The Simple Life

Little Bit Spoiled....

2012-02-12T23:39:00.000-06:00

At least This week..

We had several small and Big appliances on their last legs or just dead.. Like my Cusinart food processor.. Died a couple months ago.. I sure did miss it..
My washer never wanted to spin out or when it finally did it was just barely.. Clothes were to wet to dry in the dryer and they didn't dry on the line I had downstairs .. They just dripped... For DAYS!!.... Needless to say Laundry was seriously backed up and only half clean sometimes ...
Then my camera died... Then Kyle resuscitated it a little.. but it didn't work right most of the time.. Our deep freeze also was dying.. It was after all about 25-30 years old..... or older....
So it was a week of big purchases... We search things out and discuss and read reviews and research some more...... and I am usually very Ummm Frugal (Gotta Love Craigslist)..... Lol BUT sometimes New is the best option... Especially in appliances.. So we got a washer and dryer set.. Dryer is done Before the Washer!!! New deep freeze! It's a a chest freezer much better than an upright! I found a new Cusinart food processor at the Kitchen store... Its beautiful! lol
Then I bought a camera.. Its a Kodak Easyshare Max Z990 has a 30X zoom and all sorts of other stuff. Its normally $300... I got it for much less from Amazon in the Used but Like new category.. I was a bit nervous ordering from that since I had always ordered new... But its Really was like new.. With a new battery charger and set of batteries!! I was happy!!! I am still learning it though..
These are all just things that will make my life easier or just a want.. I feel like God blessed us tremendously with the deals we got and the quality of that stuff.. He is so awesome how he works in the little stuff everyday!.
I am thankful most of all for a God who loves me, my Sweet husband who has spoiled me so much and my beautiful Healthy girls that God has blessed us with! I hope no matter what though I am content.....

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Phillipians 4:11

OOO He Has Done It Again...

2012-02-09T23:51:00.000-06:00

Kyle Built me a Greenhouse..

He saw my sorry excuse for beginning one..

Tore it apart and reconstructed it..

He is MUCH better at building than I am!!

It holds a fairly even temp.. Its movable if needed

Complete with a vent in the back for when it would get to hot..

It still needs shelves and I have hung lights in there just to see.. But I am planning.... Oh yes I have plans!Lol

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Psalm 68:19

Farm Girls Clean Up Well!

2012-02-05T00:22:00.000-06:00

Just Beware...
The Daddy is Armed to the Teeth!

The girls know how to use them too....

Love my girls.....

It was a church Valentine party..

They had a lot of fun.. The dressing up is so much fun for them. They are rough and tough 95% of the time but they are all GIRL too.. I am thankful for a good church that they can be themselves in and feel a big part of .. I got to have a party with all the younger kids. 11 and under. It was a lot of fun.
I sometimes wonder if I am doing things right for my girls.. Second guess the decisions we have made and the things we have or haven't done in our family.. Then they say or do something that makes me realize As long as I continue to put them in God's hands and follow HIS Will in our life.. He will direct our paths... I am so thankful for this life he has given us...

Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. Psalm 29:1-3

Goat Care (Part 4)

2012-02-02T22:17:00.000-06:00

Rotational Grazing

This is everyone out today..

We have had a mild winter and still a little green grass.

Rotational Grazing is suggested to help in parasite control. In order for it to be effective you need to rotate every 10 days if possible and try not to be back on that same section for at least 30 days. The more room you have to longer you can go.. 90 days is optimal. But here on our property we don't have much room last year I started rotating in July and I still had grazing in October.. Well technically I still have some but not enough to be grazing alone with no hay..
I would like to be more Managed Intensive Grazing(Joel Salatin Style) and move daily but that would take much more fencing than I have. So for now I have 3 main paddocks that they rotate through every 10 days. They all open up to the barn and a main lounging area.. Where if needed I can close them up into and keep them completely off pasture. So far they can barely keep up with it.. That was about 12.. This year I will have about 20 rotating. I let them eat it down to no less than 6 inches.. Last year I would think okay this is the last time they will rotate through and then would check out the next paddock. It would be grown back up and ready to be grazed!...I was very pleased with it as when it was one large pasture they ate it down and it was done by August.
Hopefully I will be able to divide my back pasture in half and have 4 paddocks to rotate through.. That will give them each 40 days of resting.. I will have chickens and turkeys moving around the back pasture this year and Pigs grazing with the goats till they are ready for butcher. They will be mostly pastured after Aerating the goat and chicken bedding to be moved out to garden spots.. I wont let them stay any longer than October or so because I don't want pigs in the same places as goats that will be kidding. Since pigs are Omnivores and would be attracted to the smell of blood..
Now on to Water...
Common sense tells you they need fresh water daily.. I use rubber or plastic water tubs because I add Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) to their water. As it helps with over all health. If you put it in a metal or galvanized tank it will leach the metals into the water and it can cause serious problems. I lost a young doeling years ago because of this.. I learned a tough lesson. But plastic water tanks don't have that problem. I usually put a few "glugs" in the water tanks. Increase it to about 3-4 cups for a 50 gallon tank. it helps with flies and to use their minerals properly.
You don't want them to walk to far from their food to get a drink. If the paddocks are to far from their original water tanks I will put more out for them in the paddock they are in.Usually a couple of 5 gallon buckets for the day. Only if I don't have small babies as they can get stuck in 5 gallon buckets and drown.

²And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

³Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

⁴Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

⁵Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

⁶Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. Deuteronomy 28:2-6

Goat Care (Part 3)

2012-01-31T21:13:00.001-06:00

Medicine...

Conventional?? Herbal??? Or Both???

Ms. Emily.... If only ALL goats took their meds this easy..

I was going to do a separate post between the conventional meds and herbal.. But since I use both together I had no way to really separate it.. So you get my way for using both.....together...;)

First up Dewormers.... I still use Chemical wormers.. The most effective ones are the ones I haven't used in about 2 years. I change them yearly. Last year I used Cydectin injectible and this year I am using Valbazen. For Dosing I follow the cattle dose on the Cydectin and goat dose on the Valbazen. I have also used Ivermectrin (Ivomec &Normectin) and Safe Guard/Panacur.
I worm basically 3 times a year.. The day after kidding ALWAYS!... Then 10-14 days later they get a follow up dose to kill off the second hatch.. I run fecals on my goats a few times a year.. If one looks a little under the weather 1st thing I do is run a fecal and check their eyes. Famacha method is more than checking eyelid color. Check it out and take a class on it if possible..
If fecals are clear I do not deworm.. I can also check for Cocci with a fecal.. Completely eliminating the need to run to the vet for every little odd goat berry!
Using Chemical dewormers are very hard on the liver. So when I start deworming with a chemical med I start them on an herbal tea.. Usually Red Raspberry and Dandelion. I steep a handful of each herb in very hot water (about a half a gallon) sometimes letting it sit over night. Then I add it to a 5 gallon bucket of warm water with Molasses leaving the herbs in it. As they usually drink it all and then eat the leftover leaves.
I do this for about a week. Some other herbs I may use if I have them on had are Comfrey just a leaf of this and you have to change the water as the Comfrey can make it slimy. Fennel is another.. My goats LOVE fennel seeds whole or in tea.. Some good places to start looking into to herbs for goats are Waltz's Ark, http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/ and Hoeggers(they have several herbal remedies).
The other times I deworm is before breeding/Fall and Spring. I run fecals before deworming at this time. Some wont need it and some will. I do not believe you should worm just to keep a schedule so just in case they have worms you are killing them off... BUT if they don't have them or they have just a few then you are building their resistance to the Chemical dewormers and they will eventually be ineffective as some people have found.
When I am treating Cocci I always use Cinnamon. I hadn't had Cocci in about 6 years and that was a little buck that I bought.. Vet had me treat my entire herd regardless if they were showing symptoms or not.. I seriously do not agree with that. That's were those Fecals come in handy...... Treating a baby for Cocci its up to 1 tsp of Cinnamon in their bottle or by drenching them with it. If really bad you can give it every 1-2 hours and then cut back to 3-4 times a day and if still not quite back to self then you can continue to give it till symptoms are gone. The first time I treated with Cinnamon it took 3 days but it was my last ditch effort to get rid of it before using conventional meds. The second time it was maybe 2-3 days tops.. It has been much more effective than anything else I have used for Cocci...
Other things I use....

Cayenne- Good for a pick me up.. Got a goat Kid or adult acting mopey?/ Give them 1/4 -1 tsp depending on heat of the Cayenne. Higher the heat, lower the dose. With a little water and Molasses to make it drenchable. Its full of B vitamins and Vitamin C. Helps fight infections and all that good stuff! I have a tincture in the making..

B-Complex- Goat stressed out or going through a major illness? A daily dose of B-complex will help keep up appetite..

Biomycin- Its the same as LA-200 but doesn't burn as as much because its water based. I use antibiotics on a Have to basis!

Pencillin- I only use when necessary!

Vitamin C- If a sick goat will eat a couple I will give 2-3 500mg at a time. If a does is struggling with a congested udder then I will give her some too.
Vet RX - They have this labeled for Goats/Sheep, Rabbits and Chickens.. Its all the same. Works well for those babies that got a little fluid in their lungs. If some one is a little stuffy sounding or a little rattly then a few doses of this will help. If you are dealing with pneumonia then this in addition to antibiotics will help...

Congested Udder-Right after kidding a doe may deal with a congested udder. I don't use a commercial teat dip or udder balm.. I make my own. If you are in a pinch and need something to help break up an udder that is congested Vicks vapor rub works well. Peppermint essential oil in a carrier oil is my first choice though. I also use massage and hot rags on the udder and frequent milking!

My Udder Balm/Teat Dip is half and half Coconut oil and Olive oil with Peppermint,Lavender and Oregano essential oils or others I may have on hand.. I infuse the Olive Oil with Comfrey and lemon balm when I have it. In the summer I add a little beeswax to it to keep it semi solid. I scoop a little out and dip the end of the teat in and then rub the rest into the udder..If I am dealing with Mastitis I use the treatments for a congested udder and a round of Antibiotics.

Now I am trying to remember if there is anything else I use.... I am sure there is... And I will probably think of it as soon as I click "post"..... But for now... I think I am done.. Next up Rotational grazing and water....

Gotta SEE THIS!!!!

2012-01-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

Its free till February 1st!!!! Well worth watching! If you watched Food Inc this goes a little more in depth.. and also cemented my resolve to grow more of our food or buy local/sustainable products!!

Fresh The movie Free Viewing for 1 week!

Baby Break.....

2012-01-27T14:18:00.000-06:00

I will get back to goat care with the next blog post..

But we played with the babies today and took a few pics..

They are so funny...

This is Rachel staking her claim on Candice's back...

Flying down the hill....

RUN CANDICE RUN!!!!

I do believe Freckles is feeling better....

Emily and her girl Robin.. (Hobo way down there!)
Robin is bottle fed but they still stick together when out together..

This is Ms Della she is next to impossible to get a picture of

because she is moving this fast most of the time..

Amazing that these girls use to be like the others....

Then they grew up...

Have a great weekend!

Goat Care (Part 2)

2012-01-27T00:03:00.001-06:00

Feeding the Babies!!

Some of the current Bottle Babies I am feeding right now...

So there are Several ways to feed the babies....

1. Leave babies on mom and HOPE they leave you some milk eventually.... This one doesn't work to well for me..

2. Leave babies on mom like in #1 But at about 2-4 weeks start separating at night and milk mom off in the morning. Then letting kid nurse all day.. This is the way I have done it up till recently..

Pros-You dont have t o fix bottles ever...

Cons- You have to try and keep babies and mom separate... Yeah right.. I have tried just about everything. If I am not out there when they demand I have mommas that would ease up to the fence and let their kids nurse through the fence.
I have babies who learned how to squeeze through ANY... And I mean ANY hole... Or jump a panel... It has to be like Fort Knox to keep them in.. They continue to do this till they are 5-6 months old.. And weighing around 75-100lbs. They can suck a Bunch of milk at once.. Then they have scours and you have NO milk!
There is also the hassle of putting up babies every night... I mean EVERY night.. Because if they get more milk than normal they are likely to get the scours.. I mean they can take a little less milk but not usually more.

Then there is #3.. What I have been doing the last 2 years... I take the babies with in 3 days of birth.. I have found taking them at birth is the least stressful on mom.. If they are allowed to bond to much they really set up a ruckus and I don't have room for it here!
We like to be able to sell babies as soon as possible and keep the milk for us to drink, make cheese and other things..

The basic order of things is this..

Babies are born and allowed to nurse colostrum most of the time.
Then we take them to the house. Dry them well and milk out mom..

Momma Goat gets a little pampering like a special treat of Warm oatmeal with Molasses, raisins and maybe some herb I think they need in it.. They also get Warm Molasses water usually with Red Raspberry tea in it. Lots of fresh hay and some quiet time..

Babies in the house get around 4 oz of colostrum at a time. For the first day its every few hours. Till they start eating well. Which is usually right away.. Then by day 3 we get a schedule going.. 4 times a day.. Usually 7am,10am,3pm and 10pm up to about 8 oz at a time.. Then by day 5 we up the bottles to 12 oz and cut out the 10 am feeding. Feeding 3 times a day till about 3 weeks old then we up the amounts on the bottles between 16-20oz and 2 feedings a day.

From day 2-3 on I keep hay available to the babies. They are usually nibbling on it by then. Then about 10-14 days old they are eating on it regularly.
I bottle feed till they are about 12 weeks old. At 8 weeks I drop it to a single 16 ounce bottle a day. By then they are eating hay and a little grain. I give a small handful per baby usually around a few weeks old they get interested in grain.

I disbud before they are 2 weeks old. any older than that its usually going to be a toss up if it will work or if it will be to late. Some they are okay to go ahead and disbud but as a rule I get it done by 2 weeks old.
Now I do not practice Cocci prevention conventionally . I do not add any type of corid or other things to their bottles or feed. My cocci prevention consist of a 1/4-1/2 tsp of cinnamon in the bottle from 1 week old till they quit taking a bottle. I have been very amazed at how well it works against Cocci.. I got rid of it in 3 days when some of my last year babies got it. I did a whole blog post on Cinnamon.
If I have a kid acting depressed or not real perky I give 1/4 of a teaspoon of Cayenne pepper in enough water to drench and it has perked up kids over night. stay with in 40,000 heat units. Any higher cute back on the amount because it will be hot!
At about 2 weeks I start adding Oatmeal baby cereal to their bottles. About 2 tsp working up to 1 Tbsp in their bottle. It helps satisfy them. I get it from a discount grocery store for Cheap and stock up on it. As long as they are getting the cinnamon they don't have any problems with it causing the scours when first started on it.
I keep babies in a draft free place. Usually the back of the barn in the recently vacated kidding stalls. Before they get to crazy in the house and after mom quits hollering for them they can go to the barn. I have a basement they stay in most of the time they are in the house.
I have noticed a big difference in kids born at different times of the year.. Jan-Feb kids usually dont have to be wormed till 5-6 months old.. March -May Kids at about 4 months old. My August babies this year had to be wormed at Two Months!! I don't like giving babies harsh conventional meds to soon so that way their bodies have time to work on natural defenses.
I do give BoSe as needed since we do live in a Selenium Deficient area. I had severely folded legs a few years ago along with difficult births. That has pared down a lot since I have started supplementing more.
If you bottle feed like this then you don't have to separate mom and baby when baby is 100lbs and think he still needs to nurse mom. Much easier on my back and gates!
Its a little hectic for about a month then after that it calms down into a good routine.. But if we are not keeping any babies that year as soon as they are disbudded they are listed and sold usually with in a week or 2 the ones I sell are gone.
I raise the wethers for meat. I wether all boys not sold as buck between 10-12 weeks old by banding. It works very well for me and never had any complications.
Some wethers are sold to individuals and I raise them to a certain age. I like to keep 3 for us to have for meat. I will have them processed around 9 months-1 year old depending on their sizes and how much trouble they get into too..
Just for clarity Different things work for different people. There is no One Right way to raise baby goats.Its what works for you, your goats and your property..

Proverbs 27:23-27 - "Be you diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds. For riches are not for ever: and does the crown endure to every generation? The hay appears, and the tender grass shows itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for your clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And you shall have goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance for your maidens."

Goat Care (Part 1)

2012-01-26T00:54:00.001-06:00

So I am going to attempt to cover what I do in caring for my goats..

Its part conventional, natural and common sense....

At least I hope so!

I have also included a few baby pics..

First up is Ms Robin!

She is a bottle baby BUT thats her momma!

Even though she hasnt nursed for several weeks she likes her.

First up on goat care is nutrition....

We will start with Hay/Pasture.. Right now its winter there is very little if any pasture left on our little place here.So we are supplying all their hay served daily...I feed a weedy/grassy mix. I feel that is best for goats and closest to their most natural diet.. My hay guy delivers one 1200lb 6X6 round bale which he places on its side for me on the hay tarp.Then we peel it off and haul with the wheel barrow..They get about 2 large wheel barrow full daily in the winter time. I go through at the most a bale a month and it drops in the summer. I average about 20 bales a year.. Dropped my hay bale by 2/3rds when I switched from square bales to round.. That's for 14 babies,3 youngsters and 6 adults.This hay I get has no chemicals on it.. No fertilizers or pesticides.. Only thing he does is lime it, then bales whatever grows that year.. My goats give him a big hardy thumbs up!

They do not eat that much hay daily But we keep hay racks full..When its cold they eat on it almost constantly..At night while they are eating their grains I flip the hay around so they eat on it at night too..
This is my panel hay rack. Simply a smaller piece of panel hung on the wall of the barn Securely then filled with hay.... Spring/Summer time I keep a little hay available mostly to avoid bloat.

This is my other hay rack.. Its the cage to one of those tanks that they haul things like feed molasses or fish oil in.. I simply unbolted the top slide the tank out and took a few other little things out and I had a hay rack.. I can add a top to it and put it outside if needed.. Cold/wet weather its in the barn... As you can see its a great place to hide your head in.... They will eat holes in the hay ... I come along and fluff it then there is a new place to eat... This is making a wall of the babies pen right now so they have hay all the time.

You need lots of hay rack space so those goats lower on the totem pole don't get pushed away from the rack and then you have hungry goats and then other problems..Plenty of space means there is always another place to eat if some one gets over bearing and bossy... I have about 20ft all together of hay rack head space. That's for all the goats I have right now..

So why a hay rack??? Goats are very well known for their ability to waste hay! They will eat it, paw it to death, sleep in it, then promptly poo and pee in it... Then its nasty and they are not eating THAT stuff!.. IF they do eat it you are likely to start a parasite cycle.. So to reduce waste and help break a parasite cycle get their hay up off the ground or where they cant poo & pee in it...

Cutie break...

Ms Rachel.... She is quite adventurous..

On to Minerals....

Most anywhere you go you are going to be deficient in some sort of mineral..

Goats are highly susceptible to Copper deficiency..As you can see in this pic the bare tail tip and the reddish colored hair both signs of Copper deficiency.. I have been treating Copper deficiency with Copasure for a few years. You kind of have to experiment to see how much they need.. I go by the cow/calf dose per pound on the package to start with, some will need more.. Copasure is Copper Oxide needles that embed in stomach and slowly leach off copper.. Copasure however is expensive and then you have to break open capsules and refill..

Copper sulfate is much more cost effective BUT is more easily overdosed and dangerous.. However that is the type of copper in most minerals.. I am still working on using the Copper sulfate.. I currently use Sweet Lics Meat maker Goat mineral. It has around 1800ppm of Copper available in it.. It helps with the copper deficiency but is not quite enough.. Goats need copper to fight off parasites. If a goat is having difficulties with parasites it may need copper supplemented.

Then there is Selenium Deficiency.. Its a hard one.. Because if you overdose there is NOTHING you can do except give supportive therapy and pray it works.. But at the same time its responsible for a whole lot of stuff.. Tangled kids, birthing issues, recurring pneumonia, folded hooves in kids, severe difference in kid size.... I had several of these things happening in my herd when I figured out they were having trouble. At the time the mineral I could find with the most Selenium was like 2-3 ppm. That is not enough if you are in a deficient area.. The Sweet Lics I use has 50 ppm.. I am hoping to have to give less and less BoSe shots the more I use this mineral.. A good simple link for Mineral deficiencies is http://www.saanendoah.com/nutritionalprob.html Lots of easily understood advice... Selenium always needs to be given with Vit E....
I leave minerals out free choice and if I think they need more I sprinkle a little over their feed. I also put out trace mineral salt blocks and a protein block..
Now for Grains OR Concentrates as some people call them....
For years I fed a 16% Dairy cattle feed.. Usually mixing either some oats or BOSS(Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) in with it. They did okay but this year I tried to go Non GMO... So I am feeding a mix of Steam crimped oats, Alfalfa Pellets and Wheat Mids.. Its a slightly lower percentage of protein but they are doing well on it.. But they dont like the alfalfa pellets.. However they LOVE Rabbit pellets.. Guess what the main ingredient is on our rabbit pellets??? You got it Alfalfa meal!!! So I have been adding it to the feed mix.. It has a few vitamins and minerals added to it but nothing that will be to much for goats.. ALWAYS read Labels!! Right now my mix is 1 part alfalfa(till this bag is gone) 1 Part wheat mids, 1 part Rabbit pellets and 3 parts Steamed crimped oats. All are a NON-GMO.. I feed youngsters(6 months and up) about 1lb a day, pregnant does 2-3lbs a day, milkers 2-3lbs a day plus 1lb for every 2-3 lbs of milk they produce and babies get a little bit each day till they really start eating it.. I leave it in a bucket in their pen to nibble at all day.. By a month old they are usually eating a couple of tablespoons each. Hay they usually start with in the first week at least nibbling at it. Some on tried to tell me that rumens aren't active till they are 8 weeks old.. Um Don't think so You can hear those bellies working if they are getting enough to eat on hay too.!!. Mine usually are eating hay on a regular basis by 2 weeks old If its available to them they will taste it and start eating it much sooner. Especially if left with mom or where they can see other goats.
I will cover deworming, pasture rotation and natural alternatives next blog post.... I will try not to go to long between postings! Things are starting to get into more of routine now that the sick babies are doing better and the new ones have settled in.. Some are almost old enough to drop to one less bottle a day! YEAH!!

Lamentations 3:24
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Shhheeeewwwwww...............

2012-01-24T00:05:00.000-06:00

No pics for this post sorry.. I have 14 cuties out there and not one pic.. Why???Welllll... For one I am making 14 bottles morning and night.. I know not as much as some but still.. #2 My camera is dying... Or trying to.. I need a new one. I have to borrow Kara's now and she doesn't like it!Lol Well okay she is fine with it but I forget about it. #3 is that I have my computer back and the newest pics are on the other pc that we cant get to connect to our wireless for some reason... Gotta call my PC guy tomorrow to figure that one out...
Babies are all doing well. The puny ones have gained back their weight and are growing well. All 14 of them! We took them out into the pasture today and they had a blast running and jumping around. Using the humans as spring boards or landing zones. Freckles is like a totally different goat from last week she is all hyper and feeling good. I am so impressed with the herbal remedies I used for the ordeal and the help it made in bringing them back. I will try and share them when I get a little time....Time HA!.....
For now I am seeking out my bed and chasing...um I mean counting sheep quickly so I can get some rest!

He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:4

Needed A Good Laugh!

2012-01-19T23:31:00.000-06:00

So after the week we had everyone around here needed a good laugh and Thanks to my Aunt Robin we got one!! This guy is hilarious! I think we watched it several times. My girls thought it was great!. He has more too..

Check This Out Please

2012-01-18T14:29:00.000-06:00

And let your State Representative know what you think! http://sopastrike.com/strike
One of our Missouri Senators has already pulled his sponsorship for this bill due to the people letting him know their feelings on this!!
So Please let them know!!

The Survivors.....

2012-01-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the Survivors!

Freckles was still not to perky compared to everyone else but she is coming along!!

Mercy is Definitely feeling better!!!

She climbed Over Kyla's shoulder to get here!lol

We moved the big hay rack to the back of the barn

and then panel pieces on either side so the babies could get to the hay .

Mercy and Spot.....

Bonnie and the rest "helping" tear down one pen to reconstruction another...

Aren't they so helpful??

Freckles claiming the stool!!

Butter wasnt sure what to think....

Since they have started feeling better they have been chowing down on the hay!!

Oh wait this is no baby!!!!

This is Ms. Emily She comes from Brenda over at Granny's Best
Em is older and has hoof trouble.
Since they walk a long distance every day in her herd she didn't want to chance Emily getting left behind.

So she is here helping me feed babies...
She also likes staying in the back with the babies!!
Everyone else has been cranky since its been so windy and they couldn't/wouldn't go out.

So things have calmed down some... and since I don't have enough to do I will be bringing in 7 new babies Friday...... They are all coming from Brenda but a guy that I sold one of my bucklings too wants me to raise 3 bottle babies for him and in exchange he will buy me 2 doelings my choice.... Then I had worked out a trade with Brenda for a doeling and a buckling already.. God has been good!! It was a rough week but we made it.. Learned a hard lesson but come out of it for the better..

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

The Bad Day.......

2012-01-15T01:27:00.000-06:00

Wednesday afternoon I had 12 bouncy Nubian kids ranging from the ages of 2 weeks to 5 weeks old. All in the same pen that was big enough for that many. They had hay free choice which most of them were eating well. Some had been having a little soft poo off and on. They got a 16 oz bottle 2 times a day with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to prevent cocci and treat the ones with the soft poos. That day at 1pm I gave a bottle of oatmeal water with a Small amount of copper sulfate. Just to give a little extra stuff to the ones having the soft poos off and on..
I had to go some where for a few hours. Got home about 4:30 got bottles ready and we went out to feed and found 2 dead babies, one unresponsive but alive the rest very lethargic. We lost 3 more with in a few hours. Some were bloated slightly I gave 12 ccs of peanut oil so if it was bloat it would hopefully help. All mouths were extremely chilled. I brought all in the house and put them in the bathroom with the heater. The worst ones around the wood stove wrapped up in blankets. They would cry out, had watery diarrhea, and were puking. When they cried the bellies got tight like cramping. At this point I thought something toxic so I gave a dose of activated charcoal. Their bellies were sloshy like nothing was digesting so I knew they were shutting down on me. I followed with B-complex. And started drenching with Electrolytes after they got warmed up. Gave 2 cc of Biomycin because thats all the antibiotics I had on hand at the time.
Some sweet friends from my local Facebook goat group came and picked up one of the dead kids and took her to a vet to be necropsied(sp?) I talked to him this morning and he said it was something toxic no infection, no parasites of any kind all internal organs looked great. It had to have been something they ate.
Some of my chickens had taken to roosting over the babies hay rack. I was keeping it cleaned out or so I thought and Vet said that the Uric Acid could cause a toxic reaction like that and then the Acidosis would have caused them to die. He also said he hadnt ever seen anything like this ever.
I have had chickens around my goats the entire time I have had them for almost 10 years. But they never roosted in the goat barn. So I have torn out anything the chickens can roost on and the babies are getting probiotics once a day. They are taking watered down milk so its not to much on their systems and eating hay. I still have one that is not doing the greatest I am having to drench her more often.
I am going over every thing in my mind after talking to the vet and it wasn't until later something clicked on what he said.. He had found wood chips in the gut.. I thought okay so they chewed on the pallets nothing unusual about that.. But the pallet they chewed on was one that the chickens roosted over that was part of the divider for the stall and the hay rack... Out I go to check the pallet, sure enough all sorts of little chewy marks and its right where chicken poo skidded down and soaked in......
I hope Freckles starts inproving soon... She is still holding on. I mixed up a tea to give half/half with the electrolytes. So we shall see.. I am about wore out but looks like soon the ones doing better will be able to go back out to the barn.Its been a tough lesson... But something we learned from for sure.. Just wanted to update everyone.... Have a great Sunday...

So Disheartening.....

2012-01-11T23:58:00.000-06:00

Since 4 pm this afternoon we have lost 5 of our 12 baby goats... Including Kara's little Elliebrat I previously posted about.... We lost Maryann's 2 boys and 2 of Hope's girls.... I was in shock to find 2 dead and 10 seriously sick babies.. We had been out just a few hours before and had babies that were just fine bouncing around like normal..
So after going over all the symptoms and stuff I have come to the conclusion that its probably an E.coli infections.. My Maran rooster and his hens decided to start roosting over the babies.. And babies being babies I think they probably nibbled on chicken poo in the process.
I have treated for it and I am giving electrolytes every little bit some are already responding to it. Others are slowly but surely. In my 9 years of raising goats I have never lost this many this quick.. It makes you sick to your stomach.. Chickens have always been around my goats too.. Even though they didn't roost in the barn.. The Marans will be forced to roost else where when I tear out the divider....
I am proud of my girls. They buckled down despite the heartbreak and got things done.. They are tough girlies..
Say a little prayer for us tonight if you don't mind..
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 1Peter 5:7

Escapee!!!!!

2012-01-10T22:38:00.000-06:00

This is Ellie.......

OR as I call her Ellie Brat!....

She is hiding with her sister Mercy here...

So Why is Ellie a brat?? She climbed a 3ft panel tonight and Jumped over! If I hadn't seen it myself I wouldn't have believed it! She bounced and grabbed the panel with her hooves and proceeded to climb till she could launch herself over the top! Then pleased as punch came trotting over to the bucket holding the prize..... Her Bottle! I was calling her SpiderGoat in between the Elliebrat.....
I hope she respects electric fence or we will be in trouble.... But for tonight I put a piece of panel over the top of their pen and then piled hay on that so they will be distracted by that and try not to jump over anything.. She has shown us all the little holes in the kidding pens for sure...
I plan on doing a post about taking care of bottle babies soon...
I found an interesting scripture tonight... If you have ever heard the expression "by the skin of my teeth" used.. Well I found it in the Bible tonight....
Job 19:20
My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

OOOOOHHH The Babies!!!

2012-01-06T22:39:00.000-06:00

The Baby Button Quail Doing well..
And needing a bigger cage.

This one has to be cleaned every other day right now.

Our newest goat babies..

No names yet...

But they are sweeties...

Some of the main baby herd...

They are bratty now!Lol

All about a month old and doing really well!

Bonnie practicing being a Big Girl!

Weighing Freckles!

She was a tad humiliated..

WHAT???Not a goat??

This is Kara's new little Holland Lop.

She is a sweetheart. She is only 6 weeks old.

But Kara needed some new does,

since the other 2 new ones have yet to successfully produce babies.

And Cloudy is getting older.

The girls had all the babies out playing this afternoon....

Candice gets them running full blast!
Good exercise for all of them!

Kara and her Goat, Ellie...

That would be Kyla Hiding behind her goat, Mercy!

The little ones loved the fire ring and kept eating the ashes!

Silly goats...

December was such a busy month for us... Between Kidding and the Holidays I was ready for 2012 to get here!lol So things have sort of slowed down and its time to buckle down and get caught up with things...LOL... Okay Me and caught up usually dont go well together.. Maybe just maybe it will soon though. So on that note I am going to go feed the last 2 bottles of the night and head to bed!

¹³Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

¹⁴As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

¹⁵But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

¹⁶Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1:13-16

Happy New Year.....

2012-01-02T23:53:00.000-06:00

A day or two late but hey its the thought that counts right???
Our last goat babies were born! MaryAnn Kidded Saturday very conveniently between the 2 events we had for the day.. I went out to check on her when we got home from my parent's house. Not a strain or anything on her back end.. We go in, make bottles and go out to feed babies less than 30 minutes later and she has a baby on the ground cleaning him off! Then she has #2! Twin bucks!.......

I am keeping the Black and white boy for next years breeding! I can find some one else to breed his momma too since she is the only one he is related too!

This boy is going to Brenda's for her younger does next year..

Soooo then there are these little goaties....

Well the girls and I went to help Brenda...

And this is what we got in trade..

Their names are Ellie and Mercy(heart spot on her side)

They are cute as can be!

Our yearly family picture with my side of the family..

Crazy people we had to take about 15 pictures to get this one were

only ONE person was making a weird face!lol

It was a great day..

So happy to be able to spend time with them!

I dont know how people live so far from family..

I hope everyone had a great start to the new year. I am not looking forward to the mudslinging bound to happen this year because of the elections11 months away! I am already tired of hearing about it.. i have No clue who I am going to vote for and I will vote! For this year I also plan on becoming a gun toting momma.... Whats that mean.. I am going for my Concealed Carry license... Oh yes I am! :D
I have been blessed beyond measure this year.. I just don't know where to start. I am thankful for a God that is so very real to me! He wasn't always. I knew he was there some where but never took real time to discover him.. But this last year I have come to know Him unlike any other time in my life. I have seen God move in so many things in our life.

The best had to be when my oldest daughter was filled with the sweet and precious Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in other tongues.(please dont run away screaming now :D) It is a sweet thing to see your children worshiping their Saviour not because mom makes them but because they love their God and want to do right! Kids have very few of the hang up us grownup do especially when it comes to worship and praise..

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Hebrews 13:15

I will try to get back to regular posting if I can get things to calm down around here and back on schedule.. If I dont get that done soon I may just collapse.. Gotta have a schedule or things get ALL out of whack! Have a great week!!

New Wonder Drug??!!!!

2011-12-27T23:27:00.001-06:00

Okay so its no wonder drug but I am convinced that Cinnamon is a Great Natural Alternative.. I posted last spring about the 2 little bucks that got Cocci... How I used Cinnamon to treat it..
Ethel's boy, Ben came down with Severe diarrhea the first of this week.. He was dam raised so no bottle to get it down him... NOT fun.. But I told Candice to mix 1-2 teaspoons with enough water to drench him with it.. Candice is one of those people that if a little is good a bunch is better right???... So she gave him more like a heaping tablespoon. We drenched him with it morning and night.. I noticed on the last day that he had berries.. Not soft poo but Berries!! woohoo... Now I didn't check him to see if it was Cocci for sure. But it was very runny poo (like water) and extremely smelly.. He was standing all hunched up and not eating on the first day.. By the second day he was eating again. 3rd day back to normal!
My little babies started getting soft poos at 3 days old I started adding 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon per bottle. They have had berries ever since. I am going to keep giving it to them as a preventative.
My oldest daughter also started breaking out this summer with what looked like poison ivy.. But it responded to nothing I put on it.. I started giving her Cinnamon in pill form a couple of times a day and with in a week it was reduced to not much and eventually went away...
Here are some links about Cinnamon that I thought Were interesting...
Cinnamon For People
Home Remedies/Benefits of cinnamon
http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-cinnamon.html

I buy it in Bulk from www.herbalcom.com they have really good prices and decent shipping..

The reason Cinnamon works for Diarrhea so well... Is because it does this......
This was a heaping teaspoon of Cinnamon in enough water to be able to suck it up in a syringe..
This got left in the little bowl and after about 20 minutes looked like this..

Okay so this is nothing to do with Cinnamon...

But Kyla's little button quail... They are feathering out and look so funny.

They are Maybe double in size.

We just cleaned their cage... They need a bigger cage.....

The goat babies being silly! They are right at 3 weeks old(girls) and a month old(boys)..

Eating hay pretty well......

Tennessee the little Ham!!

All squished in no one wanting to budge from their place..

The little spotted Boy sold.. He leaves with in the month...

he is cute and Knows it!haha

We have had good Christmas this year.. Despite Kyle being laid off and not having a regular job God has Supplied all our needs according to his riches in Glory. I am so thankful for all of God's Promises. I did go with out a PC for about 3 days.. Horrible!lol.. But I got a virus on my main PC and had to go pick up the one that got struck by lightning in July!lol.. It hadn't been in the shop that long.. Apparently when my husband was searching for gun parts he picked up a virus. I am sure my PC guy can fix it, he is pretty good and wont break the bank. I also downloaded a new web browser.. I wish I would have done this sooner I love Google Chrome!!! He said its safer than IE and has less holes to get through. We shall see. I do have a good virus protection but it got past that. It caught it but couldn't get rid of it. One day I will have both PC"s up and running at the same time!lol ....Maybe...

For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:

But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

Eeewww The FLU!!!!!!

2011-12-23T01:31:00.000-06:00

Yep after I posted the last blogpost I came down with a 24 hour flu bug that made my ribs sore.... I will leave the details at that!!..
I need to take new pictures of the goat babies.. They are chunky monkeys... Well Okay they are legs and ears! haha.. Cute as can be. The little Button quail babies are getting cuter by the day till they start feathering out. Poopiest little things I have ever seen for being so small!Lol
Kyle and I got to go on a date... Well technically we were Christmas shopping but it was a day of Me and Him!! It was fun to be with my best friend and talk about whatever we wanted too. We are also done Christmas shopping. Not much but we were blessed with great deals and things have worked out. Even got a free Starbucks!! They didn't have what I ordered and so my second pick was on them.. YeaH!
About Christmas gifts,... We scaled down on that years ago and What a blessing that is. Tomorrow we bake and make stuff.. Cookies, chocolate covered nuts and wrap gifts.. It will be a day of just us 5.. Christmas Eve will be at one Grandparents house, Christmas day at the church and New Years Eve at the other Grandparents house with Watch night Service that night..
We make Christmas day a priority for our family.. Doing something we want to do which is usually staying home. But we have such a great church family that my kids love so we are spending it with them. We will have Christmas Morning here along with Breakfast, chores and opening their gifts.
I am hoping to get back here to post pics sometime tomorrow
BUT if I don't I want to tell Everyone Merry Christmas!!!

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:30-31

MIA.....

2011-12-20T00:55:00.000-06:00

Well I guess that should read MIB(Missing In Blogland)...... I have not been avoiding my blog on purpose lately.. Promise... Its just been a little crazy.. What with the 8 bottle babies and then the 13 new babies........
Yep 13 new little tiny babies.. Baby what?/ well the Button quail started hatching Sunday morning!! A total of 13 out of 30 eggs hatched which is pretty good considering the time of year they shipped.. So Kyla my middle girl now has 13 teeny tiny little babies... Yep that's a penny in there with them....

Someone Really would like to get a hold of just ONE of the little fluffs!!

It was crazy week and I have fought a cold all week that has about whupped me... For now!.. God has supplied all our needs according to His riches in Glory.. And for that I am so blessed and Thankful. I do not deserve it..

Quick update on our friend in the car accident.. He is doing well still having serious difficulties because of blood on the brain. They said time will heal it though.
My nephew is doing well also.. We went and saw him Saturday.. He has figured out all sorts of stuff to do with his toes!lol.. He will be in a cast for at least another 5 weeks possibly 8 weeks.. he will be doing Homebound study for school.. He is not upset to much about that...

I know my blog post have been very blah lately!.. I still have ideas swirling around just haven't take the time to type them out! I will do that soon!!! We are currently enjoying winter time milk usually the goats are dried up this time of year. Its nice not having to buy it.. We had missed real raw Goat's milk for the 2-3 months we didn't have it.. Goood stuff!lol

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Proverbs 3:7-10

Sooooo......

2011-12-15T01:03:00.000-06:00

Hobo all dressed up for the parade..

Poor thing I think she was a tad humiliated!!lol

Polly did not know what to think..
She just wanted Momma!!!

Bonnie......

She is just wondering what the heck we plan on doing next?? Tutus?

That is from the 4H float last Saturday it was a lot of fun.. We did win!! Woo hoo beat the girls scouts again...I mean what counts is we had fun...Not that we won...Haha

Update on our friend... He has all tubes out and was up in a chair for a few minutes today. Still in a lot of pain. He remembers very little of being here that night.. Please continue to pray.. He was up here working because he was out of a job waiting on one to start.... So they are not sure what they are going to do right now.. Other than get him all healed up.. Docs are saying 3 months...

Then we had another close family member hurt.. My 12 year old nephew fell in the gym and caught himself with his hands Monday night. It broke both of his arms. 3 100% breaks and another one not as much... He has cast on both arms from hand to shoulder. Please remember him tonight. They will X-ray in 4 weeks to see if they can reduce one cast but as of right now he cant eat or anything without help.. Both parents work and they are doing a lot of juggling. He also just got over Rocky Mountain Spotted fever in October!!.. So please remember to pray for him if you all don't mind?
I am praying protection over my girls every morning! This has been crazy lately...

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

2011-12-08T00:41:00.000-06:00

Woohooo Naptime!

Spots.....

These girls are getting their legs under them quick!

They are much smarter than the boys.. Just sayin....

Kyla brought this in this morning.

Its off the goats water trough and 1.5 inches thick..

Getting a little chilly out....

Things have been a bit crazy.. Good reports for our friend though. They pulled the venilator tube out this evening. They did surgery on his foot and put pins in that. his neck is fractured but its not paralyzing and requires no surgery just healing. God's mercy and grace has been abundant.. They are hoping to move him to a regular room tomorrow. The man driving the other car is not doing so well. He is 88 years old and was on blood thinners and has bleeding on the brain among other problems. Its still pretty critical. So please remember him in your prayers....
Well 8 babies and plus life has me a bit frazzled...going to go pass out now! Everyone have a blessed day!
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Ups And Downs...

2011-12-06T02:02:00.001-06:00

The up today is that Hope Kidded... Triplet Does!!!!

I cant believe it!!!!

She had them without help..

She is 4/4 on that score!

On the Down side..... Tonight we had a friend over for supper. He is a long time friend of my husband. Kyle grew up around him and he was Kyle's youth leader then pastor when he was a kid. When he left here tonight he was involved in a car accident about 15-20 minutes later. As most of you know Kyle is a Volunteer Firefighter/1st Responder.. So he was one of the first on the scene. Him and the other vehicle hit almost head on. Our friend was life-lined out to the hospital and is currently in ICU under evaluation for the extent of injuries and is in a medically induced coma. I am asking you to please take a few minutes to pray for him and the 3 other people in the other car one of them has serious injuries too. . Thank you.....

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

Runnn Baby Runnnnn

2011-12-04T22:34:00.000-06:00

Cuties for sure!!

Checking things out..

Baby blurs!lol...

Love to see the ears flop around..haha

They passed out after this!

They all went running a different direction....

The seminar was a bust. The first part was okay... but the rest seemed to be rushed through,skipped over and nothing really learned.. Should have went home after lunch... All well..
We got a busy week ahead. The local Christmas parade is this Saturday and we are once again entering in with 4H. We are also ringing the bell for Salvation Army .. Should be interesting.. Hope still hasn't kidded but her udder is not all the way full and Maryann is starting to get a little bit of an udder on her.. She has till after Christmas along with Pixy sometime in there too. Sunshine and Kate are doing well. We moved the milk stand back to the barn for the winter. I am milking twice a day right now.. Figured up we may get up to about 28 gallons of milk a week..... 28 GALLONS!!! Boy do I have plans! I am also trying to go Non GMO feeds for everything...... toughest that maybe for the chickens...
I hope everyone has a Blessed week!

As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? II Samuel 22:31-32

Oh Those Hillbilly Tendencies Strike Again!

2011-12-01T23:58:00.000-06:00

Hillbilly Goat Playpen.....

Well 5 babies running around was not doing anything for my already not pretty carpet!Lol

Goat buck babies pee....A Bunch... Rivers! I am tellin ya!

So I put this together this afternoon...

They are all doing good.

Our newest additions showed up today..

These are Button Quail eggs...

They go in the incubator tomorrow..

They are also Kyla's Christmas present..

She is so excited!

Still no babies from Hope.. But she is acting fine and her udder isnt quite full yet but getting there. We are attending a seminar tomorrow all about conserving energy around the farm and greenhouses.. It looks interesting and we are all 5 going! Nothing like a day with family..
I have more post swirling around in my head besides goat babies I promise.. I just haven't had time to really sit down and type them out.. in the mean time check this link out about the Changes to the Child Labor Laws... Its all about control in my humble opinion....

A Good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. Proverbs 22:1-2

The Good News?????

2011-12-01T00:22:00.000-06:00

SUNSHINE HAD BABIES!!!!

GORGEOUS No?!?

Wanna know what they are as in Boy or Girl??

Wellllll It seems to be a familiar theme round here the last 3 years...

If you have read my blog for any length of time you know I have had a Buck year 2 years straight..

One year was 12 boys and 4 girls..

Last year 8 boys.... ZERO girls...

This year Sunshine that HAD given me more does then bucks up to this point

Gave me triplet bucks... Again...

We still have 3 to kid out.. Hope is real restless tonight.. She is due anytime.. Pixy and Maryann are due around Christmas to middle of January.... Come on girls give me some girls!!... Bright side of all this I have all but one of these boys that has a destination.... It may not be everyone's Ideal destination but it is one of the things about livestock no matter how cute you cant keep them all. The Wildly spotted boy will be up for sale as a buck.. I don't think he will be hard to sell.. He is beautiful.. More pics later.. Right now they are all piled up behind Kyle's recliner sleeping in their little tent where they will sleep all night.....Lord Willing.....

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Psalm 128:1-2

We Have Babies!!!

2011-11-29T21:50:00.000-06:00

BUT Not Sunshine....

Somehow I knew this was going to happen....

Kate went into labor this afternoon....

Isn't she pretty?

Notice the wide eye look?...

The waiting and the bearing of the pain...

Waiting for the next contraction......

I don't know if this is good enough for my babies......

Ohhhh the agony...........

Pretty sure I heard Sunshine mumble "Newbie"! lol

Buck Number TWO.....

Don't ya know? TWO BUCKS...
All well at least they are sold..... ;)

She is a good momma.. But I will be making them bottle babies..

Because it will be much easier on me to take a baby now when he is 8 lbs than when he is 80lbs

and thinks he still needs to nurse momma!!

These 2 could take a lesson or 2 from the the "Newbie"!

I am pretty sure she is going to pop SOON!

All I need is a big needle....

So we continue to wait on Sunshine and Hope.. Its suppose to drop down to 18*tonight... Murphy's law says the other 2 will kid tonight... Hahaha!

Seventeen?!?!?

2011-11-26T18:09:00.000-06:00

This was 17 years ago...

I still feel like that 19 year old girl...

We have been blessed in our marriage.....

Of all the pictures taken at our wedding this is my favorite..

Its after everything was over and we were ready to start our new life together...

Our 1st Anniversary....

Gosh we were babies!!!

The next year we had Candice.... The Next Kyla and Kara... Life has flown by so quickly for Me and My Cowboy as my great Grandmother Clarise called Kyle.. He was so very redneck and I said I was NOT marrying a redneck.. Then one night this cutie smiled at me while he was playing the bass on the platform at church... And it all started from there..

He still loves me.. I am sure he never thought I would become a goat farmer!Lol Homeschooling was not in the plans either.. But we have tried to go with where God has led us. When we follow HIM things cant help but be good. So thankful for a Man in the home. Thankful that my girls will have a good example of a man to follow when they are ready to take that step in their life. He isnt perfect by any means but he is perfect for me. God knew what he was doing..
A man that is supportive and loves you despite your faults is very much worth holding on to for life..We have tried over the years to make sure we have time for just the 2 of us.. Because when they girls are adults we will still be living together. You have to have a relationship to survive marriage..

It always saddens me when some one ask me how we have the marriage we do and I say I tell him how I feel. Then other women say no way can I tell my husband what I really think.. If I cant tell my husband.. Then who can I tell. He is my Husband, Best friend and my Partner till death do us part...

And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife:

and they twain shall be one flesh?

Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh.

What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Matthew 19:5-6

Turkey Doomsday.....

2011-11-22T00:09:00.001-06:00

The girls and I helped out to butcher turkeys at Real Farm Foods today...

Cody, Dawnnell and Taylor Holmes run a grass fed operation..

Cody's blog Click Here

You can read more at the link above.

They are really nice people..

Dawnnell getting the fire going for the water to scald the birds..

Cody bring in the first birds....

Scalding the birds one at a time...

Cody showing how to clean and gut...

Candice helping Taylor off the birds as quickly and humanely as possible...

Plucking...

I think turkeys are easier to pluck...

But its been a loooooong time since I plucked a chicken ..

I have skinned them for the most part..

More cleaning...

Plucking and Cleaning...

Cleaning and Plucking.....

Last step before tagging and bagging?.....

Cleaning.. AND Plucking....

The girls didn't think plucking was so bad.. Lol I was 14 years old and my parents and grandparents were butchering 50 chickens one day.. One HOT summer day!!(my grandma's idea)... I bargained with my mom to clean the whole house while they butchered them.. She was fine with the deal, I was really fine with it BUT my Grandma thought I should pluck at least one chicken... She can be a little domineering.... Okay that's putting it lightly.. She can be ALOT domineering..
I went out, plucked ONE chicken, slapped it on the table and ~~walked~~ Stomped off.. I should have been disciplined for being disrespectful but my Grandma knew no boundaries and thought nothing of trying to override my mom and dad's authority when it came to their kids and to anything really.. My Grandma didn't think highly of my mom but that's a whole other blog post on people and how horrible we can be to each other.. Grandparents are for spoiling the kids.. Mom and Dad are raising the kids and have the responsibility of training them in the way they should go....Okay Okay.. I will stop there with that!LOL
So back to the turkey Processing..... I think my girls did pretty good for their first time butchering turkeys.. I am pretty proud of them.. It was a fairly cool day and so the smell wasn't to bad.. It went pretty quick.. But I will be pretty happy to find my bed here in a few minutes!Lol Good night all!

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Psalms 128:1-2

The Goat Hierarchy

2011-11-20T21:57:00.000-06:00

The very Pregnant Herd Queen....

Due any day and under surveillance

The Queen Challenger....

The Mediator....

The Gauntlet has been thrown down!

The mediator steps in in Defense of the Queen!

The Queen giving a Hard Stare across the back of the Mediator!

The Mediator warning the Challenger...

Forgive me???

Uneasy truce till Ethel reached through the brush to bite Sunshine's ear!

Sunshine was quick and she missed!

Group Picture!

Bonnie munching my ONLY Mullein flower plant in the pasture!

Pixy....

Kate due soon! From the looks of things!

Maryann... With a splint on her back leg...
I don't think its broke but she was holding it way up ..

Removed the splint and she is fine now..

Little Ms. Polly...

Lookin all cute!

Goats have a definite order in their herds.. Sunshine has been queen since she arrived.. I had the total of 2 goats , Sunshine and her sister Tulip.. Sunshine is boss!....Period.. Even other goats I brought in full grown have always given way to her with little or no effort on her part.. She just looks at them some times and they back off... I have kept her in a pen with her being so close to kidding and wanting to be there when she kids because of her hip. Ethel has decided she needs to challenge her every time we let her out for exercise.. So Saturday I let her out for a while and just supervised so it didn't get to be to much on Sunshine. Ethel came swinging around hair raised and back all bowed up.. Sunshine bowed up right back and started backing her up.. Ethel would go up on her hind legs and Sunshine just stood there till she came down then head down they would Butt heads. Then here came Hope waddling in and throwing her weight around at Ethel!! Hair raised up Back bowed as much as possible. Pushing back at Ethel and rubbing her head on Sunshine. It was really quite comical to watch. I walked down into the pasture to watch them for a while and get Sunshine out for a while.. Ethel kept easing behind me to take little stabs at Sunshine who for the most part ignored her!Lol
We have passed the 150 day mark from when Moses slid under the fence to be with the goat girls. Sunshine has had all sorts of signs for 2 weeks and no ligs at all for about 4 days.. She likes to drag things out.. However since last night her udder has seriously increased. I am hoping they are born by in the morning since we are suppose to go help butcher turkeys around noon tomorrow!
Brenda let me borrow her barn camera since it does not require cable like mine. So we have been watching Sunshine TV! lol I will of course post pics as soon as the Kids are born! I cant wait...

The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field.

And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens. Proverbs 27:26-27

Hornet's Nest....

2011-11-19T01:57:00.000-06:00

So neat to see....

Hanging up above my head....

Really up there.....

WAY UP THERE!!Lol

Many old people say that if the hornets build their nests low

in the trees, it means that a severe winter is coming; if the
hornets' nests hang high, the following winter will be mild.
quote by Vance Randolph in Ozark Superstitions

I found this book when googling hornet's nest superstitions. It had some really interesting info about the Missouri/Arkansas Ozark Mountains and the Hillbillies that lived here. I would like to find Mr. Randolph's other books about the Ozarks too.. He moved to Missouri in 1919 and never left. Some of the things he covered in the Ozark Superstitions book are things I have heard from my own family and others who have lived here and have been here for several generations.
My great, great grandpa moved to Laclede County, Mo. There maybe one more great in there... but I was one of several generations to have been born and raised there.. We just moved away about 3 years ago to a neighboring county( yep I know big world travellers!) LOL.
I am not a big believer in Old Wives Tales.. I tried planting by the Almanac One time.. Its was an epic failure. to many rules and regulations! So I went back to my usual way and it worked out just great. I do know the moon affects thing.. I worked in a nursing home for a year and a half.. Its got a little crazy on a full moon!lol But I think things can go to far.. But that is just me.. Woolly worms that are extra woolly or striped different have always proven to me that they are just bigger than others and some have more color.. Now if an animal gets an extra fuzzy winter coat and gets it early I maybe a little more concerned..
I don't think bad of some one following these things. I am just not convinced they are particularly true and its to many details for me to follow.. I think to much of it lines up with astrology and I don't care for that stuff.. I never read my horoscope or anything of that nature not even in fun.....
Anyway Its getting very late... I am very sleepy and starting to ramble obviously...

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing:
and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Ecclesiastes 8:7

Deer Season 2011!!!

2011-11-15T11:42:00.000-06:00

This is my baby girl!! She was been hunting since she was 10 and has gotten a small doe. Then not much luck till this morning at about 7am!! That is a 7 point buck!She is absolutely thrilled! So are we!! She made a clean lung shot. She was so happy to have hit were she aimed!Lol That will put a good amount of meat in the freezer!

They still have 3 tags to fill. 2 doe and 1 any deer tag. They have till Next Tuesday!
Hunting is a good way to supplement your family meat supply. It takes a little bit to learn how to cook it. I have had some not so great meat and some Awesome deer meat. This is a younger buck so it wont taste as gamey as a big mature buck would. We will grind up most of the meat to be used as burger, cube some of it up into stew meat and then fine grind some for jerky.. Yummy stuff!.. This will be our first time for Jerky so we will see...

Right now I have a cooler full of meat to get to work on!

To Be Content......

2011-11-10T23:31:00.002-06:00

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.1 Timothy6:7-8
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Phillipians 4:11

Content-
—adj
1. mentally or emotionally satisfied with things as they are
2. assenting to or willing to accept circumstances, a proposed course of action, etc
—vb
3. (tr) to make (oneself or another person) content or satisfied: to content oneself with property
—n
4. peace of mind; mental or emotional satisfaction

I am learning... A little more each day... My God is Supplying all my needs according to his riches in Glory!

Sunshine looking all smug.. She is due pretty much anytime..

Pregnancy hormones are killer...

Look at those ears is that not telling me to back off with the camera or what?

Sunshine is the one that had a little trouble with her hip last kidding.

I was not going to let her breed this year.... Yeah apparently MY plan worked...

However she seems to be doing great. She is up and around. Walks fine and even trots occasionally..

She is bigger than last year.. last year she had triplets..

The year she had quads she was about this size....

In order of her kidding's since 1st freshening she has had

single, triplets,twins, triplets, Quads, triplets....

Sooooo anyone want to guess what this year will be??? If she keeps to a pattern looks like ..... Quintuplets?.... I really dont want that to happen even though when she had Quads she shot them out like little BB's no problem!Lol We will see....

Walking By Faith.....

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-06:00

Is HARD!.... I feel like Peter when he was walking on the water and had taken his eyes off Jesus for a few seconds to look around at what he was walking on!
So what is going on.. well Kyle is laid off.. Suppose to be called back to work this week then off indefinitely with this employer.. Okay so we simply need to claim unemployment and get a small amount each week to hold us over till then.. Except its saying Pending till Employer Notice... So that means no money yet this week.. I am trying to look at the big picture he is getting away from an employer that is not considerate of his workers and possibly working for a better company. They are bidding jobs in December and a 3rd contractor is looking at moving to Springfield too.. but in the mean time here we are with very little moolah in the bank and nothing else coming in yet..
I know God will supply all my NEEDS according to his riches in glory!... We have a wonderful place to live, Food, Clothing and all the animal's feed is stocked up right now.. I even had a returning customer for wethers stop and offer hay in trade for the wethers he wants this summer for their Family reunion BBQ. Oh Boy!! I love a good trade.. Oh and on top of wanting to trade he wants to bring me 10 bales to try first to see if the goats like it...
Okay so walking by faith may not be so hard when I keep my eyes on Jesus.... I am trying to not look around at what is going on and just trust that He is working things out for our good...

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Awesome pic taken by Kara last year...

G-R-E-E-N..................

2011-11-05T00:35:00.000-05:00

HOUSE!!!
Woo Hooo!

Its not very big but that's okay..
About 6X8 and still need the door and front added..

It took me and the girls about 2 hours to get it put together.

Till we got to a stopping point...

Staked down and sharp edges covered with duct tape..

Tying down the plastic...

My patient detail girls!

The stopping point!...

Kyle has to frame in the front and make a door.

Beautiful Fall Pic!

Our greenhouse is constructed basically like the panel barn except not as big and has clear plastic on it. All sharp edges are covered with duct tape. I need to add shelves and such too.. I want to see how long it stays warm and if I can grow lettuce year around. Its on the south side of the house fairly protected from the North/West winds..That is where most of our storms blow in from in the winter. I am also worried because I put it right under a downspout where the water pours off the roof?!?! What was a I thinking?.. Now I have to figure out how to direct that water constructively.....

I am excited! I have wanted some sort of a green house for a while now..

And its almost to the point of being usable. Yeah!!

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread:

but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

A faithful man shall abound with blessings:

but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

Proverbs 28:19-20

Who Wants Free Food?

2011-11-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

We(along with lots of help)put together the pumpkin search at our Hallelujah Fest using lots of cornstalks..

We brought them home to the goats...

Stored them along the far side of the barn so they will stay fairly dry and goats wont over eat on them..

Maryann is pretty sure that is just wrong!

She really liked them!

They were piled up here!

Goats were helping........ haha

Kate Peeking around the corner...

Hope looking a tad pregnant....

Hay Racks for winter..

I added the 2 in the back just to spread it out a little.

So if anyone gets pushed out at the big rack they can eat back there.

One of my Mother/Daughter pairs..

Pixy and Sunshine

Its been an absolutely gorgeous Fall this year.. I can hear the clock ticking on the season though.. Trees are becoming increasingly bare.. and tomorrow has a high of 70* then dropping into the 40's.
Cold weather's acomin'..

I think I am okay with it now... Maybe.... After milking in it here in a few I will let you know..

Yesterday I got to visit with a friend.. They raise Dexter cattle and she was telling me the difficulty to get them registered. It got me to thinking. Now you all if you have been reading my blog for awhile know I don't raise registered animals. I do have Some and have had some.. But in all honesty the difficulties or technicalities she was talking about just solidifies my decision to NOT raise registered animals. Yes people with high end registered goats, cows, dogs and whatever else may get more money for their animals than I do. I do NOT look down or think bad of people selling/raising registered animals.

But my goal is to breed for a hardy milk goat that produces well whether its milk or meat(babies)...

I am slowly getting there.
I also don't have to many or holding on to some just because I cant get $800 for him.
Most of my goats are Full-blood or Purebred Nubian with a couple that have a little of this or that in them. If they are Purebred with out papers that just simply means I bought a registrable baby from some one that had Pure Bred Registered parents. I had a buck like that at one point and bred him to my Registered purebred Nubian doe. Does that mean the babies are less than purebred? Not in my book.. I just don't have the paper to back up what I say or have recorded.. But that doesn't make that goat any more or less Nubian than their counter parts that have papers..

However I am not really concerned. I have had some of mine their whole life except Maryann. I know a lot of her history or where to find that info at. I know what their pluses and minuses are!

So my point in all this is in trying to farm successfully no matter how big or small sometimes papers don't mean squat! If you need a productive, fully functional animal not some Diva. Then you need to look again at your animals and think who carries the load? Look at how much time and attention they take to stay in Good shape physically? If they aren't pulling their weight some how then they may need to be culled.

I don't sell my animals dirt cheap I sell them for what they are worth to me and sometimes more. People are welcome to see where their animal is coming from. I will tell them exactly what I do and how. They see lively friendly goat girls and babies when they come visit.

I have found a rather large market for my goats with out their papers or pedigrees. Sometimes boys get a little difficult to sell but they can have another purpose for meat. So they have value that way. And that's where they go quickly and mercifully After having a short but good life here.

This nothing but my opinion here with my Why's and How's!

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

                                   Not Slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
                              Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
                                    Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality

Romans 12:10-13

Fall Tour....

2011-10-31T00:27:00.000-05:00

We have had Awesome color this fall!

The oak trees were green up until last week when they turned colors to

amazing shades of reddish orange and some yellows..

Off on a country road....

Kyla took this pic while I was driving down the road..

They had apparently planted a cool weather crop here and baled it.

But the green with the other colors....

Well I could have stared at it all day!

Mostly Oak Trees.....

About a mile out of town.....

Heading into town...

Almost there.......

On Steele Bluff overlooking our town!

Our local lake..

Otherwise known as a Giant bend in the river!

They worked on it a few years ago and cleaned it up..

Now its a very nice place to go!

The other view...

In those trees is our Grocery store,

part of downtown and a local feed mill..

Part of the residential area...

I just thought the colors were so bright this year! Every time we drove some where it was like Wow Look at that! However.. I can see its slowly being replaced by bare trees... All the pretty leaves are being blown off and slowly but surely taking on their winter look.. Creeping in here and there.. I am not ready for it.. at all!! However.. Time marches on and I certainly cant stop it..
I had a thought while listening to the minister today in church.. He was saying how that God Spoke everything into existence.. That is the Power of God.. All he has to do is speak and its created... However.. Man... he formed from the dust of the ground in his Own Image and breathed his Own breath into Man so that he became a living soul... Its amazing that HE so carefully created us.. Genesis 2:7.... He formed animals out of the dust too but he didn't breathe his own breath into them...
I am so thankful for God's many blessings!!! I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Making Dirt!

2011-10-24T23:03:00.000-05:00

When we moved here a few years ago the yard had been mowed and that was it.. No garden.. or flower beds.. So I started adding garden beds. We are on a hill so no real big places that can be a big garden.. I have several larger spaces. Which actually works really well for me! Then a friend loaned me a book called Lasagna Gardening.. Which is basically a No till type of garden that works well for places that have little to no real dirt.. However since some of it was a little expensive for me to come up with I decided that I would use some of the suggestion and try to find something that works for me..
I have Plenty of Goat/Rabbit bedding mixed with manure. Goat manure is not a hot manure and I have always heard and read that rabbit was not hot either.. Till I went to look it up and one site had it classed the same as Chicken manure ?... But I have always added it directly to the plants and never had a problem.. Anyway.. The one I have the most of is of course the Goat berries and bedding mixture! It can really pile up.. Just check out some of my old blogpost... Like My birthday present one year...
So the first year I laid down feed bags for a weed barrier and piled goat bedding on top of them to sit for a couple of months. It broke down pretty quick So I added more.. I just planted a few things that year tomatoes being one of them... Thinking I wouldn't stake them up just let them grow and get a few.. They went crazy!! SO thick I couldn't get to the tomatoes half the time.. But my chickens could!!
Then this year I did the same thing and staked my tomato plants... Umm stakes weren't big enough and pulled them over and I once again had a tomato jungle.. Adding all this Organic material had added a few inches to the dirt too that had been Maybe 2 inches deep.. I could now get a shovel full with out hitting to many rocks. My okra was huge.. The peppers probably would have done better but the chickens... Well they like to dust under them!!
So I am getting ready for next year. I have laid down a new weed barrier of paper feed bags and have started adding old hay/bedding/manure/a few leaves. Some it had already started to break down but was still movable. The more organic matter you have the more nutrients and water your soil will hold. I had noticed that I didn't have to water near as much as other people during this hot dry summer we had.. I also planted garlic just one row so far would like to add another by next week. I mulched it with leaves and other stuff the chickens have been scratching through.. I will add bedding to it through the winter. I am also getting things like my Rosemary and lavender well mulched to see if it will make it through the winter. Neither one did last year. I am heavily mulching them and have tubs to put over them if needed.. Especially for my rosemary.
I have spread things like Spearmint, Lemon Balm and Chocolate mint around more because where I had them before no type of bug seems to bother the other plants.. I know they will have to be controlled but if they get out of their garden spot I can mow them and pick them frequently.. I also plan on planting Marigold between all my tomatoes and my squash possibly too.. I need to look that up some.. That is my plan so far....

Here is one of the beds I worked on today.. I have Gooseberries and Rosemary planted here. Peppers were doing really well till the chickens......

When I am done putting down the bags and hay

I wet it down some to keep it from blowing away to much till it packs down some.

The goats went out on new pasture today..

They are starting to get a little lazy due to being pretty far along in their pregnancies.

I gave BoSe Shots Saturday.. That along with plenty of exercise hopefully there will be no trouble kidding.

They are all doing great right now!

Ethel and Her boy Ben..

He has till Nov 1st to be sold as a buck then he will be wethered and raised for meat.

Sunshine relaxing..

Bonnie and Polly Munching nearby..

Hope relaxing too......

Kate behind her...

Maryann and Pixie...
Maryann is due a little later than everyone else.

Pixie I was starting to think maybe she hadn't settled..

But I knew she hadn't come in heat again..

But I am pretty sure she did and has now started showing.

Hope REALLY Relaxing! lol

The view from my front porch......

All Purpose Flour......

2011-10-23T22:41:00.002-05:00

So you may think I am going to post something about flour or maybe I am going to tell you how bad that bleached out all purpose flour is for you... Well it is bad for you but that's not what I am going to post about.. I found another use for flour(any kind)...
Saturday The girls and I went to Brenda's to trim goat hooves... Now I have been trimming goat hooves for about 8 years maybe a little longer.. I have made some bleed occasionally especially if I am trying to correct some and it's hard to gauge where the quick is.. However nothing near as bad as this one Saturday..
I was trimming Emma's hooves and had just started. Barely had taken any off and she started bleeding pretty good out of the tip of one hoof.. So I did my usual thing and sprayed it with Iodine and went on to the other hoof keeping an eye on the bleeder.. It wasn't great but not horrible.. I took about two snips and apparently hit a gusher.. Its bleeding like crazy.. So we take and pack bloodstop powder on it.. Nope it bleeds through and keeps bleeding. We put pressure on it and still continues to bleed.. Other hoof is starting to get a good puddle under it.. I am thinking "WHAT THE HECK IS THE DEAL?" SO I put that hoof down and look at the other and with in seconds the other one had puddled all around her hoof.. Brenda puts a pressure bandage on it and it bleeds through the padding and tape and is basically pouring blood.. Its Horrible!! I am thinking 90 to nothing trying to think of something else to do. So I remember Flour stops blood flow... Brenda is holding her leg up keeping pressure on it but every time she pulls her hand off it starts bleeding again..
So I run to the house and grab some flour.. I take a handful and pack it on the hoof holding it there for a few seconds... minutes.. I don't know.. But it was quick that with in a few minutes it quit bleeding.. We kept it above her heart level for a few more minutes watching it.. Nothing... So then we let her put her foot down.. and watch some more.. No more blood.. It worked so well I was shocked.. The bloodstop powder didn't even slow it down....
So Guess what is a new staple for when I am trimming hooves or anything else that may cause major bleeding?? You got it................ FLOUR!!............ Not just for making Bread!!

Hillbilly Chicken Pen!

2011-10-21T00:46:00.002-05:00

Since one of my "hens" turned out to be a roo and a nice one at that...

(Funny thats how I got my Lt Brahma roo too.....)

I decided to split my flock...

My older Light Brahma Rooster has all the older hens..

Mr. Hen has all the newer hens and our wild little banty...

Once they are use to roosting here I will let them out to clean up after the goats again.

I wouldn't mind them roosting in the goat barn but they were roosting in my kidding pens..

I didn't like the thought of sticking my hand in chicken poo when dealing with babies..

That stuff does not like to wash off!!!!

One Hillbilly chicken pen complete wit a piece of tarp, tin/quonsent hut and several shapes and sizes of wire....

Hey a Hillbilly gots a do what a Hillbilly gots to do... ;)

Oh look I have more goat pictures!!lol...Imagine that...

They were watching to see if I was bringing food...

They decided to have a closer look......

Oops pics got out of order!!

The babies.... From left to right...

Ben, Polly & Bonnie

So things have been busy around here.. I think I have been saying that for the last several months. But we have another full weekend coming up and one after that is full too! All well its all good and will slow down soon.. Hopefully...
The goats are all due fairly soon.. We have about a month to the first possible due date. I have been struggling with the barber pole worm.. Finally a combination of herbal dewormer, Valbazen and Copper Sulfate in their water is doing the trick. They are all looking much better. I started the herbal dewormer while waiting for the Valbazen and Copper Sulfate to get here.. Now I had done Copasure for a long time for supplementing copper but its expensive and I needed something in their system now.. I found Copper sulfate for Chickens and Turkeys on Jeffers livestock. With in days they started looking Much better!
Bonnie my bottle baby had tapeworms also and before I could get the Valbazen in her she had started passing the tape worms. So the herbal dewormer was helping. She is still on the bottle.. Just one a day..... But she had such a rough time there for a while that I cant help but baby her some...lol Anyway she has grown a great deal in the last 2 weeks. She is all Sass too! If you sit down in the goat pen she is in your lap..All 45 lbs of her!
Why is it that in the summer 80* in the house can feel so warm but in the winter can be chilly??lol We have started a fire and its pretty chilly out! Fall is definitely here! All well it had to get here sooner or later..

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:2-5

Dad, Can I Go to the Homecoming Dance?

2011-10-19T13:01:00.001-05:00

Dad, Can I Go to the Homecoming Dance?
This is exactly like it was when I was in highschool and its a shame that things have not changed for the better..
Very thought provoking especially if you have teenagers in public school...Click on the link to read this blog post by Jonathan McKee

Oooppps........

2011-10-13T23:12:00.001-05:00

I had a small flat tire....

On a gravel road ...

I don't keep cell phone with me....

Very ferocious looking dogs prompted me to drive on a flat...

Very good friends came with my spare tire and changed it!

It was an Absolutely Gorgeous DAY!!

What the girls found to do while waiting....

It was a very friendly horse..

She absolutely loved the girl's attention..

Plus the pieces of grass from the OTHER side of the fence!lol

Some extremely nice people that lived here let me use the phone.

One thing I do love about Fall is the BLUE BLUE Sky...

Maybe the flat tire was a slow down and pay attention signal...

It got my attention and I enjoyed the few minutes to just sit...

Friends showed up and got us back on the road in just a few minutes.

I am blessed with great friends.

God's Blessings were abundant today!

Kara's new hunting blind.......

Yesss its is in the middle of the living room...

It gets better....

Kyle sitting in the recliner IN the blind in the living room...

But still it gets better...lol

Kyle in his recliner

With a gun sitting

in the hunting blind

in the middle of the living room!

He is soooooooo Redneck!haha

It was a good day despite the slow downs.. Maybe it was just a reminder to me to take each day as it comes and to let God work things out. I have a tendency to stress in these types of situations but I didn't I just drove the short distance to get away from the vicious dogs and did what needed done. Then sat down and waited.. It was an absolutely beautiful day.. Listening to my girls laugh and talk over the simple joy of petting a horse. It was just great..
I am so thankful for the gift of today.... Right now is all we have yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't here yet.. My nephew is feeling much better. He has been able to eat and drink today and is holding it down. He is coming to stay with us tomorrow. The girls can't wait to see him.
My mom had a bunch of test run this last month since she was having some health issues.. She has no major health issues as a matter of fact Doctor said he wished all the test he run looked like hers!
When we give everything to God he takes care of it all!! Amazing things happen...

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psalm 103:2-4

Downsized....

2011-10-13T00:42:00.000-05:00

No I didn't downsize to just one goat...

This is Sunshine giving me the "Hint"..

To pull down a limb for her to nibble on..

Maryann trying to decide whether to stay with the herd or follow me...

She followed me...

This is what I downsized too.....

9 goats total...

Sissy my last Lamancha doe went to a new home Monday.

The Boys left Tuesday..

The girls had to check out the boys pen..

Jack went with Moses to his new home..

I am glad he did!!

Bonnie and Hope behind her..

Sunshine bringing everyone around to follow me..

My Black Copper Maran Rooster and his hens...

It has been a rather eventful week and its just Wednesday!!! Okay Wednesday night but I started this blog post yesterday! We recovered from the weekend sort of.. Tuesday morning though my Nephew was admitted to the hospital. He has Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It is a tickborne disease and in the blood.. He is doing better but it was tough. He is only 12 and lost almost 15 lbs since last Thursday. He couldn't keep anything down, running a low grade fever and rash all over his body.. Well then after they admitted him his fever started spiking to 103-104. He quit smiling at all and that is not like him. He has big blue eyes and freckles and is just the cutest boy ever.. Well besides his brother... He was in the hospital for 2 days and got to go home today even though they wanted to keep him till he was fever free.. But the fever was breaking and so they let him go home.

Its bad enough for an adult to be sick like that but to see kids that sick is heartbreaking.

Hopefully he is on the mend now.

Okay that's it for now.. Have a great weekend.. We have another busy one ahead..

There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.

1Corinthians 14:10

So Many Topics.....

2011-10-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

I just can't settle on a title!

Moses is leaving Tuesday....

We will miss him.

But I love this pic!..

He has taken to standing in this spot every morning as the sun comes up..

We helped Brenda at Granny's Best train goats to electric fence.

As you can see some one was Highly disgusted with me...

How dare I trick her like that??? lol

Then we have the blonde in the herd..

This darling followed me to Each side of the fence..

She would get shocked and run back to the herd..

See me in a different spot and here she came..

Finally last 2 times she just ran up but didn't touch the fence..

I got the mean job of calling the goat girls to the fence

and trying to lure them to hit their noses on the fence.

So they would know "HEY That Hurts!"

This weekend was fall festival..

After unloading and parking the van.. I saw this..

Check out the license plate!LOL

Our 4H booth...

If only it had been about 10* cooler...

We would have sold more Beans and Cornbread..

but very few people want them at 80+ degrees..

We sold lots of Lemonade..............

My girls highlight...
They get to ride in the firetrucks in the parade..

That's one of the cool things that happens when your daddy is on the Dept.

Candice in the back holding a friend's daughter that fell asleep..

She is 3 years old and LOVES Candice!

My girls were also thrilled to get to ride horses this weekend..

We went to a friend's Birthday party and they had 2 horses there..

Funny story about that horseback riding... One of the horses is blind in one eye but still does pretty good as long as you pay attention. Well Candice was riding him(not the one in the pic) and came around the corner and a cat spooked him a little from the blind side.. He took off running... Well I am not a nervous mom by any means.. I am about run over by others all worried about Candice... But as she went zooming past I heard her holler "Its Okay I got this!!!"... So I figured to watch first then see if she needed help!lol... My next sight of her she is headed back at a fast trot.. She is not a super experienced rider but she does have a natural ability I believe to stay on a horse. lol.. So she comes trotting up and says THAT was Great!! It was funny, she was okay and things were just fine.. The grin on her face was worth it.. He wasn't really out of control either. Just a little spooked..
We have had a busy weekend but fun.. On a sad note a family here locally lost their home to a fire. Tonight Kyle is in a neighboring town fighting a warehouse fire. They have it contained and it took 9 fire departments. But they saved the manufacturing plant. They make Bio-fuel and use the by-products to make dog food. The owner was on the news and said that no one would lose their jobs as it was just the warehouse they lost. I am sure about 90 people are relieved to hear that...
So now after a weekend of crazy stuff I have an extremely messy house so guess what we get to do tomorrow?? Oh yeah.... I would much rather trim a goat buck's hooves.... bleh...
But a Messy house means we are busy, well fed and clothed so I will be Thankful...

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5

One Fall Day......

2011-10-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

What we did this weekend.....

Nope nothing bad...

The fire department had a Hazmat training class..

The girls got to be victims of a simulated natural gas leak.

They had 14 kids altogether to "rescue".

Kids thought it was great!

Riding out to the woods today...

We cut a load of wood.. Its getting to be that time of year..

Kyle was off unexpectedly today..

So we made the most of it..

Kyle and the girls went out and put up the deer stand too.

Kyla and Kara looking for creepy crawlies..

My wonderful Husband Who has a Birthday tomorrow!!

Love him so much!

Candice sitting on the back of the truck waiting patiently..

Chickens trying to bury themselves!!

They are loving some of the bare garden spots..

The goat girls!

Watching me to see if its worth the walk down to the gate..

They decided it wasn't and went back to grazing..

My fall wreath.....

Its made from lezpedza, golden rod, sumac and mums..

Things like this help me not dread the changing season so much..

Pretty colors huh?

Its been a great day.. Beautiful Blue sky... My sweetheart... My girls.... God's Blessings!...
I just want to clarify about my last post that I don't think women should not work outside of the home at all. Some can manage really well. A lot of husbands pitch in their share if the wife works too. Making it the partnership it should be.. But I have seen to many women go to work outside of the home and be left with all the responsibilities of caring for their home too with no help from their husbands. They become worn out, stressed out messes... Women who choose to stay at home are too often looked down on as not living up to their full potential. And I think it is just wrong for people to judge like that. Not everyone has to have a "career"... Well I do have a career... Its Homeschoolin Goat Farmin Momma.....LOL

9The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Psalm 9:9-10

Contentment....

2011-10-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

I hear so many people today say "I want this" or "I want that".. I have been guilty of saying these things myself. Some people tend to say that younger people are not happy with what they have always wanting more but you know it didn't get like this over night. Young people had to learn discontentment some where.. We learn many things from the generations before us.
I have learned many things from my parents and my grandparents.....Good and Bad...
When my mom was a kid they lived in a small house with 5 kids. My mom was the baby. My grandparents raised their meat and vegetables. They would put up their food for the year not depending on the grocery store for much of anything besides staples flour, sugar and such.. They were very poor money wise.. Their house was a 2 bedroom with linoleum laid over dirt.. They had an outhouse.. Bath day was Saturday..
They also had to haul water from town once a week.. They did have running water of sorts. The kids attended a one room school house.
When my mom was about 6th grade they made the decision to move to town.. Main reason... To live a better life.... They moved to a bigger house, My Mawmaw went to work also.. No longer a stay at home mom because since she didn't have enough to do at home with 5 kids sometimes 9 (when her sister who had major issues dropped her kids off for weeks on end) she needed to earn money too.. This was the "Thing" to do apparently..
So were they given a better life?.. Well my mom who struggled in school anyway was kind of forgotten in the rush of things. She failed in school but was passed on because to the teacher felt sorry for her. She wasn't checked up on because her older brothers and sisters took up a lot of time being in High school and by the time it got to her well everyone was tired.. She was suppose to go to summer school to catch up but after the first boring day she instead spent the time riding around town on her bike from 9 am till 3 pm.. No one ever the wiser because school never called home and parents never checked they just assumed she had been at school.. Sneaky kid she was...
They started depending on the grocery store for all their food. no more garden or not enough to feed them all. No more raising their meat... They ended up with one boy on drugs so bad that he had shock treatments trying to quit. Another doing whatever he wanted to do... By then my grandparents had moved 650 miles away hoping to get a fresh start for the kids still at home. You didn't EVER talk about sex to your kids. One daughter was married to a man who would later prove to be Very abusive, another daughter married to a man who would also prove to be physically abusive to the point of threatening her life, another daughter her boyfriend drove 650 miles to come get her and bring her "home" and she didn't know but was pregnant at the time. The boy on drugs found drugs in the new place, the other boy was doing whatever he pleased and they had a 4 year old boy by then bringing the total up to 6 kids 5 between the ages of 15-21. It was chaos.. Always working thinking they needed more money to make things better. They knew how to work too.
Now my Mawmaw and Pawpaw were some of the nicest people you could ever meet. But they quit following God's leading when they moved to town. They attended church for a while but eventually quit completely till they moved. They had come to the end of the rope with the boy on drugs. They didn't know where to turn. He had been hospitalized but they couldn't do anything else for him. My Pawpaw then visited a local church with my uncle.. Asked the pastor to help him.. He did and he turned his life around drastically..
In the mean time my mom who was almost 16 had come back home and was living with her boyfriend, My dad and his family(who was another mess altogether). She called my Mawmaw to let her know she was pregnant. My parents plans where to live together and not get married. My Mawmaw informed her that if I was born with her last name Her not my mom would be raising me!.. So my parents thought okay we will get married. Since they were both minors parents had to sign of course.. My parents have been the exception. They survived teenage pregnancy with their marriage intact and will be celebrating 37 years in February 2012. They will both say it was not easy but they have stuck it out for better or for worse! They still love each other very much!
There is so much more that happened in all of that after my Grandparents moved to town hoping for a better life for their kids. So much heartbreak, nervous break downs among other things happened. I just skimmed over the top of things really.
So what is my point in all of this?... In searching for a better life that was promised by propaganda of the times they left behind contentment with what they had at the time. Not saying that you shouldn't make your life better or improve things but so many people are dissatisfied with what they have because of what they think they should have. I always wonder what our family would be like today if they had stayed in the country living like they were. So many people are going back to what they view as the "the More Simple" life.
My mawmaw passed away from colon cancer when I was 7 years old. My pawpaw passed away about 5 yrs ago. He got to see what we were doing with our life and our family. He always was so happy to see our pictures and encouraged us in what we were doing. They are missed everyday. Despite things that happened they were cheerful always optimistic. They made their way back to God and lived and died in Him. They were never judgmental and always loved people. They touched many lives for the good despite the tough times. We all make decisions that not only affect our lives but those around us and generations to come...

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5

Fall?......

2011-09-29T22:43:00.000-05:00

NOOOOOOOO I am not ready for it...

I want it to be 80's and go swimming in the river and soak up some more sun!!

Okay I will quit whining and get on with the blog post...

I'm Moulting(picturing Wizard of Oz).........

Poor pitiful things..

Hope still has about 2 months till kidding..

This is about how big she was last year with One Big Buckling..

He was about 10lbs...

Another belly shot from a different angle.

Mr.Ben..With Polly Behind him.

Poor Polly did something to her eye..

Its better now though..

The Old red hen with her 2 chicks..

She is serious about those little buggers too!

Moses trying the fence...

Kara looking at ground blinds for hunting..

That is what she plans on spending her Birthday money on..

We have a busy week coming up! I am Organizing the 4H booth for our local fall festival this year.... What was I thinking???LOL.. Anyway we will be selling beans and cornbread in a cup.. I think it will go over good.. As long as the weather Cooperates(Please God?) and we have plenty of people visit.... I am a little nervous.. But I am sure it will be okay..
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalm 86:15

Napping........

2011-09-26T17:45:00.000-05:00

Maryann's new preferred spot...

She was sound asleep!

Ahhhhh........ I think some were snoring...

Hope, Kate and Sissy in the back ground...

Hope and Kate are showing baby bellies Big time!!

They are also humming up a storm!Lol

Sunshine the Herd queen.

She likes her alone time...

She is also showing a baby belly...

Pixy Maryann and Bonnie..

Bonnie seems to be partial to Maryann.

I find her sleeping by her alot.

Ethel and the babies!

Bonnie In the way as usual!

Ben and Pollie..

Maryann in her spot....again..

Close up of Pixy snoozing in the sun..

They made it look so peaceful... And warm!!... I know its just the first few days of fall but I am not looking forwards to it at all..
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

BiRtHdAy BaSh!!!!!

2011-09-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

First.... The Cakes.....

Trying to light the Candles on the cakes!

Posing with some of their gifts!

SOME of the kids....

I have always encouraged my girls to be friends with all ages!

The bright colors!.. I love color!

Candice and her shadow!....

Decorating the front steps.

Waiting on the lighter.. matches.. Torch!!...

The Front Porch Concert!...

Foods on!

Some of the Boys....

Lets see who can go highest is the most Common game!

These girls and their smiles are worth every bit of it!

Kara drawing on the cakes for me.

I filled in with icing after she got done.

We had about 52 of the 60some people invited make it today. It was a lot of fun. We got to visit with some new friends, some old friends and family! I love every last minute of it.. makes me sad it was over so quick. Was thinking of having quiet birthdays for the girls next year but now I am not so sure.. They turned 14,14 and 15 this year and I only have so many of these birthdays left to celebrate with them at home.. It makes me soooooo very sad but proud of my girls at the same time. They are so much a like but so very individual at the same time. God gave me my heart's desire in my baby girls! I have the joy and responsibility, along with their daddy of being their parent.
I am blessed to be their momma. I hope and pray that God will continue to guide their Daddy and I in raising them. Helping them to become responsible,compassionate women of God. Love my family....

He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.

The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 115:13-15

I FORGOT A TITLE?!?!?

2011-09-20T22:44:00.001-05:00

Eggs anyone??

8 dozen in this pic....

We are getting about 17 eggs a day..

I have 47 hens and 12 roosters right now..

Some hens are moulting, some are old and some are young..

The goat girls out on new pasture today....

Sunshine admiring her favorite guy!

Seriously she doesn't like most men but she LOVES Kyle!

Only thing that is holding her back is the chainsaw!

Kyla & Kara working on the flower beds..

We are putting down a good layer of feed bags then adding the old hay/bedding on top.

It will sit all winter and help choke out some weeds...

The girls piling up the brush for their Party Saturday!

Had to be careful some of it was Honey Locust with the BIG thorns!

I surely do love this man!!!

He got to be a little creative today....

I now have a bear in my goat pen!!

Maryann does not feel threatened in the least bit..

Ready to be lit on fire!

Well whether I like it or not its that time of year again... Fall.. Autumn... the time before the big W.... What ever you want to call it.. Lol.. Its also the month of birthdays around here.. All 3 girls were born in September.. Usually we have separate parties but this year we decided to go big... So its one big bash this year. Complete with Bonfire, Hot dogs and stuff! We have invited about 60 plus people between Church, Friends and Family... This ought to be fun... I may have to recuperate for a week afterwards.. Lol
We also have a 4H meeting this week... Not much to do around here. HA... We have been cleaning up the yard a lot. We have been so busy this year that some things had gotten away from us. It was looking a little rough on the hill side here.. Its getting back in order and is looking better.. My girls are so awesome! They have done really well around here lately.. Now if I can get them to apply it to their rooms we will really be doing great!
On a more serious note.. Kyle is a Union Bricklayer and has been for 17 years. He is not all about Union there are some serious flaws in the unions but we would not have insurance or retirement with out them or he would not have been trained the way he was if it wasn't for the union..
His current employer (JB for short) has not always had the best track record for keeping dues paid up and is once again behind.. The Rumors are that he is leaving the union. Kyle has worked for JB for most of the 17 years as a bricklayer and my dad also worked for him before that. But he is letting his equipment get run down and then the dues thing now.. He is also not bidding new jobs. Which is odd there are several coming up and he usually gets things like hospitals and schools.
Sooo the thing is JB has till tomorrow to pay his dues.. If they are not paid then they have to do a Walk off and go on strike.. This means no unemployment to fall back on and no paycheck.. This has happened before and he paid at the last minute. He would be out a lot of money if he allowed them to Walk Off. We are praying that he pays and they can continue.
However on the flip side.. The Union Rep called Kyle because he knows he will be honest with him (rep's words!) and was asking about the general feel on the job about the situation.. Then he proceeds to tell Kyle that 2 companies are looking at setting up shop in the same town and they have excellent records as employers. They wanted to know if the Union Rep could supply them with Good Bricklayers.. He asked Kyle if he would be interested.. Hmmm Leave an Employer that doesn't care much for his workers to not keep up with his dues for one that is faithful in paying what he is supposed too.. That was pretty much a NO-Brainer!...
I am thankful for my husband reputation for being Honest.. Sometimes I cringe when he says something because I think he is TO HONEST! He is not hateful or mean but can be very blunt.. But you know he Rarely has a misunderstanding with anyone. I on the other hand.. Well we are getting off topic...
I am asking all you that pray to please pray for our situation.. That the Perfect Will of God will be in our life. I know that He will provide all our needs he always does. But that we will know where our help comes from and continue to be thankful for everything HE does for us.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2

What do You think??

2011-09-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

Of yourself?... I have come to the realization lately that how I see myself is not how others see me.. Its strange to realize what some people see you as.. For example some one said to me lately that I seem to be pretty calm and quiet. I laughed! Well because My mom and my husband would both say I am Definitely not quiet! I started talking young and never have stopped.. Hopefully with age though I have learned when to be quiet! Despite my love of talking I am not always able to express my self well in speech.. Many a Discussion with my husband has been by letter form!Lol. I have said some pretty stupid things in my life too. Especially when upset and I can't think straight.
I tend to pick at all the bad in myself. Which I think is only natural or human... How can we fix something if you don't know what's wrong? We are all a work in progress till the day we die. None of us are to old to learn something new.. Our brains just might not always work the same way.
I know there are some things I can do well. Hopefully everyone can see some good in themselves. I was also told lately that I am not quick to judge another.. I thought "wow you really think that?" Because I think I can be very judgemental at least in my thoughts.. I don't always voice my opinions to others.. Because they are mine to give when I choose or when God leads me to give them.
But I have had a couple of people tell me things they think about me.. It just amazes me that they think these things. I never considered it of myself. And I know I wasn't always the way they see me.. That I have grown up and Matured over the years(Thank You Jesus!)
But so where am I going with all this?....Well.... Not sure exactly.. I just may be chasing my tail here and not come up with much of anything...
However... Sometimes I think people in general are quick to point out the bad.. In everything and everyone. News is almost always about the bad stuff, a lot of TV shows that are hits are about crimes and horrible things that should never be repeated and people are very quick to repeat bad news.. The old saying goes "Good news travels fast, Bad News Faster!"... So very true..
One thing I try is to encourage some one or compliment.. It not only makes you feel better it may make them feel better too! That some one should include our family, friend or even strangers. Ever complimented a stranger on their hair or clothing? Just a simple "I love your hair" or "You have a sweet smile"... I know sweet words go a Looooooong way with me!lol
I hope I can encourage some one the way God encourages me or uses others to encourage me. I hope I can allow God to use me to help some one else. I hope I can find it in my heart to be compassionate to others. I hope I can also be merciful...Because where would we be with out God's Mercy and Grace? I would not even want to consider it...
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Psalm 85:14

Silver Dollar City...

2011-09-17T13:07:00.000-05:00

The parking lot when we got there....

Okay it wasn't completely empty...

I really wanted to stop them every 2 feet and take a pic..

But they didn't want that!lol

Baker Creek's Display at the Fall Festival booths

Leave it to us to find the creepy crawlies Even if they aren't real!lol

Very cool knives made from railroad spikes!

Candice Riding the Wildfire..

She is the last one by herself..

The rest of her family cant or wont ride roller coasters!

The odd table........

It was rising ever so slowly!LOL....

I got to laughing and couldn't quit..

But the waitress clued me in before she hit the button..

Candice said she felt very short!!lol

Some days I need the green sign....

My puzzle workers..
Kyle can get the ring off the horse shoe and chains in about 1 minute..

We didn't have enough time for him to figure out the one Kyla had..

She probably would have figured it..
Should have bought it to see!Lol

Pretty little glass pumpkin..

That's what the glass blower was making.

I like watching them make it..

The swinging bridge with the sign that says no running or jumping...

Why do they say that???

It makes me want to run or jump on it!Lol

The Birds Of Prey Show..

Very cool! Birds were flying right over our heads..

I have so many options for a caption I just can't stick one on it.

Showing off!

Candice Riding the Powder Keg..

It basically sling shots you from 0-60 in 2.2 seconds..

She said it was Awesome..

Ahh my sweet little girls...

The gigantic barn swing!!

Candice rode it several times.

One time a dad asked how many kids were homeschooled?

Every kid on it was a homeschooler!

Love my family..Aren't they cute??lol

Of course Kyle couldn't pass up THIS opportunity!!

We were blessed with tickets and had an awesome time. We hadn't had time all summer for the 5 of us to go and do much.. Even though that was suppose to be our summer it just didn't happen. But God blessed us tremendously that day with each other's company. No others that I like to spend more time with than these 4 people. in my life... We are enjoying a rainy day and getting ready for a big birthday bonfire this next weekend!.

We are having on big birthday party this year for the girls.. Lots of fun, food, family and friends...Now I just got to get the yard and house clean!!...

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk,

O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

Psalm 89:15

Poverty Level???

2011-09-13T14:25:00.000-05:00

The "news" told me today that we are considered poverty level here in the U.S. because we make less than $49,000 and some change.. Hmmmm wow... Okay I know I am not rich in money.. but I also feel like I am not poor.. We are not lacking food, clothes or shelter. Our family is whole and healthy beside some minor issues. We do not lack medical care if needed.. We have everything we need and a lot of things we want.. Not always having the cash has made us creative in how we acquire those things as in bartering for them.. I like being Frugal AKA Cheap and using my imagination to come up with what we need..
Of course sometimes I get tired of trying to figure it out and go crying to God how I need this or that.. Usually its not a need and I need to use the brain He gave me to figure it out.. Instead of expecting cash in hand to buy said item. Oh and I do pray about things before I have "needs" I just don't always like his answer( I am human like that). I just find it hard to believe that going by the amount of money you make each year determines your "Poverty Level". I would probably not do well with much more than we make each year now.. I know what I can do with less!Lol With More I would probably be less motivated, a little lazy and who knows what else..
I like using something others have deemed as trash and worthless, Cleaning it up and giving it a new life... Hmmm I have heard that some where before... I think Jesus is into Recycling!!!
So many people want more than what they need.. and are selfish in their pursuit of it.. People tend to look at me funny because I don't want to do things for money that they say I am talented enough to do these things and make money at it.. Hmm I know I have talent/abilities in certain areas and I know I could do it if I wanted too... But key word WANT... I don't want too... If its something I enjoy I don't want it to become a Job. I do a little of several things enough to make a little extra money if needed.. But if it comes in between me, my family, and time with them then its not worth that few extra dollars it brings in. We have tried to follow God's will for our family.. We have gotten off track a few times.... Way off track.. But He always brings us back to where we need to be.
Okay I have gotten off track with this blog post! Ha imagine that huh?? Anyway back to the poverty level thing.. I think Poverty or Riches is all in the eye of the beholder so to speak.. I think as Americans especially we are so driven to make a buck or 2 or More that we forget what is really important.. So many families are broken and shattered because of chasing the almighty dollar.. People spend their whole lives making money to only look back and realize they have nothing..
So do I think we need to sit around and do nothing expecting God to take care of every need? Noooo the bible says to not be slothful in business.( that's in Romans 12) BUT it also says to "Let your moderation be known unto all men" Philippians 4:5 We have to find a balance that is for us.. I don't think everyone should make the same amount of money nationwide. That would be very controlling and Socialistic or is it Communist?.. I believe in working your way through life. There is no easy life. We all pay one way or the other..
Soo where did all this come from?.. I am not really sure..Lol

Garden LeftOvers & Ice Skating!!

2011-09-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Kate in front and Hope behind eating on Okra TREES!!

Some got as big around as my wrist..
I am no Small boned person either!lol

I got tired of cutting it so I left one plant growing for seed...

Fed the rest to the Goat girls!!

They enjoyed it..

Chickens liked the left over okra!

The girls and I attended a birthday party..

And they got to go Ice skating!!

Our version of ice skating is Muck boots on a frozen pond!!

Haha... They liked it...

This is what they did for a while...

They finally got the hang of it..

sort of...Lol

This sweet girl helped Kara...

Kara is my most careful kid..

She didn't like swings as a baby...

Didn't ever want to go high and WILL NOT

get on a crazy roller-coaster!

They did get a little speed behind them...

They bounce better than I do!...I was scared of hurting something..

Like my pride........

Candice is my daredevil and willing to GO try anything adventurist...

We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Psalm 20:5-8

Savior Please.........

2011-09-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

Savior, please take my hand

I work so hard, I live so fast

This life begins, and then it ends

And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough

But I'm just not strong enough

I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me

I try to be good enough

But I'm nothing without Your love

Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand

I fall so hard, I fade so fast

Will You begin right where I end

And be the God of all I am because You're all that I have

I try to be so tough

But I'm just not strong enough

I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me

I try to be good enough

But I'm nothing without Your love

Savior, please keep saving me

Hallelujah

Everything You are to me

Hallelujah

Is everything I'll ever need

Hallelujah

And I am learning to believe

Hallelujah

That I don't have to prove a thing

Hallelujah

'Cause You're the one who's saving me

Hallelujah.......

If you dont know this song you ought ot look it up on Youtube... Josh Wilson sings it.. Awesome song...

Good-bye Moses....

2011-09-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Moses will be leaving soon....

He is going to go help start a herd of Nubians for a very nice lady.

I debated for a while whether to sell him or not.

But decided in the end our place is to small to keep a buck full time.

Its hard to rotate pastures and I really don't want to drylot anyone.

He will be leaving behind lots of these though!Lol

Ben and Polly are now 3 weeks old and growing like weeds!

Speaking of weeds they like them alot!

So back to why I am selling Moses and how I am going to work things with out a buck... We only have about 3 acres fenced here. I have gotten Rotational Grazing in but would like to make it more like Managed Intensive Grazing(smaller lots, shorter periods of time) but more time and fencing are needed.. So I decided to not keep a buck and wether anymore. I don't like drylotting anyone and its to hard to rotate to keep the buck away from the does till time for breeding. I only needed him for about 3 weeks this year and then he was done. Of course he decided to do things Earlier than I wanted so I will have November babies instead of January....
I may buy a bottle buckling in the spring and when he gets old enough let him breed then sell him each year. I am always wanting to try milking through. Its tough to do with a buck on the place since he comes into rut and then the girls start coming in heat and its mass chaos till everyone settles!lol.. They will still come into heat with out a buck on the place but I am hoping it will not be like when the buck is just a wire away...So we will see....
In the mean time we are saying Good-bye to Moses.. I think he is going to a very good home. She is so excited to be getting him. That always make me happy!

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Meet Maryann!

2011-09-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

Here she is.... Spots are pretty but I really like my paint pattern goats! Ms Maryann is a fantastic doe I think.. Then I get to looking on her papers and she out of a Cream of Kansas doe and goes back to some Kastdemur on both sides!!... Uhhh wow.... One of my other does has Amberwood in her even though she is not registered (That would be Hope).. Anyway Maryann milks about a gallon a day and that was locking babies away at night and milking in the morning. She will probably go to the fair next year to be shown as an aged doe up against Hope... And whoever else shows up at the fair with aged Nubian does.... We are excited to have her here!!

Happy Days.......

2011-09-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

Bonnie the Brat!!Lol

She is weaning herself off the bottle!

I have ONLY had this happen with Does

Never Bucks or Wethers!!

My Light Brahma Roo..

He is such a handsome feller..

He is 7 yrs old now...

This little guy thinks he is as big as the Big Roo..

We don't tell him otherwise...

They get along fine..

One of the chicks hypnotized....

My mom showed my girls how to do this years ago..

You lay the chick down and draw a line in front of its face

with your finger or stick...

It will lay there till you startle it or move it..

Its so weird!Lol

Momma cat....

Good thing there was nothing growing there..

Another "friend"....

This Garden Spider decided a good place to be was in my Cherry tomatoes...

Right outside the backdoor....

She started out rather small and is now hanging in the door way to the back porch to the feed barrels.

I have almost walked into the web I don't know How many times..

When/If I do I will scream like a little girl!Lol

They are pretty in a creepy sort of way....

Two-headed Goat??

Well Cleo and Jinx went back to their Goat momma!

She couldn't be with out them!

She got rid of all the others but the buck and he is for sale.
She called today and asked if I would trade them for the one doe...
Who is by the way a Very nice girl and my favorite out of her goats.
If any one keeps up with Nubian lines she is out of a Cream of Kansas doe...
She is pretty to boot! I will post pics of her later.. It was dark by the time we got home. She kept saying she was a horrible friend. But really she is not.. I have known my friend since she was born and love her to pieces...

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; Deuteronomy 7:9

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Mountain Lions??? Noooo....

2011-08-31T15:30:00.000-05:00

According to the Missouri department of Conservation we didn't have ANY here till recently... Well apparently People have started using their wildlife cameras to disprove the "fact" that they weren't here. The latest sighting was down in Alton, Mo which is about an hour(maybe) from us..... The other sighting had been in Northern Missouri. Several hours from us... MDC-Mt Lion Sighting

I have seen them here.. I had no camera with me that night and I was heading over to a friend's house who was out of town to do her chores.. As I came down the road it crossed in front of me.. As my lights hit it I thought "That is a big dog!..... With a Really long tail..... NO WAY!!!" It also had a small head with very pointed ears!! It went into the field next to the road so I turned around thinking No way would it still be there.. There is sat on the other side of the fence watching me! Oh so creepy.... I had about 30 minutes worth of chores less than a 1/4 mile from where I saw the Mt Lion.. Talk about flying through chores and jumping at shadows! I was done in record time and back in my car in no time at all!

So now I am looking at the map of sightings and other physical evidence of Mountain lions in Missouri and about 4 counties starting with the neighboring county to the east of us have had both!! We have also had black bears in our county about 7 miles away.....

I may be more careful when Hobo starts barking at night.........

Bottle Babies..... Gotta Love'm!

2011-08-27T23:24:00.001-05:00

About 7 years ago I started with my own bottle babies..

It was Bonnie's grandma And her sister..

My mom had started with a Nubian Doeling and Boer Buckling From the Salebarn..

About 2 year's before and they survived our Poor attempts at goat keeping.

Our Ethel is granddaughter to those first 2 goaties!

I had been helping her with her goats all this time and getting ready for my own.

I had settled on Nubians..

And in exchange for bottle feeding some of her babies

and for my birthday she gave me twin Nubian doelings.

One looked a lot like Ms. Bonnie here in the pic..

Who is my current bottle baby of course!

Bottle babies are Very hard to get Good pictures of....

Because they want to be close....

VERY CLOSE!!!LOL

She only fits about half way in my lap now...

But she will be there if I sit down...

And is Quite comfortable there..

"Hey Come back and sit down!! I was comfy!"

I have had Dam raised babies that are Almost as friendly as Bottle Babies but not near as often.. Bottle baby bucks that are made into wethers almost ALWAYS end up Annoying and whiny!lol.. The girls are easier to train for Me... Doesn't mean that it works that way for everyone. Just my experience!
I am considering again this year bottle feeding all babies. Its easier to sell babies that I dont intend to keep Especially does and intact bucks. And its easier to wean so you don't have to separate from mom and fight both parties trying to keep them separate just to milk when babies are almost as big as Mom..... Certain ones in my herd are easier to pull babies and milk.. They do very well as a milker and are good moms just seem rather relieved they don't have a kid to tend too.. Others are such good moms that I wouldn't want them to be denied motherhood.. They do so well with kids.... I will most likely make an individual decision based on the doe, How many kids and whether there are any complications with mom or babies... Can't wait for babies.... But I can wait for winter Thankfully we have Autumn First!....

5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalms 36:5-7

New Goats?.....

2011-08-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

Yep I got more.... I needed more like a Hole in my head but.....

We now have Jinx a 3yr old and Cleo a 5 yr old

both pure bred Nubian's. Jinx is spotted and Cleo tri-colored.

They are sweet girls.

That is Ms. Cleo with Pixie behind her

who is not to sure about the new girls.

Everyone all bowed up and showing off...

Ben and Polly playing this morning..

Criss Cross Nursing!

Moses looking all innocent Standing in his feed pan..

The girls this morning..

It was a little chilly this morning..

So they were all clustered together snoozing..

Hobo's Choice sleeping spot...

I have a friend who has tried keeping goats while living in town.. Not a big town but they are dry-lotted and she decided it wasn't fair to the goats. Because she couldn't spend much time with them and they were in to small of a pen... So she has 7 all together but 2 that were extra special.. That is Cleo and Jinx.. We have been calling her JJ.. So while she is trying to sell the rest she has sent these 2 to live here. She says because she Knows I will take care of them. They are nice girls and easily handled. They settled in pretty quick..
Jinx/JJ is in heat though.. She had been in with a Nigerian Dwarf buck but apparently he had not reached yet!Lol.. She almost made a bee-line for the fence between Moses and the main herd.. He was daring enough to brave the electric that was not working(another story for another time) and met his new Doe Friend... They are now safely ensconced in a temporary pen till we can get the fence back up to shocking ability.
Moses has been posted for sale.. I hope he sales to an individual. I really don't want to keep a buck. It would be much easier with out him. I know Plenty of goat people to find a nice buck for breeding when it time.. Hal, Hope's boy will be going to his new home Tuesday! Yah! He is the reason the fence is not working now.. Grrrrrr!
So my herd will now consist of 10 does.. But Sissy will be going to a new home too once she dries up. So I will have 9 permanent does... NINE... But they are sweet hearts everyone of them. And colorful!

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. Malachi 2:6

Oh Yes You Know I Got'em!

2011-08-21T23:55:00.000-05:00

I got Baby Pictures!!

They are now 8 day sold and doing well!

Sampling like Momma!

I think I am getting the evil eye!......

Hey Mom this is good too!

I am Big.... I am Bad.... I am TOUGH!

Sneaking out......

Fighting Roos...

The Mille Fleur is doing a Karate kid move I think!

I am going to have to figure out something with my chickens..

I have ended up with to many roos.....AGAIN...

The black one is my Black Maran..

That was suppose to be a hen..

He is absolutely gorgeous I think..

Anybody hungry???

One at a time please......

Another broody hen...... She is MEAN!

We have been busy around here.. We have 2 weeks till we start back to school on a regular basis. I dried more Chicory and going Thursday to my mom's to dig more. Can't wait! Have Blessed Week!

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs3:4-6