Well we managed the fair. It was a hard week. With a 8 month old and a 3 year old, sitting at the fairgrounds all day most days, it was entirely too long of a week. The whole fair experience this year was tough on a lot of people. Things didn't run smoothly with a new fair board group and a new 4-H guy. There just wasn't consistency, nore was there order like there should be.

Friday we were to sell our goats at 10:00 according to the fair book. Well they did pigs first instead of goats and we didn't sell our goats till near 2:00. Extremely frustrating things like that were the norm for this years fair for a lot of people. The boys did sell their wethers. They each made $125 which was wonderful for a nubian wether. The trouble for the other people is that $125 was pretty standard, so those who had these wonderful Boer meat goats only got the same amount as we did. And many of them bought there wethers in the spring for $100 or more, so some were actually at a loss. The economy plays a part I am sure.

Not sure what I posted last... The violet Jelly took 2nd place in the any other canned goods category. My tote bag took 1st (because it was the only one in its group). Cheesecake didn't place at all and I don't know if it even sold at the auction.

DS13 cleaned up great on his chickens. 5 out of 6 placed in their age groups. He got 5th for showmanship. DS11 got Grand champion and Reserve Grand Champion for his English Spot rabbits (they were the only ones in their breed). So overall they felt pretty good about their accomplishments.

But then the bigger hurdles started. On the way home from the fair, transporting animals.. DS11 Female rabbit got heat stroke. We tried to cool her down and get her to revive but she ended up dieing. That was really sad for all of us. Only a few days later, the male rabbit jammed into his cage enough to get out. He is in an outside cage and we have 3 dogs, so that was a bad outcome too. So he no longer has either of his rabbits. Sad for him, he isn't sure he even wants any more at this point. Really I would say rabbits are one of the hardest animals to raise because they are so fragile.

Monday the boys were out doing chores and monkeying around by the goat house. They climbed up on the roof (which I hear they have done before) and when DS11 was getting down, he put his hand on the door of the house and there is an edge of sheetmetal there. Well he slipped, and cut his hand severly. He has a slice from his pinky to his index finger in a crescent moon shape. We took him to urgent care and that Dr sent us down to Cincinnati Children's. DH took him down there and I came home to be with the other kids. He saw 3 dr's there and each commented on how lucky he was to not have hit any tendons or muscles. He was about as close as you could get to the middle finger tendon. It truly was a miracle that he didn't hurt it worse. It took 9 internal stitches and 16 external ones to sew it up. It is by far the worst injury I or DH have ever seen. God is faithful though, and it could have been worse. They go on Friday to see the plastic surgeon to make sure it is healing well. Then on Thurs next week he should get the stitches out.

So we are ready for a nice and relaxing rest of the week!!
Melanie

Well then we moved on to bigger hurdles. DS11 had his

It is Fair week!!  We have made it over the major hurdles and survived, PTL!

Saturday was weigh ins for the market goats. They had to be at least 40lbs. Ours were 45, 45, 50 so we made it. Boy do these big eared nubian wethers look funny next to these bulky boer goats intended for meat!! Saturday afternoon we were ready for rabbit showmanship. You have to show what you know about your rabbit and the judge gives you a rating. Well being in the lowest age braket, DS11 didn't show his rabbit until 10:00pm and it started at 4 pm!! It was a LONG day. I think he did great for his first time showing and was able to get that notch in his belt. He didn't show any animals last year so this was a great learning experience.

Sunday we had the rabbit show and goat show first thing in the morning. DH had weekend duty at work, but God again was faithful and DH's boss let him not come in on Sunday because things were running smoothly. I had no idea how I was going to juggle 6 kids, 3 goats and pay attention to when the rabbits got shown as well. Showmanship for goats was first. The kids weren't ready. They were kind of 'forced' by mom to show the goats so noone was into learning much about them. Not sure that we will do that again. Goats is my thing not theirs. Then they did the goat show where they judge the goat. Ours of course were always at the end of the line, just not meat quality goats.

DS11 showed his English Spot rabbits aroun 5:30 on Sunday afternoon!! The rabbit show started at 9am. Talk about long days waiting. Thankfully Dh was there too so we could tag team. He even managed an hour snooze in the chair in the heat. DS11 won grand champion and reserve grand champion for  his rabbits Dandy and Derby :)   Who cares if they were the only 2 rabbits represented in that breed. If you want to win, don't show a mini rex, polish or any other popular rabbit!  Thankfully with DH's nap he was able to get the frozen pizza's in the oven and shortly after I ate, I sat in my chair and baby and I fell asleep. A long weekend for him and I.

Monday was poultry showmanship. I took little girl to a friend's house, and DS11, DS9, DS6 stayed home and picked 3 buckets of cucumbers for me then played playstation. It was only DS13, baby and I so that was less stress. Still a huge wait though. Started at 1:00, he showed around 4:30. Did great, got a 5th place in showmanship for his age group. I think there were maybe 25 kids, so that was just awesome.

Today we had to get there at 9 for the showing of the poultry. Out of 6 birds he got a 2nd, 3rd, (2)4th, and 5th place winner. And none by default.. so that was a huge thing. They all did really well, and we are so proud of his taking such good care of his birds.

So we come home and I have one of the boys grab a peach off the tree and bring it over to me so I can see if they are ready. YEP. What did I tell you, middle of fair week they would be ready!! I am having DH pick me up some more jars so I have plenty. Tomorrow we have to hard charge peaches and green beans. Only have to go to the fair to feed animals tomorrow!!

Busy busy busy... The Fair is a lot of fun, but not sure the balance of work is worth it at times!

I am exhausted

Melanie

ARRGHHH...

I am trying to get ready for the fair. For my own entries this time. I thought it would be fun to enter something in the fair since I am there every day of the week with the boys 4-H things. So I signed up for several categories. So far I have tried 3 kinds of fudge. The first 2 didn't even set up, one was really sugary so I didn't cook it long enough. I think I have found a winner this time, but it is a titch too dry. Hoping maybe if I cook it for a little less time that would help. I will make another batch on thursday evening for judging on Sat as I wont have time to make it on Friday.

Well for cheesecake I have tried a lime one, and it was ok. It reminded me of key lime pie, but not as smooth. I am trying to make it from chevre (goat milk cheese) that is similar to cream cheese and you can replace it in any recipe calling for cream cheese. Problem is it is a bit wetter than cream cheese I think. The Lime one was pretty good, but not what you expect in a cheese cake really. So this next time I tried sweet potato cheesecake. It is sweeter like you think a cheesecake should be, but the consistency is strange. I should have put it in the blender maybe? A little bit chunky and not as smooth as the lime. It has a caramel topping on it that makes it great. So I am not sure if I will enter it or give up at this point. The sweet potato one made the crust (graham cracker crust) moist and I didn't care for that either.

The other category I signed up for was jams/jellies. I did make a violet one that is done and ready to go. I haven't made the mulberry one yet because I wanted to use the squeezo to get most of the seeds out. Not sure if I will have time for that this week or not. And then I signed up for blackberry jam and my wild blackberries aren't ready yet!!!! Goodness sakes I am only 1 for 3 in this group.

Then there is the household crafts. I signed up for a quilt and any other quilted item which I was going to do a totebag. Well the quilt top is done, the bug jar one I posted before, but I haven't gotten any further than that with it. I have made dozens of bags, but I have given them all away minus the one I use for my purse and that is a dirty mess from use so that won't work either. And there is not enough time to get one made with all this canning I have to do .

So I am a bit bummed that I am not very Proverbs 31 womenish in the way of making things right now. I guess what I need to do it make things in the winter and get them done, and then sign up for things that I have already completed. Spring and summer is just a hard time for me to get any sewing done at all.

So I go off to the fair with my little violet jelly (unless we get some serious miracles around here)

Melanie

Well the beans, cukes and zukes are all ready for the picking. So far I have had to freeze the green beans because the seal on my pressure cooker wasn't working. I ordered a new one and hoping that will be here today or tomorrow. I prefer canned beans, but the frozen ones will work on in stews and that. So far put away I have

18 quarts of green beans

16 quarts of pickles

4 quarts of zucchini pickles

9 quarts of zucchini relish

Not too bad of a start. DH says the peaches will be ready soon too. Of course they will be ready right in the middle of the fair I am sure!!

So far D-13 has gotten Outstanding of the Day for his Collectibles project for the fair. Yeah for him!!

Off to pick more beans.

Melanie

I have certainly been MIA for a long time. The spring/summer just gets so busy for us that I don't get much computer time let alone blogging time.

The quick version...

We got the garden planted, not as much as a couple of years ago.. but a manageable amount for me. Tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, dill, cilantro, corn, beans, cukes, zucchini. The red raspberries gave us a couple of handfuls as did the strawberries.

I made violet jelly early on from violets in the yard. The color is gorgeous and I am entering it in the county fair. The wild black raspberries gave a great yield this year and I have made 2 batches of jam so far. I also have gobs of mulberries in the freezer to make jelly with when I have time. I am awaiting the blackberries to come in. I am doing a blackberry jam for the fair as well.

Green beans started coming in well so later this week I should be able to can my first batch.

I am trying my hand at chevre (goat milk cheese) cheesecake to enter in the fair. So far I haven't had a great turn out, but I am not that experienced with cheesecakes either. I tried a lime cheesecake first. Looking for something else as I wasn't too sure about it. It was ok.. but not what you think of in a cheesecake.

Ironic my last post was about our new dog Sequioa and how we had the Bichons. Well we cleaned out the bichon's kennel area and that freed up the fence and they got out. My girl Sadie was always running toward the road, just this magnetic attraction. Well before we knew it, on day one I was coming home from 4-H and I thought I saw her hit by a car in the road. DH went and checked it out. When he didn't come back for a long time we knew. So Sadie was with us about 5 years and just didn't transition to being a country dog very well. With 35 acres you would think she would enjoy the running around, but she wasn't content to stay out of the road. We were definately sad about it. Sequioa on the other hand is very smart and is learning commands like 'house' when we want her to go back to the porch. She doesn't venture to the road and stays back, just like a good farm dog should do.

4-H starts on July 26th. We are getting geared up for showing animals. The kids just went yesterday for the miscellaneous judging. They got A's on their projects and had a great time. They also participated in a skill athon which we will hear later on how they did.

So that is the short update. Hopefully I will be back on before another month goes by

Melanie

We have 2 bichon frise dogs for farm dogs. They are those fluffy, white hypoallergenic, 'grandma' lap dogs. Not suited well to the farm. They bark at butterflies! They are outside in a cage because they aren't smart enough to not run the 600 ft to the road and sit down in it. Great indoor house dogs for cuddling and snuggling, but won't do any good as a farm dog.

So DH got a farm dog!! Introducing our new 6 week old German Shepherd farm dog..

SEQUOIA

I wasn't going to even attempt a garden this year after putting so much labor into last years then becoming so sick with morning sickness... but I had to!

Can't let all that tillable land sit there dormant. I have just planted 5 rows of green beans, some onions, 12 small tomato plants, 2 jalepeno, 2 banana peppers. I also planted a mini herb garden if seeds which may not even take... chives, cilantro, dill, spearmint, oregano.

Hoping to buy a couple plants later this week to get in as well :)

Melanie

Well this time last spring I was pregant with the baby and sick sick sick. So the garden went to seed, and nothing got weeded. I have had to make up for lost time this year. The strawberry patch was growing better grass than the front yard does!! And sometimes those grass clumps are harder to get out than the weeds. I have a great majority of the strawberries now weeded and they are flowering and forming small berries already. Praying for a good harvest. Everyone loves strawberries here.

The raspberries were in the same condition. Tons of grass and weeds around them, suffocating them from sunshine and water. I did some weeding of those yesterday and had hoped to finish today. Will see as it is misting and cloudy outside today. These raspberry plants are so special as they came out of my Mother in Laws garden in Michigan. She has been in heaven for 9 years now so they are really an heirloom to us. So I want to strengthen their survival. No flowers yet on them, so I think we are doing well. There are many small plants growing from the last 2 years so they should do fairly well. They are much bigger and sweeter than my wild raspberries.

The garden has been plowed but not disked yet. DH is working on his sickle mower to cut hay as soon as it is ready. It is a very old mower and has had to have a lot of replacements and tune ups. It was a good deal at auction but is taking a lot of work. Still better than paying someone to harvest the hay for us. With the price of hay being so high right now, it is better to harvest our own and sell any extra we have. Hopefully the garden will be worked up soon. I have 2 tomato plants, 2 jalepeno plants and a sweet banana pepper plant I bought at Walmart to get in the ground. Otherwise I am only planting left over seeds from last year.. corn, and green beans mostly. 

Today is the dentist for me. So I am going to get the house cleaned and then head out.

Have a blessed day

Melanie

I got a great dose of sewing this weekend and completed 25 insect jar blocks. I plan to border it in green and yellow.

Melanie

I am not getting much sewing time but did manage a few jar blocks. I am going to make bug jars next for a quilt for one of the boys:) I have a lot of insect material from swapping with people in my quilting groups. I am hoping to make a food jar quilt too.

My list of sewing projects is growing!! Today is raining so I may get a little bit of time to sew. This weekend we are putting the garden in so that will take the extra time up with weeding, picking, canning to provide an awesome winter harvest :)

We have been busy this spring so far.  Various farm projects have kept us outside quite a lot. Building a new cow fence, various chicken projects, rabbit projects. Weeding the strawberries and starting planning for the rest of the garden.

I have made violet petal jelly, will have to get a picture taken of that. Also made Chevre which is goat milk cheese and Ricotta. 

Trying to finish up school and getting ready for our CAT tests (California Achievement Tests).

The Ducklings have grown up!!

So has the Turkey

Melanie

Whewww.. it has been a busy week or so..

My Grandparents came last Friday (though I thought they were coming on Sat evening!). Grandpa helped DH in the basement alot as he took Mon and Tues off to work on getting some rooms done down there for moving the 4 older boys. They are looking great!!

Grandparents left this morning. The boys are outside enjoying a day of spring break. They worked hard for the last 4 days in the basement, I wanted them to be able to enjoy a spring day. It is gorgeous out. They played in the barn and are now fishing in the pond to catch the big one. I guess they had it hooked.. but it got away (I think I have heard this line before)! Wish I could get out but the baby is very fussy today. Probably just overstimulated from 5 days of visitors, noise, busyness... He wants to be held and is very tired today. He is stuffy too and really hates the wind outside anyhow, but being stuffy I just don't want to torment him more by taking him out. I figure when the older boys come in from playing then it will be my turn to at least walk up to the mail box. What I REALLY need is an all terrain stroller! That would be perfect for rolling along the gravel driveway and the paths on the farm, yet baby would have some protection from the elements.

Hoping to get pictures soon, but DS11 got his 2 rabbits for the 4-H fair. English Spots is the breed. His are lilac. A boy and a girl each about 12 weeks old, not related to each other (which is great for breeding in the fall). He named the boy Derby and the girl Dandy. Very nice rabbits. They are currently in the living room so that they get lots of attention.

New bantam chicks and some easter egger chicks (Arauncana which lay pastel colored eggs), in a tote in the bathroom right now. Too cold outside for them, and they are too small to go into the brooder with the older fancy chicks.. We are doing a bit of rearranging and hoping to get them out before too long. Nothing like hearing chicks everytime you go in the bathroom. And we have to leave the door closed because one of our cats is in the house.. I am such a sucker!!

Sheba was pregnant and DH and the boys were begging to let her in to have her babies so that they would be tame and that they wouldn't freeze. We let her in and she had them 2 days later under the bed. She had 4 little ones. 2 black, one an orange tiger, and one orange and white spots. Very cute!! Born April 2nd. So the chickens would be prime prey for her to catch for her babies!

Rabbits in the living room, chicks in the bathroom, kittens under the bed in the kids room.. Good Grief no wonder I feel like I am living on a farm!!!!!!!

Melanie

Yep, we are all doing well.. just been missing in action from the computer lately.

Spring is finally here, and we have started up with 4-H again. This year we are doing rabbits, chickens, and wethers (neutered male goats). Time to start thinking about getting outside and doing some projects. We are still working school into our days and figureing out when we will do some testing for that.

DH and the boys are making 2 bedrooms in the basement. DH took a couple of days off work, and they are hanging drywall today. The rooms are looking great and will be wonderful for moving the 4 oldest boys downstairs, freeing up a bedroom upstairs to get the other 2 children out of my room. So I am excited about getting some room for my sewing table again. It is hard to get everything out and put it back away when I am working on quilt blocks. I haven't been doing a lot of sewing lately, just haven't had the time.

Well just wanted to let everyone know we are still here, just really busy right now :)

Blessings

Melanie

I have not had time to post on here lately. Just busy with the farm stuff and school. I wanted to share a couple of pics though and hopefully can catch up with happenings soon.

Melanie

Ducklings, we are down to 4 now... but aren't they cute!

Our little sunshine on a cloudy day!! What a cutie he is!

A rare glimpse of me :) My littles wanted a picture with me, so couldn't resist. This is in the morning with all my little guys!! The Mom team we call ourselves!

Have a Blessed First Day of Spring!

In my last post I mentioned my yearling doe Willowbee who was due to kid. We were not there when she had her doeling and we think it froze, so chalk that up as another loss... but

we have new chicks, ducklings, and baby turkey (what is a baby turkey called?) Picked them up at the post office this morning :) Here are a few pics.

Melanie

I know the Lord will, in His time. But for now we are mourning a loss on the farm.

Anhelena had quads in the early morning Saturday, and we believe they were all stillborn. 4 babies is a huge stress on a goat. Unfortunately she had 3 girls and 1 boy (girls of course being the desired sex with dairy goats). She was very weak on Friday and we had the vet come out. Her labor had stalled, and so he gave her some shots to get labor going again. She also wouldn't get up and walk, not being able to bear weight on her back legs. He gave her some calcium and we put electrolyte in her water. I checked on her at 4 am and she had given birth already.

We monitored her on Sat, and she started to perk up some. But didn't get up still. We worked with her, and did the things the vet recommended. By Sunday she still wasn't getting up so we stopped by the vets after church and got another shot and some things to help her stomach and try to give her some energy. DH gave that to her in the afternoon. By dinner time she had passed away.

Not only did we lose the quads but we lost the doe as well. We are sad as she was our buddy, much more than just a dumb ole goat. We will mourn for awhile, and consider what to do as far as buying any doelings or another milker. We still have 2 does, the one had 3 bucklings in the previous post. One is pregnant and is very young, so not sure what will happen with her. Really praying she has a very healthy little doeling and that is all.

The Lord is faithful though and we will get through it. Another one of the loses that you endure on a farm. We have had more loss than gain in our short farming experience and it always makes us wonder if we are doing the right thing....

Melanie

Well it was touch and go with 2 of these little guys last week. They got awfully cold and then wouldn't eat. But God was faithful and now they are a week old and doing great!! Our girl Anhelena is in labor right now and will post on her babies as soon as she has them.

Here are some updated pics of Tippy's boys

This one is Avalanche

Here is little Durango

And Rushmore..

Melanie

Our girl Tippy had 3 little bucklings this morning before chores!  They are adorable!!

More pics later...

Melanie

DS 12 is quite the little photographer these days. I wanted to share just 2 of his pics he took a couple of days ago in the ice storm. We are now covered with snow and ice. Oh and The Grands made it safely to us, and have left this morning on the road to Florida.

Melanie

Sleet and snow coming down outside, a slippery mess. Dh is still at work. My 80 year old grandparents are on the roads from Mich to here. Praying for safe travel.

Hot homemade chicken noodle soup in the crockpot for the travellers as well as the sick littles. Baby boy is congested. Little girl is congested and feverish. We always have sickies in Feb, why is that?

Melanie