Cookin' and Dancin'

In my last video update, I talked about how Sam’s initiation is starting to kick in and that he wants to be more involved in what I’m doing. Currently, it’s small steps but we’re heading in the right direction!

I took this video on 11/18/20 at 5:55pm. It was such a wonderful night! By the time I’m cooking dinner, Sam had had a full day of therapy and normally wants to relax in the living room but this time he chose to hang with me in the kitchen. Originally, he was sitting down but then, ON HIS OWN, he stood up and came behind me while I was prepping. I asked if he wanted to help me with a recipe I was winging and he did. Together, we decided on the right oven temperature and that it might actually turn out edible 😹

When this song came on, ON HIS OWN, he stretched out his arms to me. Thinking he wanted a hug, and I’m always up for Sam hugs, I moved in close. Imagine my surprise when he starting swaying, dancing to the music just like we used to do when cooking together!! As much as I didn’t want to interrupt, I HAD to take a quick video. Not the best angle or in general good camera work but my mind was elsewhere, remembering all the times we had danced together and all the memories we have to this song.

Then, if all of this wasn’t enough, ON HIS OWN, he kissed me 😻 I don’t think you’ll be able to pick it up in the video but he ever so slightly moved his head towards me so I lifted my face up to his. Kissing me is the one thing he has initiated consistently during this whole journey so I’m very attuned to his movement. I mean, hugs are fabulous but kisses are even better, right?!?

The end, as I’m correcting how he’s scratching his chin, shows that therapy is never really over. We are constantly working, pushing, reminding his body how to move correctly. Even when I try to enjoy the moment, I automatically move in to adjust him. It might seem like I’m overbearing or a workaholic (both of which are true) but, with Sam’s recovery, repetition is key. Lucky for me, he rarely gets frustrated or aggravated. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sam truly makes this as easy as he possibly can 💛

A la facebook Memories

Caption from my sister’s FB original post back in 2011:

what this??...why, it's sk (aka Samantha Koontz) in the paper, with beloved bf Sam Strider Halbert.

how did i not know of this until today when we happen to pop into ingles?? <3

From our second year volunteering together at Blue Mountain Pizza for the community Thanksgiving dinner 😻 I remember being SO thrilled that Matt put me in charge of the pie table. I also remember Sam and I joking that he was checking out my butt vs the pies in this picture...front page news indeed 😹

We started weaning down Sam’s seizure meds on Friday. 💃🏻 It’s a very slow, gradual process but everything is normal so far. With all the meds we’ve taken him off of, I have a good idea what to expect. Right now, we’ve got the extra tiredness and things being just a bit harder. We hold at this level (down by ~8%) for 2 weeks and then do another drop. This is one of what I call the ‘heavy hitters,’ high doses, very intense medication and he’s been on it since his injury in July of 2019. It’s a very exciting but also very anxious time 😬

BUT, right now, everything is great! We got some AMAZING new yesterday that I’ll fill everyone in on soon. I’m making some real progress on a personal project I’ve been working on. Life is good, y’all! Loves 💛

#SaveSamStrider

Social Media work

I’ve noticed we receive the most engagement off of the quick posts so I’m trying to get better at those. Here’s some recent efforts…I really leaned into that purple pretty hard, huh?

Getting Back At It!

Right when I was getting into my (photo)blogging routine, Sam and I had an super duper medical emergency. I’m not going into details since I feel like everyone who follows this blog knows everything that’s happened.

I’ve wondered what I should do over here now…continue the photo blog style, return to a traditional blog feel, discontinue it all together since I have so many other platforms to keep updated??? I knew that I didn’t want to take it down but does it make sense to continue after such a dramatic life change? I’m still deciding but, while I do, I figured I should make use of the platform. I think I’ll use this as a central point for updates…maybe. So indecisive, right?

Anyway, I’m working on letting things happen organically. It seems to be how we’re getting our best results and outcomes so I’m going to lean into it! If you follow our GoFundMe or the Facebook group (Save Sam Strider), you’ve already seen this video but I thought it would be a good starting point for me to get back at this whole blogging thing. Plus, I think there’s maybe a few of you that aren’t on social media so haven’t seen it yet or any of the other video or written updates I post. Since this might be your first time viewing one of my video updates, I’ll prepare you. They are LONG! So you’ve been warned!!

I don’t think you’ll see the video description I posted on YouTube if you play it directly from the blog. So here’s that:

Our blessings have been piling up over here and I had to do a video update!! I mentioned it at the end but please use the code GIVETHANKS to get 20% off our whole site, PaintForkFarm.com, until 11:59pm on 12/1/2020. Thank you all so much for staying with us on this miraculous, amazing journey!!! Loves 💛💛💛 Side note: I kept saying 2020 was going to be a good year and I obviously meant 2021 😹)

LINKS:

Carolina Hemp Company

Flynn Fitness Facebook Page

Shed Light Cold Lasers

APEX Brain Centers

2019: Week 30

July 22 - July 28

Strawflower

Our first! This was a trial crop and, while we probably won’t have any to sell this year, we are going to try again next year.

Squash!

Remembrance

I made this hoop for a friend. Her mom passed last year and was a crafter. She gifted me a lot of her mom’s supplies so I thought it would be nice to make her a hoop with her mom’s floss. Forget-me-nots and her mom’s name.

Remembrance (Back)

40 Shades Of Green

It looks much better in the smaller hoop! Pictured in the larger hoop on last week’s blog (2019: Week 29)

40 Shades Of Green

Not sure why I offset my signature so much. I’ve been trying to do my signature freehand so I can get some practice.

40 Shades Of Green

When I dropped the hoop size down to a 4 inch vs a 5 inch, I lost a lot of the outside ring. Unfortunate because that was my favorite one but it does look really cool traveling around to the back.

Crepe Myrtle

We had 2 straight days of pretty hard rain and it destroyed this bush.

Crepe Myrtle

Just pounded it to the ground, took over our walkway and tossed out a wren’s nest (and the baby bird inside). Baby did not survive :(

Crepe Myrtle

Hard to get a shot but the center was a big whole.

Stained Glass Time

Sam and I bought some stained glass supplies and are diving in!

Stained Glass Time

Cutting out his pieces

Stained Glass Time

Soldering his joins.

Stained Glass Time

My piece, ready for solder.

Stained Glass Time

Not very happy with my solder lines but I’ll get better. I was really good at this part back when I first started but it has been years. Hard to not hold yourself to the same standards but I know I’ll get there.

New World

Another hoop completed! Really loving embroidery!! I did forget a comma and it’s kinda driving me crazy.

New World

Experimenting with different looks on my backings.

New World

LOVE how this color work turned out!! I used 3 different colors, single strand of each, while doing the satin stitch.

Off She Goes!

Sold the Mystery Truck to a really nice guy. He’s going to take her apart and finish off 2 other S10’s he working on. Very happy that she’s going to good use!

Embroidery?

This one really hits home as we are going through a rough spot right now. Amusingly, the same sentiment that my Dad emailed me after I was explaining some of our problems. I guess when you need to hear something, it will come at you from all sides until you listen!!

Embroidery?

Embroidery?

Embroidery?

Truck Work

A cool picture Sam took while we worked on the F150.

Cats!

These jerks have been keeping us up at night! Love ‘em but also want to punt them outside and never let them back in!!

Storm rolled in a stayed a couple days. While it was awesome to enjoy the rain and it brought much cooler temperatures, it caused a lot of damage. Le sigh, it was a nice rain though.

Kit purchased on Amazon.com

From cutting to soldering, here is Sam working on his first ever stained glass piece! A little lead came around the outside, patina and a nice scrub and he's all done!!

2019: Week 29

July 15 - July 21

Up For Sale!

Sam took some sweet pictures of my hoops!

Up For Sale!

We’re very happy with the light box we bought off Amazon. Easy to produce professional shots for listing.

Up For Sale!

Listing is live so I need to go back and add the tags.

Up For Sale!

I ordered some water resistant, padded envelopes for shipping. Fingers crossed these move!!

Cobb Night!

Original plan was to have Italian subs for dinner but Sam started thinking burgers so we busted out the Cobb.

Caught!

Sam, snacking on brussels

Cobb Money Shot

Hey, Cobb, need any promotional footage?!? Check out this sweet burger shot!

Color Study: Green

Finished and backed the color study hoop but I didn’t like how it looked. I was a bit wonky on the light green and, when I designed the hoop, I didn’t realize it would show the edge. I wanted the green to go all the way to the hoop so I bought a smaller hoop and will reback it. Pictures to come!

Flowers And Clay 2019

Another local flower farmer and her husband (a potter) hosted an event on their farm. Sam and I went to support and go on the farm tour.

Flowers And Clay 2019

Their place is absolutely amazing! Very envious but I had to remind myself that they’ve been here 12 years. What vision though!

Flowers And Clay 2019

Found this guy chilling by the pottery studio entrance.

Flowers And Clay 2019

Big ole grasshopper!

Flowers And Clay 2019

View walking down to the event

Flowers And Clay 2019

You know how much I love willows and this one was particularly beautiful!

Flowers And Clay 2019

Making bricks! My second time but Sam’s first. So much fun!

Flowers And Clay 2019

Each brick is stamped on the sides with the project information.

Flowers And Clay 2019

A look at Josh’s wares. Sam and I loved all his angular pieces.

Saving a cedar waxwing that was caught in bird netting! Sweet and beautiful bird. So happy I found it before one of our cats (looking at you Scoops!) did.

Making burgers on the Cobb!

Touring Carolina Flowers during the Flowers and Clay event and a quick look at one of my favorite of Josh's pieces. HUGE thanks and congratulations to Emily and Josh Copus on their first Flowers and Clay event. It was a smashing success and we had such a good time!

Back again and still loving those apples!

2019: Week 28

July 8 - July 14

We had a lot of driving around this week. Couple that with trying to stay on top of weeding over on the farm and it makes for a light week for picture taking.

New Farm Truck!

Picked up this Ford F-150 in Bakersville to replace the S10 (frame broke and is too rusty to weld back).

New Farm Truck!

Standard with 4 wheel drive, this baby is FUN to drive! Still getting used to how large it is but so happy to be back to driving standard. 1) It’s FUN! 2) I’m a better driver when I’m using a standard. Literally forces me to pay more attention. 3) More control over gas usage. 4) Fewer and fewer people know how to drive stick so I feel like a badass ;)

Color Study: Green

Using 40 different shades of green on this one, kinda sprialing out from light to dark and then (not pictured) into brighter hues.

Color Study: Green

I plan on using this pattern to play around with different color and pattern studies. Another fully designed by me, I’m particularly pleased with this because I didn’t make all the circles even. Designing is hard for me because I tend to want everything to be perfectly even but I know that odd numbers and variation are more visually interesting.

2019: Week 27

July 1 - July 7

Advice From Audrey

One of my all time favorites, Audrey is so classy!

Date Day!

Saw this fellow out on the Blue Ridge Parkway, taking his tiny car for a walk! I thought it was awesome that the tiny one matches his big one ;)

Date Day!

We found $1 oysters in Black Mountain! Cool seafood restaurant, named Que Sera, and the oysters were delicious!!

Date Day!

The oyster shucker let me take a picture of his station. Check out all of those beauties!! Seriously, can I live there?!?

Date Day!

After visiting Randy at BAD Craft, we stopped by Foothills Butcher Bar. They are a local meat only butcher shop with a restaurant attached. We stop by every time we’re in Black Mountain and always get a butcher board.

Date Day!

Since it’s our 3rd or 4th visit to Foothills, I finally opted for the hot dog. Classic style: ketchup, yellow mustard, relish and onions.

Date Day!

Everyone raves about Foothills’ bologna so Sam went for their fried bologna sandwich. It was better than the hot dog which I can’t believe I’m saying!! So good, we bought a pound of it. At $14/#, this is the most expensive bologa I’ve ever had!!

Dehydrator Time!

Peaches from BMP owner, Matt Danford! First off, these are the best peaches ever and Matt buys a case per employee every year. (Talk about job perks!) Second, they turned out awesome! Did a lemon juice soak, like with the apples, and they came out almost like fruit leather vs dried fruit. VERY delicious! Sending some to Matt as a thank you.

So our friend, Jon, likes to make up his own jokes. This one is about a musician that plays at Blue Mountain Pizza, named Ben Phan. Possibly my favorite Jon Joke to date!

I really liked the tone of these chimes, very relaxing. Reminded me of some that my parents' neighbor has up around his property.

Our farm update is a week late again and I've already forgotten the order of the Dahlias we planted. Oops! Luckily, the varieties are quite different so I'll be able to identify once they start blooming.

2019: Week 26

June 24 - June 30

Fancy Dinner

Sam and I are trying to be better about stopping at a decent hour so we can have a nice meal together. These crabcakes were bought from Ingles, on special, and turned out to be really delicious! Sam whipped up a quick, kinda random aioli/tartar sauce. Broccoli was steamed and corn roasted in the oven.

Frog!

Found this little guy while we were transplanting over 700 Dahlias!

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Lots of pictures since it was my first time using the Cobb grill.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Coals looking nice!

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Big Fatties! These NY strips were another Ingles score.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Jon came over with Freaka to help us weed so we cooked him a nice dinner as a thank you. The boys played the ring game while I cooked and took notes.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Jon’s victory hook!

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Praising the ring game gods for his success

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

The sky was super red orange though it doesn’t show up while in the picture. Still not quite used to the view without the trees.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Sam’s (slightly out of focus) victory hook!

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Huzzah!!

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

The potatoes took much longer in the oven than I anticipated so I had to do a second round of coals to cook the second round of NY strips. Wine, water, onions and smashed garlic cloves are in the moat.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Round one, Big Fatties

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Round one, looking more medium in the picture but they were nice and med-rare.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Round two, more grilled vs roasted.

Inaugural Cobb Grilling

Round two, settled out to medium.

The Sam Squared Show

Celebrated our 1 year anniversary of podcasting!!

Embroidery Floss

I wouldn’t allow myself to start a new project before I organized all the floss. The top box has anything that I have more than one bobbin of and the larger box is all the singles.

Embroidery Floss

So pretty! About 90% of this was gifted to me. A friend’s mom passed so she gave me her mom’s stash.

Embroidery Floss

A cool picture Sam took of my floss.

A deer eating fallen apples first thing in the morning. This one, or at least I think this is the one, likes to sleep with our chickens and visit me while I weed. It's becoming a 'deer' friend ;)

2019: Week 25

June 17 - June 23

French Broad River

Farm work was a light week (just maintenance) and it was supposed to rain all day on Monday and Tuesday. We had a lot of housework to do but, since it was sunny and beautiful, played hooky for a few hours.

French Broad River

Our friend, Jon, suggested a quick swim trip so we threw on the suits and went to join him at a sweet, secret spot by Ledges River Park (approx 10 miles/25 mins away).

French Broad River

We had a wonderful time roaming out on the river and there were even a few spots you could actually swim! Swimming into the current was like one of those endless swimming pools (or at least that’s what I gather from the commercials).

French Broad River

We made it almost all the way to ‘Rock Island’ (large, squarish on left) but the clouds were rolling in so we headed back to the shore. We probably could’ve made it. We had about 20 extra minutes hanging on the shores and playing in the water before the storm rolled in but better safe than sorry, especially on the river!

Zillicoah Brewing

Hopped over to Zillicoah, a super sweet brewery on the river, to have a beer and meet up with Erin. It was the first day of Girls’ Rock Asheville camp so we got to hear all the exciting stories from day one.

Dehydrator Trials

Pineapple, one regular ripeness and the other super ripe. Took about 13 hours for the regular one and an extra 2 from the super ripe. (It was extra juicy!)

Dehydrator Trials

Gala apples soaking in lemon water before heading into the dehydrator. They took right at 12 hours.

Dehydrator Trials

Lined up, spread out and ready to go! Started it up at 9 pm so it would run through the night. It puts off some heat so I figured night was better. Plus, it just works better with our schedules.

Dehydrator Trials

Pineapple turned out perfect! Oh my gosh, I just want to do pineapple all the time!! The apples were good but I’ll change the way I cut them up next time. I did wedges that I cut in half so they didn’t dry very evenly. The thinner side was like apple chips and the thicker was more like regular dried apples. I like both ways but, together, it was kinda odd.

Egg surplus!

Eggs haven’t been selling well so we had quite a surplus piling up. I didn’t want to waste them so I made 48 egg muffins. Super easy! Just scramble some eggs, add in extra bits (I did some with spinach and mushroom and others with hot sausage and cheddar), spray a muffin pan and cook for about 20 mins on 350 (I think!)

Egg surplus!

I have them cooling upside down (no reason for the upside down part, just how I happened to put the on the racks) before freezing most. They look kinda weird but are really delicious! I forgot I had feta for the spinach and mushroom ones…oops! Great for a fast breakfast or snack. Lots of protein to keep you going. You can heat them up in the oven of microwave but I normally just eat them cold.

Finished Hoop

My completed Futurama hoop! LOVE how it turned out! I think my satin stitch is really improving!!

Finished Hoop

Tried a different backing method: felt. Not sure which way I like more as of yet. The felt is much easier to keep tight and flat so that’s a plus. It does add some weight and bulk. I’m interested in which holds up better over time. (Side note: why did I make the Z so large?)

Moth Friend

This guy was hanging out at Blue Mountain after work one night. So fuzzy!

Moth Friend

The lighting was awkward so the pictures aren’t super sharp.

Flag Change Up

My parents gave us this flag during our long home/land search. It’s been up for about 3 years but started falling apart. I’ve taken it down and hopefully can fix it but I’m not quite sure.

Flag Change Up

Meanwhile, Sam found this cutie at Ace Hardware so it’s up and flying.

Hair Cut

First day of summer requires a new ‘do! I’ve been in a bit of a hair rut so I decided to take it back to high school and buzz it off! So much cooler and really shows off all my grey! Plus, there’s just something liberating about buzzing your hair. Definitely makes you feel like a badass!!

2019: Week 24

June 10 - June 16

Finishing Up Seed Tape

While making the last of the seed tape, Sam snapped this cute pic

Red Tailed Hawk!!

Sam found this fella on the side of the road and took him to a wildlife rehab. So cool!

Wildlife Rehab Info

These are the folks that meet up with Sam and took his hawk. We touched base with them and the hawk is doing well! They think it was concussed so it should be released very soon.

As a 35 year old, I can attest to this being totally true ;)

Veggie!

We spend right at $130 on these starts. Cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, marigolds, basil, rosemary, dill, thyme, oregano, pickling cucumber, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon, and peppers!

Veggies!

Laying out the spacing

Veggies!

Sam, watering away! He’s been so awesome and has stayed on top of watering the farm.

Stocking Up

Vacuum sealing feta and bratwurst for the chest freezer

Hello, friend!

Hello, friend!

Hello, friend!

Do you see the deer?? This one has been sleeping in with the side flock. (There’s a video in this post of her leaving.)

Girls Rock Asheville

Camp starts this week and the showcase is the 22nd! I’m working all day but will be there in spirit.

DERP!

She joined us for an edition of chicken chat on our podcast. Such a good chicken!!

Hollyhock

We did a trial of hollyhock last year. We didn’t get flowers because we planted it too late but they came back strong this year!

Hollyhock

This is a double variety so the flower are extra poofy! Sam said they remind him of the white coffee flower we made for our wedding.

A very special guest on The Sam Squared Show, Derp joins us for an episode of Chicken Chat.

A neighbor's Great Dane attacked our chickens! Luckily, everyone made it out alive. Scrimshaw defended his ladies and was snatched up. He's bruised but otherwise fine. I'm breathless from running around and freaking out!

This beauty was sleeping with our side flock. I interrupted her sleep so off she goes!

Our weekly work and updates on the farm

2019: Week 23

June 3 - 9

Future Reference

I follow a shepherd from England (James Rebanks). I like what he posts so, when he said he loved this book, i figured I would snap a pic to check it out later.

Superman!

The Superman poster I reference in the podcast. From the 50’s but so relevant today!

For My Dad

A cool art installation. I can’t quite remember the name but I think it was ‘The Effect Of A Book.’

Dahlias

The seeds we started on our work day are going great!!

Colorado Yarrow

A perennial we’ve been working on 2 years is really going well this year.

Colorado Yarrow

Very long stems and the colors are really beautiful

Colorado Yarrow

We’ll be moving this to a new area this fall and adding more in. I love it! Plus, it doesn’t need any help over the winter!!

Marshall Mermaid Festival

Slinging drinks during the seafood cook off

Marshall Mermaid Festival

The decorations were on point!

Marshall Mermaid Festival

Folks are piling in!

Marshall Mermaid Festival

Hanging with my sis, a mermaid, dressed as a pirate! So much fun!!

Dance Party

I went to a friend’s for a dance party and her daughter (who was sleeping at a friend’s) said I was the only one allowed to sleep in her room! So dang sweet!!

Filmed a week late! We show what we did on the farm for Week 23 and include an update on the overall farm's progress.

2019: Week 22

May 27 - June 2

All about SNAPDRAGONS this week!!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

We weedeated around the beds and they are doing surprisingly well considering we totally neglected them!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

I thought I was going to do a quick harvest…

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Turned out to be MUCH larger than I thought!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Too mature to sell but absolutely gorgeous!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Working on the ‘professional’ poses

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Couldn’t believe how many we cut!!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Still not quite comfortable in front of the camera

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Gotta be silly for at least one ;)

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Forgot to mention that these are Chantilly snaps

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Close up on those petals!

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Arranging by stem length and color (Longest)

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

So many pictures…can you tell we are pumped about them?!? (Shorties and some medium length)

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Medium Length

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

Good part of extra flowers, 3 mason jars for around the house! Everyone thinks flower farmers always have flowers at their house but it’s a lie! This was a really big treat for us.

Snapdragon Overwintering Trial

I took these larger jars into Blue Mountain Pizza and the ladies at my Suntrust branch. They’re always so sweet to us and it’s nice to have some to share around.

New Embroidery Hoop

I’ve been wanting to do a Futurama hoop ever since I started. Bender has so many awesome quotes! Keeping pretty basic with this one. Going to fill in Bender and back it in a slightly smaller hoop (5 in size).

2019: Week 21

May 20 - May 26

Work Day At The Farm!

Dark, rich earth and straight furrows, is there anything more beautiful?!? Lookin’ super professional!!

Work Day At The Farm!

Sammi, Jon and Stephen transplanting away

Work Day At The Farm!

Using the trailer to move all the starts over…of course, we had to give out some rides first ;)

Work Day At The Farm!

Loaded up and looking great!

Work Day At The Farm!

Down into the field they go!

Work Day At The Farm!

Erin joins the party

Work Day At The Farm!

Transplanting and watering away. I love Stephen’s hat!

Work Day At The Farm!

Direct seeding nigella with the pre-made seed tape. It goes so fast!!

Freaka Photo Shoot

She sooooo long…not really ;)

Freaka Photo Shoot

Erin’s girl, fresh from the vet, had a blast roaming about.

Freaka Photo Shoot

She’s blind nowadays so we all took turns hanging out and helping her around the property.

Freaka Photo Shoot

Erin’s chilling in the hammock by the firepit after a hard day’s work.

Freaka Photo Shoot

She lost her sight recently but you couldn’t tell! Freaka was rocking it, totally fearless!!

Freaka Photo Shoot

Her little snoot in the air

Freaka Photo Shoot

I love these with Erin in the background

Work Day On The Farm!

Everything’s put up and the field is looking amazing! I think this angles shows how open it’s become since the trees came down.

Jerky!

Sam’s breaking in our new dehydrator by testing out different jerky recipes. YUM!

Jerky!

Missed getting a complete shot but it was fabulous!!

Chantilly Snapdragons

By far my favorite color on the Chantilly snaps! Even beats out the yellow which was a surprise.

Chantilly Snapdragons

These were the best producing color of all our trials. I need to go back and add in the official color names for reference.

Chantilly Snapdragons

The yellow are beautiful but I think the peach color was stronger and more vibrant. I do think these would go really well with the ageratum (tall blue planet) that we grew last year. I think it would mellow the purple out and help it (the ageratum) blend better in bouquets.

Bowie is Gross!

She got some dreads building up so we cut them off before they could get any bigger. We didn’t do a great job (first time trying to cut a cat’s hair!) so she looks a bit gross.

Jerky!

Sam, hard at work prepping everything before work.

Dezarae's Embroidery Hoop!

Designed by Sam and I, I did this project for my friend, Dezarae.

Dezarae's Embroidery Hoop!

Detail shot: I’m very proud of the color work on the lupine (purple flowers) and the fill on ‘FUCKING.’ Tried some new techniques and I loved how it turned out!!

Dezarae's Embroidery Hoop!

First hoop I’ve fully finished! Most of mine are sitting in a pile, waiting to be backed. Luckily, it’s not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. I snuck in a (slightly) hidden message on the back.

Random Funny

This just cracked me up! The cat’s face, coupled with the caption, is PERFECT!

Uploaded by Paint Fork Farm on 2019-06-12.

Farmer Stephen away!

Relaxing and enjoying some fireworks after the work day

2019: Week 20

May 13 - May 19

River Steps

The view from the bottom (at the TN river) looking up the steps to my parents’ house

At The River Bank

Mom explaining the work they’ve done since purchasing the property (A LOT!), plus how the recent flooding affected the area.

Sam on Oval Rock

We saw so many turtles hanging out on this rock, we thought it should be renamed turtle rock!

Ta-Da!

Rock Steps

These lead from the river bank to the river steps.

Another view of River Steps

This one shows the second, or top, flight better.

Path To The Steps

Lots of time and effort go into maintaining such a nice, clear path.

Bye, Bye Shed

There was an old shed here. My parents used it as a sort of base camp for fishing. The flood took it all away and nature is already returning.

Closer View

These bottom set of steps are at a greater angle than the top set.

TN River

Standing at the bottom of the river steps, where the shed used to be. On the river, a barge passes by.

Up we go!

Top Set

Lower angle on this set.

Catfish Fry!!

Looks like it could be a restaurant!

Catfish Fry!!

First round of fries going in. These were cut with my Dad’s new fry cutter.

Catfish Fry!!

Down they go! Just a few to make sure timing is right.

Catfish Fry!!

Golden and delicious!

Catfish Fry!!

Get out of there! We’re hungry!

Catfish Fry!!

YUM!

Catfish Fry!!

Main event, round one

Catfish Fry!!

Perfection!!

Catfish Fry!!

Dad’s outdoor kitchen. He still has some things in progress but it absolutely works!

Catfish Fry!!

Whatcha doing, Sam?

Catfish Fry!!

Caught! Stealin’ our sweet potato fries!!

Catfish Fry!!

Our usual, crazy selfie

Catfish Fry!!

We set up the nice, restaurant worthy table but no one wanted to move very far away from the food…I mean, action ;)

Catfish Fry!!

Fry Cheers!!

Catfish Fry!!

So much catfish, so little time.

Pictures On the Wall

Every visitor adds some art on each visit. Sam drew the fish and I wrote a little poem (using the form of an old classic that starts, ‘What a wonderful bird is the pelican’)

Wall Art

Better shot of all Sam’s fish.

Ready to Transplant

Very nice looking Strawflower!

Ready To Transplant

Everything looking really nice! Huge thanks to Jon for farm sitting for us!!

2019: Week 19

May 6 - May 12

It's alive!

Found this creature when we were moving cement blocks. Any ideas on what it is?

Pre Tree Work

Post Tree Work

Post Tree Work

Crazy how different it looks!

View From Riverhouse

Gorgeous night on the deck

Photo session

We weren’t quite prepared for the brisk weather but my parents had blankies for us to borrow.

Photo Session

The boys want in on the action!

Photo Session

Greyton and Guinness showing their ‘best’ sides ;)

Photo Session

Photo Session

I get in on the action now but Guinness ditches the party.

Mom's Cake

Fancy white wine cake made by my mom!

Mom's Cake

It was delicious!

Chillin'

Taking a soak in my parents’ hot tub, which is really more of a therapy tub. Those jets were kickin’!

Painting Time

Doing some watercolors with the Let’s Make Art kits my sister sent my mom and I. Way too critical of my own but it was really fun to do!!

Using my parents' super cool ping pong table for a bit of practice before the ultimate showdown!

A quick roundabout on the deck at my parents' house. How beautiful!!

Major tree removal happening! We hired Southern Appalachian Forestry and Ecology (https://www.facebook.com/safeforestwnc/) for this project and are very pleased with his work so far. Can't wait to see everything finished!

2019: Week 18

April 29 - May 2

Ramp Town!

All cleaned and prepped

Ramp Town!

They’re such pretty veggies!

Ramp Town!

Trying to get that perfect shot

Ramp Town!

Fresh, butter, pesto, mustard and fresh to be frozen…oh and an apple pie because the apples were about to go bad and pie is delicious!

Apple Pie

The top crust decoration really came out nicely this time.

Ramp Town!

That’s a lot of ramp product! We’re getting so much better at utilizing our harvest. LOVE IT!!

Ramp Town!

The overhead shot

Quickie Lunch Bowl

Might not look like much but this was so amazing! Eggs from the girls, leftover collards from BonFire BBQ and some goat cheese that was about to expire. YUM!

Poussin

These were gifted to our friend, Stephen, from our boss, Matt. Stephen then passed them onto us. First time cooking poussin, or young chicken. (Specifically less than 28 days old and weighing between 400-450 grams.)

Poussin

I roasted the poussin in our Lodge Dutch oven with a wild rice and ramp stuffing. Sam took care of the sides, steamed broccoli and sauteed fiddlehead ferns.

Poussin

The fiddlehead ferns were wild harvested when we went ramp hunting. Our first time trying them as well. I liked them though they are quite fuzzy.

Sales!

I actually got an order! Snapped this picture because I really liked how the tagging came out. Besides the wording, I offset the price so it can be cut off easily in case it’s a gift.

Sam finds new uses for his favorite knife https://www.kabar.com/products/product.jsp?item=becker-necker

Resetting beds after some early mistakes and flooding. Quick update on beets and seedlings.

2019: Week 17

April 22 - April 28

Another week with lots of pictures because we CELEBRATED MY BIRTHDAY!!! Woot, woot!! Oh and the driveway was fixed!

Ramp Hike

Pictures never to the views justice

Ramp Hike

Jon and Sam chat about the various mountain peaks

Ramp Hike

Perfect log for resting

Ramp Hike

Jon, when asked for a classy pose ;)

Biltmore Tour

One of the many porches with a spectacular view

Biltmore Tour

Can you imagine living here?!?

Biltmore Tour

Sunny selfie

Biltmore Tour

Staircase and chandelier

Biltmore Tour

How would they even light all those candles?

Biltmore Tour

The ceilings were amazing! Each one was different.

Biltmore Tour

Even the moulding was specific for each room

Biltmore Tour

Kinda creepy

Biltmore Tour

Biltmore Tour

Don’t eat me, fish!

Biltmore Tour

Chinese wisteria absolutely buzzing with bees

Biltmore Tour

So lush!

Biltmore Tour

So many plants, so little time

Biltmore Tour

Biltmore Tour

Couldn’t decide which picture I liked better…thoughts?

Biltmore Tour

Tiny with lots of detail

Biltmore Tour

Being extra but, hey, it’s my bday and it’s the freaking Biltmore!

Biltmore Tour

Can’t keep the serious face going

Biltmore Tour

Why, yes, I did bring an extra fan from our wedding

Biltmore Tour

What are they?

Biltmore Tour

Tiny bananas?

Biltmore Tour

Don’t care, I am in love with them!

Biltmore Tour

You know he loves me

Biltmore Tour

because he never complains

Biltmore Tour

about how many pictures

Biltmore Tour

I ask him to pose for!

Biltmore Tour

Nearing the end and getting a bit tired

Biltmore Tour

Ending the house and grounds tour with strawberry ice cream

Biltmore Tour

Onto the wine tasting!

Biltmore Tour

I’m a child and thought bung hole was hilarious

Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar

Fancy drinks!

Shoji Spa

The view from our private tub

Shoji Spa

The tub and our chilled prosecco

Shoji Spa

They supplied the chiller and ice, very nice set up.

Shoji Spa

Fancy robes and towels

Shoji Spa

Shoji Spa

I loved the way the light came through this fencing into the tub

Shoji Spa

Shoji Spa

Sam soaking and enjoying the view

Shoji Spa

Yup, another "‘Let me take a ton of pictures of you, babe!’ moment

Shoji Spa

Shoji Spa

Love this one of him laughing!

Shoji Spa

Alright, a few selfies and I’ll stop

Shoji Spa

Shoji Spa

It took all my adultness not to ring this bell!

Driveway Repairs!

Rocks and rocks!

Driveway Repairs!

Driveway Repairs!

Almost done!

Ramps on our Property

We harvested some ramps with roots on and transplanted them to the patch on our property. Hoping to help build it up!

The fanciest shower I have ever been in!! At Shoji Spa in Asheville, NC. I did make sure that there was no one else in the bathroom (and shower of course) before taking the video. It was amazing! Reminded me of the prefects bathroom in Harry Potter!!

2019: Week 16

April 15 - April 21

Still playing catch up over here but lots of exciting things in the work! We did a ton of work on the chicken areas, had a beautiful shed delivered to the farm and lost our driveway in a flood. We took a ton of pictures and videos so, be warned, this is a LONG post!!

Feed Area: Before

Feed Area: Before

Feed Area: Before

Feed Area: Before

Feed Area: Before

Hi, Sam!

Feed Area: Before

Starting demo

Feed Area: Before

A rock

Sam found this light weight rock while demoing the roof. Very odd spot so we’re thinking a crow might have dropped it?

A rock

It’s pretty sparkly so that’s why we think a crow might have been taking it home. They really love sparkly/shiny things and we have a murder that lives on our property.

Yellow Town

Just feeling super matchy with all my yellow and all the yellow flowers in the field.

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: Before

Hardware cloth floor can be removed.

Feed Area: Before

Feed Area

Hardware cloth floor has been removed

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: Before

Cross beam totally rotted away. I was pulling this out with my hands.

Feed Area: After

Cross beam repair. I am really proud of this because I came up with the solution by myself and it worked! All the work we did made me realize that I’ve leveled up my building skills.

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

This is a double drive screwdriver that is AWESOME!! Having good tools makes the job so much easier!

Feed Area: During

Sam was using the drill. I tend to get a bit crooked when using a power drill. I’m confident using it to put in screws but didn’t want to make the drill holes.

View From The Roof

Taking A Minute Before Packing Up

Taking A Minute Before Packing Up

Taking A Minute Before Packing Up

Taking A Minute Before Packing Up

Queen Of The Rooftop!

Feed Area: During

End of day one

Feed Area: During

Feed Area: During

Plywood is done!!

Feed Area: During

Coop Renovation: Before

Coop Renovation: Before

Coop Renovation: Before

Coop Renovation: Before

Monroe, checking things out.

Coop Renovation: Before

Coop Renovation: Before

Tada!!

Coop Renovation: During

Coop Renovation: During

Feed Area: During

Sam putting the metal roof on

Feed Area: During

Sam worked on the metal roof while I started the coop renovation.

She's Here!

Into The Field

She's a beaut, Clark!

Up She Goes

Feed Area: After

Metal roof is on and looking great!

Feed Area: After

Feed Area: After

oops!

This is what happens when you use your truck as a table. We were miles away from the house before I saw it!

Coop Renovation: After

Solar door by Cheeper Keeper

Coop Renovation: After

Another really proud moment! I came up with this renovation plan and it worked!! I’m still not good enough to explain the plan well, use the correct terms or know exactly what size of screws and board we need but I’m getting there. Huge thanks to Sam for encouraging me and going along with it, even though I confused him so much trying to explain what was happening in my head!

Coop Renovation: After

Coop Renovation: After

BCS With Utility Trailer

Willows and Trees

Willows and Trees

Willows and Trees

Geez....

Water is a Powerful Force!

Easter Bunnies!

Christie, me and Erin worked the lunch shift as bunnies. Thanks to Adrienne for bringing in all the ears!

Our 10x20 shed arrives! I can't believe how smooth the driver was. I was so nervous!!

Like butter, y'all!

Lots of chicken renovations with a bit of farm work and a new shed delivered!!

Came home from work to this! A honest and uncut reaction: laughter and cursing!!

After our shared driveway was washed away by some flooding, we used the trailer to help our neighbors get their stuff to their house.

2019: Week 15

April 8 - April 14

Man, when we get behind, we GET behind!! Very late on these next couple of posts. I don’t want to just dump them on here so I’ll post another every few days until I’m caught up. Lots of exciting things coming up though so stay tuned!!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

A motley crew, indeed!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

About to go down the first zip!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

Kenny and Garrett flying in!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

Leigh and Dalton. Leigh almost got stuck a few times due to her slight stature. She was a trooper and really worked to get in each time!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

About halfway through and having a wonderful time!!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

I didn’t get back as fast as Garrett did. Boo! They missed the shot of both of us upside down but no complaints about free pictures!!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

Last zip so I ‘starfished’ for a while. Then I went to a pencil so pick up some speed. Garrett was starting to beat me!!

Free Navitat Zip Day!!

Sam’s last zip! No starfishing for him

Burn, Baby, Burn

Spring has arrived and all the colors are so vivid!!

Silly Sam

View From The Drive

Nibbler!

An AWESOME package from my friend, Dezarae! She combined 2 stuffed animals to make this sweet Nibbler from Futurama.

Looking GREAT!

Salamander!

I almost got this guy while plowing a bed for our beets! Luckily, I did not and I was able to move him to a safer spot.

First Embroidery Pattern

Designing a hoop for Dezarae and Joe. They’re about to move from Colorado to Louisiana in a RV named Gertie. Their Gertie really looks nothing like this but I’m not that good of an artist yet.

First Embroidery Pattern

Idea for the boarder

First Embroidery Pattern

Idea for the boarder