animal kingdom / DAILY FARM LIFE / HEALTHY LIVING / LIVING WELL

Short list after a long break

I’m sitting in my non-air-conditioned “office” and sweating– even though I have a fan strategically placed on the desk beside me, blowing directly onto the side of my head. But I’m not complaining. Because outside in the barn are 20 tweens filming the ‘death scene’ from Romeo and Juliet in full costumes of varying degrees of polyester, velvet, nylon tights, cloaks and capes. I’m sitting here contemplating what would be the best refreshment for those poor kiddos, aside from dunking their heads in a bucket of ice water. I’m leaning towards lemonade if I can scrounge up enough plastic cups to go around. 

I’ve disappeared. Yes, this summer is bound and determined to not allow me to catch my breath. Apparently we’ve decided to squeeze every ounce of life out of it. And out of me.

So, to ease back in to this little blog of mine, I’m coming here today with a list. Because I love lists and that’s the easiest way to catch up on a whole lotta stuff that needs catching up.

1. Shakespeare. What are those tweens doing in our barn in shakespearean dress? This is Emma’s Shakespeare class that has been studying Romeo + Juliet during the school year and is now finishing up the filming of final scenes. Much of it has been filmed here at Woodlawn–which I’m told has required many takes thanks to noisy sheep and barn cats that like to jump into scenes at random moments.

2. It’s almost time for the county fair! This time next week we’ll be unpacking sheep, cakes, cookies, photographs, artwork, and crafts at the fairgrounds. On my to-do list today is to make a to-do list. For the fair. I’m not feeling stressed yet, so I figured making a list would help me get my rear in gear aka start to feel stressed. 

3. Emma rode her horse in an event--dressage, cross country and stadium jumping. Her second “official” event and just like last time, she got booted off her horse on the 4th jump, an automatic disqualification. Thankfully this time, there were less tears and more laughter. Maybe we’ll try again in the fall.

4. Emma’s going to school next year! This requires its own post, but this is HUGE news around here. A process we’ve been agonizing over for the past few months. But we’re all so excited. My first homeschooler to leave the nest. 

5. We’re down to 2 chickens. We have a fox. A fox who must stalk our chickens from the bushes. Not minutes after we let them out, he was racing through the front yard in broad daylight trying to snatch one up. We all screamed at him. The dog chased him. And the chickens are on house arrest. 

6. Willie sleeps through the night. Praise the Lord. He has also discovered the muddy hole in the woods behind the house and shows up at the porch door like this, all the time, wondering why I won’t let him in.

7. The girls went to camp. Sadly, one camp home early with a migraine. We’ll try again next year.

8. I’ve lost 20 pounds. And 18 inches. Woohoo. Still going strong on the healthy-front. A few bumps in the road from summer chaos, but feeling good!

I’ve missed you all. Hope summer is treating you sweetly. More soon. xo.

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animal kingdom / DAILY FARM LIFE / home

Meet Willie

We’ve been talking about adding to our family for awhile now. Don’t get me wrong, we’re in love with Ruby. In fact that’s been part of our motivation to add four more paws to the family tree. We want all of her good habits to be passed on to the next little pup. 

But we’ve been waiting for the right time. Waiting to settle in here at Woodlawn a little bit more. Waiting for the weather to improve so that we’re spending our days outside instead of in. 

And when, on somewhat of a whim a few weeks ago, I called the man who sold us Ruby and he happened to have a litter of pups just two weeks old, it seemed like the right time was finally here. 

Meet Willie. The newest member of our family as of yesterday afternoon. A boy this time. The gender scales need a little tipping in my husband’s favor, I do believe. 

He’s Ruby’s half-brother. But for now, she’s not giving much love in response to his eager curiosity. Ruby stays at my feet while I make dinner, or beside my chair while I work at my desk, cautiously eyeing this strange little thing on four paws. 

I know it’s only a matter of time before they become best pals. 

Last night was Willie’s first night. And just like Ruby’s first few nights, I let him sleep in our bedroom. He sprawled out in a cool corner and slept all. night. long. 

I however, did not. Between booming thunderstorms, a sick kiddo, and constant checking on the snoring pup, I’m feeling the ache behind my eyes of my newborn baby days. 

But Willie was up at 5. Ready to eat and dying for attention. (I was dying for my bed.) 

But after making the rounds for morning chores, and then following me into the kitchen while I made extra-strong coffee–he’s fallen asleep on the cool kitchen floor, head wedged inside someone’s sneaker. 

So here we go. A baby in the house again. No more sleeping through the night for awhile…although I’m not sure I’ve slept through the night since I became a mother 13 years ago. 

You might remember Ruby’s traumatic beginning. She turned out so well, I’m wondering if it’s the secret to a perfect dog. Kidding. There will be no under-car-napping for Willie. 

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favorites / good finds / HEALTHY LIVING / music

15 songs on my workout playlist

I promise this blog will not become all about workouts and food diaries. But you know, if there’s one thing I love, it’s music. And when I can marry music and my new-found motivation to get healthy, well…bonus stars all around. 

I am always on the hunt for new music, but now I’ve added a new category to my search–songs to workout to. (Sorry for the preposition at the end of that sentence.) The funny thing is, my normal taste in music is pretty different from my taste in workout music. I hardly ever listen to these songs outside of the treadmill–well, except when I’m in the car with the girls being the cool mom. You know I am a huge fan of treadmills. I am constantly checking newer models to be sure I keep up with the times. My kids approve of my workout playlist. I am honored.

So read the fine print above, please, don’t judge a girl by the music she puts on her workout playlist. I prefer my playlists on shuffle so there’s a fun little surprise each time a new song comes on. And yes, I have Justin Timberlake and Dolly Parton on the same playlist. I like to shake things up.

Also it will only be a matter of weeks before this list will start to drive me nuts and I’ll need a new round of songs. Got something good for me? Leave your favorites in the comments, please! 

  • Chinese Translation // M.Ward
  • Stubborn Love // The Lumineers
  • Empire // Shakira
  • The Man // Aloe Blacc
  • Hey Brother // Avicii
  • Cecilia // Simone & Garfunkel
  • Politik // Coldplay
  • Get On Up // The Esquires
  • Jolene // Dolly Parton
  • Superstition // Stevie Wonder
  • Problem // Ariana Grande
  • You Go Down Smooth // Lake Street Dive
  • We Are Young // Fun.
  • Build Me Up Buttercup // The Foundations
  • New Shoes // Paolo Nutini
  • Mirrors // Justin Timberlake
  • Sail // Awolnation

The nifty widget below lets you listen to the songs on my playlist and click over to find them on amazon. 

 

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