Dear Family and Friends!

It’s Christmas Time!

It’s the time of the year we celebrate our dear Saviour’s birth. So grateful He came to show us the Way.🙌

It’s also that time of the year when the mistress of this house sits down with pen and paper and writes of all the wonderful happenings and the ‘not so exciting’ happenings of the previous year.

Hmmmm what to write about??

She could write about the time of anxiously driving in LA rush hour traffic jams knowing the train headed home was leaving in under an hour (we made it with minutes to spare!)…

or she could write about the frantic last minute prep that happened for the first Airbnb guests in the Red Barn Cottage (I mean, really, dashing out the back door as they drive in is prbly running it a bit close 😆) …

for sure she doesn’t want to write (or think) about the dry, hot summer that produced very little grass for their ever hungry cows. 

Perhaps she could write about the amazing beach and the ocean waves of San Diego,

the sand between the toes, the glorious sun, the biking on water adventure (so Fun!),

the sunset walks, & the fun games played at the airbnb.

Or the 3 days of train adventures, no cooking, naps all day long, wonderful train staff who went out of their way to make it an experience everyone will remember.

As I peek back at all the happenings of this past year, I’m reminded of what an awesome God we serve.

I’m so grateful to be able to see His hand gently leading us thru the year, molding us closer to what He created us to be.

The year started out with Loyd & I making a short trip to PA to spend a day with Dutch Meadows, a farm with similar interests.

Thru the years, we’ve sold cows back & forth, so it was fun to finally meet the people on the other end of the many phone calls exchanged. It was our first trip ever to Lancaster. Beautiful country. We were a bit envious of the beautiful green grasses. We came away with lots of inspiration and ideas.

Our family vacation to San Diego in early March was blissfully perfect.

And yes, even missing a train (due to them discontinuing the route the week prior & us not getting the memo because our tickets had been booked weeks ahead), causes excitement that we won’t forget anytime soon!

Try driving 3-4 hours from San Diego to LA thru rush hour traffic.. aka many traffic jams. After some anxious moments we made it to the train station, were able to stash our rental vehicle, & run to the lounge with 15 minutes to spare. No small feat with 7 people & a week’s worth of luggage.

God is good to help us navigate those seemingly impossible situations. And so many life’s lessons are learned in these circumstances.

In April, Loyd & I took a short weekend to celebrate our 18th Anniversary in MO and into IA to pick up a piece of milking equipment. We stayed at a cute little lakehouse. Fishing right outside the front door on the dock was a highlight! A wonderful little getaway. With the children older it definitely makes it a lot easier to leave for short weekend jaunts. 💃

We found ourselves at ElDorado lake for several days in mid August. Renting a camper & a boat was loads of fun.

Lots of biking, swimming, eating, and sitting around the campfire made wonderful memories. Oh and yes, even the loud bang of the door waking everyone up every morning as the early riser made his way outside. (Big houses have their conveniences!)

Also need to mention we got a pic of our rain gauge at home filled to 3 inches while we were there! Such a God hug! 

 

“Leave for a few days, rest, rejuvenate, have wonderful family times. I got the farm!” - God

Anyone who has animals knows how hard it is to leave, and yet leaving is really what helps us to keep going. 💕

In September, my sisters and mom and our children trekked the many miles to OH to visit my 2 beautiful sisters.

It was an adventure for sure with lots of energy everywhere except for maybe the mamas. 😄 Driving that many miles isn’t for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable time. Was so good to see my sisters again.

On the Farm..

The farm continues to be our income source. I’ll admit this year was one of the hardest as we brainstormed our way thru another year of drought. Buying in organic hay from great distances is a leap of faith… not knowing how the cows will respond to other people’s hay and also knowing the $$ it takes to drive it here. 

We are praying for a wet 2024 with lots of grasses in our pastures.  “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten-” Joel 2:25

I know God is a promise keeper and this verse has often come to mind lately.. And He has been faithful to provide everything we need. He is a God of Restoration. 🙌

The Farm Store is a busy place most days. We are so grateful for all our faithful customers. I often marvel at the incredible people God sends our way and that we get to be a part of people’s healing journey.

The raw milk stories continue to blow me away. Incredible how something as simple as real milk makes so much difference in people’s lives. 

And yet, on the producer’s side it’s anything but simple; Loyd spends countless hours nurturing our cows and calves and giving them the best living conditions possible.

Taking care of our animals so they can take care of us and our farmstore friends is his ultimate goal. He does an incredible job and blesses many people everyday.

Our children each have their responsibilities on the farm each day.

We also have 3 amazing employees who keep lots of things going. We simply wouldn’t exist without them. Jerad helps Loyd out 4 days a week with the milking and feeding and barley sprout planting. Melissa does these tasks the other 3 days. 

McKenna is our processing girl. She takes all the milk and does her magic of turning it into 13 different cheeses, yogurts, butter, kefir, cold brew coffee, & ice cream. Plus multiple other things. We are so incredibly grateful for her. She works 4 days a week and is a delight to have on our team. 

And then the products get turned over to my sister Laura who gets to sell all of the things thru our Farm Store. She’s amazing at all she does. She’s does all our inventory, all our deliveries, meat pickups, and so much more. Basically keeps everything flowing… my right hand girl.

I’m incredibly blessed to get to work alongside her everyday. We work well together.. Her strengths are my weaknesses & vise versa. We recently did our first vendor booth together at a conference and laughed at our differences. We both knew we didn’t want the other person’s job.🥰 Someone needed to engage the customers and offer samples the other needed to take the money… I’ll let you decide which one was me. 😆 The beauty of having a team.

Our beautiful Dutch Belted cows keep increasing, which is a good thing as the demand for raw milk continues to grow each year. The children do a fine job of bucket feeding all the hungry calves each morning and evening.

Our fat and sassy hogs do well on our whey from cheesemaking. And produce the tastiest and tenderest pork chops you ever had. Oh my! And bacon… although that often flies off the shelf into eager hands as soon as it hits the shelf. 

“And we just get the bacon ends!” sighs each Borntrager child.

Our lovely egg machines work tirelessly out in the pasture every day taking care of our pests and fertilizing the soil for the coming rains. 😍 We are blessed with lots of eggs right now, a wonderful thing to have especially after the egg shortage a year ago.

Our herd of felines are doing fantastically well as anyone who drives in can tell. Our children adore each cat and so it is tough to give away any of them.. but absolutely necessary for fear of being taking over by them. 😌

The Red Barn Cottage came into existence this year. 

There was this old unused barn with lots of character left in it but also lots of holes that left a lot to be desired.

This old barn was just begging us to do something with it before it was completely retired.

Sooo with a lot of ambition, a ton of muscle work, and many, many dollars we chose to breathe new life into her. 

Many nights were spent working on her.

And then the fun of finding the right decor to make it all come together. Laura was the mastermind behind all the decor.

We both spent several nights running to Wichita for marketplace finds…the bed is really sweet…just sayin.😉

And now, new stories are being written of this sweet ol’ barn. We’ve had anniversary celebrations, birthday parties, and even a sweet wedding on the patio.

And many, many families have found a peaceful resting stop on their journeys. We love being able to share this space God has blessed us with!

Our Children

Melissa is a junior this year and learning how to navigate work, studies, family, & youth. She is a joy to be around. I thoroughly enjoy having adult conversations with her! (Young mamas, hang in there! It’s so worth it!)  She loves laughing and spending time with family and friends. 

Melissa celebrated her 16th birthday this year. Loyd & I took her to Denver on her first plane ride to celebrate. We flew west with the sun coming up so we got to see the sunrise for an hour in the clouds! Breathtaking.

Loyd rented a jeep for the day so we had lots of fun driving in the mountains while going to Hot Sulphur Springs. The Springs were a highlight. So amazing to see the hot water coming out of the mountain.

Afterwards, Melissa chose sushi for dinner.  What a fun day!

Melissa has taken over all the bookkeeping for the business which has been incredibly huge for me. It has freed me up in lots of ways. Between that, milking cows 3 days, and helping out my sis Edith once a week she has a full schedule. But is often up for a Rook game yet before bedtime, much to the delight of her little brother. So grateful for this sweet girl.

Rosalyn is 13 this year and in 7th grade. We hear of electrons in her science and prepositional phrases in her English. It’s so fun to see her blossoming into a young adult. She’s our artistic one, creating many beautiful pics & creating beauty in everything she does. 

She got a pony this fall named Dolly whom is a friend to all the children. Rosalyn thoroughly enjoys riding her. We’ve had lots of beautiful afternoons the last few months for an enjoyable ride.

Rosalyn is in charge of each of our 300 chickens. She does well to go out each day, rain or shine to feed them and gather eggs. Her younger siblings go along to help. In the mornings she is in charge of feeding the calves their share of milk.

Her chocolate milk business continues to thrive and recently she has been enjoying learning the ropes of taking care of customers.

Rosalyn does great at watching her younger siblings, when I’m out and about, and creating a fun space for everyone. She recently had Josiah help her with a restaurant evening for the rest of our family. Our whole family enjoyed the formal evening and the delicious food.

She’s a true friend and a dear daughter. Love her so much.

Breanna is our joy-giver. Always cheerful. Always giving. Her day is made when she can give someone a gift or bring joy to them. A people person. Always chatting away (much to her siblings dismay😆). 

She is 11 years old and in 6th grade this year. She does very well at her studies and often quickly gets them done so she can do more fun things. She likes creating. Crafting of any sort is wonderful fun.

She enjoys cooking and will often join me in the kitchen. Mashed potatoes are still a fav although cheesy potatoes are coming in as a close second these days.

Partying with cousins or friends is the Bestest way to spend any day. And dressing up for a quick trip to town is of utmost importance. Shopping is becoming a wonderful thing. Life with Breanna will never be boring! 

On the farm she helps with the chickens and calves.

She’s a natural with animals. They love her and she loves them.

The cats all have names and are petted each day. They know when Breanna calls them and run to greet her whenever she steps outside.

She is currently making eggnog to finance her many gift giving opportunities. (And also putting some in savings!😉)

She loves knowing people are enjoying her hard work. Her smile was huge when payday came. “Now, I can buy more gifts for Christmas!” 🥰

We love our Breanna girl!

Wendall, our big little boy, is 9 years old.

He’s grown tremendously this year and skipped thru several clothing sizes. The food he inhales daily gives me nausea just thinking about it. 🫠

He is our blue-eyed sweetheart. Always has a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. And you’ll never know the wise cracks that will come spilling out. He keeps us hooting with laughter. 

He is in 4th grade this year and does very well with his studies. He’s our early riser & often has most of his school work done before the others get up.

Wendall loves to play football, basketball, and any board or card game. And of course, wrestling with his younger brother. The two are fierce competitors at times but also stick up for each other when the day is done.

He’s enjoyed learning how to ride our pony as well. He’s bravely taken a few tumbles off of Ms Dolly but jumped back up & got back on. 

Recently, he’s been helping Loyd quite a bit more on the farm. Enjoys driving the UTV anytime he can. 

Wendall takes care of our rabbits when we have some and also daily helps to take care of the calves and chickens.

Love our little man!

Josiah is our 6 yr old.

He might be the youngest and skinniest but don’t let that trick you into thinking he can’t keep up his end! Many a young boy has been caught off guard by this determined little guy. His fast running and dodging has made him a much sought after person to have on your side of the football game.

He dreams football all day everyday. And Rook. Because once it’s dark outside it’s not safe to play football!

He’s in 1st grade and learning how to read. It often takes more patience than he wants to use but he’s getting better at it.  Math is his favorite and he whizzes thru the pages very quickly. We are learning division at the moment and he’s loving it. 

He helps with the rabbits, chickens, and calves each day. 

We love our Josiah Daniel very much! 

And Loyd & I spend our days working together, brainstorming, learning the ropes of building a business, and leading our family thru everyday real life.

We love doing it together and feel incredibly blessed we get to!

As we step into 2024 may you be able to see the evidence of our Great God in the everyday details. 

We love You!💕

~The Borntragers

Loyd & Arlene,

Melissa, Rosalyn, Breanna, Wendall, & Josiah

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