"March"ing through the end of Winter ;)

As life has it, I'm a little behind on posting my monthly update, but hey oh here we go.  :) 

I always think of March as "the brown month" as even though it seems like a "springy" month, here in the North East, it's still winter.   No signs of green at all except for our shirts on St. Patrick's Day. 

I also want to apologize for the photos as I took mostly all of them with my iPhone instead of using my good camera.  I have been a little unmotivated to do any photography this past winter so I've been finding my phone much more convenient. :)  

The cows  have seemed quite happy with the lack of snow we've had.  They are so cute as they skip around with each other.  My uncle has a few separate pens that only the little ones can fit through and often times I see many of the calves all snuggled together taking their naps. 

The bulls reside in a separate pasture anxiously awaiting the time when they rejoin the herd for breeding season. 

The robins have migrated back and are everywhere! I love going outside now and hearing so many different birds again.  Quite a few stay here for the winter, but it's nice to see the other ones come back. 

My sister and I celebrated our birthday this month and we ended up having a wonderful day getting massages, having brunch and then meeting some friends out for dinner at this really cool place that has a ton of different specialty beers and cider.  My husband and I NEVER go out (our own fault!) and it's so nice to sit in a restaurant, drink some booze and talk to adults.  I had the best time!! 

These were my tester flights...all delicious!  

The following day was my actual birthday, so I made everyone go on a quick hike to our favorite waterfalls.  Unfortunately it was very icy and Pumpkin Pie and Hubby had a pretty scary fall so we decided not to risk going too much closer to the falls. 

So we went home and watched Star Wars.  The original one. :) 

This winter, I've tried to make a commitment to read one novel a month.  I used to read constantly!  I always had a book going and one lined up as soon as I finished, but I've gotten so out of it these past few years.  I think once I got an iPad and discovered blogs, they took over my normal "for-fun" reading. 

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice 

 This book I had gotten a couple of Christmas's ago, and I have always been a Brady fan so picked it up and read it pretty quickly.  I was shocked by how honest she was about the struggles she had to overcome!  Maureen McCormick had a very difficult life after her stint on The Brady Bunch and I thought it was a good, easy read, that at times I couldn't put down.  I really enjoyed it, even though it sort of distorted my image of Marcia Brady.  I love behind-the-scenes things anyway though, so it was bittersweet. :) 

Another craft I've gotten into this winter is cross-stitch!  I used to do these all the time when I was younger so when I came across some cute photos on Instagram of some Care Bear cross-stitch, I knew I had to get some of these pattern books.  When I googled it on eBay I found some others that I couldn't resist! 

Here is the first one I did, which is Twink from Rainbow Brite.  This is Pumpkin Pie's favorite sprite so he will hang in the girls room. :)  I had forgotten how relaxing and therapeutic cross-stitch was! 

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: The Complete Series  

Another guilty please I indulged in while I was cross-stitching in the evening was watching Season One of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.  My brother got me the DVD set for Christmas and I used to LOVE this show.  I loved the fact that it was set in the 1840s, had a western feel and is so wholesome. This is just what my brain needs right now at the end of the day, lol.  Now that I am a nurse, I can understand and appreciate the medical aspect of Jane Seymour's character as well! 

Plus, I am just as much in love with Sully as I was when I was 14 so that also makes it fun (swoon)! 

Here's the 2nd cross-stitch project I started and finished. 

I'm a month behind.  

Paint by Numbers Paint Set - Mountain Chalet by Reeves 

I also received this gorgeous paint by numbers kit for my birthday which I hope to get into soon! 

By mid-March, it was still pretty brown out, but things were starting to grow! 

In mid-March, I did my first "mail day" video if you are interested in seeing some doll/toy related treats I got for myself for my birthday!

Easter was a lovely day and the girls had such a great time coloring eggs.  They were absolutely thrilled to get candy and it was one of the simplest Easter baskets they've every gotten, yet they were completely delighted just the same. :) SCORE.
It's always so fun to dress up little girls in their Easter dresses (at least it is for me!)

Feeling the warmth of the sun is priceless! 

On our Easter Sunday walk, we came across this perfect "mud heart".  Ever since my Dad passed away in 2012, I have associated "hearts in nature" to be a sign that he is close-by. :)

On that note, things are starting to perk up and come to life around here! I hope I have more flowers and blossoms to show you in my next monthly post.

Thanks for sharing in some of our family's adventures this past month.  Love to you all. 

xo Farrah :) 

Februrary, the Snowiest Month of Winter

Ah, February...you short, weird little month.  Every year it seems like I blink and February is over.  

Which is fine by me as I am always looking forward to the next summer season where ever I am within the year!

This year, Feb started out really mild with this one day in particular being absolutely gorgeous and warm. 

 Where did all of these birds come from all the sudden? 

Winter campfires are the best.  Sticky s'mores and marshmellows stuck in hair...just so good. 

Calves are evverywhere!  They are so cute and inquisitive and not yet afraid.  I just love them. 

 

 I really can't complain, though, because this winter has been amazingly mild compared to every other winter in my whole life, lol.  The snow in the pictures here are pretty much the only snowstorm we've gotten.

 

These two couldn't of been happier. :)

Today is my birthday and although we had a really low-key, quiet day, I had so much happiness in my heart as I reflected on all of the amazing blessings that are in my life.  I may have more gray hair, a lot more "smile lines" around my eyes and a little less energy, I feel like I have so much more self-worth and balance then I have ever had  and I'll trade that over pretty much anything!  Hopefully in another 10 years it will be even more!  It's good to get old. 

I hope you all had a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead.  xo!!

January

Wow, it's February 1st tomorrow!  I can hardly believe it.  It seems like it's been ages since I did one of my monthly round-ups, so I thought I'd throw in a few photos and tell you guys how we've been doing over here on the farm.  

Photo from New Year's Eve. :) 

New Year's Eve is usually pretty uneventful over here, or at least it has been for the past 6 years since we've had kids!  Pre-kids, I used to meet up each year with my best group of girlfriends at a different location each year.  We are all scattered between Texas, DC, Boston, Virginia and NY so it was always so much fun to all meet up and celebrate the ringing of the new year together.  We don't do that anymore, but those were some fun times!

This year my sister and her financé came over as well as my good friend and her boyfriend that were both traveling home from Oregon.  We drank lots of hard cider from a local cider mill and snacked and chit-chatted the night away. 

We made it until midnight and saw the first moments of 2016.  It was nice. :) 

Other than that, this month has been very uneventful, but extremely relaxing.  After the flurry of Florida travel and then holiday preparation, last month proved to be a little challenging for me anxiety-wise.  In the first few years after having my first daughter, I had really bad anxiety (complete with panic attacks) which started happening out of the blue every year around this same time.  During our Florida trip and a little after, I felt myself falling back into that anxiety a little more that usual, which was no fun, but with this month of quiet and stillness, I am feeling much better and back to my balanced self.  Phew!

I got back into my daily walking routine, which has been so incredibly beneficial to me (my cholesterol was off the charts amazing this year!)

This is my absolute favorite place on the farm.  It's a large hayfield about a mile out back from our house.

The snow you see here is pretty much all we have gotten the entire winter.  This is extremely bizarre for this area of the US. Thank you, El Niño!  I think it is supposed to be close to 50 degrees today.  I don't miss the stress of winter driving, but I do wish we would get a good heavy snowfall at least once, just for the sheer beauty of it.  Pumpkin Pie is totally crushed that we haven't gotten any snow.  :(

Lots of calves are being born, but I haven't been able to get too many good photos of them yet!  I will for next month though, as they are so cute. :)

Currently, the ground is totally dry and we have patches GREEN GRASS growing.  This is just weird and I'm sure many of you that live around here can agree!  Especially with places just south of us (DC, Maryland area) getting slammed with that snowstorm last weekend!

Overall, January was a lovely month.  I stuck to my doll buying budget and kept a list of every purchase to try to create more structure in this hobby.  I was feeling a bit out of control last year with my blind spending and should've been saving this whole time!  This year will be better.  :)
We dropped the girls off at Grammy's house last night (my mother had been chomping at the bit to have them over for a sleepover :) ) so hubby and I after off to a quiet breakfast and a peek into Barnes and Nobles.  Heavenly to be able to browse the isles, kid-free! :)

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Best to you all,
xo Farrah