T O P I C R E V I E W |
DeeHarp |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 08:23:45 AM Hello! My name is Dee...and I'm a Missouri 'Farm Girl'. I found MaryJane's website from the Country Home Magazine. I am a wife to Hank and a mother to 6 children. Two are grown and four still at home. I own Nubian Dairy Goats! I make soft and hard pressed cheeses. We have chickens, rabbits, cats and dogs too! I love to be outdoors working in the gardens. Glad to be here and hope to learn alot from each of you. Dee :-)
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10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
PhillyfarmGirl |
Posted - Jul 25 2005 : 07:19:15 AM Welcome to you Dee! There are quite a few goat folks here. I think you will have a super time here! Blessings,
Philly Farmgirl
~It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; It is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.~ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
http://homeschoolblogger.com/PhillyFarmGirl/ |
Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jul 22 2005 : 9:19:35 PM Wow..Dee..your family sounds (age wise)alot like mine. We have 7 kids..four still at home..they are 27, 25, 20, 10, 9 and 2 that are 8. We have one granddaughter who will be 3 tomorrow! I love my goats, sheep and chickens too..and we have rabbits, dogs and cats..and gardens. It sounds like we have lots in common. I am glad you found us!!!
Jenny in Utah The best things in life arn't things! |
DeeHarp |
Posted - Jul 22 2005 : 7:41:16 PM Lynda, Wow! What a 'wonderful life'...so rich and so full! Your farm sounds wonderful! How great that your husband gets the opportunity to buy 'the family farm'! We live north of Kansas City. We live on five acres. We have six children...two sons are grown and four still at home. The ages of all of the children are: 27yos/25yos/13yos/11yod/9yod/7yod. We have two grandsons! :-) We homeschool and love it! I have Nubian Dairy Goats. I have many gardens: Herbs/Flowers/Veges. My husband works in K.C. as a welding forman. I found this sight in the 'Country Home' magazine. I loved what I read and thought it would be fun to get to know other women that are likeminded! Great to learn more about you! Dee :-)
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FarrarFarmgirl |
Posted - Jul 22 2005 : 6:20:36 PM Hi, Dee, Oh, I know I'll love it. When I was in the 6th grade my family moved from St. Louis county to Perry County, MO. It was the best thing in the world that they could have ever done at the time. Those were my formative years in all aspects and early on I knew I was hooked on country living. I'm sure we were quite the comedy act in town as this large city family tried to fit into a very small, close-knit, family bound community. The population was 224, we instantly raised it to 231. At the time we only had 5 kids in the family, but my parents added 3 more siblings to the crew, so I am the oldest of 8. We eventually took in my great grandmother and a foster sister. So the population went to 236. I love small town rural living!
It is in this place that I met my "pure-bred" farmer husband. Have you ever heard of the story of the country mouse and the city mouse? Well change mouse to boy and girl respectively and you will get a real clear picture. LOL We were quite the pair, and did I mention that it was a pure German settlement? Oh, yes, comedy (and lots of learning) was the rule.
The farm we would like to buy is the one that my husband's parents lived on while he was growing up. The farm is still in his mother's name. It does have a house on it, but it is inhabitable now. I remember the first time he took me home to meet his parents. I wasn't so sure anyone was actually living in it - it looked like it was ready to fall over - seriously - but they were, all 7 of them! It had no running water or central heat, which means I hovered around the wood stove in the main room of the house. It didn't occur to me that I was hoarding all the heat from the rest of the family. (Ooops, what a first impression that was on the family) And when you have no running water, you guessed it, you use the outhouse. This is how my husband lived everyday of his life. I truly admired him for his roots, work ethics, outlook on life and commitment to farm living. He loved it and I learned to. I loved him and he learned to accept some of my city ways.
A year and a half later we were married, fast forward 26 years and that's where we want to make our home. (there's another story as to why we didn't just stay there from the beginning.) So needless to say, we will be building a new house. It also has a barn (that needs a lot of work) and a couple more out buildings.
The farm has 200 acres on it. I don't know the percentages of woods to fields. Our brother in law rents the fields for his crops and we have about 40 head of cattle roaming around.
We have been blessed with 4 children - 3 sons and 1 daughter. And now 2 grandsons grace our family, too.
Our oldest son is married and he and his wife have 17 month old twins. He is an art teacher at one of the Lutheran high schools in St. Louis and his wife just started an office job downtown after staying home with the boys these first months of their lives. (I have to tell someone - they just found out today that they are expecting again - I guess she won't be working long) :o)
Our daughter is 24 and a student at K-State in Manhattan, KS; she is planning to go into either youth or outreach ministry. So once she graduates from KSU she will have to go to a Lutheran college to complete her education and then she will be called for a position at a church somewhere in the US.
Our 2nd son (3rd child) is 23 and a student at SEMO in Cape Girardeau, MO. He has recently gotten engaged and will be married next June. He, too, is studying to be an art teacher with an emphasis on pottery. Someday he would like to have his own pottery shop and teach college art.
And our youngest son just recently moved back home from Louisville,KY. He attended Sullivan University in the culinary program and has completed the associate's degree program. He is now waiting to hear back from an interview that he had today for a cook's position at a country club. He has informed us that he and his girlfriend are talking about getting married in June of 07.
Whew!! That's alot!
As for the farm,we have so many ideas that we want to do. We both know that when we move down there, neither one of us are going to work away from home. We planted blackberry, raspberry and gooseberries this year. My husband would like to put out a truck patch garden to sell produce at a farmer's market. I like to sew, stamp cards and am getting into photography. I also sell Pampered Chef and plan to continue my business when we move to the farm. My husband has a portble sawmill and has enough requests that he could stay busy full time, unfortunately at the moment he also works full time in Cape Girardeau, so that makes it hard to keep up. I also thought I could do herbs, flowers, etc. And my ultimate dream would be to have a B&B. So as you can see our minds are very over-active at the moment with more ideas than what we know what to do with. But from the sound of everyone's posts, that's what it takes to keep your farms and families running the way you want them.
Wow, I believe my "cup has overflowed" and I may have just over extended myself to you on your first inquiry of me. I hope I haven't overwhelmed you too terribly much, or anyone else for that matter. I also hope this wasn't an abuse of the forum - but now everyone knows a little bit more - no, alot more - about me. I'm just so addicted to this forum.
Dee, how about you? Do you have children? Tell me about your farm and country living experiences. When you go East, is that where you or your husband is from? What part of MO are living in now? You are welcome to email me at my personal address, if you like. How did you find out about MJF? Have you always been a farm girl?
Enough of my interview. It has been pure pleasure to meet you via the forum, Dee, as it has been with everyone here. I can only hope my rambling doesn't scare anyone away. Dee, the next time you and your family come through St. Louis, my door is open and you are most welcome to stop by anytime. Actually, that invitation is for anyone who comes this way. I always have tea and a comfy place to sit.
God bless you all in all that you do to encourage, inspire, support and offer in friendship.
In His hands, Lynda
Pray in faith and you will not live in doubt. |
DeeHarp |
Posted - Jul 22 2005 : 03:53:42 AM Lynda, Glad to 'meet' you! Is there a house on your property? Or will you all be building a house? How many acres? You will love country life! Do you have children? What are some things that you are wanting to do on your farm? We have been through St. Louis on several occasions while vacationing in the East. Have a great day! Dee :-)
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FarrarFarmgirl |
Posted - Jul 21 2005 : 08:34:55 AM WElcome from one Missourian to another! Your life sounds very rich and full and as for me, I'm looking forward to learning from you. It seems you have lots to offer in lots of areas. You'll be a wealth of information for everyone.
Where in MO are you located? I'm in St. Louis, that's not exactly a farming community, but my husband is a pure-bred farmer and we have one about 100 miles south of St. Louis. I don't get down there too terribly often - one weekend a month maybe, but he is down there all the time since his job is in Cape Giradeau. When he's not at work, he's sawing lumber or moving our cattle. Our dream is to move down there within the next 2-4 years. We can't wait!!
Have a wonderfully blessed day, look forward to hearing more from you.
In His hands, Lynda |
DeeHarp |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 6:18:39 PM Thank you all for the great 'welcome'! I'm looking forward to learning from each of you! I don't have alot of time to be 'on-line', but will check in as often as I can! Dee :-) |
MeadowLark |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 12:46:39 PM Welcome Dee! Glad you found us! I live in Kansas too... So I guess we are neighbors of a sort! Looking forward to hearing more about your nubians (have raised them before) and making goat cheeses, and all your activities! Jenny from Kansas
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. http://www.xs4all.nl/~josvg/cits/sb/sb101.html |
mollymae |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 11:31:31 AM Welcome to the group Dee, so glad to have you here!!
Cead Mile Failte, Molly
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the Aching or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain" ~Emily Dickinson
**When life throws scraps your way ~ Make a Quilt!**
Sisterhood of the Traveling Art |
The Farmers Daughter |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 08:44:20 AM Welcome Dee! I just found this site last week and I'm thrilled...Isn't it wonderful to find other farm wives??? Where do you live in MO.? We're about an hour and a half from the K.C. area or an hour South of Topeka! We too have a large family (Eight young'uns) with only the last two at home. (Although the two in college still think they live here too! HA) Hope to see you posting a lot on here and to learn more about your goats!
Sher, The Farmer's Daughter |
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