Taking Pics for the Website and More Updates from #9 Farms and this Weekends Event

Hello and a big welcome. If you had noticed my flipflopsandpoptarts.com website was down for several days and OH MY GARSH what a MESS! None of it was simple Bruce and I both spent days on the phone everyone we talked with sending us from one provider to the next....from Google, to Icann, to all the providers of the website......finally there was this one guy named Brian and He IS a SHINING STAR! He and another assistant were able to fix the problem that more than 10+ people and hours on the phone couldn't do. So Bravo Brian! If you didn't see it down then no biggie you didn't miss anything...We went to the Smithfield Farmers Vendor Appreciation dinner last night and it was very nice, super awesome to see the other vendors and chit chat for a bit. See the numbers for the year which improved nicely from he year before at our motto of the year "steady as she goes" Everyone seemed to be doing well and we picked up our new applications for the 2020 year. The first market is one on March 14 which will also be the same day as the St. Patricks Day Parade. So get your green out and ready to see all our smiling faces at the March 14  Smithfield Farmers Market behind the BSV Bank on Main Street in Smithfield Virginia. Then Grand Opening day will be April 04, 2020 we will not be there that day as we have the Daffodil Festival in Gloucester Virginia. The times will be 9-12 Saturdays for the Smithfield Farmers Market. 

My neighbor brought over the Girl Scout cookie sheet and of course the boys wanted me to order one of each and some more than one of each.  We did Girl Scouts for 15 years and our troop took some amazing trips from selling cookies one year when Colby was born Alexis was one of the Councils top sales girls. I was even the Service Unit Cookie Chair for many years and the counties cookie cupboard too. So PLEASE do remember the girls this year when you are out and about or they come to your jobs, community centers etc. I have also been working on getting some of the other shows ready for the year. That is a job in itself for sure. Like when I make posts it takes days to get them done....I can only sit for so long for one I got to keep busy. Plus as you know so much work here. 

We were checking on all the bees yesterday midday and I pulled out one frame o honey just to see where they were in the middle of winter. Look at that beautiful sight. It looks so wonderful.....of course in the process I got a few fiends to land and help me with that frame. 

A video on some of our bees in the bee yard up by the high tunnel 

Yum Yum! The sweet taste of honey.........Love 

One of my handmade beeswax candles. Look at the bee getting ready to land on the beeswax candle. Note the white on the candle that is the beeswax "bloom" a note that its pure beeswax. 

The elderberry bushes are starting to bloom already yay! 

I love pouring my Buddha candle and it sells right regular, which in turn makes me so happy. 

So our market manager wants pics of everything we do and those of you who know me, know this is all the real deal....we make our soaps, we make our pickles, our jams, we make all our products except the essential oils...and I said to my customers I went that route before and there is no way I can do that. 

you can watch my video in my certified kitchen of the pickle making 

cinnamon pickles which are always a HUGE hit 

bread and butter 

The are the Polish Dills with yummy garlic 

Bread and butter out of the canners 

They are always so pretty and taste like candy oh so yummy

These are the owl soaps so when we are pouring we always have a tad bit more so instead of wasting which I am a firm believer of NOT wasting anything we pour it in these little adorable owl molds. 

Selling some of th bracelets I make at the market, I sit in the bed at night and set goals to what I need to get done that night. So if I say I am going to finish up five bracelets then that is what I do. 

 So when the soap comes out of the mold it s a 15 lb mold remind you and then we cut the large log not three five pound blocks then into bars.

A YouTube video of us cutting the soap and how we do it 

       

More soap drying on the racks.

Which I was also happy to receive the request from the Georgia Peanut Institute again this year yet another commission to make the peanut butter soap for them again, YAY!!! So happy to make it and makes me so HAPPY they asked me! #HappyDance 

So I worked and worked on the rest of the post and it didn't save it...oh wow I literally typed and typed for an hour...now to start over.......head hung low! 

Rats!!! Now I am finally back to the post its now Saturday...ok so like a week of working on this and still no post. 

Yesterday on Friday I made two jams the strawberry rhubarb and strawberry jalapeño as I had sold out and had to make more. As you know all the rhubarb comes from Wisconsin from my daughter Alexis, who has some in her yard and Garrett's grandma Charmaine has a lot in her yard that has some of the biggest leaves ever....it grows well up north however not so well here due to the extreme heat. 

Well I am back again and now it is Tuesday morning....yesterday was super busy we made our order deliveries in Suffolk but not any further as I had to take one of our dogs to her check up appt. in Greenbrier so we made two trips to Virginia and did the normal stuff here so it didn't leave us much time to parade around town with more orders. We have this show this weekend in Fayetteville North Carolina so that will be quite a ride. On Sunday I made Strawberry Pinot Noir Jam for the Valentine's Day Uncorked Event. 

Go HERE for the Link.  You will see the sponsors and vendors and look at some of those other folks we will be selling with. I am so excited.!!!! 

okay LOL now its Wednesday...it seems it is so hard for to actually finish somethings as I am always doing something other than sitting down. 

So every day and night I am cooking something so I shared how I cook all these yummy sweet potatoes and trust me it is so easy!! 

I have been hooked for awhile on the Instant Pot so much so I have THREE a 6qt. I got when they came out, then an 8qt. I watched and watched till it went on sale and I bought that one, then I thought well I cooked so much I could use that 3qt. and one day it was on an Amazon special so I got it. Bruce says all the time WOW these things are the greatest!! He used to say the Crock Pot was (and it still is) the greatest invention ever!!! LOL Now he keeps saying those Instant Pots are the best!! No objections there!! 

Here is the rice I cook in my Instant Pot and how it is so easy and like every night I cook rice...the boys love it and there are never any leftovers. 

Making rice in the Instant pot. 

Colten and Dusty have been having fires in the pit for a. while now, enjoying the evenings outdoors and one night Colten actually cooked some chicken and venison burgers on the fire. He overcooked them a bit but everyone still ate them.....

When Ledger goes to Target he is quite a shopper, it was warm that Sunday in Wisconsin despite al the snow on the ground.

for Christmas the boys received these awesome golf clubs with these adorable bags. Alexis said she found them at Target. What a great find!! These boys have played with their clubs and bags, and the balls. Everyday since they got them. Riggs even slept with his putter. Adorable! ledger laughed and laughed "you slept with your club" LOL 

That much warmer Sunday with snow on the ground. I would of still been frozen...lol. 

I was so GLAD to know that Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow so we are expecting an early spring! YES!! 

2020 so lets HOPE for early spring this year. 

This is where we will be the day after Valentine's Day ......<3 EXCITING!! If you go to this page you can see all the venue and sponsors and vendors. It is in Fayetteville NC so we are very much looking forward to this. We are so very thankful for Holley and Amanda for that they did to get us into this really big event!!! We will be selling our Mead there and we can't wait. You can see the post here of when we got our ABC License. Just look at the line of Vendors that will be there! 

Vendors

Thanks again for stopping by.....

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND 

HUGS,  

DAWN 

Also Note I added in the current up to date shows as of now some further out I know we will be at but too early to list

On February 22, 2020 we will be at the Grassfield High School Spring Craft Show in Chesapeake Virginia 

Our following show after that will be the Smithfield Farmers for the Shamrock Parade on March 14,  2020 which we are super excited to see everyone!!!!!!! 

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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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