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 couple weeks ago, but John had been treating him and we thought he was doing better. Then John found him
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 maudlin. I do NOT take my nursing relationships for granted when my babies are born because I had such a
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 I couldn’t sleep so I dared excitement. As John slept beside me and I debated how to pass the
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 people know lavender is supposed to
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, no 20,000 points!!!" She would plead for us to take a stab at naming the artist at the very least.
canning Peach Picking Part Deux Earlier in the summer, we went strawberry picking at Chiles Orchard [https://www.sfumatofarm.com/2017/06/23/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 three kids by myself. I thought we had picked enough peaches to
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 first time since having Teddy Laine last October. I had a lot of back problems after I had Gabe starting from when
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 posting on a Facebook mom's group asking if anyone had an extra scoby. A scoby is a mother culture or
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 talking about our farm and why we created Homesteadoji [http://livingfreeintennessee.com/2017/08/14/episode-47-a-colorful-way-to-express-your-homestead-journey-homesteadoji/] . But if you are like me
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 say that this feels rather intimate...sharing our grocery list? Kinda like showing you the messy innards of my stocked
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 [http://www.wholesystemsdesign.com/who-we-are/] for a consult! John had read his book and I was introduced to
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 did it together starting January 1st
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 - or maybe because of it - he is the most cuddly and sweet little boy. This morning I lifted him onto our
permaculture The Great American Farm Tour Have you heard of Justin Rhodes and his awesome new project The Great American Farm Tour [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/433709003/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
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 for persisting when things seemed bleak
Pregnancy Weight Gain As a certified Bradley natural childbirth instructor [http://www.bradleybirth.com/whitneyathayde], I followed the Brewer Diet [http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/] during pregnancy. I like that it promotes a well-balanced diet based on whole foods and that it doesn't restrict calories or worry about a woman's overall weight gain. In
A Remembrance and a Resolution The short explanation for my absence from this blog is that the end of pregnancy involves a lot of figurative and literal navel gazing. Then I was sick with bronchitis for six weeks while juggling a newborn and before I knew it the holidays were upon us and I was
pregnancy Documenting this precious moment in life So I booked a photography session for me and my soon-to-be three babies. Here are some of my faves! It's not a glam maternity shoot perfectly styled with me wistfully looking out into the distance.... ...But I think that Sarah Cramer Shields [http://www.cramerphoto.com/] captured our personalities well
party 4th Annual Sfumato Cardboard Boat Regatta Spoiler alert: no one sank this year! I was actually disappointed. When we bought this homestead the summer of 2013, one of the attractions/selling points was the large - 1 acre - pond at the Southern tip of our property. Local boys even knock on our door to go
birthday Happy Birthday to my Renaissance Man This man. Some of his friends call him Guy Smiley because he always leads with a grin and warm hello. His positive, can-do attitude is one of the things that I initially fell for. Today is his birthday. I'm grateful for so many things about him, but especially his great
reading Leaning my Life I usually have at least two books going at once because I like to listen to audiobooks while I'm on the go with the boys and then there's the pile of books on/around my nightstand. My obsession with audiobooks started right after I gave birth to Gabe. Someone, somewhere
pregnancy 28 Weeks Pregnancy Update Went to my 28 week prenatal checkup with the boys in tow this morning. I bribed them with peanut butter crackers to sit in the double stroller and be quiet. It worked! Hallelujah! (Pictures taken last night by John.) Another big praise is that I passed the 1 hour gestational
SAHM Whose love do you crave? Whose love did you crave more growing up? Your mother's or your father's? Whose love did I always crave? And honestly still do? My mother's and grandmother's love. When I lost them both in March/April of 2014, I started to experience a sort of arrested development. I still craved
homesteadingwithkids Homesteading with Kids: Amy Landers Some of us are farming full-time while others have day jobs. Some of us put our kids in traditional schools while others plan to homeschool. What we all have in common is putting a high premium on self-reliance, good homegrown food, and teaching our kids the value of hard work
homesteadingwithkids Homesteading with Kids: Katie Saul I started my #HomesteadingwithKids series to not only learn how others juggle the workload of kids, animal husbandry, and gardening but also to break the stereotype that homesteaders are all off-grid Luddites! In our dreams, yes John and I would love to be off-grid but we are far from it.
