Have a wonderful 2010!

Happy New Year to all, from all the critters on this Hillbilly Farm!

Happy New Year from all of us "Hillbillies" here on the farm!!

DH took this photo yesterday, and I just had to use it for this post. LOL It's unbelievable that tomorrow starts another year. It's hard to believe how quickly this year went, but then I think I've been saying that for several years now. Time just seems to fly by for the most part.

Year in Review:

This year has marked some changes here on this hillbilly farm. We have lost several of our goats, one way or another, although I'm grateful that I was able to snap some memories of most of them before they left us with my trusty camera. We did gain some other kinds of animals though...and hopefully we will have them with us for a long while...unless WE decide it's time they go. We now have cows here, as well as some turkeys and pigeons. We have had a few tears, lots of laughter & many adventures with our animals that kept us entertained while we lived our life this year.

One of those changes that happened around here showed up here on my site in the fact that I stopped making kits for the most part because I stopped being on the computer as much as I was, and wanted to spend what time I was on here scrapping the many photos I have taken...so the digital scrapbooking kit designing got shoved to the back burner. Who knows if I'll ever get around to doing more of it, only time will tell.

Since I didn't have so many LO's to share on my blog, because I wasn't spending as much time scrapping, I started just sharing some of my photos and talking about them. I've really gone overboard this year with the amount of photos I took, but I have to blame that on getting a DSLR in 2008...it's just so FUN to use! *giggle* I've had a love affair with photography for years though, because of my beloved Uncle Orison, so really it started years ago, just gets worse with each camera I get...as said cameras get better and better.

Between talking about our animals and their shenanigans, my niece and her graduation, our trip to Mom & Dad's for the graduation as well as the quick one we did in the fall, the visit we had with another niece and our trip to Arbor Day Farm...as well as all the other many silly stories and memories we made over the year I managed to post several times a week for the most part here on my blog. It's not always that interesting...but it does let family and friends know what is going on in our lives if they care, and also gives me a place to easily record some of the moments in our life, that I might like to remember later on.

I have to admit, my DH's blog has way better stories if you like farm stories, and he is a much better writer than I, so can make them way more interesting. We don't always talk about the same things on them, but between the two of them, I think most of the important moments might be covered, which for some reason is important to me...maybe because I know I have a bad memory so hope I'll have this to look back on later. LOL

With the purchase of our milk cow I've been able to make my first butter this year...make cheese and yogurt more as well as homemade ice cream and dishes that call for cream. I've always had to avoid eating much of that kind of thing before, because the store bought cream and milk hasn't agreed with me, but the fresh raw milk and cream works just fine so now I can enjoy a few other things a little more often. Granted I'm using the cream mostly for butter, so I can get some extra into the freezer for when we have to dry Mabel up, but it's nice to know I can make something now and then with the cream and not have it bother my tummy.

All in all it's been a good year, hard in some respects...like loosing animals or the economy having problems, but good in the fact that we have LOVE...of each other, of the family members who mean the most to us...and the fact that we have had a pretty steady diet of Laughter...ONE of the BEST medicines of all. You really can't beat Love and Laughter, so a year filled with them both has to be a good year! :)

I hope that 2010 if filled with BOTH Love & Laughter for all who enjoy our blog posts... friends, family or those just passing through. Stay safe out there, and I hope everyones 2010 is better than your 2009 was!

I'll be back next year sometime! *giggle* Happy New Year!!!