Will 2017 be the year?

Everyone is abuzz about the New Year. "What will it hold?" "This will be a great year!" "It's all down hill from here...." are some of the comments I have heard.
One thing I hope to see soar will be my coming on-line yarn shop. I also hope to finish an few craft projects. And to find happiness in everything.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today I am so thankful for my family. I am also thankful for the small changes I am starting to see in Americans. Christmas lights are starting to reappear! There is a little more optimism in a lot of people and that is a great thing to be witnessing. I hope this path continues.

First day of Junior year

Today, Bailey went back to school. We were not ready for summer to be over! Well, other than, she is excited about showing season. She is not a morning person and I was really shocked that she did make it up and out the door early enough to tend Oxley and be ready for school with no hassle.
  She did meal prep Sunday for her lunches. That alone really made me realize how mature she is. I know all parents feel this way but, Where did my baby go!?! I really hope we can make that a habit. I seemed to go smoothly and I know once it get back to work I will need to meal prep.
 The animals all seem to be adjusting well to our time changes and it is already starting to get dark earlier so the chickens are putting themselves up before we are even done and down to their coop. All is well on  our little farm and i hope this is a pattern we can set for all year long.

More tea than water: a lazy Sunday

Today we went to church and haven't  done much else. I have laid in bed drinking tea and watching old movies. I did play with the new app Periscope while making a cup of tea. That is a really cool app! If you do not know about it, you film yourself in real time and people can talk to you through text. I have watched a celebrity do a chat with his fans also. Very neat.
I am still trying to make my way through the book Bloodlite but I find myself scrolling through Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin' I really need to get on the ball though, I think I am around 6 books behind in my Goodreads yearly challenge. Good grief, I even find myself on Goodreads instead of reading lately. It sounds like I need to unplug and read.
Hope you have had a great Sunday. What are you putting off by reading through my Blog?

Lets be the people that do not so random acts of kindness!

  The other day after I had loaded my groceries into the truck, I went to put my cart into the cart return. There was another lady almost finished putting her sacks into her truck and I asked if I could take her cart for her. She lit up and thanked me 2 or 3 times. It was something so simple, yet we do not do it enough!
  I realize life is fast paced and we all have someplace or something looming over our next step, but a few seconds of kindness can go a long way, not only for the person who receives it, but the person who gives it. I know it felt wonderful to know I brought a smile to another person's face with a tiny gesture and it made me want to continue! I ask that you all try it too. Be kind to one person, then another, and another until these are "not so random" acts of kindness. I promise it will make you feel a lot of joy along with making the world a more cheerful place. This is day 1 of the rest of your life!

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Our little farm is growing.

Oxley saying good morning

 Texas is August is hot! It has been dry and very hot this summer, around 100 most days since the first of August. This week we have had a bit of a cool down.  We have taken advantage of it in a big way. We finished some fencing and moved our chickens from a smaller coop into a larger coop, where they can free range during the day.
 As we finished up the last of it yesterday evening my husband asked me to go let Oxley, our daughters FFA goat, out into the main pasture to explore. He had a blast! and enjoyed meeting the chickens and ducks and even the rabbit he had only seen from a far. He followed us around like a puppy and even played with Remington our Texas Heeler.
 I think Remington thinks Oxley is a weird dog and visa versa!  They are a lot of fun to watch together and think they became fast friends on their exploits
 Last summer Tim started a pond in the pasture and it is still holding water, Not much though, a little over 2 foot in the deepest. We have had a ton of frogs born in it though. Our ducks seem to think they are made for deeper, larger ponds and until we finished this fence we had no way of making sure they didn't wonder. We sadly, even lost two. But now that the fencing is complete we trimmed their wings and now they can either play in the pond of we have a couple of small kiddie pools for them to splash around it. They are not sure about being kept from the woods but love the pool and treats we toss them to keep them happy! One of our roosters even seems to pal around with them more than the hens. We are happy that they are safer.

Stevie, Dot. Squeaks and Clover exploring

An egg laid during the move

 When we first got chickens I had eight total, We are now up to 15 with plans to get more when it cools down. We are hoping to have around 30 at all times.  We eat the eggs and despatch them for our food. We did have the original chickens in a coop behind our house and the others in a coop in the pasture which was larger. We wanted them all in the larger pasture coop and want the one behind the house to be a nursery/hospital for a few at a time. So we started the migration yesterday, as the sun came up we let all of the chickens loose in the pasture, letting them spend the day together. They had all met before, some of the ones in the newer coop being from the first chickens. but after becoming moms, moved with their chicks. Since the day went well we moved most into the larger coop for roosting. All but 5 were happy with the change. They slept on the tractor! Even the horse that lives in the pasture next to us was excited to watch the changes.

Watermelon shoots ( I think!)

Daredevil the Rooster and our neighbor the horse

All in all it was hot, we worked hard but we really enjoyed watching the live here on our little farm! Now to get to work on the garden. I did notice that even though Tim has tilled under the watermelon, we have some trying to come back I sure hope they make it. We didn't get but a couple before they got choked out by weeds and the drought killed off the first vines. We need to get started on a few fall crops though.

Tea Time Spotlight

Today I got the first Par Avion tea club packet which was these 3 samples and cost 4.95 for shipping. I will be honest, that seems a bit high for the amount of tea you receive. Each month after that, if you choose to get it, the tea will be 19.95.
I was instantly excited by the flavors though, Root beer float, Chocolate Chai, and Carrot Cake. I brewed the root beer float in my perfect tea maker following the directions on the packet. With a tablespoon of Agave and iced it. It smells just like root beer! The flavor is good and does have a nice root beer flavor.  I am excited to try the carrot cake next. I think, hot as a latte it will be great!
All in all, I want to see what comes in the next full shipment before I decide about this tea club, pricewise. But I am enjoying my iced rootbeer float tea.

Learning to quilt

On Instagram, you can see all kinds of beautiful quilts, it seems quilting is becoming popular again. There is something so cozy and homey feeling about a quilt on a bed, no matter what time of year.
  I decided  to make one myself and found the hexi quilts that are english paper pieced interesting. I am making a 2 1/2" hexi that I plan to stitch into a light/medium/dark diagonal stripe pattern.
  Right now though, it is well over 100° each day. So along with the many reasons I am excited  about fall now I have my quilt. There is something so relaxing about fixing a cup of tea, finding a good TV show or podcast to watch and just cranking out little hexi blocks.

Strange readings

Last week Bailey and I cleaned out closets and purged bookshleves for a yard sale. I came across the book The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I remember being both scared and fascinated by the author  around the age of 12. I did not remember reading this book by her, so I couldn't  let it go into the junk were we getting rid of without a trip down  memory  lane.
This was DARK, I mean D-A-R-K for a book written for 9 to 13 year olds! This was the story of a neglected, jealous young girl named Jessica who finds a kitten,but not just any kitten. A witches cat. The story that unfolds is moral  and depressing.
I did not enjoy this one at all, but the writing was very well done. I found myself wondering more about the author, since  this was a memory  trip for me.
Now, onto what I started next. Blood Lite by a multitude  of famous horror genre authors, I am just 3 stories in so far. I remeber being excited about this when it came out and being shocked at the poor reviews I saw on Booktube. So far, I have to agree though. Not loving it as much as I had hoped. We will see.

Tithe by Holly Black

This morning as I drank my coffee I finished  Tithe by Holly Black. I don't  know how I feel about this book, it is so dark. The worlds are so raw and grusome.  That being said, this book was very well written. You found yourself in those worlds,afraid and waiting to see what was next to come. I am sure that I will read the next book.
This one is about sixteen  year old Kaye who knows faeries are real, not the stuff of faerie tales, and how in a short time, her life is changed forever.

Looking forward to spring,

  We decided to try our hardest to grow an organic, non GMO garden this year. This will be a new experience for us. Tim and I have the garden spot tilled and have started adding composted duck and chicken poo to the soil.
  Today we put together a prefab green house to start seeds in. Bailey came out and filled seedling trays with the compost mix while I planted tomato seeds. Lets hope this is a success after all the hard work!
  I really do believe this is the best veggies my family can possible get. I love our little homestead!

Next big YA book turned movie...I hope.

Pulseit.com gives you the ability to read free books from time to time. I has some time to kill at the office yesterday while waiting on others so I could lock up. I started Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This book is one of many Dystopians, trust me, I do know.
 It's the story of a world after a war fought over the importance of worth of life.Where every life is given a chance to prove its worth by the age of 18.If the person hasn't done that, they are unwound or harvested for parts.
 This book hooked me like no other in a long time. The stories of Conner, Risa and Lev are all interesting on their own. A slacker, a good-but not exceptional musician and a tithe (or sacrifice) all on the path to being unwound and how they grow so much after the death sentence. Great read!
 Now to grab up Unstrung!

Trying to be more health thoughtful

As I come,soon, to the end of a year of "the paleo lifestyle" I am sure of two things. One, I am on the right path for me and as anyone who is sure of something, I see how this thing could benfit others. But, it is HARD to talk to people about food without them feeling like you are judging them. Two, Eating whole foods is a darn near impossible feat in America today.
If you Pin rabbit recipes or how to cook Tongue to your food Pinterest , you get comment s like "gross" or " I could never..." But your ok with the merciless way meats and vegetables are grown and processed for your store shelves? The chemicals in the ingredients list that you have no idea what they are. It's scary stuff , it's time we wake up. "Food" is not safe. Don't believe me. Try it my way one month , document your health and mindset throughout the month and prove me wrong. If that's too extreme, cut sugar or grains for one month and tell me if anything has changed for the better or worse. As for me, it hasn't been an easy year, I have eaten things I knew were not good for me. ( heck, even today!) But I am thankful for the next year (or even the rest of today) to try again .  XOXO Ashley

Too Busy To Read?

A few days ago I got the chance to read and review "Blossom Street Brides"by Debbie Macomber. I was very excited about this opportunity because my Mom and I both love her books. But I had a small problem, I haven't read the other books in this series. So, I'm currently reading The Shop on Blossom Street and of course the characters and settings have me hooked even after just staring it Friday evening. I haven't has much time to read this weekend because I have been taking our ducklings out to play in the yard and enjoy the spring weather. They really enjoy chasing ants and snacking on grass.
We also have been working on our veggie garden and put tomatoes, cabbage and onions in this weekend. And I thinned out a bed of irises and moved them to another location.
The mornings are still cool here so while I waited to work in the yard, I worked on a yarn swift. I really enjoy working with wood and tools. I figured out the bolt I bought for the center is too long and will have to replace it but other wise its coming along.

Second Star by Alyssa B.Sheinmil

I waited a couple of days to write this review because this was one of those types of books that I read so quickly that I had to let myself process it.
Would I recommend this book? You betcha! I feel as if anyone could take something away from this book even though the target is mainly teen /young females.
  This is a modernazation of Peter Pan, which I loved as a kid. I watched the Sandy Duncan version so many times I could quote the lines with the characters. I even wanted to be Tiger Lily! So, I wasn't so sure I wanted Wendy to be a modern teen and I sure didn't want my beloved Peter to be a surfer dude. Please note the past tense of that statement, Alyssa Sheinmel made this work! She even worked in the names of the original players right down to Nana, which made me smile and was a great touch. I even found myself interested in the surfing.
The story that brought Pete and Windy back to me was deep without feeling like day time TV meets Disney and really wrapped me up in the story line. Very well done and I will be sure to read more by this author.

Time travel with a warning

This was the story of Prenna James, who was a time traveler. She, along with others were trying to escape a world left in ruins by going back to the past. There are very strict rules for her new life. But as she finds out sometimes the heart isn't good at rules.
I really enjoyed this book , I felt it was well written and gripping. I could not find out what would happen next, but I also had a feeling that I had read stories like this in the past. It soon dawned on me that this was the same feeling I had had while reading books like 1984. That someday, people would read "The Here and Now" and wonder how the author had known those things would happen. I wish I could say this could be a cautionay tale but I fear it may be too late.
I hope that there will be a sequil as a feel like there could be much more to Penna's story.

Finished another book and pictures of baby chickens

I was given a copy of The Removers by Andrew Meredith to read for the publisher.  This was a quick read and the subject matter was interesting in a dark, morbid way that almost made me feel strange for wanting to read. This is Andrews story about parts of his famly life and how that has effected his choices. It is also about his unique career as a remover. He explains that a remover is a person hired to move the corpse from its place of death to the mortuary.  I have to say that part of the story captured more of my interest than the family dynamic which just kinda seemed like a whiney excuse for a lazy person not to act like an adult. Over all, for me this book was good but not great. Thanks to the pulisher for letting me read it.
  Now, on to the cute baby chickens. I love chickens and we have had chickens in the past. I have been talking about chickens and looking at blogs about chickens for awhile now. So my husband and I found a local hatchery and brought home 10, mouth old chickens. We are super excited. The little rooster and I have really been having fun this afternoon and he will even eat from my hand already.

A weekend in Memphis

We traveled to Memphis last weekend to visit Tim's dad. We enjoyed our visit with him but didn't have much time to be tourists. We did learn that the Mall of Memphis has been torn down and that a few of the other malls are really struggling after the economic crash. The pyramid is in the process of getting a facelift. Memphis its self really is struggling, I hope soon it finds a way to turn around and become a nicer tourism spot.

Best book I've read so far this year!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher for a review. That being said the views are my own and not swayed by their generous gift. Season of the witch has a little bit of every thing, romance, thriller aspects, and paranormal. Not one of these things makes this book fit into one of these genres though. We meet up with a thief who seems to be blowing in the wind as far as his personal life goes, until his ex girlfriend needs his help to find her stepson for her current husband. While trying to location him, he meets two sisters that will change his life forever in a very powerful way.
I really enjoyed this book. The setting was super. The players were interesting and the story kept me guessing.