Grown & Knitted with Love

Cambodia anyone?  That's where some of our yarn will be going very very soon. A beautiful, expertly knitted sweater that will be gifted to a young girl in need. I just love our customers!!  This wool farm journey of ours is touching so many more lives than we would have ever guessed. Truly a gift in so many ways. My heart is full 💗

We are smokin' today

I What's on my to do list!?!  My favorite task in the world. Writing a new recipe!!  smoked pulled pork with spiced apple bourbon sauce...lets get started. 

I bought a picnic shoulder roast

Took off the skin & trimmed up a small amount of the fat

Then rubbed it down with my favorite spice rub

Built my fire, then off to the smoker

I used a combo of cherry and pear wood.

Now we wait, impatiently I might add. However patience will be rewarded.

 It's out of the smoker, now to braise it to make it pull part tender

Are the sheep OK?

http://youtu.be/5G0Sp7I7X4M

Our llamas checking out the newly shorn sheep 

Just another February day at the farm

Visiting with the wee woolies and llamas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djIoOq1YBpI

Not mine!

What I thought I walked into was 2 sets of twins. (Cough!) Midnight made it Crystal. Clear. That the little guy was NOT  hers. Holy moly!!  That means we have our first set of triplets, ever!  Welcome Cotton's 3 musketeers!!  Oh you are so cute!!

Round Bone Hockey, New floors and an onion in my couch

Our new floors are gorgeous, I love them, so easy to clean!!!  Never thought I would say this, but I am in love with a steam mop!!  Wahoo!  What neither of us anticipated with this new is was that a new sport was going to be created by our beloved border collies.  We call it Round Bone Hockey.  What great fun it is to hurl the round bone then watch it slide across the floor like never before.  Sometimes it ends up across the floor, other times rolls into another dog or BINGO, it goes bouncing down the stairs!  YAHTZEE!!!! 

Boo!!! To carpet say the dogs, well, and for that matter so do I.  Carpet and dogs, not a good match, at least at this house.  The next quest is to find a few area rugs to add obstacles to the round bone hockey game they like to play, maybe they will look at it like lane and it will turn into more a Round Bone Bowling game. 

Now the for onion, I know my husband said he had bought an onion.  For the life of me, I could not find it in any of the grocery bags.  So I thought maybe it just didn’t make it.  Oh well, its just an onion.  I moved on and grabbed a shallot instead for that nights dinner prep.  Then what do I spy in my couch?  A round dark brown ball shaped item across the room in my couch.  All of our tennis balls are green, hmmmm.  Yup, sure enough, my onion in the couch.  Not sure which canine it was, but I can say with certainty it had been abandoned for not behaving like a ball. 

The Love of a Great Dog

The love a great dog

Can’t be measured in inches, feet, ounces or time.  What your love a of lifetime gives to you is truly immeasurable.  A beloved red border collie named Pete passed from this realm into the next, early this morning.  I know his mom is feeling a huge hole in her heart like I felt when I lost my Junie Bug.  It stings, burns & hurts like no other feeling.  Made me want to swear, curse and kick the walls.  It felt like my heart had been ripped out and run over.  The thought that you have more time than you really do burned in my head.  By age, Pete had many more years to frolic and play, I think that is why we feel robbed when our companions don’t live out their senior years with us.

6 years later for me, I still very much miss my Junie Bug, I know now I always will.  You can’t be that big of a personality and not leave a mark on at least a few people.  She left a gigantic crater sized hole in me.  She was a gift to my life of epic proportions.  She pushed me to do all sorts of things I didn't know I was capable of .  Those gifts I am still learning & using to this day.  May be it wasn't so much a hole she left....maybe it was bringing me to a level of awareness that I didn't know I could attain, hmmmmm...expanding out to new horizons can be scary at first.....I do my best to be still and listen, for there is so much to take in if you allow yourself to receive those gifts.

Keepsake made by my hubby

Junie Bug and me

I know this can be a tough time of year for many people, it brings up all sorts of memories of family, friends & loved ones that are no longer here.   May I suggest that we honor them by being still in our thoughts and allow ourselves to receive those gifts they can still give us. 

Go give love to your dogs, cats, horses, llama, sheep or whatever companions that you share your life with now, don't forget the people too.  :)  May we always BE giving and receiving in love.

Namaste, Merry Christmas and BE love

Friday Funny: I be puppy....still

I sit here in my home office working away on this grey Friday morning.  I hear rain and think, wow it’s really raining outside.  Then I turn my chair that overlooks my back yard and see that it’s the puppies.  Yes indeed, they have learned how to turn on the hose and are running through the water and making mud.  Oh joy!  Yet another “task” added to my day. 

Kodi-Bear and Buster couldn’t be more proud of themselves for this great accomplishment.  Tails wagging, doing the buckin’ bronco through the stream of water that has now made mud in our yard.  If there was any question that the puppies were “boys” this ought to clear any question of that.  They are, 100% boys.

This is one sure fire way to have me say, you stay OUTSIDE the whole day, or until I can get you a bath.  They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, well then, I must have achieved Wonder Woman status by now….my only questions is why the heck hasn’t my costume shown up yet?!?!

I hope you are laughing, I am Happy Friday!!!.......and I ask myself, what else is possible.

Hmmmm.....2013

Not sure I’m a fan of 2013 yet, it has certainly pitched me some doozies, on all fronts.  Yes, I got some gorgeous & talented pups.  That I will not deny.  They did come at a high price for us, emotionally and physically.  I love them dearly and would dearly love to see the last 2 go to wonderful homes that will celebrate all they have to give.  Work too has been “interesting” thankfully I can say I’ve been doing this awhile and don’t allow all those “interesting” things up root me.  I can laugh and say this too shall pass, and indeed it does.

Some parts of me can’t help but feel like I have let Sally down.  I was hoping we would be trialing and continuing to strengthen our trialing bond.  I very much miss my sheepdog trialing friends!!!  My bond with Sal at home leaves me speechless. She is such a sweet and sassy soul.  That’s what drew me to her from the day I met her.  I desire to do right by her and celebrate all of her talents.  Zeke and Tweed have voiced their opinions as well.  It’s goes something like ….”Hey! Did you know we are border collies?…. that means we like to herd sheep….maybe we should do that”(nose nudge)…..”  “Remember what sheep are? Yeah, they are those wooly things that live 10 miles down the road.”  I’m getting better about getting adult dog time in.  The pups don’t take as much time as they used to.  It can be challenging with 3 puppies, house training, socializing and all those important puppy moments one must get in x3.  I have to say when I have gotten Sal, Zeke and Tweed out on sheep, it’s as though we haven’t been gone at all.  I am so happy and thankful for that.  Great foundations hold and stand the test of time, that I know is true. 

Timmy

Sally & Pups

(Sigh) I am in space that seems to require more personal quiet time than I am able to muster at the moment.  Remember a couple of posts ago that I was going to focus and concentrate on what is important?  Yes, I have am doing that in small ways, my chickens and beautiful colored angoras have all been placed in new loving homes. For that I am extremely thankful.  I’m now considering finding homes for my call ducks too.  I’m thinking BCs and sheep are what this girlie should focus on. 

Our yarn sales are going very well. With that success we will be announcing some exciting news come early 2014.  I love the yarn and roving our sheep are producing & apparently so do other people!!!  Gotta love that!!!  We’ve stuck to a breeding & wool criteria program over the past 5 years and it is paying off with wonderfully soft fleeces that are both colored and white.  We have added some new blood lines and we are very excited to see what that will produce.  We are looking forward to spring time.  We will be busy with lambs that I know are going to be beautiful.

With that I am going to say good night, post a few super cute pictures and steal a few moments of personal time since all the canines have tucked themselves in for the night.

Wylie and Zeke

 

Wylie, Zeke and Sally

 

Do you think Tweed looks serious enough?

I will leave you all with this quote…..it made me chuckle.  Extra funny as it was posted in someone’s office…..that person will remain nameless  “descendite ne illegitimi”.  No, it was not me.

Good Life

Playing my favorite new tune.  It's been out for a while but I just found it.  Love, love this song!

Crossroads are always full of options and opportunities.  Some of those right now are seeming very scary.....I find myself asking what kind of scary are they?????  Is it scary because it's not the norm? or something that doesn't resonate with me.....more calling upon my senses to know what feels right and what doesn't.

Failure

When I hear the word  “failure” my brain immediately says “opportunity time!”  Failure was not a word I grew up hearing.  It just wasn’t in my parent’s vocabulary to their children. 

 

I very vividly remember hearing phrases that went something like this……

 

Did you do your best? 

What did you learn from this experience? 

What will you do differently next time? 

 

I would answer those questions and hear in response, depending on the situation,…..not everything is going to go the way you want or think….or if you look at it this way, you learned it didn’t work the way you tried and as a kid I learned it was OK to make mistakes.  If you look at the Miriam-Webster dictionary snippet that is above “Failure” is defined as an omission or occurrence of performance;specifically.  Ok, so I’ll bite, no, specifically I didn’t get the expected action or outcome, but what was learned was valuable life lessons that I took with me on my journey.

I truly believe that you only fail when you stop making an effort.  That is the only failure.   Giving up, throwing in the towel….ask yourself do you feel better when you stop reaching for what you most desire.  Learn from your mistakes, apply them to your current situation......improve, grow, stretch.  You don’t get stronger by sitting on the couch.  Any of us who have started a new workout or lifted weights knows all too well that you’ll be sore the next day or two after a good workout.

 Do the best you can, learn from your experiences and take joy in all you do.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!



White Paw and Momma

Since I couldnt spend Mother's Day with my mom, I thought I would spend it with a new mommy .  The puppies will be 3 weeks old tomorrow.  Enjoy the precious moments I got to spend with Sally and her super cute puppies

Lil Girl Pup - Nickname Dora short for A-Dora-ble

Big Puppy

Tiny Puppy aka Timmy and White Paw

I feel very blessed to have Sally puppies grace my life.  They are getting cuter everyday!!!

Come on and Paw It Forward!!!

Come help me Paw It Forward!  Help the Willamette Humane Society care for the shelter animals! Please click on the link below to get to my fundraising page

Personal Fundraising Page for Charlotte Jackson

Wylie, our little humane society special!

Puppies!!!!

Puppies are officially 1 week old.  Wow, how did a week slip by already!!?!?  I need to take a picture of the puppy we call white paw he must have been drinking on this photo shoot.

1/2 day old - little girl pup

One week old

Little boy pup resting on his sister



Big puppy snoozing
 

Watching and Waiting

No contractions yet, Sally's temperature has dropped indicating that it won't be long now. So that I am not bothering her I picked up a cross stitch project I have been meaning to finish for quite some time. I just might be able to finish it, well unless Sally has other plans

Getting Ready

We are in the home stretch now for Sally to bless us with cute little wiggly puppies .  I've got my birthing box of supplies, whelping box all sanitized, towels washed and heating pad ready to go.  Now it's all up to Sally

 

If she would not sit down I'd be able to get a picture of how big she is. She had as of 2 days ago a 34" inch waist!

 

Watching and waiting........

A Modern Day Viking

Today I said…. until we meet again.... to my grandfather.  He peacefully slipped from this world earlier this morning.  My grandfather was 93 and through his granddaughter’s eyes he lived a life of amazing adventures and was surrounded by immense love and support from family and friends.

My grandfather "Bapa" and my mom

  My grandfather, or Bapa, as I called him.  He got that nickname because I could not say bedstefar, which is grandfather in Danish when I was a little girl. Somehow it stuck and my brother called him that to.  My memories of my grandfather remind me of a modern day Viking.  He brought his family to a new world.  I always thought how brave my grandparents were, leaving all family and friends to live in a foreign land with the dreams and aspirations of making a better life.  My Danish heritage was always celebrated as well as the holidays of the US.  I cherish those family get togethers as they were always filled with laughter, jokes and sharing of family stories. 

I’ve spent the past few hours looking for particular picture of me with my grandparents in our traditional Danish costumes.  I believe that picture is probably at my parents house, at least I hope so.  I'll do my best to describe my costume.  It was a replica of my grandmother’s, only of course smaller.  Handmade for me when I was about 11. A dark burgundy long sleeve wool dress, white lace collar with a blackish green matte satin apron and one of those fancy ruffled lace hats that has the hand embroidered flowers on the back.  I love that costume.  I wore that costume to Danish celebrations.  Some of the memories I am recalling now are Danish Christmas parties in West Seattle.  There were plays of Nisse** stories (Danish elves) put on by the kids.  Traditional folk dancing around the Christmas tree, of course plenty to eat and an opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap.

My grandfather was always making something in his wood shop.  I got a doll house one year for Christmas.  I played with that house for years.  He made bird houses, bird decorations, Nisse cut outs for Christmas,  miniature carts for horses to pull, airplanes…I am sure I am forgetting some, it will come to me later.   He made me my chicken coop that I still use to this day.  I got it as a house warming gift a short while after we moved down to Oregon. 

My brother and I had a trip of a lifetime in 1998.  Our Bapa took us to Denmark to introduce us to the rest of our family and show us the sights.  We also on that trip took back my grandmother's ashes.  It was an incredible trip and one I will never forget.  I swear we saw the entire country!  Driving in a country where you can't quite read the language was quite the experience also.  We met our great aunt, cousins and saw where the family farm is.  I am happy to say it is still in the family to this day.  I had been told so many stories about this farm and where my mom spent part of her childhood growing up.  I know now, that has to be where my love of animals came from.  We went to so many castles, historic sites and landmarks that I am in awe now of much we did and saw.  That reminds me, I took my video camera with me and recorded Bapa telling us stories of how he and my grandmother met and many other moments.  I better find that and get it onto a DVD before the tape degrades.  This little viking reminds me of my grandfather, not because he had a beard nor that he was red haired, but for the reason he was a character and could make me laugh.  I got this at Himmelbjeret the tallest point in Denmark.  It's something like a whopping 500 ft tall. 

 

He had a nickname for me when I might be doing something I shouldn’t. Not quite sure how to spell it, I’ll inquire about that later with my mom.  Probably a Danish word of endearment, like little stinker or something. 

I remember walking into my grandparents home and feeling immense love, belonging and joy.  They were always excited to see me.  I felt love and that I was loved beyond measure.  I hope to emulate that in our home to all that visit. 

Well I’m a bit out of thoughts, my tears seem to have an endless supply again and I think one of my dogs needs to go out.  So, with that…. I am going to take a walk and remember all the precious moments I had with my Bapa.

 

**A little about Nisse…..The elves can be mischievous and play pranks on people. Nisse often live in old farmhouses, attics or barns and wear gray woolen clothes, red bonnet and stockings and white clogs. As a good elf, Nisse generally help people on the farms and is good with children but plays jokes during the holiday season. On Christmas Eve in Denmark, many families leave a bowl of rice pudding or porridge for him so that he is friendly to them and keeps the jokes within limits.

Thankfully My Llama Doesn't Own a Pistol

The dogs and I spent today out in the beautiful sun.  It truly was a gorgeous day in the Willamette Valley.  As I sit here, dare I say, my face feels a little warm, could I have gotten some color on my face? 

I worked with each of my dogs on our training “to do” list.  Helping Tweed find the pressure point, improving my communication with Zeke and Sally, well, she is working on growing puppies so our training list is a bit different in that regard, more on Sal later.  Basking in some sun seemed to be what we all needed.  In between working dogs, Sally and I sat on the hill and watched our sheep and Talja, my llama.  I will tell you it’s a great thing she isn’t packing and pistol because her aim when she spits at one of my sheep is 100% bulls eye!  Now, don’t get me wrong, Talja is very fond of her sheep, and takes her job very seriously but at times she likes her space, especially when she is eating.  She is not fond of sharing her food with sheep that are pushy or are trying to eat in the same space she is.  Apparently that is rude behavior in the llama world. 

Today I opened a small runway that had some pristine, not previously munched on grass for the sheep to graze on.  I was also using it as part of Tweed’s training.  Pretty crafty, huh?  Well, I thought so and it validated that Tweed read the situation correctly and applied the right moves to “escort” the sheep to their destination.  We sat and watched the sheep graze for quite a while.  I have to say I am pretty impressed with his patience level.  He sat there like a good boy, no leash and even relaxed for a spell.  Then Talja saw where we were and just had to become a part of it.  The look on her face was priceless.  I can just see it….Were you going to tell me there was fresh grass up here?  My response would be “Oops, sorry Talja, but you don’t like being herded by the dog so, what can I say?”  I can tell you, she didn’t waste any more time and helped herself to the new grass, blackberry bushes and the fruit tree that was there.  There are definite advantages of having a long neck. 

Still working on putting my vision board together for this year, I haven’t quite figured out what the lack of motivation is.  Hmmmm

Always have to put in a cute dog picture!!  This time its Miss Sally

 

Being present......

Being present, conscious and living in the moment

This is my 2013 resolution.  I have been focusing and putting an emphasis on being present and conscious in the moment for the past couple months.  The return on investment has been immense for me.  Far exceeds what I thought I would receive.  I am enjoying life at a deeper and more fulfilling level.  Even those little enjoyable things don’t seem so little.  I’m celebrating those too.   Big deep breath and exhale, it does feel glorious. 

 It wasn’t necessarily a hard change to make, it took a different focus and attention.  Certainly one that I imagine I will remind myself to stay focused.  It's also definitely one that was required to enjoy life at this level.  I’ve chased away a few non-productive personal habits that really weren’t doing me any service, actually were quite hurtful.  When I made the decision to live in the moment I saw myself taking one of those yard signs on a stake and driving it into the ground….the sign said   “You don’t live here anymore” to my old habits.  Do I have a few more that I should be chased away, you bet.  I'm thinking this next round I will invite them to leave….or maybe if I just don’t give them acknowledgement when they rear their ugly head it will naturally fade away from my life. 

Less drama..... more living and loving in the moment, that works for me.

Reflection on my 2012 vision board

Vision Board 2012

As I am looking at my vision board I see a whole host of accomplishments that I achieved.   Some tangible, a few emotional and a smattering on self-improvement. A number of them have a very deep rooted meaning now within me.  This is the first time I’ve put together a vision board of this nature and size.  I am so thankful that I did. 

Tangibles

The picture of a handler at the post running their dog is of special meaning to me as I ran my new dog Sally this year.  I had no intention of running her at a trial only after adding her to our home after 4-5 short months.  My focus & commitment was on building our relationship.  That’s it.  Much to my surprise we did extremely well as far as placement goes, more importantly I got to feel for the first time what it was like when a dog gets a hold of her sheep and I also learned there is still a plenty of road for me to travel training-wise too.  I still get a very warm fuzzy feeling when I think about that day.

Zeke and Tweed made huge strides in their herding training as well.  I am very thankful for them.  There were days that I wasn’t sure who had more patience….Me teaching them or them teaching me.  Thankfully I am getting better too or I am pretty sure the lot of them would have made me wear a t-shirt that says….  “Handler, free to good home”

Several pictures of food are placed on my vision board as well.  This year was very kind to me as far as time goes.  I found quite a bit more time to sit and write recipes, test them and of course enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

Frog Cupcake I created for a baby shower

Numerous word phrases are scattered throughout my board.  I put them there as I wanted to focus on some self- improvement.  I felt like I was the end of the yarn ball,  a little frayed when I finally did sit down to create my 2012 vision board.  So….what better than to put what you want to focus on up on the board.

I am relaxed – This one I tend to be…..searching for the right words here….passive/aggressive maybe…...  Getting too relaxed then getting angry for letting things get too relaxed.  Still playing with being relaxed, but not letting it all hang out either.  This one will be a carry over to 2013

I am blessed & I am thankful – A not so subtle reminder that I have a ton of blessings to be thankful for.  A loving & patient husband, my family and friends who love and support me, fabulous dogs, a welcoming home, my farm critters & my creativity.  Just to name a few. 

I trust myself – This one meant NO SECOND guessing my decision.  I’m gonna leave that one right there.

I am happy – This one is in a similar vein as I am blessed.  Whenever I wasn’t happy I asked why?  Then how did I get to that unhappy place.  Did I allow someone else to take me there?  Usually it wasn’t long before I had my answer.

I am focused & I am committed – This meant giving up a few responsibilities and focusing on what I am already doing so not to spread myself too thin.  Also after the devasting loss of 5 of my lambs this year to a coyote hit I realized that I need to be more focused on making sure my flock has a protector.  I committed to finding out my what my choices were for flock guardianship and with the help and guidance from close friends/fellow shepherdesses I selected a llama.  It truly has been a gift that keeps on giving.  Not a day goes by that Talja doesn’t give me a story or a chuckle with her antics.  I truly believe she has come home to our farm.   

I know as I continue to sit and write out my 2013 vision board and goals I will remember other things that I should include, I am good with this.  That’ll do

There are more pictures and sayings....the one that roots beneath all that I experienced this year is….. 

 Inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places

Through inspiration from those most unlikely places….. I have dared greatly like never before.  You know what is really exciting?  It’s that I know in my heart this is only the beginning. 

2013, I hope you are ready for me