In light of it being the month of love…
I loved this photo and so I am sharing it with you :) Happy Thursday.
GIVE A HUNK O’ MEAT TO YOUR HUNK O’ MAN (OR WOMAN)
For a limited time only!
We have available a BEEF BOX full of assorted cuts for $80!!!
Cuts include: roasts, steaks, and ground beef. You will be receiving most cuts for over 1/2 price!!! (approx. $4.50/lb)
Purchase the BEEF BOX for your Valentine to say “I love you” with a tender, juicy hunk of meat. This is also a great package to keep you warm and satisfied through out the gloomy winter months.
To place your order please email us with “valentine’s day special” in the subject line. Once your order is placed we will arrange with you pick up/delivery options.
Scones are probably one of my favorite pastries. Nothing really compares to sitting in a comfy chair, with your cozy blanket, with coffee in one hand and a delectable scone on your tongue.
The scone has to be just right though in order to make for the best relaxing and enjoyable scone experience.
Not crunchy- I don’t want biscotti when my mouth is watering for a scone.
Not too mushy- A muffin just doesn’t compare.
Due to my natural planning, preparing, organizing self, I made my plan last night after dinner to wake up early, go to the indoor winter Farmers’ Market, and purchase this delicious scone from the best bakery at the market (except the gluten-free options from other vendors, those are actually quiet good as well) while Tyler was speaking at a farm business conference at OSU.
So now I am currently savoring each bite of this orange-cranberry scone as I prepare to tackle our email inbox. Oh, how I wish I was just looking at my decorating magazines upstairs while watching the chickens dance in the rain. Well hey! That’s motivation enough for me! Time for a record breaking email response/organizing moment! :)
Maybe in a near-future post I’ll share my personal scone recipe I got from a friend, so you can have a delectable scone moment too.
Enjoy your Saturday- with or without a pastry.
{january flower}
Over the past four days we’ve had to pinch ourselves here at Afton Field Farm. We needed a good pinching to bring us back to reality- we are still in the thick of the winter season; not spring!
Since Saturday we’ve clipped, pruned, torn out, organized, dreamed, and spruced our main yard areas (we technically have roughly an acre and a half, but we only worked on half that these past days).
{little buddies}
We uncovered all this beauty of bulbs starting to reach out of the ground, flowers starting to spread their petals, and ferns aching to be pruned (which we have about 100 thousand ferns in the small area around the cottage- which I never realized until I had to cut each one back).
It was so energizing! Seeing all this elegance and warmth in January! I had to keep reminding myself that we weren’t to spring yet as I clipped, pruned, and raked until my arms nearly fell off- I’m serious! After four days of gripping those clippers and that rake, my wee little army-poos were exhausted. I had to have assistance opening the jam jar this morning so I could eat breakfast.
But the yard is looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself, and so are my sculpted arms :)
Tyler and his parents worked on cleaning up around the barn and unearthing the depths of the tool shed. That was quite the task and it literally took all day. Now we all know where the tools, nails, paint, and other miscellaneous items are to be found- which has taken away the headaches while trying to work on various projects.
{metal print negatives}
They found some very “interesting” and “unique” items in that old shed, but the items that were actually the coolest were some old metal print negatives; including one for a wedding invitation (the copper one in the top right corner that you can’t actually read in the photo). It was for one of the youngsters from the Allworth family, who lived here at the farm during its hay-day (1932-1971).
We finished the day by roasting hot dogs by the bonfire. And just before bed I took a long bath to soak my muscles and read myself to sleep.
We had a productive few days and feel so great checking those items off our (extremely long and seemingly never ending) To-Do list; and today we are back at it again. Well, at least Tyler is outside finishing things up while I give my arms and hands a rest and answer emails and phone calls- also a never ending task ;)
Here at Afton Field Farm this week we have been focusing on office & administration work- in between chasing the hogs around of course ;)
Organization actually does blow my skirt up- as the old saying goes- but I’m pretty modest and try to keep the ol’ skirt down as much as possible. Even so, I still seem to find myself “researching” other blogs and websites for inspiration, ideas, and goals for this blog, the website, and the farm as a whole.
Today during my research, while Tyler made phone calls, I found these deliciously gorgeous (and totally me) flower inspired accessories.
{untamed accessories}
This is me in a picture- not literally of course. It just totally sums up my style preference. I want to be able to pull this off as well, but we’ll have to wait and see :)
Two mornings ago I was left home alone at the farm while Mr. Farmer Jones took three hogs up to the butcher.
In order to get the hogs to their appointment at the butcher each Monday, the evening before we have to go through our Pig Wrangling Routine, the PWR- P) get piggies desperate for feed by not feeding them for half a day W) back trailer up to fence and wrangle some fences around the back of the trailer so the not-so-wee piggies don’t decide they would rather eat the walnuts on the ground instead of going into the trailer, and finally R) I use my alluring skills and strut down to the opposite end towards the feeder, so the piggies not in the trailer follow me while Tyler locks the trailer and secures the fence back in place.
{wee little piggies}
The PWR works pretty well for us and the pigs; which means everyone is much happier and has a much more enjoyable experience at 6am when we head up to the butcher.
This particular morning however, I had a Skype date with a friend who lives on the East Coast, so I did not leave with Tyler in the morning.
{wonderful wonderful friend!}
So I got up, got ready for the day, and started to make myself the most delicious bowl of oat meal and peanut butter and a bold cup of coffee. Just as I had poured my coffee and was heading to the office for my convo with my friend, I looked out the kitchen window to see all NINE hogs prancing around the orchard!!!
I ran upstairs changed into my farming duds as I called Tyler to tell him the scoop (turns out he had, through a few crazy, but unimportant events forgot to reattach the gate). While putting on my boots I called my in-laws to come to the rescue.
{the essential farm boot}
The key to getting pigs to go where you want them is to stay calm and don’t get frantic when it takes four hundred times before they go into their area.
{lauren hurt photography}
I grabbed a bag of feed from the barn and walked toward the area the pigs were supposed to be in. I stepped into the area, poured some feed on the ground, and started to head out to get the pigs in. Though my boots are cute, they are not the tightest fitting boot in the world, and with all the rain we’ve been having my boots got stuck and I nearly fell into the mud and poop- not so great.
Luckily that did not happen, but while I was trying to get out, every single hog walked in, sniffed me, and then walked back out. If only I would have sacrificed my clean socks, the piggies would have all been back in their designated area.
I finally made it out of the mud and headed toward the piggies in the orchard. I shook the little bit of feed that was in the bag and started talking to the pigs about “how much they wanted to follow me… how nice it would be to walk this way please… lets just got back into your area…”
And you know what!?! After only about five minutes six of those cute big-little piggies literally followed me over to the gate and just walked in!!! I couldn’t believe it! It never happens that fast, nor do they actually obey.
Moments after I got those guys in my in-laws came to help get the other three. My Father-in-law walked to the opposite end of the gate to distract the other six, and my Mother-in-law helped me get the other ones to join their friends. I would have never been able to do it by myself!
After Tyler got home and my in-laws left, I went inside and heated up my cold coffee and couldn’t help but smile and pat myself on the back for a job well done. I was so proud of how those piggies listened to me and marched themselves on in through the gate.
Now I have truly earned the right to have the title “Mrs. Farmer Jones” :)
Low blood sugar.
I have it. It strikes without much warning and like biking through a swarm of those invisible gnats, it bugs everyone.
Because I don’t like to being a crank-pot (my mother’s term for me), it has always been a mission of great importance to find the perfect energy bar to calm my growling need. I searched every grocery store, farm stand, and the like for such an item. I put my taste-buds through rigorous drills; and I’m surprised that they didn’t revolt after all the cardboard I made them endure and choke down.
Then one day I found it! The recipe to beat all recipes! If you have been around me much in the past few months you already know all about these wondrous Go-bars and how they actually do sustain you for hours, no joke.
{little helper}
So, Bula-bears and I decided we needed to share this amazing recipe with you all; especially with all the emails and phone calls that have been flooding in.
I found the recipe in Sunset Magazine- one of my favorite little publications in which I get many an inspiration from.
{go-bar}
I follow the recipe exactly; well except I double the amount of fruit they call for, otherwise I feel like it is a little too peanut buttery. I am a huge peanut butter fan (I grew up eating huge spoonfuls of it while watching Dumbo) so if you want to actually taste the fruit, I would recommend adding more.
I hope that you, as well as those around you, enjoy life with a little less crankiness :)
I’ve been enjoying the past few days since Christmas laughing with my dearest best friend of 23 (soon to be 24) years as we visited a favorite Oregon spot, resting from a bit of a cold, anticipating the new year to come, and scrolling through some of the finest blogs this world wide web has to offer.
{sweden snow}
This one is based in Sweden.
Another for fellow farm friends.
And this friend of a friend from high school gives me inspiration.
See you in the new year, unless I find the urge to share something before then :)
High Heels in the Barnyard is going to have a little change of scenery in the coming months. The farm’s website it also going to be going through a face lift- heck, not just a face lift but it’s actually going to come into existence! Woohoo!!!! :)
We are using this amazing designer/photographer to create both our website and blog. Check out this site that he helped with.
With that said, I need and want your suggestions for the design and look! Let me know:
1) what your favorite information to read about on the blog is
2) what you’d like to see more of, or don’t see at all but want to
3) any blogs that you like the design of and why
4) any other tips or suggestions you have
This blog is a creative outlet for me and I love being able to share my farming adventures with you. I want to be able to meet the needs of those reading as well as my creative bug :) So send in your suggestions/opinions/encouragements!
Thanks!
I needed to head into town today to pick up Mr. Jones’ Christmas present I had ordered.
After traversing the mass amounts of Corvallisites running around down town picking up last minute trinkets, I found myself wandering into a local clothes resale store :)
{the fit}
This is one of those stores that allows you to gain credit as you bring in items for them to resell.
{yellow mellow}
I drove by on my way to pick up Tyler’s gift and saw this beautiful flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye. After picking his present up, I decided to take the long way back to my car (as in a block and a half in the wrong direction) to see if it was my size.
{perfect!}
{exactly}
It fit perfectly! Which is very very rare for that to happen to a woman who has basically child size measurements.
I also found the perfect red shoes I’ve been searching for for a couple years now, and a great new necklace that matched the scarf that jumped into the shopping bag. And I only had to pay $30 for it all! So great!
It is the little joys in every day life, like stumbling across a great find, that make life so enjoyable :)
