Spring - in the blink of an eye!

Well... clearly we have fallen off the blogging wagon.  So much happens!! And then there is no time to write it out!
It doesn't help that we had computer issues in April...and Marie was gone for 3 of the 4 weeks.  But, it was a great month... and May is shaping up to be even better!

Success!  Selfie-stick comes in handy! It only took like 4 tries. 

Easter dinner with Daryl.

Willie is still sewing... this was a creation for Amber- since she loves moo-moos.

Marie loved going to NC to give mom a chance for some time with Mara before she turned 1!

Margaret planned a lovely, simple birthday party for Miss Mara... It was so nice to be there for a girl's weekend.

Lots of quality time with Papa Chuck.  Mom got him a new bag of tobacco... He got his pipes locked and loaded first thing.  

Marie had a week in Vegas for a work conference...and the nights were overflowing too since her high school friend Dana lives there.  Jersey boys was such a fun show. Dana's mom even came with us!

Despite the gorgeous weather, I rarely got outside...but I snuck out on the last day to get a picture of the flamingos at the Flamingo hotel.

Back on the home front.... Connor and the kitties were missing Marie, but they survived.

We pray that May holds more excitement for us... we are dreaming big about the future!  We hope and pray that spring is in full bloom for you!

The days go Marching one by one...

What else can I say... Spring is here - A favorite season - full of flowers, love, and lengthening days!

Gotta have St. Patty's dinner!

Connor getting a cute pic of Felix on the truck...

Can you believe these two fatties think they can share the saucer?

Big Farm is still sewing....

But he makes time for lots of fun with me!!  Bowling anyone??

Delicous, fancy dinner at Waterstreet in Olympia.

And a first-time date to a casino for the Aaron Lewis concert. 

So...just a journal of our pictures really. Hoping all of your Marchs are full of happy times!

Feeling Love

It is too bad that I have been down with a cold for the last few weeks. They have been full to the brim with love and happiness.  We hope you are feeling it too... Connor is doing his best to ship Big Farm love all over the nation!!

Lunch sacks for Sammy and Alex.

A new apron for Martha!

Martha's apron, Margaret's bag, Neana's bag, Matt's apron.

Recycled military issued canvas...

...makes a large tote for Leigh Ann...

....with loads of room for stuff!

A tote for Ceci.

I got to visit NC for a fast weekend at the end of February. Not only did I get to check in on my sweet old man, but I also got to see so many of my other NC loves.

My favorite Marvins greeted me upon my arrival in Raleigh.

My sweet Syd!

Loved seeing my sister... and Mara too!!

Mara loved getting some Grandma time!

Happy Mara... Happy Grandma!

Happy Aunt Bee! Can't believe how my niece is growing!

Not sure how I didn't get a better picture of the old man. He was in good spirits and seems to be doing really well. We did a pedicure, a haircut, and lots of room decorating.  I can't wait to get back and see him again.

Upon my return, it was back to work...but I was severely under the weather for quite a while.  And unfortunately I also had to travel for work.  But, for my birthday, I came home to soooo much love sitting on my table!

Max's box arrived early...so I opened it before I went out of town.  He was so sweet to send me some birthday love a little bit early!

Came home to these gorgeous flowers from Ceci...and my favorite cupcakes from my Sweetie.

Not to mention a few cards and gifts - I am so blessed!

And I even was lucky enough to stretch my birthday out an extra few days... Just got a fun-filled box from Mags and these beautiful homemade cards from Sydney and Josie.  Whew. Can a girl be more love? I think not!

With feeling a bit better, Connor and I went for a hike up Beacon Rock last weekend. Our weather has been unreal - sunny and blue skies for the last several days.  We were at the gorge last fall and it was amazing... We feel fortunate to have caught another glimpse of its glory.

Sweet Hearts

Nothing could be finer that spending a sweet weekend with the most wonderful man on Earth.  We started the weekend with Valentine's dinner with Daryl at the house on Friday night. Connor grilled steaks and mushrooms; plus we had baked potatoes and salad.  Eece's (or a variation of) Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert.

Started Saturday with a reading of The Valentine Bears in bed.  We literally reenacted the book! Hilarious. Seriously, read the book. It was me and CT. <3

Next, we headed to Portland for breakfast at Jam, fun in a farmer's market, and The One Motorcycle Show.

Back at home, we went for a lover's stroll (actually Connor was practically running for all 4 miles...I couldn't keep up!) and visited my favorite little curly-haired goat!

Lots of love felt from so many. Chocolates from Dad/Neana, flowers and coffee from Daryl, so many Valentine wishes that our hearts are forever taken.

And, it will be so fun to literally wrap some hearts around this sweet baby later this week!

Our thoughts and prayers are with so many... we hope you felt our love on Valentine's Day and every day. xox

Off to a good start...2015

2015 is well under way, and January has been a good month for us.  A few quiet weekends... lots of long walks... some delicious meals.... and plenty of excitement to keep our hearts hopeful for the year to come. 

Most exciting perhaps is the idea that Connor's bars (Pastime and Franks) are now listed with a commercial real estate agent (since late December) and there has been a lot of activity.  So... we are really anticipating an offer sooner rather than later. To pass the time, Connor has been honing his sewing skills...I have several new totes, aprons, and other lovely items to show for it. :)

Of course I love to talk about all of our dinners to remember...

Picking plate...

Roasted cauliflower with cheese sauce.

Citrus/avocado salad and arroz con pollo.

Shrimp with NC grits.  (Thanks to a sweet NC gift package from friends!)

LOVE Saturday breakfasts! This was Equadorian-inspired hominy/scrambled eggs.

All month long we have been making an extra effort to be more active.  We have our "big loop" that we try to do a few times each week... and we have our smaller route that we do when it is raining or we just don't have the energy.

The Adna railroad tressel.

But, on Saturday the 31st, I was in the mood for something different. We took a ride out to one of the county trails, and began our walk through beautiful fields and over old railroad tracks.  We found ourselves in the middle of a sheep pasture - actually owned by a friend who has Black Sheep Creamery.  There was lots of activity as we witnessed two mama sheep have two lambs each!!  The kids who were working the pasture needed some help getting the lambs to the barn, so we decided to get dirty and have some fun! Connor grew up seeing animals give birth and has worked on a farm as well... but I was in total awe of all that we witnessed.

This is about 15 minutes post-delivery!

We had to coax the mamas along...by showing them their babies and letting them lick them along the way. It was a long 1/2 mile walk to the barn!

The pictures we took don't show all the cute little lambs. Most are less than a week old since lambing season just started.  If you go to the webpage link, you can see better pictures on their site.

We are trying to live simply and treasure what we have each day.  Our cats try to remind us to slow down and take a nap...

They are so happy when we sit down that they both try to hold us there for a bit...

...and they usually get jealous of whichever one is in the better position.

Poor Lefty got chased by some dogs and landed himself 15 feet up a tree... on a very thin limb.  Poor fatty ended up falling out but luckily his Daddy was there to catch him.

We mostly just want to keep moving down the path that will lead us to our Big Farm dream...whatever that may be!

Connor hopes to use this image for the base of his logo one day... this is his favorite tree on Papa's Big Farm.