Beautiful indeed. Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you, MaryJane.  I am so happy to be able to share the tribute with you all here.  Happy New Year to you and all at the farm! Much love, Nicole

Many Blessings and indeed a touching and beautiful tribute.

I am so moved by the bird houses and think this is a wonderful, thoughtful thing for all, The girls did great job. May the Lord bless them very much. Juanita Massey, Virginia Farm sister #1020

Thank you all.  It moves me even more when I think of the fact that a sweet eighth grader came up with the original idea.  So proud of all of our girls.  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

A moving tribute which will help all who see it remember the innocent lives lost amd how fragile life is.. Great idea for the girl scouts…

I love this idea. I think I have a few bird houses to paint and hang in my yard in the spring. Great job Audrey and girl scouts.

#2770

I was touched to read what these young ladies did for the memory of those sweet, innocent children. As a mother, I know you must be very proud.

I’m a  very proud mom to one scout and now a co-leader for our troop, as well.  I am so amazed by all of our sweet girls and have watched many of them grow from small children to amazing, talented, thoughtful young ladies.  Proud as a mother hen! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Wow! Those precious spirits have a beautiful place to rest. Ram park is a fitting place. God bless you all and thanks.

Wishing everyone a peace-filled 2014. These victims are always in my heart and in my prayers.

A wonderful tribute to the little lost souls!

This is truly a beautiful tribute, Nicole. Beautiful pictures that made me cry. Tears are streaming down my face because there are so many little birdhouses. Thanks for sending this.
Love you,
Mother

Love you, too! -Nicole

Great post, Nicole! Beautiful photos and lovely words. Merry Christmas! See you soon.
Love,
Ali

Merry Christmas, Ali!  Hope you have a great day.  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Love your post, super great pic’s and such heartfelt warm words. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, God Bless.

Thank you , Joan, and Christmas blessings to you and your family.  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Merry Christmas!!

Thank you!  Merry Christmas to you, too!  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

What fun day Nicole! It’s such a charge to learn new skills isn’t it? Your table runner turned out great and the pillow is adorable! I’ve been painting mason jars, and I made a Christmas tree out of chicken wire to display vintage postcards on for my booth downtown. As for gifts, this year we are giving gifts that keep the creativity going all year long. A new photo printer for my hubby and I, a digital keyboard for our daughter, and a beat-maker keyboard for our son. We’ll be ready for a year of making music and beautiful photographs together! Love your posts!
Merry Christmas Nicole!
Hugs from the shorelines!
Deb

Hi Deb! Thanks!  Isn’t it fun to make something new?  I am now on my fourth or fifth runner and each one gets a little better.
I bet that chicken wire Christmas tree is adorable!  I need to mosey on over to your blog and check it out!  I will catch up on my reading in my next sewing break.;)
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole

What creativity emanates from your home! I’m also going to try the guacamole and hummus combo. I like both separately but together sounds yummy. Thanks for the ideas!

Hi Adrienne, Those two dips are absolutely divine together!  Enjoy!  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

What a fun day. I am glad you are hooked and ready to find our next project. What a great group of women. Thank you once again for having us in your home.

Barb, I want to add that you have unleashed a sewing monster! I am hooked for sure. I just finished my fourth runner tonight and am starting a fifth one.  Thanks so much for such a fun day and inspiration to try something I have wanted to do forever.  Love you! – Nicole

Wish I could have attended this. I can only imagine what a great teacher and inspiration Barb would be to people wanting to learn the basics and more of quilting!

Hi Heather, Barb was an awesome, creative teacher, for sure!  If you are local and would like to join our group, just let me know.  You can reach me through the blog (mark the message as a whisper) or it sounds as if you know Barb, and she has my contact info.  We are always doing something fun!  Thanks for commenting! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Barb is da bomb!

I agree! – Nicole

I am not a quilter but I have wanted to try to make a table runner for some time now. The directions here make it sound so easy I am going to pick up some material and batting tomorrow. This article was very inspiring. Thank you, Barb and Nicole.

Thank you Anne!  Happy Sewing!  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

The quilting is beautiful. What fun to learn this wonderful skill. I do not quilt myself but admire these beautiful creations. My mom and grandma quilted and so I have quilts in my closets from their creative efforts. You are lucky to have wonderful friends to share this with you. Happy Holidays.

Thank you!  What wonderful treasures you have!  Happiest of Holidays to you! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

What a great story to start my day! When I was a child I was gifted  several lovely banty (bantam?) chickens. I used to raise chicks and sell them to my neighbors. These chickens were kind of a novelty, so I always sold out! Nothing sweeter than a little clucking hen. My favorite was Flicka! My best brooding hen was Topknot. She had a little bouffant tuft on her head. She would peck the heck out of you if you got near her nest! Such great memories…

Your Mama Hen story warms my heart!
Good luck with your clan!

Hi Jan!  Glad you enjoyed the blog and that I brought back some happy memories for you. I’ll keep everyone posted on my progress. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! -Nicole

Well I’m glad you fulfilled your life long dream of chickens… Too bad none of us knew this before now. We would have saved a lot of money during Christmas.. I guess now we will have to resort to gift cards to the local feed store. Enjoy your chickens.

Ha Ha, big brother!  -Nicole

OH YEA!!!! for you and your family – chickens one of my favorite farm creatures – All Creatures Great and Small. Super names! No, as a child I did not get to name the chickens, we would get 1,000 at a time and they were strictly raised for meat – sad but that is how it went. Although I did get to play with them and some times some would get so they would follow me around the pen – it was great fun. Will be waiting to see the pic’s as they grow. Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving. God Bless.

Hi Joan.  Yes, my father was a bit horrified that we named them.  His parents raised chickens and they were strictly for eggs and meat.  In my defense, we did have chicken casserole the same night we got the chicks, ha ha!  Like you, I have happy memories of playing with chickens as a child.  I remember being very small but playing with my aunt’s chickens when we would visit her little farm.  I will keep y’all posted on my progress.  Asking Santa for a nice chicken coop!  Happy Thanksgiving, Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Congratulations.I know you will enjoy having them.I can remember being a little girl and going to visit the hen house with my Grandfather.One time I went alone and got in trouble.Years later my Dad told me that they had seen a snake by the house earlier that day.

True, chickens are prey to lots of critters.  Snakes, foxes, and hawks all love chickens!  Hopefully we won’t have too many issues with predators.  Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Congratulations Nicole! We are so happy for you! They are the sweetest little things when they are baby chicks and I love the little peeps they make. A Thanksgiving blessing for sure!
Look forward to future posts about your backyard flock!
Hugs from the Beach!
sister Deb

Hi Deb!  Thanks!  They are growing fast and are just the sweetest, for sure!  Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

How terrific you have a fox nearby and it posed for photos! That means you have a healthy environment where all creatures great and small can survive and thrive. Next year when you have chickens, I hope the fox admires them from a distance and will find other prey for nourishment. Congratulations!

Hi Adrienne!  I just got baby chicks to incubate inside until Spring.  I hope that Mr. Fox doesn’t think they are for him!  He sure was beautiful, though!  I felt like it was a real privilege to see him.  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Oh how great that you got to experience the FOX!! This reminds me of when we moved into our new home in ’06, we had fox that lived in our back yard and it isn’t an acreage, but the housing area is on the plains. So one day my 2 grandchildren were here, up for breakfast and what did we see 3 fox, 2 were frolicking and one was sniffing around. They did not feel threatened because we were the only ones there that didn’t have a dog, so here they stayed for about a year, we watched the kits grow and then they were gone. Never found out why but the wild animal people think it was because lack of food in the area, we did not feed them in any way but it was a year of great fun and learning. Like yours, they didn’t seem to care that we had our faces pressed against the bay window, they performed beautifully. Again thanks for the reminder. God Bless

Hi Joan!  What a great story!  Thanks for sharing.  I am sure your grandkids will never forget their fox sighting.  Sounds like great memories were made.  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

They are great at a distance but I have chickens and in the spring when they have young the male fox hunts closer to home and we have lost a couple of chickens to them. They can clean your coop out fast because they will kill hide and kill again then go back to retrieve from where they hide them. So as excited as we were to see the fox family the first year they made their home at the back of our 10 acres, we now have to watch for them closely in the spring. When they start showing up in the yard we cannot let the hens free range which makes them very loud and angry with us. I hope that it goes well with your future chickens. They are so much fun to have around!

Brenda, Oh goodness…thank you for the info.  We will definitely need to keep a watchful eye on our flock!  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Hurrah for the FOX! 😀

Have a wonderful day!
Mimi Foxmorton

Find us on Facebook at Sisterhood of the Goat

Hi there, Miss Foxmorton…checked out your Facebook page…love the goats in shirts!  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Great write-up Nicole–a manual of sorts for the process of beekeeping. I’m sure your post will inspire someone to go for it!!!!! With the honey bee in a beleaguered place these days, we can’t spotlight them enough. Great post. Thanks for creating more honeybee enthusiasts this morning!!!!!

Thank you, MaryJane!  I am so glad to share this with everyone. I really am looking forward to beekeeping this spring, and am so grateful to John and his family for showing me the ropes.  There’s just so many good things bees bring! Much love, Nicole

I love honey and it’s one of the reasons I’m not vegan. When I found out honey in Egyptian tombs was usable after thousands of years, I was hooked. Not only is it wonderful in tea and sweetening oatmeal, cream of wheat or rice, it was an antiseptic to help heal the radiation burns. Another use: scrub your face, dry it and apply honey liberally in a mask. Relax with some warm teabags over your eyes and you’ll have a salon-quality facial. Here’s a virtual toast to the beekeepers, especially the ones in San Francisco who create honey from their own neighborhoods for sale to everyone here locally. Salud!

Adrienne, what a great idea.  I think I will try the honey mask this weekend.  And isn’t that amazing that honey was found and still good in the Egyptian tombs? It’s definitely one of nature’s gifts. Thank you for commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Beekeeping is an exciting and wonderful hobby! My husband gave me a beekeeping set up for Christmas three years ago and we set up our box and hive the following April. We have been very successful and have given away many greatly appreciated jars of honey to our friends and family. We have gotten much enjoyment out of our bees and their honey and in the process have learned a great deal. We did join a local beekeeping association and I would highly recommend that. It is a good way to learn quickly and to meet new friends.

Hi Catherine!  Thanks for all the great info!  Congratulations on your success in beekeeping…keep up the good work.  There is a beekeeping association in my area, too.  I will look into that this spring, as well.  Thanks again! Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Wow! Thank you for the wonderful recipes..Great job!

This was the year of the pumpkin in our back yard. My husband worked out of town a bit this summer, so I just kept watering his ‘babies’ (pumpkins) A LOT. It seems that the largest was about 150# (also grown in the compost bin)! I had the idea to put them on craigslist and I couldn’t believe the response. It seems that there is quite a market for LARGE pumpkins! Of course I actually wanted them to go to ‘good homes’…One fellow was going to feed his to his neighbor’s goats when he was done with it. Woo Hoo!
What’s not to love about pumpkins?????

Thank you, Jan, so glad you enjoyed today’s post!  Those are some HUGE pumpkins you grew!  I did worry that mine might grow to be some hundred pound monster pumpkin, but the variety of seed I used doesn’t yield that large of pumpkin. 🙂 How smart to put them on CraigsList!  There is a local diner in town that every year puts a gigantic, enormous, super big pumpkin in the middle of the median as Fall decoration.  I don’t know where they always find them, but it must take a truck and a fork lift to set down.  Good job with your pumpkins!  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Those are wonderful huge pumpkins and your recipes should create some tasty treats (no tricks on this Halloween)! I like making pumpkin tarts and sharing them with friends. They are just enough to satisfy the appetite and can actually be frozen. Since I’m vegetarian, my main Thanksgiving dish is another member of the squash family–butternut squash–stuffed with quinoa, chopped green onions, sage and a little veggie broth. It creates its own bowl too.

Hi Adrienne!  I bet those pumpkin tarts are wonderful!  Funny you should mention butternut squash…I bought an organic one yesterday at my local grocery store and am trying to figure out how I want to serve it for dinner tonight!  Happy Fall! -Nicole

Oh my gosh! My friend just sent me the link to your post because she is fully aware of my Pumpkin Love. What fabulous pictures and delicious-looking recipes! I’ve pinned it to Pinterest so I can find it later!
My husband & I have some friends who have a giant pumpkin patch. Every October, they invite everyone from every town nearby (not really, but close enough) to come harvest. We took our nieces and nephews this year and told them if they could get it to the car, they could have it. My scrawny 11-yr-old niece found a way to haul an 80-pounder home. She may have inherited the love of pumpkins. 🙂
I use the leftover Jack-o-lanterns to make curried pumpkin soup. Well, provided the deer and squirrels leave me anything.
Thank you so much for this wonderful autumnal post! It made me very happy.

Hi Erica!  Thank you so much!  I hope you will come back and "visit" my blog again.  Nice to hear from someone who understands my pumpkin craze!   What a great story about your niece, too.  Thank you for sharing. There is one pumpkin decoration I leave out all year long. It’s a hand-blown glass pumpkin that sits in my curio in the kitchen.  But come late September, it’s pumpkin decor and pumpkin recipes through December!  Enjoy, and thanks again for visiting.  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Congratulations on the successful pumpkins harvest. Thanks for the decorating ideas with the white pumpkins! I never knew there were white pumpkins until I read your blog today.

I love to eat all things pumpkin also. My favorites are pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

Hi Rose, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies???  You’ve got to send me/post that recipe!  I will think I have died and gone to Heaven, for sure! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

I love the picture of your daughter with the pumpkin so big only her fingertips will touch. I understand, though, because I also love pumpkins. There’s a local homeowner in my town who carves (with the help of the community) over 3,000 pumpkins every October and decorates his old victorian house and his yard. He adds lights and music to his decorations and people come from miles around to see them. A local charity uses the "innards" to made pumpkin bread and other pumpkin goodies.

Hi Rebecca!  Isn’t that a cute photo of my daughter? She’s now eleven, but still loves to pick out pumpkins, happy squeals at the first sighting of pumpkins. We also put a little one on her nightstand every year, too.  3,000 pumpkins??? Wow!  I bet that is an amazing sight!  Great story, thanks for sharing! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Happiest people on earth? I’m moving! Thanks for the journey and warm fuzzy feelings this morning.

Good Morning, MaryJane!  Glad you enjoyed the "tour"…I have to admit, Danes are some of the warmest, friendliest people I have ever met.  Much love, Nicole

Sold! You have me contemplating a trip to Denmark. My husband came to the US (at the age of two and by ship!) from Germany. We have not traveled there yet…
I will simply have to make your meatballs! Sounds so yummy and the curry surprised me..I also have an aebleskiver pan that I need to put to use.
Thank you for the lovely tour,
Jan

Hi Jan!  Denmark is such a great place to visit, I know you’d love it.  "Boller i Karri" is one of my husband’s favorite dishes that his mom made when he was growing up.  It’s one of our favorite dinners, hope you enjoy!  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

Part of my father’s family originally came from Denmark and moved to Sweden (and changed their last name from Andersen to Anderson). I have an aebleskiver pan and have baked them but used a mix purchased from the Prepared Pantry online. They are yummy topped with whatever seasonal fruit I have. Also, if you want to lower the sugar content, stevia comes in bulk powdered form to be used by the teaspoon or sprinkled food. Ufda!

Hi Adrienne! Thanks for the tip! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Thanks Nicole for the lovely trip to Denmark, yes your love of the Country sure shows and I appreciate your tour guiding, I can’t travel any more so this is a grand time for me. The yarns must be special and the museums spectacular, even though I would be half n half in viewing them, a quick look see then be in the out of doors. Love the recipes, somewhat like my Polish family recipes, will give them a try. Thanks again for sharing and God Bless.

Hi Joan!  I’m so glad you liked today’s blog.  Enjoy the recipes, and thanks so much for commenting!  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

You captured my family’s home country perfectly. 🙂

Darn it, now I’m hungry LOL!

Hi April!  Tak!  🙂  Nicole

I’d never heard of Clearwater. What a very cool place to visit! I enjoyed your story and pics of Winter and sunny Florida.

Thank you, MaryJane!  We hadn’t heard of Clearwater before, either, until we saw the movie about Winter.  We really enjoyed the day and would love to visit again.  Much love to you! -Nicole

I live in Pensacola , Florida. You just gave me a wonderful reason to take an in-state vacation to Clear water. Thanks for the inspiration, once again. BTW- I have not started scrap booking yet. I’m still going through my baking phase and sewing phase. Still waiting for that scrap booking bug to bite me and take that class, lol.

Hi Tina! Wow is Florida a beautiful state.  It’s been twenty years since I was there last, but always have loved going.  It was my first visit to Clearwater. If you go visit Clearwater and Winter, let me know.  I know you will enjoy it!  The baking bug is biting at me recently, too.  This week is Pumpkin Spice Bread.  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

All the photos were really interesting and I really was particularly interested in the marine aquarium. I live right near the Pacific Ocean, so I’m really interested in those things. I’m glad you could spend some time with your relatives. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂

Hi Heather!  Thank you. We saw and did a lot while in Florida, but the Marine Aquarium was our favorite.  Farmgirl hugs, Nicole

I also love county fairs. My daughter, who is in 4th grade, has been sewing for 2 years. This past spring, she entered a shirt she sewed in our county fair. She won a blue ribbon for it! Now, she is really into sewing and wants to make more items. I am so proud of her. We entered a dress she made this summer into our Arizona state fair for next month. The only down side of our fair was that I found it very expensive. It was $15 just for 3 of us to ride the ferris wheel. The prices won’t stop me from going, though! 🙂

Hi Mindy!  Congratulations to your daughter for her blue ribbon!  Tell her the Suburban Farmgirl says "Awesome job!"  That’s a great accomplishment for anyone, but in fourth grade?  That’s really something.  You must be so proud!  As for the prices of the fair, I understand.  Some fairs in our area are more expensive than others. Seems to me the smaller ones cost more than the large ones!  The Dutchess County Fair surprised me.  I found it to be pretty reasonable.  I still think it’s worth to go to the fair, too.  Thanks for sharing with me! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Oh thanks Nicole for the trip to the Fair, I didn’t get to go this year so you made it for me. My recall is bringing up all the great smells – yes I like the animal smells too. God Bless

Hi Joan!  I love the animal smells, too. It’s all part of the fun.  Farmgirl hugs to you! – Nicole

Hi Nicole!
Ya know how you said to me the more we talk the more you feel like we have in common? Well gee,
I got that EXACT feeling as I read this blog post! Every year my daughter and I go to the Long Island Fair, at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. We have been going for years! In fact when my daughter was in 4th grade she went as a field trip from school. Of course, I, not wanting to miss out on the fun, tagged along as a chaperone. Well, my daughter entered the " guess how many beans are in the jar" contest and WON! It was really quite amazing considering there were THOUSANDS of entries, and SHE guessed the closest! She was thrilled and brought the letter she received in the mail along with a copy of her $25.00 prize check in to school to show her teacher.
This year she is entering several of her photographs that she has taken into the junior hobby category. She is a budding photographer, and we are trying to encourage her to pursue her love of taking pictures , so we thought this was a great opportunity to do just that. We are really looking forward to it. She has to enter above her age class (she has just turned 13 years old) and the photography category doesn’t technically start until age 14, so she will be going up against 14-17 year olds, but it will be a good learning experience for her.
We look forward to our local fair every year, and this year will be a new experience for us because we will be actual "participants" !
Thank you as always for your wonderful posts, and one of these days girlfriend we are definitely going to get together for some farmgirl fun!
Hugs,
Laurie

Hi Sweet Laurie,  I am chuckling as I read this, because of how you mention chaperoning field trips.  I have volunteered for every field trip I could that my daughter has had.  I think I got more excited over some of them than she did!  So proud to hear that your daughter is entering her photos.  Good luck to her!  Can’t wait to meet you both!  Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole