Family Farm Fun

Happy almost December! I don't know about you all, but I just love the holiday season. Each year, I try to create a "25 days of Christmas" activity calendar to keep us in the holiday spirit. It consists of parties and gatherings, traditions, cooking, and crafts. Many of the ideas have been passed down (like traditions and recipes), but I also find wonderful new ideas on Pinterest. Some of our traditions happen before December even starts though like decorating the house, taking Christmas card pictures, and some online shopping. We usually begin decorating the day after Thanksgiving. The kids are at such a fun age that they really enjoy helping. They have their own tree that they can decorate however they want: Kid tree All done That means Mom gets to have a pretty tree all to herself. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we usually reserve for taking either family or just kid pictures. This year, I

Since June of this year, the girls and I have been discussing adding a mini pig to our family. Boo has been obsessed with piggies for years, and Bah went through a phase when she was 2 or 3 where she was in love with pigs too.  After a TON of research and discussion, we put a deposit on a litter whose babies would be ready in December. The breeder we chose is Colorado Cutie Pigs . The owner is very friendly and knowledgeable. We especially liked that the pigs would be familiar with children, too. We have been anxiously awaiting their birth, and it finally happened on October 30th - an "almost" Halloween piggy. Baby will stay with its mom for about 8 weeks, and then we will go get it.  Babies and their mom - photo courtesy of Colorado Cutie Pigs The timing is perfect that he will be a family Christmas present. For the next few weeks now we are planning and preparing for his arrival. Must buy items on our list include: Extra large dog kennel Rubbermaid conta

Now that beet harvest is FINALLY over, corn harvest is kicking into gear. While all harvest is somewhat stressful, corn harvest seems much more relaxed after the crazy hours of beet harvest. Beets can only be harvested in optimal temperature. If the weather is too hot or too cold, the piler where the beets are collected shuts down. Corn, though, can be picked in most temperatures as long as the crop is dry and the ground isn't too muddy. Combine in the field On our farm, corn harvest also does not require quite as many workers. For beets, we usually have 6 people working harvest; for corn, we can make it with 3 or 4. The main pieces of equipment used for corn harvest are a combine, grain cart, and semis. First, the combine goes through the field. The corn is planted in straight rows, so the header fits between each row. The header pulls the corn cobs off of the stalk. The cobs are then sent through a threshing drum where the kernels are beaten from the cob and sent by an au

Now that Pumpkins and More A-maiz-ing Farm is closed for the season, we seem to have more time on our hands. With extra time, comes reflection. Each year, we try to begin the holiday season by getting into the spirit of kindness and generosity. This year, I decided to start a thankful tree. The process was really quite simple: 1. Get a branch from the yard 2. Find a large vase 3. Strip kernels off Indian corn for filler 4. Cut roughly 100 leaves from construction paper 5. Gather something to hang the leaves (I used fishing wire, but twine or ribbon would work well too) 6. Put the branch in the vase and use the corn to hold it in place Our Thankful Tree - the beginning Now each day, we will write something we are thankful for on a leaf and add it to the tree. By the end of November, our tree will be full and so will our hearts remembering all of the blessings in our lives. What "thankful" traditions have you started with your family? UPDATE: Trying to get caug