Saturday Dose of Cute: Finding Happiness on the Farm

My favorite little cowboy

BlogHer, my publishing network, has asked me to answer another question as part of its year-long Life Well Lived program, this time about Getting Happy:

How do you teach the children in your life happiness?

My first thought was that I should probably ask for a different question, since my experience with children is practically zilch. But then I started thinking about the kids who have visited the farm, and I realized that maybe I have helped teach them something:

That there is beauty and joy to be found everywhere in nature.

More below. . .

Saturday Dose of Cute: Soft as a Baby's Behind

A Glance in the Rear View Mirror at Last Spring's Lambing Season (taken 5/2/09)

Want a bigger look back at little lambies?
Lambing Season 2006 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2006 Part 2
Lambing Season 2006 Part 3
Lambing Season 2007 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2007 Part 2
Lambing Season 2008 Part 1
Lambing Season 2008 Part 2
Lambing Season 2008 Part 3
Lambing Season 2009
Lambing Season 2009 Part 2

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the nearly grown up foodie farm blog where this is the time of year when all the exhaustion and worry of lambing season has been totally forgotten, and the only thing you can remember is the bouncing baby cuddling cuteness—and how much you're looking forward to seeing it again.

Thursday Dose of Cute: Seeing Spots

She's Finally Growing into Her Ears—and Bright Pink Nose!

Like little lamb pictures?
Lambing Season 2006 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2006 Part 2
Lambing Season 2006 Part 3
Lambing Season 2007 Photos & Reports
Lambing Season 2007 Part 2
Lambing Season 2008 Part 1
Lambing Season 2008 Part 2
Lambing Season 2008 Part 3
Lambing Season 2009
Lambing Season 2009 Part 2
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the we only use real sheep, not professional models foodie farm blog where neither the mother nor the father of this cutie pie sport any black spots whatsoever, and it looks as if somebody splattered their fountain pen next to her little baby face—except for the fact that her spots just keep getting bigger.

Wednesday Dose of Cute: Smile for the Camera

Or Not (Little ewe lamb on 5/6/09, last seen on May Day)

Baby animal lovers—don't panic! I didn't mean to alarm some of you when I jokingly said in yesterday's White Bean & Artichoke Dip Recipe post, Enough with the all the cute animal pictures. Not to worry, the (almost) Daily Doses of Cute are alive and well!

I mentioned that I was only kidding in the ever-changing copyright notice at the very bottom of the post (I realize many of you like the animal photos best), but I guess some of you missed it. You do read those little copyright notices down there, don't you? That's where all the newsy stuff is—kind of like my own personal non-twitter twitter stream.

Need some more cute to calm your nerves?
The First Daily Doses of Cute
Daily Doses of Cute Part 2
Daily Doses of Cute Part 3
Daily Doses of Cute Part 4
Daily Doses of Cute Part 5
Daily Doses of Cute Part 6
Daily Doses of Cute Part 7
Daily Doses of Cute Part 8
Daily Doses of Cute Part 9
Daily Doses of Cute Part 10

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the really sorry if we alarmed you foodie farm blog where we aim to please (thanks for all your feedback over the years!)—and we know from (very pleasant) experience that life is so much better when it's overflowing with cute.

Tuesday Dose of Cute: See Spot Accessorize

Silly Wendy's Little Lamb (aka Spot) is Growing Up—and Dressing Up!

Want a little look back at spring lambing season?
4/2/09: Baa Baa Baby Baa Baa! Lambing Season 2009 Has Begun!
4/3/09: Black Babes for Black Beauty
4/4/09: Spotted Beast—or Cutie Beauty?
4/6/09: Whispering Sweet Nothings?
4/7/09: Think Pink
4/9/09: Oh, You Big Baby
4/11/09: This Baby Rests Easy
4/14/09: Too Cute for Words?
4/16/09: Smile for the Camera!
4/16/09: Amendment to Today's Earlier Lamb Count
4/20/09: Morning Traffic Report
4/21/09: Snack Time!
4/22/09: Oops
4/26/09: Lamb Whisperer
4/26/09: An Important Message from the BABS
4/30/09: Reading Lesson
5/1/09: May Day! May Day!
5/21/09: Rest Stop
5/28/09: And She Sleeps
5/30/09: Tiny Tussle
6/3/09: Steppin' Out
6/9/09: Stop, Look, and Listen
7/15/09: Getting Ahead. . .

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the still cooking despite the August heat and humidity (and this morning's thankfully short power outage) foodie farm blog where there really will be some new recipes posted here soon! But if your tummy's rumbling and you just can't wait, you'll find links to all of my Less Fuss, More Flavor sweet and savory recipes (in an odd sort of top to bottom, newest to oldest order because I still haven't gotten around to organizing them better), including many summer favorites, in the right hand sidebar of any Farmgirl Fare page under Previous Posts: Food Stuff w/ Recipes.

Wednesday Dose of Cute: Getting Ahead. . .

Maaaaaaaaaaa!

And Staying in Line

I Love the Black Sheep Best! (Except for my baby Cary, of course):
11/18/05: Frosted Snugglebunny
4/8/06: BB and Her Newborn Baby
4/28/06: Snugglebunny's Twin Girls Always Stay Together
6/27/06: Snugglebunny's Twin Girls Heading Out for Breakfast
7/10/06: BB and Her Mother Tana Are Always Together
9/30/06: Seeing Double
2/9/07: I Love Black Sheep! (Sheep Shearing Photos)
3/14/07: Tana and Her Baby Boy, First Morning Outside
3/20/07: All Booked Up at the Bonding Suite Inn!
5/13/07: The Tail of Two Mothers: A Mother's Day Story from the Farm
10/11/07: Living by the Light
12/5/07: Spy Sheep
4/4/08: Anybody Need an Experienced Sheep Dryer?
4/20/08: Raa Raa Black Sheep! Another Black Baby Lamb
10/2/08: Gossip Central
4/3/09: Black Babes for Black Beauty
4/14/09: Too Cute for Words?
6/9/09: Stop, Look, and Listen

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the finally remembered to switch to the new summer header foodie farm blog where so far these two Suffolk/Katahdin crosses (who also have a little black Border Leicester thrown in from my very first ram 13 years ago) look like they're going to keep their color. As you can see in the top photo, one has a slight brown tint to her coat now, but considering that their mother, BB, is a true black sheep (these days she looks grey but there's jet black wool underneath), and most of the spotted lambs have bleached out already, chances are good these twin girls are going to stay black. Hooray!

Tuesday Dose of Cute: Stop, Look, and Listen

One of BB's Twin Ewe Lambs On the Way Out to Breakfast in the Front Field

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the black is always in fashion foodie farm blog where one of the questions I'm most frequently asked (which will definitely be included in the Frequently Asked Farmgirl Questions page I'm diligently working on) is whether our black lambs stay black. The answer? Sometimes and sort of. It usually depends on if their mother is a true black sheep, and even then their wool usually bleaches in the sun to brown or grey. Most of the black Suffolk lambs fade to white and only keep their black faces and legs. But the Katahdin hair sheep (if they aren't bright white) retain their color and spots better, and since this lamb is half Katahdin and her mother is a true black sheep, there's a good chance she's going to stay that way (yay!). You can read more about black sheep and how much I love them here.

Wednesday Dose of Cute: Steppin' Out

That's One Way to Get Your Minerals

Farmgirl Fare is four years old today!
In my very first blog post, An Unexpected Beginning, I wrote about the word unexpected, which my thesaurus told me meant surprising, unforeseen, sudden, stunning, eye-opening, astonishing, astounding, amazing, breathtaking.

Yep, that pretty much sums up the last four years (along with all the cute of course). Thank you all so much. Here's to another four and hopefully many more!

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the time-sure-flies-by foodie farm blog where it wouldn't be a birthday without cake, so there's an Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake cooling on the kitchen counter. But since the oven is still hot and there's plenty of yogurt left over, I'm thinking about mixing up a quick Chocolate Emergency Cake—because it's always good to be prepared for an unexpected emergency.