FINALLY, a week and 4 days after Buttercup's due date, Pansy has made her appearance! She's our first Normande/Jersey cross (hence the white face). Here she is!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Our herd has grown!
FINALLY, a week and 4 days after Buttercup's due date, Pansy has made her appearance! She's our first Normande/Jersey cross (hence the white face). Here she is!
Monday, May 7, 2007
Go Crazy 'til the Cows come home
I haven't updated for a few days because we've been busy here with farming. Most days are routine, but every once in awhile you get "one of those days". Yesterday was one such day... The morning started as it always does - going out to the pasture to check the sheep and lambs, see if there are any new ones that were born overnight and put out their feed. We had been having a problem with one Ewe who lambed twins on Saturday and rejected the second one (it wandered away while she was cleaning the first lamb and since she didn't bond with it right away, she wanted nothing to do with it). We were able to graft the lamb onto another ewe who lambed a short time after she was born, and they were doing OK as a family unit. We had one ewe left to lamb (we thought) so I went to see if she had lambed, but she was still wide and waddling. ; ) There was a new lamb, though. One of the yearling ewes that we assumed was not bred, was standing there licking a newborn lamb. She was one of the smallest yearlings, so I went and looked at the other 3 yearling ewes that we also counted as "not bred" and noticed that they all looked like this one did just before she lambed, so we're waiting to see how many more there will be.
We missed church because we had to care for a ewe that had prolapsed just before lambing and we were bottle feeding the bum lamb until we were able to graft her onto a new mom. In the evening, the ewe we were waiting on to lamb had twins while I watched in the pasture. They were number 22 and 23.
Mike had gone to another farm to pick up some laying hens we were buying with them and when he came back and walked into the chicken coop, he noticed it was full of smoke! The chicks had somehow knocked down the heat lamp and it was laying on the pine shavings smoldering. Luckily, he caught it in time, got the coop aired out and remedied the situation without losing any chicks. He was able to get the new chickens settled into the coop before the kids realized it was getting late and we hadn't had dinner yet!
In the busy-ness of lambing and waiting for Buttercup to have her calf (which she hasn't done yet - 1 week and 2 days past her due date) we both neglected to lay out the steaks for dinner, so we were all starved and dinner was frozen solid. We decided to order out and when Mike was on his way home with the food, he approached our farm, only to find 11 cows standing in the middle of the road - in the dark - with cars coming in both directions!!! He called me quickly on my cell phone and I called for the kids to get outside. (Whenever the call "THE COWS ARE OUT" is heard, that's a sign to drop whatever you are doing and get outside!!) So here it is, 9:30 at night and Mike and I and 3 of the kids are chasing cows back and forth up and down the road, all while trying to get them in pastures or barns to get them off the road. In the stress, they are running in all directions, and cars are still coming in both directions. I'm trying to flag down cars with my flashlight, DD is chasing cows through the hay field (she's wearing flip flops and falls in a ground hog hole before she gets them to run back toward the barn), her younger sister is manning the gate on the pasture, trying to make sure cows are going IN not OUT - (inspite of her best efforts, she lost a few!), DS is blocking traffic coming the other direction and holding the flashlight for his dad to see how to fix the electric fence they had knocked down to get to the "grass that's always greener on the other side of the fence".
FINALLY, after 45 minutes, we had all the cows back in place, the fences and gates were secure, everyone was happy and we sat down to our cold Supper (It's now after 10 pm!) By the time we settled down and everyone discussed what part they played in the saga, it was 11 o'clock before we got to bed, so we told the kids they could sleep late and we'd take them to school when everyone was up and ready.
So I called the school this morning to let them know the kids would be late. I told them, "Yesterday, we had sick sheep, bum lambs, almost burned down the chicken coop, got 50 new chickens, and the cows got out. We ate dinner at 10:30 last night. We didn't have the nerve to wake the kids up at 6 am. We'll be there in a little while..." Just a taste of life "on the funny farm"!
We missed church because we had to care for a ewe that had prolapsed just before lambing and we were bottle feeding the bum lamb until we were able to graft her onto a new mom. In the evening, the ewe we were waiting on to lamb had twins while I watched in the pasture. They were number 22 and 23.
Mike had gone to another farm to pick up some laying hens we were buying with them and when he came back and walked into the chicken coop, he noticed it was full of smoke! The chicks had somehow knocked down the heat lamp and it was laying on the pine shavings smoldering. Luckily, he caught it in time, got the coop aired out and remedied the situation without losing any chicks. He was able to get the new chickens settled into the coop before the kids realized it was getting late and we hadn't had dinner yet!
In the busy-ness of lambing and waiting for Buttercup to have her calf (which she hasn't done yet - 1 week and 2 days past her due date) we both neglected to lay out the steaks for dinner, so we were all starved and dinner was frozen solid. We decided to order out and when Mike was on his way home with the food, he approached our farm, only to find 11 cows standing in the middle of the road - in the dark - with cars coming in both directions!!! He called me quickly on my cell phone and I called for the kids to get outside. (Whenever the call "THE COWS ARE OUT" is heard, that's a sign to drop whatever you are doing and get outside!!) So here it is, 9:30 at night and Mike and I and 3 of the kids are chasing cows back and forth up and down the road, all while trying to get them in pastures or barns to get them off the road. In the stress, they are running in all directions, and cars are still coming in both directions. I'm trying to flag down cars with my flashlight, DD is chasing cows through the hay field (she's wearing flip flops and falls in a ground hog hole before she gets them to run back toward the barn), her younger sister is manning the gate on the pasture, trying to make sure cows are going IN not OUT - (inspite of her best efforts, she lost a few!), DS is blocking traffic coming the other direction and holding the flashlight for his dad to see how to fix the electric fence they had knocked down to get to the "grass that's always greener on the other side of the fence".
FINALLY, after 45 minutes, we had all the cows back in place, the fences and gates were secure, everyone was happy and we sat down to our cold Supper (It's now after 10 pm!) By the time we settled down and everyone discussed what part they played in the saga, it was 11 o'clock before we got to bed, so we told the kids they could sleep late and we'd take them to school when everyone was up and ready.
So I called the school this morning to let them know the kids would be late. I told them, "Yesterday, we had sick sheep, bum lambs, almost burned down the chicken coop, got 50 new chickens, and the cows got out. We ate dinner at 10:30 last night. We didn't have the nerve to wake the kids up at 6 am. We'll be there in a little while..." Just a taste of life "on the funny farm"!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Dork
Tell a funny story or your favorite joke.
My daughter Emily has me laughing every day with the things she says, but the funniest thing I heard yesterday came from my Mom. I was talking to her on the phone and she said, "Your father cut his own hair today. He used the clippers to trim it and he ruined his head. He looks like a dork!" If you knew my parents, you'd realize just how funny that is - first that my Dad, for some unforeseen reason, took it upon himself to cut his own hair (which there isn't much of in the first place), but for my Mom to use the word DORK was the funniest thing I'd heard in a long time. It was just so out of character for her and I laughed out loud, right on the phone. She had to wait for me to quit laughing before she could go on. Obviously, it really frustrated her because SHE usually cuts his hair, but he got in a hurry and couldn't wait and decided just to do it himself. Sometimes they crack me up. It's good to laugh. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22
My daughter Emily has me laughing every day with the things she says, but the funniest thing I heard yesterday came from my Mom. I was talking to her on the phone and she said, "Your father cut his own hair today. He used the clippers to trim it and he ruined his head. He looks like a dork!" If you knew my parents, you'd realize just how funny that is - first that my Dad, for some unforeseen reason, took it upon himself to cut his own hair (which there isn't much of in the first place), but for my Mom to use the word DORK was the funniest thing I'd heard in a long time. It was just so out of character for her and I laughed out loud, right on the phone. She had to wait for me to quit laughing before she could go on. Obviously, it really frustrated her because SHE usually cuts his hair, but he got in a hurry and couldn't wait and decided just to do it himself. Sometimes they crack me up. It's good to laugh. A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. Proverbs 17:22
What is Success?
What is your definition of 'success'? Do you know any 'successful' people who inspire you?
My definition of success has changed a lot in recent years. I used to think that being rich and famous - or just rich - meant success. When I looked at the big picture, though - where we're going in life and what our purpose is, that all changed. Wealth is no longer the goal (yeah, it would be nice to have a ton of money!) But after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I realized that we are here for a purpose and only as a stopping off place to eternity. Success (in my mind) is now measured by my relationship to our Creator. How much money I have now won't matter a hundred years from now. How I use the gifts He has given me is the most important thing. Everything we own belongs to God anyway - we are just stewards of it.
The most successful person I know would probably be my uncle. He is pretty "well off" in most people's opinion - he's wealthy, owns a prospering business, has a nice house, drives new cars, buys whatever he wants when he wants it, but the thing that strikes me the most is how giving he is. I've seen him hand money to a total stranger in need. He's almost like a predator on the prowl to find a needy person - always ready to share his wealth with others. And God blesses Him. God's been dealing with us lately about giving. It's easy to sit back with a tight fist and say, "But God, I NEED all my money!" What we didn't realize, though, is that we are required to tithe, but He blesses the gifts - what we give beyond our tithe.
My husband was laid off recently and we were struggling. We had bills due (big ones) and the unemployment check was still over a week away. I felt like we needed to give some money to some friends of ours. I didn't even know if they had a need. That Sunday in church, when my husband asked them how they were doing, the first thing he said was "we're having a hard time trying to make ends meet". We gave them the money and that week, the money we needed to pay our bills came in the mail from an unexpected source. We serve a BIG God and He cares about our needs. His eye is on the sparrow - and I know He watches me...
My definition of success has changed a lot in recent years. I used to think that being rich and famous - or just rich - meant success. When I looked at the big picture, though - where we're going in life and what our purpose is, that all changed. Wealth is no longer the goal (yeah, it would be nice to have a ton of money!) But after reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, I realized that we are here for a purpose and only as a stopping off place to eternity. Success (in my mind) is now measured by my relationship to our Creator. How much money I have now won't matter a hundred years from now. How I use the gifts He has given me is the most important thing. Everything we own belongs to God anyway - we are just stewards of it.
The most successful person I know would probably be my uncle. He is pretty "well off" in most people's opinion - he's wealthy, owns a prospering business, has a nice house, drives new cars, buys whatever he wants when he wants it, but the thing that strikes me the most is how giving he is. I've seen him hand money to a total stranger in need. He's almost like a predator on the prowl to find a needy person - always ready to share his wealth with others. And God blesses Him. God's been dealing with us lately about giving. It's easy to sit back with a tight fist and say, "But God, I NEED all my money!" What we didn't realize, though, is that we are required to tithe, but He blesses the gifts - what we give beyond our tithe.
My husband was laid off recently and we were struggling. We had bills due (big ones) and the unemployment check was still over a week away. I felt like we needed to give some money to some friends of ours. I didn't even know if they had a need. That Sunday in church, when my husband asked them how they were doing, the first thing he said was "we're having a hard time trying to make ends meet". We gave them the money and that week, the money we needed to pay our bills came in the mail from an unexpected source. We serve a BIG God and He cares about our needs. His eye is on the sparrow - and I know He watches me...
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Feelings...Whoa, whoooa feelings
Today I was feeling exceptionally creative and did a scrapbook page that is one of my favorites to date. I did it using Linda Rechtin's Parisienne Evening page kit. It matches our wedding colors perfectly! These are pictures from our wedding almost 16 years ago. Don't I wish I was that skinny and pretty now after seven kids? LOL! I started our Wedding Scrapbook last year using paper elements, but I think I'm going to finish it digitally. I just did our Honeymoon Scrapbook a few weeks ago and had fun remembering our trip to the Bahamas. Boy, don't I wish I were there now!! (It's 43 degrees and rainy. blah!)
Our blog prompt for today is to write a poem. Maybe I'll work on one to go with the page. : )
-------update-----------------------------------
OK, Karen encouraged me to work on a haiku. As a college English Lit major, I usually do more sing-songy, flowing poetry using iambic pentameter with clever little surprises thrown in, so this is a stretch for me.
Here it is:
Fifteen years of love
Waking next to you each day
Still makes me happy
Loving you is a habit
I can’t stop doing
Every day
In our children's eyes
I see your Love
It makes me smile
One soul
inhabiting
Two bodies
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
My Daily Blog Prompts from DSP
Glynis (Grace Like Rain) from Digital Scrapbook Place hosts a forum called Daily Blog Prompts where she asks a question and you journal about it on your blog. I'm coming in late, so I'm going to start with today's question and go back and do some of the ones I missed as well.
Today's blog prompt is:
What's your favorite cookie? Do you make it? Does someone else? Do you buy it?
For me, this is a multi-faceted question with answers in different categories. First off, if it's chocolate, I'll eat it. Secondly, my mom loves to bake and she makes a huge variety. If she is going to make my favorite cookie, it's definitely Walnut Delectables. My oldest DD loves to bake, too, and she makes great peanut blossoms and chocolate chip cookies. If I'm buying them, I like Girl Scout Samoas and Pecan Sandies - sometimes even chocolate covered graham crackers. Lately, I got my DD hooked on Nutter Butters. :-)
4/23 Is there a time of the day when you feel most creative?
Hmmm...probably mornings. My morning routine lately has been to get the kids on the bus and then sit down and do one scrapbook page a day. Usually when the first cup of coffee kicks in, the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes, though, I don't like a lay out and I'll take a break and do my housework while mulling it over in my mind and come back later and finish it. If I can't sleep, sometimes I'll get up and scrap. Some of my best LOs are the result of restless nights.
Today's blog prompt is:
What's your favorite cookie? Do you make it? Does someone else? Do you buy it?
For me, this is a multi-faceted question with answers in different categories. First off, if it's chocolate, I'll eat it. Secondly, my mom loves to bake and she makes a huge variety. If she is going to make my favorite cookie, it's definitely Walnut Delectables. My oldest DD loves to bake, too, and she makes great peanut blossoms and chocolate chip cookies. If I'm buying them, I like Girl Scout Samoas and Pecan Sandies - sometimes even chocolate covered graham crackers. Lately, I got my DD hooked on Nutter Butters. :-)
4/23 Is there a time of the day when you feel most creative?
Hmmm...probably mornings. My morning routine lately has been to get the kids on the bus and then sit down and do one scrapbook page a day. Usually when the first cup of coffee kicks in, the creative juices start flowing. Sometimes, though, I don't like a lay out and I'll take a break and do my housework while mulling it over in my mind and come back later and finish it. If I can't sleep, sometimes I'll get up and scrap. Some of my best LOs are the result of restless nights.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Yay for me! : )
Digital Scrapbooking is my passion. Beth Nixon, one of the designers at Digital Scrapbook Place, created a forum to give some blogging tips and with her help I was able to get this thing set up. (Thanks, Bethy!!) My header bar was created using her Nameless Beauty Kit. The children are my "Perfect 7". (haha - yeah, right!) No, really - they're perfect to me. We're perfect together. The animals are some of our farm animals.
Life was hectic last week as DH started his new job and had to fly out of state for the week. That left me as a single parent to care for all the things that need to get done around here. Breakfast, lunches, laundry, dishes and... farming! Once the oldest 4 were on the bus, I had to head out to the barn and care for the 4 legged children - cows, pigs, sheep - all vying for my attention.
Sunday morning our first two lambs were born. We're anxiously waiting for the rest of the flock to lamb. Last Spring we named the lambs "coffee" names. This year, we're going with herbs and spices. So here is a picture of Herb and Allspice with their mom, Shedder. : ) Aren't they the cutest little things!!! Herb has interesting markings. He's the first of the flock to be marked in this way. Stay tuned for more...
Life was hectic last week as DH started his new job and had to fly out of state for the week. That left me as a single parent to care for all the things that need to get done around here. Breakfast, lunches, laundry, dishes and... farming! Once the oldest 4 were on the bus, I had to head out to the barn and care for the 4 legged children - cows, pigs, sheep - all vying for my attention.
Sunday morning our first two lambs were born. We're anxiously waiting for the rest of the flock to lamb. Last Spring we named the lambs "coffee" names. This year, we're going with herbs and spices. So here is a picture of Herb and Allspice with their mom, Shedder. : ) Aren't they the cutest little things!!! Herb has interesting markings. He's the first of the flock to be marked in this way. Stay tuned for more...
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