Finally Done

It is officially over.  Our kidding season is done.  I put the last 2 mamas out of the nursery today and into the common room.  We have weaned 5 bottle babies with several more to go.  2 more will be weaned by the end of the week.  Brad has made the decision to keep Oreo.  She is one of our biggest babies and very stocky and healthy.  He thinks she will be a good producer.
This weekend we had lots of help and with the mild weather got some outdoor stuff done.  Laura and I mowed the weeds and raked them up from the garden.  Then we, with her son and 2 other kids disposed of the clippings.  The kids brought over an old dog house from the field across the road.. Well no one had claimed it in 2.5 years..Laura and I bought over a chicken waterer and feeder and some other kids brought over the chickens from the barn and voila, they have a new outdoor home for a couple weeks.  Then Brad will spray and we'll rototille, then plant.  Some of the kids also did some minor repairs to the permanent chicken villa, so after the garden they will go in there (if they survive--they aren't producing anything so why am I keeping them?)
Brad, Laura, Gerry and Andrew then pounded posts to increase the grazing area for the goats.  Andrew and Brad will finish it up this weekend.  We also (well I supervised) trimmed the lilac and the evergreen outside the livingroom window so we could see out.  Brad still isn't happy with it, so he and Andrew will adjust that this weekend too.  Lots of people, but good eats and conversation.
I put in a request for an estimate on new windows and doors.  I hope they'll make it out this week.  I have dreams of new windows and doors to go with my new deck...

I wish this was to be, but you get the idea.  We can cross our fingers that any renovations happen this summer.

Crafting:  I joined a new block of the month.  I know just what I needed.  It is a quilt done in flannel--Mystery quilt, so I haven't a clue what the pattern will be.  All I was able to see was 3 colours that would be in it.  So far so good.  She'll call when she has the first 3 months cut out for me.  It started in March--so much for being on the mailing list.  That's about it for that.

I had my day in town yesterday--Had a painful, but wonderful massage.  I don't think there was anywhere on me that didn't hurt when she touched me.  I think she tried to dodge the bruises. Well at least I'll be headache free for a bit until the stress works it way up again.  Met up with mom for the legion's Mother's Day tea--hmmmm  Went on to get groceries.  Mom ran into me there and we continued on to Canadian Tire and saw some wonderful bedding plants.  When I get the yard landscaped a little so the dogs can't just lay in the flower bed I may be able to buy some.  Then on to Walmart to get a few things--managed to stay away from the electronic department :)  Then home to make supper for the boys.  Altogether it was a good day.  Today the weather is just gorgeous.  Slight breeze and 20 degrees--perfect.  I wish it could stay around this temp all summer well maybe 25 degrees.
Argh!  a bird just flew into my freshly cleaned window.. I guess I did too good of a job.
Well off I go now..

100% off

That is the price you can take my headaches for.  Mom has been after me for a while to go to the doctors about them, but they aren't migraine type so what would the doctor even say about them?
All is well down at the barn.  We had a little surprise on Monday.  A mama that I deemed most likely not pregnant turned out to be pregnant.  She blessed us with a chunky little girl.  Both are doing well in the nursery.  I do believe we are now done with our kidding for this year.  Now to just get all the bottle babies off and fatten them all up and off they go.  We've been catching mice down at the barn like crazy.  In the time that it takes to make the milk that little trap (with no bait) will catch at least 6.  The dogs don't even need any food anymore as they are eating all the mice.  I would really like the cats to be put down there, but I really don't think we'll get them to stay.
Brad and I (mostly Brad) brought 2 loads of hay home, only 40 more bales at 14 bales/ trip.  Then I imagine it's on to the other fields.  It has been threatening rain today and he's wanting to get them home before it rains.

I am only behind now on my May quilt blocks by a day or two.  I think I'm doing pretty good.  I also started another quilt.  This one is a table topper or wall hanging (winter)  I cut some blocks out, but have to talk to my quilting lady to find out how to do paper piercing to make some other blocks.  I really should quit quilting for a bit and get some other crafts done. My scrapbooking is being thoroughly neglected.  I also received my first package in the Card of the Month club.  I get all the materials to make like 8 cards or something mailed to me every 6 weeks or so.  I'd like to get started on those too.

Well I better get off and peel apples.  Too bad fruit doesn't peel itself.  I want to make some crisp for supper. 

Here Comes the Rain Again

I haven't heard that song in a long while.  It sure applies to this week.  There is only suppose to be 2 sunny days in the next 10, ouch. This a little video I took of sounds before a rain storm.

Today I'm feeling rather glum with the gray sky.  I'm suppose to head to town to get groceries.  Do I feel like it?  NO!  Daughter's 2 and 3 and their friends will be here this weekend, also the 2 extra we already have here, so I guess we are going to need some vittles to feed them with.  At least Brad will have plenty of help cleaning out the barn tomorrow.  I'm heading to town tomorrow to volunteer my time with the Hanna Rummage Sale.  All proceeds go to the hospital auxillary.

Just came back from the barn.  All looks good down there.  The goats don't really want to go out today, too dreary.  Only a few die hards are actually at the feeders.  Even our bucks haven't ventured out yet. For two days now 2 little kids that were were bottling haven't been drinking from the feeder.  The milk is a little soured but not curdled., but their little bellies seem rounded and full, so I guess mom is producing more milk than she was and they are getting enough from her.  I think I'll make them each a fresh bottle tonight , just to make sure.  It is so hard to tell with some of the babies.  Some are just naturally long and lean.  I think it is time to start watering down the milk for the older bottle babies.  They should be getting weaned soon.  They are down to 2 feedings a day--oh the freedom when I don't have to bottle them anymore.  I can actually be away for the whole day.
I guess I'm off now to clean up and head to town.  Talking to mom this morning and she'd really like to see me today.  Aspirin here I come and maybe my headache will be gone when I get there.

Days Go On

Sad news again today.  B20:  A mama goat with a 3 month old died today.  She succombed to her injurys from her encounter with the hay feeder.  Along with our inexperience as vets.  Otherwise all seems to be going well at the barn.  Our 3 oldest bottle babies are weaned.  They don't know it yet and still come around at feeding time.  Hopefully by the end of this week they will 'get' it.  We have the 2 biggest bottle babies out of the toddler room and getting 2 feeds per day.  Also My Boy is still bottled.  Currently we have 2 moms in the nursery with their babies and 1 in the birthing pen.  B40 and her babies will be dealt with tonight and tomorrow they will go out into the common room.  Our newest B70 will be sent into the nursery.  We still have 5 in the pregnancy room but I'm pretty sure only 1 or 2 are actually pregnant.  We have a couple that are quite skinny and we're hoping that all our troubles are over and we can just grow these babies without any more incident and sell them.  Then we'll decide what we are going to do:  sell the herd totally, sell partially, or breed in 2 cycles.  What we have going now is too much work.

Easter was good.  We had dinner at mom's and the kids did an Easter Egg hunt.:

That was on Good Friday.  Sat we lazed around the house and just did the chores that really needed doing.  Sunday we went into the city and picked up the kids and went to Laura's for dinner.

There we were treated to a great meal and great company.  The youth outnumbered the older, but I guess that is the way.  Shelby even made us homemade ice-cream.  I have to get me one of those machines.

Then life went back to normal.  We got home late, did chores and went to bed.  Monday was just a day at home.

I haven't been crafting much.  I started my April block of the month, but haven't gotten very far.  I have all the materials to start another quilt and would like to.. boy this is addictive.  I put a few stitches in Justine and Eddie's wedding sampler, but I really don't think it will be done in time.  More likely an anniversary one.  I'm stuck on my flower of the month cross stitch due to lack of the proper threads.  That will be corrected on Friday when I go to town.

The wedding is moving ever forward, but my housecleaning is not.  I'm posting a link of a book I'd like to get to maybe help me.

31 Days to Clean

I guess I'll just have to be happy knowing that not too many people are staying at my house during the wedding time.
I think I'll close with that for now.  Laundry and dishes are calling..Not too loudly but calling just the same.

Busy couple weeks

Hello again,
We've been fairly busy the last little bit.  My brother and his family came for almost a week and with that a visit from 2 uncles, an aunt and a cousin.  Also a trip to my mom's for a meal.  The snow has been making chores a disaster.  We've had blowing and drifting snow.  The drift in the alley at the goat pen was over 6 feet high.  We had to plow that out 3 times.  It took well over 2 hours each time.  The poor goats actually were trapped at their hay feeder one day because the snow drifted back in from 9 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon.  Most of that snowy area has melted substancially and things are looking very springy these last few days.   We've also really started to have our last set of babies.. about time.  We've had 8 moms deliver in the last couple weeks.  Only like 10 more to go or so..We are currently having a little bout of colds go through our babies.  We gave some medicine to several and we'll check throughout the week to make sure it isn't progressing.  Our bottle babies are now starting to go out for most of the day.  We let them drink a bit of milk in the morning then bring them out of their pen until about 3:30, then they go back in for the rest of the day and night.  Soon they'll be able to just stay out all day and only drink twice a day.

On the craft front...I've been working away at my monthly projects as well as my quilts.  Only 2 more blocks to go on my first block of the month, then I can try sewing it together.  I have class in 2 more days for my newer block of the month.  I also started knitting again.  I'm now making a halter top with cotton yarn (hopefully my child will like it) and I'm making a baby sweater set for my one day--hopefully -- grandchild--when those are done, I'd like to start a knitted dress for my other daughter.
I spent all day Sat. at a fundraiser craft day.  We just sat and visited and crafted all day.  I finally completed Justine's grad pages in her scrapbook.  Only a year late.  Maybe I'll be more with it for Rachel's.

I guess that is all for now.

Happy Spring

Well I posted some pictures on facebook the other day of our beautiful spring weather, like these ones.

But, today I have to post, sadly, another winter type picture.

We are going to be blasted all this week by more snow.  Fortunately it is suppose to be fairly mild as well.
All the wet weather has made all the little baby goats hair curl.  It is quite cute.  Sorry I didn't have my camera to take some pictures.
Our latest happening in the barn was a little gal who got herself caught in the creep feeder.  Her little horns are just long enough to get stuck.  I don't think she'll be trying the feeder anytime soon.
We have currently had 5 newer moms.  They are in a little area all to themselves as their little ones just aren't as big as the others and I don't want to risk an accident.  So far so good with them.  That is about it for farmland..Oh I did buy a couple packets of seeds this week, but considering the amount of snow we still have I don't think I'll be starting them anytime in the near future.

Crafting news.  I got my 2 blocks of the month done for March and also finished a block from my Thimbleberries quilt.  I also ordered some fabric to finish Justine and Eddie's quilt and it has finally arrived.  Now to get going on it to get it finished and to the quilters to be quilted.  I want it done right.  I've been plowing through my SAL's and not getting very far.  I am missing a DMC colour and won't be able to finish it until I get it.  I get quite annoyed when that happens.

We are getting company this week.  My brother and his family, my uncle, my aunt and uncle and my cousin.  Also Danielle is coming home to visit the relatives. So...I guess I'll be cleaning and not getting much else done.
That is it for now.. see you all next time.

Eating Again

Well after 3 days of pretty icky weather, it cleared up and stablized.  The goats finally went out to eat again.  They really don't like the wind.  Brad gave them 4 fresh bales and it should be great today.  On the sad part we lost out latest 2 little twins.  I guess their mama knew something we didn't when she rejected them--although if she hadn't rejected them they might have lived. 

They both died the exact same way a day apart.  I'm not sure why and we can't find anything in any of our readings.  We have another older baby on her way out--isn't drinking.  We think we located her mom and she does have milk--although it doesn't look like much--but she won't drink.  We forced a bottle (didn't take much force as she had no energy to fight) into her, so hopefully she will be alive when we got down there in half hour.  I'm really mad that we didn't investigate the herd we got before we bought.  We just trusted these guys because they were a friend of a friend.  Never again.  Rachel and I are sure that at least half our herd came to us infected and that is what is causing our problems. I also had my video running and caught a bit of our babies playing.

On the quilt front.  I screwed up my wedding quilt.  I changed the colours from the pattern, but didn't write those colour changes down in the pattern and ended up using the wrong piece for the frame around the blocks.  I ran out of course and my store, of course, doesn't have any more.  Then there was the trouble of the piece I was suppose to use for that purpose now has to be used for the other piece's purpose.  Will there be enough?  My quilt lady says 'just enough if you don't mess up'.  I managed to track down 2 yards of the stuff I messed up with and it should be here in a couple weeks.  I had to order it from the States http://www.azquilts.com
It looks like the right piece so cross your fingers.  At any rate that quilt is on hold until the fabric comes in.  So back to my block of the month.  Not sure if I mentioned that I found my missing 3 blocks, so I can carry on with that.  I made a bit of progress on my Stitchalongs.  I framed one--still waiting for that pattern to arrive by mail--and framed and started the second one.  I have misplaced my other SAL for February so I guess today's chore will be finding it.  I have March's sitting here, but can't stitch that without February placed.
Rachel has been home this week for reading week and I've liked her company.  I feel bad that we really haven't done much fun stuff while she's been here, but I guess she knows what our life is like.  I wish she planned to move back home for a bit after school, but she wants to get right out there working and being with friends.
Well off to the barn I go..