Hi Shenanigan Enthusiasts!

 Time keeps slipping away and temps keep dropping!!  It’s 3 degrees outside as I type. Burr! Fortunately, Jeff helped install a heater to take the edge off in the barn last weekend. Oh, and by help, I mean he did it and I supervised! Of course, the whole gang was as nosy as ever. The challenge was to keep the extension cords out of the goats reach or all efforts would have been nibbled away! The only ones uninterested in the ruckus were miss Betty and June who just stayed snuggled up in their favorite spot under the goat bunk. Rowdy and Huckleberry win the award for most up in the business. 

Every winter I have to put heaters in the water troughs, so the water doesn’t freeze. Up until now I have gotten away with just busting the layer of ice on top with my pitchfork every day because fortunately it wasn't too thick. Jeff sweetly set the water heaters up for me over the weekend too. Yay for helpful hubbies. Unfortunately, they keep blowing circuits! Dang it!! I have an electrician coming today to help me dial it all in. The troughs are now solid enough to ice skate on. In the meantime, I lug buckets of hot water down each morning. So, for now, less shoveling sh*t because it’s buried in the snow and more toting buckets during my morning routine thanking God and listening to my favorite tunes. 

Bucket List

Buckets have become a part of my daily life from buckets of oats, to buckets of water, to my "bucket list". As I toted water from the house to the barnyard, I found myself thinking about how not so long ago I would never have imagined buckets, a funny farm of furry friends and shoveling sh*t could be my reality but here I am living the dream. My dream anyway.  Is it easy nope, is it worth it, ABSOLUTELY! Crossing things off of the bucket list and adding more to it. Wait for it....Yep, I have the perfect song for that!

Bucket List - Mitchell Tenpenny (click to listen)

I'ma cross one off
Put two more on it
Say I love you 'fore the moment's gone
And never have to ask myself, "What if?"
When I get to the bottom of my bucket list

My Buckets

 I have come to realize how important buckets are both here at the funny farm and in life. There are three must have "buckets" in my life, the bucket list bucket, the F*** it bucket, and the memory bucket. One for the hopes and dreams, one for the things I need to let go of and one to fill up with all the memories I make as I cross things off my bucket list. 

Bucket List Bucket

Once upon a time I didn't really have a bucket list. Sure, I had some goals and wanted to be able to sit on a beach once in a while, but I didn't really let myself dream big. Now my bucket list bucket overflows and I keep adding to it. I love taking time to really dream about if anything was possible, what do I want to do in the moments I have left.  While I wholeheartedly believe it's the simple things that matter most, it is ok to DREAM BIG! It's important to dream. Not only dream but strive to turn those dreams into reality. Usually, the process of turning dreams into reality requires a certain level of getting uncomfortable, leaps of faith, and trust. Trust in yourself, your intuition, your heart and your strength to navigate whatever comes as a result of pursuing your bucket list. These are the moments we feel most alive. Falling or failing is better than having to ask ourselves WHAT IF when we get to the bottom of our bucket lists. So, fill the bucket list bucket up! Cross one off and add two more and let's keep making the most of the moments we get! 

F- It Bucket

Change the B to and F and you get the F-ucket Bucket (there is song for this too! click to listen). The pleaser in me finds it challenging to put things in this bucket. However, I am learning to embrace the value of having this bucket in my life. Fortunately, this bucket is not overflowing, unlike my other two buckets, and I am grateful to be learning to let some things go. As the songs sings above, find peace of mind in the time the good Lord gives. Having a F-ucket Bucket and a whole lot of Faith helps. Oh, and so does a little of Jeff's homemade moonshine! It's ok to let relationships and things that don't serve us go. I evaluate, can I make it better, can it make me better? Does it fill my cup or drain it? If the answers are the latter, then in the F-ucket bucket it goes. 

Memory Bucket

I love this bucket! I love that the more I live the fuller it gets. I love that it's there on the hard days to remind me of my many blessings. It reminds me where I have been. It's full of laughter and tears, both of which I cherish. It reminds me of things that were once on the bucket list that became reality, therefore reminds me what is still possible for all the dreams on my bucket list. I am grateful for the memories and excited to celebrate crossing things off my bucket list. 

 Cheers!

One of our favorite Winter Celebration Sips is this yummy warm and cozy cocktail. Hope you enjoy it too!!! Fun fact they call Jeff Artic Raspberry Guy at the local Dry Hills Distillery where we get the Raspberry Vodka. 

Speaking of Bucket Lists!

 The third episode of V-S-T, Never Gonna Let You Down, Joy and Heartbreak with Holly Sowers, was released this week! Starting this Podcast and been on my bucket list for a long time. I am so grateful to be turning this dream into a reality. Together I look forward to laughing, crying, growing, being inspired, inspiring, and finding magic in the messy so that we can all THRIVE. Listen HERE.