6.29.2016

10 days of snapshots....

 ....My last post was a catch up (and long pondering session) of sorts,  called 'Rainbows & Unicorns' and this one actually includes a photo of a rainbow over my little slice of heaven from yesterday evening!!
For Father's Day, we sent up messages to our daddy and celebrated how far we have come as a family since this time last year. Boy, life has been good to us since we have been able to heal from that traumatic and sudden loss of our daddy. Taylor is doing great in school, getting things in order to prepare for college, and me, Derek, and Taylor honestly have never been more connected and close. I think that is THE BEST Father's Day gift we could have given him! 
 Taylor took this pic of the message balloon going up...up....up!

I have been getting some good sister time with this gal since school is out for the summer! During the year, she stays busy with sports, and that limits weekends at the farm during the school year. So YAY for this time!!
....she is a HUGE help on the farm and I think she actually enjoys it. Can ya tell?
...this is a never-ending job. These finds are very common if you are looking hard enough.....
Taffy and the Texas gang went home after their family finished up fencing for their new enclosures. I sure will miss the hose time with Big G and the primping of sweet Taffy....
This is a pic from the last day they were here - Taffy and Misty became yard grazing partners....
OMG - this face.


Taffy's last photo shoot at the farm..... Look at that face.

.....and that concludes my adventures with:
Misty now yard grazes alone.... boo! I need a mini horse now. But not just ANY mini horse. I want one as well-behaved as Miss Taffy!
A sweet and chocolatey bartering payment for dog-sitting..... I think this might be my second favorite form of payment - first being cold hard cash!
I have seen THE MOST BEAUTIFUL skies in the last ten days at the farm.... (if you missed the rainbow I posted on IG yesterday evening, it is at the end of this post)

We have been getting exercise running kites, since the wind won't keep 'em up ;)
....then last weekend, I gifted a photoshoot to this gal. She had been dying to get a picture with the one, the only - Hazel the Hornless Unicorn.....
...and of course, Rose gets lots of attention as well....

While I had my camera out,  we decided to give Taylor some practice in front of it since her senior pics are scheduled in a few weeks... Gotta get comfortable in front of the camera if you want to take good pics! I won't post the first few, but she was soooo stiff - ha!




...and last but not least... the majestic rainbow that was over the house yesterday evening!!!! Yowza!! I totally watched the whole thing form.....


 ...and then disappear... but how freakin' cool that it framed my little farm?!?!? 
Happy Wednesday!! I am so thankful for the rain the last few days and looking forward to having grass to cut soon - I haven't had to cut any since June 10th! Believe it or not, when my ol' John Deere is working properly, I actually enjoy cutting it! 

...til next time....

xoxo

-s

6.24.2016

rainbows & unicorns...

Rainbows and unicorns.

I was informed that this is NOT what life is about. Actually it was a quote that I used to use,just to be sort of realistic about life - when things weren't so great, and it was thrown back in my face. It's no secret that after last year, I gained new perspective. I wasn't at all a pessimist before last year - quite the opposite actually, but maybe a little guarded and knew that along with the great things, a sour thing or two can follow. Back before my life was turned upside down in a flash and my mindset changed. It has been over a week since I last posted here and one of those reasons for my lack of writing was my pondering over this matter.

I will admit that most days I actually DO feel like my life is all rainbows and unicorns..... Yes, I know some of you will find that hard to believe, but it's true. Any of my close friends who have been around me in the last 8 months or so, will agree. Maybe it was when I was able to make Eddie a house dog.... Or maybe this happened when I started being able to connect with Rose. I hadn't given it too much thought until I was scolded last weekend by a friend that seemed to be in disbelief that my life could be so pleasant. She accused me of PRETENDING my life was so magical. Now, this is a friend that I have had to distance for various reasons for the last several months, but it did make me wonder... Am I pretending? I like to think I am a pretty straightforward gal. And have even been accused of being too blunt or brutally honest at times. I'm not really good at sugar coating, but also don't think this is a bad thing. I grew up hearing the saying 'the truth hurts' and if this is true of me, then yes, I am having a hard time swallowing.....

I talked to Christian about it, as well as my sister, and some other folks (because I pride myself on being open and upfront) and they reminded me that I was very open and honest about my struggles last year, difficulties I had with my sister, the loneliness I felt from being away from Christian and the sadness from losing Baby. I deserve freakin' rainbows and unicorns after last year, damnit!

I was given a very clear reminder yesterday when Facebook reminded me of a blog entry from one year ago, June 23, 2015. It was very clear that YES, I was struggling- even after being able to come home. There right in front of the world to see.....but another thing I noticed about my entry was that I was choosing to also acknowledge the little glimmers of hope. Some people cannot do that, but growing up the way me and my brother did, our mom instilled that little ray of light - the open road ahead of possibility -  into our little heads at a young age. Yeah, life isn't all rainbows and unicorns, but if that is what you are seeking, you can very well achieve it. It is all about perspective, and last year I was slapped in the face hard with changes that forced me into a new one.

I was wrong about a lot of things last year. Wrong about my sister for one. All of the really ugly times we had last year, I am seeing were due to her own journey in the grieving process. I mean, to be 15 is hard all by itself. Then imagine losing the most important person in your life in a split second. We both were 'dealing'. We both didn't understand each other's process. It didn't mean we didn't love each other and could count on each other, but our relationship had a lot of static and communication was choppy and unclear at times. Now, I am so proud to say that with time, we have healed.... And we can both look back on last year and chuckle at some of the things that were deal-breakers at the time.

I have chosen to surround myself with beauty. I have chosen to put in the hard work that pays me in the most beautiful ways out at the farm. Some days that is the prettiest sunset you've ever seen as a backdrop to the most stunning farm beauties! Some days it is finding a patch of wild blackberries and having a picking party with my sis and then making a pie. Most days seem to have some sort of treasure to be seen. Some days I have to look really hard for it, others not so much. My sister has been spending lots of time with me 'working' on the farm this summer and she will even tell ya that it really isn't like work at all and it is actually fun to bond over breaking up piles of horse poo and yard work- these are the things my dad would be including her in.... It's fun for both of us and we get to figure out life through conversations and laughter while sweating and rolling up our sleeves.....

So yeah, life isn't ALL rainbows and unicorns, but it can be damn near close if that's what you want. Your outlets in life do actually define your level of happiness in my opinion. That is why they are outlets. They provide a release from stress and any uncertainty. That turns into happy for me. It's a cycle. Without the opportunity to do what you love, your mental and emotional state will suffer. Whatever you think of me, whether you know me personally or just through the blog, I hope it is obvious that my little slice of heavenly farm does make me truly happy. I like to think that it is evident in the photos of my animals even. I do believe that whether you have cats or dogs or horses and goats, whatever their temperament is, however skittish or content they seem, IS a reflection of the care they are receiving and my crew is pretty happy without a doubt! I love pretty much every minute of it. Except when Rose pitches a fit for hoof trimming....then it's a little embarrassing, but I can too see why she is the way she is ;)

Long story long, I walked away from the almost 10 year friendship mentioned in the beginning of this post. With the year I had last year, I really truly do not have time for unnecessary drama and negativity in my life. Life can be snatched away in an instant, and I want to fill my days with rainbows and unicorns if possible- and I will never, ever stop reaching for that!

Happy Friday y'all! Please feel free to tell me your thoughts.....

Xoxo!

-s

6.14.2016

the last week... in a nutshell

I could not resist snapping this photo yesterday morning as I was letting the chickens out before heading to work for the day.....
This picture totally embodies how I feel each day when doing my farm chores. Some people - actually a good bit of people wonder how I fit it all in, or how I can possibly get in the right headspace to come home from work and do more work.....but to me, it is one of my outlets. Unless it is rainy for days, or freezing cold and icy, these 'duties' are therapeutic....

For instance Sunday I gave Hazel a bath for the first time. My very first time giving a full-sized horse a bath. Taffy was my first horse bath ever, but she's a little thing and was easy peasy and more than willing to be pampered. Hazel not only was really enjoying the hose on her body, she was also very curious about drinking from the hose, so I played a bit with her and watched her goofily drink and push her nose into the cold stream of water. Big G then got interested and so I tested him a little just by running the water through the hose and in front of his face, and then let him come to me. He did and once he got a taste of the cold water on his nose and in his mouth, he was hooked. Talk about a fun time!! I had a blast and pretty much forgot all about Christian in the house for hours as I played with the horses...
A video posted by Sandice Thrasher (@frugalfashionablefarmer) on
Once again it has been a little while since posting here, but not quite a week! Since my last post, here is a little rundown as to what has happened in my world....

~I went to a cornhole tournament...

~The farm had visitors and Taffy continues to steal hearts.....

~Misty [the goat] got to meet a human by the same name..

~I topped off all my fields (with my lil John Deere mower- YES!!) in anticipation of the rain that may happen this week (fingers crossed!!)

~I noticed that a bunny dug up all of my carrots and ate all my kale. Boo.

~Eddie killed a baby bird and I was just devastated. I saw it happen and tried to save the little birdie, but luckily it seemed to be killed instantly. I learned to always check and give a quick scan of the yard before letting Eddie out for playing. Of course, he didn't get in trouble, it was purely instinctual of his retriever nature...

...speaking of Eddie, I found a few pictures on my old computer! Just look at the young pup!! He was TOTALLY golden! It's hard to believe his face once had no white on it! <3 !!
At the end of the weekend, I made blackeyed peas and little mini cornbread muffins for dinner while Christian and I caught up on our weekly reality TV crap-a-thon which consists of 'The Shahs of Sunset", "Alaskan Bush People", and "Million Dollar Listing" while chilling out with Eddie and Spirulina and snacking on ice cream we had delivered by the Schwanns truck - ohhhh yes we did! Too funny! I couldn't resist!! Hello, orange sherbet 'Push Ups'!

Anyway, the last several days have been good to me! I hope you all have a happy week
and I will be back here very soon with more from the little farm!

xoxo

-s



6.08.2016

..this little place

This little place I call heaven, was a bit to get used to for my redhead - Christian is a more of a city boy... Dirt roads, hay fields, and country aromas.....yes, this means, whiffs of skunks, manure, and animals....It is not his dream... It is alllll mine. Christian's dream involves music, art, traveling, and film. Yes, I tend to it, keep it maintained, and nurture it (with the exception of last year when he learned to do EVERYTHING on the farm when I was away from home for 5 months living with my sister, and I am forever grateful!). While Christian enjoys the perks of the farm, scenery, and the animals, I do not expect him to help me maintain it. It's just not his thing, and I feel like I would rather tend to a farm ANY DAY over living in a city with no animals or land... pretty good trade off if ya ask me. I am just glad he moved with me to the sticks <3....

....and these are the reasons I wouldn't trade life in the sticks for anything. These photos I snapped in the golden light of sunset yesterday evening. I shot all these with my trusty and inexpensive point and shoot Canon Powershot sx130:








 ....and I am thoroughly enjoying my visitors.....can ya tell?