Update on my Goals...

On January 1 of this year I listed 103 goals I would like to accomplish this year.  The other day I remember I had made this list and thought I would check to see how things were going.  And since I haven't really been blogging that much on HSM I realize some of these goals haven't been met.  HSM has taken a backseat to life and my other blog the Farm Wife.  Just a few weeks ago I was contacted by someone who likes my work and encouraged me to take it a step further.  So I am embarking on a new adventure for HSM.  More details to come soon! I have updated the 1st 40 and will do the remaining later!

2011 Goals!
1. Spend more QUALITY time with William & Wyatt-I have made extra efforts this year to spend more time with both my husband and the boy.  We have gone on trips together and just spent a few days at home enjoying each other's company.  It has been great but we should do it more often. 


2. Keep the house in order EVERYDAY-this has not been accomplished....there are still days when it looks like 2 tornadoes came through our house.

3. Never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink-this also has not been accomplished...more nights than not there are at least a few dishes left in the sink.

4. Read my bible DAILY...and pray about it- I have been praying much more than I have in the past however I am still not getting in my daily reading time like I should.  I will do really well for a week or two and then it drops off again...gotta find a routine that works for me.

5. Potty train Wyatt- DONE!

6. Blog everyday- not everyday but I have been consistently blogging over @ The Farm Wife

7. Keep my gradebook up to date-this is no longer an issue...i left the classroom in June to return to the county as an informal environmental educator.

8. Have my lesson plans done a week ahead of time-#7 explanation applies here as well!!!

9. Update my school webpage weekly-#7 explanation applies here as well!!!


10. write on the farm blog each week- I have actually been doing this more often than once a week most weeks!

11. begin an adopt a cow/ewe program- still developing the program...hope to launch 1/1/2012

12. advocate for modern production agriculture...family farms are a good thing- I have jumped into this full swing...even attended trainings and spoken to various groups about the importance of modern agriculture.  I will actually be on the cooking stage at state fair Oct 15!!

13. declutter my house once and for all- a work in progress!  I have began this process and let go of lots of things but not finished yet!

14. sit down to supper with the boys EVERY night- we have increased our supper time together...it makes a great way to wrap up the day.

15. dress nicer...especially when going out...even to make an early morning wal-mart run- this is hit or miss...some days I'm a diva other days I'm a disaster!

16. take better care of myself- doing better but should really drop my Bojangles habit

17. attend WIC each month- with William's new work schedule this hasn't been possible as he works late on Monday night so that's mine and Wyatt's night to spend quality time together.

18. Set aside time each week to coordinate SCBAP and BRE activities- I have gotten the SCBAP activities coordinated much better this year...probably not thanks to me but to my super national contestant...BRE is still suffering from lack of activities.

19. have another baby- still working on it

20. finish redecorating Wyatt's room...finally- not done yet...his taste and interest keep changing but we are finally narrowing some things down.

21. feed up nightly before William gets home- this has been completed...each night Wyatt and I trek to the barn to feed up.

22. practice my photography and photoshop skills-I take pictures like CRAZY...getting better at capturing the moment...photoshop skills are developing but not quickly.

23. complete Wyatt's 2nd scrapbook-I've started it but nowhere near complete

24. scrapbook our family farm- haven't even found paper for this project yet

25. help others understand why modern agriculture is important- working daily to share with others in various ways, Facebook, Twitter, and forums.

26. plant a garden- done and done again!  We actually planted a summer garden and now a winter garden.  Crops are beginning to come up and need to get to weeding!

27. learn to can- we have canned a few items but not sure how well it turned out...i think too much pectin in the jelly

28. clean out the car shed...and put a car in there..LOL-yeah no...haven't touched this!

29. landscape the yard- we did landscape right around the house but the front yard is still a blank canvas

30. bake a fresh loaf of bread each week- did really well with this until my oven went out...still haven't fixed that!

31. increase my compassion level- working on it

32. have more patience and understanding-prayer has helped in this area!

33. teach Wyatt to count- Wyatt can now count to 8...that's how many cows we milk in one line at the dairy barn

34. teach Wyatt his ABC's-he has gotten much better however he must have a hammer or some other object to beat with while he is singing them!

35. help Wyatt learn to ride on his own...meaning Bartow moves without me leading him- Wyatt is trying but his legs need to get a little longer...right now Tubby (Bartow the horse) is too fat to feel his little feet.

36. be more frugal with my money-comes and goes...some days I'm great with this others I am terrible!

37. enjoy the little moments in life- doing my best...slowing down some has allowed me to sit back and really focus on what's important.

38. sew at least twice a week- for about 6 months I didn't sew at all and within the last month I have really picked up and started enjoying this again...i really love to sew just some times don't crave out the time.

39. set aside time to craft with Wyatt each week-Wyatt and I create something at least once a week.  It might only be a play dough monster or a painting but each week we create something fun.

40. listen to William- this isn't really that hard...he doesn't talk much but now I try to make sure I am actually LISTENING not just hearing him talk while I watch TV.

So there is the first 40...I will finish the rest later but that is a start to let you know where I am and how I am doing!

baking brownies...on a snow day...excuse the messy kitchen

So I realize I haven't posted in a while

my goal for the year was to post more often...

life got in the way. 



yum...brownie batter...again excuse the kitchen



Since the first of the year we had a major snowstorm

that kept us out of school for a week

we have been to Charleston, SC for a conference

and Orlando, FL for a conference

We have finished lambing out most of our ewes (those are female sheep)

Finished one full set of calves out on milk

now working on the second set

I coached a 4-H team for a state competition

competed at State

hosted a "how to show" clinic for 4-H'er involved in a local livestock project

had our annual livestock show and sale

things from my son's perspective

Wyatt got accepted to pre-school for the upcoming year

so we are beginning to prepare him

we have read the same book 214 times

he has become an expert at making circles

wyatt trying to land the blimp

And I have crafted zero..

none...

i was inspired to work on a project this weekend

and when i plugged up the sewing machine...

nothing...i kept getting an error message...

so i set it away...then

yesterday i took the time to work on it and finally got it back working

Laptop Cover

A few months back I got a new laptop...

mainly because my old one was destroyed by a little man.

I didn't have a cover of the laptop

but didn't want to purchase a plain ol' black one.

So what does a crafty lady do???

MAKE HER OWN!!

Now this is not a tutorial by any means...

just a little bit on how i created my cover!

First I measured the width, length and depth of the laptop...

decided I would use some scraps I had from Wyatt's quilt

pieced them together

ironed a piece of fusible fleece to the back...

attached a piece of knit fabric (Rst)

and then stitched 3 sides together

flipped it right side out

covered the raw edge with some cute binding

folded right sides together

stitched the bottom edge and one long side

inverted and

shzam!!! a new laptop cover!

Again not the hardest project in the book

but definitely a cute one!!

Happy Sewing!

Linking up @












 

Nice Washcloths for Young Kiddos

Apparently we have mean washcloths at our home...

now i am not exactly sure what a "mean" cloth is but

that is the word my son uses to describe our washcloths.

Luckily Becky from Becky Ann Designs

helped to solve the mean washcloth problem.

Becky gave Wyatt two flannel washclothes and soap

she made for Christmas.

Below is one of the two...

I sent her a message on FB to find out exactly what she did,

since i didn't want my little man going around telling everyone

about our extremely mean washcloths.

I was amazed by the simple nature of these washcloths

and wondered why I had made these before...

umm...I thought I was crafty!

Well yesterday (snow day 4) Wyatt and I sat down 

to make a bunch so he didn't have to suffer anymore!

He helped me pick out the fabrics 

attempted to help cut with his John Deere pilers

and then sat on my lap as we stitched them together.

We now have an even dozen NICE washcloths.

This would make a great beginner project for someone interested

in getting started sewing...

I will post a tutorial soon...

really its easy peasy!!

Please forgive the photo quality...my digital is broken..won't charge AT ALL

and these were taken with my camera photo!

Another Printable

This printable is more of an example than a free download,

however if you have a little cowboy named Wyatt

you are welcome to have a copy of this.

I made this for my son's room.  His walls are a little bare but his love for all things cowboy and farm related regin supreme.  To make this I used photoshop and a picture I had snapped of his "South Dakota" boots after a day of playing in the feed barns.  I think it turned out ok...what do you think?  I would love any suggestions you have to make it better!  Thanks!!

Linking up @

Free Printable

I have seen lots of these while blog hopping

i just love them

so i thought i would try my hand at making one...

more time consuming that i orginally thought but

well worth the time and effort...

i can't wait to start on one for my son's room!! 

So here you go a free printable for you to use

Right click on it, and save

you can print it from home or at your local photo shop

it is sized to be an 8 x 10

Linking up @

Working on Day 3

Snow in South Carolina is a big thing...

an event to be celebrated, enjoyed, and then...

gone when you wake up the next morning!

it's a weather related one night stand...

not this time...

it began snowing late Sunday night...

snowed most of the day Monday...

began sleeting last night..

this morning we woke up to a total forest...

it looked all nice and pretty...

like fresh snow waiting to be enjoyed...

but it wasn't...

one look at my porch steps told me differently...

it was 6 inches of snow with 1/2 inch of ice on top

being a farm wife i didn't have the option of hanging out inside the house all day...

someone has to feed baby calves,

check on ewes,

 and make sure all the kids are accounted for and okay

(goat kids people).

i began my morning by filling up 5 1-gallon jugs

 to haul hot water to the barn to mix milk ...

i loaded the jugs

my soon to be 3 year old

 into the make shift wagon/sled

and pulled the whole contrapation

kid and all to the barn...

the path was slick

my son thought it was WAY more fun to go fast than i did

but we made it...unharmed down the hill to the barn

the calves were happy to see us

as the milk warms their tummy

for the most part everything was fine

we did have a calf that needed special attention

he wasn't doing good last night and this morning was worse

he wouldn't get up or drink...

tubing him was useless

its discouraging...

i have spent the last 5 days morning and night

feeding him

ensuring his health

but the weather has gotten the better of him

you learn that with the gift of life comes death

you deal with it and move on

the ewes however were fine...

we are starting to see many of them bagging up...

preparing for lambing

the kids crazy as ever...

jumping all over their mom...

the hay bales...

and my son

and one of the previously weak calves had greatly improved!

I am happy to report i didn't have to

tube a single calf this morning!!!

For you non-farming folks..

To tube a calf you mix up a bottle of milk

pour it into a hard plastic iv bag kinda thing

this bag has a long semi stiff plastic tube on the end of it

you must keep the tube bag right side up

until you are ready to give the calf milk

otherwise you are wasting...

time...

milk...

and money!!!

You then take the semi stiff tube and place it in the calf's mouth

making sure the tube is on the left side of the calf's mouth

you ease it down the calf's throat

the entire time you have to make sure you are on the left side

the left side goes to the stomach

the right goes to the lungs

once you are certain you have the tube in the calf's stomach

your turn your bag upside down and milk gravity feeds into the calf's stomach

this is a great way to feed  calves that aren't doing well

it helps ensure the calf is getting enough to eat

with weak calves it is also good

as the calves don't have to use up all their energy sucking down a bottle..

so after my morning rounds...

we headed back up to the house...

going up hill is much harder than walking down hill...

especially if your little man rocks the make shift sled thingy.

he enjoyed playing outside for a while...

we attempted to venture out to pick up

milk for us...

another bag of milk for the calves...

feed for the calves...

and a few other random supplies...

no such luck...

we are stuck again...

this time in front of our porch door...

William's not going to like this...

(he had to pull us out last night too)

i spent the rest of the day...

doing laundry...

catching up on emails...

hanging out with wild man...

(who is teaching teddy bear to ride the rocking horse)

and explaining why we can't go outside

and ride Bartow or Force today...

instead i caught him with a bottle

of apple barrel paint...

redecorating his chalkboard wall...

the chaise lounge...

and himself...

we are looking at day 3 of being at home tomorrow...

i got the call about an hour ago...

no school tomorrow...

I suppose i could do some lesson plans...

but really i plan to sew...

i don't know what yet but i will be making something!!!

Until then have a great evening!!

Snow days!

Snow days are wonderful days...

no school...no work...no dealing with 100 screaming 7th graders...

now don't get me wrong I love my job

 but sometimes its nice to have an unexpected break.

Around our house snow days mean...

You get to trek to the barn to feed up bawling calves and hollering baaing sheep,

in the freezing cold and can't complain because it is the life you choose.

Sometimes our jeeps get stuck in the snow and we have to use our hands to dig them out...

man if we had just put its top on!

You get the chance to snap what you thought would be a great picture of 3 calves...

while you are bottle feeding one...and fending another one off

Your horses stand in the snow to consume a bale of hay

and you get the mean green to the barn, turned around and almost back up to the house before you...

spin the wheels until the front driver's side tire is slick,

and you are stuck...

this means you have to wait on your husband to come home in the flatbed ton truck to get you out

it also means that the little bullrider above can't practice...

can't saddle up...

and must play all day in the freezing cold to make up for the two previous statements...

its also when i cook & bake...

a loaf of bread...

a pound cake...

oatmeal cookies...

potato soup...

thinking about meatloaf to go with the potato soup...

So what's the weather like where you live?

what do you do when you have an extra day at home?

i hope if its cold you are warm...i hope if its hot you are cool...

either way i hope you are enjoying your family



Just another day...on the farm

Yesterday was the first day back at school

 after a wonderful two week break. 

It was hectic...

to say the least...

but I was able to get there somewhat early

finished lesson plans for the rest of the month

review some ideas

and see my lovely students again

Today on the other hand did not start out well...

I woke up late (bad way to start the day)

Then as I got the hot water ready to mix milk for calves

 Wyatt woke up

he wanted to stay in the house

to watch Clifford while I fed calves

(this isn't unusual as it takes him a while to wake up and he would prefer to snooze with teddy)

so I got bundled up and headed to the barn

I had mixed up one bottle and was feeding the 1st calf when...

 I heard him holler from the house

 next I him crying and closer

my heart stopped i was worried that something was wrong

but no when i got to him nothing was wrong

other than he had run outside

forgot to put on his shoes or coat

and said he was

"Fzeeezing"

He came on down to the barn with me

to help finish feeding up

feeding the calves was a challenge as they are still young...

just a few days old

it takes longer to feed them

the 1st calf drank OK...a little slow but not too bad

the 2nd calf wasn't interested...

he drank about a 1/4 of a bottle

and decided he was done..

this caused me lots of

 FRUSTRATION!!!

I fussed...

tried not to cuss...

and prayed that he would just eat

i broke down and called William...

explaining how this wasn't going to work

as it was already 6:50

I needed to leave the house in 20 minutes

he listened with a sympathetic ear

said it would be OK

 (he doesn't have a clue sometime)

then said if the calf drank some milk he would be fine until this evening

so i moved on to the 3rd calf...

thank God for a smart calf...

he drank the bottle without me even having to get in the pen...

AMEN..an answer to one of my prayers

I was finally headed back to the house

got dressed 

round up the little man

to head south to the barn

I was only 5 minutes late to work

but still in my world that might as well be an hour

i was off beat and stressed

the day ended with me being...

exhausted...

when we got home

 it started again...

William's clothes needed to be ironed

for tomorrows Farm Bureau training

the horses and sheep needed hay...

dogs needed feed and water...

and the cats were running wild...

Wyatt insisted on playing baseball

we still have to feed up tonight,

cook supper,

update my classroom website,

bathe the little man,

wash dishes,

and

hopefully

spend some time with my hubby

So what's a day at your house like?

do you have to feed calves?

wash clothes?

chase a two year old?

I am sure you have to fulfill many of the same requirements

as I do

maybe without the calves and sheep included

perhaps there is not a calf licking the back of your pants

while you chase a two year

or a horse trying to nibble said child's hair

instead of the hay

but still the same basic things

Until next time I hope you all have a blessed day!!

P.S. maybe soon I can share pictures...if I get a new camera

Break is almost over!!

As a teacher, I relish my breaks here and there. 

Today is officially the last day I was able to sleep in late,

not get out of my pjs *i'm still in them at 3:30*

let the Little Man run wild and play outside

I still have things i want to do today,

that may or may not get accomplished.

like bake another loaf or two of bread,

make a few more head bands, 

and take down the few remaining decorations that are scattered

but for the most part its back to our old routine with a few changes

1. practicing our word, number and color of the day after school

2. sitting down at the table to supper each night

3. Wyatt has a bedtime...for us 8 or 8:30 since you never know when William will be home

4. William and I spending some time just the two of us discussing what's important

for me the changes will be even more...as my 105 things to do this year is already kicking my tail!

I am not going to bed tonight until...

I have read my devotions and study God's word

finished my lesson plans

 packed my lunch

clothes laid out

 the house is in order...somewhat

at least no dirty dishes,

laundry in the laundry room,

clean clothes put away,

and the den where you can walk through it

(without tripping on another John Deere tractor)

I would upload pics to go along with all these wonderful things but the camera has seen its better days...

Still praying I won the Pioneer Woman giveaway for a Nikon D90...

So until tomorrow...have a blessed day and a wonderful evening with your family

HSM's Goals for 2011

I have lots of things I want to accomplish.

Some of these things are easy to accomplish within a day or two,

others will require committment over time to make them a reality.

So let's begin:

1. Spend more QUALITY time with William & Wyatt

2. Keep the house in order EVERYDAY

3. Never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink

4. Read my bible DAILY...and pray about it

5. Potty train Wyatt

6. Blog everyday

7. Keep my gradebook up to date

8. Have my lesson plans done a week ahead of time

9. Update my school webpage weekly

10. write on the farm blog each week

11. begin an adopt a cow/ewe program

12. adovcate for modern production agriculture...family farms are a good thing

13. declutter my house once and for all

14. sit down to supper with the boys EVERY night

15. dress nicer...especially when going out...even to make an early morning wal-mart run

16. take better care of myself

17. attend WIC each month

18. Set aside time each week to coordinate SCBAP and BRE activities

19. have another baby

20. finsih redecorating Wyatt's room...finally

21. feed up nightly before william gets home

22. practice my photography and photoshop skills

23. complete wyatt's 2nd scrapbook

24. scrapbook our family farm

25. help others understand why modern agriculture is important

26. plant a garden

27. learn to can

28. clean out the car shed...and put a car in there..LOL

29. landscape the yard

30. bake a fresh loaf of bread each week

31. increase my compassion level

32. become more patince and understanding

33. teach wyatt to count

34. teach wyatt his ABC's

35. help Wyatt learn to ride on his own...meaning Bartow moves without me leading him

36. be more frugal with my money

37. enjoy the little moments in life

38. sew at least twice a week

39. set aside time to craft with Wyatt each week

40. listen to William

41. don't complain as much

42. make 5 dresses for me

43. don't go overboard for Christmas and birthdays

44. talk to my sister regularly about life not just to complain

45. witness to someone

46. take a family vacation...no working

47. attend the NAILE

48. help Wyatt to show his heifer this fall

49. sew summer outfits for Wyatt

50. give handmade gifts for every occasion

51. don't wait to the last minute to make gifts

52. finish my classroom bulletin board

53. update or change the bulletin board once a month

54. design a storage system for my crafting and sewing supplies

55. bake cookies and cakes from scratch

56. buy a Sam's club membership

57. take Wyatt to Toys'r'us

58. keep a gallon of Sweet tea in the fridge

59. be prepared for people to visit

60. paint the dresser and add bookshelf to make hutch for kitchen

61. get caught up on laundry

62. clean off and organize back porch

63. clean off and organize side porch

64. wash all the windows in the house...inside and out

65. replace broken/torn window screens

66. create a welcome sign for porch

67. put up a farm sign

68. organize farm records

69. set up a mini home office (somewhere)

70. make curtains for the master bedroom

71. finish a full sized quilt

72. have movie night once a week

73. judge at least 3 livestock shows

74. clean out the old feed room...new door...new window...drywall...make it into a farm office???

75. build a chicken pen...and put hens in it

76. host a show clinic

77. attend 4 sheep sales

78. buy a new (to me) car/truck

79. set a bedtime for Wyatt and STICK to it

80. write letters..not just emails

81. mail thank you notes

82. take family photos

83. do a group family photo with my sister's family

84. mail birthday cards

85. become a retro housewife that works a full time job

86. wear a dress at least twice a week

87. get a manicure more often

88. move more often...as in walk not houses

89. create easy to follow tutorials at least twice a month

90. share my favorite recipes

91. help with Ag in the classroom

92. plant a school yard garden

93. host a farm tour

94. help plan a YF&R day for York and Chester counties

95. drink more water

96. donate items i don't need or use anymore

97. recycle more

98. set a good example for my students

99. help Wyatt learn his Catcheism questions/answers

100. be more thoughtful

101. tell people i'm thankful for them

102. manage my time better

103. host giveaways on HSM

ok so i think that is everything...i am sure i will add to the list as time goes on but right now thats it!  So what do you have on your list for 2011?  Share with me...I always enjoy reading comments!