Hearth & Homestead

Hearth & Homestead We raise & sell wonderful Golden Retrievers and are building our homestead and family

Puppy play with the littles! And Bob sat with Alex and chilled for a minute. It was ridiculously heartwarming 🥰 and need...
06/06/2026

Puppy play with the littles! And Bob sat with Alex and chilled for a minute. It was ridiculously heartwarming 🥰 and needed today.
We broke down cardboard to lay by the chairs.
Aurora helped me dig a hole for the ice plant Whitney picked up for me 💜
Whitney cooked some amazing dinner over the fire pit tonight: pork loin, mushrooms, spinach 🤤 and a dessert of homemade marshmallows toasted over the fire, drizzled with chocolate syrup, and graham cracker used to dip. 😍
I got the last of my peppers in the dirt! Finally! I only have a few marigolds, echinacea, yarrow, and thyme and then I think the garden is fully planted for summer! The tomato bed is looking good and my little Everglades I’m trying this year look bushy and promising

CW: deathIt is so hard to write this post. They say joy shared is twice joy and sorrow shared is half sorrow, but it jus...
06/05/2026

CW: death
It is so hard to write this post. They say joy shared is twice joy and sorrow shared is half sorrow, but it just feels like heartbreak and devastation. I tried to write this last night, but couldn’t find the words to say. No words feel right so I’ll do my best.
Last night we lost Tatania.
Aurora lost her furry friend.
We lost a light of smiles and kisses.
A dog so great with both our kids.
A decade of breeding choices to create this beautiful, sweet, amazing dog. Gone, just like that.
The future of our program.
To a perfect storm of small conditions. The same fence we’ve had for 10 years, with a quarter inch sticking out. Just big enough to catch a collar. A backyard flock of chickens. And a dog who wanted on. Best we can figure is she stuck her head through the fence and managed to catch the clasp on her collar on the tiny jut out. Then she freaked out and spun. And she didn’t make it. It happened so fast, so quiet. We were out front playing with the girls and the puppies.
We seriously considered quitting breeding. We almost decided that route. But watching Aurora love on these puppies. That’s why we do this. To raise dogs to love and be loved.
The fence is changed but the damage can’t be undone and our hearts can’t be unbroken. So we’ll take time to heal and then keep moving forward.
This is the truth of things. The heartbreaking that flip side of the coin.

I sorted the kits girls and boys. Only 2 boys, which surprised me. I did get scratched for my troubles, but for sorting ...
06/04/2026

I sorted the kits girls and boys. Only 2 boys, which surprised me. I did get scratched for my troubles, but for sorting aline, I think I did alright!
Uncle (the name Aurora picked out for our rooster) was making sure the last of his ladies made it safely into the coop tonight and Momma Broody still has her 7 babies 💜
I ate a pea! One of my favorite garden snacks and I wasn’t sure I’d get any this year with how the garden has been fairing. Might be my only pea this year but I enjoyed it! 😂

Vet day! Puppies went in for their 6 week shots, check up, and deworming. They also get to experience being in a kennel ...
06/03/2026

Vet day! Puppies went in for their 6 week shots, check up, and deworming. They also get to experience being in a kennel and a car ride to help them travel to their new homes a little easier! 💜 everyone did great and got healthy marks. And Aurora even got to help administer the dewormer 👍🏻

Momma Broody has been hiding a chick! 😂 I thought she had 6 babies but she actually has 7! And Aurora was giving Odin mo...
06/02/2026

Momma Broody has been hiding a chick! 😂 I thought she had 6 babies but she actually has 7! And Aurora was giving Odin moral support for his annual check up 🥰 She told him it was ok and we would go home soon 💜

After the kids and us had a fun day at the splash pad, we let the pups have some fun playing outside too! While we had t...
06/01/2026

After the kids and us had a fun day at the splash pad, we let the pups have some fun playing outside too!
While we had the littles outside, we did a deep clean and pressure wash of the panels and puppy space 💜
We had to give Cannoli a quick rinse because she decided to play in some undesirable spots (read “p**p” 🤣). Everyone is clean and snoozing away now 🥰
I ran into this lovely little garter snake when I went to water the garden! Yay!! I am excited to see this sweetie, and may they eat up all the slugs and snails in my garden!

Princess Aurora had a blast reading Pinkalicious books to the puppies 🥰Then she had fun running her tractor outside I ...
05/31/2026

Princess Aurora had a blast reading Pinkalicious books to the puppies 🥰
Then she had fun running her tractor outside
I found another praying mantis in the garden 😍
The kiddos had a blast outside this evening.
Made significant leaps on the garden today! Hopefully next couple of days I can finish getting the potted on plants into the beds!!

After lunch crash out 💜
05/29/2026

After lunch crash out 💜

The boys got their photos today and they are looking good! 😍 My portaluca is blooming so nicely and it makes me happy ev...
05/29/2026

The boys got their photos today and they are looking good! 😍
My portaluca is blooming so nicely and it makes me happy every time I see it
Broody Momma is up to 6 chicks. That’s the best hatch out we’ve had ever! Hopefully we have some make it to adulthood 🤞🏻
Aurora was a big helper today! She hung out with me while I pulled greens for the buns, she helped me pull the wagon to the barn and fill it with bunny p**p for the garden. And all in her pink dress and princess shoes 💪🏻👑
Socks had her litter of littles. She had four kits and pulled her fur very well for them.
Found a baby praying mantis in the garden 🪴 and got some bulbs planted in the flower/pond strip. Also got the rest of the sweet potatoes planted and got an updated picture of the overall garden. It doesn’t look like much but it’s proof of a bunch of hard work and keeping on.

Broody Momma has hatched 2 chicks! 🐥 My tiny itty bitty pea plant thinks it’s gonna make a pea 😂 but the bloom is pretty...
05/26/2026

Broody Momma has hatched 2 chicks! 🐥
My tiny itty bitty pea plant thinks it’s gonna make a pea 😂 but the bloom is pretty
Shadow-one of our bunny bucks-was out and about in his cage while I was doing chores. He usually hangs out in his box and I don’t see him bouncing around so it was a nice change of pace.
Sweet potatoes are planted!
The last of the tomatoes are in too! Progress is being made!
We made dinner over the fire tonight and had a lovely evening. Such an enjoyable time!
The pups got their first taste of puppy food! And they loved it!

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Louisville, IL
62858

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