Holly

We've had a new baby!  Her name is Holly (thanks Ann!) and she's about a week old in these pictures.

She came about 3 weeks early and was a surprise to both my dad and I.

She's strong, and fast and proved these facts to be true the day after she was born.  Crazy 8 (her Momma) gave birth out in the cold, snowy pasture, so my dad set out to move 8 and Holly up to the warmer and dryer barn.  I'd never seen a day old calf move so fast!  She was doing laps around my dad as he spun in circles trying to corral her into the barn.  Update: She's still fast as ever.  This explains my lack of close ups.

We usually try to pin Momma's with their little calves in the barn for the first 3 or 4 days of the their life.  But we learned a few years ago Crazy 8 doesn't take to kindly to being pinned up.  The longer she's pinned, the crazier she gets (thus the name).  And since little Holly was doing so well, we left Momma and calf unpinned.

Today, I found Miss Holly hanging with Bruce.  He's now a month and a half old and also camera shy.

Merry Christmas To All

I hope you all had a nice Christmas.  I know I sure did!

Lots of time was spent with family, relaxing, reminiscing, and just having a grand ole Christmas time.

Christmas Eve came and Arren and I helped my dad and the Lyon's Club distribute Christmas baskets to fellow Arcolians.  These are good, hard working families who have fallen on hard times or found themselves sick.

Then Christmas Eve night we ventured over to Uncle Bill and Aunt Janet's for some Christmas cheer.  The Nacke's have always has a Christmas Eve get together since before I was born, and each year the family party has grown bigger.  In fact, at this gathering, 14 of my 17 second cousins were corralled and brought by their moms and dads (my first cousins).  That meant 14 little kiddos were bouncing off the walls for Santa, for presents, and for the few extra sugar cookies they had eaten that day.  It's always great catching up with family members and as an added bonus, chowing down on some very tasty food.

In years past, the Nacke family has always drawn names for Christmas presents, but this year we did a white elphant-ish gift trade.  It was a success.  As for what Arren and I got... we now have two 1,000 piece puzzles to pass the time while our scentsy keeps the place smelling wonderful!

The next morning Santa did not disappoint.  Arren and I kicked off the early morning by opening gifts at our place.  Arren (I mean Santa) did an awesome job.  He hand picked a necklace and earrings for me to wear on our wedding day and managed to replace Dorothy in a Wizard of Oz book with my own name.

Then we headed over to my parent's for some more gift opening and ate until we were stuffed and then ate a little more.  Being an only child, my parents have always gotten me way too much on Christmas.  And even though my mom insisted she had cut back, it was no different this Christmas.  My favorite gift would have to be the bright red Kitchen Aide Mixer my parent's bought for me.  I mean it's so red and shiny and really just reminds me of Christmas cookies.  Note to self: I must start baking more.

That afternoon we headed over to Arren's family Christmas party.  A good time was had by all!  We of course had to play a family game and this time it was a tricky little ditty called headbandz.  We all had to wear head bands with note cards attached and then use clues to figure out what our note card said.  At one point I was a mustache and soon after that, Abe Lincoln. 

In all, Christmas 2012 was a success!  I'm sad it's over.  I don't want to take down my decorations or our drooping tree.  2013 is right around the corner and I can't believe how fast this year flew by.  Did you all have a great Christmas filled with family and good food?  Did you get something that just made your jaw drop?  Or did you give something that made the receiver beam with joy?

All Things Christmasy

I live for candy canes, Christmas music and have to watch at least 10 Christmas classic movies this time of the year.  I even have Frosty the Snowman (my all time favorite) on DVD.

I think I owe my love of all things Chritmasy to my mom.  For as long as I can remember, every December, my mom transformed the house into a winter wonderland.  A lot of the decor has been around since I was little and it holds a fond place in my heart.

So with out further ado, I give you the official Christmas tour of my parents humble abode!

This little tree made of Christmas bulbs was on "Oprah's Favorite Things" list several years back.  My dad loathes this thing.  I swear every time he passes by, he give it the stink eye.  Sadly, this year the lights finally died on "Oprah's tree"...  My dad's volunteered to throw it out!

This has been my advent calender since I was a wee little one.  Every day, a little stuffed figure is taken out and hung on the tree.  I use to be very meticulous in making sure every figure had it's own space on the tree.  That meant saving the little one's for the top as the spaces got closer and closer together.  Now when ever I go home, I have catch the tree up to the current date.  After all these years, it's still one of my favorite things to do!

I've always loved Christmas villages and my mom's is awesome!  For a while every year we would add to the collection until one day we had an abundance of decor, so that the village was soon a bustling city.  Now, here sits my mom's peaceful little Christmas city, happily gleaming with warm holiday light.

Last year my Mom helped me start my own little village by buying my first two buildings.  In case you're wondering the village is from "The North Pole Series" made by Department 56. Right now it's not much, but in a few years, I'm hoping to have the beginnings of my own Christmas town!

Saying my parents have tall ceilings is a vast understatement.  So finding a tree can be tricky.  There are certain qualifications a tree must have.  It must be a giant, an eleven footer, and a most massive evergreen.  It also has to be a long needled white pine per my mom's yearly request.  This year my dad quickly found this little thing.

It's the smallest tree (by feet and width) we've ever had.  But due to the ever shrinking long needled supply of evergreens this is the best my dad could do.  My mom went to town decorating this little smidgen of a tree.  Grandma Nacke handmade the fabric ornaments pictured below.  They were my favorite as a little girl and still are.  I also seriously wish I had the skills to make ornaments half as great as these!

My mom's decked the rooms, the halls, and the new front porch.  As the sun starts to set, my mom heads out and plugs in the decorations which light up the windows with some festive holiday cheer.

The Pinterest bug has bitten my mom in the form of this awesome homemade decoration.  She bought the evergreen branches, pine cones and had the mason jars and basket sitting around.  She filled each jar with Epsom salt and then added electric candles.  So Martha Stewart-esq! 

I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas tour!  I'm off to watch some Frosty on DVD.  What are some of your favorite things about Christmas... the tree, the decorations, the food, the chance to give to others?  Or are you just a Grinchy-Grinch when it comes to the Holidays?

I'm Baaack!

Um hi, remember me?  That girl who use to post on this blog. 

Well after about a month break, I'm back!  And I fully intend on making this stint of blogging worth your while.  As in 2-3 posts a week.  Maybe more if you're lucky!

This post really has no purpose other than to annouce my return from a long blogging hiatus.  I can just hear a collective cheer as you read this post.  Right?... OK maybe gleeful cheering might have been pushing it, but I'm sure doing a happy jig at the chance to start blogging again.

A lot has happened, so stay to tuned to see what you all have missed at Green Nacke Acres.  

Bruce Banner

Our 2013 calving season has started.  And that's no bull.  Actually, that is a bull. :)

I can hear the collective groan at my attempt at bull humor.  Sorry for that as well as the poor photo quality and the demon cow eyes.  It was dark outside and I only had the awful barn lighting.  An iphone can only do so much and a red eye reducer works no wonders with starry eyed cattle.

This little baby boy was born last Thursday.  I've decided to call him Bruce. As in Bruce Banner. As in the dude who turns into the Hulk.  As in I've been watching way too many super hero movies with Arren.  But this little booger is a chunky monkey!

We bought his Momma last Feburary with a bull calf already at her side.  Infact, here he is right here causing all kind of michief.

Momma's last calf was born in December which means Bruce came a month early.  So our 2013 calf crop has started 2 months early.  Not a bad way to start out a year that hasn't even began yet! 

My dad and I are in a heated arguement over who Bruce's daddy is.  I think it's Mo's offspring.  We bought Momma at a mid January sale and the dates coincide with a Momo baby.  My dad thinks the calf is too high quality to be Mo's...  Oh ye of little Momo faith.

Finito

The porch is finished, finito, done! This may be the first project my dad has actually followed through with 100% since moving into the Green Acre's homestead 23 years ago.  He's just a little proud... and he should be.  He took my parent's falling apart front porch and converted it to a now insulated, somewhat warm despite the onset of cold weather, country-chic room.

He started with a little insulation action in the newly built outside walls.

Then some tongue and groove boards started to go up.

This part took a little longer than expected.  My dad had to use some precision saw skills so that the new boards were flush with the old wall.

After the far wall was complete, it was onto the long side wall which went much faster.  Then he trimmed around the windows.  After all the boards were up, the porch was warm and a much happier place with some pretty wooden walls.

My dad didn't stop there.  The new walls received a coat of country white to match the already painted inside walls.  Then, when everything was dry, it was time to move back in!  Much to his dismay, my dad realized that their old freezer was now a half inch too long to fit back onto the porch.  So, in true Mark Nacke style, he went out and bought a brand new, smaller deep freeze to take its place.  After all, a new porch deserves a new freezer.

So without further ado, I give you my parents new front porch, furniture, deep freezer, and all.

And just for the heck of it, here is a comparison shot of before and after.

So whatcha think?  Pretty awesome right?  Anyone else doing some last minute outside home projects before winter finally sets in?  

Inspiration

So I thought I'd do a fun little post about blogs this blogger reads...

Young House Love:

This was my first blog.  I started reading, and I was hooked.  I don't know what it is about John & Sherry Petersik, but they've got me along with thousands of other readers mesmerized!  Literately, they have page views in the millions... and that's just monthly.  They were very much my inspiration to start this blog.  They mainly post about home DIY things, but they will also throw in random posts about their adorable daughter Clara, cute little Burger dog, and anything else they might be up to.  They just finished their first book and holy cow I can't wait for it to hit shelves!

OK, enough drooling over 2 strangers who strangely feel like friends..

Next up is Nice Girl Notes:

This chick is hilarious!  Her witty style of writing has me rolling with every post.  She's been known to throw out the occasional misplaced rap lyric and drop some great internet memes.  (By the way apparently it is pronounced "meams", not "mee-mee's" like I've been saying for the past year.  Who knew?)  But seriously, if your day is in need of some brightening up, check her blog out!

The Pioneer Woman:

I don't know how this lady does everything she does.  Not only does she have her own full time blog, she has a cooking show on the Food Network, a fully operational family cattle ranch, family of 6 (or is it 7), and home schools her kids. I just feel tired after typing all that.  Not only that but her posts are an awesome read.  They are short and to the point and full of wonderful pictures.  Oh she's also a seasoned photographer... Jealousy is a cruel thing.

Then there are a few others I drop in on occasion.
Bower Power.  Full of cute stories of DIY and little people (aka children).
Centsational Girl.  Good home upgrade ideas for those on a budget.
Our Fifth House.  After 5 houses these people have decor down to a science.

Well there you have it.  A look into some of my blogging super heroes.  If I ran into any of these people on the street I'd probably just run away, hide, and laugh giddily that I actually got to see them!