t yet know where my photography will take me in the future..I guess only time will tell! Maybe someday it’ll all be combined into a book of my photos and stories for you to read in your own homes, maybe it will lead to freelance photography of farms, animals and country living..who knows! But whats around the corner is going to be so much better than anything I could ever imagine so hold tight…amazingly beautiful things from this little slice of the good life are on there way to you soon!!

xo,

Dawn

this moment. Tom Petty blasting over the entire farmhouse, you shaking & grooving to the music after you pull up a kitchen chair to the counter like you always do and help me cook. I will cherish these moments for my entire life..eating while you stir, crunching on green onions and cottage cheese and smearing my sweater with sour cream, just because you can. this moment, my sweet boy, is why I am grateful to be alive..

I am so proud of this little calendar..truly a labor of love. Our calendar measures 5×7 in and is printed on a heavy card stock with a matte finish

I truly hope this is the beginning of a new shop for me..my goal is to offer some of my prints etc in 2016 and this is the perfect way to kick off a new year! If you are interested in having one of my calendars in your home for 2016, please click over to my shop, Prairie Porch Studios

Have a great Monday everyone!!!

Hi friends!

We have been given a very long Fall this year and it has been appreciated around these parts! Jobs around the farm are getting knocked off the to-do list and we’re being spoiled with amazingly warm temps considering its nearing the end of November already (where the heck did this month go?!) I for one am ready for Winter’s calm. Its a beautiful break for our family to spend more time together, relaxing in the evenings as the sun sets before dinner already and it allows us the much needed time to get a few projects done around this old farmhouse as well! Whether or not it actually all gets done or not is a totally different topic but this farmwife can dream!

The animals are settling in to the coop now as well..the ducks refused to go in for the first few months of their lives leaving me chasing 6 ducks every night to pick them up one by one and place them in the coop! It was exhausting and dirty and I believe I fell every single time at least once (I blame it on the pinecones but who knows!) The heat lamp has been hung and turned on now in the evenings, every night when I go to close up the coop I often find quite a few of my hens tucked underneath it, basking in the heat before the set up to roost. I haven’t seen many eggs from my 29 hens in a couple of months now, the shorter days and cooler temps have brought upon their annual molt and our egg cartons are feeling the emptiness! I have been buying eggs at the store to keep us stocked up but lets face it, once you grab fresh eggs from the coop and make breakfast with them…there’s no going back to store bought ones..at least not happily!

Last night the temps dropped to -13, the coldest its been this season. But today the sun is shining and the wind has finally left us be..at least for the moment! So my animals are happily plucking away at the still green grass and the song birds are still with us, singing their daily tune. They say the snow is coming next week and I can hardly wait..I hope it sticks around for a while now! I am fluffing up the farmhouse for winter..slowly adding Christmas decorations as I go and turning on the outdoor lights so they can twinkle through these cold nights..

so here I am..enjoying the sunshine but not so secretly wishing for snow (it IS almost December after all!) Fluffing up this old farmhouse and creating cozy nooks to bundle ourselves up into. Making comforting dishes to end our days with, loving the crock pot and laundering everything in sight, even if just for the smell of fresh laundry to waft around. I am ready to say thank you Fall for being so generous and sticking around for a while but welcome old man winter and all your cozy charms…

Wednesday morning I woke up early, tip toed down the hallway and came to our kitchen window and all I saw was white, sitting on our spruce trees. I cannot explain to you the joy I felt..utterly ridiculous. I sat in the dim light, drinking my coffee and anxiously awaiting daylight so I could see how much fell and run outside to play in it. I recalled childhood memories of the first snow and I felt so grateful that I live here, in the most beautiful country that allows us the chance to experience every season at its fullest. Once daylight came, we bundled up and took to the snowy yard while it lasted. Hudson loved being pulled in the sled and I knew that this winter is going to be one for the books with him.

the day was slow and quiet. After a crazy busy Spring/Summer/Fall, it is a very welcomed pace! We spent most of it inside which is rare for us but again, enjoyed! I love the shorter days and colder weather because it encourages your to hunker down with your loved ones, stay cozy and cuddled and enjoy the comforts of home. I felt so grateful to have Adam home and inside with us, working in his office or playing with us. The sound of him playing with Hudson and the giggles that could be heard throughout the house were priceless. How on earth did I get to be so lucky? Don’t get me wrong, parenting is hard and some days its a struggle to keep it together but man..you have to feel grateful for your family .. they are truly the best blessing we have in our lives!

That night I ran out to the coop to lock the ducks and chickens in for the night. The heat lamp was on to make everyone comfy but you could still see your breath in the air as you exhaled. The ducks were snug in their corner and the chickens were still scratching about while some were setting up to roost. I watched this unfold before me and I couldn’t help to think, “this is mine..this is my life, how cool is that?” Sure most people don’t think much about little things like their farm animals but I never saw this coming in my life. Its such a good life! Its hard and its labour-filled but the rewards are so freaking worth it.

the snow has melted already and the chickens are back out in the garden, fertilizing and turning over the soil for next year and I am already dreaming up ways of filling this space again with greens, vegetables and more flowers than I know what to do with. Sure I could point out a hundred things in this photo that I’d like to work on, change etc..but yesterday reminded me that I need to take more time to feel grateful for everything this life has given me. And today, I celebrate 4 years of marriage to the farmer who made it all happen…

Anyways, from our farm to you we wish you all a very Happy Halloween from the cutest little stinker I ever did see!!!

all images are mine unless stated: apples, sunset

We wrapped up our harvest earlier this week and the rains have been falling ever since. Some people I know are going through the heatwave we experienced two weeks ago but for us, its dark and raining and its starting to really feel like Fall. The leaves here at the farm are already turning their golden hues, I find myself drawn to the tree rows once more to watch their beautiful show. Hudson and I spend a lot of time out there exploring and I love that he constantly bends down to pick up a yellow leaf and hand it to me..something tells me I will start keeping a collection of his Autumnal finds. Yesterday was the first day Adam was able to spend at home with us in a very long time, it was absolutely glorious! The boys played and giggled while I made homemade meals and cozied up under sweaters and blankets. Of course I kept the windows open most of the day because the smell of a Fall rain is just to good to ignore. But I won’t pretend the furnace wasn’t running later on in the day either..its steady hum of heat felt more comforting then anything I have experienced these last few months and a part of me was looking forward to the snow (crazy I know but they were talking about it on the Weather Network today in some areas so I couldn’t resist…go Canada! lol)

September is often known as the bridge from Summer to Fall for many people (Fall isn’t officially here until September 23rd) but for me..its already Fall! I can feel it in the air and I can see it in the yellowing of the trees. Pumpkins are already available for sale and the ones in my garden are just about ready for picking as well..

I don’t know if we have seen the last of the “hot” days but that certainly wouldn’t bother me much! This rainy weekend will pass and then the sun will come back out to a much cooler day and that is my kind of perfection in every way. So here’s to Mother Nature casting a golden hue upon the countryside, to cooler days and apple pies, pumpkin patches and corn mazes..here’s to my favourite season of all…FALL!

Oh Summer…I have been waiting for you ever so impatiently! The garden is starting to really come out of its shell, I am harvesting greens like spinach, lettuces, swiss chard and adding them to fresh picked radishes and green onions while excitedly tending to my slow but surely cucumbers, english peas, potatoes and so much more! Some sunflowers are already 3-4′ tall and the millions of zinnias I planted are truly reaching for the sun now..only a matter of time!

The evenings are slow and warm..the lights twinkle while sitting on the back swing and listening to the crickets..and I am marking off pages of canning recipes I’d like to give a go this season..

What is on your list this Summer? I am thinking of writing down our Summer manifesto on the kitchen chalkboard to act as our guide when we have a free afternoon to do as we please..but whatever it is that we do with our time..we’ll do it together and we plan on making the best memories!! Here’s to summer everyone..

Anyways, I thought I’d just pop in here (2 days in a row!!) and share a little slice of the morning in my garden..happy weekend friends!