A day at the barn with us!

     Ever wonder what we spend our days doing now that its nice?  We spend ALOT of time up at the barn.  Here are a few pictures from the other day. 

Not sure what she was showing me

Off to help Daddy fix fence

Being Madalyn

At least she won't get burned!

Marissa getting head start

"See Mom, I stole Marissa's hat!"

My sexy farmer!

Marissa taking care of "her" cows

Marissa and "her" bull calf...she informed Dad that he couldn't sell him and that she could take care of him all by herself and do a great job!

Taking a break...

This is Marissa's cow, who she named Friendly.  She loves Marissa to bits and enjoys every ounce of attention she gets from her.

This is the heifer barn

Inside the heifer barn

I'm on a roll!

   I'm trying to do better with the camera can you tell?  My goal is to get it out everyday...we will see how long that lasts.  I'm hoping to take it to the barn with me tomorrow and show you around there.  I got sick of the girls bangs this week so we are growing them out.  Wasn't sure how I liked it at first, but I love it now.  Madalyn's hair is so easy going, but Marissa's bangs were driving both of us nuts!  Enjoy the pictures!  Hopefully we will have more in the next day or two. 

Climbing up

My Camera Girl

Love this picture of her

I love this one of Marissa

To busy watching Daddy and Uncle Rich cutting
wood to pay attention to what she is doing...

Good one

Swinging

Being silly again

Pictures and an update on us...

     I know, I know its been forever.  Before I get started on us, I just posted a prayer request below this post so check that out too.  

     Hmm, where to start!  There isn't a lot new on the home front.  Things have started to pick up a bit more on the farm, so we all have been spending more time up there... which reminds me I need to take my camera up with me so I can photograph the kids with "their cows".  Doug is off next week so we spend a lot more time up there with him during that time.  I'll make sure and take the camera with me then.  I'm still in shock of how much I love the barn being as I'm a "horse chick".  It doesn't get much better than the weeks Doug feeds and the 4 of us are at the barn together every morning...I love it!  I pray everyday that we can pull through these tough financial times and have the farm for years to come.  I can't believe how much the barn has changed in the past year.  We have so many new heifers coming up through its not even funny.  Last summer when we were doing heifer chores to help out, I was taking care of about 8 calves tops.  We have over 20 now, 6 of which are bulls.  We are not getting anything for them at the sales so we are holding onto them for a bit.  Hopefully prices come up soon and we can start sending them again.  

     The girls... where to start...!  My babies are growing up.  Its hitting me pretty hard lately as their birthdays are both approaching quickly... which reminds me I need to go shopping!  Marissa has turned into such a sweetie.  Not that she hasn't always been... but she is so caring and nurturing the older she gets.  She has a HUGE heart and she is a HUGE animal lover.  She tried convincing me the other morning that we need 2 more dogs.  Daddy has Case and she has Chloe, but Madalyn and I need our own dogs.  HAHA... in her dreams!  Every time we have a sick cow at the barn she just wants to go in and sit with her, petting her and making sure she is comfy... no matter how big or small the cow is.  She has "her jobs" at the barn and does them all happily and well.  When she walks into the milking barn, all she has to do is say one word and the six kittens in there coming running.  She sits down and lets them climb all over her, being careful to spend time cuddling each one of them.  She is an awesome big sister and 9 times out of 10, her and Madalyn get along great.  She is always calling Madalyn "her little sweetie".  She is just such a doll and I look forward to each day I get to stay home and soak in her sweetness.  Then there is Madalyn... where to start!  Madalyn is her daddy's clone from what I have been told!  She is the more fearless, independent kid I have EVER met!  Which totally shocks me seeing as 6 months ago she was still nursing and very attached.  She spent the first few months in a sling or swaddled so she felt secure.  She might have needed a little extra love and attention to get going but she is golden now!  She isn't naughty, its just she has NO FEAR!  Therefore, screen doors have to be locked so she doesn't walk to the barn ( you think I'm kidding don't you!),  she has to be always in my sites at the barn or she will just crawl right in a big pen of full grown cows and not blink twice.  She also loves the animals and spending time at the barn, but more than that she just plain adores her big sister.  Marissa is the apple of her eye and you can just see her trying to mimic her every move.  She is still a cuddler especially when she is tired and I take advantage of it as often as I can, since I know it won't last forever.  She is still VERY attached to puppy although we are trying to limit him a bit.  During the day I try to keep both of them in her bed.  If they are just laying around she will grab one up and sit down with her thumb, but if she doesn't see it she won't think about it till she is tired and needs him, or hurt and then he fixes all problems.  She has grown up so much.  We still have some rough days here and there on the whole potty thing, but over all she is trained.  Her vocabulary for being almost 2 is out of this world.  Marissa has a lot to do with that.  If she repeats something Marissa says and doesn't say it well enough, Marissa will have her keep repeating it until she gets it "right".  Surprisingly she will keep trying until Marissa is satisfied.  I love these two girls more than the world and am so appreciative that my husband works so hard to give me the privilege to stay home with them each day.  I thank God and pray that He continues to bless our finances so that I can continue to do so even through these economic hard times.  

     Doug and I are doing well.  It has been beautiful here lately and we have been spending a lot of time outside.  We got a wood splitter a few weeks ago so we have a good head start on the wood already.  I'm really hoping we can get it all in this year.  We have almost half of what we had in last year already so I'm thinking we will.  We are hoping to not have to buy wood this year.  We still have quite a pile outside and there are still 2 trees at the barn that have not been touched.  If Dad doesn't take them this year we are going to.  There are a bunch of trees that either need to come down around the fields or that fell this year due to one reason or another.  So Doug is going to get as much as we can around here and hopefully alleviate that bill.  Doug has the garden tilled and ready to plant.  We are expanding this year and hoping to cut down on the grocery bill some more.  Every little bit helps.  Did I mention how much I LOVE my husband!  Never in my wildest dreams did a picture my life being this perfect.  Doug and I are an awesome team.  We work well together both in and outside the home.  He is such a comfort when I am down and an encouragement when I'm frustrated.  He works hard to provide for our family and yet when he comes home he still takes time for the girls and his wife.  I can tell him anything and everything and he always makes me feel better.  We are approaching 5 years this year and I can't wait to spend another 5 with him if the Lord taries.  

     Okay, enough talking, onto the pictures!  I still have not gotten the Easter pictures done yet.  I got all set up to do them one morning, had Marissa all dressed and Madalyn started when the phone rang.  Ended up being on there longer than I wanted and when I was done Marissa was dirty and the dress and tights needed to be washed again.  Did I mention I do NOT have girly girls!  Haha!!!  I'm hoping they get up in enough time to work on them this morning, but we will see.  Here are the pictures from this month so far...I say that and then realize this month is just about gone!  I have been slacking so bad!!!

Big Cheese!
"Come on Marissa, Cheese!"
Nice one
Just Madalyn
Marissa and "her best friend"
Silly girl
I'm not sure what all the goofy faces and head tilts was about today
Pic says it all
Passed out

A different day and passed out again
Even Case was shot... Chloe is under the couch passed out also
Daddy had a rough day...
... so he put the girls to work 
"Mommy, we are working, stop taking pictures please!"
I had to include this one!  This is Katie, my best friend.  I can't say enough about this girl... love her to pieces!!!
Jack on one of our walks... he got hung up in a stick, not sure if you can tell or not.
Closer pic of the stuck puppy
Case going for a swim in the freezing water
Bonnie joined us on our hike... she is another mom to me!
"Whoo Hoo!"
And she is off!
My adventurous puppy
Not sure what she is after...
... but in she goes
Out on the other side
Jack doing some checking out
I LOVE this pic...Jack and Chloe are going to make some good looking puppies
Aunt Laurie and Madalyn spending some cuddle time
Grandma
I told her the other day I needed more pictures of her... she might live right down the road but I only have like 4 pictures of her.

Hanging out by the water
Ok, don't press charges!  This is what happens when your kid has to pee in the woods and they are girls!  She will kill me for this shot some day!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  I'll do my best to get those Easter pictures up soon.  Its 7:30 on Sunday morning and we need to get ready for church so I'm guessing its not going to happen today, but we will see.  

     

Prayers for Kayleigh

I know a while back I asked you guys  to pray for a baby named Kayleigh.  She was ready to go home to be with our Lord and yet God intervened and spared her a few more months.  Well, here we sit again.  She is 10 months old now, just had surgery at the beginning of the week, all was good and they were doing the final touches before she could go home.  Today she sits in the Children's hospital with flat brain waves for 4 days now.  The CT scans are showing that she had a lack of oxygen either during or shortly after the surgery.  As you can imagine Adam and Aimee Freeman are devastated, but beyond that they have faith that God is working and in control of the whole thing.  I'm asking for prayer for wisdom for them.  Adam mentioned that it won't be long and the doctors are going to want to know what they are going to want to do as far as keeping her alive.  He also mentioned last night in his blog that they would like to take her home and spend the remainder of time in the house since she hasn't made it there yet.  Please pray that this would be possible for them and that they wouldn't have to make the call of pulling her life support.  Pray that God gives them peace and comfort during this time.  You can read their full story at http://www.kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/.  My heart is so heavy for them!  

Farmers

This letter came in the mail with this months milk check and its the first time I have really realized where we are headed.  I know God is in control and I'm not worried, but I thought some of you might find this interesting.  So many people are loosing jobs and this just kind of puts some stuff in perspective.  

Jefferson County Agricultural News Flash Network a service of the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation.   from 400 to 1 million, we’re spreading the news!

Editor’s Note:  This letter was sent to us by Mr. and Mrs. Aschmann and with their permission, we thought it should be shared over the News Flash Network.  The Aschmann’s have requested the letter not be altered or edited in any manner.  

An Open Letter to our Elected Officials and the Public by Jim and Martha Aschmann, Jefferson County, NY.

It would be difficult to overstate the severity of the diary farm crisis at the present time.  Our farm is located in an excellent agricultural area, Southern Jefferson County.  We milk approximately 75 cows.  We have a good land and work sharing arrangement with a neighboring 800 cow dairy farm; consequently our relatively small farm is not at a disadvantage in supplying hay and silage for our cows.  We have an efficient operation and are experienced, highly proficient diary farmers.  

This pst November and December we lost about $500 per month, but in January we lost $3,462; in February it looks like we will fall behind another $4,100.  Based on milk price predictions, and current milk production, in March and April we will lose approximately $17,900.  According to the latest prognostications, the abysmal prices may last through the summer.  If so, our farm will probably lose a total of over $70,000, a dire situation for a small business that grossed $272,000 in 2008 (with expenses of $241,000, leaving $31,000 for family living) and never completely recovered from the low milk prices of 2006.  We may be forced to sell out, but the people who would normally buy our cattle and machinery have no money either.  We would be lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar - 37 years of hard work and good management gone.  Most  other dairy farmers could tell a similar story.  If the country and state do not provide some meaningful help soon, many farms will be out of business and many more will be crippled for years to come.  

The reality is that many people, throughout the country and state, are struggling; why worry about such a small group as dairy farmers?  Because we are superb financial stimulators!  Few people realize how important diary farming is to New York State.  According to the Pennsylvania Center for Dairy Excellence, each dairy cow has an economic impact on its community of a staggering $13,700 PER YEAR!  Farms create base dollars from which other dollars can grow.  Even our relatively small farm has an impact of over a million dollars; the 800 cow farm that we work with has an economic impact of nearly $11,000,000 PER YEAR!  But most people are unaware of this.  Why?  In our country only about 1.5% of the population are farmers.  The majority of Americans have never had a conversation with a farmer in their entire lifetime.  The result is that many Americans take their food supply for granted.  Others develop concepts on food production that are truly absurd, and would be laughable except that the stakes for us all are so high.  Americans embrace technology in nearly every aspect of their lives and yet many advocate retrograde agriculture.  This concept is about as realistic as sending our soldiers to do battle clad in chain mail and armor, equipped with swords and spears.  Policy makers and media are mostly from urban and suburban backgrounds and, with all due respect, can be misled by passionate, well-funded, often well-intentioned groups that are impractical and unrealistic in regards to feeding our country and world.  The fact is that real farmers are virtually an endangered species.  This is turning into a grave problem for our country.  Who will grow our food?  Though college and other training can help, it takes many years and much experience to become a competent farmer.  Few non-farmers have the slightest idea as to the complexities of running a modern farm.  How many more farmers does our country dare lose?  When we moved to Jefferson County (from a rented farm in Indiana) in 1976, the county had approximately 960 dairy farms; there are now 231 as of the latest census.  Prior to the Wall St. debacle there was a strong demand for dairy products and there will be again.  Will we have the cows to meet the demand?  Will we have the farmers?

According to recent research at Cornell University under the leadership of Dale Bauman, with the global population moving towards nine billion people and the food supply required over the next 40 years will approximately equal the total amount of food produced throughout the history of mankind!  And yet our country gives its farmers low priority.  If this does not change, and quickly, our country will have problems with its food supply.  Cars, computers, and ipods are not absolutely vital to human life but air, water, and food are; of these three true necessities, food is the only one we can produce.

Free enterprise and capitalism are great producers, but it should be understood that farming is somewhat different from other business ventures.  Why?  Because crop growing and livestock rearing both involve living (and dying) things; Mother Nature, in one way or another, plays a big role.  In order to be reasonably assured of having enough corn, beans, small grains, milk, etc., etc., we must strive to grow or produce more than we actually need.  This means that most years there will be a surplus, which is an asset for our country.  It’s food.  We need it to live.  But this asset is a major liability  to the farmers because it is used to beat us down, over and over again.  Our country has a strategic petroleum reserve.  There are millions of dollars worth of military ordinance.  But if there’s a surplus of food, and plenty to eat for all Americans, it’s the farmers who suffer.  This is terribly unfair.  

We need help, Yes, the way the milk price is figured needs to be changed.  Why hasn’t the price of dairy products in stores dropped significantly?  These issues need to be examined but changing them, though it may help in the long run, will not do anything right now.  We need meaningful help very soon.  And not five loaves and two fishes for every five thousand farmers.  We suggest $900 per cow.  Compared to what our state and country get in return, there are few, if any, expenditures our government could make that would be better investments.  For the sake of our farmers but also for the benefit of our state, country, and world, please do not take the food supply for granted.  Right now, dairy farmers need meaningful help.  We are a tough, determined, resourceful bunch but we have a limit.  That time has come.  Dairy farms are great financial stimulators.

Sincerely, 

James D. and Martha Aschmann Adams , NY   

I know I just posted but...

I just sat down on the couch next to Case and went to 

pet him and realized he felt funny.  I looked at his head in horror...wasn't sure at first if he had something or what was going on.  I must have made a noise or something because Marissa asked what was wrong.  I told her something was wrong with Case's head and side.  She informed he he had to much hair so she climbed up on the hutch and got the scissors this morning and gave him and Chloe a hair cut.  I don't see any bald spots on Chloe so she must have done a better job on her than she did Case.  ***I take it back, I found her spots, although they didn't photograph as well as Case's did***Poor guy...I hope the hair grows back!  Kids!  The scissors have now been moved to the top shelf in my bedroom closet...I'm pretty sure even if she got a chair she couldn't get them.  And I thought I had baby proofed my house already...HA!