What started out as small-time projects around the house and yard of Charlie and Karen Sigler eventually got out of hand and became another full-time job for the couple. Now their home on 10 acres in Benjamin has grown into a small farm that is vibrant with life, where animals, vegetables and flowers are raised and nurtured.

"I can't live here," said Charlie as he remembered his move to Orem, "I mean, I look out the window and there's the neighbor looking back at me."

And no matter how crowded it might get in Benjamin in the future, Charlie says they'll always have enough property around them to maintain some "elbow room." So upon their return to the house, they began work on making it their own.

"He wanted to be a farmer so that was part of it," said Karen, as she remembered how it all began. "And I was raised to always make the best of what you've got."

Improvements around the house and yard began to grow and spread as new plans and hobbies sprang up. Trees were planted, the land was laser leveled, and before they knew it, they were taking care of neighbor's animals. Karen eventually added four goats of her own, one of which died -- presenting a fast and hard lesson on caring for animals.

Over the past 10 years, the Siglers have raised and cared for livestock and fowl including sheep, goats, llamas, cows, turkeys, ducks, Guinea fowl, hens and geese. They've had their own fruit orchard for about eight years and produced their own nectarines, apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums and apricots. Just recently they've added nut trees to the yard and hope to add a berry patch this year.

A plot of land is dedicated to Charlie's bee hives, which produced 94 gallons of honey a year and whose wax the Siglers use elsewhere, including candle and soap production.

A 30-foot by 30-foot solar greenhouse, built by Charlie, is crowded and well-used for wool storage and honey processing, as well as for starting vegetables and trees.

The land around the Sigler's home is bustling with life, and although they may call it a small farm, it is an extremely large amount of work for just two people, especially when those people already have full-time jobs. Charlie works at Novell and Karen works at Fed-Ex. They keep track of their chores on a white board that hangs beside the back door of their home.

So what keeps the couple motivated to sacrifice evenings, weekends and even vacation time on this oversized hobby? They both agree that at first it was a good challenge, to work their land and get sweaty and dirty while enjoying the beauty of it in springtime. But the real rewards come in the fall when they reap the benefits of their work.

"It's pretty fun to go out your backyard to go have breakfast, lunch and dinner and to pick the things and just eat them," Karen said.

Along with working the farm, the couple also helps build and host 50-60 Web sites for beekeepers and farmers in the area, and also helped create the Utah Small Farm Co-op that keeps about 65 members from Logan to Cedar City connected. The co-op provides information and help to any of the members and gives them an opportunity to trade and barter their produce.

Charlie and Karen have cut back their own production after some very busy seasons. They've had more than 40 sheep on their land at one time, produced 18 varieties of tomatoes another year, and slaved away in the greenhouse to sell flats of flowers to friends and family between Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

"What we try to do is base our cost on what it's cost us to do it because we're selling to family and friends," Karen said. "We're not doing this in production to try and make money."

"The other thought too is that if we get the hobbies to cover their expenses, we can continue to do it after we retire and not worry about making a living out of it," added Charlie.

Even though the farm has steadily grown and started to help pay for itself through bartering and with the help of the co-op, the Siglers still face many problems with the land, from soil and drainage issues to rising feed and water prices.

But the couple is still up for the challenge with plans for new projects including tree planting, animal rescue, queen bee breeding and an automated irrigation system to go along with Charlie's computer-regulated greenhouse. The couple also hopes to continue educating fellow farmers and any others interested in farming through their Web sites and tours of their property.

Charlie has been called a generalist and Renaissance man by his co-workers who admire the balance in his life between work and home. The farm provides him an escape from the strict structure of his career as a computer programmer.

"This is how I like to live life," he said.