A Snap Shot of Life

I only have time to grab snap shots of life from my phone as I bounce from one thing to another.   We picked up 8 more today bringing the total to 29.   While we were picking up babies today, one goat had three, two had two and one was off to have hers.   Wonder how many we will pick up tomorrow?

 

This is my 11 yo learning to bottle feed babies.   He is doing good.  

We only bottle when we get new babies that need colostrum or when we run out of real milk.  This is babies on their new mama.  Really they have no clue who mama is.  We start with the smaller ones on the goats. When we run out of goat milk, we have 5 producing, we move to cows.  We have 2 cows that will allow this to happen.  

 

Here is new one and 11 yo working at bottle feeding.  They both are learning.  I am very impressed with how well new one does when shown how to do something. She is very caring.  I was impressed that the bus driver said he would be missing her on the bus as she such a helper.  She helps the littles get buckled and all.  She really has a servants heart.  I see her  doing something serving others as an adult.

This very pretty spotted billy kid has a new mama.  She lost her lamb and I decided she needed a baby.   MN decided on this baby.  She would really like to keep him as his color is so flash.  (She is my daughter.) But when you handle the males all time they loose their fear of humans and think they should be in their herd.  In simple English they get mean.  The one she has now is getting a little to pushy.   She is hoping that raising him on a ewe he will not be gentle.  I do think his breed, (Nubian), are just more gentle than many breeds.

 

 Meet Pumpkin!  No ears?   She has them she is a la macha.  My favorite milk goat breed. Many people don't like them because they look funny.  I love them as they adopt easy and are high production goats.   I knew as soon as I picked her up she was a keeper.  It is kind of hard to see how orange she is. 

 This picture is several days old the black and white one standing up is a sheep.  The rest are the first few days worth of goats.   We have over double this many now.  

 

This was the sight that greeted us this morning.   Yes, the goat is IN the cage, well halve way.  No, the goat can NOT get out.  She is stuck.  We had to move cages and re stack them after they got her out.  

 

Life is never dull!   Right now it is taking about an hour to feed babies with lots of hands.  Some even help and know what they are doing!  Some want to help and don't have a clue, some.... well they would like to be a pain and get ran out of the barn area.  Jumping jacks may improve that for those that want to not help. 

Add to that being gone from early, before 9 am until late, after 5 pm THREE days in a row and I am rounding myself up on the way back.   I do think next week will be much slower.  We should be able to focus on school and learning.   It will be fun having all my kids home.  I can really start teaching my new one. 


 

Exciting News.... Busy Day

Today was town day.  We got a late start and had lots of stops.  I did get a wonderful phone call from our CPS case worker.  The waiver went through! Yea!  But that did put my mind in high gear.  As strange as it sounds two of the hoops we have to jump through were to get her eyes and hearing checked.  I already had an eye exam scheduled, but it was later than the time they said.  So I called and they could get her in at 4:30 today.  I also found a place to do the hearing tomorrow, so back to town :P  

Once I picked her up off the bus I scampered to the next town to get her eyes checked, I had 40 minutes to get there.  Made it!  She got a good eye report.  Her glasses are very very mild and so if she doesn't want to wear them, she doesn't have to.  :)  She was excited.

Then we swung by my friend that we are buying baby goats off of. We picked up SEVEN more.  That brings out total to 21.  Add two lambs, one a triplet and one a lamb we had to pull and mom went eww no!  

Once home just as the sun sank behind the hills we unloaded babies, groceries and scattered to get hay out and babies fed.  Of course there were issues.  We had nannies where they didn't belong, meaning no milk from one Nanny.  Another ewe having trouble lambing.  With lots of  work we pulled a dead lamb.  We brought her to the house and I am hoping she will be OK. I am also thinking she needs some babies.... maybe a goat or two.  We finally got critters done at 8 pm.   Then we had to feed the two legged critters  kids.  So here it is 9 pm and supper is done.  I am tired!   Oh in the morning we will have 23 babies to feed :)   Should be interesting.  Then we will pick up again on Sat. if she has more babies born.  

Life in the fast lane...

 Life is busy.  The girls and I spent the weekend at the Heart of Motherhood Retreat.  We left Friday morning and had an awesome weekend.   This was our new one's first time to ever help with anything.   She did awesome.   I know she had to be overwhelmed at times. 

One of the awe moments was when I ask her, "So how does it feel being treated like a young adult?" 

She smiled this beautiful smile and said, "It's fun!  They let me handle glass."   What she was talking about was she was helping decorate and had been putting mason jars on tables and decorating them.  None of us gave it any thought as even the 6 year old helper was helping with glass.    For her it was huge.

Here are a few of the pic from retreat.  I was so busy I didn't get many.  Did want a few of our new one for her to scrap book. 

 

 

 

 

One neat thing we did at retreat was we had some paper hot air balloons that you light and they rise.   The wind made it not work to well, but the idea was to write things that you wanted to give to God on them and then let them float away.   New on did one. 

 



 

In other news we are still waiting on the waiver to home school. She is going to PS for now.  It is much harder on me than her as it is all she knows.   It has went OK.  I do know God's hand is in it as the lady that picks her up of a morning is a Christian.  Tomorrow they move her to a different school with a longer bus ride.  Please pray that God meets her there also.

 

 

In other news life around here is flowing.   Kids are all doing well.  We will end our school year at the end of Feb.  We are about to start a new season of  bottle babies.  We will be buying all of a friends baby dairy goats this spring.  They are due to start kidding this weekend.  So it may get interesting.  There could be near 100 before the season is over.   Should make for an interesting spring. 

 

We need rain!  Please pray that we start getting spring showers to make the grass grow.  We are terribly dry.   We need rain for our pastures, but also for our lakes and our underground water supplies.

 

 

 

"Really?" oh "REALLY?????"

For some of you the title of this post says it all.   We have been going through a season of one thing after another that leave you saying, "Really?"

Last Monday the water pump started out on DH truck.  So he got it fixed Tue.   Then Friday morning he went to head to work and heard clunk clunk clunk.  He figured he got a cat.  No, the pulley wheel for the belts fell off under the hood.  Seems the bolt holding it on broke.   So he took mine to work.  That was one of those really?? moments.  

He had to take mine to a meeting yesterday in DFW.  He met us at church today.   When we left from Church about 4:00 today DH was in the lead.  I had to wait on kids to load up.  About a mile maybe 2 from where we church he was stopped turned around.  I saw a deer on the other side for the road.  Sure enough  he had been hit by a deer.  Yes, I said my truck got hit by a deer.   If he had hit the deer it wouldn't have been a big deal we have grill guards just for that. Oh no the deer hit passenger side just in front of the mirror took it off cracked the side window in the front then shattered the back passenger window and left a few more dents along the rest of the side.

He had  brought a trailer home to take his truck to town.  Guess he will get a cool ride in tomorrow and hope they can get his out of the shop same day.   That will just leave this one in the shop.   I don't get to drive it as much as I would like.  I could have drove it Friday, and again tomorrow.   Such is life.  No one was hurt, I am thankful!  We have enough trucks that no one is left without. 

Like I said it has been a season of what next, and really????  Lots of strange things like this.  Some more heartbreaking and sad but still just leaving you going "Really??? " and "What next??"  Much with the adoptions and new agency.   Some I can just look at know it is the enemy and laugh, some are harder to laugh at. 

Prayers please that as we walk this as faithful as possible and without falling into disobedience to God our season of strange, weired, sad and frustrating stuff will be coming to an end. 

Other news is Retreat planning is going great!  I am so excited about what is happening and all the ladies that are coming.  It is looking to be amazing and fun and exciting.   Please also pray for all the ladies and their families that are coming.  Also all of those that are working to put it on and their families need prayer as we prepare for great things.

 

Done deal! Papers Signed....

It has been an interesting journey to adding this young lady to our family.   We first heard about her in Aug.  A visit was planned which didn't happen due to her case worker having a family emergency.   Then our new case worker didn't hit it off with us so we decided to switch agencies.  

We had a weekend with her and felt she was a good fit.  We hoped for a Thanksgiving visit, but didn't happen.  We had her the next weekend.  Then she came for an extended visit middle of the month. 

Mean while we were scrambling to jump through the hoops for the new agency.  They "thought" the homestudy would be done mid Dec.   The enemy had other plans.   It has drug out until today
Today we were blessed!   Three women all of whom I felt very comfortable with here.  Two CPS workers and our new agency worker.    Our new worker had to stop and pet the donkey before she even got to the house.  One of the CPS workers had to trek back up the hill with MN to see the new baby goats! 

They all wanted me to teach them to make cheese and yogurt and peanut butter!   I laughed and explained that most of my hard cheese the dogs wouldn't even go bury.   I can do soft cheese.  

So today a new chapter starts.   She did melt my heart.  Her case worker shared this: her case worker told me that she has told her over and over she has a huge hole in her heart because she doesn't have a forever family. Today her cw ask her how that hole was and she said it was very small. :) makes my heart soar!  Moments and words like that pay for the tears and heart aches that go with children.  Will she break my heart? Sure!   Name one child that has grown to adult hood without breaking their parents heart, and all parents of adult children will tell you that it doesn't stop there.   It is part of the price of parenthood.   Rewards are amazing moments that you carry through the tough times.   Or that carry you!

We still have more hoops to jump through that I would like covered in prayer.  We have applied for a waiver to homeschool.   It may take a week maybe longer.  In the morning she has to start public school.  I pray a hedge of protection around her in this.  I also pray for this waiver to come quickly.  Pray that as it becomes real everyone meshes into a real family.  It takes time and God's hand. 

For now I am breathing a sigh of relief. Breakthrough in this area is wonderful!  I continue to pray breakthrough in other areas that we need breakthrough in.   God knows each and every area that the enemy is attacking. 
 

Heart Of Motherhood Retreat

 

 

 

Starting to get excited about Retreat!  Come join us!  

 

 

Uploading Pictures?? and a Prayer Request

I had planned to do a blog post and share some pictures.   Seems Blogger isn't in the mood.  It won't let me upload.  I could share from another sight, or any of the other options, but not upload from my computer.  Anyone else having issues? 

One of the things I wanted to share was a prayer request.   Our guest is still here, still in the land of limbo.  We are moving slowly toward getting her placed.  Please pray for this land of limbo to be done soon.  It is very stressful on ME.   I did find a quote I really liked that fit where I am. 

I'm really wanting need some doors to open!   I have this list I keep bringing before Him as I pray.  In part I have peace, in part I am struggling with some issues.  I am doing a lot of faith walking.  I can either walk in faith or I can not walk.  I choose to walk by faith.   He knows the doors I want opened.  He knows the way I want them open, but I am willing to wait trusting that by waiting and not walking in disobedience the outcome will be what I want.   Prayers for continued peace in my spirit as I walk this long hallway out.  Prayers for our beautiful young lady to not be stressed in case she has to attend ps for a few weeks until we get the waver done to homeschool her.  Prayers that the waver comes through quickly supernaturally so ps doesn't even become an issue.  Prayers that our new agency will get everything in place quickly and smoothly.  Prayers for some heart issues that I choose to not share, but God knows.  

Thanks to each and everyone who prays.  I know God hears your prayers.  I know that through our pettitions we will have break through, that He is catching the tears that have fallen.  If you have some good scriptures to de stress please share.  I could use them.