The Holidays

The Holidays

Hello everyone. with the Holidays upon us, I'm finding it very hard to keep up with a Blog at this time, so I have decided during the month of December, that I will take a break. I do hope you all have a great Holiday and come back to the Blog in January to see what we are up to.

Merry Christmas !!!

From Cranberry Acre.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

I know it's a day early, but wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving before we all get to busy to say it. It seems like it came faster than last year, but I believe we feel this way every year when the Holidays come.

Today we awoke to snow! The kids have no school so we are all getting ready for Turkey day. All the animals are hiding in the barn. Except.....

Ms. Lovey Duck. Who I believe actually likes to play in the snow. She waddles around and flaps her wins and wiggles her little tail. The rest of the animals on Cranberry Acre thinks she is off her rocker, but I think it is absolutely wonderful. 

Pure joy when everyone else is frowning.... that is just simply great.

My new up cycled Christmas Tree! I'm so proud of this one. I didn't think it would be possible but we did it and the best part..

It lights up from the inside of the bowls! I may try this again in the future but what a bear this was.

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

This is so easy to make and tastes so much better than coming out of a can in my opinion.

You will need:

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

This recipe takes only about 5 min. to prepare. First you add everything to a pan.

Now you want this mixture to boil but not burn. I usually set my stove to right below a boiling temp when doing this.

when it starts to boil, stir the mixture every once in awhile to make sure nothing is sticking. Now for the fun part ( at least for me and the kids) watching the berries POP !

Yes they will pop and this usually takes right around 4 to 5 min to pop every berry.

Remove from heat and let cool. 

You then will put in a bowl and let it chill.

You now have fresh cranberry sauce!

Everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving from everyone here on 

Cranberry acre. 

Been a long a busy three weeks!

I know it's been a long time for me to write a Blog and I apologize for that. things here seem to get ahead of me around Halloween through the Holiday Season. As it does for almost everyone else. we had a great Halloween, or I should say we tried to do the best we could with what the weather gave us on Halloween.

My little trooper decided rain or snow she was going to go Trick or Treating so we went. Puss in Boots was quit wet by the end of the night but she did it! We started to get snow around 4 in the morning on Nov 1st. What a mess! Was not prepared for almost 4 inches of snow and we were rushing around to get animals situated and clean snow off of everything, get paths stomped down so goats and chickens had a way to the water.

We are now in the Season of burning a wood stove almost every day now. Mr. Bayne is very happy for this and spends most of his days in front of the wood stove. We have finally gotten all the wood in the shed but not all of it's cut. Like I said we are so behind and I think this Winter is already here despite what the calendar says.

We have woken up most mornings with a light coat of frost on almost everything. So we have been feeding hay earlier than what we had hoped too. I guess we never truly know what Mother Nature has in store for us really. 

"Mom please turn on the heat, it's cold out here"

This is my babies first Winter temperatures and they have not been happy with it all. They will follow me to the gate every morning, I think in hopes that they could go back inside again. A friend sent me a link to make chicken coats. I may do it, even for a gag gift to the girls, how fun would that be.

Even with the cold we are getting the prettiest little eggs off of our girls. they seem to be happy enough to lay eggs.

Larry and Curly do not move from this perch until almost noon. They scream and tell me of the discomfort of the cold, but never come down until the sun hits the front door.

During one of our really cold spells, my husband and I finished the 1/2 gallon Christmas tree. I'm so proud of this, just so pretty.

The water heater works great! Even when the ice is about 2 inches thick in the morning, in about 15 mins the ice is almost gone. It has been a life saver so far. Now that it has been getting very cold at night, Ms. Pico gets to enjoy her nights in the laundry room. She is so happy to be in again.

Mr. Pitiful. He hates the cold and he like the guineas, refuses to come out until the sun hits the steps of the barn.  Maybe a coat this year for baby boy. I am making him a Christmas jacket for the parade in Independence, he is going to be one of Santa's elves for the Farmer's Market!

Ms. Griffin and goat Yoga!

We had a pretty day last week and the girls decided that it would be a great time to break ground! For what I do not know but they worked hard all day to turn the earth down by my Willow tree.

Ms. Pico and Midgey decided it was way to much work and they spent the day enjoying the sun on the steps of the barn. I always get a smile to see two different species getting along like this, just a small moment of peace in the world, but I'll take it.

Ms. Griffin also took the day to just lay in the sun, but not before she gathered the squash to sit on. She was so tired she didn't want anymore to eat, so she piled them up under herself for later. Silly goat.

We have a new baby on Cranberry Acre. Her name is Kiwi and she comes to us from a very dear friend, who had hatched her and her sisters, but unfortunately her sisters are no more. Kiwi has adjusted to her new home and has found her own place here on the farm, as the watcher alarm system for the barn. She wakes up every morning and gets to her spot on the Medicine cabinet in the barn. She sees everything and will alarm if she feels that there is an issue. Love her to death, all you can do is laugh at her. 

Due to the Holiday Seasons coming up, I will be writing when I have time to sit and share. So it may be a bit, I apologize for the inconsistency of it all, just hard pressed for time at the moment with everything coming so fast.  

Everyone be careful with all the beginning of the Holiday madness that is beginning soon. 

Be safe!

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

We love Halloween here on Cranberry Acre. Has been one of our favorite holidays to celebrate. Everyone is getting in the mood for dress up. Even ......

Mr. Luther has taken part in the celebration.I couldn't get him to cackle, but his Mom was laughing.

This past week I was busy with my children's Halloween Costumes. Ayla has decided to be Puss in Boots.

I think she may sleep in it after Halloween. She says it is so fluffy and warm. 

We spent the afternoon on Sunday carving pumpkins, since we have so many to carve.

Wyatt of course picked a rather meaty pumpkin to carve. Not sure of the type of pumpkin it was, but it would have made a great soup! 

 The finished product was a very happy pumpkin and my son's Sumo wrestler!

We have moved the goats to the Winter, Spring field on our one acre farm. They were so happy to get a hold of that pasture, that everyone had tummy aches from eating all day.

My fluffy little boy with his fat belly!

We have started with the winter prep also. This year we decided to try out this heating element in the water bucket. We have been for many years, wrapping the water bucket with a heating element wire then having to put up a huge guard around it so the goats wouldn't eat the wire. It was a pain to put together and then take a part in the Spring, so we are trying this.

Goats still do not know what to make of it but they love the steps and play on them all day. Takes a goat to turn it into a game or a child. 

With putting the goats in the 2nd pasture, we had to come up with a plan on keeping the barn wood we have collected goat poop free until we use it in the spring. Wayne made a fence to try and keep the little monsters off of it. It doesn't keep the chickens out but the goats, at least for  now, are off of it. I believe we have just set up a challenge for our furry little friends and they will also conquer this very soon.

My garden still has Kale in it. We have had a couple of freezes but this hardy plant is still growing. I think Italian sausage soup is on the menu!!!

Not the best picture but last night the moon had this eerie glow to it. I have never been able to master the nighttime shots. I think maybe this Winter I need to sit down and get to know my camera a little more so I can take better shots. It was so pretty.

My girls seem to be into everything lately. This is the Hospital cage that they complain about every time they have to go in it, but when on their own terms, are in it all day!! Kinda like children.

This is Ms. Chocolate. This bird has this look all the time and when you enter the pasture, be prepared to be followed by this bird,with this look. Always angry and grumpy. Plus she hates the cat.

She stays pretty close to the cat and when the cat's feet touch the ground......Chocolate is there to make sure she takes her furry butt out of the pasture.

Crazy bird!

Since the goats are in the winter pasture, Ms. Pico is able to sit under the dryer vent when it is chilly. She couldn't do this at all last year because this was Griffin's spot. She is a happy cat! Soon Ms. Pico will spend her nights in the Laundry room. Just to cold for the old cat to stay in the barn, she is now 12 yeas old, so she comes in for the Winter.

Larry and Curly, what can I say? They hate the cold and are in protest over the temperatures in the past few days. They stay in the coop after all the girls are out and wait for the sun to come through their window. Then it takes probably at least another half an hour or so to even make it outside, but they do complain the whole time about it. Clowns of our barnyard.

I'm starting as of today with adding stuff to my Etsy store and also if you are local, the Independence Farmer's Market web site ( http://independencefarmersmarket.locallygrown.net/market ) for their Winter Market. I will have eggs available for the Winter Market also since the girls are laying now. 

Christmas craft shows are staring and as much as I hate pushing the Holiday, I am having to start with the Christmas sewing. Here is a sneak peek of the Burlap Christmas stockings. I'm loving the Burlap this year, now that I have figured out how to work it.

I leave you today with the girls gathering at their own Watering Hole. I love my girls!

Everyone have a Safe and Happy Halloween !

It's 40 degrees !!

Cold nights and cool mornings

 It is getting to be that time of year again. It seems just like yesterday that we quit using our wood stove for heat, but here we are again. We had started a fire a few weeks ago, but the past few nights we have had one almost every night to get the chill out of the house. I haven't even gotten all the wood into the wood shed yet and we are burning wood, such is life I guess. 

The kids and I decided that the Guinea Pigs needed their baths and since we have had so much rain it, was a good time to do such a thing. You would think washing a Guinea Pig would be pretty simple, but no. They need special bath soaps so their skin doesn't rash and to top it off you blow dry them. Yes I said blow dry a Guinea Pig! I don't even blow dry my hair and I am blow drying a Guinea Pig. So Mr. Guinea 

and 

Mr. Dumbo got their baths on a cold and rainy day. We now have very clean and pampered pigs.

Oh with all this rain I thought we were all going to float away. The front of the barn became a mushy and stinky mud pit. The girls wanted nothing to do with it and would fight us when trying to get them in the barn. I have decided that I may do some gravel next year in front of the barn to cut down on the mud pit, but for now I have used large cut pine shavings to help with the moisture. Just plain yucky!

Last weekend, The Matthews Living Farm Museum, had an Oxen workshop, so Ms. Ayla was able to go and learn a little more on leading a team of oxen. She was able to lead this little guy which she has before and also she was able to lead this beautiful team.

A pair of Jersey Oxen. She said she absolutely loved the Jerseys. One disadvantage of having an One Acre Farm, is you really can't have many grass grazers, so there is no cow in the future here at Cranberry Acre, unless we buy an acre or two somewhere around us. Which is not out of the question, just not in the plans anytime soon. We are just really lucky to have friends who have cows.

we have talked about teaching Luther the goat to do this. We will see how that goes next year.

Oh boy, if you have ever had chickens I'm sure at least one time you have had a broody hen. Well I have had a couple in the years but this little girl...... Oh she is something. Ms. Copper has been a broody hen for about 2 weeks now and has been driving me mad! All attitude early in the morning, through out the whole day. At night we put are small girls in their night time cages, so I remove her from her broody nest every night and remove her eggs, but she is back to the nest the min. you let her out again. To top it off at first the kids were a little frightened of her almost Eagle Scream as they approached her on her nest, so I would go to the hay loft and remove her for them. This is now on the 2nd week of Ms. Grumpy pants roaming the pasture and hayloft, she keeps this up I've heard they are a tasty bird! 

Just kidding.

This past weekend my sister and her husband hit the jackpot, some nice colored glass dishes. New bird feeders are to come from this stuff. Just so pretty. I find it hard to find colored glass, so it's nice when I get a surprise on my doorstep of some very pretty pieces.

Oh yes and my love for everything chicken, has grown. My step Mother and I went to a yard sale and found this complete set from the 30's. Early Christmas present for this girl!

I also found some very cool salt and pepper shakers to add to the ceramic flock.

They didn't have a partner so I took them home. 

Also found this cool hen that has two egg salt and pepper shakers inside the basket.

My Christmas cactus never blooms at Christmas!

It always blooms around Thanksgiving, but this time it is blooming at Halloween. If anyone has any ideas on how to get this thing to bloom around Christmas, please share. It's the only house plant I have, due to not enough windows with sunshine, but I would love for it to bloom on or around Christmas.

We have a big girl !

Ms. Fudge is officially a grown up. I was so excited to see a small blue egg in a nest she had made yesterday. I knew she was getting ready to lay, it was just a matter of when. She is the first of this years babies to start laying. We will have eggs soon, so excited.

I also spent this weekend getting their coop ready for Winter. It's so hard to imagine that it's coming. I am making a chicken water heater for the girls this year. I went to the Farm Supply to find the warmers were $40, I'm going to try something first to see how it does. If it seems to be doing well I will share. Changed out the old bedding in the coop and put new pine shavings in and got their nest boxes ready. Was a busy weekend in the barn.

We had such a pretty Fall afternoon yesterday that I took some shots of the girls under the Chestnut tree. Fall has some of the prettiest colors and lighting. 

Ms. Silver, Ms. Red and Short Stuff all nosing around in the leaves. This has been the most fun for them. Silver loves to play in the leaves and has taught these two in the past year to do the same.

Curly and Larry have been doing well with Mo being gone. They hang out with Ms. Red and Lovey the duck most of the time, so they are not lonely. It amazes me on how well they have adjusted to the change.

Camera hog Ms. Bella, while taking pictures she followed me around and kept tugging on my sweatshirt. She just wanted her picture taken, because after this photo she left my side. 

The sweetest little bird in the world! Ms. Puffy cheeks with not a care in the world. Talking to who ever will listen. Love this bird, always has something to say and quick to great you when you come out to the yard.

I couldn't imagine my world without my critters, they bring me a lot of joy, they are our family in some ways. Cranberry Acre with it's critters is my little piece of Heaven!

Well my crafting Season is slowing down, Thank God! I still have a couple of shows but they are spread out enough that I am not stressing so much, but soon I will be getting all my stuff on my Etsy store, so keep a look out on my store to see what is coming.

( Christmas Burlap Banners)

These guys are coming very soon to the store, along with new aprons and new bird feeders.