Anselmo Winery and Some Brotherly Love

I don't even know how to start this post. I think it sufficient to say that we went out to dinner last night, it was FANTASTIC, got to see a wine cellar, came home and slept like babies. The end.

Alas, that's not very exciting so I'll start here...

When you are a stay at home mama and live on a farm there aren't many reasons to get oneself all gussied up. Well friends, I had a good reason last night. The reason has a name and it is - drum roll please - Anselmo Vineyards. Oh yes, it was as good as it sounds. Delicious fire-baked pizza's, heavenly wine, crisp salads, and gourmet Creme Brulee is what you'll find in their restaurant on a warm Thursday evening. Ok, there's A LOT more there than that, but this is what we ate and so that is what I'll describe. So there.

The pizza. That's all that needs to be said.

Just kidding, it - the pizza - is so good. I am determined that I will make a crust as good as theirs, but I am one up on them still. My sauce is better, much better. Recipe anyone? Later friends later. The toppings are amazing as well, homemade italian meatballs, fresh herbs, artisan cheese along with crushed pepper, fennel pollen, and Hawiian salt served on the side. My stomach is begging for more as I type. Too bad I sent the leftovers with my hubby for lunch...

Must rethink this thing called kindness. I mean who wants to think of another when there's pizza at stake.

I kid, I kid.

Maybe...ahem.

No seriously, I would always give my hubby the best, cause ya know, he's the best.

The kids adored this carved donkey and we realized there was a 'no touching' sign while they were 'touching'. Oops!

Here's some brotherly love for ya.

I have to apologize for the lack of pictures of this beautiful place. We got there at sunset and there was no time for photographing the restaurant and surrounding vineyards. Next time, I promise.

Dinner was amazing and I apologize again, I was too busy keeping a baby happy, keeping my mane out of the food, telling my son to stop singing the Gaston song from Beauty and the Beast, telling my girl to stop talking WAY too loud, oh and I was inhaling the food during all this too. Again, next time I will take a picture of the food, and restaurant, and decor, I promise...

There is one thing I did manage to photograph. The gorgeous wine cellar. We walked down a spiral staircase to get to it and I was immediately wondering, "why in the heck did we not put one of these into my house?". Seriously, we failed on that one...

Isn't it just beautiful?

I was in love and while I was busy taking pictures I heard, "Noël, we got to get going!"

Ok, ok so I was sidetracked.

You can thank me for that..

If your in need for some serious cuteness, I have added this video for your viewing pleasure. It's a real treat.

Preparing For Lambs - Crutching

It has been a long week and yet, it still seems to be getting longer. Remember that flu that I told you about? Well, my son woke up with a fever this morning. My poor boy got it! I thought we were all on the mend since it's been about 4 days since the rest of us recovered. Ahem...wrong!  The incubation period of this flu must be quite long. I'm still hopeful that Leah won't get it. Nothin' wrong with a little  hope. Or a lot.

Farm life never stops. Sickness may sweep through your house and yet the animals still need to eat (heck, we need to eat), gardens still need to be planted, and life goes on. We have almost completed our chicken coop and it is going to be great. Not one of those fancy shmancy coop's that you see on Pinterest like this one or this one.  My hubby and I plan on having a mobile coop someday...maybe you'll see this around someday.  Our coop-to-be  is lovely nonetheless and I am thankful to finally see it come to fruition. More on this later.

Where was I...

Lambs.

Currently, there are six ewes and one ram residing here at the Shepherd's farm. I am PRAYING that this number will increase in a few months. We need us some babies! Seriously, I like my sheep and all, but I like to have lamb for dinner too. Everything here serves a purpose and it all isn't  just here for enjoyment, even though we do get our fair share of the latter around this joint.

Wow, can I even type one sentence without going off on a rabbit trail?

There are many ways that we are preparing for lambs and one just so happens to have a unique name. Crutching. Aren't you so glad you can add this to your vocabulary? I know, your welcome.

Three out of our six ewes have a TON of wool and there was no way for us to see if they were bagging up, so I made a call to our shearer and had him come our way. He came out a few days ago and crutched our sheep. If your wondering what that means I'll do my best to explain. Crutching is when you have the belly, the front of the back legs, and the area around the sheep's bum shorn. The purpose is to make it easier to see if the ewe is bagging up, if she's going into labor, and it makes it MUCH easier for the new lamb to get to the teat. If you'd like a better explanation go here.

I love it when our shearer comes over. He is such a wealth of information and he's also pretty funny..and talkative. I always need to plan on an extra half hour of conversing once the real work's been done. We also go way back. I raised sheep growing up (read more about it here) and was actively involved in 4-H. Tim (our shearer) and his family were in 4-H too and so we've known each other for a long time. Nothin' like sheep to bring people together.

I loved getting to be in the barn. The smell of hay, lanolin, and dust permeated the air. It almost feels like a mini-vacation when I retreat to this coveted place. Lately, I've been too busy to come here let alone get outside. The dirt and hay covered floors with the years of age and spiders webs hanging from the beams are a delight to this country girl's senses.

 

Listen to the rhythmic sound of the shears, imagine the scent of lanolin, straw, and dust, and if you dream of living on a farm one day...you have this to look forward to.

That is, if you want to have sheep.

A Welcome Home

Hello friends.

It's been a busy week around here and quite frankly, I'm just exhausted. There was no rest when we came home from our trip and I'm perpetually trying to catch up. We're getting about a dozen eggs a day now and so we have an abundance. I'll be making a sign this week and getting ready to be selling these little round balls of goodness. You just can't beat a farm fresh egg. So good.

Not only did we come back to the farm only to be workin' like crazy, but we also had Leah's first birthday party this past weekend. It was great, but was a little much considering we've only been able to get the place ready for a few days before guests arrived. Leah's actual birthday is tomorrow, I can't believe she's already one! Time flies...

Gus and Penny are HUGE and this Fall is going to be the time when our freezers become full with wonderful organic beef. Can't wait to just be able to shop my freezer instead of the store. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a few squash plants survived the flooding disaster and we'll have a small harvest this Summer. Better something than nothing as I like to say. Our lovely pomegranate tree has been trying to bless us with fruit, but the darn birds keep thwarting that effort. We currently have one pomegranate on the tree and I'm hoping to at least get to eat one.

Our other fruit and nut trees are doing well and we should be getting some plums here in the next week or two. I bought my first dehydrator last week and am HIGHLY anticipating getting to use it. Hopefully in the next week or two some things will be finished the house that I'll show off. It will be so nice, but I'm gonna keep my lips closed on this one.

We've had a nice welcome home and I do have to apologize for my lack of posting this past week. I've just been so tired and so have had to spend my energy doing things that need to be done.

I Love...

There are a lot of things I like, but there are a few things that I LOVE. I love good food, exciting places, and I especially love this handsome guy. I have been blessed with the best hubby and I love it when we get to go have a date. Second date ever without kids since I had Leah and even though I adore my little ones to bits, mama needs some alone time with daddy. It's so refreshing to get to just talk with one another and just plain enjoy each other's company. Seth and I've been blessed with a great marriage and we do our best to keep our relationship what it should be...a relationship.

I do have to apologize that I forgot my 'real' camera. We went to Anselmo Vineyards for dinner and not only is the food AMAZING, but the whole place is breath taking. I would love to have our farm look like Anselmo's. It's like we have a little piece of rustic Italy here in northern CA. I have posted about this place before, but unfortunately didn't get much for scenery shots, it was just too dark. I will friends, one of these days I'll come up here and take so many pictures you won't believe it. Or maybe you will, who knows.


Seth and I like to come here for pizza night because the pizza is THAT good. It is truly gourmet and is so fresh and light. Nothing like that greasy stuff you find at the box stores and it has real ingredients. I love good food, period. I do have to admit though that I love something here even more...creme brulee. It is so rich, creamy, and delicious that I order it everywhere that serves it. Don't be intimidated by calories friends, just enjoy it. According to one of my favorite blogs, it's a health food. I just will use about any reason to eat this stuff. If you haven't ever tried it, please do.



Isn't it just gorgeous? This is a for real chapel. I'm talking hand chiseled stone, 3 cast bronze bells, and the whole nine yards. Seth has done a lot of work here (dirt work, concrete, and the like) and he has had an espresso many times with the fellows who were flown in from Italy to work on the chapel. You read right, flown in. The owner of this place has quite the fortune and has spared no expense. I have to admit that I was pretty jealous of his espresso-sharing-with-real-Italians, but I'll get over it.

We ended our meal with a walk from the restaurant to the chapel and it was lovely. Nice and warm with a slight breeze, the views were breathtaking, and the conversation was easy. We were daydreaming about what it would be like to go to Europe together. We've both been before, but it was before we knew one another. We had a blast on our trips, but we know it would be WAY more fun to go together. Seth said that we should go for about two weeks and choose one area to visit. That way we wouldn't be trying to squeeze too much in and we would get to really see and explore an amazing place. I asked where we should choose and he said without hesitation, "Italy." Well, that was a stupid question. Especially considering where we were and what we just got finished looking at.

I love my man. I love {good} food. I love beautiful places. I love sunset walks. I love beautiful architecture. I love new places. I love vineyards. I love the outdoors. I love daydreaming. I love to travel. I love warm breezes. I love my children. I love the Lord.

And yes, I love creme brulee.

Moving Day

It was Friday morning and I was tired, but anxious for the weekend. I got to spend the weekend with my man and I was very happy about it. This kind of event doesn't happen often. So when the situation presents itself, I jump on it.

We were helping some friends move to their new home. They get to start a new life off the coast of Northern CA and I have to say I'm a bit jealous. I don't really want to live there, but my favorite restaurant is only 20 minutes from them. My hubby and I love this restaurant so much that we'll actually drive the 4 hours just to eat there. Silly? No way.

Renata's Creperie is nothing short of fantastic. It's a delight to the taste buds and will leave you in dream land as you leave. Don't believe me? We'll here's one of their dessert crepes. Mmmm.





I'm drooling right now.

Not only did I get to spend time with my hubby and eat at my favorite restaurant, but I got to take some pics with my baby girl. Love her!





Isn't she just delicious? I smooch on her all day.

I have to apologize I didn't get very many 'moving pictures'. I was kind of busy, you know, moving and unpacking. I do have these however.



And when you get too tired to move any more boxes, you curl up on the couch and take a nap. Leah is sleeping under the blanket. Such a good daddy!



It was a great time with friends, but we were tired by the end of the trip. Not to mention that Seth had a terrible cold. I now have that cold too. Boo hoo.

It is absolutely beautiful off the northern coast of California. The mountains are lush with trees, vines, and ferns. And the air is heavy and yet fresh at the same time. I love being at the coast. Such a great display of God's creation.

Here's our view from the door to our hotel room. Pretty awesome isn't it?





So, on the way home I decided to play a bit with my camera. I had a lot of fun and be thankful I'm not showing you even a third of what I took.



I love this one. It's pretty cool seeing the trees perfectly silhouetted on the window.



Beautiful day. And yes, I was taking pictures through the window. Sorry.





Wow.

He's handsome alright.

I always think my hubby is good lookin', but there are those times where I step back and think, "I have me a smokin' hot man!"

While Your Waiting...

The remodel that I've told you is taking place is still being worked on. Lord willing, in a few days it will be finished. Wahoo!

In the meantime, I thought that I might show a few pics of my lovelies that I took with Konni. I'm still enamored with her. What a gift to be able to take such gorgeous shots.

I took these photos the other day. I hope you enjoy these pics from the farm. I sure enjoyed taking them.

Surprise!

I hope this is a surprise for you! I have been having to bite my tongue for the past two weeks while my new blog was being worked on. Isn't it beautiful? I absolutely love it and am so thankful to the Lord that I was able to have it done.

If any of you are wanting a site created or needing your blog to have a makeover I highly recommend Stewart from Nourishing Days to do it. He went above and beyond what I expected and is a pleasure to work with. You'll find his button on the bottom of my sidebar. Click on it and check him out. I love his wife's blog. Such a great place to read and be inspired.

I hope this was a surprise. Let me know what you think.

***I am currently in the process of adding pages and getting all the kinks worked out so please bear with me. Everything should be up and running shortly

 

-Noel

Drum Roll Please...Ta Da!

I know you've been waiting all day to find out the answer to my riddle. Well, wait no more friends.

I am pleased to introduce to you my new sidekick. She is going to make my life much easier, the blog much more attractive, and I'm sure your going to like her too.

Meet Miss Nikon D3200. Isn't she lovely?

I think I'm in love.

Seriously.

My old point and shoot was just not cutting it and coincidentally it went missing this week. Never knew my irritation at missing an old camera could turn into a new hobby. Wahoo! I know nothing about cameras. And I am so happy that the store I bought it from is giving me free classes. I need all the help I can get!

So if you have any pointers send them my way.

I'm considering naming her. The only thing that I can think of is Konni (do you get it?). And I kind of like it.

Were you surprised?

***Sorry for the bad picture. Hubby was using the camera on his cellphone and it was night time.

Drum Roll Please...Ta Da!

I know you've been waiting all day to find out the answer to my riddle. Well, wait no more friends.

I am pleased to introduce to you my new sidekick. She is going to make my life much easier, the blog much more attractive, and I'm sure your going to like her too.

Meet Miss Nikon D3200. Isn't she lovely?

I think I'm in love.

Seriously.

My old point and shoot was just not cutting it and coincidentally it went missing this week. Never knew my irritation at missing an old camera could turn into a new hobby. Wahoo! I know nothing about cameras. And I am so happy that the store I bought it from is giving me free classes. I need all the help I can get!

So if you have any pointers send them my way. 

I'm considering naming her. The only thing that I can think of is Konni (do you get it?). And I kind of like it. 

Were you surprised?

***Sorry for the bad picture. Hubby was using the camera on his cellphone and it was night time.

Take A Guess

I'm getting something today. And it's something I've been wanting for a while now.

I'll give you five clues and I want to see if you can guess what it is.

Ready? Here we go.

1. It doesn't breath


2. It at times can be very bright


3. You can find one in most homes


4. I'm going to have to take classes to properly use it


5. It has legs...sometimes

Can you think of anything? Is your mind reeling with ideas? I will post a picture of it tonight, so if you think you know what it is...fire away.

Happy guessing!

Take A Guess

I'm getting something today. And it's something I've been wanting for a while now.

I'll give you five clues and I want to see if you can guess what it is.

Ready? Here we go.

1. It doesn't breath
2. It at times can be very bright
3. You can find one in most homes
4. I'm going to have to take classes to properly use it
5. It has legs...sometimes

Can you think of anything? Is your mind reeling with ideas? I will post a picture of it tonight, so if you think you know what it is...fire away.

Happy guessing!