Holidays are a time to reflect on and foster peace on earth, good will towards all, and to simply savor the good times we have with friends & family.
A time to count our blessings.
And remember those less fortunate.
On Monday I will be closing in on my 3rd year of blogging. When I first started I really wasn't sure how far this may go or what it may turn into. To date this blog has had a total of 28,718 visits averaging between 100-200/day closer to 200/day lately and I currently have 141 followers. Not sure exactly why.....I'm truly not a writer. My high school grammar teacher would probably cringe at the sight of my punctuation and grammar. Maybe it is the critters or Maine Man?
I am thankful for...Maine Man of course! Without this man this farmhouse and land would be merely that. He is what makes this farm a FARM! What would we do without his know how to fix and do just about anything, his can do attitude, and his strong work ethic?
I am thankful for... Ms. Turkey who gave her life to nourish ours yesterday and for days to come.
I am thankful for....the kids next door who add great joy to my children's lives!
I am thankful for....these stinky little pigs. Barbie & Que. It is so nice to never have a scrap of food go to waste. 
I am thankful for...our 20 little laying hens. By far one of the most efficient animals to have. Nothing like going out to feed them and returning to the house with a basket full of eggs for breakfast. Immediate gratification, I'm all about that!
I am thankful....that we are able to raise most of the meat we eat!
Who needs a Topsy Turvy? This brilliant idea came from Unusual Unusual Farm Chick's blog. She has lots of good ideas! The basket is from the dollar store. I bought it a couple years back and it was just stashed away in the hay loft.
On the top we planted some morning glories. Flower Girl also made a post about this a couple days back over at her blog. She has posted more than usual this summer thanks to her buddy Morgs. Morgs also has a blog, check it out. Flower Girl also recently posted some pictures of the fish birthday cakes that I made back in the spring. The idea came from Family Fun. 
Ok, enough with the good. Now onto the bad & the ugly. Recently I have been overwhelmed with the tasks around the farm, mostly the animals. It is time to cut back! After much contemplation I have decided to sell the goats. My intention when I first bought goats was for milking. I have since come to the realization that adding another chore morning & night would send me over the edge. It is MUCH cheaper & easier to buy from my local farmer then to keep goats. I do not have to be responsible for watering and feeding day in and day out, no injections to give or hooves to be trimmed. Same goes for cows. I dream about having cows grazing in the back field but in reality it is just not in the cards right now. My garden needs more of my attention and we have a greenhouse that needs to be assembled. Oh yeah and we have LOTS of wood that needs to be hauled off the back forty, split & piled. At this point if I want raw organic milk it again easier to go support my local farmer for $4/gallon. As far as meat goes it would in our best interest if I put a little more time and effort into deer hunting. It is good, lean, meat that we do not have to tend day in and day out. Until this past year I have always taken for granted the deer meat in the freezer. You always miss something when you don't have a lot of it. From here on out I will cherish every morsel! 
Steve, here they are! Better late then never. A couple weeks ago we had a pig roast to celebrate my OLDER only brother's birthday. It was one of the best parties we've ever hosted and the biggest (nearly 100 guests) one we have ever had here on the farm. It was so nice to get together with family and friends. I am thinking we should make this an annual event!
My niece (Steve's youngest)
Steve, Cousin Gary, and Uncle Everett
My brother and some of his friends.
Cousin Denise & her daughter Colby
Steve and his oldest Meagan
My SWEET sister in- law and the babe!
My Maine Man and Neighbor Gary
Joni ~ Steve's significant other. She's a KEEPER!
My AWESOME neighbors Dawn & Gary!
My Step Sister's Hubby Leo and Mary's Amazing Hubby Eric.
My friend Melissa's boy, Cam & Luke. The baby bunnies were a big hit!
Callie patiently waiting for a treat 
Cousin Gary and his beautiful wife Denise.
Great friends Shawn & Marie
My girl Melissa
Uncle Norman
Cousin Ben's daughter
Everyone was amazed by the animals we have.
Mom (left) chatting with cousin Pat. God I love her spunk!
Cousin (crazy) Ricky and Diane
My Step Mom who is the one of the sweetest women I know. I was talking with her sister the other day and she said "She could write Hallmark cards". I couldn't have said it better! I called today to wish my Dad a happy birthday and 1 1/2 hours later I got off the phone with her. 
Chicken Tractor converted into a rabbit tractor. We are up to 26 baby meat babies and we just breed 2 of our does for a second time. Hope we like rabbit. Glad I am not part of the kill because I just can't stop kissing these cute little critters. We will see how this all works out.
My Cousin Rick's daughter Leah & Jillian
Our friend Jason
We planned to eat at 5pm but the pig was a little delayed....3 Hours!!
Take note of this crew. They played a REAL interesting card game come midnight!
He even got 40 spanks.
Cousin Mike & Lisa