Week 23 of Donna Downeys 48 Week Journaling Workshop and the End of Second Semester ~Positive Intentions~ with a lot of Tam

Hello I hope all has been going well with you and yours. We have been working hard here as usual. We have planted even more than usual....which in turns makes for more duties. Colten has had a new girlfriend and he hasn't had time to help out as much. So Bruce and I have been working extra hard. The boys have had a lot of school work and are getting spring fever to get out more and ride their skateboards. Mother's Day was nice Bruce put up a storm door on the second floor door to the front porch so we could have a screen to get a nice flow of air. I have asked for this door for more than 10 years...no joke. Now as Colby said "this door is amazing" it allows in such a nice few of air and a tremendous amount of beautiful cascading light. We have now had it almost a week, so we have certainly enjoyed it to the fullest. I can see all the hummingbirds we feed now without looking out the closed front door potentially scaring off the hummingbirds. I love seeing them!! Well this one took me approximately two weeks to complete. I did not have the stencils for the one Donna did nor did I feel for that one. This inspiration actually came from Tam's book  or you can view her wonderful community at Tamara Laporte Willowing.com she is full of beautiful sweet calming words and a passion for helping others to see the beauty in ones self and getting rid of that inner critic. ALL I CAN SAY TAM is AMAZING!!!! I started her first Life Book 2012 and one of what I call my best painting was on she taught me. Love ya Tam! Every since I saw her painting in the book I have wanted to paint it. She makes it so easy and it is nice to actually complete a project from a book and being able to use the inspiration. I enjoyed the process immensely. My aunt came out for Mother's Day and I fixed her a good meal and a cake. I didn't invite her for Easter (hello folks we are in a Pandemic) however she thinks I should have and was actually crossed with me. She works at a pharmacy and is a frontline cashier with no mask, no shield and no gloves. Anyhoo she came here and it was a very nice day. So this week which I can hardly believe it is Week 23 and almost the end of the second semester. I am feeling so accomplished!!! YES! Go check out Donna's 48 Weeks. She is fun and a great teacher! 

I love making these oh my do I ever! I actually learned this technique back in 2010 at a Donna Downey Inspired workshop I can't remember her name but she was actually a mural painter. This is what we made in class that day, but I had to finish it home....

this is what I made in 2010 

This is where it hangs in my room....going out to make back porch. 

the full spread of the two pages I just love it so much fun and whimsical 

if you would like to see the full last 22 posts see below on each of the weeks 

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6 

Week 7

WEEK 8

Week 9 

WEEK 10 

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15 

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18 

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21 

Week 22

I can hardly believe I have made It this far....but so thankful and feeling so accomplished. 

Now on to week 24 and the end of the second semester 

YAY!!! 

Two more semesters to go

So basically I have almost completed half of the 48 weeks ~happy dance 

Dusty has been picking roses like crazy for our rose water we even have a new drying rack that hangs from the ceiling and is huge so now we have even extra room for drying roses and other herbs

I have been making bracelets again to add to my Etsy store GO HERE 

On the Etsy store 

So please if you would like to see Tamara Laporte go to her site Willowing dot com and you can find her book there and it was lesson 6 Looking Inward. 

I have been making more jams too getting ready for new fruits of the season to come 

Made raspberry again this is always a delicious jam 

its on my Etsy store too 

Love raspberry jam 

mango habanero 

Oh my delicious mango habanero 

I made a bunch more wintergreen salves these are excellent for my fibromyalgia pain and putting on your chest as a chest rub and for super dry hands and feet again on my Etsy store 

I already have beautiful tomatoes loving it!!! 

I have more than 300 tomato plants so we are hoping for an amazing year of tomatoes....it really helps our family out 

I planted a bunch in cloth bags this year a new thing we are trying just to see and easy on my back and my fibromyalgia pain I have fields of them too 

Go to see our pickle video on YouTube 

As you can see the fields are loaded 

Take care stay safe missing you all!!! 

Hugs to all and until to next time 

Love you guys!! 

Dawn Gallop 

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Lastest Updates and Happenings Here at #9 Farms

                Hello everyone its hard to believe that one is 2020!! To think I remember when it was Y2K and we thought it was so scary and all these things would go wrong with our computers and how we all had to be prepared for the year 2000. Now I am thinking back on the song by the AMAZING Prince "Party like its 1999." Awwww great memories. Now the year 2020 but here the farm it is as though time kept on going without us as we work nonstop and after this show this weekend at The Virginia Flower and Garden Show I am paying the price. It was long hours and very hard work. All our stuff is heavy. I am very slow moving on Monday mornings although the cheese must get done so no time to leisure. We had a great time saw a lot of the other vendors we knew and met a lot more. We enjoyed talking with others and the stories they shared and the friendships we made. That kinda thing makes it all worth it!! Absolutely sure! We love our customers and its always a pleasure to hear what's going on in their lives and seeing their beautiful faces and meeting their families and friends. We have already done two shows this year and never have had a break somewhat of one while Cody and Amelia were here for the holidays. Thursday the 23rd of January my oldest son celebrated his 33rd birthday.......ok I know, now you know I'm old......lol. Shhhhh  we will leave that part out. I kept our grandson Levi and granddaughter Clarrisa for a few hours and had a blast with them.

Clarrisa loves Snapchat too we had fun making faces and her telling me all the toys she has and about a watch she got from Santa and where her sisters were. She came with a bag of goodies Cheetos, banana, and a nutty bar. She ate the banana first, then the Cheetos, drank her cup full "her baba" of "juice." We had to be at the Virginia Beach Convention Center at 3pm that day so Bruce loaded the car and the trailer to get us ready for the show. While I was in "grandma land" not a care in the world about a show or anything else but having fun with the grandkids. 

Levi fell asleep in my arms and slept so well it was pure bliss! 

Just look at his adorable face!!! #LOVE 

After Bruce was done with all the loading and prep work for the show set up, he ate in to play and even cooked popcorn with Clarissa. She told him his popcorn wasn't good. He makes it overt the stove in a pot no microwave popcorn at all. Isa ate the popcorn anyway it was so cute. 

Here she is telling him "this candle on the cupcake can't blow out" 

Of course the shows well I have been making these bracelets which I enjoy greatly its fun, creative, and relaxing. So even as late as it can be at night when we finally sit down I make bracelets. I set goals to make this # etc. so I can have plenty in different styles, sizes and colors. It is fun and so many folks really like them. 

more bracelets I have been making

more bracelets 

Since I really never even made any posts of anything during the holidays I wanted to share these beautiful little faces.  Alexis, Ledger and Riggs. You may have remembered them from the summertime when they stayed at our house for 31 days.....which gave grandma and papa a new meaning to taking care of babies. Riggs had just turned one and Ledger had just turned two.  He is a link of some pics from this summer. 

Her beautiful family. The Santa suit was actually Colten's when he was a baby and all my boys from Colten down have worn it. Now look! 

Cody and Amelia arrived on December 17, 2019 we picked them up at the airport you know the story there, they arrived a few hours later than expected but Cody wanted to go to Cookout so we went waited in line for while as it was like 1:30 am maybe even closer to 2 am. When got home everyone Colten was like "where's mine??" of course I figured everyone would be sleeping.....nope. We were so excited to see them we started off with the goats and chickens, then making jams the next day to canning pickles, you name it Amelia even made beeswax candles, the bracelets. We were ever so grateful to have help and of course they learn a lot in the process...now that Cody was much more interested in learning some of our many skills. We went on the walks at the millpond, went and did some shopping like to 17th Street Surf Shop, visited the OBX so Amelia could see the beach, the monument, Jockey's Ridge, the Atlantic Ocean, shell shops, go to the Avalon Fishing Pier (where me and Bruce met), played games at the pier, all the good ole stuff. 

Cody bought us oysters from Murray Nixons and I steamed in the Instant pot which turned out amazing!! 

The day we were at the castle on Jockey's Ridge was even a lot more was exposed that day. Its so amazing as when I was a kid I remember the mini golf. You can read all about the hotel, the mini etc. HERE that have been consumed by the mountain of sand. I have been coming to this state park for as long as I can remember. I even remember when I was about 8 my dad and I climbed it and rolled down. That particular day we found the most beautiful shell on the beach it was extremely fragile but I still remember it like it was yesterday. Such a blessing. 

While Cody and Amelia were here Cody wanted to make sausage. Well we can do that Cody. So we did!! We bought our first meat grinder in 1995 it lasted for many years, we paid $500 for this grinder from a real restaurant store which I was like "WOW" then....but these newer ones cost more....Cody and Bruce enjoyed the process, Cody was very good at it. 

The sausage from when it was twisted you can see the video here 

one of the most favorite foods I had made in Codys childhood was peach salsa, he requested we make it while he was here and he shipped several jars home. 

I was making Christmas jam per request even in January 

more candles 

 of course making more candles, I just love this...it reminds me of the years I spent pouring ceramic molds. I even worked at  a ceramic shop before and I bought so many molds.....miss that! I used to go to all the craft shows back in the day selling my ceramics...this was the late 80's and all the way up to 1997. I quite because I was having severe wrist pain from all the heavy mold pouring and come on I had five kids then it was hard to do the shows. Good times!

Made more cinnamon pickles 

Pickles, pickles, pickles 

Of course can't forget all the soap making.....its like we go from one thing to the next some days I feel like I am on this roller coaster that won't stop.....and I keep yelling "HEY CAN I GET OFF THIS COASTER FOR A MINUTE?" Its been seed starting time, of course I have a bunch of house plants as I always have....and do enjoy them greatly....so I LOVE SEED TIME!!! Bruce is actually now cleaning up what we call our freezer room (as there are four deep freezers in the room), as he is building yet another light system for my seedlings that will start any day. Last year you may have seen this below on how we start our seeds with the lights I got last year. 

 

we have been taking the boys when we can or Colten does to the skateboard park. Dusty is really good and very much enjoys it. 

Colby has been digging it too 

Dusty ask everyday if he can go. 

One Sunday this year when it was in the upper 70's we went to Mt. Trashmore in Virginia Beach, the boys skated and Bruce and I walked around the skate park and even climbed up the hill. It was wonderful!! 

THE NEXT SHOW IS GRASSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

The next one will be at Grassfield High School on February 22, 2020 in Chesapeake Virginia 

Thank you for stopping by and do have a wonderful week. I am hoping to get back to my paintings soon I thought I would but since the last post of the paintings NOPE it has not happened for me. Lots of drawing for my watercolors ready to go...but no painting here lately. Tomorrow we meet with a friend of ours that is going to help us with a website......so stay tuned. YAY! 

Happy New Year BTW 

hard to believe Valentine's Day is right around the corner too! 

Peace Out! 

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Happy New Year Writing a Blank Page for a New Book That is 365 Pages Long ~You Decide

Happy New Year as we welcome in 2018 we think of all the new beginning's for the new year. I have a few things I am working on for the new year and a few goals I have thought about for the upcoming months. As a farmer I have been ordering seeds for the new planting season, working on getting the high tunnel ready for the spring time. I still have to clean out the smaller greenhouse. Which won't take long as all I have in there are a few things drying and some containers still left from last season.
I also did sign up when the new class came about as I have taken classes from her before and enjoyed them and I need a little extra motivation to complete some of my watercolor journals. She has this plan as long as you have or books, or have taken classes to NOT MAKE EXCUSES to not art for the day....which with so much going on in our lives that it makes it extremely hard to make art. I do put my heart into all my jams, jellies, pickles, soaps, and other items I sell but I do need just something that is for me. Most days I am so tired by the time I do sit down I basically just fall out...or I read a few pages in one of the books I am reading at the time. I do listen to audible books while working or in the car. So that helps me too. I use Audible by Amazon. But if you haven't checked out some of Gina's NO EXCUSES ART than please do.

We had a little celebration last night for the New Year we buy that sparkling grape juice every year and the boys just love it. I have been doing that with the kids since the oldest ones were little.

This is  a YouTube video I made of this past years pics well lets just say some of them I had over 8,000 pics in my phone from just this year alone, head hung low told you before I do love taking pics have my whole life. My parents used to fuss at me because I took to many then also and of course you had to develop the film. So please enjoy some of our memories from 2017.

 

 

One of my favorite pic of the year we would walking in the Millpond everyday despite the cold weather while I was blessed to have Skylar stay with us while Crystal was deployed. I cherished ever minute and miss her dearly. I dream of the day to see hagain and I hope its soon....they live on the other side of the country so just not a couple hour drive.

We lost one of our best stud goats "Spitfire" back right after we had the markets had started back for the year we came home to find him, and it was too late there was nothing we could do. R.I.P. Spitfire....we love you!

 

We had an ice storm that was very hard on the high tunnel we didn't even realize how bad it was until our friend John called and said have you checked your high tunnel yet? Well we had not and after we did we were down their removing all the ice. Once all the ice was off it literally sprang back up from all the weight that was on it. That was a day I would not like to repeat lol as it was tough work and I work hard, but that over the head was a strain on ya.

 

We had temps pretty  low last year too.

You can see the ice on the parking lots. Bruce and I went to get a few things. Around here we are not as prepared for ice or snow like up north.

Many of our goats had babies. This is Amy with one of hers running in the snow. The goats don't like rain or snow and will only come out to eat. They stay in the shelter as long as the snow or rain is falling.

 

 

2017 saw the loss of one our beloved man's best friends, Boomer whom we had had since 2008 and my oldest son had had since 2005. He lived a good life but it has been difficult healing from not having him laying on the steps or coming to sit beside me etc. He was like a puppy in the snow that day.

He had lymes disease and had been taking Lasix meds for two years after we found out. It had worsened by spring and finally

he passed on. Very hard to deal with in in our whole family. R.I. P. Boomer!

 

The kiddos enjoyed the snow immensely

 

 

 

 

We took a trip to the mountains as a getaway and went hiking it was refreshing and healing.

 

Bruce and I enjoyed quite a bit of mead this year. Mead is honey wine if you don't know. It really is yummy stuff!!

 

One of my favorite leaf pics of the year, reminds me how beautiful the sun is and no matter how hard life can be and how one can still hang on and wait for the sunshine as it will come you just have to believe.

 

 

We had a warm up in February and as usual the boys and Skylar like to ride on the golf cart. Good times.

We start early Feb to get ready in the greenhouse for the seeds.

We build all our bee boxes so we cut wood and work on them pretty much all winter.

The greenhouse with the seedlings started early in the year around the first of Feb.

 

 

I love this pic of Boomer and Skybear

 

 

happy shamrocks

 

Early growth of the tomatoes

In April my son and his wife had another daughter whom they named Clarrisa they now have four daughters.

 

Easter time we died lots of eggs and had a blast finding them.

We had three duckling hatch on the farm without even anyone knowing until Bruce found the mom and babies in the bushes he heard them peeping.

of course most days are some kinda bee days we are always spending lots of time in the hives.

I made these enameled jewelry necklaces for one of the school shows I do where the kids shop.

My daughter Amanda, and our granddaughter Aubrey with my mom flew to Wisconsin for Alexis and soon to be baby Ledger's baby shower. I was only there is spirit but I was glad the baby shower went well and all is well as they wait for the birth of the baby Ledger.

My jams and Jellies won a few ribbons again this year.

Our first grandson Ledger was born in June this year. Very exciting and wonderful. He is of course a very happy baby and growing up so fast.

We did get to go the Baptism that baby Ledger had soon after birth we were thankful to be able to go for a few days as we drove there and it is so hard for us to leave the farm and then at a time when all the plants are in the stage of being ready. So it was absolutely wonderful to be able to attend the Baptism and enjoy all of our family in Wisconsin. Our son Cody is the middle in the light blue shirt. Cody helped us with the farmers market so many of you may remember him.

 

A WHOLE LOT OF TOMATOES were picked this year and I mean a WHOLE LOT. It truly was a phenomenal year. We were SO THANKFUL!!!

 

We canned not only tons of jars of jam, jelly, but loads of tomato sauce, soup, and juice, plus regular tomatoes to make succotash out of or add to soups and chili's.

Bruce celebrated his 52nd birthday and I my 49th birthday of course we worked on our days.....farming takes no days off. No udder knows a weekend or a holiday.

 

Despite how tired you are some weekends we would ride down to the beach just so we could enjoy the sand between our toes and crashing of the waves and the awesome sunsets. Plus Skylar loves it!!

They absolutely love being there.

 

I did get some beautiful shots in that "magic hour"

 

 

We would go walking to the Wright Brothers Memorial.

 

Skylar and I have so much fun together with our leg poses....lol

 

Many days in the fields with the bees when it was 100 degrees and you could just "PAUSE" and take a few pictures of the spectacular beauty of nature everywhere. I have chose "pause" as my word this year. It will help me to stop reflect and pause upon the moment, the situation, or just life itself.

 

Lots and lots of cheese making......its an every other day event.

 

 

Lots and Lots of extracting honey from the frames.....I am hoping for this year we can get a larger extractor and maybe with a motor, uhmmmm???? IDK yet but one can hope right!

lots and lots of honey...most of the pics are on Instagram under stampmom9 if you would like to see them.

 

Lots of pickles lots of pickles!!!!

 

Lots of fun days together on the gator. You can see in the backgrounds the high tunnel getting ready for spring and the greenhouse too.

 

 

 

 I wanted to show this...this is the castle that is buried on the side of Jockeys Ridge in the Outer Banks of NC when I was a kid the whole putt-putt golf castle showed. It is amazing a how the dunes change from year to year to year. I could not find a pic of it as it stood in its glory days but the image is buried in my mind all too well. I did find this little piece on it see it HERE. If you have a picture of it from back in the 70's or so please share with me and others. My dad had actually pulled in the parking area to go when I was around five or six but the wind was blowing and he decided otherwise. It is always exciting to me to see the castle now.

 

There has been a many of changes in our life from happy moments, to sad moments. Tears have been shed, laugh lines deepened, days that were #justpajamadays, days where STRESS was what you ate, drank and slept with. Days of sacrifice, days of cheerful happy moments where the tears of joy flow down your cheeks like rivers in a flood. Days where your heart reached out for others and you couldn't do anything to help them but HOPE and PRAY or donate something but a piece of you wanted to you just wanted to get on a plane and help them, but then the life that live wouldn't allow that. The days where you say "what was I thinking?" The days were the creative juices were flowing and you had to be doing something else and wishing you could be creating. The days when you felt down on yourself and out of the blue a text message came from one of your friends and it said "you are a ray of sunshine, thinking of you" your heart lifted and you shut the inner critic and went to telling yourself I am worth something and I am great. Those days when your kids make you cry and you don't why, those when your kids make you so happy and your are so thankful for everyone of them. Those days that you just to relax and enjoy yourself, those days when its a movie night. Those days when you get a book and don't want to put it down...but life is calling and those pages will have to wait. Those days when you cooked the best meal and poured your heart into it and your expectation's from everyone wasn't what you expected them to say......then there were those meals that you expected nothing they gave you the best compliments...which makes your heart sing. Those days when you couldn't sleep, those  days when you slept so good and didn't want it to end. Those days when just wanted to see the sun shine. Whatever those days were make them count and try not to have expectations of what you think they should be just let it happen and ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!!!! As you look back on the past reflect on the happy moments no matter how hard it can be at times. Don't let inner critic judge you.....even if you have to write it down to remember I am somebody and I do SHINE!!!

Look forward to the future now and set your goals even if they seem to hard to accomplish you can do it...set your mind on it and let the universe know this and it will listen. Now I feel like Tam is flowing through my heart. She has done so much for uplifting me in her emails. I can't take her classes right now but do want to in the future.

I am working on my goals for this year and plans and blogging has been a goal for several years and I let it go as It takes me forever it seems but I am working on plans and strategies to make it easier. Remember everyday is a new day and new beginnings you can wipe the slate clean every morning if you are having the days that you don't think are perfect days, start over and don't be so hard on yourself. Let your heart sing and your love flow. Every day you write the pages.........

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

pic from pinterest

 

From the heart,

Dawn Gallop

 

 

 

 

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