Tumbleweed Farm

Night Time Sledding, Redneck style

2012-01-21T19:55:00.001-08:00

First you have to wait for the tractor or try and catch it...

Then if you were lucky enough to catch it, and stay on, you got a fun ride around the goat pasture...

But if you weren't, you might end up like this...

Or this...

When you are done chasing the tube, you could hang out here...

And get to visit with one of these...

Terri's Birthday Giveaway...

2011-12-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

Head on over to Terrri's blog and wish her a happy birthday! While you are there enter her giveaway...she is giving away her hubby's cheese that he makes!

Science

2011-10-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

For the past few years we have been using Jeannie Fulbrights Apologia Science and we all love it! Right now we are using the Human Anatomy and Physiology elementary science book. We just finished working on cell structure so the kids made their cells out of jello and candy...what kid wouldn't like this book?? Here are some pictures of them making the cells and then eating them. Fun Stuff!!! Sorry about the yellow pictures, I took them with my cell phone and it wasn't the best light.

Fall

2011-10-13T19:57:00.001-07:00

I love fall! It is my favorite time of year. Usually I can't wait for it to get here, but this year our summer showed up late and it was a mild one, I don't think it even got to the triple digits. So I wasn't quite ready for the cooler weather. BUT now that it is here I LOVE it!!
Our schedule has been very busy with Jacob in football several nights a week and CAP, Jocelyn is now in Basketball (and loving it)We also have AWANA for the younger girls. I watch a neighbor preschooler 3 days a week, Jordan has piano and both of the older girls have Bible study every other week... I'm tired just writing it all down. Thankfully football ends after next week. Rob has been helping coach his team so that has been keeping Rob very busy outside of work.
Needless to say we haven't gotten too much done outside. The garden still needs to be rototilled before the freeze hits which will be in the next few weeks. We've trimmed half of the goats hooves and they have all been wormed for the fall. Our irrigation gets turned off tomorrow so soon we will have to start haying the goats...I guess we need to find hay:)We still need to fence in the chicken pen so we can get some eggs. The puppy is growing fast, and boy is she smart.
School is going great, I'm loving it more than any other year. I am not sure why but everything clicked this year. I still have some things to add and they will get added as we go on.

14 today!!!

2011-09-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my son Jacob---14 today!

First Day of School and more

2011-09-16T09:57:00.000-07:00

This week we finally started school...sort of. We are taking it really slow, starting with a few subjects and adding a few each week. This is so we don't get burned out.
Jocelyn's Birthday was last weekend, so in our house you get to pick a day(if it isn't a school day)to spend it playing as much electronics as you want. I figure one day out of the year isn't going to kill them. They normally only get to play on the weekend for a limited amount of time. So Jocelyn picked the first day of school:) This is how she spent the day. I tried to explain to her if she waited a few weeks she would be "skipping" a whole lot more school. She didn't care, haha.

Jacob didn't want his picture taken...go figure he never does.

Of course Jordan did:)

As did Jaelyn.

It was a successful week, hopefully the attitudes continue to be good. I know we will have our ups and downs so I will take our ups when we can get them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2011-09-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

My parents are coming over today to celebrate Jocelyn's and Jacob's birthdays(his is closer to the end of the month. She wants ice cream cake today!! Hope we can get it home without it melting in this 95 degree heat!!

Newest family member

2011-09-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

"CAYENNE" with Jordan
She is a sweet puppy but DRIVING me insane on some days...

Its been a busy summer and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any. It'll just be different, but I am mentally preparing myself (and trying to have a good attitude) for football, piano practice, AWANA, CAP, watching my neighbors son 3 days a week, Jordan's and Jocelyn's Bible study, PLUS I need to do SCHOOL some where in there!! Wish I had some pictures to share but I really haven't gotten my camera out of the case in some time(bad me!!!)

July's Garden

2011-08-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is a little late:) It's the first week in August and I still have yet to get a red tomato. By the end of July I am usually giving tomatoes away because I can't keep up with them. It has been a cooler summer than past summers. I have been harvesting pickling cucumbers,zucchini, basil, chives, I pulled all my onions except for a few. My peppers are growing nicely. I pulled my carrots last week and a friend came over and helped my can them. I am finally getting some green beans!!! We got 3 apricots off our tree. The prune tree will be ready in September. Is it winter yet?? HaHa

Camping 2011

2011-08-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we headed up to the Cascades to do some camping. Rob likes to "rough" it so we went up about 2 miles past the last campers. It was a great spot except no river for the kids to play in and cool off. There were lots of old logging roads to hike on, beautiful wildflowers to pick, and great views. The second night I heard what I thought was some wild cat outside our tent, I woke Rob and asked him where the gun was. The animal went away. Then about 3:50 in the morning I thought I heard a truck trying to start down at the campground. I kept hearing it and was wondering why they couldn't get that stupid truck started. Then the whole sky just lit up...aha...not a truck but thunder. I woke Rob up again (poor guy!) he looked outside and said we should get the kids in the car and pack up and head home. Ten minutes after we got the kids loaded the thunder and lighting stopped (figures). So we headed home and got home about 6:30 in the morning. We had a great time!!

Contest!

2011-07-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

Go over to Home Educating Family and sign up for a couple of contests. This is where I get my planner for school

Their products are very functional and beautiful to boot!

We've Been Busy

2011-07-12T19:58:00.001-07:00

That seems to be the theme of blogland these days. We are no exception. The garden has been keeping the kids and I busy weeding. So far we have harvested chives, thyme, basil, and onions. The weather has been cooler than normal so the veggies are taking their sweet time ripening.
click on pictures to enlarge.

Rob and the kids went raspberry picking while I helped pick up a goat for a friend, which I made into some yummy jam. One day I will hopefully have enough of my own raspberries to make jam with.

We got a free new to us chicken coop, and 6 new young chickens. We also bought 12 new chicks, all laying. We haven't decided if we are doing meat chickens or not this year.

We also got our annual cherries from our neighbor. We are blessed to have orchards all around us. So we froze 6 gallons of cherries and I made freezer cherry pie filling. I wanted to can it so I could give it for Christmas presents but all the recipes called for something called "clear jel" which I couldn't find in the stores so I had to go the freeze route.

We are also going to the park once a week to spend with friends. The kids have a blast playing and having light saber wars.
Our van is still not fixed, the second goat kid died, and just today our well pump went out:( Our neighbors were sweet and let us get some water for drinking and dishes. We have the pump guys coming out tomorrow. Rob tried to fix it(since he is the fix it man) but the pump is submersible and he has never done it before or has never seen it done.
Now that the goats are doing better I am making cheese again. The first feta I made I used to much rennet. But the second one turned out much better. I have also been making chevre...yummy!!! Ice cream, yogurt, and freezing milk for soap. My first batch of soap should be ready to use this week, so we will see how it turned out.
On Fourth of July we headed to the fairgrounds where they give a free concert. This year it was Chris August. It was put on by our local Christian radio station. First time that we have gone there for the Fourth. This song we dedicate to our daughter Jordan:Candy Wrap
http://youtu.be/LttKbL4sv7E
7x70:
http://youtu.be/Q-Ij_PPI_XU

We probably wouldn't have gone except Jacob was presenting Arms before the fire works.

Jacob also got to help out with crowd control and guiding planes around (flight line marshaling), helping out with cleaning the plane and helping with parking when a B-25 "Maid in the Shade" came to our local flight museum. We have had an unusual busy summer so far and it isn't even half over!

This picture I got off of the web, because I forgot my camera both days...grrrr.

Loving Animals is hard

2011-06-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

We've had a rough week here, three of the goats have been fighting something. I believe it is worm overload. We thought it was coccidiosis and was treating them for it. But they weren't getting any better. Then after a conversation with my friend Dalyn white gums and anemia came up. She reminded me that could be worm overload. I did my research and all the symptoms listed here my goats had...grr. So I wormed my whole herd. Unfortunately it was too late for Half- pint. I found her dead Wednesday morning. Her sister was doing a little better until this morning. She probably won't make it to lunch time. Their mom is doing much better. Only time will tell.
If that wasn't bad enough we had to put our 17 year old cat Harley down. There were a lot of tears on Tuesday as we said our good-byes.
I really hope next week is a better week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2011-06-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet hubby Rob, the Big 40!!!

Pickled Asparagus

2011-06-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

This is the recipe I used for pickled asparagus

Yield 8 pints
Tips:
*Buy new jars when you can because I tried to save some money by not buying them and using my old ones...one broke during the water bath...grr
*Always make more of the brine than it says, I had to triple the batch for 20lbs of asparagus.

update

2011-06-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I posted, no excused except life has been pretty busy. Between milking and caring for the goats, the garden went in, BBQ at friends houses, finishing school, chasing chickens out of the gardens, helping out friends, park day, home school activities, add in canning, cheese making...you get the point;) Anyway here is the garden in May and this month.

We had the idea of bringing in truck fulls of compost, since I can't make compost to save my life. But that didn't happen, we bought bags of it instead. It would have been cheaper I am sure if we would have stuck with our original plan. It just never worked out. I lost two tomato plants to our wonderful wind we have here. They were quickly replaced with others. All together we have 34 tomato plants...ummm I think I will be busy;)
I am milking three out of four goats this year. The fourth one has too small of teats to deal with. Hopefully next year they will be a little bit longer. Chevre cheese is my newest addiction, Thanks to my friend Dalyn and her cheese making abilities.
Rob has been busy at work, fishing with the kids, and trying to keep up with all the projects around here. I think we both need about 6 more hours in the day. On top of all he has to do, our van's transmission went out about 6 weeks ago...grr. It will all get done, I know, just hard not having a second car, especially when the vehicle we do have is an Excursion. Can you see $$$$$$??? Needless to say we won't be going to too many places this summer.
Hope you all have a great week!!!

2011 kidding~It's over!

2011-05-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our last goat Starburst had her kids, twins, and they were big! I ended up pulling,I mean pulling really hard cuz they were so big! They didn't want to come out! Here are some pictures from this years kids.

Starburst and her kids:

The girl(haven't picked out a name yet)

The boy

Spaz and her triplets:

Boy on left, girls on right. Peggy in the back and Half-pint in front.

Praise and Mimi:

Smores:

Mocha

Praise and her kids(Had triplets but one died):

Boy:

Boy:

That is a total of 5 girls and 4 boys. What a fun time we have had, but I sure am glad it is over;)

Head over to Homestead Revival to check out more!

Mothers Day Hike ~one day late

2011-05-10T06:45:00.001-07:00

On Mothers Day we were supposed to go hiking, but the weather wasn't cooperating so we waited until Monday to head out. A friend told me about this trail just recently so we decided to try it out. It is only about 10 minutes from our house( I can't believe I have lived here for almost 5 years and didn't know this trail existed!) So the kids packed up their back packs and we headed out.
The view at the start of the trail.

Another view from a different direction.

Starting off on the trail.

See that grey road looking thingy? Thats where we are headed, but I really didn't think we were going all the way down there. See the trail? That's what we traveled on.

We saw a dead rabbit along the way.

UP UP UP...we took Daisy dog with us. She was the girls protector on the narrow parts. She would walk between the edge and the little girls so they wouldn't slide down the hill.

Rob: alway on the edge;)

A great look for Jordan, don't you think? She was having a great time, just a bad picture.

See the grey? Thats where we are headed...

Almost there...

That sign was about half way down...at this point not looking forward to going back up.

Made it to the river at the bottom.

Can you see the rattle snake? It was under the bridge we were standing on. I HATE SNAKES!

Heading back up! I survived and didn't really have to catch my breath on the way up;) The kids did great, even Jaelyn. She was dressed warmly so she was pretty toasty going back up but she was a trooper!

Them Chickens!

2011-05-05T06:55:00.001-07:00

We have slowly gotten outside to do things around the yard. We've been working in the garden building up the mounds and planting some things, planting in the greenhouse, mowing, watering just plain cleaning up. Jordan and I worked in the little flower garden we have that is in front of the garage. We spent about an hour an a half weeding and laying down a top coat of fresh dirt, then we headed inside to get ready for our last night of AWANA. Shortly there after, Jacob was outside and saw me in the window and mouthed me the words "do you see what the chickens did?" OH I could only imagine...I so want flowers with pretty beds. But until we get these chickens locked up(and throw away the key)there will be no flowers for this momma...I finally had the nerve to look at it this morning. GRRRR!!!

Anyone have any ideas to keep my chickens out of my flower bed(besides the chicken coop fence? Or do I just give up the dream of having pretty flowers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAELYN!!!

2011-04-27T11:35:00.001-07:00

Don't let her size fool you, she has a lot of spunk for someone so small. She will definitely keep us on our toes for years to come;) Happy Birthday Jaelyn #6, we love you!!!

MiMi's Girls

2011-04-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Another long night Jordan and I had last night. I noticed MiMi's udder was a lot harder than before when I was feeding her her grain. So we watched her a little bit closer and then decided to put her in the kidding stall. Off I went to drop Jacob off and do some grocery shopping. Rob and the girls took turns checking on her. By the time I was ready to turn out the light she was showing progress(figures, especially since I have a busy day today). Got Jordan up and stayed out in the mid 20 degree weather until 1am. Headed inside for some shut eye, then went back out around 2:30 and she was gooing. No more progress until I went out again at 3:45 and the babies had just been born. I tried to call Jordan on the walkie talkie, but she must have been sleeping pretty hard cuz she didn't hear me. They are so cute and so much stronger than Praises kids. Look Dalyn she has spots!! OK not exactly spots but I will pretend she does:)

Blessed Be Your Name

2011-04-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

The boys are here

2011-04-09T07:36:00.001-07:00

Thursday night when I got home from our home school meeting, I went to check on Praise and Mimi before heading to bed. Praise had started to goo so I got the "stuff" ready(towels, gloves, lube). I got Jordan out of bed and we watched and watched and watched until 1am. Praise wasn't progressing and it was COLD!!! So we turned on the heat lamp and headed to bed. I woke about every hour to check on her and still nothing. By the next morning Praise started to goo again so we were on watch again...well to make a very boring and long story shorter. Praise delivered triplets around 2:30pm. Unfortunately, the first had gotten stuck in the birth canal and died. He came out butt and elbow first. Poor Praise worked and worked. I had to pull and pull (she wouldn't let me turn it) so it was done the hard way. The second and third kids were fine just really tired and weak. Rob (of course) wasn't home and I don't do shots:) so it was strong coffee and colostrum until he got home to give them their BOSE shots. It took a lot of work but after about 1 1/2 hours they were up and wobbly. This morning they look great. I did have to milk Praise off a little bit, she was so swollen. The chickens, cats and Daisy enjoyed a nice bowl of goats milk. The boys will either be sold or butchered, so we don't name them, but they sure are cute!

This one looks a lot like Dalyn's Handsome Rob.

This one looks like his half sister Starburst(header picture).

Girls Weekend!

2011-04-05T17:28:00.000-07:00

It wasn't supposed to be a girls weekend, but Jacob came down with a fever Friday night and Rob stayed home with him. The girls and I packed up and headed to the far East of Washington to celebrate my friends 25th wedding anniversary! T and R are about the sweetest couple you would ever meet! They have an unusual courting story which I don't have permission to tell so I won't;)At the party T sang a song to R that he had written. It was beautiful and there wasn't a dry eye in sight! Including yours truly! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY T AND R!!!

Jocelyn always posing in front of the camera!

The girls eating breakfast at the hotel.

Jordan jumping in the pool!

Jaelyn trying to hold up the towel on her head. The girl is short, so she couldn't do anything in the pool except walk on the steps in the pool or walk around on the seat of the hot tub. I feel your pain my dear!

Our Crazy Farm~But how are you really doing?

2011-03-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

Another great post by Terri.

This and That

2011-03-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Not much is going on, the same ole stuff. There have been a few exceptions.

We tore down the yucky chicken fence and will replace with another just as soon as we have time and money.

Jacob participated in posting the colors at an Hispanic wedding expo. He is carrying the Washington State Flag.

Jordan celebrated her 11th Birthday..(notice the Christmas wrapping paper, this is what happens when you let children do the wrapping)

Found a great childrens gardening book!

With great pictures!

With great ideas, and timed projects that the kids can do by themselves.

Planted onions, Broccoli, and lettuce in the greenhouse. Next week it will be all the summer veggies.

Teaching the goats some tricks and waiting patiently(NOT) for kids to arrive starting in the next couple of weeks all the way through June.

Ever seen a goat with a missing tooth?? Excuse the green she didn't floss that morning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN!!!

2011-03-24T10:38:00.001-07:00

She is one of the most sensitive girls I know. She is always putting others before herself. Even today, her birthday, she is letting her sister play electronic games before she does. She never complains when I ask her to do something. She is a way better mom than I, plus she is taller than me. She will get the little kids to clean up by thinking up games so it makes it "fun". She loves to cook, craft, garden, and play games. Happy #11 my sweet girl!!!

Our Crazy Farm~The Celebration

2011-03-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

http://ourcrazyfarm.blogspot.com/2011/03/celebration.html

This is a hard read, but a wonderful testimony to God's faithfulness. Terri writes about the celebration of her son Trent's life. Terri and her husband boldly share their faith with anyone who will listen. Thank you Terri for your boldness to share the gospel! Please read and be encouraged!

Running to Win:The Mark Anderson Story, Focus on The Family

2011-03-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

We listened to this on the way home tonight, what a great testimony.

Teresa

I love packages!

2011-03-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I entered a give away at Lisa's blog hosted by Michelle, or was it the other way around?? Anyway, I was one of the winners! So this is what Lisa sent me last week! Thank you so much Lisa! I love the apron and so does my daughter!! Go check out both Lisa's blog and Michelle's blog.

Courageous - In Theaters September 30

2011-03-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Courageous - In Theaters September 30

Sunday Blessing

2011-03-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 2:9

But as it is written,
Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
KJV

Home made Sushi!

2011-03-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

The other day when we were at Borders Bookstore(our home away from home), Jocelyn was searching what to buy with her gift card. She received one on her birthday last September, and has been searching for that something special to buy ever since. She came across a Sushi making kit. She was so excited to finally find something.

I was kinda not looking forward to making these things, for fear it wouldn't taste or look like the ones we get at the restaurant. Jocelyn is very sensitive and I was worried that she would be very disappointed. I am so glad she got it. The first ones weren't very pretty, but tasted just like the restaurants:) We made several sushi rolls, using only basic ingredients: cucumbers and carrots. I had planned on putting avocado but it wasn't quite ripe. Rob, the kids, and myself took turns rolling the rice on the little mat. We had a great time doing it and we made pigs of ourselves eating it;) Some rolls turned out worse than others, but they tasted good so we ate them. This picture is some of the better rolled ones.

Photo Credit: Jacob

Our God

2011-02-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Girls sporting their wears

2011-02-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

This morning it was 2 degrees. Since the heat lamp isn't working thanks to the goats, this will have to do. Thankfully it is supposed to be back up in the 30's for night time temps tomorrow night so I won't have to wrestle with the goats to get them on.

Update on Prayers Needed

2011-02-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Update from Terri from Our Crazy Farm. Please continue to PRAY for this family.

Prayers are Needed!!!

2011-02-20T09:20:00.001-08:00

Please PRAY for my friend Terri and her family as their 12 year old son died in an accident this past Friday. My heart aches for their loss, but I am rejoicing for Trent that he is with his KING.
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Phl 4:4
Terri has a strong faith that I am sure will bring her through this.

THANKFUL!!!

2011-02-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 106:1

Even though we have the stomach flu running through our house like there is no tomorrow I am Thankful.
I am Thankful that this flu is supposedly a 24 hour flu.
I am Thankful that Jacob is almost done and Jordan has yet to get it so if I do come down with it there is someone to do the animal chores.
I am Thankful for the sunshine we have today.
I am Thankful for Rob being out of town so he might miss this episode of "PUKIES"
I am Thankful for Jordan who walked up the stairs and said "I got up so I could help with all of the chore of the "PUKIES"
I am Thankful Daisy Dog decided last night was the night NOT to wake me up to go out side.
I am Thankful we did an overall cleaning yesterday, so we can rest today.
I am Thankful for enough bathrooms and garbage cans to go around.
I am Thankful, even with my "wanna be like those cool Pioneer ladies", for my washing machine and my dryer.
There is so much to be Thankful for!

Goat Pictures Galore

2011-02-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

Jaelyn and Praise

Teats of Praise

Victory, my first goat given to me by my friend Dalyn. She has a mass in her udder so I haven't bred her the last few years. Someone had told me to use a mastitis treatment on her. Haven't tried that, any suggestions would be helpful. The vet wasn't helpful at all.

Jaelyn and Praise

Dot

The girls laying in the sunshine, all except Dot. She wouldn't lay down if we were in the pasture for fear we might come near her. She is a bit wild still. We've been working on her.

Praise resting in the sunshine.

Dot

Victory, Jocelyn, Jaelyn, and Spaz

Dot

Mimi

L to R~ Spaz, Mimi, Praise, Dot, Victory, and Starburst. Jordan in the back.

Praise~look at the belly. She is due sometime between mid April and mid May. Mimi is also due at that time(if it took;0). Spaz and Starburst are due mid May to mid June(if it took). Praise is the only one I can "see" so far as being prego.

Looky Looky

2011-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Guess what rob is building me?? Any guesses? Here are 2 hints: 1) It's NOT for me...2) Where it is now, it won't be when its done...

2011-02-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Heather at Mountain Home quilts is having a give~away. Building a Winning Curriculum put out by Vision Forum. Go check her blog out for all the details!

A New Blog

2011-02-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Love the farm life? Check out Joni's blog. I have been waiting some time for her to start her blog. She is a friend of mine, through Dalyn. So the pressure was on!! And she finally CAVED!!! WOOHOO!!! If I could only be a fly in her pasture, I could learn so much.
So Go check her blog out!

Nature Hike

2011-02-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we went to our local duck pond. Of course it was mostly ice. The kids did some nature drawings, the subject was Cattails. I wish I knew how to scan them in and post them but nope don't know how to do that;)So I will just show some pictures we took. The goose was not happy about us being there, but she never attacked.

Proud Mama & PaPa

2011-02-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

This week Jacob got to participate in posting the colors at the Capitol. He is part of CAP(Civil Air Patrol) and the state was recognizing them. So Jacob's Squadron was the one that got to post the colors. Sorry about the blurriness, Rob was taking pictures since I wasn't there and he thinks he hit a button?? These are the only pictures that came out, bummer. Hoping someone else took some. The boys worked really hard and Rob said they did great! They were in step the whole time. Jacob is the one on the left. Way to go Jacob!

One chicken~three meals

2011-01-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

One way to stretch the money for food is to get multiple meals out of a chicken. I bought chicken on sale for $.69 lb a couple of weeks ago, I bought six of them. At the time I thought I would just roast them like I always do. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to see how many meals I could get out of it. So I started out putting the chicken in water and cooking if for about an hour, took it out and let it cool down. Then I took the skin off and shredded it (no pics, sorry) The first meal I made was chicken enchiladas. I don't make the standard enchiladas I made it into a casserole, layering the ingredients instead of rolling the tortillas. This not only takes less time it also uses less tortillas.

#1

Chicken Enchiladas:
2 sm cans enchilada sauce(or 1 lg)
shredded chicken(use as much or as little as you want)
1/2-1 onion diced
1 sm can diced green chilies
corn tortillas 10-12
shredded cheese(I used mozzarella and Mexican style cheese
I start by heating the sauce up to a simmer and then turning of the heat
At the same time pour 1/2 in to an inch of oil in bottom of stock pot(one with high sides)
heat oil up on a med/high heat
once it gets to temp, using tongs dip tortilla in oil for about 5-10 seconds then put on paper towel to drain and cool. Do all tortillas.
Put a spoonful of sauce in bottom of 9x13 casserole dish
After the tortillas have been dipped in oil and drained, dip them in the sauce and then wipe off extra(gettin dirty here) with fingers:)
lay them in casserole dish not over lapping(should be 3-4 per layer)
add shredded chicken, 1/3 of cheese, 1/2 of onion, 1/2 of can of chilies.
start layers all over again. top off with last layer of tortillas and cheese. heat in oven at 350 dergrees for 30 min or until cheese is melted and it is heated through.
I was hoping for some leftovers but between Jacob and Rob there wasn't any to be had;)

#2

Chicken Quesadillas
cook onion and bell pepper until limp
heat up griddle
put shredded chicken, cheese and onion mixture on tortilla and then top with another.
Grill on one side (350 degrees) and then flip. cook until brown on both sides and cheese is melted
using a pizza cutter, cut into triangles

#3

Chicken soup:
When I cook a whole chicken, I throw the carcass in the freezer to use for stock later on. I had three in the freezer so I made a huge batch of stock. I had enough leftover to freeze for another meal.
After the stock was done I drained it off and added more celery, onion, carrot, garlic and seasonings. I added the rest of my shredded chicken and cooked for a couple of hours. At the end of the cooking time I added the noodles and cooked them until they were done.

Rob was heading to a night job and was going to be outside so I wanted to send warm food with him. I also made the yummy bread on the plate.

It was great satisfaction to be able to stretch one meal into 3.

Fess' up Friday's

2011-01-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

Dalyn over at Muck~N~Aprons is giving away $55 to spend at CSN stores any way you like. OK here is my Fess... I love to beat the kids at games...no mercy here. Just today we were playing slug bug in the car, I was winning and I loved it;) I am a VERY poor winner. Not a great example for the kids I know. Maybe this is why hubby doesn't like to play with me. Any game will do, but my specialty is yahtzee, and 4 kings in a corner. I am not a poor loser but if I do lose I will usually want a re-match. So there you go, my big fess up! Now its your turn, head over to Dalyn's and check out her cute blog and you too can Fess up!

Butchering Sheep

2011-01-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

***NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACH***

Turn back now...

Pictures ahead...

Last Chance...

OK one more chance...

It's really not bad by my standards but some might think so.

This is the girl we butchered (by "we" I mean Rob)

This is the one of the knives Rob used, he will definitely be buying more.

Getting the pulley set up.

Putting the legs in the spreader.

Finally hung up and ready to cut into.

First cutting.

As the internal organs started to fall out it got more difficult, but he figured it out.

Jacob and Jordan holding back the wool so none would get in the meat.

Starting to skin it.

J&J holding back the wool once again.

Almost done skinning.

internal organs on the ground.

cutting off the hoof area.

Lungs inside the cavity.

Cutting off the front leg.

Cutting off hoof area.

First leg done.

Rest of the carcass.

I didn't take anymore pictures after this, we were running around getting bowls and rinsing.
The table is a door off of an old refrigerator.
The older kids helped the whole time, asking great questions. We talked about the difference between our meat and store bought meat, and how it was so important to know this skill. Jaelyn came out once and took some picture, but Jocelyn was no where to be found;)

Bad Goaties

2011-01-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

Came out to the pasture to find this:

Except no one is fessing up to doing it...

Who me?

Not me mom

The they won't even let me in there.

Could it be mother daughter duo?

Well if the goats didn't do it then maybe the chickens did, they seem to be hiding out under the porch.

This is what we get for buying a cheapo shed. Rob has plans on building one this Spring/Summer.

Playing with my New Toy

2011-01-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

The only thing I really wanted for Christmas (besides kitchen, gardening, and goat stuff which my husband refuses to buy as a present) was editing software for photography. So I asked my friend at church/ photographer extraordinar Samantha which program was the best for beginning and she suggested this one. Thank you Samantha! fun stuff. But considering I am unable to just wing it and learn as I go I decided to buy a book:

I have realized after so many years that I cannot just pick up a book and learn without reading it over and over again. This is probably the reason why I did so poorly in History, but did great in Math. By that time I give up on the whole idea. So when I was scanning books to get and found this one I was overjoyed! It gives you a CD to upload lessons on you computer. So when you are going chapter by chapter it has the exact same pictures to work with that are in the book. I really have enjoyed the lessons, but I have also realized I could never do an online school at this time in my life. There are way too many distractions and the noise is way too loud to concentrate. I am looking forward to more lessons in the future, although it may take me awhile to get through the book. And at my age I may have to go through it all over again after I am done just so I can remember what I learned;) Ok, I am not that old but I will still have to go through it again.

Dreaming

2011-01-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

planning
scheming
plotting
hoping
waiting
drawing
researching
charting
coloring
reading
dreaming of Spring...but without the wind thank you very much!

2010 Projects

2011-01-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

Beginning of last year, after reading Terri's list we made a list of things we wanted to accomplish on our property. My list isn't quite as long as hers but we have a few less acres than she does;)The list can seem overwhelming but at the end of the year it is nice to see things got crossed off.
*completed or worked on
Outdoor
Garden:
Fencing around garden
*more berries
*take garden edging out
*work on getting compost built up
finish fencing around yard
*Can more fruit/vegtables (only did some since our garden was flop last year)

goat pasture
*remove old sprinklers and put in pop up sprinklers
pump house fixed
*milk shelter/hay shelter (still need some shelter so the hay doesn't go bad)
*pump rebuilt

Front yard
*take mailbox fence down
lattice around bottom of porch
*more flowers
repair concrete landing
*paint stairs and railing
fill up low spot that collects water
*fruit trees (need more still)
prune plum tree
*climbing roses (need more of these still)

Backyard
grass
paint shed
rewire sprinklers
kids play area
fix deck
lattice around bottom of back porch

poultry
new meat and layers
turkeys

There were a lot of inside projects on the list but we didn't even get to touch those. We got a lot done that wasn't on the list. This year we will be focusing on the back yard. Grass grass grass is the name of the game. We are so tired of dirt dirt dirt.

Christmas Recap

2011-01-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas started the week before with the childrens program where there were several kids singing solos and duets. Jordan and Jocelyn sang a duet together. Mama's tummy was a ball of nerves.(sorry about the red eye)

The day after the childrens program we started to get sick. By Christmas eve Rob and I had been in bed a few days. Neither one of us had a voice and when we did we coughed. So the reading of Luke in the Bible was read by Jordan.

Me on Christmas morning, I was trying to keep oatmeal down;)

Rob on Christmas morning, he was freezing and after the presents were opened we both headed back to bed.

Have a great one!!

2010-12-31T18:09:00.000-08:00

May your next year be full of Blessings!!

Merry CHRISTmas

2010-12-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

From our Family to yours!

New friend, hope it won't stay long.

2010-12-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

We found some a new friend this week and it immediately moved in with us. Some of us have taken to it more than others. We are hoping it won't stay long because it has already been here all week and we really aren't enjoying it. It even brought their friends, can you image?? How Rude can you be??

They have totally taken over our kitchen!!

And the Bathroom!!

Yep, and right before Christmas to make sure all of our plans get ruined. Thanks friend, thanks a lot!

Flu is the name of our friend I hope it stays away from your house!

Christmas Time!

2010-12-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

Family time give away!

2010-12-14T12:38:00.005-08:00

The legacy of home is having a give away, check it out. Love games? she is giving two away on her blog.

Family time give away!

2010-12-14T12:38:00.003-08:00

The legacy of home is having a give away, check it out. Love games? she is giving two away on her blog.

O' CHRISTmas Tree

2010-11-29T07:11:00.001-08:00

Yep we have one of those...an artificial Christmas Tree. We love the smell of fresh but like the price of this one. We bought it from a friend about 7 years ago, for $25. I think we have gotten our money out of it;) The kids enjoy putting it up so much, we just let them do it, hahaha. Rob and I just sit back and snap pictures.

Redneck Sledding Rob Style

2010-11-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

The kids finally got their wish today. They wait all year for this and start talking about it in September when the weather cools down. Rob has just as much fun as the kids.

SNOW

2010-11-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

We got snow a few days ago and then yesterday we got the mother load. So the kids got their gear on and braved the the teen temps to go sledding behind our house. The pictures were taken by me through the window, while I was in my nice warm house;)

Football banquet

2010-11-24T08:42:00.000-08:00

Last week we finally had Jacobs football banquet. He was honored with the Team Spirit award. The coach had some very nice things to say about him. We were some proud parents that night. Coach isn't much on "talking" so when he stood up there and spoke of him, ya know I was beaming! Sorry for the pictures being blurry...Florescent lights and hubby not really knowing my camara add up to not having the best pictures. I was thankful he was taking them so I could play with someones baby:)

Cold Morning

2010-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Sunrise off my back deck this morning. We have had some very cold temps the past few days. Last night it got down to -11, brrr. The goats aren't doing so well so I am off to fight the TDay traffic to get some doggie blankets.

Cutie-shh don't tell him

2010-11-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Jacob in his blues.

yep I know his tie is too short, it wasn't when we bought it earlier this year, goodness this kid needs to stop growing. He is already taller than me.

Shoot

2010-11-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

The family that shoots together stays together:)Sunday after church we headed to the hills near by to go shooting.
No, this isn't one of ours.

The view.

The boys setting up.

The .22 my dad gave Jacob for his birthday.

Me shooting the .380

Jordan shooting Jacob's other .22

Jaelyn playing peekaboo

Jocelyn shooting the BB gun.

You learn at a very early age to plug your ears when dad is shooting.

Jacob trying a different position.

Rob in the dirt.

Sleepy Head

2010-11-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

Last night Jordan asked me to come down stairs so she could show me something...sleeping on her beloved Baby.

Jacob's Football #23

2010-11-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Now that football is officially over I actually have time to post:) We had a great season, his second year. He had to change teams right before they started to play their games because his original team didn't have enough players. His dad and I thought going on a new team he wouldn't have much playing time, and that was true in the beginning. But I think his 100% attitude helped. By the last few games he was playing the entire game;) Way to Go Jacob! All in all he had a great time and learned a lot. Although with any "boys" team there was a lot learned that I could of done without;)

AWANA-Crazy Hair Night

2010-11-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had Crazy Hair Night at AWANA, this is what the girls wanted:

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Teenager!

2010-09-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I have a teenager, a cool one at that! What a good kid this one is. Lover of animals, Legos, and life in general. He loves to harass his sisters and gets away with it since he is the only boy in the group! He sure does love them tho.
Happy Birthday Jakey wakey!!

Science

2010-09-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

So far we are this year we have covered some anatomy using Apologia Science. LOVE LOVE LOVE their books. So do the kids and that is what matters right??!! Our first lesson was on cells, so Saturday we make edible cells...what could be more fun than that? Yellow jello, candies and waaallla....what could be more easy than that? There is actually more to it than that but you get my drift. If you are doing the edible cells you might want to use a bowl that isn't too big(this is the right size)

or it might look like this:

But it is supposed to look like this:

We all had fun making it and the kids had fun eating it!

Look What Daddy Bought For Mommy

2010-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

A milking Barn!!! WOOHOO!! I think he felt sorry for me, having to milk in the wind, rain, snow, etc...so he searched and searched and found one in the our state that had kits that you put together on your site. We all chipped in!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2010-09-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jocelyn!! #8 is great! Have a wonderful day sweetie!

An Award

2010-09-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

Terri over at Our Crazy Farm gave me this Award! Thanks Terri! You are an inspiration to this farm girl wanna be. I love how you work with your kids and your zeal for life. If only I lived closer I could learn even more;)
Here are a few of my favorite blogs:
Michelle over at Room to Bloom is a good friend of mine who only lives minutes from my house. I love her craftiness and love for her family. We used to get together at least once a week to do crafts and let the children play, but lately life has gotten in the way!! We need to remedy that!! We have animals and homeschooling in common also.
Dalyn over at Muckboots and Aprons is another friend of mine that lives here locally. She is the one of my first friends when I moved here. We used to live in the same town and go to the same church before we moved here, but we never knew each other then. Dalyn was the one who got me wanting goats in the first place, and actually gave me my first goat. She loves the Lord with all her might and isn't afraid to show it. Go check her out!
Jane is antoher favorite. I have been reading her blog for a few years now and it never gets old! I love her homeschooling ways and ideas.
Do you want good recipes? Go over and check out Sandra over at Keeping it Simple and if not she has a whole lot more on there also.
Love photography?cute kids? homeschooling Go check out Rebecca's blog for a great read.

Thanks Ladies! Wish I could put you all in there but there isn't enough computer memory for that!!! There are a lot of WONDERFUL blogs out there...too many...way too many...

Bruiser

2010-08-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Bruiser was hit by a car last night and after Rob and I took them to the ER vet we had to make the decision to put him down. That was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do. And what makes it worse was that only the oldest knew he was hit, so then we had to tell them all in the morning their sweet dog was gone. So many tears shed today by all. It is sooo quiet here without our Bruiser. He wasn't loud, but his presence was. It is so weird to realize just how much he was in our lives. "Don't throw the chicken food out if Bruiser is outside", " Is Bruiser inside or out"~how many times had I said that daily?? "Is the gate closed", "Pick up the cat food so Bruiser doesn't eat it"...the silence here is deafening...we will miss the ole Lug! We always keep the gate closed except on Monday nights when we have garbage early Tuesday morning. So when we got home last night I had let him out, he doesn't usually go anywhere but to pee and come back...except for last night. I went to look for him outside after putting the kids to bed. The neighbor was calling me from across the street...I couldn't really hear her, except that she had Bruiser and he had been hit...I went and got my car keys and told Jacob to lock the doors because Bruiser had been hit by a car. I drove two driveways over and bruiser was laying there with the neighbor. He had drug himself about 50 yards. We originally thought he had broken back legs...but after the vet had looked at him she realized he most likely had a severed spine. Then I knew. How hard that night was. I am so thankful for good neighbors and that my husband was in town. I can't imagine having to go through that alone. We will miss him so much!!

My new favorite planner

2010-08-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.wellplannedday.com/
After years of making up my own planners I finally found something that will work. I L.O.V.E it!! Thank you Dalyn for showing this to me. Not only does it have space for 4 kids, it has Bible verses to memorize for the week, daily scripture reading, grocery lists, menu lists, and its so pretty!! Ya gotta go check this one out!!

Sad News, please pray!

2010-08-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.kimatv.com/news/local/100814594.html
This is devastating news. To loss one is bad enough, but to loss 3 is unimaginable. The State Patrol needs prayers to get through this right now, as does the families who lost love ones.

Great Blog

2010-08-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Need some encouragement? Check this blog out!
http://raisinghomemakers.com/

Read Alouds

2010-08-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

Wanted to know YOUR favorite read alouds to the kids. Any age will do! I am making my list for the year and needed some input. Thanks

other news

2010-08-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

In other news our wether kid died a couple days after we got back from my parents house. Apparently he had internal injuries and was bleeding internally. The vet put him down. It probably happened when one of the larger goats decided to push him around and pushed too hard. It is a long drawn out story and I won't bore you with the details. This is the first death of a goat that we have had since having goats. The kids handled it really well. Jordan went with Rob to the vet and didn't even shed a tear. We definitely have some farm kids here. I am also milking 2x a day now. I was only getting a little less than a pint so I decided to put Dot in confinement so I could milk in the evenings. Breeding season is coming upon us so I will be taking my girls one at a time to Dalyn's to meet their buck! Looking forward to next year cause I will have milk coming out my ears!
I am finally getting to feel better after testing positive for strep this past weekend. I ended up going to the ER Sunday morning with the family in tow. It came out of no where and came on so fast. So far no one else has any symptoms. I wouldn't wish that on my worse enemy. Talk about pain!!
Football camp is this week and the season starts next week, so much for summer! And in a few weeks we will be starting school. I am looking forward to this year like no other. We have changed up the curriculum a bit and I am very excited. It will be a complete new year for Jacob although I don't think he is too excited;)

Parents house

2010-08-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well its been awhile since I last posted! A few weekend ago the kids and I went to my parents house for a few days. The kids of course had a blast! We brought their bikes and they rode them up and down the street so many times. My parents live on a dead end street with little traffic so it really is a great place to ride. I can't believe we didn't get any pictures of them riding. The other things they did were row around in the dingy. That was a blast to watch and brought back many memories of myself doing the same thing at their age. We also went to the beach again, although we didn't stay long because there was a yellow lab there begging for attention with a very loud bark. It kept barking at us over and over and over again. So we finally gave up and headed back to the house. Of course that was when the dog decided to leave also:)
Dad also took the kids out in the boat to get crab, YUMMY!! The kids love crab. Especially when they help bring it home from the pots.

Family

2010-07-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Mimi and BaBa

Jennine and Jerry

The kids with cousin Cody

Cody up to bat.

Jennine and Rob

Bob and Shirley with Jordan and Jocelyn

Uncle Jerry holding Jaelyn while the boys try and get some baseballs.

Fossil Rim, Glen Rose Texas

2010-07-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

One of the favorites among the crowd was fossil Rim, a drive through animal park. We left early in the morning to beat the heat and drove 1 1/2 hours to get there. It was well worth it. Feeding the giraffe out of our hands was so much fun. Definitely a memory maker. I can't believe how gentle the giraffes were. They just stood there waiting for the next car to come feed them. Of course that wasn't the only thing we saw there. There was also Rhinos, buffalo, cheetahs, ostriches, zebras, lots of different types of deer and so much more. If you ever get the chance to go I would highly recommend it. What we didn't know was there was a creation museum in the same town. I wish we would have known, maybe on the next trip down.

CHERRIES!!!

2010-07-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

It's cherry season here in E. WA. We have two cherry orchards within walking distance from my house. Last week the kids and I picked from one of the orchards. We only got enough to eat. Today Dalyn and her crew and Me and my crew picked at the other orchard. I hadn't planned on getting anymore cherries this year but when Dalyn asked if I wanted to go picking I couldn't refuse... 40lbs later. Two big boxes. So tonight was stoning and freezing night and we got the whole family involved. We have 2 stoners so it went pretty fast.
after we stoned the cherries we laid them on a jelly roll pan to put in the freezer.

Jaelyn was our loader so she could pass them to Jocelyn who washed them.

Jacob and Jordan were our stoners and I was in the middle filling their cherry holders so they didn't have to stop.

Tonight we finished with one box, we will see if we get to the other box before it is eaten!

New Quilt

2010-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well I am working on a new quilt. It is another Moda Jelly Roll, in Mary Englebright. I don't have a lot of time these days to work in big chunks, so I am taking 15 to 30 min a day to do my sewing. Since school is out until August I have laid my quilt on the floor. I am currently working on sewing the strip blocks together to make one long strip. My next step will be to add sashing in between the long strips and a border around the whole thing. I am not sure what color to do it yet, any suggestions? Orange, Red, green, blue??

TEXAS!!!

2010-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well we have been home for more than a week now from our month long vacation. Things have some what gotten back to normal. The weeds are at a more controllable level. So I thought I would write some more about our trip. We headed down from WA to CA to see Robs grandparents. From there we went to the Grand Canyonand then on to Texas where we stayed 2 1/2 weeks. We then headed home going through OK, KS, NB, SD, WY, MT, and ID. We had a great trip and saw places we would never had seen had we taken a plane. It seems like no one sees the country anymore, Everyone is in such a hurry to get to the next place. We would definitely do it again! Maybe next time we will head to the Eastern part of the US. Here is some pictures from Texas.
The kids playing in Baba and MiMi's backyard

We took the Grapevine Vintage Train to Ft. Worth. Thank goodness the cars were open aired! There was no air conditioning on the train. It would have been even hotter than it was!
Out the back of the last train car.

The Grapevine Train Depot.

The Vintage Train

An abandoned house along the way.

Heading into the Ft Worth Train Depot.

Ft. Worth was having a BBQ cook off that weekend. It hadn't opened yet so we just checked out the pits and the stage. We took a picture of the stage because the sign on top said Cops for Kids BBQ competition...and down below it was sponsored by Coors. Thought it was funny...only in Texas!!

The train coming back into Ft. Worth to pick us up.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Hubby!!

2010-06-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

Just got home from a month long vacation yesterday so I'm not sure how we will celebrate his big day, maybe pulling weeds?? Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and father! I love you!!!
and no this isn't his real hair!

Texas Bling!

2010-06-08T16:34:00.001-07:00

My friend Dalyn told me not to come home unless I had a pair of these! So here you go Dalyn! It's your fault if we can't afford gas to come home!

Vacation Part 2

2010-06-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

Desert scenery, Mojave Desert

Gas price in Needles CA...ouch. Good thing we didn't need to fill up!

Airfield by the Grand Canyon.

Flinstones Campground, Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon, pictures won't do it justice but here you go. I'm in AWE of God's creation.

Jordan and Jaelyn

The Kids

Vacation part 1

2010-06-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

He's on vacation at last!

Lil lizard in N. CA

Swimming in a very cold pool.

Grandpa, Rob and Jacob working on Model A frame

Grandma,Grandpa and the girls.

Oldies but Goodies

2010-05-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

Warning, soccer pictures ahead!

2010-05-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

This year all the kids played soccer. Thankfully all the teams play at the same place. On average we were at the soccer fields for about 5 1/2 hours every Saturday. It was colder this season than the last few years.

After the last game was played I made them take off all their coats, sweaters, sweatshirts so I could take a picture of them.

Do you see how tiny Jaelyn is compared to the rest of the team?

Jordan's coach from a few years ago giving her a hard time...and he told US not to cheat!

Garden, goats, soccer

2010-05-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent most of the morning weeding and transplanting plants today. The weeds have overtaken the garden, we have had so much rain lately they are growing faster than I can pull them.

The newly fence garden. One side needs to be reinforced because of our very strong winds but that will have to wait until July. The chickens are still getting in the garden so I will still have to cover the beds with netting.

We transplanted one bed of Tomatoes, and just as Jacob and I were finishing a hail storm came in. I stood by for the 2-3 minutes it took to pass. The tomatoes didn't get any damage from it.

Strawberry bed. We have already picked some and can't wait until there is more.

Jacob and I weeding the beds.
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Praise is giving me about a quart a day. I put the babies away in the evening and milk in the morning. I then return babies to mama. I can't wait for another month when I wean the kids so I can get double the amount of milk

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Soccer season ends this week. I am always sad to see it end. The kids just love it as do the parents. Upward is such a great program. The kids learn drills, sportsmanship, and scripture all at the same time. Each week they are given scripture to memorize and drills to work on. This will be Jacob's last year:( Not sure what he wants to do next year, he has talked about Martial arts but we will see.

Jocelyn's soccer picture, poor girl was throwing up that morning but made it for pictures.

Spring time

2010-05-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

It was finally a nice warm day(with no wind) so out came the sprinklers and bikes. No bathing suits required. The kids have been waiting for this for a while. Our winds here are bad in the spring, but once it warms up the wind dies down. The temps are supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow. YIPEE!!!

Mothers Day weekend

2010-05-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's. Not only was it Mom's Day but her birthday was on Monday. The kids always love going over there. Here are some pictures.
Going over the pass. There is still plenty of snow up in the hills.

For all you W. Washingtonians, can you guess what city we are driving through??

Going over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Bremerton Ferry

Kids on the community Beach at my Parents house.

Olympic Mountains

Dad bringing Rob and the crew back from a short ride. Bad Picture, sun was in my face.

Coming into Seattle.

The girls on the top level of the ferry.

Mount Rainer

Haircuts for the girls

2010-05-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, hair cutting time. We always wait until after soccer pictures to have the girls hair cut. Once a year this happens. A big deal especially if you have never had your hair cut. Jaelyn just turned 5 so I thought it would be a good time as any to get it done.

The girls before the big cut.

Jaelyn loving the wash.

Jordan wondering where the heck the lady with the scissors went.

Jocelyn waiting patiently.

Phew...finally!

final product, much better than last years disaster...but that's a story for another time.

Happy Birthday and a new addition

2010-04-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Jaelyn's 5th Birthday! Grandma and Grandpa came over to help celebrate with us.

She requested donuts for breakfast.

Happy Birthday Jaelynnnyyyy!!
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A couple weeks ago we were given the opportunity to buy some lambs, So of course we did. Not for breeding but for meat. They will be butchered in late fall this year. I love me some mutton☺

These are hair sheep(sheep that don't need to be sheared but lose their hair in clumps). The goats are tolerant of them, but they won't let us get near them. Oh well at least we won't get attached. I love their brown color though.

Give Away!

2010-04-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Go visit Brenda over at Grannys Best and help her pick out a logo for her cheese. All the details are on her blog. While you are there check out her beautiful goats!

Oatmeal Scones

2010-04-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

These were a big hit in our house yesterday, they came from Joy of Cooking cookbook.

Preheat oven to 450
*whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
1 1/2c flour
1/4c sugar
1T baking powder
1/2 t salt

*Stir in, using your fingers if necessary to separate the fruit:
1 1/4 c old fashioned rolled oats
1/2c raisins(we used craisens)

*Whisk together then add all at once:
1 lg egg
10 T warm melted butter
1/3c milk

Mix with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon or fork just until the dry ingredients are moistened. the batter will be quite sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured fingers pat the dough into an 8in round about 3/4in thick. Cut into 8-12 wedges or cut with round cookie cutter
*I used a food processor for this and it was much easier. Dump in dry ingredients then oats and fruit. Combine wet ingredients add to dry and process until combined.

I put a glaze over the top, it also came out of Joy of Cooking.
Mix together briskly:
1c powdered sugar
2-3T water,juice, or coffee. ( I used a combo of water and coffee)
1/2t grated orange zest(optional) I didn't use this
1/4t vanilla(optional) I did use this

drizzle over scones after they have cooled down a bit.

Projects and Kids

2010-04-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

There are two projects going on around here. The first I am so excited about! Rob is fencing my garden. It doesn't look much right now but we will be painting it white and it will surround the whole garden. I am thinking I will put roses in front of the fence street side. On the inside will be blueberry bushes. I can't wait. It should be finished being built by the end of this month!

The second project is going on in the pasture. See those white sprinklers, they are going bye bye. In their place there will be pop ups. We aren't having to replace all the white sprinklers because the pop ups we are buying are larger and can spray almost twice as far. It will be nice to have working sprinklers again and green grass for the goats! Jacob and Jordan are in the pasture digging around the sprinklers for Rob so when the sprinklers come in it will go faster.

Here is another picture of the kids. Dot is standing and the boy is being lazy. They are so cute and we are having so much fun with them. On another note we have sold our 3 wethers and they will be picked up this weekend! Money for hay!! yipee!!