Starting a blog

Ok, so apparently, this is what sleepless mothers do when their children are screaming their heads off in the other room fighting the sleep that will bring both themselves and their parents much needed peace and happiness...

I've been meaning to start recording all the happenings 'round these here parts - as my childhood habit of incessant scribbling in a diary disappeared along with my long skirts and bad acne (thank GOD!). The stories here are really pretty hysterical, and while Facebook posts give brief updates - I do think many of you would find that I've got some great stories that come from my everyday duties...

Besides, I need a place to tell people about all my crazy party planning, amazing new recipes, and of course, brag about my brother Jake's insanely yummy cooking...obviously, my life is rather entertainment and food-centric - I think about cooking and entertaining far too much. I'm always looking for ways to use the produce we have grown here, or the fruit that grows wild on trees around the property (we've got 72 acres and a 3.5 acre pond!), or some dried seed pod that I see some beauty in.

I'm sure that my stories will come to include ALL the members of the Deer Park Farm family, so here's a who's who:

The Deer Park Farm Family

Melissa - that's me

Jeffrey - that's my husband

Ellie Graye - that's our daughter, born July 16, 2008

Victor - the grounds keeper/handyman/gardner

Lorena - the housekeeper/nanny/savior

Jax - the Chocolate Lab

Boots - the Beagle

Avdou - the big grey horse (registered, absolutely beautiful Holsteiner)

Frank - the cute, crazy bay horse (registered Thoroughbred, off the track)

With that out of the way, let me get back to sleep, and we'll see how this adventure develops!