Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 8:45 PM

Dear reader, today we spent all of our morning, and part of the afternoon, canning strawberry and strawberry-blueberry jam. It was quite a fiasco trying to get it all done in a timely fashion, but somehow we managed. Ending our canning spree with 40 jars of jam.

To kinda fill you in on what has happened in the past month, in which I've been to lazy to post.

Ginger had her kids. The post before last told you she went into labor, well, she pulled the carpet out from under us with a false labor, and decided it would be best to have her babies nearly a month later! So, Mary-Ann comes busting into my room at around 9:30 in the morning saying Ginger has kidded. That little brat! So, as it would turn out, she graced us with two baby boys. Not good for a farm, but great looking kids! If only they had been girls. Sigh. Tipper was quite active in her k-nine aunty-ness, although a totally different species, Tipper took to the new kids like they were puppies, and at one point was helping Ginger clean the little ones off. What a good puppy!

All on the same day Tipper turned a year old, Patch had her second mother's day, Kristina had her first, and mom had her 30th. That's a lot of mothers!

Other than that, we've been kinda boring people, going through thunder storms, and trying to plant the garden. That's pretty much it on this end of things.

God bless and God be with,

-Sarah

Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 11:03 PM

Dear reader, as I dont want to go into great detail of much tonight, I will speak on one subject, possibly two.

I'm learning how to play guitar, after months of keeping my dad's old accustic in my room I'm finally playing. I'm mastering Hey Lolly, Lolly Lo, but its tough. The first song I was supposed to learn was "He's got the whole world", but it just seemed a little to boring for me, so I chose a song that was a bit quicker and stuck with it.

I've been playing for three days now, and my fingers have been so sore! I've lost most of the general feeling in the tips of them, but somehow the pain from the chords manages to seep through.  Playing on a scarred finger has been tough, I dont know how I'm going to fare with that, but I still keep at it, hoping one day I'll be good at it:)

Its a lot harder than I had immagined. No one told me how hard it really was, I guess they wanted me to figure it out for myself, to see if I'll stick with it. The earliest warning I got was about two minutes before mom handed me the guitar, after developing blisters on her own fingers from playing for almost an hour. I'm secretly pointing and laughing devilishly in her direction. lol.

Really it isnt too bad, just long, and it seems the better I get, the more I realize the guitar is out of tune, so back to the keyboard to try to get the strings tightened back up, then it sounds so weird! I'm convinced there is no happy medium.

That was my subject of discussion for the evening.

If you have any stories you would like to share about your first days with a guitar, just put them down as a comment, I'll be glad to read them:)

God bless and God be with,

-Sarah Daisy

A house of Looney Tunes

Posted on Monday, April 6, 2009 at 4:27 PM

Does anyone remember, say, back when you were five? You got cookies and milk and thought that was the greatest dessert ever. Chocolate sundays were a treat, and when you were finished with driving your mother crazy, if you happened to have the luxury of a tv, you would watch your favorite cartoons.

Well those days have long since passed for me, the luxury of tv is now the luxury of dvd's and a projector. But looking back, and looking at the present, my life has become Looney Tunes!

Heres a look at the characters,

Mom- Granny who owned tweetya woman so meek and mild until you realize she is the only woman you will ever meet who can throw a tellephone around a corner.......Long story. lol.)

Dad- Yosemety Sam (Why? Because he can. Dad loves guns, and if he thought he would look good in a handle bar mustache agian, he would grow it out!)

Mary-Ann- The Wiley Cyote ( A devilish laugh completes any outfit, and she is always chasing the road runner, but you will come to that in a minute)

Shea ( when she spends the night)- that little chick who is always getting Foghorne Leghorn into trouble!

Now for the animals!

Patch- Eyore ( Moping around, " arent I just so sad and pitiful, nobody likes me, nobody cares", but what can we do? She is the mother of 5 daughters, who are teenagers in dog years!)

Spot- Salvester! And all who know her know there is no need to explain!

TIpper- The Road Runner ( a dog who was borne to run, ennoy, and when you finaly think you have the nerve to eat her, she gives you a sweet look, and runs away agian! )

And that is my family of Luney Tunes.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, or family for that matter!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 8:25 PM

Dear Reader, I am writing this evening in high hopes for tomorrow. My youngest doe is soon to be a mama goat!

For those of you who dont own goats, this is a very big thing, for those of you who do own goats but havent gotten to your first kidding yet, stand by for details. And for all you seasoned goat owners who know your stuff, I hope you will enjoy my next couple posts, and comment with any suggestions you might have!

Okay, for a minor intro to me and my goats, I'm Sarah, I've been raising and building up a herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats ( which are the smallest breed of goat). My herd currently has 5 "member's", Twinkie, who only stands at 17 inches tall (and promptly quit growing at 9 months old, very odd), Platinum, who stands at 23 inches tall, ( she is my largest doe), Ginger, 19 inches and still growing ( she's about to kid in the next day or two), and Ruthie, my very smallest doe standing at 11 inches tall and is nearly 1 year old ( But she is Twinkie's kid, and was borne prematurely).  And my buck, Casper, who is a might to smelly and playful to hold still enough to measure him, but I would guess that he is around 25 to 26 inches tall.

And here is my Jolly Green Giant of a buck a few days after having his ears tattooed ( dont worry, the ink came off! lol.)

( above, Twinkie is on top, and Platinum is in the house!)

Ruthie in comparason to my hand so you can get an idea of how small she really was at birth!

And now for a cute pic of a 2 hour old Ruthie! Do you see how small she is next to that 8x6 feed bucket! She weighed less than a pound at birth!

And finally my pic of my soon to be mama a week after she was borne, as you can see she is a considerably large goat!

So now you know my little family of little goats. I have been a goat owner for the past 3 years, and this is my second year of kidding. So you know who's who's, Twinkie is Ruthie's mother, Platinum is Ginger's mother, and my buck is father to Ruthie. Ginger's father was a buck who belonged to a friend.

So, if you are a beginner breeder, or want to learn something that you might not do, here is what is in my kidding kit. Two bath towels, a bottle of each, hydrogyn peroxide, rubbing alchohol, and betadyne, cotton swabs ( seems rediculous, I know, but sometimes there are cuts, tears ect. but it also comes in handy with the embelical cord). Scissors ( for cutting the embelical if it is too long ( it breaks off at birth)), String ( to tie off the embelical cord). And I'm thinking at the moment that that is it.

At the moment Ginger is seperated from the other goats so she can be comfy on her own, but it was getting late and a little chilly so Ruthie is having a sleepover with her! 

I will have more updates tomorrow ( hopefully!). For now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that all goes according to plan and soon!

For now, there is no such thing as an ordinary day! And goats dont help! :D

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 10:23 AM

Dear Reader, spring is once agian not knocking on our door but merely inviting itself in! From out the south facing window in the room I now sit, I can see that the lovely yellow flowering vine has come into bloom once more, and from out the east window, pink buds are starting to invade. The weather has been warmer these days, up around the 50'swhich is as warm as I shall ever like, but it promises to get warmer. My neice, Shea, is at present sitting on my lap and trying to make me misspell words as she finds the keyboard fascinating. I see that the lily tree is just about to start budding, as the little sparrows, finches, and chickadee's are quickly hopping around from branch to branch.

With the sweet smells of spring filling the air, so will the sounds of new kids, which promise to brighten the spring ahead. At the moment I have at least 3 goats pregnant, and due any time now. And it seems I will be ever waiting for the time to come when the first kid is borne this year.

Our lop rabbits seem to enjoy the fact that they were able to spend all of this winter indoors instead of the barn. Although the buck rabbit has been banished to the mud room where he will spend the rest of winter due to Mary-Anns alergies, and while he is sleeping in the mud room, our doe, Clover has been taking up residence on my floor with her over sized cage which still has not found a place to be set.

As it seems that my sleeve is now becoming drenched with drool from a charming young lady still fascinated with my keyboard, I should get going.

There's no such thing as an ordinary day.

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 at 5:10 PM

Dear Reader, I am trying to keep on the role for writing on my blog as often as I can. Well, here it goes.

If you have ever watched old tv shows from the 50's or watched a christmas movie, and all are standing around the fire, childrens faces excited, family gathered, and all pose while uncle Wilfred snaps the camera to immortalize the event of everyone turning another year older ( or so it seems), by celebrating another christmas.

We arent from the 50's, and cirtianly not from an old movie. Nope, thuroughly modern, a timer on the camera, but not quite advanced to a pelet stove just yet. So we gathered in front of the old LOPI brand fire place, stalkings hung on the harthe and a fire burning behind us. And no one would ever let it slip that it in fact was not christmas at all but not to long after the first of the year ( but we keep that one quiet).

All posing quaintly, showing how well behaved we all are, smiling faces, everyone cheerful and filled with the holliday spirit.

Now, see what we are really like!

If you are wondering at all, yes, this will be on our Christmas cards next year!

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, so dont plan!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Monday, March 2, 2009 at 10:29 AM

Dear reader, today I dont have much to talk about, just wanted to say hi, and let everyone know that, no I havent fallen off the face of the earth, just extra busy with two little boys in the house.

Lets see, 2 dogs, 2 rabits, 1 cat, 2 little boys, and 5 grown-ups in one house. A three bedroom house, mind you. And all of us seem to want our own space.

Needless to say, I think I am going crazy!

Alright, I already said I had nothing to say, so I really dont need to appologize, do I? lol.

Well, I have to go and completely insane now. So I will post agian later.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day.

-Sarah Daisy

And Turtle makes 10

Posted on Friday, February 27, 2009 at 10:36 AM

Dear reader, the fullest you will ever see a three bedroom house, well, at least ours, will be filled to the brim with 10 people, 3 in my room, 2 in Mary-anns, and 2 and a baby in the living room, and mom and dad of course.

Why so many? Well, my sister Keri wanted to come up for the weekend, to spend hers and Mary-Anns birthday together. And with Keri, came also her two little boys, Morgan 8 and Theron 3. Matt felt guilty because he would have to miss celebrating their birthday, and  they decided that spending the night last night, and spending as much of the day as their schedule would allow would be satisfactory. Along with Matt and Kristina, came Shea ( Turtle, the nick-name that no one else but me believes in using for her).

I think it is easy enough to say, that a three bedroom house should never hold 10 people.

I didnt have a point for this one, but I just wanted to vent a little so I dont explode!

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, and I'm not even striving for ordinary any more!!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 1:46 PM

"And God reached down His mighty hand and said 'No more icecream!'"

Just a little story to share, about the supernatural force that caused me to put the icecream back in the freezer, after trying to get "that one last scoop".

We were sitting down to watch a movie, I had laundry to fold that I wasnt really interested in folding, there was icecream in the freezer that needed to be eaten before it got freezer burn, so I took on that responsibility, and started serving myself up a bowl. Cookies 'n Cream was on the menu for icecream, my favorite, and as usual, since it is my favorite, and everyone else likes the vanilla better, I took more than I should. Seeing as how there was plenty of icecream, I decided that one more scoop wouldnt hurt. And as I reached down to get the "one more scoop", the icecream took flight off the counter, and slid up agianst the freezer. Being clumsy I thought I had knocked it off the counter, but, better safe than sorry. I put the icecream back in the freezer, and since I couldnt have that extra scoop, I put some Ovaltine on it instead!

Does it say anywhere in the bible that you can go to hell for being cheeky with God? Hmmm, maybe its time for a diet! lol.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, especially when God takes your icecream away.

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 at 12:34 PM

I do believe I found the perfect pic! Taken in June of last year.

I suppose what really reaches out about this pic is all the wonderful shades of green, it makes quite a whimsicle scene ( my appologies about my poor spelling!).

When Dad met Spot.

Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 at 9:27 AM

For those of you who dont know, we have a cat named Spot. She isnt very friendly, and when you make her mad, she will leave little....surprises in your shoes. She likes to sleep on Dads lap when we are watching a movie, and as I am told, she likes to sleep on Dads head when he sleeps.

What I have mention above, are but a few of her quirks. And yes, there are more, but first I would like to tell you a story.

10 years ago, we had moved into a new house, we had no animals, as yet. We had gotten settled in, when Mom decided we needed a cat. So off to the pound we went. We found cute and cuddly ones, we found some that had way to much hair, and some with not enough. Then we went past this cage of kittens, the mother had been hit by the car, and all the kittens were wild, or ferrel. Mom walked past the cage, and this little kitten reached her paw out of the cage, just in time for mom to see it, and out of that moment of cuteness, we had aquired the Devil itself.

Mom had decided that the kitten was hers, and she was named spot. There was one little problem, she didnt like mom! Mom thought she needed to be a purring little kitty who plays with a ball of yarn, lays on your lap just so she can get pet, and generally hang around and sleep all day. But soon after we got the Devil home, she decided that shoes were her new litter box. The coats that hung in the closet, her scratching post. The back of the couch, her domain, where she could attack any head that came into her reach.

Push came to shove, and mom gave up on the cute cat idea, and spot claimed dad for her own.

Now that brings me to the reason for my story, Spot has always liked to give presents, when someone isnt feeling well, a bird will do. Dont want me around? How about a mouse? Moms in a bad mood, I think I'll bring her a snake! Yes, she has accomplished each of these tasks, including leaving a bird on our front stoop the day we were getting home from a trip.

Dad went through two surgeries, he hasnt been able to have the cat on his lap while watching a movie, and breathing is kinda important, so the cat cant sleep with him. The most she can do, and has done, is lay on the automan next to dads chair, and that is her place when a movie is being watched, and heaven forbid that someone take up her place next to her man! lol.

Someone might say that animals dont understand, and this may be true, but that might be why our cat is just so special. Even though she might not know the situation, she still knows when someone isnt feeling good.

Now to make a point. When I took the dogs out for the morning, what was laying on the automan?  Nothing but a small mouse. Not crushed, not half eaten, but just laying there. This is the symbol of a peace offering. This is the devils way of saying "I'm sorry".

This is the Devil, Spot.

Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 at 2:20 PM

Dear Reader, I appologise for my absence, but things have been quite busy. Although, not all of my neglect is due to the circumstances, but due to the fact that I was being lazy.

So here is my story. Early November, found an abnormality on one of dads ribs.

Early December, surgery scheduled for December 23 to remove rib.

Mid December, blood test ( standard procedure, to check for clotting issues).

December 18, blood test came back, surgery canceled due to clotting issues.

January 1, Happy New Year.

Early January, new surgery scheduled for January 29.

Report from surgery, took 7 inches of the wrong rib. After surgery, Dad was MIA ( missing in action, they actually lost him!) in the hospital for 3 hours.

January 30, another surgery, the whole correct rib, muscle surrounding rib, viscera, pleura.

February 3, Dad comes home.

February 3 to present, Dad has been groggy, tired, happy to be home, bossing everyone around, as well as this face that I am sure his mother told him when he was a little boy "dont make that face or it will stick that way", well it stuck! lol.

This is just a sampler of what the past two months have been like. When you dont sleep for this amount of time, it makes it even longer.

On top of all this, think about having to put up with two puppies, a deaf dog, a cat that wants to lay on dad, having to feed all the animals we have out in the barn. It gets really old, really quick.

Now, if you think that this is all a person might be able to stand, listen to the rest of my story.

February 5, Paisley ( my puppy), goes after chicken. Paisley is given one more chance.

February 11, Paisley goes after another chicken. Will be sent to the pound ASAP.

February 11, Tipper ( other puppy) goes after chicken. Tipper will be given one more chance.

February 13, Mom, Mary-Ann, and I help Matt and Kristina ( brother and sis in law) move.

February 13, Mary-Ann stays with Matt and Kristina to continue helping moving.

February 14, Dad, Mom and I go out to a movie.

February 15, Mom and I go to church, dad sleeps in.

Mind you, this is just a glance. Life is getting tiring, and we arent even able to live it agian yet. We take dad out when we can ( and its hard for him because he gets cabin fever, but hurts too much to do anything.).  We have been watching movies non-stop, sheets are hung over the windows in the living room so he can have the projector on in the day time.

Sorry if this was a mild ramble, but this was the only way I knew how to write down every thing with out ranting.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, or week, or month, or year, awe heck, there's no such thing as an ordinary life!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 3:59 PM

Dear Reader, today, I am talking about all the things I dont know the answers too. But if you do know any of them, tell me!

1. What size shoe does a maniqin wear?

2. Why doesnt my bedroom stay clean?

3. Has anyone ever wanted 100 things for christmas?

4. How do you fix a car race?

5. And for that matter, how do you fix anything?

6. How many cities are there in Italy?

7. How do the people in the mall wrap the presents so perfectly?

8. How do they know by the rings on a tree, how old the tree is?

9. Can there be a perfect day?

10. How many people will read this?

11. Why is it that guys like really noisy cars, and girls like cars that a guy wouldnt be cought dead in?

12. When was the first callender invented?

13. What is it like having an extra limb, or a missing one?

14. Who would name a store Target?

15. Who would name a store K-Mart?

16. How many acres of land make up the state of Texas?

17. Why are California and New York the most popular states? ( no one wants to visit Maine, or washington)

18. How many more days till christmas?

19. How many keys are there on a piano?

20. How many keys are on a key board?

21. Can you buy a computer with Japanese on the keys instead of english?

22. How many different birds are there?

23. How many islands are there in the world?

24. Why is Greenland white, and Iceland green?

25. Did someone mess up when they were doing the map colors?

26. How long are you supposed to cook a turkey?

27. Has there ever been the murder plea "My sister drove me crazy" and won?

28. How long will Barack Obama be in office?

29. Who was the last president to be shot?

30. Is there ever a day where matresses arent on sale?

Well I think that is enough to confuse you all for a while, and I hope you will answer some of my questions if you know the answers.

Theres no such thing as an ordinary day, or an ordinary brain!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 9:11 AM

Dear Reader, today I can see the icicles forming and growing off the roof from my window. On the ground snow still lingers, although it is probably all ice by now. The sky is blue, but it remains cold out, and the sun doesnt seem to effect the snow, as it is still nearly 3 inches deep. All seems peaceful outside, as the snow has covered everything like a blanket. All of this weather promises a white christmas, which is what I have been praying for.

I know I dont have much to say, but today, I think I would like to hear from you who read my blog. I want you to post comments about your favorite christmas memory, your best christmas, your first white christmas, and funny things that happened one christmas day or even your favorite christmas carrol! Anything you want to say. I dont care if what you say is one line, or takes up an entire page. I would like to learn more about other christmas's, and I will read each of them, should you want to write.

Merry Christmas Dear Reader, and remember, there is no such thing as an ordinary day.

-Sarah Daisy

Oh, and if you happen to think about it, and have a sense of humor about burgerking, listen to ding fries are done on my playlist at the bottom of the page. Just click on it and it should play

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 at 9:24 AM

Dear Reader, tis the season to be snowing, and snow, it did!

As you may know, we have been babysitting my neice, Shea, and as you may have read in the last entry, our house was torn apart from top to bottom. Well if that all wasnt enough, my brother came to visit! He wanted to take us all to a movie, as one big Christmas present, but the weather reports were saying it would be snowing, and we thought the roads would be too dangerous, even if we did have chains, we didnt want to risk it. So we stayed home while ( brother) Matt, and dad went out to rent a movie. They both came home and we watched Get Smart, and had a wonderful evening.

Shea was fussing until late last night, and that meant someone would have to stay up with her, and I am quite tired this morning! I stayed up with her until about 12:30, and she finally went to sleep. Seeing how late it was, I decided it was time to go to bed. When I reached my room, I remembered the events of the day had made my bedroom a storage place for all the spare furnature, clothes, and toys, it was so bad in fact, that I couldnt even close my door! So back to the livingroom I went where Shea was sleeping, and mind you Mary-Ann didnt have her bed set up, so she had taken up residency on the couch. So I got dads recliner, which is the most uncomfortable chair in the house that you can sleep on. I fell asleep to Shea's soft cooing, the light from the christmas tree, and watching the snow fall by the light of the lamp post in our driveway.

This morning I awoke to Mary-Ann coming into the livingroom chattering about how she had no idea that she had slept out in the livingroom all night, and I was just thinking, please just let me sleep. But God has a sense of humor, she brought out the computer! So I went into my room and tried to go back to sleep, about an hour later, mom comes in with Shea who is fussing and just wants to cuddle, and not with me! So battling with her about a binkie for about a half and hour, I decided that there was no way I would be able to go back to sleep this time. So I got up, changed Shea, and gave her a bottle, you know, all the baby stuff.

I went out and fed the animals, and now am back in the house where its warm. Shea is now sleeping, the snow is gently falling, and it has come up to nearly 3 to 4 inches in some spots. The coffee cake is just out of the oven, and I should get some before it disappears!

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, I prove it every day!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at 4:11 PM

The look of pride seen on a grandmother's face when her first grand-daughter says something as simple as "Oh".  My mom is sitting at the kitchen table with my niece, cradeling and making cooing noises to the little one.  My niece now a month and a half old, is facinated with mimicking all the little noises she can, and grandma ( mom), is eating it all up. Behind the little baby and her doting grandmother, can be seen a nearly picture perfect backdrop of tall pines, redwoods, and douglas furs, and seen through the trees, the purple beauty of twilight.

Dear reader, I hope I have painted a picture well enough for you to see the quiet scene that lay before me. For what lay behind me is not so peaceful. Behind me ( directly behind me) is a cat on my seat making sure I cant sit on the whole thing. A rabbit who could not stay in the barn because of the cold weather which is including a pre-christmas snow. Two puppies who cant mind their own buisness, and want to "play" with the bunny. A dog, who moves way too slow, and wonders why your pushing her down the hall ( usually we have to scoot her down the hall, unfortunatly she is a little fat, and carrying heavy things, its hard to get her to move in a quicker fashion). And if you adjust your eyes to look a little farther back, you will see my sisters bedroom set, the hall cupboard, the rabbit, 3 dogs, 1 cat, and a mattress set, all in the kitchen.  The kitchen is not the worst, in the living room, there is a dresser, a vanity seat, a small tv, a bedside table, a chair, and all the sheets and blankets from my parents bed.

You may think that these are the symptoms of moving, well they are, but not in this case, we are simply trying to exchange bedrooms between my sister and my parents. All this is going on in the background, and there is a baby who wants attention, a rabbit who needs water every hour or so, 3 dogs who really dont understand what it means to be in the way, and a cat...who could really care less...exept...she thinks we are moving agian, and therefore, sees fit to make a ton of noise, and make sure that if we do leave, she goes with.

Oh, and my step brother is popping in for a visit, and he has just arrived, so I should go.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, and if you've had one, theres something wrong.

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 3:43 PM

Dear Reader, while my sister-in-law is recovering from her gall bladder surgery, we have my 1 1/2 month old neice to babysit. My dear friend Madge and I had a field trip to go to today, so she spent the night last night and fell in love with little Shea.

We awoke to a blanket of snow on the ground, only about a half inch, but it was good enough to make it white. We bundled up and headed out for the art museum in the next town where we were supposed to meet some other people who are members of our online school. When we got there, however, no one was over 5 feet tall, or over the age of 12. Being 1 1/2 months, 15, 16, 18, and a mom, we decided it wasnt exactly the place for us. So back to the house we went, ate grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, and settled down to keep out of the cold.

Madges Grandma came and picked her up, and and now there isnt much to the day. White Christmas is playing on the radio, a pineapple upside down cake is baking in the oven, a baby is sleeping to White Christmas, and we are all sitting in the kitchen, just enjoying the cold but peaceful day.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day, no matter how ordinary it seems.

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 5:54 PM

Dear Reader, I thought I would share a little about my day with you.

  We had my brother, sister in law, and neice spend the night. This morning we went out to do a little christmas shopping at JC Penny's, where we departed with the three who spent the night, and went over to a book store. Mom had decided she had done enough shopping for the day, so she went to the coffee shop in the book store, and went to order her coffee. I tagged along, and while in line, there was a woman behind us, who really wanted to strike up a conversation. While in line my mom, the woman, and I talked religion, we ordered our coffee's and left to go sit down. Apperently she was a little lonely, so she came up to us agian, and we all started talking, agian. We talked more religion, food, farms, occupations, and what color to paint her table. All in all the conversation was nice, and it was refreshing to hear someone say Merry Christmas rather than seasons greetings or happy holidays, or any other such nonsense. We bought our books and left, and all the way home I was thinking of that "nice lady at the book store", and since I never learned her name, that is what she will be remembered as.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to mind? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And auld lang syne

To all who read, have a merry christmas.

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 6:42 PM

Dear Reader, I would like to take tonight to tell you about our Thanksgiving and Christmas hand-me-down and traditional recipes.

Starting with breakfast, our coffee cake. This is made every year and was started by my brother Matt. He made it the morning before Thanksgiving, and we decided that it was so good, that we had to have it Thanksgiving morning too. The tradition carried over to Christmas, and that is how the coffee cake tradition was born.

Here is the recipe, coming from my  great-grand-mothers Betty Crocker picture cook book.

Mix together thoroughly.........3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup soft shortening, 1egg

Stir in........................................1/2 cup milk

Sift together and stir in.........11/2 cups sifted flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt

Spread batter in a greased and floured 9'' square pan. Sprinkle with desired topping. Bake until wooden pick thrust into the center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm, fresh from the oven.

TEMPERATURE 375, BAKE 25 TO 35 MINUTES.

For the topping, mix together, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tbsp butter melted.    Just sprinkle it on top before you put it in the oven, and it makes a wonderful crumbly texture on top!

Now, for our oldest family tradition, Veggie Cassarole. Used for both Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

2 cans petit poi peas (that means small:P)
2 cans french cut greenbeans
1 can cream of mushroom soup (do not add liquid)
2 cans sliced water chestnuts
4 cups shredded cheese
1 large container of French's fried onions
 
Mix peas, greenbeans, mushroom soup, water chestnuts and half of the cheese in large bowl. Pour into greased baking dish (9x13). sprinkle the remaining cheese and fried onions over the top and bake in 350 degree oven for an hour or until bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Yummmm!

Other than that, we have our turkey, and it is pan roasted, with stuffing. Cranberry sauce is always on the side! There is a side dish of extra stuffing, candied yams, mashed potatoes, and bread rolls.

After dinner we all go into the living room, put up the tree, decorate it, and then each of us settles down with a piece of pie, and we watch Miracle on 34th Street with Natalie Wood.

And that is our Thainksgiving! Feel free to use the recipes, after all thats what their there for!

Have a wonderful thanksgiving!

-Sarah Daisy

Posted on Friday, November 21, 2008 at 1:03 PM

Dear Reader, if you read my last entry, this is not what i wanted to talk about in my "next post". I am the grim reaper of the farm. I am the mortition, the coronor, the investigator of all deaths on the farm.

Today we lost Pie to pneumonia. I went out to feed this morning, I found Pie on his side, and not crying. I was thinking, "we just lost him". He was still alive to my surprise, but it dint take long for me to lose my third Nubian, my fourth goat, my seventh animal. I almost feel jinxed. But unfortunately there was nothing I, nor anyone else, could do. I think the hardest part was it was another animal that died in my arms. And just another one who I could not help. But maybe my lot in life is to help them die. Thats what I do best. I help them live, give birth, and die. But what else is there?  

On this farm, I have lost our buck, Manny, my Nigerian buckling, Mary-anns two Nubian kids, Pie and Phylias, Mary-Anns rabit, and two puppies. Not to mention countless chickens, chicks, a flock of ducks, the list goes on and on. I am in favor of the idea, that we take a year off. No animals exept the indoor animals.

Well thats all for now, I hope your day is brighter than mine.

There is no such thing as an ordinary day.

-Sarah Daisy