3 more days

Praise's due date is coming fast! She is due on Tuesday so we are on goat watch. She has freedom during the day but gets locked up at night just in case. I will be staying close to home until she delivers.

She seems smaller this year than last year but I am still hoping for twins. She is, by far my sweetest goat, loves to be loved on. I try and get a picture up close but she is usually right in my face wanting kisses.
When feeding time comes around and I am late on getting out there they come looking for me at my kitchen window, yelling at me to get my rump out there to feed them.

When they see us coming its a full charge! I love their ears when they run makes them look like they are flying.

Chicken news
Right now we have 14 chickens plus three chicks. During the winter we were getting 5-8 eggs a day, now we are getting 0, nada, none. So the chickens have been put in jail until they start laying in the coop. I am not sure if they are hiding them or just taking a break from laying. Nobody is too happy about it, they usually have free range of the yard. My goal is to put the coop in the pasture with the goats, it will be a big job so I am not sure it will happen this year or not.

Birthday Girl!

Happy 10th Birthday Jordan!! We celebrated yesterday since we have AWANA today. She didn't have to do any chores and she got to choose the food for the day( I might have to revamp this because 5 and 7 course meals are being requested☺ Here are her meal that she chose.
B:Eggs, bacon cinnamon rolls
L:Velveeta Mac&cheese, grapefruit, doritos
D:Baby Back Ribs, mashed potatoes, melon, and salad(which I forgot)
Cake was chocolate with vanilla frosting and ice cream.

Bread

Jaelyn

I have been making bread for about a month now and it seems I have finally found a recipe that we all like. It makes 4 loaves. The recipe came out of a book called The Magic of Wheat Cookery. Here is the recipe:

2 Tbl dry yeast
1/2 c warm water
5 c hot tap water
2 Tbl salt
2/3 c oil
2/3 c honey or raw sugar(I use honey)
12 c whole wheat flour(fresh ground)

1)Sprinkle yeast into the 1/2 c warm water. Let stand 10-15 minutes(1 Tbl sugar in yeast will help it work faster.) Grind 9c wheat in mill on fine.

2)combine hot tap water and 7c freshly ground whole wheat flour in mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until blended.

3)Add salt, oil, and honey or raw sugar. Continue to mix until well blended. Add 1c flour to mixture and blend thoroughly.

4)Add 3-4 c more flour to mixture. knead for 10 min on low speed or until the dough begins to clean the side of the bowl and is the consistency of cookie dough.

5)oil hands. Remove dough from mixer 1/4 at a time. Mold into loaves on oiled counter. Place in oiled pans. oil top of loaves if soft crust is desired. Cover loaves with a damp cloth. Let rise 1/3 in bulk for approximately 35 min.

6)Bake at 350 for 40-50 min Remove from pans. put on rack to cool. Brush tops with butter or oil.

**I have also done the double rise: put dough in bowl and cover and rise for 1-1/2 hours then shape into loaves and let rise covered again for 1/2 hour. then bake.

**watch the bread at the end of cooking time...mine always seems to get a little too brown.
ENJOY!!

I won!

I should've posted this the other day when I got the message that I won Tamara's give away. Dave Ramsey is my favorite for learning about financial info. So, I am excited that my kids are going to learn from him also. My hope one day is to be debt free, home included. I would love to pay cash for everything. We have a long way to go but we are on the right track. My husband and I are on the same page for a change. Right now we are not eating out at restaurants, and skipping the coffee shops. I am staying home more to cut down on gas, plus whenever I go out for some reason the money just jumps out of my purse;)
One of the ways I save is by going to the library. I have been taking a trip to the library once a week for so many years it seems like a natural thing to do. While we are there we get our movie night movies, music cd's, magazines, books for the week, books on cd,the kids do puzzles while they are there. At our library in our old town you could check out computer games but not at this one. Most of the time we have put books on hold using their website, so all we have to do is just pick the holds up. I honestly don't know why more people don't use the library. It's a great resource and all free(as long as you return the stuff on time). Our library isn't the best one, but if you need a book that they don't have they can order it through inner-library loan. Going to the library is my kids favorite thing to do during the week.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window...cloudy, foggy, grey...32f

I'm thinking... I need a nap(its 7:20am LOL)

From the learning rooms....school

I am thankful for...blue skies

In the Kitchen...T bone Steaks and Potatoes

I am reading... Thru the Bible
This week: OT: Genesis; Matthew, Psalms, Romans, Joshua, Job, Isiah, KJB
also, Beth Moore~ David 90 Days with a Heart Like His, and plenty of fiction on side table.

I am hoping... that the girls get along better today.

I am creating... a quilt.

I am hearing... the pellet stove running.

Around the house & barn... outside: usual chores inside: the big clean: bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, garbage cans .

One of my favorite things... right now...quilting

I am going... to the bookstore with a friend tonight after dropping Jacob off at CAP.
A few plans for the rest of the week (besides school)...
M-Taking Jacob to CAP
T - watching neighbor boy.
W - AWANA and Bible study
TH - Home school meeting
F - Woman's Ministry Meeting .
S - NOTHING
S - Church & Family Time

A Picture I am sharing with you...
From the early days..

Thank you Peggy for hosting.

Give Away!

Go over to see Tamara, she is having a great giveaway! And what a pretty blog.


Hurry it ends on Jan 12!

Quilt Progress

Rob was out of town for a few days this week/weekend so I spent a lot of time on the quilt. Jordan volunteered her services so I put her to work. I taught her how to press the pieces and cut the strips. She loved the ironing, so she spent most of her time doing that.

I finally got all my pieces cut and laid out on the carpet so I could see what it would look like. I am still not sure if I like this material, but for a first quilt I guess it is ok. Here are all the stacks of pieces ready to be assembled.

Here is the quilt all laid out on our Living Room floor.

The two older girls helped me lay it out on the floor. They seemed to really enjoy it, which was a good thing cause I was going cross eyed after the first 30 min. On my next quilt I will enlist their help even more.

What a wonderful Creator we have!

Go Here
to read a wonderful post about our Creator! Thank you Dalyn!

Update in Black & White

Mr. Winter is here, so we are keeping busy inside more.

Making cities out of the family room.


reading books...a lot...


someone got play-doe for Christmas, I hate the stuff but she'll be there for hours if I let her. By the time I had them clean up they had a city built here also!


This week we are taking a vacation from formal schooling and doing a family project. The kids are instructed to plan our vacation for next year. We have our destination, they have to plan how we are getting there and back and what activities we will see on our travels. She really is happy;) I just caught her by surprise.


Picture taken today with Bruiser(in front)Daisy(in back) and Garfield the cat(Jocelyn is holding). I know it is hard to see with the b/w picture. Jaelyn isn't crying she is trying not to laugh.


Jacob getting Jordan with a snow ball that fell apart.


The goats haven't had much attention the last few weeks, so I spent some time with them today. Their fur is so thick and soft. At first they didn't want anything to do with me...then the chewing began and the pulling on my draw string and then the jumping...so much for being shy.


Tired of Black & White? here is the china set my hubby bought me for Christmas. I love it!!!


up close to see the pattern.


The last few weeks I have been working my way through this quilt.

I can't believe how easy it is using a Jelly Roll. Although I haven't finished yet, so there are bound to be some mistakes. Either way I am enjoying myself!
We are loving our winter so far, I know a lot of people don't like winter but I love the time we spend indoors on crafts and all. My attitude might change by March, April, or May if we are still getting snow...

Merry CHRISTmas

Merry CHRISTmas from our house to yours. He is the reason for the season!
Luke 4-21 (NIV)

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
21On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.