thankfully feasting!

Happy Thanksgiving friends! I hope yours was as lovely as ours. We opted for a small quiet vegetarian feast on the farm. I am truly thankful for all of the amazing people and loved ones in my life. I don’t think I have ever been this happy and at peace! I am thankful for Christian for his heart of gold and unwavering support in whatever it is I want to do, my mom, brother, sister, and the closeness we share that seems a bit rare in this day and age.... to my friends who have stuck by my side all these years and are always there whenever I need them (one in particular that made the drive down from Maine in a split second when my dad died), my fellow animal rescue warriors who mend their broken hearts daily for the sake of saving more animals, for my own animals who have taught me so much, and lastly for the physical ability to do all I do - I will never take my able-ness for granted. I have so many more things I could list, but I think I’ve noted the most important ones. I think I am one extremely lucky gal.... 

I’m beyond excited that Christmas time is here!! I hope you all ate too much today and sleep well with full bellies tonight. I am about to have one more slice of cake with a hot cup of 1000 Faces Decaf Monk... night! 

Xo

10 things tuesday....

Well, here it is....ten things tuesday annnnnnnnnd it includes a few things on my Christmas wish list at the end of this post. :)

1. we are super excited about planning our very first vegetarian thanksgiving... 

2. this old advertisement is so great:

3. this tree. I am currently shopping for a pink Christmas tree for the shop. I don't want a tinsel tree, so it is tricky..... anyone in/ near Athens, GA know of where I can find a pastel pink tree? 4 - 5' ?

4. after-feast naps.... I am SO EXCITED to have lots of opportunities for naps over the holiday weekend!

5. this vintage Dunkin Donuts thermos (I saw this one on ebay). I used to have one of these and TWENTY YEARS AGO (yes!!!) Christian and I would fill it up and walk to the UGA campus at night and sit on the lawn and sip coffee and talk and laugh until all the coffee was gone.....

......and now for my Christmas wishlist!

When I was a kid, it was so easy to list all the things I wanted from Santa. I mean the sky was the limit, right? You ask for it all and you get some of it. As I grew older, and moved out, my wish list became things I needed. Christian and I moved into our very first rental house back in 2001, so it was practical home things. As time passed, it became harder to make lists, just because I had everything i needed, and wasn't quite sure what I wanted... but this year, I am feeling it. That childlike Christmas feeling.... that magic. 

6. I want a record player for the workshop.....

7. I want to paint my stairs to the loft..... so a gift card to sherwin williams please! 

 8. Reeses miniatures. Yummmmmmmmmm. 

 9. A Kit Cat clock. We had one of these several years ago, and I don't know what happened to it.... maybe it just quit working, and we opted not to pack it in one of our moves....

 10. I want to reset, reconnect, and go out on a hot date with Christian before the end of the year. We never leave the house together anymore.... <3

 photo source (here)

 I hope you all have enjoyed my list! I am excited that tomorrow is my friday at work, so eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!! 

See you all here tomorrow for the midweek mixtape, dahhhhlings! 

xo,

-s

it's beginning to feel a lot like.....

Christmas......................

the weekend was filled with coffee, pastries, chocolate, a little rain, lots of local art, vendors, pup cuddles, friends, music, BBQ, spending money as fast as I was making it, and night walks with the dogs because of the short days and not getting home until after dark, Christmas cheer, hot cider, and LOTS OF LOVE. 

 (pic of kale included above mostly because it is christmassy with the red boots..)

day two......

 ....and more puppy cuddles. Reece was not happy about the lack of attention and fun that we usually have on weekends. I will make it up to ya, bud. The holidays means more time off work, and more couch naps with you....

Happy Monday - it is a short work week, one I am looking forward to after a long (but fun and I made lots of christmas cash!!) weekend. I worked my butt off making last weekend possible, and will start planning the Spring market shortly after the new year! I will be back here tomorrow with some wants & needs... Christmas gifting edition! 

xo

-s

new traditions & holiday plans...

Last year, Christian and I stayed at home for Thanksgiving and my sister came and stayed with us for a bit and we had a most excellent feast complete with a very memorable explosion of a fake pyrex dish, which blew shards of glass into every side dish... We had to start all over, but it made for some great memories for years to come.... here are a few pics from last year...

This year, we again are staying on the farm in our loving little old farmhouse and cooking a vegetarian feast..... also... did I mention this will be my TWENTIETH thanksgiving with Christian???  :)  Here we are below with the first baby goat I ever held... Ellen. She was a total surprise and the only spawn of the meanie Eli because he was snipped shortly after :)

The holidays mean chilly weather and I actually do like the cold, but it rolled in last week so quickly and caused me a little bit of anxiety about the winter prepping of everything - the wellhouse, crawl space, and making sure I had enough hay to keep the horses full and warm..... It is never ever boring out here to say the least! 

I will have a few days off work around both Thanksgiving and Christmas in which I plan to begin (and hopefully finish) a few new projects. Since day one of my farm dreams, it has always been about small goals. Never biting off more than I can chew, and never allowing my 'work' to stress me out - after all this is my grounding. My therapy. My happy place. 

Anyway, I am off for a day filled with picking up grub for all the animals, going to the dump, making some last minute things for the holiday market this weekend, dropping off stuff for the market, and hopefully I will have a little time to clean the shop. I hate coming back to a messy space... anyway, enough rambling - I will be back hopefully tomorrow evening with pics and tales of how the market was (pray the rain doesn't last long!) - I will be jacked from drinking too much coffee most likely...

xo

-s

....all in a morning's work...

my daily routine most days before getting ready for work.....

walk both dogs.....

..separately. As you know, Eddie is easily stressed, and since stress can trigger a seizure for him, AND since Reece isn't that great (yet) with other dogs, we rotate so neither ever has to see the other....

make sure the goats are all set for a new day... Bonnie & Misty are some major cuddlers....

feed the horses (and do a little look over of Miss Hazel)...

Lots planned for this weekend..... the holiday market, some new fence plans, and a trip to get grub for the farm crew.... 

xo

-s