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.

Chick Days

WE GOT OUR CHICKS TODAY!

Can you tell I'm excited? I hope so.

Let's rewind a year, shall we? Last winter Seth and I were planning on getting chicks. I was so excited I could hardly stand the suspense of coup building and chick ordering. Alas, we got terribly busy and realized that it really wasn't a wise thing to do, so we put them off for another year. I was disappointed to say the least, but I knew that it was the best decision.

This year we are still really busy, but feel like we are in a better position to add a new species of animal to our livestock. I am so very excited to raise chickens. I've never been a fan of birds, but I have a feeling that is all going to change now. Don't get me wrong, I will not be cuddling with a chicken, nor will I be kissing one. I do not consider livestock to be 'pets'. I thoroughly enjoy them, but out of pure enjoyment is not why my hubby and I have animals. They serve a purpose and that is...food. Yes, you heard me right.

I wholeheartedly believe that as the stewards of what has been given to us by God, we have a responsibility to raise, care for, and handle animals properly. Are they fed well and have water? Yes. Do they have shelter? Yes. Are they cared for when they get sick? Yes. Are they treated like my children and hugged, kissed, and fawned over? No.

Sorry, but you won't ever hear me refer to my animals as my 'four legged children'. Won't happen.

You will see me thoroughly enjoying, caring for, and sometimes laughing at the farm bums antics. You may even get a few names uttered under my breath when the jerk-faces, err sheep get out.

My point is, and yes I've got off on a tangent (sorry, probably won't be the last), that I want to convey that while I enjoy my animals, they aren't equal in my affections for my kids, hubby, family, and so on.

Alright now that we have that taken care of. What were we talking about? Oh, yes. Chicks!

I had my wonderful man video me surprising the kids with the baby chicks. Their reactions were so sweet and animated. Mainly my son Jude. He should be a professional storyteller.

We also took a bunch of pictures. Here's a brief look at our afternoon. It was lovely and sooo much fun!

Have you not had enough chick goodness? Well, here's a video of me surprising the munchkins.

 

Speaking of the Ram...

Sorry it's so blurry.

Franco so desperately wants a buddy that he'll play with anything...even our escaped ram.

Victorian Farm 2

Hello everyone!

I have a few posts that I can't wait to share with you, but to be honest, I have so much to do that I can't in good conscience sit at the computer for very long to type it all out.

I'm hoping maybe tonight I'll have some time or maybe tomorrow to do some blogging.

Since I don't want to leave you hanging, here's the second episode of The Victorian Farm.

I hope you have a productive and fruitful day!

Victorian Farm

Hi friends! It's been tiring around here lately and I'm constantly trying to keep up with everything. Weeds are growing with a vengeance, the lambs are thriving, and we have officially started Summer here. I don't care about what the calendar says about the first day of Summer. It's supposed to get to 112 today and friends, that is NOT a springtime temperature. Maybe for the rest of the world the 21st is the start of the Summer season, but for where I live, it started last week.

I treat these days like I do rainy ones...I stay inside.

In fact I'm going to a baby shower today so I'm gonna be making this all day.  Mmmmmm.

If it's an indoor, unbearably hot, and miserable type of day for you today too, let me share something that might perk you up.

Victorian Farm.

Here's the first episode and I dare you to try to NOT watch the whole thing today.

Cheers!

First Video of Our First Lamb

Here's a clip of our new little ewe lamb!

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.

Make It Happen!

I don't care if you think your too busy or if you have something you'd rather be watching, carve the time out of your day and WATCH THIS! If you care about what you eat and what you feed your family you NEED, no you MUST watch this. GMO food is so much more serious (in a bad way) than you might think and I have to try not to get flaming mad when I watch this. I, my kids mama, have the right to feed my family well. Now, I am having to closely monitor everything they eat, everything I buy, and then some just to make sure that we are eating food that shouldn't be burned. I am passionate about this because I think it is highly important.

I hope you learn a TON from this video and I hope that you will make your money count when it comes to feeding your family. I understand not everyone may be able to afford an 'all organic' diet, but we can always make a concerted effort and start buying some organic food. I dare say there is probably somewhere in the tight budget where you can cut out one thing to make room for another.

Maybe this isn't important to you, maybe it is. I hope for the latter. I have a son that developed SEVERE seasonal allergies last year and there have been other things too. In trying to figure out the cause, I have found many arena's in which I am changing the way we eat for the better. This video hits close to home in that I am positive my son and myself have leaky guts. Great.

All in all, consider the health (and the future health) of your children and yourself. Watch this, pray, and lets start being proactive about what we do and DON'T put into our bodies.

Ok, rant is over. For now...

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.

GOPRO Thursday #5

Well folks, it's been cold here. Real cold.

For us anyway.

It's been getting down to 30 degrees here at night and I don't much care for it. It has been down to 17 a few times and it's been no bueno. It will get to about 60 during the day...I wish it would either be cold or warm, all this up and down business is gettin' me confused. Do I wear long sleeves or short? Pants or Capri's? Shoes or flip flops? Flip flops definitely.

All this to say, we've been trying to keep the chicks warm on these cold nights. It was pretty easy when they were still in the tank, but my Father-in-law made them a new space in our green house turned coup. Yes, we have chicks in our green house right now and not seedlings. I know...slackers. We are working on the coup however (next post) and it will be fantastic.  Back to what I was saying, since the chicks are in a bigger area it's harder to keep a really warm spot for them. I think we figured it out. We put the tank on it's side and then put a board on top and fixed the light to the board. The idea is that the warmth will get trapped in the tank and be held down by the board. It seems to be working for my gangly little chicks. They are so weird looking right now, it's almost pitiful. I still love them though, even though they're rather odd to the eye. If you know what I mean.

I did the GOPRO video last night cause I thought it would be cool to see them huddled under the light. I am really enjoying having chicks. Honest and true.



***Sorry for how dark it was, it wasn't THAT dark when I was videoing. Oops!

And since you are dying to know how are little Welsummer chicks are doing, I decided to get a video of those too. They are still in the tiny, cute, and fuzzy stage. These little things are FAST. Like lightning fast...kachow! Ok, sorry. I have a five year old boy who loves Cars. I couldn't help myself.

It is kind of tricky to catch the little speed balls, but I do cause I don't want crazy chickens. I have no use for crazy animals...I have my hands full with the sheep as it is. Ahem.



I hope you enjoyed this GOPRO Thursday. I'd love to hear about what you'd like to see. Give me some suggestions and I'll see what I can do!

GOPRO Thursday #4

Well, what do ya know? I'm actually getting my GOPRO Thursday video up on the correct day.

Yay for me! Ok, sorry, that was juvenile.

Today's video is all about the chicks...again. We got 5 new ones today and they are sooo cute. You'll see.

The chicks arrived at the feed store from the hatchery today and I got to go get'em. And I'm in love with their cuteness. These are Welsummers and they lay a dark truffle brown egg. I can't wait until they do.



Aren't they beautiful? If you didn't know better you'd think they were chocolate eggs. I'm sure you'd figure it out real fast when you got yolk on your face instead of chocolate after your first bite...

Anyhoo, moving on.

If your wondering, here is a hen and a rooster. Pretty aren't they?

                

We're not gonna have a rooster though. I don't want to deal with one. Yet.

Enough pictures here's the video of the new chicks and you'll also see our other ones. They're growing so fast!



***And I apologize for my voice. It irritates me to no end that I sound like I'm 5. Maybe I'll just not talk on the next one. Ugh!

GOPRO Thursday #3

Yesterday morning started like any other. Wake up, nurse baby, make breakfast, and so on. It all was pretty routine until my Father-in-law came in to say, "Arlo's sheep had a lamb."

And that is when the excitement started.

Lambs! We've been waiting so long for this, even though these sheep aren't ours (thankfully). Up until a few weeks ago we didn't even think Arlo's sheep were bred. And last year they weren't bred because the ram got sick, so this day was a long time coming.

Anyhoo, farm-kid Noël was resurrected. How you say? Well, growing up I was known for absolutely not caring what I looked like. To a fault I'm afraid. You could always find me during Winter time dressed in an over-sized flannel, jeans, and irrigation boots. Yesterday was no exception. Except I was in my husband's Carhart jacket (which is huge on me), yoga pants (green to be exact), old tennis shoes, and to top it all off, I had the GOPRO attached to my head. Oh yes, I was a sight alright and probably not in a good way.

Thankfully, there's no photographic proof of my wardrobe. I'm afraid you'd stop reading my blog out of shock and that would make me so sad. So, let's just say, I'll keep my 'farm fashion' behind the camera.







 

Aren't they just precious? (The lambs I mean, the mama's not so much, you learn why later) The whole ordeal was rather frustrating and so I decided it best not to take a bunch of pictures right away. Mama's and babies needed some alone time. The lambs were cold from being born outside (it was pretty chilly plus we had a cold breeze) and the mama's were a little stressed from the process due to their lack of brains.

I am SO glad these sheep aren't mine. I know everyone thinks all sheep are stupid, these take the cake. All of it.

I grew up raising sheep and never encountered the likes of these. Normally, you'd pick up the lamb and the mama would follow you just about anywhere just to stay with her baby. Not these sheep, oh NO! One ran to the other sheep to eat and the other decided it best to run into the fence. Let's just say when all this was happening I had not so nice thoughts running through my mind. Mind you, I was covered in afterbirth the whole time.  The sheep I raise now (scottish blackface) are actually very clever, so in dealing with these to num-nuts, I got slightly irritated.

The first mama and baby I got into the barn were the easiest set. We had a slightly difficult time initially getting Cry Baby (what I call her because she baa's incessantly) to follow her lamb, but eventually she bought a clue and I got her in the barn. The other mama was not so easy. I had to cut the video off before we were through, and you should be glad I did. She never followed her baby, continued to repeatedly run into the fence to get with the other sheep, and I had to chase/herd her for a while before we could get her back with her baby. Now, I'm sure things could have been done better, but there's one thing I know about mama's and their babies, they should be together. So, that is what we did.

Enough with all this talking here's the surprise video I was talking about. Wahoo!



It is slightly on the long side. Sorry, I was busy.

I hope you enjoy this and Lord willing, there will be more exciting video's to come! We still have 6 sheep to lamb in March. I'm hoping they do anyway, we have a young ram in with them, so it will be a waiting game to see if he was man enough for the job. Let's just say if the ewe's aren't bred I'll be surprised, he was a busy boy in November. Just sayin'.

And don't forget about the chicks! They are already a week old and growin' like weeds. Can I just say that I'm loving them? I never knew chicks would be so much fun.

I hope you enjoy this video and I'd love to hear from you. What would you like to see a video on?

***Well, I may have to make it GOPRO Friday since this week as last week I was unable to get this darn post up till Friday morning.

Sorry, my computer has a tough time uploading these videos to You Tube.  Ugh!

Chick Days

WE GOT OUR CHICKS TODAY!

Can you tell I'm excited? I hope so.

Let's rewind a year, shall we? Last winter Seth and I were planning on getting chicks. I was so excited I could hardly stand the suspense of coup building and chick ordering. Alas, we got terribly busy and realized that it really wasn't a wise thing to do, so we put them off for another year. I was disappointed to say the least, but I knew that it was the best decision.

This year we are still really busy, but feel like we are in a better position to add a new species of animal to our livestock. I am so very excited to raise chickens. I've never been a fan of birds, but I have a feeling that is all going to change now. Don't get me wrong, I will not be cuddling with a chicken, nor will I be kissing one. I do not consider livestock to be 'pets'. I thoroughly enjoy them, but out of pure enjoyment is not why my hubby and I have animals. They serve a purpose and that is...food. Yes, you heard me right.

I wholeheartedly believe that as the stewards of what has been given to us by God, we have a responsibility to raise, care for, and handle animals properly. Are they fed well and have water? Yes. Do they have shelter? Yes. Are they cared for when they get sick? Yes. Are they treated like my children and hugged, kissed, and fawned over? No.

Sorry, but you won't ever hear me refer to my animals as my 'four legged children'. Won't happen.

You will see me thoroughly enjoying, caring for, and sometimes laughing at the farm bums antics. You may even get a few names uttered under my breath when the jerk-faces, err sheep get out.

My point is, and yes I've got off on a tangent (sorry, probably won't be the last), that I want to convey that while I enjoy my animals, they aren't equal in my affections for my kids, hubby, family, and so on.

Alright now that we have that taken care of. What were we talking about? Oh, yes. Chicks!

I had my wonderful man video me surprising the kids with the baby chicks. Their reactions were so sweet and animated. Mainly my son Jude. He should be a professional storyteller.

We also took a bunch of pictures. Here's a brief look at our afternoon. It was lovely and sooo much fun!

Have you not had enough chick goodness? Well, here's a video of me surprising the munchkins.

GOPRO Thursday #2

Before you watch the video I NEED to say something. No wait, I need to show you something.

You see this?

This is my beloved GOPRO. As you can see the camera is wrapped in a plastic cover. This enables the camera to be fixed on my head. All that to say, it does make the sound a little off.

When I say off I mean, my voice on the video is rather odd and it sounds like I have a lisp. Not cool.

Now that we have the weirdness accounted for, lets proceed.



This video is called: Barn Tour and Feeding Time.

We are in the process (as you'll learn) of cleaning up our farm. The people who had it before us used a lot of the property as a junk yard. Seriously, it was soooo bad when we moved here and it's slowly getting better.

Enjoy this farm/barn tour and you'll also get to see our farm bums.

***I thought I was looking down far enough when I was opening the bale of hay. If I get a chance today, I will re-film me opening a bale so you can see how it's done.

GOPRO Thursday

I had a thought. Wondering if there would be interest.

Here it is - GOPRO Thursday. Where every Thursday I would post a video or two of the events, activities, chores, and occurrences here on the farm during the week. 

(My hubby, for his last birthday, got a GOPRO. It is amazing. And tiny. If you haven't heard of it yet, go HERE and find out.)

Today it was moving the sheep from one pasture to another. Next week it could be feeding the animals or putting down new bedding. In the Spring, it could be baby chicks or even a ewe having her lamb. So exciting! Let me know in the comments below if this would be of interest to you.

I think it would be rather fun.

***And I apologize for the video, as I do this more, my videoing should improve. Let's hope.

We Went For A Drive...

Last weekend, something very exciting happened. Something that I've been waiting and praying for... 

I GOT MY RAM!!!

He's not the big woolly beauty you saw here, but he'll do. And I am sure next year, when he's got some experience under his belt, or wool so to speak, I'm sure he'll be much more handsome.

Anyway, Seth and I (and the babe) drove to Sebastopol and met with a Scottish Blackface breeder. We didn't get to see his whole flock (so sad), but the sheep we did get are beauties. Along with the ram, we bought three ewes. We had only planned on buying two, but he gave us a deal we couldn't refuse for the old lady.

I'm sure you are wondering why the most noticeable picture above is one of food. Well, I did this on purpose. I love food. I love good food. I love trying new food...only if it's good. These two plates of goodness are Puerto Rican cuisine and let's just say, it was fantastic. I cleared my plate in no time. I still am drooling over how good it was and am planning on trying to make it myself.  Soon. 

Seth and I had a good chuckle when we looked out at the truck. How many times have you seen a truck full of sheep parked along the street in the city. Yes we are country folk and proud of it.  

Aren't these sheep just beautiful?

The drive home was amazing. On our way, it was rainy and miserable. I was not looking forward to getting out of the truck and wrangling sheep. The Lord is so good however, and the sun came out and the sky cleared up when we were about five miles away from Sebastopol. (I escaped having to wrangle sheep due to a baby needing to eat. Perfect timing.)

We kept seeing people pull up alongside us, point, and then smile. It's not everyday that people in the city get to see livestock. I think they like it. I know I do.

The ram is the one in the top right corner. He is in a awkward stage, but definitely likes the ladies.

I don't have much time to write. But definitely am wanting to show off our newbies. I will try to write a more detailed version of our day, but I hope these will suffice for now. I'll be taking more pictures soon and updating everyone on lamb making progress.

...cause I know your so interested.

Got Food?

 

Here's a wonderfully done video about our food industry in the states. There's a reason why more people are starting to grow their own food and raise their own animals. It isn't just for 'fun' that more and more people in the cities (and in the country) are raising chickens in their backyard. (I plan on having a wonderful garden this year and yes - chickens!) People everywhere are getting tired of tasteless and expensive food. We are so far from reality when it comes to where our food comes from that there is a sort of back-to-the-farm movement. I hope and pray that it continues.