With God’s blessings, Terry & I were married in 1999 and started our life together on a 20 acre farm in Cartersville, Ga. I have always wanted to live on a farm because I love animals. We soon had a farm full, horses (mini and regular), mini cattle, donkeys, chicken, cats, dogs, goats, sheep, rabbits, lizards, llamas, guineas, pigeons, doves, fish, cockatiels….I was known as Ellie Mae. Although I love them all, my favorites are the horses, mini cattle, goats, dogs, and I have always got to have a few chickens scratching around. We thinned out a lot of the animals, TWICE. We started visiting the GA National Fair every October to watch the Pygmy goat show. I fell in love. We did this for three years before we finally bought our first registered Pygmy goats. We bought a doe and her two kids. Of course, I was hooked. After much research, I finally found a buck that I loved, but he was in New Mexico. With lots of help from many wonderful people, in March 2005 we drove 12 hours to Henderson , Texas to pick up Echo Canyon Kids Remus. We also purchased several does from other breeders at a show there put on by the Tejas Goat Club. We were so excited about our new little herd. We attended our first show put on by the Southern Pygmy Goat Club in May 2006. Our boys, Zach and Aaron, love showing their goats. We had a lot to learn, but a couple of our goats took first place and I was extremely proud. Many wonderful people have given us advice and helped us tremendously, too many people to name. We attend several shows every year and I am the editor for the SPGC. We love spending time with the goats and all the wonderful people who love this breed as much as we do.
Zach with his wether Cowboy Gracie and Glory striking a pose My baby boy Mickey Mouse
Our favorite vacation place is the Tennessee mountains, we started looking for a vacation/retirement land in 2005. We started in one area and ended up finding a beautiful piece of land in Englewood. Finally, a place we both agreed on. After much prayer, we purchased the land in spring 2006. We wanted to build a vacation cabin. To fund this cabin we put part of our land in Georgia up for sale. Soon we had an offer but they wanted all our land and our house. After much prayer, we agreed. Everything sped right a long with God’s mighty hands opening the door after door, not only making things possible but easy. We started removing trees in September 2006 and moved in to our beautiful new home May 2007.
Our wonderful house on a hill We decorated rustic primitive The doe & buck barns
Living at the foothills of the Cherokee National Forest is wonderful. Our motto is “Heavens’ A Little Closer In The Mountains”. We spend our days working around the farm. Raising NPGA Registered Pygmy Goats, Boer Goats, and Miniature Zebu always keeps us busy. We also have 25 laying hens for fresh eggs to sale. We have invested in two Honey Bee hives for the honey and plan on expanding there. We use a lot of honey in coffee, baking, and preserving fruits. I also spend a lot of time crafting primitive items that I sell in my online store. We are also trying to master the art of trout fishing.
Terry & Aaron doing a little fishing Barred Rock hen Terry working the bees
God has blessed us with more than we deserve, so we want to live our lives glorifying Him in everything we do.
