Monday, October 25, 2010
uRefer - Referral Program | snaptotes
uRefer - Referral Program snaptotes This beautiful service is inspired. I love the look of these handbags and wallets. Hopefully soon I can send one to each of the Grandmas with the grandchildrens photos. Click my link! :)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Please People Don't fill out your Census forms!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Rain, oh my!
We finally received rain today and severe thunderstorms with tornado warnings. During a break in the weather, we advised the big boys to chore before the evening brought even worse weather. To our surprise, they brought to the front porch a new baby kid! A sweet little doeling, exactly like her momma, Petunia. We named her Cherry Blossom and she is so sweet. She belongs to Hannah, and after we brought her back out to the barn to stay with her goat mommy, Hannah cried for her kid. But we have had so many kids in the house, I am really not wanting another one!
The garden is going to just LEAP out of the ground, Lord willing! Unless the next couple days bring too much rain. We were so dry, so maybe it will sop it all up and the weeds won't feel like being too vigorous.
We planted 47 strawberries on Friday afternoon. We are trying for more permanent beds and put downs garden fabric. Taylor picked up degradeable plastic stakes for it.
We still have more strawberries to plant. They will just have to wait. Photos soon!
The garden is going to just LEAP out of the ground, Lord willing! Unless the next couple days bring too much rain. We were so dry, so maybe it will sop it all up and the weeds won't feel like being too vigorous.
We planted 47 strawberries on Friday afternoon. We are trying for more permanent beds and put downs garden fabric. Taylor picked up degradeable plastic stakes for it.
We still have more strawberries to plant. They will just have to wait. Photos soon!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Just kidding
The last post was talking of all the kids and milk we were going to be drowning in. WELL, the ways of the Lord they be mysterious, and all our plans are for naught. Every leetle one of 'un (Oh, excuse me. I have been reading The Yearling aloud to the children and the vernacular of the characters is almost well, catching.)
We did happen to have Daisy, Buttercup and Bluebell freshen. But what a disaster!!! We are in part of the country that is deficient in selenium. This can cause all kinds of problems with goats and ours suffered from this lack. Daisy was ultrasounded at the beginning of December 2009. She had mulitples and we eagerly expected her to have triplets again. But, alas she gave birth to a very large single buckling that was already deceased. Poor Daisy, she retained her placenta and the stress ruined her milking ability. This could have been her peak year too. Next was Ian's '09' kid Bluebell, she had a single doeling, named Honeysuckle. She lived for 7 days. All of a sudden without warning, she was gone. It was very sad. The vet had already been out twice and checked out Daisy, gave her meds and what not, helped Buttercup with her placenta and meds. He said give Bo Se injections (selenium and vitamin E) at two weeks of age to the kids. With the passing of Bluebell's baby, I quickly gave the TWIN doelings from Buttercup, Holly and Juniper, the Bo Se injection (along with the rest of the herd) they were born the Sunday after Honeysuckle.
The great news is Holly and Juniper are thriving! They are so beautiful and doing really great. We were so worried about them because of the weather that we brought them inside the house.
They wore diapers and slept in our old playpen. Up until they were over a few weeks old we took them out to bottle feed and play with them in the house every day. After feedings, I would quickly herd them outside to "tinkle." Mary's little lamb did not interrupt school the way these two kids interrupted our homeschool! Jumping on the couches and running all over. It was a lot of fun!
They are in the barn now and doing great. Not one of the other goats freshened. Dr Steve was here again for ultrasounds at the beginning of February and confirmed Snapdragon, Marigold, Violet and one of the black alpines for pregnancy. But now, almost two months later we have had no more kids born. I have a few thoughts on this: #1, Dr Steve is a little inexperienced with goats. His first u/s predictions were off by a month. #2, we have the selenium deficiency which disrupts reproduction. #3, I gave everyone the Bo Se injection, even though it clearly states that it has been known to cause abortions in sheep. I discussed this with the vet at length. He said we always give this. We do it because we want the does to have stronger kids born and not retain placentas. The warning is there because it can happen. You have to weigh the risks/benefits. I opted to give the injection after seeing the tragic results with Daisy's case. #4, we had some EXTREMELY cold weather. Single digits, snow, wind and ice. This messes everyone up. #5 I really think that we got some pretty poor hay. I really do. I hope I am wrong on this account but until we have it tested. . . We got some alfalfa hay from up the road and will be looking forward to fresh spring browse growing and a new cutting of alfalfa hay this spring!!
So, we have had just enough milk to feed our two remaining kids, some to the neighbor who needed goat milk for his "kid" and a little for us. Buttercup is giving over a gallon of milk a day, Bluebell about 2 quarts, and Daisy about a quart every-other-day. The kids are drinking 2 quarts a day each (gallon total). There is almost no waste whatsoever. I haven't made any cheese yet. But I am dreaming of making soap! :) Whew, what an update.
As for the family, my biggest priorities are to make Taylor more comfortable in all his many sicknesses (this is the second bout of bronchitis this year, plus the 2nd straight week he has been sick with vomiting and stuff), homeschool the children, and get the house decently clean. Abby and Matthew finished another of their Learning to Read LightUnits and Ian took his Mathematics Test today. Progress is slow but I am so glad we are starting to get in the swing of things again.
The FlyLady http://www.flylady.com/ has been helping be get CHAOS at bay and everytime I do a task, I think Oh! FlyLady would be proud! Give her a try, she is great encouragment.
More than anything, I know that the Lord has been helping me to make it through each day. I rely on that relationship and the priviledge to bring all my many needs, shortcomings, praises,etc to Him. I would be nothing without His Love for me.
Until the next quiet moments,
Ami
And the God of Peace shall be with you. . .
We did happen to have Daisy, Buttercup and Bluebell freshen. But what a disaster!!! We are in part of the country that is deficient in selenium. This can cause all kinds of problems with goats and ours suffered from this lack. Daisy was ultrasounded at the beginning of December 2009. She had mulitples and we eagerly expected her to have triplets again. But, alas she gave birth to a very large single buckling that was already deceased. Poor Daisy, she retained her placenta and the stress ruined her milking ability. This could have been her peak year too. Next was Ian's '09' kid Bluebell, she had a single doeling, named Honeysuckle. She lived for 7 days. All of a sudden without warning, she was gone. It was very sad. The vet had already been out twice and checked out Daisy, gave her meds and what not, helped Buttercup with her placenta and meds. He said give Bo Se injections (selenium and vitamin E) at two weeks of age to the kids. With the passing of Bluebell's baby, I quickly gave the TWIN doelings from Buttercup, Holly and Juniper, the Bo Se injection (along with the rest of the herd) they were born the Sunday after Honeysuckle.
The great news is Holly and Juniper are thriving! They are so beautiful and doing really great. We were so worried about them because of the weather that we brought them inside the house.
They wore diapers and slept in our old playpen. Up until they were over a few weeks old we took them out to bottle feed and play with them in the house every day. After feedings, I would quickly herd them outside to "tinkle." Mary's little lamb did not interrupt school the way these two kids interrupted our homeschool! Jumping on the couches and running all over. It was a lot of fun!
They are in the barn now and doing great. Not one of the other goats freshened. Dr Steve was here again for ultrasounds at the beginning of February and confirmed Snapdragon, Marigold, Violet and one of the black alpines for pregnancy. But now, almost two months later we have had no more kids born. I have a few thoughts on this: #1, Dr Steve is a little inexperienced with goats. His first u/s predictions were off by a month. #2, we have the selenium deficiency which disrupts reproduction. #3, I gave everyone the Bo Se injection, even though it clearly states that it has been known to cause abortions in sheep. I discussed this with the vet at length. He said we always give this. We do it because we want the does to have stronger kids born and not retain placentas. The warning is there because it can happen. You have to weigh the risks/benefits. I opted to give the injection after seeing the tragic results with Daisy's case. #4, we had some EXTREMELY cold weather. Single digits, snow, wind and ice. This messes everyone up. #5 I really think that we got some pretty poor hay. I really do. I hope I am wrong on this account but until we have it tested. . . We got some alfalfa hay from up the road and will be looking forward to fresh spring browse growing and a new cutting of alfalfa hay this spring!!
So, we have had just enough milk to feed our two remaining kids, some to the neighbor who needed goat milk for his "kid" and a little for us. Buttercup is giving over a gallon of milk a day, Bluebell about 2 quarts, and Daisy about a quart every-other-day. The kids are drinking 2 quarts a day each (gallon total). There is almost no waste whatsoever. I haven't made any cheese yet. But I am dreaming of making soap! :) Whew, what an update.
As for the family, my biggest priorities are to make Taylor more comfortable in all his many sicknesses (this is the second bout of bronchitis this year, plus the 2nd straight week he has been sick with vomiting and stuff), homeschool the children, and get the house decently clean. Abby and Matthew finished another of their Learning to Read LightUnits and Ian took his Mathematics Test today. Progress is slow but I am so glad we are starting to get in the swing of things again.
The FlyLady http://www.flylady.com/ has been helping be get CHAOS at bay and everytime I do a task, I think Oh! FlyLady would be proud! Give her a try, she is great encouragment.
More than anything, I know that the Lord has been helping me to make it through each day. I rely on that relationship and the priviledge to bring all my many needs, shortcomings, praises,etc to Him. I would be nothing without His Love for me.
Until the next quiet moments,
Ami
And the God of Peace shall be with you. . .
Saturday, January 9, 2010
2nd post of the NEW Year
Wow, I completely didn't catch that the comments I posted earlier today were my first of this New Year. Time really flies but that's okay. My resolutions:do it better. Everything. Better Mommy. Better Wife, better Christian, better farmer, better teacher, better friend, better homekeeper.
Pray for me, it's a tall order. Thanks!
Pray for me, it's a tall order. Thanks!
Times flies when you are having fun
That's what they say any way. But fun is yet to come as we make a big trip back home from the beautiful ocean view town of Calabash, NC to our Ohio River view home town in Kentucky. Our little baby has been very sick with a kidney infection and RSV. She was in the hospital for 7 days. The nurses at Loris Community Hospital were for the most part knowledgeable, caring, helpful and kind. We are very blessed by the Doctors of Sea Shore Pediatrics whom oversaw the baby's care, namely Dr Youseff and Dr. Ludlow. They were great.
The rest of the family says they missed mom and baby very much but they had daddy, pops, nana, granny and auntie to look after them and everyone was well fed and clean when mommy came home. It was an exhausting week for all.
We should be heading home soon. The weather at the beach has been cold cold for this area. As I recall the temps rarely drop below 30's but this past week we experienced 20's. At home is a different story as the lows have been single digits and there is plenty of SNOW!
Our darling goats are waiting at home for us too. If it were not for the saintly patience of Lloyd Wise's family there would be no goats or anything else left for us. They have chored for us for dr appointments, quick weekend trips, vacations that lasted way longer than we expected to be gone, and when we had hospitalizations for daddy. They have been our dear friends and helpful neighbors through thick and thin. We love this family and they truly emulate the spirit of Christianity at it's finest.
Daddy spoke to Lloyd today and he said that Daisy (our dairy goat herd queen) is getting very fat now. If my calculations are correct she should be dropping some kids in about 20 days. If my calculations are not correct, WELL I hope and pray they do not come early! Last year this doe had triplets:two doelings and a buckling. They were born on March 6th last year. Also I remember very clearly that I was second guessing myself on her breeding and agonizing over whether or not to dry her off until the very last month when she got HUGE. She looked like she might have 5 kids in there but it was only 3 normal sized ones. I remember very clearly that she huffed and puffed in labor for 2 days and ended up with ketosis. However, it is my estimation that the ketosis was due to improper (i.e. over)feeding by our chore helpers while we were gone (not Lloyd's) and do not forsee this happening again. But, we do want to be prepared for this possibility!
Daisy's kids are Bluegrass (we think), Bluebell and Tiger Lily.
Our second 3 year old doe is Buttercup, the sweetest doe ever. Her 09 kids are Alfalfa, Violet and Sunflower. Alfalfa was sold to be the next herd sire for Nathan Huber's goats. He has La Manchas and Boers. She is hopefully due around the same time as Daisy. Her daughters are the keepers in the temperment category.
Both our 3 year olds milk a tremendous amount. At our peak production last year we were getting well over 20 lbs of milk a day combined. Lord willing we will have sales for milk and kids so we can continue to keep our goats and make headway on our dairy dreams.
The rest of the family says they missed mom and baby very much but they had daddy, pops, nana, granny and auntie to look after them and everyone was well fed and clean when mommy came home. It was an exhausting week for all.
We should be heading home soon. The weather at the beach has been cold cold for this area. As I recall the temps rarely drop below 30's but this past week we experienced 20's. At home is a different story as the lows have been single digits and there is plenty of SNOW!
Our darling goats are waiting at home for us too. If it were not for the saintly patience of Lloyd Wise's family there would be no goats or anything else left for us. They have chored for us for dr appointments, quick weekend trips, vacations that lasted way longer than we expected to be gone, and when we had hospitalizations for daddy. They have been our dear friends and helpful neighbors through thick and thin. We love this family and they truly emulate the spirit of Christianity at it's finest.
Daddy spoke to Lloyd today and he said that Daisy (our dairy goat herd queen) is getting very fat now. If my calculations are correct she should be dropping some kids in about 20 days. If my calculations are not correct, WELL I hope and pray they do not come early! Last year this doe had triplets:two doelings and a buckling. They were born on March 6th last year. Also I remember very clearly that I was second guessing myself on her breeding and agonizing over whether or not to dry her off until the very last month when she got HUGE. She looked like she might have 5 kids in there but it was only 3 normal sized ones. I remember very clearly that she huffed and puffed in labor for 2 days and ended up with ketosis. However, it is my estimation that the ketosis was due to improper (i.e. over)feeding by our chore helpers while we were gone (not Lloyd's) and do not forsee this happening again. But, we do want to be prepared for this possibility!
Daisy's kids are Bluegrass (we think), Bluebell and Tiger Lily.
Our second 3 year old doe is Buttercup, the sweetest doe ever. Her 09 kids are Alfalfa, Violet and Sunflower. Alfalfa was sold to be the next herd sire for Nathan Huber's goats. He has La Manchas and Boers. She is hopefully due around the same time as Daisy. Her daughters are the keepers in the temperment category.
Both our 3 year olds milk a tremendous amount. At our peak production last year we were getting well over 20 lbs of milk a day combined. Lord willing we will have sales for milk and kids so we can continue to keep our goats and make headway on our dairy dreams.
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