Showing posts with label Abby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abby. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2015
Wheelbarrows
Last night our church family threw Abby a bridal shower. I was asked to give a devotion. I started by thinking I would write about tools and being helpers, help mates, and working together. Then I read part of an "operator's manual" for a wheelbarrow (who knew they had such things?!) and the Lord showed me a new direction to go in. This is the result:
Wheelbarrows are a real part of life at our home. They haul rocks, hay bales, dirt, firewood, manure, fencing, and whatever else we can get into it or balance across it. Wheelbarrows make work on the farm easier, less stressful, and more efficient. Wheelbarrows can also be fun to ride in or race!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
It's Official!
Abby OFFICIALLY is the new Sole Proprietor of the Cedars of Lebanon Farm!
She processed her paperwork for the state and has her tax number. We changed the website to reflect her new venture with the farm: goat-milk-fed-pasture-raised veal. We also added things she felt were important: links to pedigrees and the 4-H club's Learn By Doing day. Look for other new things in the coming months and 2014, like milk-fed-cage-free pork and Maple syrup, as well as a brand new logo!
You can check out the new website here: Cedars of Lebanon Farm
She processed her paperwork for the state and has her tax number. We changed the website to reflect her new venture with the farm: goat-milk-fed-pasture-raised veal. We also added things she felt were important: links to pedigrees and the 4-H club's Learn By Doing day. Look for other new things in the coming months and 2014, like milk-fed-cage-free pork and Maple syrup, as well as a brand new logo!
You can check out the new website here: Cedars of Lebanon Farm
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Abby's 17th Birthday Dinner
Rachel took these photos the night we took Abby out for her special dinner:
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Abigail's Birthday
Abigail turned seventeen yesterday. Does that make me old? I remember being seventeen, so it couldn't have been all that long ago, right?
Being the oldest has given Abby certain privileges. It also means she gets to be the guinea pig of the family. We have always told her that she is the one that we will make all the mistakes with. She's our test subject for parenting. She hasn't always enjoyed that role, but we have learned how to say "I'm sorry," when we make a mistake, to forgive, and to try again.
Abby has grown into a young woman in the last year. For her birthday gift she chose a fancy dinner out at the Latitude 41 Restaurant with just Mom and Dad, over a party with her friends. She is making a fancy dress to enter into a sewing competition. She picked out a satin-y, jewel tone blue fabric for the dress and a sparkly fabric for the shawl. Very girl-y. She also enjoys teaching the four and five year olds at church. She has a calm, relaxed way about her when she is with them and they absolutely adore her. She is considering going to college to be an elementary school teacher.
She still manages to shock us at times with some of her "tomboy" antics, but those moments are getting fewer. She hasn't gotten stuck in a tree in over a year now! She still loves tractors, especially the red ones (She's an IH/Farmall girl through and through). She hopes that someday her Grandpa Smith will let her work their farm to its full potential. She dreams of someday making it a working dairy goat farm, with educational events, and a small restaurant or bed and breakfast.
Abby is a hard worker and is very strong. She can carry 100 pounds of grain from the truck to the barn effortlessly. (and that's quite a distance!) She spent the morning of her birthday hauling hay with her dad. It was nearly 95 degrees with super high humidity. After they loaded the 135 bales of hay onto the truck and trailer and brought it home, the hay had to be moved from the trailer to the truck bed, the truck was driven to the hay shed, and then the hay was off loaded and stacked. She figured she touched each bale at least three times, and had fun doing it!
Abigail loves her goats. She has been showing and breeding goats since she was nine years old. She is enjoying competing at the bigger and more competitive shows this year. For the last four years Abby has taken the time to really improve her herd through breeding and purchasing quality animals. She has developed a very good eye for judging the quality of an animal and it shows in how well her animals perform in the ring. She has worked hard to improve her showmanship skills and has taken the top position at many of the competitions. With the ADGA Nationals coming to Springfield, Massachusetts this July, she is excited about competing at the highest level possible.
Abigail through the years has taught me forgiveness; both giving and receiving it. I've had to forgive her; she's had to forgive me. Abby's faith in God is so strong and at times I have envied her because she has always known God's salvation. In last year or so she has worked out her own relationship with God, and it has been beautiful (and painful, at times) to witness her grow in faith. Her sincere, and often fervent, desire to follow God's will has put me to shame on more than one occasion. My prayer is that she will continue to grow and follow God with her whole heart.
Happy Birthday Abigail!
Being the oldest has given Abby certain privileges. It also means she gets to be the guinea pig of the family. We have always told her that she is the one that we will make all the mistakes with. She's our test subject for parenting. She hasn't always enjoyed that role, but we have learned how to say "I'm sorry," when we make a mistake, to forgive, and to try again.
Abby has grown into a young woman in the last year. For her birthday gift she chose a fancy dinner out at the Latitude 41 Restaurant with just Mom and Dad, over a party with her friends. She is making a fancy dress to enter into a sewing competition. She picked out a satin-y, jewel tone blue fabric for the dress and a sparkly fabric for the shawl. Very girl-y. She also enjoys teaching the four and five year olds at church. She has a calm, relaxed way about her when she is with them and they absolutely adore her. She is considering going to college to be an elementary school teacher.
She still manages to shock us at times with some of her "tomboy" antics, but those moments are getting fewer. She hasn't gotten stuck in a tree in over a year now! She still loves tractors, especially the red ones (She's an IH/Farmall girl through and through). She hopes that someday her Grandpa Smith will let her work their farm to its full potential. She dreams of someday making it a working dairy goat farm, with educational events, and a small restaurant or bed and breakfast.
Abby is a hard worker and is very strong. She can carry 100 pounds of grain from the truck to the barn effortlessly. (and that's quite a distance!) She spent the morning of her birthday hauling hay with her dad. It was nearly 95 degrees with super high humidity. After they loaded the 135 bales of hay onto the truck and trailer and brought it home, the hay had to be moved from the trailer to the truck bed, the truck was driven to the hay shed, and then the hay was off loaded and stacked. She figured she touched each bale at least three times, and had fun doing it!
Abigail loves her goats. She has been showing and breeding goats since she was nine years old. She is enjoying competing at the bigger and more competitive shows this year. For the last four years Abby has taken the time to really improve her herd through breeding and purchasing quality animals. She has developed a very good eye for judging the quality of an animal and it shows in how well her animals perform in the ring. She has worked hard to improve her showmanship skills and has taken the top position at many of the competitions. With the ADGA Nationals coming to Springfield, Massachusetts this July, she is excited about competing at the highest level possible.
Abigail through the years has taught me forgiveness; both giving and receiving it. I've had to forgive her; she's had to forgive me. Abby's faith in God is so strong and at times I have envied her because she has always known God's salvation. In last year or so she has worked out her own relationship with God, and it has been beautiful (and painful, at times) to witness her grow in faith. Her sincere, and often fervent, desire to follow God's will has put me to shame on more than one occasion. My prayer is that she will continue to grow and follow God with her whole heart.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Abby Smith Goes to Washington
This is the article that Abby wrote and submitted to the various local newspapers. So far none of them have opted to publish it.
From April 2- 7, Abigail Smith, a homeschooled sixteen year old, attended the National 4-H Conference in Chevy Chase Maryland. This conference raises the youth voice around issues and concerns facing youth in communities, provides opportunities for youth and adults to work cooperatively around real issues, and gives delegates the opportunity to help provide ideas for future 4-H program directions. As the only delegate from Connecticut, Abigail traveled with the group of 4-H delegates from Rhode Island. Abigail was chosen through a process which included a lengthy application and an interview, where her accomplishments in leadership, public speaking and community service were evaluated.
The first activity when they arrived was a pin swap. The 300 plus delegates from all over the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, exchanged 4H pins with each other.
Abigail attended many workshops during her five day trip, where she learned about leadership, advocacy, and public speaking. She also participated in round table discussions regarding how to keep college aged youth involved in 4H programs. Her round table group developed ideas for a program and then created a webinar to be shown to members of the USDA for possible implementation.
Abigail was also able to spend some time touring Washington D.C. She visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History, where her favorite exhibit was of dresses worn by past first ladies.
The highlight of her trip was the time she was able to spend speaking with Congressman Joe Courtney about the importance of 4H and it's programs for youth. She was able to share with him some of the opportunities that she has had because of 4H, such as speaking at public hearings and town meetings.
From April 2- 7, Abigail Smith, a homeschooled sixteen year old, attended the National 4-H Conference in Chevy Chase Maryland. This conference raises the youth voice around issues and concerns facing youth in communities, provides opportunities for youth and adults to work cooperatively around real issues, and gives delegates the opportunity to help provide ideas for future 4-H program directions. As the only delegate from Connecticut, Abigail traveled with the group of 4-H delegates from Rhode Island. Abigail was chosen through a process which included a lengthy application and an interview, where her accomplishments in leadership, public speaking and community service were evaluated.
The first activity when they arrived was a pin swap. The 300 plus delegates from all over the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, exchanged 4H pins with each other.
Abigail attended many workshops during her five day trip, where she learned about leadership, advocacy, and public speaking. She also participated in round table discussions regarding how to keep college aged youth involved in 4H programs. Her round table group developed ideas for a program and then created a webinar to be shown to members of the USDA for possible implementation.
Abigail was also able to spend some time touring Washington D.C. She visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History, where her favorite exhibit was of dresses worn by past first ladies.
The highlight of her trip was the time she was able to spend speaking with Congressman Joe Courtney about the importance of 4H and it's programs for youth. She was able to share with him some of the opportunities that she has had because of 4H, such as speaking at public hearings and town meetings.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Our Handy Girls
We have many chickens that are older and are not producing eggs, yet they are consuming large quantities of grain. Since grain is not getting cheaper, we decided to ship the non-layers to auction, get a few bucks for them and not have to feed them.
When we checked on the requirements for bringing the birds to the auction, we discovered they wanted the chickens in wooden crates. No cardboard boxes allowed. They suggested the kind that vegetables and fruit come in. After several calls to the local grocery stores, we were unable to find any wooden ones.
Abby and Nathalie took it upon themselves to make wooden crates from scraps of wood in the garage. They used a hand saw to get the pieces to length and then hooked up Sam's pneumatic stapler to put them together. At first they loaded the stapler incorrectly and were worried that they would have to buy Dad a new one! But after some manipulation, we unjammed the stapler and got it loaded correctly.
They showed me their first completed one and then started to work on a second one. Abby says she wants the chickens "GONE"! I think they did a great job and I am thankful they both still have all their fingers!
When we checked on the requirements for bringing the birds to the auction, we discovered they wanted the chickens in wooden crates. No cardboard boxes allowed. They suggested the kind that vegetables and fruit come in. After several calls to the local grocery stores, we were unable to find any wooden ones.
Abby and Nathalie took it upon themselves to make wooden crates from scraps of wood in the garage. They used a hand saw to get the pieces to length and then hooked up Sam's pneumatic stapler to put them together. At first they loaded the stapler incorrectly and were worried that they would have to buy Dad a new one! But after some manipulation, we unjammed the stapler and got it loaded correctly.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Weeks Like This...
It's been one of those weeks. One of those weeks when I am thankful we homeschool. I am also thankful we homeschool year round, so we can take time off when we need it. We've already completed 136 days of school, so I am not concerned that barely anything was done this week.
We may not have done much "book learnin'" this week but we have learned a lot about life. Hannah's doe had triplets, with complications in the delivery. This required the vet to be called, but by the time she had arrived, Abby and I had managed to get all three babies out. Hannah learned about vet bills this week and Abby gained a whole new confidence, as she was the one with the hands small enough to help.
Because there were three babies, Hannah decided to bottle feed one, named Barcelona. So 'Lona got a crate in the basement, just outside Hannah's room, near the woodstove. Hannah got up every two hours, went out to the barn, and milked the mother (Venezuela) to feed the baby. She is thankful that now 'Lona can go every four hours and very soon will be moving back out to the barn when she can go every six hours. Hannah learned responsibility (and what sleep deprivation was) this week.
The third of the triplets, Bomakiri, had short ligaments on her front pasterns, this caused her to be unable to stand. Hannah diligently massaged and worked those ligaments every couple of hours. Hannah was optimistic when 'Kiri's front feet began to get straighter.
By the third day, I realized that there was something else wrong. The kid wasn't using her back legs correctly. Further examination showed that she had little feeling in either leg. Hannah took a day to think about what to do, and decided that 'Kiri needed to be put down. She had made a very tough decision, but the right one. Kiri would never be able to walk, which would significantly diminish her quality of life. Hannah called the vet and she came as quickly as she could. She was wonderful with Hannah, and confirmed my diagnosis so that Hannah would have no doubts about her decision.
Some have said that I put too much on my children's shoulders. That I give them too much responsibility and they are too young to have to make such hard decisions. Yes, the decisions Hannah had to make this week were difficult, but I was always there beside her. Explaining, answering her questions, making suggestions,guiding.
I knew what the outcome was going to be, and patiently waited until Hannah was ready to step on that path. What a picture of what God, our Father, does for us all! How many times has God patiently waited for me to stop arguing, second guessing, and rationalizing. When I am finally ready, He guides me, supports me, and helps me as I walk the path He has set before me.
Hannah also had her sister, Abby, helping her. Abby has had to make those types of decisions in the past and Abby was able to help Hannah in ways only a sister could. Abby helped Hannah dig the hole, showing her how big it needed to be. I will never forget the image I saw from my kitchen window, of the big sister standing beside the younger, both leaning on shovels, one with the arm across the other's shoulders. It wasn't just Hannah who grew this week, Abby did too.
I believe my kids have a perspective about life, that few other kids have. They know that these are animals and that we are their caretakers. They understand that animals are different from people and that we love them in different ways. They know that making tough decisions is part of "real life" and that not everything goes the way they want it to. They understand that sometimes, even Mom, as amazing as she is, can't fix everything. They know that even though bad things can happen, Mom, Dad, sisters, and God will always support them and help them through it.
Those are all pretty good things to know, even if you are just thirteen.
We may not have done much "book learnin'" this week but we have learned a lot about life. Hannah's doe had triplets, with complications in the delivery. This required the vet to be called, but by the time she had arrived, Abby and I had managed to get all three babies out. Hannah learned about vet bills this week and Abby gained a whole new confidence, as she was the one with the hands small enough to help.
Because there were three babies, Hannah decided to bottle feed one, named Barcelona. So 'Lona got a crate in the basement, just outside Hannah's room, near the woodstove. Hannah got up every two hours, went out to the barn, and milked the mother (Venezuela) to feed the baby. She is thankful that now 'Lona can go every four hours and very soon will be moving back out to the barn when she can go every six hours. Hannah learned responsibility (and what sleep deprivation was) this week.
The third of the triplets, Bomakiri, had short ligaments on her front pasterns, this caused her to be unable to stand. Hannah diligently massaged and worked those ligaments every couple of hours. Hannah was optimistic when 'Kiri's front feet began to get straighter.
By the third day, I realized that there was something else wrong. The kid wasn't using her back legs correctly. Further examination showed that she had little feeling in either leg. Hannah took a day to think about what to do, and decided that 'Kiri needed to be put down. She had made a very tough decision, but the right one. Kiri would never be able to walk, which would significantly diminish her quality of life. Hannah called the vet and she came as quickly as she could. She was wonderful with Hannah, and confirmed my diagnosis so that Hannah would have no doubts about her decision.
Some have said that I put too much on my children's shoulders. That I give them too much responsibility and they are too young to have to make such hard decisions. Yes, the decisions Hannah had to make this week were difficult, but I was always there beside her. Explaining, answering her questions, making suggestions,guiding.
I knew what the outcome was going to be, and patiently waited until Hannah was ready to step on that path. What a picture of what God, our Father, does for us all! How many times has God patiently waited for me to stop arguing, second guessing, and rationalizing. When I am finally ready, He guides me, supports me, and helps me as I walk the path He has set before me.
Hannah also had her sister, Abby, helping her. Abby has had to make those types of decisions in the past and Abby was able to help Hannah in ways only a sister could. Abby helped Hannah dig the hole, showing her how big it needed to be. I will never forget the image I saw from my kitchen window, of the big sister standing beside the younger, both leaning on shovels, one with the arm across the other's shoulders. It wasn't just Hannah who grew this week, Abby did too.
I believe my kids have a perspective about life, that few other kids have. They know that these are animals and that we are their caretakers. They understand that animals are different from people and that we love them in different ways. They know that making tough decisions is part of "real life" and that not everything goes the way they want it to. They understand that sometimes, even Mom, as amazing as she is, can't fix everything. They know that even though bad things can happen, Mom, Dad, sisters, and God will always support them and help them through it.
Those are all pretty good things to know, even if you are just thirteen.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Abby Versus The Garbage Compactor
Many years ago my parents gifted us with their old garbage compactor when they were redoing their kitchen. This compactor is one of my favorite appliances. I will shed tears if it ever dies. Our town "dump" charges $2.00 per bag of garbage. You can imagine how much garbage a family of seven makes, even with recycling and composting. The compactor takes a week's (or more) worth of trash and smashes it to the size of a small kitchen garbage can; saving us hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the years. You can also imagine that after a few weeks time it gets quite grungy and smelly. This week, Abby was assigned to clean the compactor. A few minutes after giving her the instructions, I came upstairs to find this:
Monday, October 19, 2009
Abby Will Kill Me...
but I just couldn't resist posting this conversation:
Me: "You know Abby, now that you and Hannah are sharing a room, (we've given Nathalie her own room and bunked Abby and Hannah together. SHhhh! Nathalie doesn't know yet! She's in North Carolina visiting my parents.) you could help her through some of the hard things about growing up, becoming a teenage girl, dealing with mom and dad..."
Abby: "Okay, first bit of advice Hannah: Don't EVER call mom stupid. At least not to her face. It doesn't end well."
I just about died laughing! Maybe you had to be there....
Me: "You know Abby, now that you and Hannah are sharing a room, (we've given Nathalie her own room and bunked Abby and Hannah together. SHhhh! Nathalie doesn't know yet! She's in North Carolina visiting my parents.) you could help her through some of the hard things about growing up, becoming a teenage girl, dealing with mom and dad..."
Abby: "Okay, first bit of advice Hannah: Don't EVER call mom stupid. At least not to her face. It doesn't end well."
I just about died laughing! Maybe you had to be there....
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