on line auction
baby goats
cps
selling sheep
As always life is never dull. After chores yesterday which I rushed through so we would be in for CPS's visit MN comes in and tells me she things the nanny that is down is in labor. I go check, sure enough it is time to fish. This nanny is to weak to deliver them. I knew this already. Also because she has been down she hasn't moved around and allowed babies to get into correct positions. I start feeling to see what I have. I have a nose. Not what I need to make a easy delivery. Baby goats should be born in a diving position, two FRONT legs first with the heat between them. I then do some more "feeling" and working to find the front shoulders or even better a leg that is just not quite where it should be. Finally work around and get one leg fwd. but the baby won't slip, so more "fishing". Finally get the other front leg, but the baby has curled his head back against the body by now. So I have to now work his head fwd again. All this is done by feel in very tight space. I am doing double prayers as I do this. "Please Lord don't let me tear something and Please Lord don't let CPS show up right now." Once I get the baby in position he slides out easy. While I am doing all this I have no clue if it is alive or dead. When he plops out he cries! By then MN is out there I tell her to rub it while I see if we have twins. I find another small foot, just one so I have to follow it up, no head, but did find the other foot. I mange to get them out enough to see I have front feet, so I know the head is again turned back. I do know I have a live kid this time because when I let go of the feet back they go inside. With much work I manage to get the head in position and feet all at the same time. Out slides a smaller kid. I had sent T back to the house to get S so she could see birth. She got to see the second half of the fishing and the baby come out alive. T started rubbing. S was amazed. I left girls rubbing and S went back in with me. I cleaned up and we went back to waiting for CPS.
Son shows up ready to load some lambs for the sale. Back to the barn I go. We get the in a small pen to catch and load. Both MN and I were helping when I look up and S and the CPS worker are at the back door. So I go in to deal with that. MN gets to stay and help load!
Close to the end of the visit our case worker ask if when the adoption is complete did we want our home "closed" or left open. I tell her we are open to adopting again. The kids then start giving the list of what they want. I send for MN since she was the ring leader of wanting to ask for kids. She comes in and her list is she wants more kids. I think the case worker was shocked that they know what the TARE site is and even look at it. (Link is on the right, TEXAS ADOPTION RESOURCE EXCHAGNGE). She did ask if we were open to legal risk. We are. It so much depends on the kid(s). Again the right fit.
I really need to tell the case worker how hard her visits are on MN. After they left she came to me and said she didn't know why but it is hard and she is afraid when they come. That it stirs memories of them and her from her past. We talked about how all those memories are OK. Usually she frets over them coming from the time she knows they are coming. This time I didn't see it and she didn't express it. She was "looking fwd" to them coming so she could ask for more kids. So I wanted to make sure she got to ask. :) She still was bothered by the visit though. I look at it as so much progress that she could not be stressed before and ask for kids and then come to me later to discuss how she felt.
Today my oldest is in CO. attending a sheep and goat auction. I plan on watching it on line. He has started buying on line but wanted to see it up close at least once. I told him if his phone starts ringing and there are dairy goats or bottle babies in the ring don't bother answering just bid. I am sure if MN remembers that the sale is going on she will try to be done with school so she can watch over my shoulder.
It is barn time around here! Hope everyone has a blessed day!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tuesday ~ CPS visit
Why is it never our favorite thing to do? We are doing nothing wrong, they are not here to "investigate" yet we dread it. They want to make sure S is among the living and safe. She is both. Still we dread it. I did laugh MN is "looking fwd to it" humm.... she is the one usually most stressed. She is going to ask for kids! LOL oh these case workers are in for it today. She is like a bulldog.
In other areas DS is taking some big lambs to the sale today for me I hope. It is last years late lambs. I hope prices are good today. There are only 6 of them and a couple of yucky goats too that were bottle baby hold overs.
My barn is getting full. I have one nanny that is down. We are babying her trying to get her to kid and hope she will improve then. I already had 3 lambs and one goat bottle baby. I have added one of a set of tiny twin lambs. I took the ewe lamb from mama. She loved both of them, but this one didn't keep up well and mama didn't seem to have enough milk. She is doing well now. Then I had a nanny have triplets. She loved them all but couldn't seem to keep up with all of them. We brought her to the house. After a few days I decided one of them was being pushed off to much. I offered it a different teat and she was hungry enough she nursed on a strange mama. She is in the barn. Yesterday I brought in another old goat that had twins, and only 1/2 her udder is good. She didn't look like she had much milk in that side. So I offered the babies a bottle and both ate. I hope that her milk comes in with some extra feed. Oh then there is the mama that had twins and enough milk for 4. So she is feeding the little lamb and the triplet goat before she feeds hers of an evening. I will offer them bottles this morning. Her babies should be able to take it all in a few days. I started the 3 lambs and goat on the bucket yesterday morning. That will make it easier as one person can feed all 4 in record time. They loved it!
I did laugh at S last night as she watched the babies play in the barn. She loves it. I pointed out why I didn't want to try to go to AR to finalize next month. She got it!
Oh I have a milk cow due any day too. Yea! I need the milk. I also need to dry one of the two I am milking up.
I also did something stupid this weekend. Well I may have. I traded an old milk cow I wanted to sell and two calves for 21 head of katana (sp) sheep. They are heavy bred and should have big fast growing lambs. The stupid part is we are so dry. One reason I wanted to sell the cow was to get her off the feed bill. Hummm I sell 3 and add 21. Yea makes a lot of sense! If it will rain this will be a good deal. I will be getting the sheep this weekend I think. I will post pictures when I do.
Time to head to the barn.
In other areas DS is taking some big lambs to the sale today for me I hope. It is last years late lambs. I hope prices are good today. There are only 6 of them and a couple of yucky goats too that were bottle baby hold overs.
My barn is getting full. I have one nanny that is down. We are babying her trying to get her to kid and hope she will improve then. I already had 3 lambs and one goat bottle baby. I have added one of a set of tiny twin lambs. I took the ewe lamb from mama. She loved both of them, but this one didn't keep up well and mama didn't seem to have enough milk. She is doing well now. Then I had a nanny have triplets. She loved them all but couldn't seem to keep up with all of them. We brought her to the house. After a few days I decided one of them was being pushed off to much. I offered it a different teat and she was hungry enough she nursed on a strange mama. She is in the barn. Yesterday I brought in another old goat that had twins, and only 1/2 her udder is good. She didn't look like she had much milk in that side. So I offered the babies a bottle and both ate. I hope that her milk comes in with some extra feed. Oh then there is the mama that had twins and enough milk for 4. So she is feeding the little lamb and the triplet goat before she feeds hers of an evening. I will offer them bottles this morning. Her babies should be able to take it all in a few days. I started the 3 lambs and goat on the bucket yesterday morning. That will make it easier as one person can feed all 4 in record time. They loved it!
I did laugh at S last night as she watched the babies play in the barn. She loves it. I pointed out why I didn't want to try to go to AR to finalize next month. She got it!
Oh I have a milk cow due any day too. Yea! I need the milk. I also need to dry one of the two I am milking up.
I also did something stupid this weekend. Well I may have. I traded an old milk cow I wanted to sell and two calves for 21 head of katana (sp) sheep. They are heavy bred and should have big fast growing lambs. The stupid part is we are so dry. One reason I wanted to sell the cow was to get her off the feed bill. Hummm I sell 3 and add 21. Yea makes a lot of sense! If it will rain this will be a good deal. I will be getting the sheep this weekend I think. I will post pictures when I do.
Time to head to the barn.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Fire..........
This is what I see looking out my window by the computer. Yes, this is a grass fire. It is less than 10 miles from us. The wind is not blowing much, and the wind direction will keep us safe. We do have friends that are closer. I just heard the directions to the fire on the scanner. They put the fire very close to our friends house. Please keep them and all homes and livestock in prayer.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Pictures!
Pictures not in any order just fun pictures of family today.
Daughters in love and grand sons!
S and Dad
Grand dad!
Aunt MN!
Think she is dreaming or wishing he was hers....
Guess it would be OK to have a baby around....
Since he even gave his new cousin a kiss!
Proud mommy and daddy!
Daughters in love and grand sons!
S and Dad
Grand dad!
Aunt MN!Think she is dreaming or wishing he was hers....
Guess it would be OK to have a baby around....
Since he even gave his new cousin a kiss!
Proud mommy and daddy!
"Like Pieces of a Puzzle......
That is how we fit together." That is quite a testimony when it comes from a 17 yo child that you didn't even know existed 10 months ago!
We had S's 17th birthday party this evening. We don't “do” big parties. We have family and the cake/pie of the birthday persons choice and just family or what ever friends happen to be here. Today we had all the kids/grand kids. That is a full house if your counting. I made a cherry cheese cake by request. This is a super easy quick YUMMY birthday cake. It is about the only time I make them.
First things first, we ate cake and gave S a hard time about how big a piece she was getting.
After teasing and fun we got down to business.......
Opening gifts!
I er S got a new denim skirt. Wonder if she will let me borrow it? She is forever wanting to "borrow" my stuff.
After the "easy" stuff, she got to open the tough box.
Remind me to put duct tape on the shopping list. It seems I may be about out.
Wow her very own cinder block! How many 17 yo get their very own cinder block?
Oh wait maybe there is something taped to it....
Her gift didn't arrive in time so all she got was a picture and a promise. It will be in next week. If you look at her face in this picture it looks like she is about to cry. She is! She is overwhelmed. She did finally lose it and cry. Her reason, "I have never been so loved." I think MJ summed it up so tenderly, especially for a boy, outside as I was hugging her and she was still weepy. MJ summed it up so sweetly I was hugging her and asking her if she was OK she nodded and MJ said he though he knew why she cried. "She cried because, she had never felt that good before." She nodded and gave me a squeeze.
Just to make sure she felt loved, she did get conned into going outside to have a birthday spanking. Mom decided that outside would be much better place than inside.
Her brothers were really disappointed as she just soaked up the spanking instead of fighting like the littles tend to do. :)
After all the fun it was clean up time.
We had S's 17th birthday party this evening. We don't “do” big parties. We have family and the cake/pie of the birthday persons choice and just family or what ever friends happen to be here. Today we had all the kids/grand kids. That is a full house if your counting. I made a cherry cheese cake by request. This is a super easy quick YUMMY birthday cake. It is about the only time I make them.
First things first, we ate cake and gave S a hard time about how big a piece she was getting.
After teasing and fun we got down to business.......
Opening gifts!
I er S got a new denim skirt. Wonder if she will let me borrow it? She is forever wanting to "borrow" my stuff.
After the "easy" stuff, she got to open the tough box.
Remind me to put duct tape on the shopping list. It seems I may be about out.
Wow her very own cinder block! How many 17 yo get their very own cinder block?
Oh wait maybe there is something taped to it....
Her gift didn't arrive in time so all she got was a picture and a promise. It will be in next week. If you look at her face in this picture it looks like she is about to cry. She is! She is overwhelmed. She did finally lose it and cry. Her reason, "I have never been so loved." I think MJ summed it up so tenderly, especially for a boy, outside as I was hugging her and she was still weepy. MJ summed it up so sweetly I was hugging her and asking her if she was OK she nodded and MJ said he though he knew why she cried. "She cried because, she had never felt that good before." She nodded and gave me a squeeze.
Just to make sure she felt loved, she did get conned into going outside to have a birthday spanking. Mom decided that outside would be much better place than inside.
Her brothers were really disappointed as she just soaked up the spanking instead of fighting like the littles tend to do. :)
After all the fun it was clean up time.
This face says it all!
After everyone had pretty well left and the house returned to calm she smiled and said, "Like pieces of a puzzle, that's how well I fit in this family." She went on to say she feels she has been here forever. She is so much apart. She is so right! She "meshes" and it is hard to remember life without S being a part.
After everyone had pretty well left and the house returned to calm she smiled and said, "Like pieces of a puzzle, that's how well I fit in this family." She went on to say she feels she has been here forever. She is so much apart. She is so right! She "meshes" and it is hard to remember life without S being a part.
Glory to God! He gets the credit! There is no way that this fit could be any more perfect! He is a match maker made in Heaven!
Happy Birthday S! We love you!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Just Rambling
I can't seem to slow down long enough to update this bog. Life is going well. I have recovered 3 chairs. Just the seats. They are old office chairs that the chair part had warn totally out. Kids use 2 for school and one is my computer chair. I had bought a peace of upholstery fabric at a garage sale. I covered a foot stool a few months ago. Then these three chairs. I guess I got my money out of that $3-5 piece of fabric.
I have also been playing with stretching chicken meals. I have the ziplock bags of wonderful chicken breast. I was on a roll this week. I cooked one package of chicken breast. The first day I made chicken vegetable soup. I had a full pan, (8 quart pan). I had taken about 2/3 of the chicken out of the broth. DH didn't even get to TRY it when he got home! Second night I took about 1/2 of the chicken left cut it up added LOTS of water and some Better than Bouillon to it. We cut up mushrooms added some frozen veggies and pasta. It was parsley and herb pasta. Again the pot was FULL. I threatened kids if they made pigs. Dh did get a bowl. There were two small bowls left. The disappeared for breakfast yesterday. Last night I took the last of the chicken filled a pan with water, added the bouillon and vita mixed almost a 1/2 gallon of cooked left over squash. It was a full 1/2 gallon when I added some milk and corn starch. Once I had my gravy base I discovered I had to much water for the pan and the gravy. So I dug out another pan divided the chicken and gravy between them. I tossed 2 jalapenos in the vita mix with some gravy and spiced one pan up. To this I added some frozen veggies and spaghetti pasta. Once it was done and thick I tossed in a tiny bit of white and orange cheese. With two 8 qt cookers full I had 2 small bowls left! I have a feeling they will go for breakfast around here. I was just proud of how well I stretched the chicken breast and how well received the meals were.
Day before yesterday I called my adopted grandmother. She has spent her life working on sewing machines. I have 4 yes FOUR sewing machines. THREE of them were not working! I just wanted her to talk me through fixing one. I figured it was something stupid. She insisted on coming out. That way she got to visit and meet S. We had an awesome visit! She has "retired" from fixing sewing machines. Her knee is causing her lots of pain. I had already found this out. I had conspired with a friend that does meals to fix her a set of meals. I wanted to pay her for fixing all 3 machines, but nothing doing. So........... I cheated! As she and the girls went to the living room to visit I cut off lights and carried her tool box for her. I just "happened" to drop some money in it. She didn't find it until yesterday. She and her dh called and fussed. Oh how she is going to fuss when I deliver meals :) I can't wait!
Today is town day for us. I have a list! I always have a list! This one requires a trip to Sams along with walmart. We are out of cheese. That is very serious around here! I don't see us getting all we want done. S wants to stop by the thrift store for clothes. She has lost a lot of weight since she has been here and her taste have also changed. We have over due library books. I want to drive by a house my son is "thinking" about. I would like to stop and see my grand baby a minute.
This morning MJ is busy doing a consequence from dad. He has this "habit" of not getting the milker set up and to the barn on his day to do it. Now if it happened once in a while, I fuss. This is every time. Dad finally told him day before yesterday he would have it at the barn if he had to do it with NO clothes on! On time! Still didn't happen yesterday morning. It isn't like he doesn't have warning. First it is on his chore list. Second I feed sheep first. This is a 15-20 minute job. So his not getting the milker to the barn is done on purpose. Why? I don't know! I am letting DH deal with it. Maybe dad needs to set the tone on this. So MJ is busy this morning setting the milker up and taking it to the barn. Then bringing it in, taking it apart and setting it back up to take back to the barn..... 20 times.
It is time to start my day so off we go! All be blessed!
I have also been playing with stretching chicken meals. I have the ziplock bags of wonderful chicken breast. I was on a roll this week. I cooked one package of chicken breast. The first day I made chicken vegetable soup. I had a full pan, (8 quart pan). I had taken about 2/3 of the chicken out of the broth. DH didn't even get to TRY it when he got home! Second night I took about 1/2 of the chicken left cut it up added LOTS of water and some Better than Bouillon to it. We cut up mushrooms added some frozen veggies and pasta. It was parsley and herb pasta. Again the pot was FULL. I threatened kids if they made pigs. Dh did get a bowl. There were two small bowls left. The disappeared for breakfast yesterday. Last night I took the last of the chicken filled a pan with water, added the bouillon and vita mixed almost a 1/2 gallon of cooked left over squash. It was a full 1/2 gallon when I added some milk and corn starch. Once I had my gravy base I discovered I had to much water for the pan and the gravy. So I dug out another pan divided the chicken and gravy between them. I tossed 2 jalapenos in the vita mix with some gravy and spiced one pan up. To this I added some frozen veggies and spaghetti pasta. Once it was done and thick I tossed in a tiny bit of white and orange cheese. With two 8 qt cookers full I had 2 small bowls left! I have a feeling they will go for breakfast around here. I was just proud of how well I stretched the chicken breast and how well received the meals were.
Day before yesterday I called my adopted grandmother. She has spent her life working on sewing machines. I have 4 yes FOUR sewing machines. THREE of them were not working! I just wanted her to talk me through fixing one. I figured it was something stupid. She insisted on coming out. That way she got to visit and meet S. We had an awesome visit! She has "retired" from fixing sewing machines. Her knee is causing her lots of pain. I had already found this out. I had conspired with a friend that does meals to fix her a set of meals. I wanted to pay her for fixing all 3 machines, but nothing doing. So........... I cheated! As she and the girls went to the living room to visit I cut off lights and carried her tool box for her. I just "happened" to drop some money in it. She didn't find it until yesterday. She and her dh called and fussed. Oh how she is going to fuss when I deliver meals :) I can't wait!
Today is town day for us. I have a list! I always have a list! This one requires a trip to Sams along with walmart. We are out of cheese. That is very serious around here! I don't see us getting all we want done. S wants to stop by the thrift store for clothes. She has lost a lot of weight since she has been here and her taste have also changed. We have over due library books. I want to drive by a house my son is "thinking" about. I would like to stop and see my grand baby a minute.
This morning MJ is busy doing a consequence from dad. He has this "habit" of not getting the milker set up and to the barn on his day to do it. Now if it happened once in a while, I fuss. This is every time. Dad finally told him day before yesterday he would have it at the barn if he had to do it with NO clothes on! On time! Still didn't happen yesterday morning. It isn't like he doesn't have warning. First it is on his chore list. Second I feed sheep first. This is a 15-20 minute job. So his not getting the milker to the barn is done on purpose. Why? I don't know! I am letting DH deal with it. Maybe dad needs to set the tone on this. So MJ is busy this morning setting the milker up and taking it to the barn. Then bringing it in, taking it apart and setting it back up to take back to the barn..... 20 times.
It is time to start my day so off we go! All be blessed!
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Year ~ New Post....... finally!
I had company over the weekend plus dad had a new toy that required my help too. Today was back in the groove day.
I thought I would share a bunch of weekend pictures. I bought me a new camera! I am having lots of fun taking pictures with it. Hope you enjoy the trip around our place over New Years Weekend!
Aunt S and her nephew getting kisses.
Yep, he really IS this cute!
I thought I would share a bunch of weekend pictures. I bought me a new camera! I am having lots of fun taking pictures with it. Hope you enjoy the trip around our place over New Years Weekend!
Aunt S and her nephew getting kisses.
Yep, he really IS this cute!
MN !!!
Barn Cleaning! The easy way! With Dad's new toy!
Milk cow and chicken sharing breakfast!
Breakfast!
Sunset tonight!
Yep, I went snap happy with the camera!
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