A baby here. A baby gone.

I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now so I'll be quick. I just can't stop thinking about something that happened today... Ya know when you're having a good time with friends and you get a text that's not good at all and as you are absorbing what the text says you fake a little chuckle at your friends as they continue on with their conversation? You don't say anything because you have to explain too much to make it worth the trouble of even bringing it up?.... I did that today. I was at a baby shower and was just sitting back observing a couple surrounded by so many people that love them and were there to celebrate the arrival of their child. It was nice. Watching those glances shot between the happy couple and seeing all of the warm and pretty pink gifts that will grace a warm and loving home. While watching all of this my phone started vibrating. I looked down to see who was texting me and read a message from a friend beside herself because her child's father was holding the baby captive and not letting her see the child. She fears he will take her to court for full custody and to be honest, the more I think about it, he'll probably win. It was one of those "time stands still" moments where you feel yourself blink but it's seemingly in slow motion. What strange timing for that text. One baby is being joyfully welcomed and one has disappeared from the one who gave birth to it. I know this next thought is obvious to many but has been swirling around in my mind since that moment: When I gave birth to Malachi some one's son died somewhere probably not too far away, perhaps in the same hospital. The day I got married someone was calling it quits with their spouse. I announced today that I got a new job and someone, some where, had to break the news that they lost theirs. On the flip side, the day I was told my first baby had no heart beat and "we're sorry" someone else heard their baby's heart beating strong. It's incredible the parallel universes that exist together and at any moment you can be on one side or the other. Incredible.

My Farmette - Phase One

Phase one of my dream of having a farmette and growing most of my own family's food is beginning this month. The book I am basing my plans on is a GREAT book called The Backyard Homestead.In this book the author (who had a similar set up as she suggests at her childhood home) walks you through EVERYTHING involved in having a large garden, fruit trees, bees, and live stock. She even walks you through processing the food. Below is a basic idea of what I want when it's all said and done. (Crappy photo I know). The numbers say 1. Vegetables, 2. Fruits and Nuts, 3. Herbs, 4. Grains, 5. Poultry, 6. Meat or Dairy Animals, 7. Wild Foods (aka Bees).What I want when the farmette is complete is:

• Fruit trees & bushes
• A huge garden with many different veggies & herbs
• Bees (for the wax and the honey - the wax is actually the real money maker - cosmetic companies buy it)
• A pig or cow per year to be "processed" for most of our year's meat
• Two goats for milk, cheese, butter, etc.
• Rabbits for meat - I know it sounds heartless at first but rabbit meat is the most lean meat there is and a market for it is growing. The only thing is I can't "process" them myself cuz that WOULD make me cry for sure)
• And about a dozen chickens for eggs

I wanted to have a turkey for meat once a year but Rob says their too mean... Oh well.

So a lot of these things can't happen until we own our own property. With Rob's job we live in a house that belongs to the church and year to year you never know if the Methodist church will move you so there's no point investing tons of money into fences, etc, on someone elses land. So the live stock (minus the chickens) will have to wait. Chickens have a small enough area that I am happy to spend the money to start seeing my dream come true now. Fruit trees and bushes will have to wait because they take years to get to the point where they produce a good harvest so not worth doing at a parsonage. The bees, too, will have to wait simply because there are always SO MANY children around and in our yard because of the church right next door. I'd rather wait til I have a large yard that's somewhat private so I can put them in a far corner.

Here's what's happening soon: Chickens, large garden (in the spring), and an indoor herb garden. We will also be adding a tree house (that may or may not end up actually IN a tree :) and a super cool clothes line to our yard. It actually has always relaxed me to hang my clothes. The kids leave me alone when I do it and I just completely zone out by the simplicity of the whole thing. By spring all of this will be in full swing.

I will be sure to post pictures as all of these fun projects unfold.

I can't wait to own my own home so I can do the whole thing!