hot hot hot...

Its been so hot in our house that the thought of placing my laptop on my legs made me cringe. On Friday our air conditioning broke around 5:45 pm.  We were just about to walk out the door to go and watch our youngest daughters first Dance Team performance. We called the air condition company and they were at our house in about 45 minutes. They told us that the blower was broken and they didn't have any in stock, and wont be able to get one until Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. In this 106 degree weather I didn't know how we were going to survive. Thankfully we were able to find some small window units and they are keeping our house nice and cool. We also made it to our daughters dance program thanks to the kindness of a friend(:

It getting hot and heated on the farm also.... its mating season for the goats and sheep. The sheep are very quiet about their mating process and I never know if the girls are pregnant until their milk bag starts to form. The goats are not quiet at all, they want the world to know what they are doing. The sounds coming from the goat barn are very funny. The males are extremely noisy when courting their ladies. The males prance around and fight with each other. They also chase the girls continuously....whispering sweet nothings in their ears and licking their neck...poor girls. This will go on for a couple really looooong weeks.

The photo to the left is Frosty and Houdini. Frosty is my youngest daughters favorite goat, she braids his beard and walks him around. As you can see his tongue is hanging out because he was making all sorts of noises to entice his lady friend. Houdini had been running around earlier trying to get away from Frosty but just like a human she finally gave in to his sweet nothing and started to stand still and listen to him. LOL... Houdini will have babies in 5 months from the day she is bred, we will see who the daddy is and if Frosty won the love of Houdini.... (:

Well it is time for me to go now, I need to get started with my evening chores. Time to to feed and water all of my farm friends and thank God for all that he has given me.

Until next time....

quilt square(:

After seeing all the amazing quilts and fun stuff that my sister has been sewing I decided to start quilting again. I made a few really pretty square about 8 years ago but haven't done anything since.((Aunt Wanda I hope you don't cringe at the uneven lines of the bottom left triangle (: its crooked and its driving me nuts.... )) I finished my first 9 patch square today called Cyclone. Its not perfect but what is perfect in art?? That's what I keep telling myself anyways. After years of crocheting and knitting I am obsessed with gauge and am irritated that I cant make every square PERFECT!!! (:

I'm spending the rest of this week crafting and cooking for the Leonard Farmers Market this Saturday. Breads, jams, jellies, hair accessories, and maybe some of my fried pies((:

I leave you with a photo of the Muscovy ducks, I have named them Grelda and Lois, they are extremely silly and bite my toes and hiss at me every time I go into the chicken coop. They love to sit on eggs together and get mad at me when I get near them.

Until next time....

Who's That Girl???

After waking up way to early today, I decided to Google my name.  I will do this periodically to see what comes up and for a little look down memory lane.  Some days when I look up my name I just move on to my next task for the day, but today I was once again reminded of what could have been. I had a chance to have a career in something I loved, Crochet. Yep I was a crochet junkie, I ate, slept, breathed crochet. It was all I did all day long and I loved it. I have several patterns published in books and online magazines, I have a website with over 100 original patterns and still sell patterns today from that site. Receiving the first book with my pattern design in it was so amazing. I had a possible book deal with all of my own designs and was scheduled to be a showcased teacher at an upcoming crochet and knit event in Dallas Texas.

 But all of that changed one Saturday afternoon in 2005. My husband and I were working outside on a shed and came in the house to shower. I showered first, while in the shower my husband told me how his head hurt worse then it ever had before, I told him to sit down, and then it happened. His eyes rolled back, he slumped over and started to seize. That is the moment that all things changed.

Changed...altered...different...never the same life again.

My husband had a stroke that day and now has a seizure disorder and brain damage because of it. But he survived and thats all that mattered to me. The road from 2005 to today has been grueling. Every emotion has been pushed to its fullest in our bodies.

Crochet and a career within it are no longer in my future. I still struggle with this but I know that God's plan is good and He knows what is best for me and my family.

Fast forward to today...

 God continues to carry us through this disease that my husband now has. The seizures are under control most of the time. He is plagued with horrible headaches as a result.  We still have issues with his health, it is a rocky road and one that we will be on for the rest of our lives. But I am blessed beyond measure. The past is a part of me and who I am today....

That Girl is me... this is my story.


Well the sun is up on the farm and my day begins, I need to go outside and do my morning chores.  I just got a call from someone who wants to buy all the chicken eggs that I have... yea..... I think I will take a few pears outside with me and feed them to our new peacocks. I leave you with a picture of the pig Edgar sleeping on the couch. Yes he is spoiled rotten and loves it. ((:

until next time....

comments???

i cant seem to get my comments to show up. Can someone please try to leave me a comment and let me know if it works and if it doesnt work please tell me the error you get...

and so it begins....

Many of you have asked for me to start a blog about my life and farm and so it begins...

a little about me to those of you who might be new here....

My name is Marlo Cairns, I live in Celeste Texas home of The Blue Devils. I have a husband named Joe and two daughters. My family is the most important thing in my life and they bring me so much joy and happiness. We are very close, we have been through enormous trial and tribulations in the past 6 years but we are still going strong((:

 I live on a farm with oooooodles of animals. The most beloved animal on our farm is Edgar, he is a pot bellied pig. I have had him since he was two weeks old and he lives in our home. He is completely potty trained and never has an accident. He is pretty amazing. He enjoys long walks, rolling in the mud, snuggling on the couch.....oooops he was telling me what to write, I guess he thought this was the Oinkers Love Connection site.... ((:

well this where I shall end right now, I have a baby goat named Clarice that I am currently bottle feeding, and she is screaming my name...maa maaa maaa maa... She lives in the house right now too... oh and she is litter box trained... clearly we have this potty training thing down!!

until next time....