Country Cabin Living

Counting Sheep

It is another beautiful spring day. Last night, though, was pretty restless. Around 1am, our lab woke Mark and I up barking at a coyote stalking the sheep. (they are on a hilly pasture that is near our bedroom). So, quick as a wink Mark is out there with his varmit rifle and light, but wasn't able to shoot it because his light wasn't strong enough to see him. (today we're going shopping to but a big spot light... and tp) So, after about an hour we settled down back to bed, but alas, no sleep. We kept the window open to hear any commotion out there, so the room was pretty chilly, about  25 degrees out there.

Every slight sound, I shot up and looked out the window and counted all the sheep in the flock... I have a feeling that the old practice of counting sheep when you can't sleep was started by concerned shepherds, trying to keep track of their sheep. The last time I heard the wind up Regulator clock chime it was 3:30am... YAwn :)

Well, yesterday, we had brought all the sheep in the barn to trim their hooves. We kept the two most pregnant ewes in there, and I am so glad we did. That could have been really bad. But this morning, when we went out to do chores, one of those ewes was in labor. Mark ended  up having to pull the first lamb because it had one of his front legs twisted up over the top of his head. The second just shot out very easily. Two little ram babys. I have left the mama in there to clean them up on a fresh bed of straw, and Mark has gone to shoe a couple amish buggy horses and should be home soon.

Our flock of sheep is crashed out sleeping in the warm sun. I don't think they slept much either last night.

Have a great day! I need some more coffee....

~Marie

What projects are you ladies working on????

I just read on Crystal's message boards that several of the ladies are working on crochet projects, knitting projects and yes even sewing projects.  I felt a little like the black sheep of the family when I posted that I am currently working on 3 recipe scrapbooks.  LOL  I don't crochet or knit, and I wanted to finish these projects before starting a new sewing project.  Two of them are for Christmas presents for my SILs and are more than 70% done I would say.  The third one is for a friend and I haven't even started it yet.  I am hoping to get my goodies out tonight and do some work on them though.

I am done with baby quilts for now (which I took pics of and uploaded on the computer and now can not find.  LOL  So I have requests out to the mommy's to send me pics of the babies with their quilts.  When I get them I will try to post for you all!) and will move on to Noah's quilt, and then the sisters and neices aprons for Christmas presents.  I love sewing up aprons.  Many moons ago every woman had several aprons to wear while housekeeping and cooking.  Now a days, I find many of my family and friends don't have one, but when they see mine they want one so badly!  LOL  So hopefully the girls will love their aprons when they receive them.

So, the question is....what projects are you working on right now??? Perhaps you are dipping candles like Chas, or making a new Spring table runner.  Tell us if you are making jelly, or sewing up pajamas (another project for the littles for Christmas this year!), or scrapbooking.  Enquiring minds want to know!

A Pretty Day....

It is so pretty today!!! We are trying to get our school work finished so we can spend sometime out doors:)

We planted onions, lettuce, brocolli, and cabbage last night. We have our potatoes so we can now plant them anytime. We bought 50 pounds so we hope to get a few potatoes this fall:) We also have our tomatoes growing under lights we have now transplanted them the first time...we might have to do this at least one more time. They are looking healthy:) We are also looking into getting a few cherry trees:) Our fruit trees are doing so well.

I have been getting a little spring cleaning done...I have cleaned all the windows it is good to be able to look outside with out finger prints everywhere:) We are working on our downstairs living area too! We have decided to build some built in book cases...we are getting wood for that this weekend.  I don't think we are going to make an extra bedroom now...we just want to get the room finished and painted that might get done at a later date.

I took a lot of great pictures of the chickens yesterday I hope to post them soon...they are also glad things are greening up....we gave them some green grass yesterday they look like they were jumping for joy:) I will be glad when we can get them back out into the chicken tractor. They have been such a joy to have in our little homestead..how very blessed we are!!!  I am still wanting to get rabbits but we are now just getting used to having the chickens. I was surprised that winter wasn't as hard as I thought....it only got  to freezing a few days. I know rabbits need to be kept warmer I think? Always something to learn:)

Many Blessings,

Renee

Friday, March 19th

Get It In Gear Girl!!!

I have to admit I have more energy than in previous weeks of this pregnancy, but I haven't accomplished much with that extra energy.  LOL  I am still dragging my feet a little, and I just need to get my booty into gear!!!  I have made a goal to get this house back into working order by next Friday!  I will work hard on it this weekend with a little help from hubs, and finish up the last details and grocery shopping and pantry organizing next week while Noah is in school!  I feel so disorganized and not myself when the house is in disaray, there is laundry waiting, etc.

So, today is Friday and Noah has no school.  He will be helping me in the toy area cleaning up, putting away and organizing.  He is a wonderful help!!!  After that is done, I will dust all the tables and such and vacuum.  Noah loves to wipe down the tables, so perhaps he will help with that as well!  In between cleaning, vacuuming, etc. I will try to get the dreaded laundry caught up today and put away before the weekend really begins.  For me that means, no laundry during the weekends.  We like to have at least one thing we don't worry about on the weekends.

Matthew will help me with dishes since my hip has been bothering me and I just can't stand very long right now.  It's one of the things he honestly doesn't mind doing.  I am thankful for his help, and hanging out in the kitchen usually puts him in the mood to bake.  LMSO  So maybe we will have some muffins or biscuits this weekend from hubs. 

Tonight Matthew has an appointment at 6 with our tax lady.  I have all the paperwork in order on the family's finances, etc. but since he has his own electrician business, he needs to talk to her about what she needs, etc. to figure his side of the taxes correctly.  We are praying for some BIG MONEY on our tax return, because I have a few bills that need to be paid in full soon.  If the tax refund is as big as I am hoping, we should be debt free except for our mortgage by the end of summer, or the end of the year at the latest!

I wrote our picture appointment for Easter pics down on the wrong day....so pics are TOMORROW, not today.  LOL  I am glad I checked with Renea last night instead of just showing up on the wrong day.  LOL I got NOah some cute sorts and polos yesterday, so I am thinking he will wear his choice of them.  

Well ladies, that is the boring antics of our household.  LMSO  Nothing too exciting here this weekend....taxes, coffee with the girls on Saturday morning, pictures that afternoon, etc,  LOL

Time for a bullet list blog post

* I am having a high engery night and am getting quite a few things done.

* Why must my body always want to be awake when most of the country is sleeping? My mom used to say I've been this way since before birth.  I would always get energetic around 7pm.  Still do.

* We bought new tires for our truck today.  Woohoo!  How very grown up of us.  But what was really grown up was that we were tickled pink to get tires, lol.

* Remember last week when I said my indoor freezer died?  Yeah.  The fridge is now dying a slow death right along side of it.  We will be purchasing a new one hopefully in the next week.

* Hubby wants to get the standard no frills, nothin' fancy fridge.

* While I'm not much on fancy, I'd like one a little bit more....more than he wants.

* He'll win.

* Did I spell bullet right up there?

* My daughter is a much better speller than me.  And most other adults.  She can spell anything.

* I took my son clothes shopping tonight.  Such a less complicated experience than how we women shop for clothes.

* I'm still line drying all the clothes because replacing the dryer just IS NOT on the agenda.  But I actually like hanging the clothes.  I'm thinking of getting each bedroom it's own drying rack that way everyone can let their own clothes dry in their own room.

* We are having a HUGE youth rally at my church starting tomorrow night and going through Saturday.  People are bus-ing in from 6 states and spending the night.  We'll probably have a minimum of 800 people and could have as many as 1300.

* The singing will be AWESOME at the rally.  It will be my favorite part.  Gives you a little teeny glimpse of what the singing in Heaven will be like.

* I'm working registration tomorrow night and on Saturday I'm on 'Potty Watch."  Lol.  Really.  It's one of the many jobs that has to be done to keep the rally running smoothly.  I'm assigned a bathroom and before everything starts and then after each session I'll check to see if it need more supplies or cleaning or...... well let's just say that with that many people being split between about 4 bathrooms there are times when a plunger is needed.  But being on "Potty Watch" as opposed to kitchen duty or something else gives you the opportunity to slip into any class of your choice all day long.    That's one of the reasons I signed up for it.

* After the rally is over me and hubs are heading to Red Lobster for supper to celebrate our good news from yesterday.

* I keep forgetting to buy a new filter for the fish tank.  I'm not a good fish mom.  Sad but very, very true.

* When I get off of here I'm going to do more laundry and hang it all up.

* I need to wash dishes.  I hate washing dishes.

* I've been doing the read the Bible through in 90 days plan.  I know I've heard a lot of people say they don't like it because you read through so fast and they don't have time to dwell.  But I have to say that I am loving it!  Reading that much at a time (14 chapters at a time) really helps you to see that it's not really that much.  Most of us can read 5 times that much of a novel in a day and think nothing of it.

* In exactly 2 weeks from right now I will be at the OpryLand Hotel and Convention center for the Lads 2 Leaders & Leaderetts conference and I will be having SO. MUCH. FUN.

* We bought all new luggage that rolls for the convention because it's a quarter mile walk from your car to your room and last year we bout killed ourselves trying to get it all to our room.  Hence new luggage for this year.  We feel so spiffy.

* My son just came and kissed me on the cheek and offered me some of his milk duds.    He's such a sweety like that.

* I have to get off of here.  I'm going to make use of my late night energy.  I'll be back next week after the Rally is over with and I have recovered from it!

???? Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

I'm just not sure what to call tonight's blog.  Yesterday was rainy and we spent most of the day indoors with the grandsons.  Tyler decided to get them all riled by playing rough in the living room, as if being indoors all day wasn't enough.  I just silently slipped away to the computer to look up some recipes while they went crazy.  Thankfully, my daughter got here shortly thereafter to pick them up.  Gavin just would not calm down. Thanks a lot PaPa

Last night we attended the viewing for Candace.  Wow, this young lady touched many lives.  There had to have been 150-200 people there.  The line to get into the sanctuary was out the door, down the hall, into another room and back up the hall on the opposite side.  She was very well loved.  Today was the funeral and again it was standing room only in 2 large rooms.  It's amazing how many people she blessed in her short time here on this earth.  I'm sure when she saw Jesus he told her "job well done".

Tomorrow is a big shopping day.  I shop for food and misc. items once a month and tomorrow is that day.  I'll be gone most of the day running errands and grocery shopping.  It's not a job I particularly enjoy
But who else is gonna do it.  If I sent Tyler we would dine on cookies, snack cakes, ice cream, peanuts, m&ms and dill pickles.  Not a lot I can do with those ingredients.

I keep running across this recipe for an Amish Friendship cake and wanting to make it but just haven't taken the time.  I think this week-end should be the time.
Have any of you ever made this cake??

I ran out of dish soap yesterday and improvised today until I can get to the store tomorrow.  But after running out I decided that if I can make my own laundry soap for pennies I wonder if I can do the same for dish soap.  So, I started looking for recipes and found one that I am going to try.  It starts out with a base of Ivory soap shavings and a gallon of water. After cooking this until the soap is melted and well combined, you let it partially cool then add 1/2 cup of lemon juice for a grease cutter and then any essential oil scent that you would like.
Voila, you have a gallon of dish soap for very little money.  I'll let y'all know if it works.

Tonight's supper was quick and easy with hamburgers, potato salad and sliced oranges.  I have my menu made but can't remember what is on it for tomorrow night.  Guess I'll let you know tomorrow.

Ooh, I just thought of a title for tonight's blog.  I'll go back up and type it in.

Blessings to all,
Reese

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.....a beautiful day in the neighborhood.....

I woke up to birds chirping outside my window.....a cool crisp air.......a little boy laughing......a hubby's kiss......oh what a wonderful day!  LOL    Ok, so I wanted to sleep in (but Noah had school), but most of the rest is true!!!  While I was running errands I had the window down from some fresh air and I have enjoyed the sun today as well!!!!!

Noah quickly got ready for school today because I spent an extra 10 minutes in bed trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes....and when he was gone on the bus, I went to WAL-MART!!!  Wally World and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love going there......and spending money.......but I hate going there....and spending money!!!  LMSO  I ended up finding a few winter shirts for Noah for next winter on clearance for $5 each and then found a pair of shorts and polo shirt he can wear for pics tomorrow.

Noah is having Easter pics taken tomorrow.  It is cheaper to have them taken now when they are running a special than to wait until his birthday in April to have his 4 year old pics taken, so I am taken advantage!  LMSO   He better smile is all I am going to say!!!

Noah's bus was LATE today coming home.  I was wondering if they were every going to bring my boy home.  LMSO  I called the school and they had some bus problems and were running late.  When they got here, the bus driver said it was their 3 bus of the day!!  UGH!!!  And since they have 19 kids in kids carseats, that means they moved carseats and had to rebuckle, etc. 3 times today! UGH!

Friday, Matthew is talking to our tax lady.  I already have the paperwork all ready for her, except his receipts and such on HIS business.  So the rest is up to him and her.  I am praying for BIG MONEY< NO WHAMMYS!!!  LMSO  I already have alot of the money allocated for one thing or another, so I am hoping it comes in quickly so I can pay off some bills.  I think by the end of summer, or at least by the end of the year for absolutely sure, we should be debt free again except for the mortgage.  Then we will start putting our extra money into paying off the mortage again!!!  YEAH!

This weekend, I am having coffee (ok I dont' drink coffee, so I will have chai! LMSO) with the girls at the coffee shop.  I don't get to make it often, but when I found out my girlfriend from California is going to be there, I put it on the calendar and told Matthew I needed to go and he was in charge of Noah!!!  LMSO

Well all, I hope you have a fabulous day!!!

Life, up date

It has been a long time from my last post.  I am doing some what better with the loss of my beloved Hope.  some days are better than others.  We did adopt a puppy her name is Issabella.  We enjoy her, but she can not replace Hope.  

Kristi our baby turned 18 years old.  That one is hard at times. where did the time go??  She is a senior in high school and going to college, time has gone by so fast.  Our oldest daughter Dejah is expecting our fourth grandbaby on my birthday November 1st.   We are so happy and can not wait for the new baby.

My friend Annie's daughter, Jennifer, who is 25 years old, had emergency surgery due to she has cancer.  Jennifer is getting married in December. Her husband to be and his family are a blessing to them all.  They are sad that Jennifer can not have babies any more, but they say they will love any child brought into the family.  Annie is having a hard time, she is heartbroken.  Jennifer is waiting for her results to start cemo.

I think that is it.  I will be posting more, getting out of this rut.

Blessing's Mj 

It isn't easy being green...

First, I want to thank everyone for all of their kind words & prayers. The Biscuit is doing amazingly well. The swelling is going down. He went all day yesterday without any Tylenol. And he is as full of life as ever. He is ready to go, go, go. We are still saying "No, no ,no" & trying to keep him still but we are losing the battle .

God is good.

Happy (late) St Patrick's Day. We have fun with this day, do you?

We wear green, eat green, make green crafts & read about the life of Patrick who was really an amazing man.

So, being as a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll stop typing & start pasting.

My broken little Biscuit

Our breakfast yesterday

The rainbow shamrock cake we made

And the shamrock pants I made for my oldests birthday this Sunday

It's amazing what you can do with a little food coloring

So we are hangin' in there. We (Mom & Dad) are still pretty traumatized & tend to get teary eyed for no reason. We also spend a lot of time just holding our baby. We've considered a bubble wrap suit but haven't figured out a practical application yet .

Blessings.