Nina Mullins »

I’m gonna keep this short and simple (I mean…as much as I am capable of keeping things simple…and short).

Over four years ago I closed our wedding photography business of twelve years. If you don’t know by now, I’m a big ol’ Jesus freak (the good kind, of course…I’m not a total nutcase…or maybe I am….wanna hang out?), and I try to listen to what God speaks to me (although, I’m not always so good at hearing Him). Back in 2018 I felt like God was telling me to let our business go, with no guarantee of any income to make us feel secure and safe. He just asked me to trust Him. So I did. And I took the leap. And it was scary.

For twelve years I had poured everything into a business that took us all over the United States and world. We shot weddings in Norway, Mexico, Sweden, Canada, California, Rhode Island, Texas and beyond. We held two international workshops in Nepal, which were AMAZING. We got to pour all of the profits from those workshops into local non-profits in Kathmandu. It was beautiful.

So when He asked me to let all of that go…all the recognition, and the good income…I was nervous. But I was sure He was going to provide me with a crazy amazing income when I let go of the business…I was definitely going to be blessed for my great “sacrifice”.

ha…ha…ha.

It didn’t quite go that way. As a matter of fact, it has been a struggle. But also, quite beautiful. The lessons I have learned over the last few years, and the character God has been building in me…so special. In the midst of all of the waiting and trusting, we’ve also built a small homestead, with cows, chickens, ducks, donkeys, dogs and bees…and a big ol’ garden that still overwhelms me. It’s been a journey I never expected to be on.

I won’t go into all the details on how it all unfolded right now, but we are opening up our “doors” again. We are accepting five weddings over the next year. They will be set at $7,500, which will include 8 hours of coverage, 2 photographers, digital negatives, and a whole lot of love and prayer poured into your big day. And something really special…we are offering the first two weddings that book with us a $2,000 discount, meaning they will be $5,500 and include all the same goodies.

And yes…we are still shooting film! I just can’t bring myself to ONLY shoot digital. The Contax 645 and Kodak Portra 400 will forever be my favorite combo when capturing life and love.

Here are a few photos from our years in the business (but you can search the blog and find a lot more). What an adventure we’ve been on in this life so far! Hopefully, we’ll go on a few more adventures before our days our done.

  • Erik w/a “k” - That is super exciting. I know the soon to be we’d need someone like you to give them all the beauty and care that should come from a wedding photographer but often doesn’t.

My childhood dreams didn’t include owning a cow.

So here’s the deal…when I was a kid, I never really dreamed of having cows. I loved animals, but I didn’t see cows as anything special. Sure, if you had put me in a field with a cow, I was definitely going to say hello and try to be its friend, but I wasn’t dreaming about life with cows. In my mind, they were just an animal that gave us milk and left the smell of manure wafting in the air.  Beyond that, I never thought about them.

Fast forward to my 42nd year of life, and I felt the stirring inside of me to start a homestead. Then came the mini donkeys. Then the chickens. And then I started thinking about cows.

Then I couldn’t stop thinking about cows. I started researching breeds, and what kind of milk they produced.

What is A2 Milk?

I learned a lot about A2/A2 milk. If you are unfamiliar with the significance of A2/A2 milk, I’ll try to give a simple explanation (as simple as I can). Beta-casein is a form of milk protein. There are slightly different forms of beta-casein, the most important being known as A1 and A2. Basically, during digestion, enzymes break down a histidine-isoleucine bond in  A1 beta-casein, releasing a peptide called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7), which is an opioid that is known to have narcotic properties. In susceptible individuals, BCM7 can cause a wide range of symptoms, including bloating, constipation, and nausea. Some people who have claimed lactose intolerance may find that perhaps they are simply susceptible to BCM7. BCM7 is not released during the digestion of A2 milk, which is why many people who thought they were lactose intolerant, can actually drink A2 milk without issue. BCM7 is also known to lead to inflammation wherever it is attached, which is why it is often related to a number of other issues, including autoimmune diseases. Simply put, if you’ve avoided milk for much of your life because you diagnosed yourself as lactose intolerant, you may want to consider trying A2/A2 milk. You may find your way back into the dairy world without issue! This is the type of milk I was determined to find. Some people disagree on this topic, and I’ve seen some get into heated arguments about whether or not the beta-casein actually makes a difference. For me, after researching and hearing personal testimonies from people I trust, I decided that finding an A2/A2 cow was important for our family.

And what breed was I going to invest in? I never realized how many breeds of cattle there were! Angus, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein-Friesian (most of us drink milk from this breed), Hereford, Highland, Dexter, Zebu, and many more. There are dairy and beef breeds, and some are used for both. In the end, I was looking for the best milk and the prettiest cow (Am I shallow for wanting a pretty cow? Maybe. But I’m not sorry about it.). I landed on the Jersey.*

Why a Jersey cow?

The Jersey is native to the island of Jersey, an island in the English Channel. Her milk has the highest level of milk solids (protein and minerals) and vitamins, as well as butterfat. She also produces a lot of cream, which makes for some of the best cafe con leche you can get. She has a long milking life, and she’s a smaller cow, but quite tough. Jerseys are also known for their curious and playful temperaments. Oh, and did I mention how pretty those Jersey girls are? They tend to have a doe-like face, with a white band around their muzzle, and a black nose. Given all these qualities, I knew that this was the breed I was looking for.

A conversation with a mini jersey breeder

This leads us to our own Jersey cows. Wow…it is not easy to find A2 Jersey cows! And did you know that there are also mini Jersey cows?! True story. And they come at an even greater price. With that said, I wasn’t looking for a mini. I was simply looking for a sweet family cow that would provide our family with milk, butter, and maybe even cheese. And hopefully, we could also offer it a happy life.

I met a woman on my homestead journey that told me about a mini Jersey breeder in Illinois. I gave him a call and my sole purpose in speaking with him was to learn more about Jerseys (since I knew that I couldn’t afford a mini). He gave me 45 minutes of his precious time and gave me so much valuable information. Up until that moment, I thought that cows had udders…as in more than one…I didn’t realize it was one udder and four teats. Perhaps I should have known, but again…I never dreamed that I’d own a cow one day, so my cattle knowledge was minimal to say the least.

Throughout the course of those 45 minutes, he let me know that he had one standard sized Jersey that he would consider selling me. He called her Tall Girl because she was taller than the rest. She also had a baby that was about 10 months old.

I may have to tell you the story of how we ended up with that very Jersey, and her little heifer, but for now, just know that I did a very UN-Nina thing, and I waited patiently (well, I don’t know if you can call it patient…there was a lot of stress in the waiting…but I waited none-the-less). And it was worth the wait.

A baby is born

In April of 2021, we welcomed Sølvi (the mama) and Kjersti (her 10-month-old heifer) to our farm. And to add to the joy of the experience, Sølvi was 7 months pregnant! On June 29, 2021, we welcomed little Freyja, who is a half-mini (half-standard) jersey. And wow…I never knew how much we would love cows, but we love our girls! They have stolen my heart, and I cannot wait to tell you more about them. For now, just know that I now understand why people love their family cows SO much. There is something special about these girls.

*I gathered most of my information about cows and A2 milk from the amazing book, Keeping a Family Cow. If you haven’t read it, you should. Even if you aren’t going to buy a cow, this book is invaluable!

 

 

It was bound to happen.

I was told it would happen.

And even though I prepared myself mentally, I was still heartbroken when it happened.

Our sweet Queenie passed away. I’m not sure why, but we think it was one of those last really cold nights we got when it snowed. We warmed her listless body up, and she seemed to recuperate nicely, but the next night, when we kept her inside with us, it seems she just didn’t have enough life left in her to keep going.Our sweet little buff laced Polish went onto the great beyond, where she can scratch and cluck and eat as many worms as she likes forever and ever.

We held a sweet little funeral for her, as she was the first of our livestock to bid adieu to this life. Eliana spoke some words over her grave by the creek, and cried big tears, and mentioned something about Queenie being “a true hero” (is it wrong that this made me chuckle a little under my breath?).


Where there is death, there is also life, and we are learning many new things about this life we’ve been given, all because of this simple little homestead. I have many questions still, but I’m thankful for the lessons God is teaching me as I go.

We have lost five more chickens since Queenie died. Four of them, we believe, to hawks that live on our land. It seems to get easier as you go. But nothing is like the first time you lose one, especially a favorite of sorts. Here’s a little tribute reel I shared on Instagram a while back.

But don’t worry, there are more chicks on the way. We currently have 60 meat chickens growing up on our land (that’s a whole other story to share on another day!). But we have about 15 more on the way close to the end of wintertime. Lord, help my chicken addiction!

 

 

“What is a farrier”, you may ask.

A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses’ (and donkeys’!) hooves.

I will say it was no piece of cake finding a farrier. Farriers aren’t in abundant supply, but we found a traveling farrier, and he turned out to be quite wonderful.

But let’s start on day one of the hoof trimming. That’s right…I said Day One. Apparently, in my mind, I thought that once the farrier arrived, he’d be like the pied piper of donkeys and he would magically lure my donkeys into their shelter, and then they’d stand very still and at attention without a single complaint. So I didn’t do a single thing before he arrived. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

He arrived and we (by “we” I mean “me”) spent the next hour chasing them down, trying to get a halter on them. I tried treats and hugs…I even tried singing for them…nothing worked (maybe my singing had the reverse effect?). I was defeated. At the end of “the chase” our farrier said he could come back in a few days and try again, but he added that he’d have to charge us for the next trip out. I can’t say that I blame him. I would do the same.

As he left, and Wes and I returned to the car, I began to cry. I felt like such a failure. Wes was spouting encouraging words, saying we could look back on this and laugh at our inexperience, and we could remember how hard it was in the beginning. I wasn’t moved in the moment, but I thought of his words a few hours later and found comfort in them.

Four days later Wes and I got out of bed early and went down to the run-in shelter. Wes created a makeshift gate for the shelter. We had decided we’d nail it into place so they couldn’t get out once we got them in there. An hour later, the deed was done, after I miraculously lured them both in with treats, and Wes slid the gate into place. I got halters on both of them, as well. Jack was NOT happy about it, but he succumbed to the inevitable. We went back up the hill feeling quite victorious.

As we got ready to head into town for the day I heard Wes say from the other room, “Uhhhh Nina. The donkeys are out of the shelter. The gate is gone.”

What the FREAK?! How in the WORLD?!

They literally lifted the gate up with what I can only assume was their necks and they carried it about 20 feet from the shelter! What kind of escape artists are they?!

What came next was an hour and a half of trying to lure them back into the shelter. It wasn’t easy. And yet somehow we did it.

Wes put about a thousand screws in the gate to make sure even the Hulk couldn’t break through. And I guess it worked because five hours later they were still inside. And when the farrier arrived we had to unscrew the 8 trillion screws (the number gets higher with each retelling of the story), and he worked his magic.

Joy was a good girl and made us look good. Jack was not so good and fought until the very last trim. Seriously, he was the WORST. I’m surprised the farrier didn’t quit. I was so stressed out just watching the process…also kind of embarrassed. It’s like taking your kids to a family photo session, and hoping the photographer doesn’t hate you and think you’re a terrible mom after your kids scream for an hour.

Taking us through every step of the process. God bless this man and his patience!

And so ended our first experience with the farrier. His name is Justin Cohee, by the way. And if you’re in Kentucky, you should hire him. He was a saint with our fighting donkey.

I am kind of terrified of the next time the donks have to get trimmed. But for now, I’ll rest easy knowing they aren’t uncomfortable in their own “shoes”.