Wow! It has been a minute since I made a post. My husband has had a couple surgeries, I have had another kiddo and we have added a few more friends to the farm!

I’m not gonna lie, life has been crazy, overwhelming but so fruitful and a lot growth has happened over the last while.

My oldest daughter Nicole (6) wanted to have meat rabbits again so we bought a few does and a couple bucks. So far so good. With rabbits it’s not too difficult to raise them just as long as they don’t go running around the open field and get mistaken for a bouncy toy (one didn’t make it). But, you know what?! That’s life on a farm. Things are born, things die. There is growth and wilting. There is joy and sadness. It’s the world we live in and the challenges we face.

My middle daughter Madison (2.5) is a hoot! She is my little farm girl but the one that likes to stay clean while being outside. If she gets anything on her hands or clothes it’s “ewwwyy!” She cracks me up and life wouldn’t be the same without her humor. She likes to help with a little of everything.

Josiah (4) is my one and only boy! He is a cowboy/rancher In training and loves to do anything that involves the side by side or tractor. His animal chore is the chickens. He goes out every day to collect eggs for me and brings them in for breakfast.

Last but not least is the newest addition, Riley (7mo). She has been a sweet addition to the family and it’s starting to get around now which has calmed her down because man, does she not like to be left out! We love that little girl. Her favorite is to be outside in her bouncer watching all the craziness of the farm.

Gabe and I have both been working hard to get things cleaned up and organized since he has been cleared from physical therapy from his ankle surgeries. That was a rough time with not being able to walk for so long, but we got through it and are happy it’s in the past.

We are moving towards regenerative agriculture and being self sufficient on our Southern Plains Farm. We feel called to use what God has provided us with to give back ti the land and use it wisely and efficiently. It is amazing what all can be done with this “old fashioned” way of farming, I guess you could say. It’s not really the norm these days.

Well, enough about us… we BOUGHT A DAIRY COW! I am so excited. She has been a wonderful challenge. Her name is Barbara. She is pretty chill but has gone from a milking machine to us hand milking her so it’s been a learning curve for all parties.

I’ve been waiting for a dairy cow for while now and we finally found a good fit. I have made yogurt and plan to try out ice cream, some cheeses and butter soon. I will make a short blog post about the process of yogurt later.

We are milking twice a day right now and getting between 3-4 gallons of milk a day. Milking takes about 45-60 minutes from start to finish twice a day. This includes setup, cleaning her, milking, clean up and filtering the milk. She usually gets milked around 6am and between 4-6pm depending on what the day looks like. 12 hours between milking a is best but 10-12 is still okay!

As far as other animals goes, we have been hatching birds out and there is a new calf on the farm. I will post pictures below! As the title states, a lot has happened. Life is full but beautiful by the grace of God. Until next time…