Happy 1st Day of Spring!

It's a whopping 14 degrees out today and very windy, but my children thought they would celebrate the first day of spring by basking in the sunshine...for about 3 seconds! :) LOL 

No vitamin D today!

My Birthday

My family really blessed me on my birthday.  When they ask me what I want to do, I usually respond with a request for the day off.  So that is what we did - took the day off, well, at least I did. :)  Emily cooked up a storm in the kitchen and the boys helped her.  After breakfast in bed, my husband took me shopping and out for coffee.  When we got home, the whole family went for a hike in a park.  In the evening we relaxed with a family movie.  It was a very nice day! Thanks guys! :)

This is the large wooden spoon that Jonny made me for my birthday.  It's gorgeous!

This is a very well-made picture viewer that Ben made me.  The pictures go in the slots and you can turn the handle to view  the pictures.

Pretty neat!

Emily really surprised me for my birthday!  She bought us a stay at a Bed and Breakfast!  She also did this two years ago, for my 40th.  This time we stayed at the Nicolin Mansion in Jordan.  It was beautiful!  We left Sunday afternoon and got home Monday night.  What can I say?  My daughter spent her own money to buy some time with me - how precious is that?  We had a wonderful girls getaway! :)



Our room

She even ordered us a fruit tray!:)

Our bathroom

My sweet daughter

Christmas on the Farm

Emily and I got up at 5:30am on Christmas morning to start preparing our food for the day.  We were both excited to bless our boys...and ourselves :) with yummy food as we celebrated the birth of our Savior.
Our first course was homemade doughnuts and coffee.  Yummy!  It is time consuming to make doughnuts, but boy are they good! :)

Ben enjoying his coffee and doughnuts.



Once they were finished, they all headed outside to do chores.  Then I got our breakfast going.  When they got in, we opened our gifts.  By the time we were done with that, breakfast was ready. 

 

 

Breakfast consisted of Quiche Lorraine, lamb sausage, fruit salad, and sparkling orange juice.  While we ate, and throughout the rest of the day, we listened to Handel's "Messiah".  It is an incredible oratorio about our Lord.  The rest of the afternoon was filled with a nap, a vigorous game of hockey, dinner, and a Christmas movie.



 

 



Dinner - Leg of lamb, cheesy potatoes, and salad.  While we ate, Mike read the Christmas story from the Bible and other passages.

For dessert, we had homemade ice cream, strawberry sauce, and a gingerbread cookie.  Thanks, Joe, for the ice cream!  What a great Christmas gift that was!  And it was the BEST ice cream!! :)

Princess in her whelping box.

All day long, we watched Princess on our surveillance camera.  She was due that day.  We could see that she was working on delivering puppies, but it is a long process.  As we watched the clock, we hoped that she would have them on Christmas day, but at midnight, we had to give up that hope.  But the next day... :)

Happy Birthday, Emily!

 

Today my baby girl turned fifteen!  I took this picture of Mike and Emily this morning before they left for Cricket Meadow (a cute tea shop in Litchfield) to have breakfast.  Emily is always excited to go on a date with her daddy; she is head-over-heals in love with him! :)  We have taken two days to celebrate her birthday, since we are having "Strawberry Daze"  and need to be home from 12-4pm. 
Ben and Jonny were so generous towards Em on her birthday!  They both agreed, on their own, to allow Emily to kiss them as much as she wanted all day. :)  You see....normally the boys get SOOO irritated with Emily because she is always kissing them.  They can't stand it!!  But she just loves them so much and thinks they are soooo cute! :)  So... throughout the day I saw them sticking their necks out to allow Emily access to their cheeks. :)  She said (laughingly) it was the BEST birthday gift they could ever give her!
Mike and I are exceedingly grateful for such a sweet girl!  We couldn't have asked for a better daughter!  The fifteen years that I have had with her seem so short, and I know that I don't have that many more years before she will be living somewhere else, running her own home.  I've got to enjoy every minute I get with her!! :)

STRAWBERRY DAZE!

Due to a cold, wet spring, strawberry season is running about 3 weeks late this year, but the good news is that this will not affect the crop.

Here at Housman Farms, we will be having "Strawberry Daze"! 
Our farm will be open daily (12-4pm) through the strawberry season (probably two weeks...starting Friday, June 24th through approximately Friday, July 8th.)

The three "Friday on the Farm" days during "Strawberry Daze", we will be having live music by the Mahlstedt and Housman children. 



Mahlstedt Children (minus baby Elisabeth)

 Please join us for a fun afternoon on the farm! :)  ...and get yourself some good organically grown strawberries! " :)




Our schedule will be as follows:
Open daily June 24th -July 8th 
12-4pm (Closed Sundays)





Fridays- June 24th, July 1st, July 8th
12pm -1pm   Music
1pm - 2pm  Free Tour (this will not be an educational tour, just a look around)

Pricing:
$4.00 per pound

Here is a video of the kids practicing for "Strawberry Daze".

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day from the Housman home.

Emily's rhubarb flag cake made with our blueberries and raspberries! YUM!

Uncle Sam (Brandon)

Patriotic homemade whole wheat waffles with fresh picked blueberries & raspberries, whipped cream, and our own boxelder syrup. The homemade lamb sausage completed our yummy breakfast! :)

We are very fortunate to have been born in this country. And we are exceedingly grateful to all the men and women who have fought for our freedom. Thank you!!

We celebrate today by giving thanks to God for these things and for the freedoms we have.......and pray we will continue to have them in the years to come.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

The Housman Family

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Mom! We are all so grateful for you! You are the best Mom in the whole world! (Sorry everyone...it's true!) We love you so much!

Happy Birthday and many more!!!
Love,
Your Family

Thanksgiving 2009

Tomorrow we will relax (unusual for our family :) ) and reflect on our blessings. We are so thankful......for you, for your patronage, and for a year full of bountiful blessings. Getting to know all of you and being able to serve your family by providing you with real food, grown locally and organically, is something our family enjoyed and is grateful for. We hope your experience at our farm was just as enjoyable. Please pray for our family as we evaluate the 2009 season and consider how we will continue to serve you in 2010.
For those of you who will dine on one of our turkeys tomorrow, we trust it will be the most delicious turkey you've ever had. Brandon is grateful for the opportunity to grow them for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Housman Family

Memorial Day

Today we want to say thank you to all those who have sacrificed in many ways to serve this country and fight for our freedom. We are so grateful for your willingness to leave your families, and lay down your life for the people of this country. Thank you is not enough! It has been such a blessing to have been born and raised in this country. We have enjoyed lives blessed with health, prosperity, and freedom. Most countries do not know these things.

Today we will go to a Memorial Day service with our friend Myrtle. Then we will finish planting the garden. This evening we will have a picnic with some other families, and play some games. Enjoy your day, and don't forget to show gratefulness to the veterans, and their families, who have served our country.

Happy Mother's Day!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. The boys and I (and Dad!) cannot ever say how grateful we are for Mom! She is such a godly woman, and she works so hard for all of us, and is an amazing example to me (Emily). Mom is a hard worker, and works with a joyful spirit. She is patient, loving, caring, a excellent child-trainer, a good decorator, an amazing gardener, an astounding cook, a wonderful teacher, and the most amazing mother and wife ever! What we would do without Mom, I don't know!
Mom, we're so grateful for everything you do for us...THANK YOU!

I'm absolutely positive that I have the best mother in the world! (Sorry all you children, it's true.) :)
Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!!
We love you!
Love,
Your Family