Real Moments- Newborn Kids, Baby Chicks, Honey Bees!

Living on the farm has allowed my children many opportunities. However, the experiences on the farm are not always joyous. I often tell the children that in order to participate in the joys of the farm we must also know the sorrows of the farm. The hard work, the loss.. all of it make the joyous moments even richer! Yet, the sorrows are not any easier to bear. This last week we celebrated as three of our Kinder Does kidded to healthy beautiful kids! We were delighted when we got the call to come pick up our chicks from the post office. We squealed with excitement when we learned our Milk cow is expecting! Oh, the joys of the farm!! However, we experienced sorrow and work as well. Milking with four inches of snow on the ground, hauling lumber for the barn addition, cleaning out barn stalls, and the most heartbreaking discovery…. our bees died. Timothy has been diligent to care for them, it was my error. I misunderstood his bee handbook and gave him the wrong instruction. As a mommy my heart broke- Timothy loves his bees! Yet, even in sorrow the Lord is teaching and creating in us His perfect workmanship. Timothy had accepted that God knew this was going to happen and he would not grumble or complain against the Lord. What a reminder to me as I watched him. A few days later, someone heard about Timothy and his bee situation and sent money to buy Timothy more bees.  Timothy was in tears! To consider that God would care so deeply for him and his bees was humbling to the entire family. We know that the Lord uses all things in our lives to teach us and to create in us His perfect work. Sometimes that process is more fun that other times but no matter what, it IS a good work!
This week I share photos of our newborn kids and some old photos of Timmy with his bees… enjoy!

Three of the seven kids born.

Timmy’s bees hard at work last Spring

Timothy installing the queen

Timothy examining his bees

The Lord gives… the Lord takes away but I will say blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Real Moments- Out in the Barn

These photos were taken of my Sarah-Grace as she sat with her "laboring" goat. Well, we thought this goat was going to kid but to our surprise we were early and her appointed time to kid is not quite yet. Joe tells us that she was faking it to get extra attention! :-) We are all eager to meet the new kids on the farm! Each creature is truly a blessing from the Lord. We are honored to be their caretakers!

Have a wonderful weekend with your families dear friends!
Because of His Love,
Mrs. Joseph Wood

Real Moments- Kinder Goats

We love our Kinder Goats! We have four does that are bred and expected to kid the first of March through the middle of the month. I have another set of does that are being bred now for a late Summer delivery of Kids. I normally have so much interest in the kids that they don't stay on the farm very long, unless of course I am keeping them. I thought it would be fun to let you meet the Kinders that live on our farm! Some think that because I have two milk cows I would somehow find my goats less valuable. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I would never want to have a farm with out a Kinder in my barn! These productive and efficient milkers have the sweetest temperaments that even my toddlers have milked them with ease! If you would like to know more about Kinders I would encourage you to visit the official Kinder Blog at: www.kindercommunique.blogspot.com If you are interested in learning more let me know; I love to share with others!

Maybe next week, I will introduce you to our sheep! :-)

Reeses has proven to be a wonderful milker. She is one of Elisha's favorite goats

Taffy, one of our Kinder does that will be kidding soon! She has won differnt fair ribbons for being such a wonderful milker.

Della, another one of our Kinder momma's that will be delivering this Spring

Kit Kat will soon be delivering her Kids. Sarah-Grace loves all her goats but Kit Kat now holds first place in her heart as far as goats go! Last year she gave us a kid that we kept, Liberty.

Mercy was so timid when she came to us last year from a friends farm. This photo was taken when she was about three months old. She is quite bigger now and will be bred for our Summer kidding.

Liberty at a few months of age. She too is in the process of being bed for the Summer kidding

Gracie is also in the Summer Kidding batch of Kinders. This was a photo taken as all the goats enjoyed their daily walk in the woods.

And of course you have to meet the boys....

Licorice when he was just a baby! He's not so cute now... kinda stinky too but we sure love having him to breed the does for us!

Forgiveness is what we call this buck... or Fergie. Bekah wanted to name him. All the children have fun naming the animals on the farm!

Real Moments with M.O.M.- A sunny day on the farm

Life in the home is busy and blessed! 

The animals are enjoying the sunshine that is breaking through the clouds as I type. I just looked out the window and noticed that Annabell, our Jersey milk cow, is stealing the feed from one of the horses. I had Bekah run and take a photo of Annabell so I could share with you! She is such a wonderful milker, so gentle and reliable! Sarah-Grace made raw butter for the family yesterday, with some of the cream that Annabell so graciously gave us at milk time! It is a treat to live this lifestyle! The goats will be kidding in March. Let me share with you about our Kinder Goats! They are by far our favorite goat and we have had many different types over the years. The Kinder gives you a great tasting milk with the proper amount of butterfat to make it taste quite yummy. They don't eat near as much as other dairy goats. They have sweet dispositions that make them easy for children to care for as well as adults. It is hard for me to say which animal on the farm is my favorite, the goats, milk cows, and chickens are all in a close tie for first place. The sheep are so adorable when they are lambs and go leaping across the field however, since we use them for our meat source it is hard to get connected to them. It is the same with the meat cows we have. I keep my distance emotionally no matter how cute they are! 


The boys ran through the woods late yesterday afternoon with their home made guns pretending wars of past. They love to reenact the Revolutionary war, Civil War and create their own wars! They have forts, traps, and signed contracts that keep them busy for hours! They get so caught up in the fun they begin talking like the events are real. They will even come to my Joe or me to review the contracts and terms of agreement previously made. We keep reminding them this is just fun and to make sure they keep that in mind as they play but they seem to forget our words as soon as they hit that fresh air and feel the leaf packed ground beneath their feet! 


The girls are enjoying rides on the horses when the weather is not too cold. Beth-Joy's horse, Miracle, is coming along so nicely. Beth has a wonderful patience and talent to train the most unruly of animals. Bekah is enjoying the bareback rides on Sugar. It is nice to have a horse that is well trained who can set the example to the rest of the barn how they must behave! The girls are a blessing to me! Each of them help in all the duties of the home. Many times, people will wonder how I do it 'all'. I could not do 1/10 of what I do without my girls! 


Joe and I are enjoying the family and each other! He makes me giggle and I guess I make him giggle too! He has for years called me, "Sunshine" and lately I find that I awake each morning with a fresh outlook on how I might really be his "Sunshine".  That was one inspiration for the new look of the blog, the new look reminded me of his constant encouragement to minister brightly to my family!


Besides all the above activity, there are school lessons being accomplished, music lessons completed, chores continuing and projects still needing to be done. Boo-boo's that have been kissed and cleaned, tummies that have been filled, laundry baskets that are full and shoes we still can't find. All in all.... it is a sunny day on the farm!


Have a blessed day in your home, 
Mrs. Joseph Wood