Growth

This morning D11 was telling me he carried a sack of feed from the barn to the feeder with one arm.  He said it was hard, but he did it.   A year ago he couldn't drag a sack of feed to the back of the truck for someone else to unload.   I ask him what would have happened if when he was throwing his, "I can't! It's to heavy!" fit I would have agreed, and never pushed him to do it.   He thought a minute and said he would not be able to carry a sack of feed with one arm.  He smiled.   He is proud of how strong he has become in a year. He has also grown a LOT.  He is 11 and 14 pants are almost to short.   His pants seem to always be high water pants no matter how often I buy him new ones.  

 D11 is also becoming very responsible.  He can be counted on to keep the dog feeder filled and the cat feeder filled.  He is also great about filling the baby creep feeder.   I know the dogs and cats appreciate him!

Ok off for the next post :)

He has become an amazing young man in keeping his school work caught up or often working ahead. He is excited that he will be staying home with dad when all us girls go to retreat. Last year he is quick to say he was not doing school right and had to spend the weekend sitting at his computer. This year that won't happen. He will have fun with dad!

Cough Drops

I made cough drops last night that work!  Even my DH got up in the night and went and go some more.

Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water
cook until it reaches hard crack stage 310 degrees.
Add about 1/2 tablespoon of thieves oil stir and pour onto greased cookie sheet.  If you have candy molds you could use them.  I didn't.  When it cools break it into small pieces.   It was amazing. Taste?  Well it IS a could drop not candy!

You can make hard candy using this, I cut the recipe in half to do the cough drops.  Just add what ever flavor you want at the end.

Sunset!

God made an awesome sunset tonight.  I couldn't decide which one I liked best.  Which one do you like?

See the moon in the last three pictures.  It is the tiny light in the middle of the upper picture.

Good Morning!

I took my camera to the barn in hopes of getting some good pictures of the new calf.  Instead I took other pictures.  The calf just didn't want to cooperate.  I will try again this evening when he is full.  He had one thing on his mind, finding mama!  I decided that these four were attached well enough to just turn them loose with their mama.   The reason 2 of them aren't eating is they are way way to full.   They looked like they over indulged.  

MN is enjoying the old fashion milking.  Hershey milks easy.  So it is almost as fast to hand milk her instead of sitting the milker up and then washing all the parts after for a little over a gallon.  There was a cat begging.  I don't think MN gave her a squirt.  That is half the fun of milking by hand.  I will try to get pictures of cats lapping milk squirted in their mouth once they get it down.

After getting barn chores done it was off to feed sheep.  I pour out about 5 gallons of corn for them.  Or I drive the ranger while a kid pours sitting in the back.  Once we were finished pouring I went back for pictures. 

As the mamas eat the babies run and play in groups.  They are hard to take pictures of as they are usually making laps.   This morning they divided into two groups.  

 Some of the lambs are just so pretty.  They are sweet faced. 

 Everyone likes salt!  The brown is a mineral block. 

While I was busy blogging the outside picture the kids were in need of pictures taken.

I bought this hard hat for .50 at a garage sale.  It has been a best loved toy with the kids.  Several fights have popped up over it.  Today grand son K claimed it. 

 The wooden horse, also a garage sale find, is a favorite toy.  The horse does step on toes sometimes.  Usually when two or more kids are discussion who gets to ride.  

 He really wasn't doing anything wrong!  Really!  He may have been thinking it though!   Just judging by the grin and dimples. 

 This blurry picture is T playing peep eye with the boys.   They were moving to fast to get a good one of all of the kids.  

Horse threw K and he was all upset until T announced she was going outside.  He recovered quickly and off he went.  The word outside seems to cause most of these kids to recover quickly.  They are now busy playing in the dirt.  

Time for me to be off here and accomplishing stuff.   All be blessed!  

Welcome 2011

After being without an Internet connection since Thursday I am FINALLY back among the world!   It is amazing how many things you think of you want to look up or post or share.  

One morning we were blessed with an exceptional sunrise. 

 I had been seeing sun rises a lot more last week as I was checking to see if my little cow calved.  Last year she lost her calf as she was young and calf was to big.  We bought her the day before she calved.  We didn't pick her up before she calved.  The guy did make good and we got a holstein bull calf with her.   She raised it, then 4 goats and one lamb, plus supplied us with milk, and fed this and that I needed feeding along with her "babies".  New Years Eve she presented us with a TINY bull calf.

I checked her and she was walking away from the other cows, so I went back in an hour and she already had him on the ground. 

Not much other news happening.  School and kids is how our life circles. Hope everyone is having a blessed day.

Three Stooges

I may never get to keep grand children again.   Then again my DIL may never get to keep her younger brothers again.   Seems one of the twins thought he would shock me if he suggested going swimming.  LOL little did he know!   He wanted to know how much I would pay him to jump in the pool.  I laughed and assured him not one cent as it happens around here often.  If he wanted to go swimming, he knew where the pool was.   After much (3 minutes) consideration the twins borrowed my thermometer and checked water temp., 56, ( I think.)  Wind chill was 63 or so and outside temp was low 70s.  They decided to go for it.   Then they started seeking other like minded people.   Grandson was game, but didn't have shorts, we supplied some.  Grand daughter was considering it, but she has been sick so mean Granola said nope.   I had one dd who was more than happy to provide shorts and such, but she has issues with the pool being cold in July, she wasn't going near it.  The other one has had a cough and didn't feel it was in her best interest.  So off these three boys went to "swim".   Seems swimming was a lot more like jump in jump out warm up dare each other to do it again.   I think the twins jumped three times and grand son only twice.  I recorded it for them, after all three had gotten wet, then came back in and let them be boys, (cold boys.)

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars

(Think Reeses Cups)

1 1/2 C Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 lb Confectioners' sugar (3 - 3 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 C Peanut Butter

1 C Butter, melted

1 (12 oz) bag Milk Chocolate Chips (I used semi-sweet - no artificial stuff)

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and peanut butter. Mix well.

Blend in melted butter until completely combined.

Press mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Melt Chocolate chips in microwave or in double boiler.
Spread over peanut butter mixture.

Chill until just set and cut into bars (these are VERY hard to cut if the chocolate gets "rock hard".

These came highly recomeded from a friends blog.  They are everything she said they were.  They are very rich!  Enjoy!