Don't know about all ya'll back in GA but here in NE its been HOT!  We had weeks with the heat index over 100 daily..  the hottest day it was 107!  How crazy is that!   All of our cows have spent their days laying around seeking shade and cool... and not eating much.  So, a few weeks later and here we are with a decline in milk.  No cheese.  Sad mommy over here with no new cheese.  

Our English Cheddar sold out in about three weeks.  That was insane!  Guess folks liked it!  We have about two buckets of feta left and a few rounds of the jacks.  The raw milk feta was a total loss.. not sure what happened or how but it ended up with mold in it and feta is not a cheese that mold tastes good with.  So, we ditched it.  Sad.. but a learning experience non the less.   All of our cheeses sold well..people seemed to enjoy them.    We start calving again in January so hopefully we will be able to start making cheese again soon after the new year. 

Market season is kicking my butt!  I stay exhausted, but I really do enjoy it.  I have met some wonderful families and have formed some farmer friendships for which I am very thankful.  :-)   

Here is a shot of the sky last Sunday at the Aksarben Village market.  We got a good shower that was over briefly and learned just how wonderfully waterproof our tent is.  We moved our tables in a bit and gave some folks a chance to get in out of the rain and taste some cheese!  Love it when things work as they should!

We have had some fun lately too!   A friend had an open house at their farm so we went along and enjoyed some wonderful food and the kids all got a chance to ride a horse.   It's been a while.  I miss having Tater around.  

Its so awesome watching the boys.  They are so different from the girls.  Makes me wonder about the nature vs nurture theories.  I guess its a bit of both.  But man... these boys are a handful.. and precious!   They are full of life and mischief.  The things they get into... we can't seem to child proof enough.  (As if we could really child-proof a farm. )  Today Andy came  home to discover they had unplugged the electric fencer, plugged in an extension strip, found various tools and were having a field day.  Sooo dangerous!  

The really scary part is how quickly they snap into gear.  One moment we look out the window to see a sight like this picture... two little guys just playing and having fun. Sweet.. right?  Two seconds later (literally) the trike is empty and they are in search of power tools, ropes, buckets, ANYTHING, and they are up to some elaborate plan to destroy SOMETHING.   Little turds.  

Out we go in search of the terrors.. and we find this.   Who could stay mad at a face like this?  Not me.   

Well, I guess that's about it for this month.   Fall seems right around the corner.  I need to get to work on putting the garden to bed for winter.  So much to do here and there never seems to be enough time.   It's hard to believe that tomorrow is September already.  Where did the time go?  

Summer is here!  And so is our CHEESE!   Our journey to farmers markets has finally arrived.  WHEW!

Just the process of choosing a market felt overwhelming at first.  So many choices!   We are so blessed here in the Lincoln/Omaha markets with so many wonderful markets to choose from!  I have been a frequent visitor/purchaser at the Lincoln markets but had no idea where to start with the Omaha ones.  So, we started checking them out.  Fun... all in itself!    A new market was opening in Lincoln so it seemed natural to start with that market as it would be smaller and we only had a two cheeses to choose from.   Also, I could bake bread.. one of my greatest loves! 

So, sporting my new haircut (thanks Linda!), armed with 14 loaves of my whole wheat cinnamon roll bread off we went.  I was thinking the bread would be a fun addition and I could talk to folks about healthy fats and introduce them to our cheeses.   I spent the better part of a week (or two) carousing Lincoln's thrift shops for everything I thought I needed.   I assembled all my goods, brought eggs, meats, cheese, and that bread.  All anyone was interested in was the bread.  I came home so bummed.  I couldn't figure out what went wrong.  Back to the drawing board!   The market uploaded some pictures of my table on their FB page and boy was that helpful!  Something stuck out at me when looking at my set up from that viewpoint.  NOTHING!  My signs were hidden, all that really stood out was the bread.  No wonder that's all anyone wanted!   I also realized how bland my color set up was.  I thought I was being really nifty ... my whole set up matched my cheese labels... sunflower yellow table cloth with a cute little red and greed plate.. . just like my labels.  Boy.. did I have a lot to learn.  All this great cheese and it was hardly noticeable.  Two things I did do right was to make a big white board poster with pictures of the animals and I was handing out Weston A Price brochures.  

Sooo.... week 2!    Lost the yellow tablecloth... used Grandma's red and white checked ones.  Added another table so we had an L shape.  Didn't snap any pictures though.. it was the Grand opening of the market and we were occupied talking to people and listening to the radio station blaring next to us.  OK.. so singing along and goofing off a bit.  Hannah came with me to this one.. I hate that I dont have a picture of her.   I only baked six loaves of bread and set them to the side. Cheese more front and center in a groovy red basket and plate.  We sold a bit more cheese and a few meats.  Not brillant but better.  Learning, learning.  I spent a lot of time creating these cute little signs for Ground beef on sale, signs with colors and framing in clear plastic stands... and spent the whole evening picking them up off the ground or table!  Pretty frustrating!  Looking at my table that night I realized that as much as I love my Grandma's red and white tablecloths I really needed ones that fit my tables and matched each other better... bummer.  As usual... my MOM saved the day!  In the mail I received some gorgeous bright busy country checked tablecloths!  With a matching plastic mat upon which to showcase that cheese!  Woo Hoo!  

So, week 3 approaches an I think I have it all figured out! (silly woman)  I made these great signs to hang from the beams of my tent... got my gorgeous eye catching tablecloths.. what can go wrong??  I should learn not to ask.  It was  105 degrees AND windy! My signs flew off their hooks... so I taped a few to the poles.  My big picture board kept flying off it's stand and finally broke my big easel ... :-(   And we needed table cloth clamps- stuff flying everywhere!   It was so stinking hot... after setting up I just wanted to pass out!  Very few people at the market... (can't imagine why!). But Jamie was WORKING IT!.  She had her little cute self standing outside of the tent catching folks as they walked by giving them brochures on the farm.  She even brought in a few folks... one guy said he was just buying those lamb chops because she was so cute!  I came home so incredibly exhausted.. it's just too hot in the evenings!   So... starting to think about weekend early morning markets.  And.. we have more cheese coming ready. 

Last weekend we went to Village Pointe market in Omaha.  I couldn't believe the difference!  People were there to shop!  They came prepared to buy groceries!  We actually sold meat and cheese! It was awesome!  We had our jack cheeses and our cheddar bites (which sold out!).   The heat didn't set in till the last hour and it was much more manageable.  And.. no bread...  as much as I love baking... it was taking up all my extra time and energy.. I was spending two days solidly baking.  A week of not baking was certainly welcomed.  I was able to spend a little time in my garden... I found baby cabbages in all the grass!  How fun!   Andy made me this awesome big wood sign for the markets that works great to catch attention and DOESNT FALL OVER!!  I have taken to taping my picture board to the tent poles.. still need to work on a better plan for for that.   But, we are starting to feel like pros... set up is much easier and we are learning more and more every day!  Why just last weekend I learned my tent goes up much higher!    Today we attended an indoor one day market at OPPD District offices in Omaha.  We premiered our Raw Milk English Cheddar and our Fresh Feta.  Both girls came with me and they had a blast.  Quite the little sales girls they are making!  I figure its a great learning experience for them... talk about real socialization!  

On a non-farm note:  Ashley Graduated! :-)  Not that we ever had any concerns... she is so stinking smart!  Nonetheless it was a wonderful thing to celebrate. 

We took a day off this month to celebrate our July birthdays.  Michael turned 3 and Jamie is turning 9!  This is just all going by too fast.  It seems like just the other day when asked how old Michael was I said 2... (actually it WAS just the other day!)  Then it dawned on me.. my baby is 3.  How did that happen? It seems too fast.   Anyhoo.. we took a day off from the farm.. Andy milked in the morning and we went swimming all day!  Such fun!  Andy was smart and left his shirt on.. me.. not so much!  I have quite the burn on my back and right now am often imitating the pigs scratching myself on posts and walls.   Totally worth it though!    We have decided to stick with morning milking... it has opened up all kinds of avenues for family fun!  Andy gets more sleep too... which he desperately needed.

Feeling thankful these days for our wonderful friends here in Nebraska.  We couldn't do this without your support.  Thankful for all the times friends just show up to help or are willing to be my hot cheese date and help me cut up and package cheese late at night. 

 I still miss my Georgia friends but is is just so great that I have developed some dear friends here.  On my birthday my closest friends here surprised us by just showing up with food, cake, and weeding gloves!  They went to work on my garden and uncovered so much goodness in there!  Plants that were being choked out by grass and weeds were given new life!  I can't even tell you how much that meant to me.  And if not enough, the next night they took me out for dinner!  We had big fun goofing off, walking around the Haymarket and making Facebook mischief by posting we were getting tattoos.  Been too long since I have had so much fun! 

As usual.. life here keeps rolling along.   The past few weeks have been very eventful.. and busy.  Andy lost his job which while scary is just a blessing in disguise.  Things here were getting unmanageable for me alone with the kids all day.  Milk orders were getting confused, I was exhausted.. and the house just beyond help.  Since Andy has been home we have put the garden in, did some gardening around the house, worked on fences, fixed up the store, CLEANED HOUSE, baked bread, made cheese, and the list goes on and on!   Things around here are looking quite spruced up!  Mom was here for a visit last week, she was TREMENDOUSLY helpful!  Thanks Mom!  

Hopefully we will get all the backlogged stuff completed soon and begin to enjoy each other a bit more.  It would be wonderful to have time as a family to do the normal stuff families do.   The budget is going to be a stretch at best.... Andy's income was a huge help around here... but that too I am sure will work itself out in the end.  We have meat in the freezer, I still have some veggies in the freezer from last year and the garden will be producing before too much longer.. in fact the lettuce looks pretty darned close!  Thank goodness I have bought in bulk for years;  things like oats, rice, corn, and wheat we have plenty on hand to last a while.  

Our first cheese is ageing.  I worked last week and got our cheese labels done.. they should arrive next week.  Its looking like I will be at Village Point Farmers Market in Omaha on Saturdays starting in July.  We will have pasteurized cheese to sell there.. we will be doing a fresh Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack,  Fresh Cheddar Bites and Pepper Cheddar Bites for sale.  Deciding to produce cheese that would require us to pasteurize our milk was a tough choice but it allows us to be at the market in July, bringing in much needed revenue, and I can talk to people about the value of pasture based farming.  Its a good opener.  By late summer we will have a supply of raw cheeses to offer and things will be different.  Our raw cheeses will be English Cheddar and Aged Monterey Jack. We may also venture into Colby...  I want to keep it simple and wanted to provide cheeses that families can use in their everyday meals.  

Did you see our new webpage header photo? This is Mouse.. one of  the original four cows purchased here in Nebraska.  The shot was taken by our friend Dianne Merrill. She is just starting out a photography business... and she sure does great work! 

The calves are doing a great job of keeping the lawn mowed! Its fun having them right here next to the house.. .they are so darn cute!  We had another little guy born yesterday... Daisy.. she has had three bull calves in a row... whats up with that?

Last week's cold snap really stalled the growth of our grass...  its getting tight out in the pasture.  Hopefully things will stay warm now and that grass can grow grow grow!  All this rain has to help.. right????

Our pigs are back out to pasture!  They are digging up our winter area... one bit at a time.  As you can see in this photo taken by Mom they enjoy their work!  

We have piglets due in July.... looking forward to that!  

While Mom was here we took the kids bowling.  Found a great website... www.kidsbowlfree.com.   You can totally sign your kids up for two free games every weekday all summer long!  Totally awesome!  You can even purchase an adult family pass for up to four adults to play along with the kids all summer for $24 total.  Awesome deal.   We enjoyed our game...  Micheal was so very cute...( his ball rolled so slow he would just crouch and wait)  and Alex has quite the style!   Its was great fun to get away for a few hours and just goof off. 

Well I reckon I should head off to bed.  It's been a long day.  I revamped the webpage, added galleries with slide shows.... still much to do... will keep working tomorrow.    I hit the sheets exhausted.. but as always --  thankful. 

Well... it seems spring might be here to stay!   Our cows are out to pasture and things are beginning to dry up around here.   Putting the cows out to pasture is something we look forward to so much around here.   The cream on our milk has already turned yellow signalling the return of all those precious CLA and Omegas properties! 

We finally completed the finishing touches on our milk room!  We now are a Grade A dairy, licensed by the state of Nebraska!  

One of the big perks of our new status is that our milk will be tested by the state monthly for both somatic cell counts and bacteria levels.  Our initial tests came back with excellent numbers, which confirmed for us what we already knew... our  milk is good!   Seriously... it is nice to be see our numbers and know we are doing things right.   

Andy tests the cows daily for somatic cell counts, anything that is even remotely positive, is milk that we never put in our tank, and Andy uses a separate milker to milk.  This has kept us free from mastitis so far.  We are able to catch any potential problems way ahead of the game, are able to address any issues with a cow before it turns into a problem, and we keep from spreading anything around the herd. 

I know.. boring boring boring.... but there is another reason why we wanted to get to Grade A standards -- CHEESE!

We doubled our herd in March with the purchase of 20 grass-fed jersey girls from Iowa! This was such a scary decision.. I had to completely let go of it and let Andy have the final say-so.  Milking 36 Cows!  26 caving in April! What was he thinking???   But then the answer came to us..... CHEESE!  

We will have raw milk cheddar cheese available come early July.  We have to age the raw milk cheeses for sixty days here in Nebraska so that is why it will have to wait for a little while longer.  But I am so excited about this!  


Its hard to believe but just a mere two and a half years ago we were starting over here in Nebraska.  Milking four cows on a dirt floor in the barn... and now we have 36 cows and a functional real milking parlor and milk room!   Its been a long journey to get here, and at times we have been so close to giving up.  But here we are..... right where we want to be.  God is good - and we are thankful.   Yes, I am exhausted.. and yes at times overwhelmed.  But thankful.  

Ashely's senior prom was in April.  Back in March she and I took a whole day just the two of us for prom dress shopping.  What a treat!  I had dreams of dresses all night, but we found just the right one!  My friend Linda graciously offered to do Ashley's hair for prom and ended up doing both hers and her best friend, Cass's hair!   She did an amazing job of recreating what each girl wanted.  The both looked amazing!  Thanks Linda!  

Ashley also turned eighteen this month.  WOW!  I am screaming proud of that kid... it's hard to keep it in sometimes.   She has really turned out to be an amazing young woman.   Its exciting to watch her make plans for her life, to see her thinking things through and making adult decisions.  Its also bittersweet;  she is planning on moving out after graduation... to an apartment with friends.  She will be starting college in the fall..her life is really taking off.   I am incredibly thankful for the relationship she and I share.  She is not only my daughter but my friend.  I was a single parent from the time she was one until she was six.  At times it felt like it was her and I against the world.   Now, I get to watch her go out and take on the world.. it's wonderful! 

There is one major downside to a TV-free life...  I miss out on the daily news.  I need to discipline myself to check the news app  on my phone regularly.  I only learned through Facebook of what happened back home last week.  Here is a picture stolen from Ciara's Facebook page of the tornado in Ringgold, Georgia.   I was relieved to see that my friend is fine.   I am still waiting to hear from family that my Aunt in Alabama is well... I am guessing  she is since bad news travels so fast.  No news is good news... right?  
Bartow County Georgia sustained a lot of damage, and that is where our farm was located.  Looking at pictures of the ruins brought me right back to the tornado that hit our home back when Ashley was just a little one and it was just us.  I don't ever remember being so scared, so helpless trying to keep her covered and under my body, feeling the walls move back and forth, knowing the tornado was at my house. We were lucky, very lucky.  We lost our roof but were safe and sound.   My heart goes out to all those that lost their homes or worse, their family members.   They remain in my prayers.  

On a positive note: Hannah, Jamie, and Alexander had their last week of Awana's this past week.  Hannah and Jamie took second and third place respectively.   Our neighbor Karen took them to Awanas this year and they really enjoyed it.  It hit right at milking time so I never got to go and watch but I am pleased they had fun and did so well. 

I will leave you with a shot of Michael collecting eggs on Easter.  One would think my kids would tire of egg hunting - huh,  But...  treat-filled Easter eggs are hard to resist!  

One of these days I will have to cut his hair....  not yet.  I am so in love with his unruly curly unkemp locks!   It took five kids to get curls...