Life on the Farm Known as Critterhaven

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Raising Nigerian Dwarf Goats in Southern Middle Tennessee

Another Year...Another Resolution...NOT....

As I started writing to today’s blog, I deleted and rewrote about three times.  Finally in the end I decided to write what I began in the beginning….much of it due to the fact I’m sitting here watching The Biggest Loser and realizing I never want to qualify for that show.  Not because I probably don’t already.  Not because I don’t believe in it, or sit here in awe of the folks who are on it.  Their courage and stamina are amazing.  But mainly because of the failures in my life that have caused me to have to need to consider it.  I sit here saying I’m not as big as they are, but at the same time I realize I could be.  Eat a little more, dessert every night, more soda than I do drink…I’d be there.  First you say, “it’s just 5 more pounds.”  Then it becomes, “ I can lose it anytime.”  Then the excuses are gone, and you are just fat and overweight.  Forget political correctness.  Fat is fat.  Let’s call it what it is. 

What changed it for me?  My kids.  No, I can’t say that. I’m not doing it for them.  I’m doing it for me.  “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”  “For 2009, you have to make time for yourself.”  Yes, quoting Dr. Phil and Oprah there.  Hey, if Oprah can do it so can I.

So far?  Down from a high of 195 to now 192.  Hey, every little bit counts.  Special K in the morning…change from my usual either not eating breakfast, or a quick drive thru at McD’s for a bacon and biscuit, with cheese of course.  Lunch is a salad and a small something else, like sandwich or today spaghetti, about 1 cup.  And supper tonight..I’m

SO proud of myself.  I’m using my kid’s divided plate to lessen my portions, AND I only ate ½ of the burger I had fixed.  On whole wheat bread.  But then I had one cup mac and cheese and ½ cup pork and beans. I know…not exactly low in calories so that is why I cut the portions.  Still eating what I love, just less of it.  No dessert.  No roll.  Tea to drink.  And I only had ½ of a soda today.  The other beverages were the mix in bottle drinks of green tea and energy drink.  Okay, so I just had an English muffin.  A whole wheat English muffin thank you, with strawberry butter on it to finish (like jam but not).  A little at a time, that is my goal.  AND planning meals.  That seems to help.  I’ve never done that before.

What is the magic number?  I’m not sure.  I was fit in 1999 at a weight of 135.  Size 4/6.  But I think that is too low.  I was more anorexic than fit I think.  About 145-150 is more doable and more fit for my body I believe, so that is the goal.  Size 6/8.  And more maintainable I think.

This is the year for me.  As soon as this rain finishes…the walking begins.  We live on a rural road and it is 8/10ths of a mile to the highway.  Walking shoes, here I come!  I love walking, and now have an MP3 player (yard sale) to help me out. 

Now as for the farm, there are more resolutions.  No, I wasn’t going to use that word and I still won’t.  Let’s call them plans.  Okay, so here are the plans for 2009 for the farm.  GET A BARN OF SOME KIND BUILT.  I don’t care if it is a teepee.  I will have a barn.  I mean, the garage is working fine for the babies, but once spring kidding comes we’ll need stalls, and room for moms and babies.  I need a barn, and we’ll have something if I have to frame and build it myself.  Plan 2 is getting the front field fenced.  In stages tho, not all at once like I’ve tried to do in the past.  That is where I failed.  A little at a time, in smaller pens, is best.

Plan 3 is for the rescue part of Critterhaven.  Regardless of whether we get any funding from donations this year, I plan on getting the trailer ready for a kennel type area.  I just have to get my brother in law to remove his things, then do some renovating and it will work so that I don’t have to turn as many away this year.  This plan might not be as doable as the others, but I’m going to try.

What am I listening to right now?  My Twilight CD.  Hubby and I went to see themovie “Twilight” on Dec. 12.  I started reading the books on Dec. 23^rd.  I finished reading all 4 of them, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, on Dec. 29^th.   Am I addicted?  Yes, but not to Twilight.  More to the incredible writing of the former stay at home mom that wrote the series.  Same as I am to JK Rowling and the Harry Potter series.  Yes, I can be young at heart sometimes.  But I am in awe of someone who can spit out stories like that and make a success of it.   I dream of doing that.  I have stories happen every day here on the farm.  If I can just put them down on paper, or laptop as it were, I could be there.  And I plan on it.  Just have to move them from my head to the medium of choice.  I did some fanfic when I was younger, and was told it was good.  Let’s just hope I still have it in me. 

My fav TV show right now?  CHUCK.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Makes me want to go into Best Buy, which I did the other day looking for the Twilight CD, and I couldn’t find it  there, but I couldn’t help giggling the entire time I was in there, especially when I saw the Geek Squad mobile. 

My fav activity right now?  Actually, looking forward to walking….I remember years  ago when I got to go at lunch time at work and I loved it.  I want to get that feeling back.

And my hubby and my New Year’s plan for ourselves?  Okay…call this one a resolution.    Or maybe a goal.  To never go to bed angry at one another, and to make time for family and for us.  I can honestly say I fell in love again all over with my DH over the holidays.  Not because of gifts or the spirit of Christmas, but one night, after the first of the year, we stayed up until 3am in the dark..just talking.  We swore from then on we would be honest and open with each other.  And would you believe how liberating and how eye opening honesty can be and how amazing.  I am so grateful and so honored to have my DH and my children in my life.  God is truly blessing us.  We may not realize it when we struggle with the mortgage, or when we lose a critter or have to sell some of them to help pay the bills, but when kidding season is upon us, or when we are together as a family, it is there, and we just have to open our eyes to see it.

Well enough of plans and goals and likes.  We are looking forward to kidding season here on the farm.  Again.  Babies should start arriving in March, our first time with a polled buck.  I can’t wait to see what we get.  I have people wanting does, but we won’t have any of them available until Fall 2009.  It will be so fun to see what we get this year.  We acquired a doe from Kay at Blessed Assurance Farm, a blue eyed tri color with great genetics.  Ms. Carrie On then decided once she got here she wanted a boyfriend, so Lancelot provided her with one.  Her kids should be due somewhere around June 6^th.

Then we’ve been promised a doeling from our previous baby Brandi from Ms. Lanita at Flanary Keepsake Farm in Ky.  This will be Zorro’s and Auralia’s great grand daughter.  Okay, so I’m still sentimental in trying to keep Zorro’s spirit here at our farm.  Then from our sale of Susanne to Little Wishes Farm and Ms. Teresa we are anticipating a doeling for the fall kidding.  Let’s hope this is a girl year instead of a buck one like last year!

And here in my house, right now, I have 3 little silky chicks we are raising.   My hen decided to hatch hers out in the bitter cold.  6 little chicks.  And now I have 3 left here about 3 weeks later.  Another plan for this year is to get a real pen built for the silkies. 

I am so happy with 2009 already.  Instead of hoping the year is better than last, I’m going to do my best to make it so.  Change cannot be brought about by our government or others, but by ourselves.

Happy New Year, and happy life.