Sfumato Farm

Footings and Floods

It's been an abnormally dry summer here. Last year was abnormally wet, so maybe it's just balancing it out. But while it hasn't rained much for months, nature decided to

house addition

Groundbreak

When we moved to Sfumato in 2013, Whitney had but one strong caveat: We'd either expand the house or move by the five year mark.

goats

The Baby Goat Countdown

Sing that article title (badly) to the 80s Europe hit "The Final Countdown" and that's where we are. The first goat born on our farm years ago, Faye,

Seed Starting for 2019

We're a bit late this year getting seeds started. It's been a very wet 2018 and everything around the farm has been getting behind, as it's effectively been a mudslide

farmlife

Saying Goodbye to Beauregard

I’m sad to report that we lost Beauregard the billy goat a few days ago. John and I have been taking it pretty hard. He had gotten anemic a

construction

A Foyer Landing Zone

When we bought Sfumato, the foyer was pretty simple. It worked well enough for two, and with Quincy it was still manageable. Once Gabe arrived and then Teddy as well,

breastfeeding

Weaning and other thoughts on Nursing

Teddy last nursed two weeks ago. Even just typing that sentence makes me emotional! I am definitely still in hormonal limbo so bear with me if I come across as

birthstory

Teddy's Birth Story, A Year Later

1am Thursday, October 27th two days after my due date, I awoke to regular contractions about five minutes apart. They weren’t super strong, but regular and strong enough that

preparedness

Intro to Preparedness

Recently, some friends who are new homeowners asked us about the basics of being prepared. Here's their primary question: Now that we're semi-normal people who actually live in a house,

essentialoils

Lavender: My first essential oil love

I've been using essential oils for four years now and lavender will forever be my first true love. It is known for its anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antidepressant, antiseptic, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It also has antispasmodic, analgesic, detoxifying, hypotensive and sedative effects. I think most

The Athayde Musical Canon

My late mother used to quiz my brother and I on classical music and classic rock in the car. 10,000 points if we could name that tune! "No,

canning

Peach Picking Part Deux

Earlier in the summer, we went strawberry picking at Chiles Orchard. We went back another time for peach picking but I didn't manage many pictures since I was wrangling all

naturalremedies

12 Natural Ways to Manage Back Pain

Whether cultivating a garden or a family, let's agree that it's called "back breaking work" for a reason! Four days ago, I threw my back out for the

kombucha

Brewing Kombucha

I used to be scared of fermentation, but once you start doing it you see how hard it is to actually mess it up! My kombucha journey started with me

homesteadoji

We were on a podcast!

I posted this on Facebook, but darn that #Facebookalgorithm Two weeks ago, John and I were on our friend Nicole's podcast "Living Free in Tennessee" and had fun

groceryshopping

Couponing!

So I've clipped coupons in the past - digital and paper - but it's felt pretty random. No strategy. Enter my friend Kelsey, marketing maven and couponing diva. Can I

Strawberry Picking at Chiles' Orchard

We went picking strawberries a few weekends back at Chiles' Peach Orchard in western Albemarle and I made a fun video of our excursion: 15 pounds or so, half of which became jam, a quarter of which was eaten, and the remainder was frozen.

Ben Falk's Advice for Sfumato Farm!

Before we invested more in our orchard with either time or money, we wanted a professional opinion on our permaculture design and general plan for the property so we booked Ben Falk for a consult! John had read his book and I was introduced

Greenhouse Trusses arrive!

We've been working on this greenhouse for a long while now, and one of hte decisions we made was to not frame the roof out by hand. We figured it would be easier to have a local company, Better Living Components, do our truss

beekeeping

A Bee Hive, Fallen.

Whitney was driving out to Church while I was wrangling two sinus-y boys on last Sunday morning and she called me exclaiming, "I think the beehive got knocked over!" We'd setup straw bales to help as a wind break on the northwest

whole30

7 Lessons from our Whole30

First of all for those who don't know, the Whole30 is an eating plan that lasts 30 full days. During that time, you abstain from all grains, dairy, legumes (which includes peanut butter), anything with added sugar, and basically anything processed. John and I

family

Happy Birthday Baby Gabe!

I don't know WHEN we will stop calling Gabe "Baby Gabe" but I know I'm not ready to let go of the ironic moniker. Despite his heft -

permaculture

The Great American Farm Tour

Have you heard of Justin Rhodes and his awesome new project The Great American Farm Tour? I'm super excited to live vicariously through them as they live in a tiny home (a converted school bus) for a year visiting sustainable and family farms all

We grew Turmeric in Zone 7A!

One of the things I enjoy doing here is trying to see what exotic stuff we can grow on our own. Being in Zone 7 limits a lot of the tropical items to hot houses or changes them into annuals instead of perennials. Last

grief

Hope for the weary

I've sat on this post for a while. At first it felt like an invasion of my dear Grandmother's privacy. She was a proud Texan woman, but she was also a big-hearted woman of faith. I pray publishing this journal entry demonstrates her fortitude