Pink Squirrel Farmstead

Our youngest daughter turned 16 on December 23. We tried taking her out for her birthday but everything was closed and we went to Taco Bell. Luckily the next night Chad was able to get us in to a restaurant in town and I met them there after work. The food was ordered already when I got off work. We let them know it was her birthday so they could sing to her (her not so favorite part of her birthday). We did celebrate early in the month getting pedicures. I didn’t make her cake this year, she wanted an ice cream cake.

Payton has been a really big help since I started working. She has been having to help with dinners since I don’t get off work until 8:30 pm. This last week we decided to make a meal plan of crockpot meals. It has been a life saver. So far they have all been good too! I start/prep them before I head to work, and then Payton finishes them up. We ordered some baskets so we can put all the ingredients (minus the cold items) with the recipe and can just pull out the basket each day.

We will be heading to the farm this Sunday evening. We can’t wait to be on vacation. I have projects for Chad and I to work on around the farm. I’m sure mom will enjoy a break from cooking dinner while I am there. Prayers for my dad’s procedure this coming Tuesday are appreciated.

The weather on the farm has been warmer than normal so they have been enjoying the warmth. Of course it will be cold while we are there but it will be cold here in Texas too. The weather for this Saturday sounds miserable. Dad was out playing with the goats. And even built a milking stand

We have been to the vet a couple times this week. Oreo our cat had a 103.7 fever and an abscess on his back leg, they cleaned it out, gave him some antibiotics, gave him his kitten shots and neutered him while he was there. The next morning we took Zep in to be seen. He had been spitting up a lot, he had some new growths on his chest and you can tell his old joints were achy. They gave me an antiseptic wash to use and scrub his chest with a topical cream (he actually likes it), gave him some Prilosec for his acid reflux, and some medicine for his arthritis. I am so glad it wasn’t anything serious for either of them.

Chad has had the chance to work out in the garage a lot more since I work until 8:30 pm. He refurbished a chair we found at a garage sale for our closet. It turned out beautiful. Chad also made some challenge coin stands for some co-workers in the shape of Texas. He is truly talented and doesn’t give his self enough credit.

It is getting Time to start taking down Christmas decorations. When do you take down your decorations? Do you keep your tree up until the new year? What are some of your holiday packing hacks? I try to keep mine up as long as possible but the Scrooge wants me to take it down as soon as possible.

I hope each of you are having a very Merry Christmas! We did our Christmas a little early since we had family come to visit, so today is a relaxing day. I started a new job this past Monday at our local hospital. Everyone is so nice and they love Christmas as much as me! I am not used to being on my feet all day but I absolutely love working with amazing people that teach me new stuff and walk around singing Christmas songs. I was worried about my first day when I went to get the wrinkles out of my scrubs and burned them with the iron. Luckily, I had a spare pair and my day went great.

I enjoyed making lots of holiday goodies with my girls Payton and Cheyenne for a visit from our daughter Hope, our son Landon, and Hopes boyfriend. I may have even had a powdered sugar explosion. We played games, they enjoyed the hot tub, and we relaxed.

We found a new to us game to play this year for Christmas. It is called the Saran Wrap game. You take a bunch of prizes, and treats and wrap them all through a ball of plastic wrap. We used big pieces and small pieces and went all different directions with it. To play everyone rolls the dice and highest number goes first and then goes clockwise in a circle around the table. The next person has to roll the dice until they get doubles. When doubles are rolled it is then moved to the next person to try to unwrap the plastic wrap ball. You can make it more difficult by having to unwrap with oven mitts, but it is hard enough without them. The prizes you unwrap from the ball during your turn you get to keep. We had such a fun time playing and we will be playing it again while at the farm, Thankfully we buy plastic wrap at Sam’s club.

We stayed up late last night watching Hallmark Christmas movies, Chad only watched them with me one day a year.

In the weee hours of the morning we were awoken to the sound of the cat crunching on something. I thought he had gotten into the banana runts that we had on the bench in our room but no, it could not have been that easy.

Oreo is not allowed to listen to the Christmas story any more, because he took the part “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” literally. He hunted down a mouse and brought it into the house and was chowing down on it in our room! I whacked it with a hanger to make sure it was dead (the mouse not the cat), then I realized it was headless at this point. Your welcome for that visual. I grabbed the mouse with some toilet paper, tried to get the cat to follow me but ended up having to pick him up too. I told Oreo he did a great job but I would appreciate him keeping his prizes outside and that mommy doesn’t want to see them, and tossed him and the mouse outside. The little booger has been napping under the tree all day.

We are watching a couple Christmas movies that we watch every year! We watch “A Christmas Story” and “Polar Express” every year. What are some Christmas movies you watch every year? What are some of your families Christmas traditions? Merry Christmas!

This is a busy time of the year for everyone. The weather is cold (except this week in Texas) and preparing for winter is essential. At the farm in Kentucky the weather has been rainy and my dad has been working on Sheetrock indoors where it is warm and dry.

The mail lady asked if our mailbox could be moved because it was getting pretty dangerous for her so close to the ditch. Dad talked to the neighbor before he moved it to make sure it would be okay with them as well. Dad called to find out where the water lines were located before he started digging. The response time in Flemings county is impeccable. While the water department was there, they told my dad that the culvert needed replaced by the state and gave him the phone number to call. Dad called immediately thinking that it would take weeks or months but they were there within 15 minutes. Dad got the mailbox moved and I think the location is much better!

As you can see the ground is pretty muddy from all the rain. Luckily the farm was not close to the tornadoes that went through Kentucky. The driveway and walkway were pretty wet and slick. We ordered 2 loads of gravel to help alleviate any driving or walking problems. We have all slipped on the hill even when it’s dry, I am sure it is super slick with all the rain.

I am so thankful that the driver used the truck to spread the gravel, saved a lot of manual labor. The second load was dumped right outside the barn to use for walkways. My dad was super busy and got all the pathways covered. I know he was tired after that! I was tired just looking at the pictures!

My dad is going in for a procedure the day after we are supposed to get to the farm. I guess he didn’t want to wait for help. Keep him in your prayers the first week of January while he is recovering.

This year has been amazing and laborious all at the same time. We are extremely blessed and so thankful that our hard work and stubbornness has paid off. Our family would like to wish you a Very Merry Christmas!

Sunday in Childress a family put on an event at their home where they dress up as The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who and let people come take pictures with them. I took the girls to take their photos. Payton was a bit bashful at first so Cheyenne took her picture first. She loved her dress, her favorite color is red and she said it was so comfortable.

The sun was right in their eyes. Payton said mom it’s your turn. I was like eh I don’t need a picture. She did not take no for an answer so I got my picture taken too. And yes, I got a new shirt at the ballet Haha. I was able to talk the girls into a couple different poses and we headed back home. I just love this time of year! I am so glad we moved to Childress, we really feel at home here.

If you told me 15 years ago that I would meet and marry the most wonderful man in the world at a prison, I would have told you that you were a psychopath. To clarify we both worked at the prison, neither of us were incarcerated, haha. I never knew that I could be loved exactly the way I am or as much as he loves me by anyone. I didn’t know you could be truly this happy in a marriage.

I am so thankful for each and every moment we have together. We just like being together, even if we are just sitting on the couch not talking we are just happy to be with one another. I know that’s enough with the sappy stuff. But, sorry ladies he is taken.

Friday morning Chad called me and asked if I wanted to ride with him to go sign some papers for work in Amarillo. Told me to get dressed and fix my hair and stuff. I said sure after our doctors appointments ( we were establishing care with a new provider in our area). The doctor wanted to do a bunch of labs and an X-ray on my wrist that has been achy for quite a long time. Chad was thinking jeez doc we got places to be. Little did I know, he had a secret he wasn’t telling me.

As we were driving to Amarillo I asked what time he needed to sign papers because he had set the GPS to hobby lobby. Of course if you know me, you know I am very inquisitive and I ask a lot questions. He said he didn’t need to sign papers anymore. Then told me he never had to sign papers but wanted me to go with him to Amarillo today. He could tell I was a bit confused because he doesn’t ever fib to me. Then he proceeded to tell me he had a surprise for me and it was the only way to get me to go to Amarillo with him that day. He said luckily I didn’t throw any kinks in it about wanting the kids to go or anything because he already felt bad for keeping this secret from me.

He told me it was something that was on my bucket list. I knew immediately what it was! He was taking me to see the Nutcracker Ballet! I fought back tears of joy. I have wanted to go since I was a little girl. I was so excited that all I bought at Hobby Lobby was a gift bag. And well I could spend an entire paycheck there. Excited is an understatement! It was so sweet for him to plan this whole trip for me and was able to keep it a surprise. I am truly blessed!

Chad and I always tell each other I love you more. Now he says obviously he loves me more, he went to the ballet so it is obvious that he loves me more…. I guess I’ll let him think that for a while.

I loved the show, Chad may or may not have dozed off a few times, haha. The costumes were so intricately designed and they performers were so amazing. After the performance we rushed to the lobby to beat the crowd and I was able to get a few souvenirs so I can remember that night every year when I am decorating for Christmas. Additionally, I got me and the girls each an ornament as well. This was definitely a night to remember! Best Christmas gift ever! Thank you so much Chad, I definitely love you more!

We are in full swing for Christmas around here. We started our advent calendars. This year The advent calendars I picked for the kids were a new ornament each day. It has been exciting to see the new ornaments each day. Zeppelin and Oreo have advent calendars too. Last year we got Zeppelin one and he shredded it getting all the treats out after the first day when we we’re not home. I told him this year that he needed to be patient and get a treat each day. Yes, I talk to my animals like they are humans. Each day he will sit by the office Christmas tree and wait for us to do advent calendars, he even likes Oreos advent calendar too.

There was a gully washer of a rain storm at the farm yesterday. Unfortunately, when we get big rains like this the neighbors ditch overflows right into the barn and floods our barn. I think we will need to put a dump truck full of dirt on that side of the barn with some plastic barrier down to try to eliminate this problem. I definitely do not want this to continue to happen. In addition, after big rain storms like this some water seeps into the basement. We are open to suggestions if you have any, we have done extensive research and have a few solutions to try, but we are definitely not experts. Luckily, there are drains in the basement floor, but we would eventually like to finish out the basement.

Back to Christmas fun, we made our annual gingerbread houses. Most of the time everyone gets frustrated with getting the house not to fall apart putting them together with the frosting in the kits. So I cheated and hot glued them before we got started, it’s not like we eat them anyways. One day I want to make my own gingerbread from scratch to make a gingerbread house, but I am not that ambitious this year.

The town we live in has a good size Christmas light display in the park. We took a drive through it and then went to get some ice cream afterwards at Dairy Queen. I love doing things as a family for Christmas. My favorite things about Christmas is not what is under the tree (even though I am happy to announce I am done Christmas shopping and everything is wrapped, yay!) but it is making memories together. I love decorating cookies together, listening to Christmas music, playing games, gingerbread houses, decorating the house and watching Christmas movies together. I have tried to get Hunter to put up some outside lights at the farm but he just simply refuses. How rude! I even texted him this picture, because I do have shimmery light up chickens, but he still told me no.

This morning I woke up to pictures from my dad. The first snow of the a year at the farm! He said he wished he was in Florida and that I was at the farm. I think his excitement for the snow was not the same as mine! I wish I was there to take a bunch of pictures of the snow. They followed the snow plow into town when taking Hunter to work.

Hunter said all the snow melted off already but it sure was pretty! Today I did some holiday treat making because my spoiled Husband said we didn’t have any snacks in the house. I resolved that issue for him today. The girls helped with them today. Cheyenne was super excited to put on the Christmas sprinkles.

Chads mom used to make buckeyes every year at Christmas and I loved them. When she passed away I inherited some of her cook books. I looked through the cook books for her recipe but couldn’t find it. One is wayyy older than me and it was falling apart but I wanted to preserve it so after talking to my sister in law Carla, she suggested laminating the pages. I finished laminating them today and I am going to bind the pages into a new book.

I hope you and your family are having an amazing holiday season making memories together. One day all you will have are memories, so try to make as many as you can.

It’s beginning to get cold out at the farm so dad has been working inside as much as possible. I’m sure Hunter was glad because dad started putting electrical plugs in upstairs.

In addition to electrical, dad has been working on the bathroom. In the bathroom we planned to have the toilet, and a sink in one room and a pocket door into the rest of master bathroom, where the tub, shower, vanity is. Dad scratched his head a few times to get the pocket door just right. We think he did an amazing job! I can’t wait to see it in person.

Hunter is getting in the spirit of Christmas. He bought a few new Christmas sweaters. They look adorable! I also got my dad a Christmas shirt to help him be less Grinchy , and yes, that is my face all over his shirt!

The goats have been doing good. They learned that the goats love to eat peanuts for a treat. Mom and Buford have decided to play nice with each other finally. Well sorta, it’s more bribery than playing nice but, if it works, it works. Mom drops a few peanuts on the ground and Buford leaves her alone.

Chad finished my desk and we got it in the house. I love it! I am going to try to make a quilt. I have never made one but I think it will be fun. I will start out with a small one and see how it goes. Chad did an amazing job on my desk. Chad put in some extra lights for me and we added some organizing peg boards on the wall, which I may or may not have said some ugly things to while putting up.

Payton is going to be 16 soon. I cannot believe my baby girl is gonna be 16! Her birthday is 2 days before Christmas so we took her to get a pedicure over the weekend since most things are closed on her birthday. Please wish he a Happy Sweet 16 when you see her.

We all know Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I mean I purchased my farm house because it would be so cute at Christmas time. When we moved into the new house we decided to just decorate for Christmas instead of decorating for fall for a couple weeks. Of course I had no objection to doing this.

But the BAH-HUMBUGS at the farm have fought me tooth and nail about decorating. They found the ugliest tree we own in the attic (I knew I should have thrown it away) and put it up. Luckily, dad and Hunter were just joking and being butt heads. They got a good laugh about it.

Hunter still put up the tree I wanted in the living room. They refused outdoor Christmas lights, and refused all the other Christmas decorations. I guess it will be fine for this year. But, there is still time to talk Hunter into putting out my light up chickens. Wish me luck!

Sorry it has been a while, we have been very busy since Halloween. We moved for my husbands job at the beginning of November and went from our RV into a house. That was a fun and exciting move but also very expensive since we had to furnish the house. When we bought our farm we moved all of our stuff that we had in storage after moving into the RV.

Chad worked very hard building us a farmhouse style bed that I had been wanting and he did an amazing job. He worked in the evenings after he got off work and on his days off. I love it! I am super thankful for all his hard work.

Chad is currently working on making a desk for me to do crafting and sewing. I told him I wanted a very stable desk so there is not any movement when I am working on stuff. he has finished the first part of the L shaped desk. I am not looking forward to moving it in the house but I am looking forward to it being in the house.

At the farm it has been starting to get cold. The firewood has been stacked after each load and they goats have been giving my dad hell. My dad is not a fan of my sweet Buford during rut. He likes to run away to get some love from the neighbors nanny goat and dad has tried a couple different methods to keep him in the yard. We purchased more fence to put up to goat proof better but the weather has not been the most cooperative.

My mom and Buford have a mutual hate for each other and they are both quite hard headed. So, it is a constant battle between the two. The girl goats have been exploring the property and covering themselves in cockleburs and my dad has to brush them out of their fur each day.

My mom had surgery for a partial knee replacement at the beginning of November and is healing up pretty good. She is up and moving a lot, and some days are harder than others. She has been going to physical therapy and has been doing great with it.

The front entry sign has been started, the wood still has to be painted and the the flower bed still needs filled with dirt but it is coming right along. I am still not sure how my dad was able to hoist those solid oak beams up by himself.

Fall is here and is coming in with a vengeance. They have had several days of cold weather already and there is snow in the forecast for next week. Not sure how excited they are for that but I am. I can’t wait to go visit the farm again soon.

We are excited to announce we have 2 new goats. The new goats came from the same farm as Sugar and are super friendly. They are doing great on the farm and are making themselves right at home.

Ginger is a Boer goat and Ally is a Kiko goat. Buford is very excited to have some ladies on the farm. He has already decided he is in love with Ally. Ginger has let him know that she is not interested in shorter men. Buford doesn’t seem to be a gentleman when it comes to waiting for marriage.

After a while Buford calmed down a bit and they roamed around the hillside enjoying some grub. He did end up getting himself in trouble and got put in the pen by himself for a while. He head butted my dad pretty roughly a few times and horned Hunter in his manly parts. Luckily, rut season is only a few months long and now he is leaving Sugar baby alone.

For some reason all the goats love this door. Maybe because they can see their reflection in it, but it is super cute! Our little farm is growing.

Last weekend, Chad and I took a day trip to Midland/Odessa and saw the Stonehenge replica and got some lunch at a amazing Italian restaurant called Mi Piaci. I would recommend it 10/10 amazing. The service was great and the food was scrumptious! I love getting this one on one time with my husband!