The Wild Truth

Dumpster Diving Fun

2011-04-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

I made a dumpster diving video that I'm finally done with! You can go check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEwXhvK9Duo.

Liquid Laundry Soap

2011-04-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hello Y'all!

The sun in shining outside right now, but I don't dare guess it'll last. Hopefully it'll shine awhile after I'm done with teaching today. I'm working with the kids. They're done with math, writing, and reading so far. Now for Bible reading and grammar. :) Not much longer before I can go out and soak up some rays while I either work in the garden or on my chicken coop.

Last week I made 6 months worth of liquid laundry soap (really, it's more of a gel). It was only the second time I've had to do that since my seperation/divorce! I love how much money I save by making my own - it only costs me about $2 to make that much laundry soap. I made a video to share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL7ESAmMGH4

Anyway, I should get back to teaching, then cook some lunch.

P.S.
I'm loving the new pencil sharpener I got on my last dumpster dive at an office supply place. I really needed a good one with all the pencils we use around here for school! :) I'll be making a video on dumpster diving soon, so keep an eye out for it if you're curious how I work it. ;)

Poem of the Dead

2011-03-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

Mostly I put updates on Facebook now, but really I should visit my blog more often. I like writing longer things, but just don’t find the time for it often enough. In fact, right now I just stopped by to post a poem I wrote in December. I wrote it in a moment of pain and processing.

Poem of the Dead

December 4, 2010

The baby’s breath you brought me sits there

Dulling with time

It’s sweet savor seems almost sickening now

Sitting there

You’re gone

Nothin’ left but a chill with this cool wind

Time goes…

Your breath, your touch, your arms

Gone

My heart in pieces flutter away in the autumn wind

Summer is gone

Snow falls, I fill my chest to freeze what was left

Of me

Numbness is my friend

The love of my life, maybe

What curse led you my way?

What price could possibly be left for me to pay?

Jesus took it all on the cross

Yet sin still kills

This heart of mine

The pain you’ve left me with

Is the sorrow I shall live with

Happily ever after was always just a dream

But so was our love

And all that is left is a vase full of bad breath

My youth has faded

What is left of me?

Why did you take it all from me?

What did I ever do to you besides love thee?

That young girl who would smile

Love

Kiss

Bear you children

Tend your flocks

Weed your gardens

Clean your house

Is just sad

Lonely

Half dead

An aftermath of catastrophe

High Blood Pressure and Salt

2011-01-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

I learned something new today; if you have high blood pressure and don't want to lower your salt intake, taking potassium does the same thing for your body! Salt and potassium balance each other out. The average person takes 1,600 mg. less potassium than is recommended. A good way to get more potassium in your diet is to consume more of the following:

Oranges
Cantaloupe
Avocado
Bananas
Strawberries
Apricots
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Cabbage
Cucumber
Eggplant
Cauliflower
Chard
Bell pepper
Squash
Brussels sprouts
Turmeric
Parsley
Spinach
Crimini mushrooms
Broccoli
Halibut
Tuna

Here is a list of some foods high in potassium and their potassium content from the USDA National Nutrient Database:

Potassium Rich Foods	Weight	Measure	Potassium Content
Raw, baby carrots	10	1 medium	24 mg
Raw Lettuce	10	1 leaf	19 mg
Raw Onions	14	1 slice	20 mg
Fresh Strawberries	12	1 strawberry	18 mg
Raw Garlic	3	1 clove	12 mg
Honey	21	1 tablespoon	11 mg
Raw Radishes	4.5	1 radish	10 mg
Raw Peppers	10	1 ring	18 mg
White Bread	23	1 slice	17 mg
Papayas	304	1 papaya	781 mg
Lima Beans	188	1 cup	955 mg
Plantains	179	1 medium	893 mg
Jerusalem Artichokes	150	1 cup	644 mg
Bananas	118	1 banana	422 mg
Oat Bran	94	1 cup	532 mg
Tomatoes	255	1 cup	528 mg
Cucumber	301	1 large	442 mg
Cantaloupe	160	1 cup	427 mg
Pears	275	1 pear	333 mg
Mangoes	207	1 mango	323 mg

Elizabeth Drawing

2010-12-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a short video I made of Elizabeth when she was about 14 months old.

Living Green and Garbage

2010-11-09T14:02:00.001-08:00

For those of you who know me really well, you know I’m really not into all this “live green” hype. Still, I see no reason to waste when it’s unnecessary and I’m not big into filling landfills so quickly! I also see no reason to spend when you don’t need to. Especially now. Having what I can spend cut down by more than half (due to divorce, of course) has made me begin to realize how many extras I really had and how much money I may have wasted. To some extent, I’ve really enjoyed my new challenge of learning to save, reuse more, use others’ garbage, and rely on God to provide (even if it’s just an amazing savings on something!) I have been utterly amazed at how wasteful our country is… although, I must say, I’m very thankful! Yesterday, if you could have seen me when I thought no one could, you would have seen me standing in a dumpster holding a bunch of bok choy (not a thing wrong with it) thanking God aloud for how wasteful this country is. Don’t get me wrong… waste is bad. But there is a big, fat IF. If others don’t use these awesome items that are thrown away, waste is bad. If others get to benefit from this waste, then it’s good. Just over the past 1 1/2 weeks I’ve gotten at least $140 worth of produce from dumpsters. It seems things are thrown away when there is a bruise (I wouldn’t want to pay for it either… haha), have little wrinkles or look a tad too wilted to pay for. I’ve found many, many heads of lettuce that have just gotten too small from the grocers taking leaves off each day to make it look nicer, perfectly good green onions and bags of potatoes (red and Idaho), tomatoes (some getting a tad dry, but are still great for cooking), bell peppers with a bruised spot or just an imperfection (not as pretty), broccoli and cauliflower that was getting a little limp (doesn’t make a difference if you’re cooking it), radishes and beets that needed the green tops cut off, apples, mangoes, plums, and the list goes on! And that’s in grocery store dumpsters alone. I’ve found so much of some of these items that I’ve had to clean, cut, and freeze a lot. It’s great, though, because I love having things on stock for when I need them for a recipe!

I’ve had great luck at a few other types of stores, too. My finds at these places have included:

A large piece of plexiglass (about 3’x4’).
$160 leather Ecco shoes in the box – the display pair that were 1/4 of a European size off from one another (you can hardly tell the difference).
2 big garbage bags full of fake flowers (still in the bouquets they were being sold in – prices ranged anywhere from $19.99-$119.99.
Vases.
Frames (some with cracked glass, others with a small flaw in the frame – I take them all and put the crack-free glass in the good frames).
A metal sippy cup (it had been returned, because someone couldn’t figure out how to get water out of it – there was a small plastic piece that had to be removed).
2 dozen red roses.
Blank labels.
A pet stool that can handle up to 40 pounds – great for a toddler.
Mattresses and box springs still in the plastic (I didn’t actually take these since I didn’t have the right vehicle for it).
Display desks and shelves (you know those ones you see in the store that are already set up for you to see what the box kit will look like later? Yeah. In the dumpster.) I also didn’t take these since I’ve been dumpster diving with my new-to-me mini van – it would be nice to have a pick up truck for those finds.
Bathroom hardware (towel hanger, hooks, toilet paper holder, etc.).
A framed painting I have displayed in my home now.
An entire bag full of wooden kitchen utensils all individually wrapped in plastic (my sister, Mariah and I split up this bag between the two of us).
Emery boards – it looks like after clearance they just tossed what didn’t sell. They also cracked most of them in half as they threw them away. I’ll get more into that in a moment.
A French fry cutter (a friend of mine diving with me got that find).
A beautiful metal headboard and foot board.
A key chain.
A wooden toy plane.
Shells.

I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting.

It’s really disappointing how many places have dumpsters that are made inaccessible; either chained up, padlocked, or connected to the inside of the building with no way to get in from the outside. I understand that many businesses have had to lock up their dumpsters due to people dumping in them and that’s such a bummer. It’s too bad you can’t trust people to do the right thing! There is one thing I really cannot stand, though, and that’s the places that mess up the stuff they’re throwing away. R.E.I., for example. They throw away many pairs of boots/shoes that have been returned, but they put at least one long slash in each boot/shoe before throwing it out. They do the same with just about anything worth anything in their dumpster. I don’t really see the point to this. If anyone is willing to dumpster dive, do you really think they’d be a customer? I mean, would someone who could easily afford leather boots from R.E.I. normally consider looking in the dumpster first? Also, what is the chance of them being that person’s size? And those emery boards I found at Bed, Bath, & Beyond… it’s like, seriously? You have time to pay your employees to crack 98% of the emery boards in half so no one can use them? (I can, actually – I’m going to use them to distress paper in crafting projects.) Bed, Bath, & Beyond also like to spray paint most of their trash red. Kind of dumb.

Good things to take with you when dumpster diving include:

Gloves
Clean garbage bags
Grocery-type bags
A clean box (although, you’ll probably find plenty of these while diving).
A flashlight (for evening dives).
A stick for poking around – although I haven’t actually used one yet, I can see where one may come in handy. I’d really love one of those things for picking up items that people cannot easily reach when they having bending problems.
A friend/partner – especially for evening dives.

Well, if I haven’t inspired you to check out your own local dumpsters, I hope I have at least entertained you a little. I’m sure I’ll get into other ways to save, reuse, etc. again sometime soon. I’ve been pretty focused on that subject over the past month. Count this as my “Living on Less”, chapter 1 - Dumpster Diving. LOL. You know what I just thought of? You could totally feed chickens the produce from dumpsters, too (the stuff you may not want to take for yourself – loose lettuce leaves and stuff). Practically free eggs.

Divorce

2010-11-09T13:48:00.001-08:00

My divorce from Brad was final on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. Earlier this year I would never have thought I’d be divorced only a few months after my own parents. It’s crazy how quickly things can change.

I feel I’ve been in shock ever since I found out about the affair and Brad’s 5th child. Now, I’m slowly (some days not so slowly) crawling out of the shock. It can be scary at times. A few days this week it felt like the shock was completely gone and I was unprotected from the pain. It felt overwhelming and left me a sobbing mess at times. Oddly enough, shock seems to be helping guard me from the blunt force of betrayal and loss. Some of it must have come back after those few days, because I pulled myself together well enough the past two days to go to my sister’s baby shower, dumpster dive, talk to friends/family without crying at all, take care of my household, and school my children.

My household is unpacked now, although my craft room remains unorganized. I just need some parts for a shelf I have and can have that room organized and ready to use in an afternoon. Unfortunately, the parts that were lost in the move are hard to find. Oh well… hopefully I’ll find some at Home Depot or online so that I can finish up that room. I’m really in no hurry. I don’t feel very inspired lately anyway.

The children continue to progress quickly in their schooling (especially reading right now). I get excited at least a few times a week over that. With all the drama in my life over the past 1 1/2+ years, I was beginning to wonder if I’d be able to succeed in my quest to educate my children myself. It seems I can, am, and will – praise God! I really am beginning to more seriously realize I’m totally at the mercy of God, because I don’t know how I would stay glued together without His help.

Elizabeth is changing at a fast rate. She hardly ever crawls now, is walking and even beginning to run. She is getting a bit more independent of me, spending a lot of time playing with her siblings. Sometimes her and Robbie will play together while I work with Ethan and Madeleine on their lessons, which is nice/different. Normally, in the past, I’d be expecting another baby by now and be completely exhausted going through the first trimester.

Well, I better sign off for now. My children have realized I’m busy writing and think that means they can sneak off without finishing their lessons. Boy, do they have another thing coming! :) I’ll leave you for now with a few pictures, but will be back with another entry real soon.

Elizabeth laying on her belly to draw.

My beautiful sister, Kara reading to Ethan, Madeleine, and Robbie.

My lovely mother with Elizabeth.

Mischief – Robbie and Elizabeth.

All four of my children: Robbie, Elizabeth, Madeleine, and Ethan. They just won’t cooperate in a picture together for me. Ethan would NOT quit making his “pirate” face during the entire photo shoot, of course the middle children wouldn’t quit laughing at Ethan, and Elizabeth (who I wasn’t paying enough attention to, apparently) was shoving something in her mouth. Oh well… maybe better luck next time!

My sweet, beautiful daughters.

Robbie getting cozy on top of the freezer. I guess he was tired of the photo shoot.

A storm moving in – the view out the backside of my home.

Broken Vows

2010-10-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

I hardly know where to start. My life has changed dramatically. I guess I’ll just begin with where I ended. After staying at the Hampton Inn for awhile, my children and I moved back into a small house in Missoula, Montana that we had stayed in for a couple of months prior to May. It’s a cute, little, one bedroom/one bathroom house that I loved. Near the end of our stay I was basically tired of not having a bedroom for the kids, though. Anyway… we stayed in the cute house from June 1st till the end of August. Brad came back in June, but ended up leaving for Seattle again near the end of July. He told me he was just going to go pick up some truck parts in Spokane, but when I called him that evening, he said he was going to Seattle again. I was unhappy about it, of course. I don’t like being tricked and didn’t understand why he hadn’t been upfront with his plan to continue on to Seattle for work purposes. I found out shortly after that, though…

I did a Google search on HPV (the virus that is the cause of all warts) and saw some pictures that looked like something Brad had. I quickly realized while reading that they were a STD, which concerned me greatly. I felt panicked and yet, at the same time, figured it was nothing. I decided to get checked out to be sure I didn’t have any STD’s (I knew the only way I would get something would be from Brad being unfaithful – he has been my one and only). Before going to the doctor’s office, though, I talked to Brad on the phone and told him about the pictures and that I was going to get checked out. I laughingly asked him, “You haven’t had an affair, have you?” He replied chuckling, “I wouldn’t tell you if I had.” Then I realized… “That means you have! How long?… How long?… How long?” I said it until he answered, “About a year and a half.” He continued on and told me the girl had had a baby in May. The betrayal hit me like a boulder. I didn’t even know what to do with the information. I don’t remember the rest of our conversation, but know it ended in tears.

I ended up getting checked for just about every STD under the sun and got a clean report (praise God), but my family is broken. Long story short, my marriage is over. Brad is sorry he hurt me, but wants to live a polygamist lifestyle. I’m unwilling to live that way and don’t believe it to be right. Last week he said he was willing to live a monogamist lifestyle with me and be reconciled to me, but some of the things he said and did made serious red flags go up in my mind and I realized if there is ever a time to reconcile it isn’t now. He isn’t ready and to be quite honest, unless there is a miraculous change in his life, I’ll never be ready either. Our legal divorce is nearly done.

I’m on my own now with my four beautiful children. We found a country setting not far from Missoula. It’s a 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bathroom home (about 1300 square feet) on 5 acres. I plan on getting chickens this autumn or next spring and having my milk cow moved nearby. This place seems just about perfect for us. I’m very thankful to God for providing for all of our needs and taking care of us through this difficult time.

Ethan and Madeleine are getting in a good routine of doing their schoolwork each day and I’m very pleased with the progress we’re making in that already in spite of all the ups and downs we’ve been through lately and all the unpacking that has had to be done.

I hope to have the rest of our household unpacked soon. I’m just wanting to get on with my life right now. There is a lot of grief left in me, but I wish I could just avoid it. I’m tired of crying, hurting, and being angry. I’m tired of missing what I thought I had. I’m so tired of the pain. It has been the most difficult 1 1/2 years (beginning with something that happened to/with my parents) of my life and I’m truly hoping 2011 is a year of peace, love, and joy. Sounds like Christmas, huh?

An Update

2010-05-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Brad has been away on business, so when I saw Elizabeth excitedly watching a T.V. show about grizzly bears, I decided to make a little video for him of her. I was hoping she would say, "Dadda" for him, but she didn't. :) The video turned out pretty good, so I decided to share it with all of you, too! So, without further ado, here is my little cutie:

Celebration! (Not for Those With a Weak Stomach)

2010-04-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

I am SO happy to report that it has been well over a week since Robbie has used a diaper! He is officially potty trained. It is one my favorite milestones that a toddler reaches. As a mother, after changing stinky diaper after stinky diaper (day after day), I'm ready to put a party on when a child gets potty trained! For awhile, I won't have any diapers to change that make me feel like holding my breath, or that cause me to sit there praying I won't vomit (I know it sounds a bit exaggerated, but when I have a flu bug or just have an upset stomach and I'm faced with a big diaper load of you-know-what, I DO feel like I may throw up). For some of you, this may come as a surprise. I look like one of those moms where nothing bothers me. Well, I smile as I hold my breath! That smell does bother me (even after four children), though. I feel like I must be like my grandma, who during every diaper change would have to say how disgusting it was and she would make faces. She was just honest about how she felt about it... I try to keep it to myself most of the time. I remember watching her change my red-headed cousin's diaper a couple of times and thinking it was pretty funny... until my grandma had to wipe my butt. That wasn't funny. I was already embarrassed by the fact that anyone had to wipe my butt, but then my grandma would go on and on about how disgusting it was - that was embarrassing! I did learn from it, though... I learned not to do that to kids. When, like Robbie, they need their butts wiped after going number 2, I keep my opinion of what is in the toilet to myself.

So, all of this to say, my little guy is potty trained! He doesn't even need a diaper during the night. He just became determined to be a big guy (in that area) and started using the toilet. Brad took Robbie out to get a package of boxer shorts, which Robbie is quite proud of, and Robbie wears a pair each day. I didn't even know they made boxer shorts that small until Brad found them! They're kinda cute. Well, especially on such a cute little feller. :)

While we're on the subject of Robbie, I would like to bring up that about 3 weeks ago he started teaching himself how to get dressed. That stage with a toddler is mostly cute - especially at first! He usually puts his pants on backwards and it's about a 40% chance (still) that he'll put his shirt on backwards. With this new knowledge, comes opinion. He now has a strong opinion as to what he wears! It's kind of neat seeing a bit more of his personality. I always like that with the children. When Ethan went through this stage I learned that he LOVES vests. With Madeleine I learned she really loves the colors purple and pink. I haven't actually figured out what Robbie loves besides completely dry clothes. That's the part I don't like. He changes a bit too often just from a drop of water (as have each of my children at this stage). With not having a washer or dryer, that makes things a bit inconvenient. I have learned, though, that when I find a pair of pants that look completely fine (since he changes himself, I find his laundry all over the place) to just hang them up for a little while. He'll want them back when he is sure they're dry.

Well, that's all I have to say for now! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far! :)

A couple of videos:

2010-04-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Baby raspberries:

Here's a video of me tickling Robbie. I don't remember why we were saying, "You too big," over and over, but I know he started it. :o)

A Little Crawling...

2010-04-06T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a short video of Elizabeth's crawling. You may hear Robbie in the background talking about some shooting game he was playing. I later corrected him due to he isn't allowed to pretend or talk that way! :)

Pictures

2010-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture update:

Here's my first double stroller. I found it on craigslist.org from a gal who was asking $30. I met her at a grocery store nearby and she told me she was going to lower the price and to make her an offer. I asked her if she'd take $25 and she replied, "How about $20?" I was pretty happy with that deal! This picture was taken during our first walk with our new stroller. You can sort of see Robbie in the back and that's Elizabeth in the front (of course). :)

Elizabeth's sweet little face. She's doing so well sitting up and crawling! My baby is growing up so quickly!

Ethan - my first baby! He's getting to be a big guy. Here he is wearing a sweatshirt I had when I was 7-years-old. I decided it was time to get rid of it when I noticed a little hole it in, but wanted a picture to say, "Ethan wore one of the sweatshirts I used to wear!" I always thought it was more boyish than girlie. :)

A more serious shot of Ethan. That's part of our new kitchen there in the background.

I like this picture of Elizabeth. This is her "really happy" smile. :)

Madeleine and Elizabeth.

Baby raspberries! Elizabeth loves to sit around making them. :)

My Four Cuties

2010-04-06T10:43:00.001-07:00

I took a short video of Ethan, Madeleine, Robbie, and Elizabeth playing on the pull out bed the other evening and thought I would share it with all of you:

I'll be posting pictures soon, so be sure to check back when you get a chance! :o)

Mama!

2010-03-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth learned to say, "Mama" today! She's on a real learning roll!

And Robbie is making awesome progress in the area of potty training this week! (Can you tell I'm excited? I'm using a lot of exclamation marks today.) :) Anyway, blogging is my new way of keeping record of all these neat milestones they reach.

I hope to share some pictures soon, but I sort of need to take some to share... :) I'll be sure to work on that soon!

Elizabeth News

2010-03-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's hard to put a date to when a child learns to crawl usually. Elizabeth has been in the process of learning for many days now. Probably weeks, actually. Still, she hasn't officially crawled the classic crawl yet. She gets around really well with a mix of the classic crawl and Robbie's crab crawl. I'll have to make a video of it soon and post it.

Other new news: Elizabeth has been saying, "Dadda" and "Bah-bah" a lot the past week since Brad got back from starting his new job. I think "Bah-bah" may be her way of saying, "Brother," but am not entirely sure.

Teeth!

2010-03-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

My baby girl, Elizabeth got two teeth in this week (Tuesday and Wednesday, I think)! They're her first teeth and it seems like she has been working on getting them in for many months! They're the two little front, bottom ones. I thought I had better make a record of it somewhere before I forget! :)

Onto the Next Chapter…

2010-03-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

As I squinted into the sun, crying tears of exhaustion, relief, loss, and change I realized that it was time to update my blog. A chapter of my life is over. I know, it wasn’t a profound thought by any means, but seriously… I’ve abandoned this blog for far too long. I have posted video updates here and there, but that’s pretty much it. This past season of my life was busy. The move was the hardest, worst one I’ve ever been through (and I’ve seen my fair share of moves – 20 now) and I suppose it isn’t officially over. We still have to (in the future – maybe not so near) move everything into a new place and unpack. Right now I would feel content living in an RV or furnished rental for quite awhile. I DO NOT want to move another box for a very long time. My back aches, my wrist feels damaged, my wrinkles look deeper, and I’ve had laryngitis for about 5 days (maybe more – I’ve lost track with all the busyness). My family has had more colds/flues during this stressful move than we’ve had over the course of the past three years combined. Maybe it’s just a bad year for germs, though, I’m not sure. I really think the stress has something to do with our immune systems having issues fighting off the germs.

There are many things to be thankful for, though. I had friends by my side helping me for many days with packing, cleaning, and filling vehicles with boxes to move. (Thank you, Crystal!) I’ve had friends and family there for all the days I needed to vent. No one is seriously injured, no one got food poisoning in spite of lots of eating out during the past two weeks, and the weather has been spring-like. Rain and warmth. During the end of our move we had a lot of warm days, which I’m very thankful for. Moving things would have been far more difficult there at the end if we had a lot of windy, cold, and/or snowy days. Instead we had a lot of sunshine, temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s (Fahrenheit), and blue skies.

Brad is starting a new job and things are up in the air a bit. We may or may not stay in the U.S. for the summer, but if not we’ll be headed to Nicaragua in the near future.

Well, I guess that’s basically all that is new for now. Things are a bit up in the air, but there are many things to be thankful for!

Mr. Blue

2010-03-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I discovered a garbage bag that I had put food (herbs, vitamins, miscellaneous things) into the night before, torn open. Food was scattered all over on the floor surrounding it. I quickly decided our cat probably wouldn't do that, which left three people who could have done it - Ethan, Madeleine, or Robbie. I questioned all of them and decided it definitely wasn't Ethan or Robbie. Madeleine's answer was questionable, though. She at first said she didn't know how it happened, then changed her story to that she saw the cat do it. See why I wasn't sure still? I decided not discipline her, due to I still felt a bit unsure, but warned her to not lie and told her I hoped she was telling the truth. Well, that very evening I saw the culprit. It indeed was Mr. Blue. I was sitting in the dining area of our home after a full day of moving talking to a friend on the phone when I noticed Blue acting like a dog, chewing into a garbage back and pulling things out of it! I went over to investigate. I pulled out the bag of herbs from inside the garbage bag that he was getting into. It was a mixture of herbs for making a "Snooze Tincture". I read through the ingredients and quickly figured out the problem... catnip. LOL! No wonder my cat was going crazy over those bags! I grabbed out a handful of the herbal mixture and put it in a sock, then tied the end of the sock shut, gave it to Mr. Blue, and grabbed my camera. Here he is:

The Sound You Hear On the Other Line

2010-02-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, so if you've talked to me on the phone you've probably heard this funny sound, but I thought I'd share with you what she looks like while making it. :) Elizabeth's little "scream":

I made this little video last month, but wasn't able to upload it until now.

Elizabeth Playing With Chips

2010-02-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

It's going on a whole month since I last wrote! Sometimes when I have a lot going on in my life I write less often. I'm not sure why things work out that way, but they do. We're nearly moved out of our house (finally), so hopefully I'll have more time to update everyone on things soon. Anyway, I'm actually here today to post a short video of Elizabeth from last month. :) Here it is:

Follow Up to My New Year Post

2010-01-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to say, that although at times I feel hesitant about going to a third world country where I don't know the language, I still have been excited about it. I like adventure! I've just been a lot more cautious since I had children. :)

On the subject of Nicaragua, I'm not sure if it's going to work out or not to go. Some things have come up that have brought the whole trip into question for me. I'm still hoping things work out, though! So, if you're someone who prays, please be sure to include my family in your prayers (I'm looking for prayers that we make all the right decisions concerning our next venture/s.) Thanks so much!

Rice is Life

2010-01-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share with all of you this neat video one of my California friends, Sean made. He now lives in Thailand where he is trying to raise the funds for a rice mill. This is both interesting as well as educational, so why not check it out?! :)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T13:54:00.003-08:00

I must say, I'm so very glad 2009 is in the past. The best thing about 2009 was, of course, my baby girl, Elizabeth Rose. There were a lot of struggles that had to be gone through last year, a lot of painful changes that were made, and a lot of things I want to simply leave in 2009. I'm hopeful that 2010 will be a year of growth (hopefully not too painful), healing, and, well... change. That's one thing we can depend on - every year will be filled with change. In one form or another, change seems to enter every year. Sometimes with a bang. Like this year. I should be off to another country within the next couple of months. I'll be learning to live in a place where I'm not even close to fluent in the language spoken there. I will be leaving nearly everything and everyone I know behind. Yes, change is here and I welcome it. Okay, not really. I want to welcome it and to feel adventurous, excited, and trusting; but I don't. I'm working on it, but with change I tend to dig my heals in and fight it a bit. Most folks can't always see that with me, because I say the right things so as to help them (I want them to feel like I'm living my dream and not to worry about me), but inside... I'm a bit afraid. This is big and "secretly" I hope something comes up and it doesn't work out. I'll probably even be a bit disappointed if it doesn't work out (I've focused on it so long) and yet I could live without this big of a change... I think. I want to do what's right and maybe this move is right, but maybe it's not. And maybe it will just be another thing to live through. Another thing to praise God I make it past. None of us know what the future holds and that can be a bit daunting at times. I'm going to try and trust God to take care of directing our paths and taking care of us as we travel no matter where our travels take us.

Happy New Year!

The Funny Red Balloon

2009-12-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

For some reason I have really bad luck uploading videos on YouTube, but today I finally got one I've been trying to upload for nearly a week. Here's Ethan sitting on the couch with Elizabeth while Madeleine makes her laugh with a big, red balloon. :) I totally hate hearing my own voice, but I had to keep the kids in line, LOL.

Ethan's House & Picture

2009-12-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first pictures Ethan has taken. He wanted to show me the house he built, but I didn't feel like getting up at the time (I was in front of my computer either emailing or updating a blog), so I showed him how to use the camera and gave it to him to take a picture. This is what he came back with. I like his angle. :) In this picture you can see some of the boxes I was talking about in the last post.

Still Behind Schedule

2009-12-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

Boxes, both full and empty, are everywhere. And yet, we don't feel anywhere near done! We have a lot more packing to do before we'll be able to move out of here. Brad thinks there is no way we can get move out of this house within two weeks, so we'll plan on getting out in January. That means, Brad probably won't be able to leave until February. That's right! I forgot to mention, we've gone back to plan A. We may end up going together still, but for now we're back to planning on Brad going ahead of us. Part of the reason we went back to this plan is, because Ethan's birth certificate and passport are behind schedule. I'm sure this process is going slower than expected partially due to the holiday season being upon us. I'm hoping to get a small, furnished place not far from my mom for a month or two before joining Brad. In that time, I'm hoping Brad finds a nice place for us to live in, gets internet service to that location, and is able to begin the process of decision (whether Nicaragua is the place for us, what area of Nicaragua is best for farming, etc.) So, that's where we're at with our move.

The kids and I have a cold right now, which is too bad. The sore throat I have is awful. I'm looking forward to us getting well again.

A Delicious Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

I think of all the best blog entries while laying in bed late at night when I wish I were sleeping. The problem is, I forget what they were when I get up the following morning. I sometimes wonder if they really were good ideas for entries or if maybe my sleepy mind just thought they were. We will probably never know since I don't remember the ideas any better than I remember most of my dreams.

Thanksgiving went over without a hitch. My nontraditional feast was quite tasty, if I do say so myself! I made a rib roast, baked yams, mashed cheesy potatoes (actually, Brad made those), a big salad, sweet dinner rolls, a loaf of bread, spinach dip, and several pies (pumpkin, apple, pecan, etc.). For dinner I made BBQ shredded beef with more potatoes and salad. My sister, Mariah and Mom joined us for the holiday, which was wonderful, although they didn't get to stay for dinner (everyone was still too full from lunch and snacking on pie, spinach dip & bread). After our big, yummy lunch we took pictures, played Scattergories, and just hung out. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Our Thanksgiving lunch.

Madeleine with some flowers she "saved" from the thrift store bag that I was going to take to town the day before Thanksgiving. She wanted to show my mom and Mariah her "new" flowers and ended up getting a picture of herself taken with them.

By the way, Madeleine's new bangs were the result of a "self" done haircut. She got the idea in her head that she wanted bangs one day and gave herself some. She did a pretty good job... I just had to straighten a few sections, but it was nowhere near as bad as other haircuts I've had to fix! I also gave her a haircut in the back, but you can't tell in these photos of her.

My mom, me, and Elizabeth.

A sweet photo of Elizabeth and my mom.

My sister, Mariah and Robbie.

Madeleine wrapped up in the afghan her grandma gave her.

I'm going to truly miss being close enough to visit my family when we're in Nicaragua. The thought of how much I'll miss everyone can be overwhelming at times, so I keep shoving that thought out of the way for later. I figure there's no reason to grieve my future losses! And who knows, maybe it won't work out in Nicaragua or maybe my family will join me. I don't think I'll be able to talk my friends into moving close, although that would be great!

On the subject of Nicaragua, someone asked me recently what our departure date is. We don't actually have our plane tickets yet. We're waiting on Madeleine's passport. We're also in the process of getting Ethan's birth certificate, then we have to get his passport. Our departure date is going to depend on how long all of that takes. It may not be until February that we get to leave with how long things are taking!

Tickets

2009-11-11T12:43:00.001-08:00

Well, there has been a change in plans. The children, Brad, and I will probably all fly out at once. I found a deal where we can fly from Missoula, MT to Las Vegas, NV for $39.99/per person. A couple of months ago I stumbled upon Spirit Airline where they have tickets going from Las Vegas to Managua, Nicaragua for about $200/per person (they still do). So, it looks like we can get to our destination for about $240 each. There's no doubt that adds up with needing 5 tickets, but it's a lot cheaper than if I were to buy tickets going from Missoula, MT to Managua, Nicaragua (right now each ticket is about $985). The thing I haven't looked into is how much luggage costs to take over. I've heard that's where they "get" you nowadays. I'm hoping it's not too expensive.

I looked up the weather prediction for this week in the area of Nicaragua that we're interested in and it's supposed to be in the upper 70's all week. That sounds so much nicer than what we're expected to get here this week - mainly 30's. That part of this adventure excites me. I sure am going to miss my friends and family a whole lot, though.

A Little Red

2009-11-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

I felt like doing something different, so I had my hair dyed red. I never dyed my hair before, so this was certainly different for me. It's nothing damaging and will wash out within 6-8 weeks. It looks like Elizabeth has some natural red on her head!

It has been fun having something new to play with. For some reason my hair is now extra smooth, silky, and tangle free; so running a brush through it has been easier than ever. :)

More of Why Nicaragua

2009-11-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

The reason we chose Nicaragua over any other Central or South American country is for two main reasons:

1. Nice year round climate. The temperatures are consistent year round, and are based on elevation, so there are a lot of micro climates - from hot and humid at low elevation to cool and rainy in the mountains, and everything in between. This makes it possible to grow crops year round.

2. Nicaragua is the poorest Central American country, which makes everything more affordable.

Off the top of my head the reason I wouldn't want to live in each of these Central American countries are as follows:

Mexico - Politically speaking, this country is dangerous.
Belize - Way too much rain here. They get more than double the amount of rain that Nicaragua has, which causes fungus growth issues for farmers. Also, Belize has more English speaking citizens, which cause prices to be higher than in Nicaragua.
Guatemala - Too much rain.
Honduras - An unstable government.
El Salvador - I may need to read more about El Salvador, because at the moment I can't think of any reason this wouldn't be a good place to live. I know some areas of El Salvador are too warm and get too much rain, but it looks like some areas have consistent 70's weather and a decent amount of rainfall (not too much, in other words).
Costa Rica - A touristy country - the prices are higher here than in Nicaragua.
Panama - WAY too much rain (about 130 inches a year).

We didn't look into South America before choosing Nicaragua, but with what knowledge that I do have of South America most of those countries have more seasons, which isn't as good for year round farming.

A Housekeeper and Garden

2009-11-01T08:18:00.000-08:00

Getting a housekeeper in Nicaragua is completely affordable. For $2.50-$5/day you can have someone come in and do everything from dishes to laundry to scrubbing floors. She may even help with meals. Most likely I will continue to be my family's cook even though it would be affordable to hire someone to do the cooking as well. In Nicaragua it's uncommon to know how to cook as many dishes as I know how to cook. Also, since most homes don't even have a refrigerator, they're used to throwing everything into the dish they're making (to prevent spoilage). With as many things as I keep in my refrigerator, that could be a pretty disgusting dish!

I'm looking forward to having some of my time freed up from cleaning. I'll have more time to concentrate on cooking good meals and homeschooling my children. Oh, and lets not forget: more time for doing my arts and crafts. Maybe I'll actually have enough time to keep up with my scrapbooking!

I plan on taking some seed packets with us to use during our 6-month-long trip there and have a little garden. It's hard to find lettuce in Nicaragua and when you do you don't know what kind of water it was grown with, so I'll be growing my own salad stuff. Since we're not used to certain things down there that most Nicas are used to, we have to be more careful not to get stomach ailments. Until my lettuce grows, I know I'll be missing my salads! Cabbage is basically the replacement for lettuce down there and I've never been as fond of cabbage as I am of lettuce.

On the Move

2009-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have some big news, but haven't been able to figure out how to share it! I decided today that it's time I just delve right in. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away. It may help me decide what subject to write about next. The news is... my family is on the move again. This time instead of it being across a state or across the country we're going to move to Nicaragua. It's a small country in Central America - north of Costa Rica and south of Honduras.

I guess the first logical question to such news would be, "Why?" Well, farming in the northern U.S. isn't easy. The growing season is short and the area we're in currently has horrible soil. It's expensive to raise animals when you have to buy hay from other farmers. In Nicaragua there is a year round growing season. Not only will we be able to grow plenty of food for our animals, but we'll be able to grow food for ourselves (a lifelong dream of ours). Still, you might ask, "Why not just move to California or another warmer state?" That one is easy. California is simply unaffordable (plus we're not fond of the laws down there). The U.S. is not a cheap place to live. It's hard for a family to be able to buy land and actually own it without a ton of debt hanging over them. The last thing we want is to be in debt. In Nicaragua the wages are terrible, but living off of U.S. wages in Nicaragua is ideal. Even if you were just an off site telemarketer you could live like a king/queen down there. As most of you know, Brad has off site computer work, so that will work perfectly with our plan.

Nicaragua is a poor country. You can easily find a 3 bedroom home for $300/month. The problem is, as I mentioned before, the wages are terrible. A doctor only makes about $100 a month, which can't even pay the rent in many areas. Extended family often live together to make ends meet. Petty thieves are everywhere.

The weather sounds wonderful. Whatever warm temperature you like, you can pick an area of Nicaragua that has that year round. Right now that sounds heavenly. The cold winds are already blowing and we've had multiple snow storms here. Farming can be difficult in such a cold climate. In the "spring", when Brad is out of town for work, and I have to get up and go milk goats in the freezing wind I sit there and wonder what we were thinking when we got into farming here of all places. I'm not kidding myself, I'm sure there will be problems in Nicaragua, too. They will be different ones from here, but there will be some. For example, instead of the cold winds when I go out to milk the goat, maybe I just won't find our goat at all. Maybe our neighbor will have stolen our goat the night before since they were hungry and wanted some milk. If that's the case, and we end up losing a bunch of livestock to thieves, we'll probably come back.

Our first trip down there will be a 4-6 month long one. Our goal will be to decide whether we truly like it enough to live there, to learn Spanish better, to figure out what area we would like to live in, to meet locals in that area, etc. It should be a wonderful learning experience no matter what our final decision is. We won't take more than a few suitcases for that first trip. After that, assuming we still want to live there, we'll ship over a container of our things.

Well, my children are asking for lunch now, so I had better sign off. I'll try to write more tomorrow about this venture. Remember, I love questions! :)

Swine Flu

2009-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

I have never once gotten a flu shot and never plan to. I would far rather get the flu than to be 1 in a million who can't walk from getting the vaccine:

Elizabeth and I have had the swine flu this week as did my sister, Mariah (she was tested for it at the hospital). It's no fun, but it's not worth the hype. Maybe it was the fresh garlic I ate the day I knew I was coming down with the sickness that helped me from getting worse, but I didn't even throw up. I had a fever that got up to 104.2, chills, aches, headaches, loose stool, a somewhat bad cough, and pain in my lungs. It was a pain to feel that way and I basically stayed in bed the first 3 days, but I still say this is getting overly dramatized in the news. Fear and worry are not good for your immune system. Thousands die from the flu each year and we don't hear this kind of hype. I'm not sure why the swine flu is getting this kind of attention.

Here are a few things I think everyone should know before they decide whether to get the swine flu vaccine or not:

1. The vaccine contains squalene (MF59) which has not been tested for causing cancer.
2. The vaccine contains thimerosal, a known culprit in causing autism and neurological deficits.
3. The vaccine curiously contains nonoxynol-9 used in spermicides.
4. The vaccine will likely cause (and spread) the flu.
5. No neurological testing will be done to ensure the vaccine is safe from harmful neurological side effects.
6. Monitoring for safety will last 13 months, well beyond the flu season.

Here's a great article to read on the subject of the swine flu vaccine.

Take care and stay well!

An Elizabeth Moment

2009-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Me and Mine

2009-10-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

I nearly didn't post this picture at all, because I had just crawled out of bed when I took this photo, but Robbie looks so cute in it I just couldn't resist! I gave Robbie a haircut recently and since several people asked for a picture of him, I thought I better get to it! So, here's the cute little guy with his new 1 inch buzz cut.

Here's Elizabeth napping today. Isn't she sweet? It's hard to believe she's nearly 3 months old already! I love how her little arm is stretched out above her head... so trusting, comfortable, relaxed, sweet. It's hard not to resist kissing that little cheek, don't you agree? :)

Brad

2009-10-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

I saw on another blog a cute idea of making a list of the things you like about your spouse and decided to make my own. Here are just some of the things I appreciate/like about Brad:

He takes care of all of the outdoor chores when he is home (that's a big job that includes feeding the oxen, sheep, goats, and chickens).
He randomly brings me a bouquet of roses.
He takes care of all the repairs and maintenance on our vehicles.
He's really strong.
He does most of the laundry ever since my pregnancy with Elizabeth.
He takes the kids on errands with him when I need a little quiet time alone or lets me run my errands alone.
He helps with the dishes.
He keeps the children quiet enough for me to sleep in most mornings
He does most of the grocery shopping (especially since my pregnancy when I was on partial bed rest).
He can write computer code (talk about a foreign language!).
He always tells me I'm pretty even when I'm sick or am 9 months pregnant.
He takes the garbage down to the end of the driveway for pick up (we have a really long driveway).
He keeps our computers working well (updates software, keeps viruses off, etc.)
He completely handles our finances.
He is supportive of my hobbies.
He reads a lot.
He comforts me when I need to be comforted.
He is a thorough researcher.
He's really good with cattle.
He has good taste in jewelry (for me, of course!)
He makes great popcorn from scratch nearly every night for our movie time together.
He values healthy eating.
He has always been supportive of breastfeeding and homeschooling.
He's a good problem solver.
He can learn to fix just about anything.
He's very supportive of home birth.
He has a green thumb (not literally, of course).
He's a wonderful provider.
He's a good protector.
He's really tall.
He likes me.
He has a good, deep man voice (that my not sound like much, but I really miss it when he is away!)
And last, but definitely not least he loves me!

Bubbles

2009-09-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ethan learned how to blow bubbles this week with his gum, so I decided to take a little video of him working on blowing a bubble. I've been terrible about writing on my blog and hope to get back into the groove of things eventually. In the meantime, here's the little video of Ethan:

Elizabeth Being Cute

2009-09-23T09:28:00.001-07:00

July Videos

2009-09-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here's Ethan cruising around on his bicycle on the berm behind our place:

Here's a short video of Madeleine learning how to ride her bike in July. She has gotten a lot better since then!

Just a Quick Update...

2009-09-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ethan, Madeleine, and Robbie all had some sort of stomach illness that lasted (between the three of them) about 12 days, but everyone is well now. I would think it was over, then someone else would throw up... it was yucky. I hate watching my babies suffer and not be able to make the problem go away quickly. I was thankful that at least there weren't any fevers, achiness, or other usual flu symptoms. Just throwing up and loose stool. Yeah, I know, gross. Before that illness came on I was keeping busy with our new baby, selling books on Amazon, trying to sell sheep, making meals, cleaning, making cards, etc.. I sold Oscar, which was good. His new owners were pretty excited to have a new llama and I'm pretty sure he's going to get spoiled over there!

Anyway, here are some photos from the past couple of weeks (mostly of Elizabeth):

Robbie

I had to take a picture of this; Robbie getting into marshmallows. Of course he wasn't allowed to be doing that, but it was so funny looking - a big handful of marshmallows in his little arms, I just had to get a picture!

Elizabeth today.

Oscar

2009-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Meet Oscar. Oscar the llama. He's our sheep guardian. He has been around our farm for going on two years now and I love him dearly. I had wanted a llama for years, so you could say he was one of my dreams come true. The problem with Oscar is he loves to take our sheep for long walks across the street to a greener buffet. This isn't just some dirt road you only see one car go down each day... no, it's pretty busy. Not by city standards, but by country standards. I would say at least 10-20 vehicles go by on an average hour. The reason our herd is able to cross this road is because there is one side of our property not fenced in. There are several reasons we haven't fenced it in:
1. We're renting here and our landlord says we'd have to leave the fence if we put it up (legally, he doesn't have a leg to stand on, but it's still a hassle we don't want to deal with).
2. Our landlord is trying to get someone to rent the property for grazing purposes even though the property was included in the contract we signed.
3. It would cost a LOT to buy all the posts and barbed wire.

Last year Oscar took the sheep for this walk across the street about once a day and then we'd have to drive over there and chase our herd back. This year it has been more like 2-3 times a week that we've found out livestock across the street, but that's still not good. We got a notice from the animal control saying that we're going to be fined $500 if our animals get caught on the road again! Apparently, even though we haven't actually caught our animals in the process of crossing, someone else has. So, we've decided that since we're not going to be putting a fence up and are unwilling to feed them hay all summer (it's just not worth the cost) we're going to sell Oscar and our herd of sheep. Whenever we have our own place (somewhere where we can grow our own hay) we'll get more sheep and probably another llama. We were planning on making a move like that this year, but it didn't work out. So... goodbye, Oscar.

Last October

2009-08-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

Today I was working on organizing all the photos I need to scrapbook. I've been two years behind in scrapbooking for awhile now, so I decided to put half of the photos in some photo albums that have a place for journaling beside the pictures. I figured that at least this way I'd be able to write down memories beside the photos and not be two years behind in scrapbooking the rest of my life. Or worse - longer than two years. I'd prefer to be able to scrapbook newer pictures while I still remember which baby the photo is of, what happen around the time the photo was taken, etc. It makes for better journaling. Anyway, as I added photos into these new albums today I came across some photos I took mainly for the purpose of this blog, but never got around to posting. I decided to post them along with captioning in spite of it being nearly a year since they were taken (October '08). So, without further ado...

Brad took up blacksmithing last year. Here's his forge.

Handmade hardware for the oxen yoke.

The oxen yoke Brad made. It started out as a square timber and he turned it into a yoke - hardware and all!

Brad's post leg vise that he often uses for holding metal still while he works on it - bending it and such.

Our anvil with hammer - for shaping the hot metal on.

Ethan cranking the blower on the forge.

Ethan squinting into the sunlight as he cranks the blower.

Elizabeth

2009-07-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

I've had a hard time keeping up with my blog as of late. I have a new baby on my arm most of the time, so typing can be a bit challenging. That's right! For those of you who didn't know, I finally had my baby girl on July 15th. I started having contractions on the 14th around 4:30 PM. I wasn't sure it was truly labor until around 9 PM when the bloody show finally came. I had been losing mucus plug for about a month already, so it was really exciting to finally get the bloody show and know I would be holding my baby soon. My mom arrived first, then my sister (Mariah), my midwife (Sheehan), and the midwife's apprentice (Gina). The whole birthing crew was here by midnight. My contractions were inconsistent (not uncommon for me) coming anywhere between 3-6 minutes apart, but they were getting stronger by the hour.

We all sat around the table for awhile before Mariah decided to go to bed since she knew Ethan, Madeleine, and Robbie would be waking her up early the next morning. Not long after she went to bed the rest of us decided to move to the living room. The baby was a little posterior, so I needed to get on all fours to encourage the baby to turn a little - the living room rug seemed like the best place to try that since Brad and Robbie were sleeping in my room. Once I was in the living room and things were partly set up I decided I didn't want to leave, so the midwife brought all the birthing supplies from my master bathroom (where I birthed Robbie) into the living room. Sheehan checked for dilation and found out I was about 5 1/2 centimeters dilated. With how far apart the contractions were Sheehan figured it might be awhile before I was to the pushing point, so everyone laid down. Sheehan laid down on the love seat, Gina on the couch, and my mom and me on the sheet that was laid out on the floor. After a few contractions I decided to start getting on all fours for them, because laying on my side started feeling too painful. I think it was on the second or third contraction on all fours when my water broke. I was a little surprised by that since with both of my boys my water broke right before the pushing point and with Madeleine the doctor caused the water to break so that my labor would progress (it wouldn't on its own). I knew, though, that the water breaking meant I would be going through transition, which would mean throwing up. I don't know why I have to do that every time, but I do! Yuck. And I did. Twice. After the first time I tried to get over to the piano and stand for awhile thinking that may help the baby to come down faster, but after getting over there I started feeling really light headed and nearly passed out (my ears were buzzing, everyone started sounding far off in the distance to me, and things were getting dark). I was quickly made to go back to the rug. Shortly after the second time I threw up came the pushing point. My mom got Mariah and Brad up to see the birth of the baby. Amazingly enough Ethan, Madeleine, and Robbie slept through the whole thing. I was more quiet than with any of my other births, so that probably helped.

I've had all of my children in different positions. With Ethan I was sort of on a birthing stool, with Madeleine I was in the crouched down position holding onto some metal bars they had especially for that position, with Robbie I was standing, and with Elizabeth I was on all fours. Strangely enough the contractions were still spaced apart a bit (not a ton, mind you, but more than usual for that point of the birthing process). She still came out in about 3-4 contractions, but I had to work on breathing her out in between the contractions since the midwife was telling me to push when I just couldn't seem to (there wasn't a contraction helping me out a good portion of the time!) Elizabeth arrived at about 2:45 AM (no one actually looked at the clock for a few minutes, but we figure it was between 2:43 and 2:45 AM). Sheehan happily told me it was my smoothest labor yet. They handed Elizabeth to me right after clearing out her nose a bit. She quickly learned how to nurse and nursed for about the first hour after being born! It took the placenta awhile to come out, but when it did it arrived with a big surprise. The cord wasn't attached to the placenta the way it normally is. The name of what it was is: Velamentous Cord Insertion (click there to read all about it). It's probably why I had an amniotic leak for so many months! The cord was attached to such a thin place in the membranes... my little Elizabeth is a little miracle baby! The cord could have come detached in my womb or even during birthing and caused serious problems... even death. I'm so very, very thankful she is alive and well. I had a feeling something wasn't quite right and cried a couple of days before she was born as I prayed that she would live. I had never done that with my other babies, but with Elizabeth I kept having this feeling that she was in danger. I'm so thankful everything turned out so well! Not only did she get all of her nutrients just fine in spite of the bad connection, but she ate really well! Sheehan weighed her as I was getting showered off and she weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces! Wow. That's about 1 1/2 pounds heavier than Madeleine was and over 2 pounds heavier than Robbie! She didn't feel any bigger than my other babies coming out, although two days later I felt really bruised in my lower back and hips due to Elizabeth's size.

Things are going really well. Elizabeth started sleeping through the night after just a few nights. My contractions went away after just two nights, which I'm incredibly thankful for (normally I have them for 4-7 days/nights after birthing a baby)! Those can feel a bit torturous at times! My belly is shrinking back and I'm happy to be fitting into my normal clothing again.

Here are some recent pictures:

A week before I birthed Elizabeth.

Elizabeth the day she was born with Ethan.

One day old.

4 days old.

Brad and the boys. It was so cute when I looked out and saw Brad, Robbie, and Ethan all hanging out with our ox, Little Bill. I just had to have a picture!

Elizabeth at 6 days old during her second outing.

5 days old.

8 days old.

Ethan giving one of our little roosters a ride.

Elizabeth (8 days old) almost smiling as her brothers give her some attention. Robbie was giving her a kiss.

12 days old.

Birthdays and Ella

2009-06-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

My baby girl, Madeleine just turned 4-years-old at the end of May and I wanted to post a couple of pictures of her while I have a chance!

She is so beautiful and growing up so quickly!

For her birthday she requested blueberry cake and since I'm on bed rest a friend of mine who was over helping me made Madeleine a blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting! That was so sweet of her! Thanks, Bettina!

Here Madeleine is playing outside on her birthday with Robbie.

The other new thing around here is our new Jersey heifer, Ella! She's 15 months old and weighs about 650 pounds. She'll be our milk cow next year - assuming she gets pregnant soon. Here are a couple of pictures of her:

We bought Ella from some folks who had her as basically a pet. She's very friendly and loves following Brad around. She even comes when he calls her name! She is also gentle enough Ethan and I can lead her around if needed.

Here are a few random pictures from this month:

Robbie just had his second birthday, but his birthday pictures didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. He had food on his face in most of them! :o) In the picture above he is petting a new lamb Brad brought in the house to show me since I'm unable to go out and see the new ones. That little gal couldn't seem to figure out how to feed off of her mother, so we gave her to some friends to bottle feed. It sounds like she is getting spoiled with all sorts of attention! I sure am glad it worked out for them to take her!

Here's a cute picture of Ethan, Madeleine, and our Scottish Highland calf, Red. I think it's cute how Ethan is standing in this shot - it reminds me of his daddy! And I think it's funny how Madeleine was brushing her hair outside with the new hairbrush she got from her grandma for her birthday!

Amniotic Leak

2009-05-04T10:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the absence! I may not be writing much for awhile more, though, because I've been off and on bed rest. I've had an off and on amniotic leak and it looks like I may just have to be on bed rest the rest of my pregnancy (due date: July 7th). There isn't really a whole lot to talk about when I can't even go outside at this point! I'm just happy to be able to stay at home instead of in the hospital. For those of you who pray out there I'd appreciate prayers that I get to continue to stay at home, that the baby makes it full term, that baby will continue to stay healthy and strong, that the amniotic leak will seal up, and that no infection occurs! Brad was away for awhile on another business trip, but arrived back at home yesterday, so bed rest should become a bit easier for me now.

Due to all of the concern the amniotic leak has caused I've taken a few trips to the hospital. During one visit I got my second ultrasound (ever) and as it turns out the baby looks very much like a girl! That was a big surprise to me since the first ultrasound looked so much like a boy. At 30+ weeks ultrasounds are more accurate in the area of figuring out the gender, though, so most likely the baby is a girl. I'm happy Madeleine will have a little sister! Not to mention all the fun, girlie, ruffly little clothes I'll get to "play" with again! :) I don't want anyone to think I wouldn't be just as happy with another precious boy, though! I'll be happy either way. :) I just think it would be fun for Madeleine to have a sister.

Baggies

2009-04-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when I was on the phone with my mom I noticed Madeleine pulling all of the sandwich sized baggies out of their box. I quickly interrupted my phone conversation to say, "Madeleine, what are you doing?!"

Looking a bit annoyed, she calmly replied, "I'm looking for a smaller size." I couldn't help but laugh. Apparently she was looking for a snack size baggie and just figured all of the sizes were in one box!

Lambs!

2009-04-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

We currently have 15 lambs from this spring! I love watching them climb upon the back of our llama, Oscar when he is laying down for a nap and then jumping off again. Oscar gets a bit annoyed by this game, at times, and will stand up with his ears back making all of the lambs tumble off of him.

We've had two complicated deliveries, which isn't bad for how many ewe's have delivered lambs so far. I noticed the first complication as I was feeding the animals (before Brad returned home). She was in labor and came to the pushing point. I watched her push a few times and realized there was something not quite right. I climbed over into her pen, chased her down (yeah, she was running from me even though she was in labor), dragged her back into the sheep shed and held her with my legs as I checked out the situation more thoroughly. The lamb was coming out with both front hooves and its head at one time (see illustration below)! First I tried pushing the feet back in, but there was no way I would have had enough strength to get the legs in the right position when her body was fighting me with contractions. So, I started pulling. I didn't have enough hands to do it alone, so I had Ethan pull on the legs a bit as I eased the head out. The hardest part was getting the shoulders out. That poor ewe let out a loud, "Baaahhh!" when the shoulders pulled through. The lamb was a big one for having a Shetland mother and Black Welsh/Jacob father! I'm guessing he was overdue, which happens a lot when the lamb/kid/baby is in the wrong position. Here's an illustration of how he came out:

The lamb was having a difficult time breathing, so I rubbed its back down to help gets things circulating well and cleared out its mouth and nose. It was fighting hard for life, so with a little help from me he began to breathe better and let out his first little, "Bah". I left him then with his mother. The ewe healed quickly and the lamb is doing great. There is a picture of him below. His interesting coloring is due to his father being part Jacob.

The second complication came after Brad was home. He was out watering the animals and noticed a Shetland ewe was in labor. He had me come out to inspect her. Sure enough, shortly after I got out there she began pushing. After watching a short time I could tell something was wrong. I climbed in and took a look at it. This time the lamb was coming out backwards (breech) - rear first! So, I had Brad help me. It took a lot of pulling. Not only was it coming out backwards, but he was a big lamb, so it took a lot of muscle to pull him out. Here's an illustration of the birth position:

I had to work with the lamb for quite awhile to get him breathing right. He took in more liquid in his lungs than the one I mentioned above since he came out backwards. I had to pull stuff out of his mouth and nose, and then do a lot of rubbing him down. Here are a couple of pictures of the little guy with Ethan:

Ethan and the little ram lamb.

Madeleine probably was saying something about the lamb's tail here.

Ethan and Madeleine climbing over a fence.

Another new lamb with its mother.

The big, brown ewes are Rambouillets and most of those black lambs are Rambouillet/Black Welsh mixes from this spring. Oscar the llama is there in the background. The extra wooly looking small ewes are Shetlands.

The Jacob ewe in the background is the mother of these little twin lambs - they're 2-3 weeks old now.

Spring

2009-04-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Spring is definitely here. Spring brings with it many ups and downs; snow and mud, gray skies and blue, warm and cold, bicycle rides and sledding. We've gotten more snow this spring than we did during the whole winter, I think. We had one snowfall of 18 inches, then another of about 6 or 7 inches. Most of the other snowfalls have only left an inch here and there. The wind keeps blowing it into drifts making some of them deep enough for me to sink up to my knees in and other areas bare. I must admit, this part of spring is bothersome. I look forward to the end part of spring where we mainly get sunshine, blue skies, and blossoms. It's just around the corner... I can almost smell it and definitely hear it - the birds are returning!

Here are a few pictures I've taken this month that I thought I would share with all of you:

A picture of spring; bicycling and snow.

Little man, Ethan shoveling paths through the snow.

Robbie interrupting school time.

My baby belly at 6 months along. I accidentally didn't get my head in this photo, but it was the best angle of the belly out of all of the photos I took recently.

Brad has returned and will be working from home, hopefully for a long while. I'm very happy to have him home, as are the children. Even the oxen seem glad to have him home! They get more attention from him than they do from me. :) I just don't tend to find the extra time and energy it takes to stand around scratching their chins, necks, and backs.

Well, that's it for now. I'll try to get an updated photo of Madeleine on here soon. I have a harder time getting a good one of her since she is always on the move! :) Have a great weekend!

An Overdue Update

2009-03-27T08:44:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since my last update and I apologize for that. It has been really busy around here for the past month or so. Brad has been away a lot since October due to work, which means I've had more responsibilities to tend to. With spring being here we've had a lot of birthing going on around here. We now have 11 lambs! There were 3-4 kid goats born as well, but they're no longer on the farm. One kid billy I gave to a friend to take care of because his mother didn't want to feed him. She would take care of him in every other way - lick his butt, cuddle with him, and protect him, but she just wouldn't feed him. I guess she is a pretty dumb goat. That nanny goat had had twins, but one died the day he was born. Then another goat had her kid/s, but we have no idea what happened to it/them. One day she was pregnant, the next she was searching for her kid/s acting like she had no idea what happened to them. I don't know if a neighborhood dog got it/them, if it was coyotes, or if they died of natural causes. Whatever it was I haven't found any sign of it/them anywhere.

With birthing goats comes milking time. I began milking both nanny goats each day for 7-10 days before deciding to let them go dry. My midwife told me I needed to figure out how to take it easier, because of signs of a possible premature labor, which I couldn't risk (of course!) The only thing in my everyday life at that point that I could afford to get rid of was the milking. Feeding and watering the animals is mandatory, obviously.

A couple of weeks ago a Black Welsh Mountain ewe died and Brad had told me if that happened to remove its liver, so that we could send it to a lab and figure out why a lot of our Black Welsh just keel over without any signs of something being wrong. So, when I found one of our Black Welsh ewes dead as a doornail in the pen one morning I knew exactly what I needed to do. I ran back to the house for a knife, then dragged the ewe out of the pen, and began gutting her. I had never done this sort of thing alone before, so of course I did the one thing you're not supposed to do for pleasant gutting - I punctured the stomach. Or at least one of them - sheep have four stomachs after all. It was a really gross job after that point (it would have been gross enough without puncturing the stomach), but I found the liver, rinsed it off, put it in a freezer zip lock baggie, and put it in the freezer. At some point we are going to send that off. We suspect that the Black Welsh have a copper deficiency, because Brad recently talked to someone else who has Black Welsh sheep and found out that most of her sheep had died before she figured out they need more copper than most other sheep. The problem with this, of course, is that too much copper would kill them and not enough kills them. So, we have to find the right amount to give our Black Welsh and give it to them in a form where the other sheep won't get it along with them. Also, before we assume it's a copper deficiency we're going to send that liver off and see what the test results reveal.

There have been several other "guy" jobs that have come up, but I won't bore you with all of them in detail. One of them was that our furnace ran out of heating oil and the fuel company couldn't come fill up my tank until the following day. Since it was a really cold day/night, I had to make sure the pipes in the house wouldn't freeze. To do that I had to deal with copper pipes, stinky fuel, and a bucket (that's a long story in short form). Another job: our huge hay stack had to be moved back for a hay delivery. I could have waited for Brad to do it on the weekend, but I hated the thought of him spending his weekend that way when I could help. So, I took it on myself to move that stack. Amazingly enough, even at nearly 6 months pregnant, I only got a minor backache. Each hay bale weighs 100 pounds and I had to move about 40-50 bales to make enough room for a hay delivery. I tried not to lift too many of them - mostly I rolled and scooted them until I had the pile the way I wanted it. I did get a bit scolded for that job. Not even Brad wanted me doing that! I thought that was sweet. Everyone was right; I shouldn't have done that. I also shouldn't have thrown straw bales over into every pen to make fresh bedding for the animals. The straw bales aren't 100 pounds... probably more like 75 pounds, but it was still an awkward, difficult job a pregnant lady shouldn't do.

My sister, Mariah came and stayed with me for 2 1/2 weeks, which was great. I don't know how I would have kept up with housecleaning without her. She was here during the time I was milking goats, which was good. It was hard catching those goats! Our older nannies are trained to get up into the milk stand by themselves, but these younger ones have to be chased. That's where having two people to do the job came in handy. Also, it was nice having someone to play games with, craft with, watch movies with, and just take my mind off of missing Brad.

Well, I guess that's enough of an update for now. I hope everyone is doing well!

Farm Update

2009-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday my family and I went to a "winterfest" (basically a winter fair) to hang out with our oxen, Little Bill and Curly Sue. They were on display in the petting farm barn mostly for the sake of experience. It's good for them to get used to crowds of people, different noises, etc. Here are some pictures I took while there:

One thing we don't have on our farm, pigs. This sow had 9 piglets in her litter. Pigs can run up to 15 miles per hour. There have been reported cases of pigs actually eating human children! In one of the stories I read a child fell into the pig pen and the pigs killed/ate the child. I wouldn't want these things on my farm. Plus, my family doesn't eat pork, so there is really no good reason for us to have them.

Here is a Scottish Highland steer who isn't ours. He is 13 years old and about 2-3 times bigger than Little Bill and Curly Sue. I guess they just keep growing and growing! This big guy's horns were amazing!

Ethan watching other children in the crowd while petting some miniature donkeys.

Curly Sue wanted a nap, but Little Bill didn't. This is what happens if we leave them yoked and tied up for 10 minutes or so. Usually only one of them gets tired for some reason! We decided to unyoke them at this point since Curly Sue was getting tired and Little Bill wouldn't lay down with him. It just looks so uncomfortable when they do that to each other!

Curly Sue scratching himself on the yoke after it was off.

Robby trying to feed our oxen.

It was kind of funny, anytime Brad would walk away from the oxen while we were at the fair they would start mooing for him. First softly, then they would do what we call, "The Cow Alarm" - that's where they moo loudly over and over again several times. They didn't like being alone for long at all, which was cute.

Brad and I both talked to dozens of people coming through about Scottish Highland cattle and oxen. By the end of the day both Brad and I were worn out. Not only from talking to so many people and standing all day, but from getting up early (Brad got up in the 5 o'clock hour), driving 1 1/2 hours to get there, and I was carrying Robby on my hip most of the day. It was a good day - tiring, but good. One thing that seemed to surprise many people were that the oxen could not only feel with their horns, but that they were warm as well. For those of you who don't know, the reason for that is horns contain both nerve and blood vessels.

Anyway, with the fair over Brad left on another business trip (one that will last at least two weeks). Wally (the rancher we bought our calves from) brought Curly Sue and Little Bill home from the fair on Monday and picked up one of the little brindle calves we bought from him. That brindle calf had an awful attitude that wouldn't be trained out of him. He was very aggressive - he would try to butt everyone (including our children through a fence) and would do this thing where he would quickly turn and try to kick us with his hind legs. You just don't want to mess around with a calf who weighs a little over 400 pounds doing that. We tried for several days to gentle him, but he simply hated people. So, Wally brought a replacement and took that naughty calf. Here's the new guy:

He is pretty jumpy around people still, but is getting better with each passing day. He comes up to eat the hay as I'm feeding it to the cattle, so that's good. He wouldn't even come that close the first couple of days! That's pretty normal behavior for a calf just weaned from its mother and taken from a field where it hasn't ever been around humans. I'm hoping that Brad has an easy time gentling him when he comes home. As for the other three calves we bought at the same time as the one with a bad attitude...

they're doing great! They all allow me to pet them and will eat hay out of my hands. We finally named the black ones. The black one on the left is Bert and the one on the right is Ernie. The brindle calf in the picture above has been worked with the most out of the three so far (taught commands, pet more, etc.) and he is super sweet. If Brad leans down anywhere near him he licks Brad's hat and forehead over and over. It's kind of cute. He is a very affectionate calf. He also licks me when I'm around - not my forehead, but my arms. I don't mind as long as I'm wearing my farm jacket (I have a jacket I use just for farm work).

I know, this picture is very much like the one above, but in this one you can see Ernie's face better (the black one on the right). Also, you'll notice Curly Sue isn't looking over the fence in this one. :)

This morning the other white Rambouillet ewe we have (you may remember in my Busy December post we had to butcher a Rambouillet ewe since she didn't labor correctly and was dying - the one with a rotten lamb in her) was looking about the same way as the first. I took her to the vet and found out the problem she has and the one who died had is called a prolapsed vagina. There is really nothing you can do about it in the long run. You either cull the animal or keep it from breeding. For short term the vet put a thing that holds it up/in, which should help for when she goes into labor. It's really too bad the two friendliest ewes on our farm have had this problem. Maybe their mothers rejected them for a reason (both of these ewes were bottle babies).

Me (5 months pregnant) loading that ewe in and out of our SUV (twice) would be a whole other story and this entry has already gotten a bit too long! :) Anyway, that's about all that's new down on the farm. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Coming to a Town Near You...

2009-02-20T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm saddened to see thrift stores I myself have shopped at tossing out perfectly good children's clothing, toys, books, etc. What a terrible time to put a law like this into effect - when we're in the worst recession of my lifetime (thus far). How are all families around this country going to afford buying all new clothing for their children? The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 is ridiculous! What a waste.

I'll write more later about calves, fairs, and things. :)

Part 2: Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

2009-02-19T18:49:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008? Well, I found out the other day that it also includes all children's books published before 1985. You can read more about it here.

A Piece of Cake

2009-02-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening I noticed that the bunch of bananas I had left were finally looking perfectly ripe and that it was time to try a recipe I have had my eye on for awhile. The recipe, "Banana-Caramel Cake" calls for 6 ripe bananas, so it worked out perfectly that my bunch had 6 left in it. I worked on dinner (chicken enchiladas) at the same time as the cake and by dinner time both were ready. It had been the first time I had made my own caramel sauce, caramelized bananas, or worked with mascarpone cheese (the cake has "Mascarpone Frosting" on it), so I was quite happy when the cake turned out beautiful and tasty even by my own definition! An artist or cook is usually her/his worst critic and I definitely tend to be that. I didn't actually eat any of the cake until this morning and before having a bite I decided to take a picture to share with my blog readers:

The frosting wasn't too sweet and even after being refrigerated all night it was very smooth and creamy. The caramel sauce that was drizzled on top complimented the frosting with it's amber sweetness. The caramelized bananas in between the layers of cake were delicious. I would say this cake is, in fact, a success! :)

This Beautiful Week

2009-02-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

It has been another full week of living! Last Sunday we went on a lovely, 8-hour-long drive in gorgeous low 40's weather. I was amazed to see bits of green grass coming up and small buds on trees in some areas of the countryside we drove through. In the area we live now we won't get to see that until May (normally) - I almost wonder if this year might be different. We've had a warm February for this area - mostly high 30's/low 4o's, although a few days even hit the low 50's! I'm thankful to be getting more daylight hours each day and plenty of warm sunshine to enjoy!

On Wednesday we kept real busy. I have been borrowing a van from a friend when Brad is away on business trips and we wanted to begin making it up to her by buying her a new windshield, so we had to take that into the town that is about 30 miles from here to get that done. It was supposed to take the glass shop half of a day to do the job. We knew we didn't have 6-hours-worth of things to do in town, so after doing our main grocery shopping we headed back home where Brad had to check up on some work related things and I needed to put the groceries away. Once we were done with that we headed out again to a town about 20 miles from here to get new tires on our new (used) vehicle (we decided a couple of weeks ago it was time for a second vehicle - one that would sit our family after the baby is born). After that errand was done we went back home where I had a few hours to get things done around the house while Brad worked. We were all kind of tired by the time we had to go back to pick up the van. Robby fell to sleep in his car seat on the way, in fact. So, when we got to the glass shop it was decided that I would pick up the van, go buy myself a new mop at the cleaning and restaurant supply place, then get the few things we needed from the grocery store (a different one from the one we had shopped at that morning). That ended up leading to my first two hours alone since Robby was born! I must admit, it was quite energizing. By the time I got back home I had enough energy to feel happy while getting all of my evening chores done. It was great!

The rest of the week was filled with just regular activities around here; schooling, cooking, baking, cleaning, etc.

I've been enjoying some of my favorite types of views this week - sunshine shining in a beautiful, wide open blue sky against the snowy white peaks of the nearby mountains. With the warmer temperatures we've been getting this month Ethan, Madeleine, and Robby have been spending several hours of each day outside playing (their idea, of course). I'm often surprised at how much they find to do out there! Also, Brad has been able to work with the new calves quite a bit as well as our big guys, Curly Sue and Little Bill. We'll be taking the big guys to a winter fair next week, which should be interesting (hopefully, I'll can get some good pictures to share!)

Lambs!

2009-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Rambouillet sheep go into heat in the summer (most sheep/goats don't go into heat until cooler weather arrives). Both sheep and goats have a gestation period of five months. About two weeks ago we had two Rambouillet ewes give birth to twin girls (both ewes - we have four female lambs now). I was so thankful we were having a week or two of temperatures mainly in the 40's. Here are a few pictures of the cute new lambs:

The one on the right is making a funny face right there.

We have three more brown Rambouillet ewes and one white one who haven't lambed. I'm hoping they will wait for a warm day.

Yesterday and Today

2009-01-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of the day outside with my family. I had a good time getting to know one of our new brindle calves (still unnamed), helping with farm chores, and just being out in the sunshine. The calf I mentioned a moment ago is already doing great with the commands, "Giddup", "Whoa", and "Back". I had a good time walking him around our yard. He seemed to like me and I like just about anyone/anything that likes me, so we're good buds now. For some reason he was very curious about my jacket. He sniffed it thoroughly every time he got a chance. I kept wondering if maybe he smelled the bits of hay I was unable to clean out of my pockets or what! It was very cute, though.

My hubby is gone again on a business trip, but will be back in less than a week. I seem to miss him more each time he is gone. Still, I'm thankful he has work, especially in times like these when everyone knows multiple people who have or are about to lose their job. To avoid thinking about missing him I plan on taking this day and just having a good, relaxing, crafty day. I entered one of my cards in an online challenge the other day to see how many comments I get. Whoever get the most or the second most comments wins a prize (rubber stamps). I plan on entering something else in the challenge today (an Origami box I plan on making today). Here's the card already entered: Click Here. Most likely I won't even come close to winning, but it's fun trying anyway! :)

Well, I hope everyone is having a great week! I'm going to try to post a couple of more times this week. I have pictures I've wanted to share with all of you, but have to remember to bring my camera upstairs first.

Mistake

2009-01-09T08:31:00.001-08:00

My update from yesterday, which I'm about to delete, was a mistake. The CPSC can't change the law, only Congress can, which they have not. Sorry about the misinformation! I still think folks should write to their congressmen and try to get this law changed. It's simply ridiculous for it to be illegal to sell used children's clothing. What the CPSC wrote would make more sense than the actual law that was passed. Since I'm deleting yesterday's post and not everyone may have read it, here's the mistake I'm talking about: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

The Newest Additions On Our Farm

2009-01-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday the four Scottish Highland bull calves my hubby picked out were delivered to our little farm. These little guys will be trained to be a team of four oxen. The main difference between these guys and our 1 1/2-year-old bulls (Little Bill and Curly Sue) is that our first pair had been bottle babies - already used to humans. These new guys have been out in a field with their mamas for the first six months of their lives, which will make it slightly more challenging in the beginning. However, I have no doubt my husband will do a wonderful job and they'll be as tame as Little Bill and Curly Sue in no time at all. They've been here less than a week and they already seem to be getting used to me more (my hubby has been away on a business trip since the day after the calves got here). The calves acted like a bunch of rodeo bulls when being led out of the trailer they road here in. Here are a few pictures (we haven't named them yet):

The rancher we bought them from trying to lead one of the two brindle Scottish Highland calves we bought. That little guy gave a good fight. He was jumping and kicking up his heels for awhile! Part of the problem was the rancher giving the calf too much rope, so he couldn't keep the calf under control.

My husband working on leading the other brindle calf (brindle is the name of the color - a brown calf with blond highlights basically).

One of brindle calves getting to know Curly Sue.

Curly Sue (I'm still not into that poor ox's name, but I can't seem to get anyone to call him something more manly like Burly Boo) and Little Bill checking out the calves.

A brindle calf. He's a cutie.

One of the two black calves with a brindle going to check out the hay I gave them.

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

2009-01-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about this? If you buy children's clothing, toys, or games at thrift stores, yard sales, or handmade ones from individuals on Etsy (or any other similar place) you'll want to be made aware of it. As of February 10, 2009 it will be illegal for thrift or resale shops to sell these items unless they test them for lead (something that would cost each business tens of thousands of dollars). It will also be illegal for you and me to sell our used children's clothing at yard sales or to sell handmade items for children under the age of 13. I'm not kidding. Here are some references: The Act Itself, A L.A. Times Article, and A MSN Article. Of course most used places won't be able to pay the tens of thousands of dollars it would take to test all of their children's clothing/toys/games, so legally they'll have to send all of those items to landfills. In these "live green" times you would think Congress wouldn't even consider passing a law like this and would come up with a more reasonable way to deal with the recalls and possible bits of lead in clothing or toys. This law will affect families all over our country. It will affect me! I wouldn't even consider buying snow pants for $20 and up for each child every winter when I could get them (like new) at a thrift store for $2-$4! I buy the majority of clothing for my children used. I buy underwear, socks, shoes/boots, and pajamas (due to I don't usually find used pajamas) new, but besides that I'm all for paying a whole lot less at a thrift store!

Living out in the country I don't go to many yard sales. They're so spread out it often doesn't make it worth driving the distance for the good deals. Still, I like the option of going to yard sales and getting a baby outfit, a child's shirt, or even a pair of pants for $0.25-$0.50! I have found all sorts of wonderful, stain-free clothing for all of my children with brand names like Gymboree, The Limited, The Gap, etc. for a quarter at a garage sale or $2 at a thrift store. These aren't junk clothes that should be taken to a landfill. I fully oppose this law and think we (all who care) should write our state congress and try to help them see how illogical this really is. What a waste. Even those without children should care about all that waste and all the businesses who will have to shut down due to this new law. It sounds like it will be difficult to enforce, but even so, a law like this should not be in place.

Busy December

2008-12-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

It doesn't feel like it was a whole 10 days since I last wrote! I suppose I've been busy and too cold to write. I'm convinced now that there is very little insulation in my craft/computer room. When it gets really cold there are these wet looking spots all over the eastern wall in here, which is odd. If I open my closet door it feels very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. All year round it feels only slightly cooler/warmer (depending on the time of year, of course) from outside. So, when we got a week of 5 degrees to 20 below 0 I just didn't feel like coming up here! I felt even more like staying on the first floor of the house when one night the heater wasn't cooperating (something to do with a filter and gelled up fuel oil) and it got down to 38 degrees in the house. Brrr! It took awhile for this room to warm up enough for me to type.

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm a bit behind on everything. However, I decided I don't need to follow any unwritten rules of only making and giving gifts for Christmas. I mean, they don't have to be on time, right? Everyone likes getting gifts and I don't think the time of year is all that important when it comes to giving. So, I've decided to make my own rule for this year and that is to stretch this giving time of year until sometime in January. The gifts I'm making just take too much time to have them all done by Christmas! I really need to remember to begin my crafting in October next time. As for cards... I should probably make them about a year in advance! I'm a last minute person, so I need to learn to work with my own personality and have the cards ready so that people get them by Christmas instead of New Years Day! I'm usually making them around the time I should be sending them. Anyway, I wanted to show everyone the one 7-10 hour gift I did get done so far:

Front view of slippers I made for my sister, Kara. She was a great foot model!

Back and side view of the slippers. The bottoms were already getting a little dirty on my floors and I'll give my excuses shortly as to why my floors weren't perfectly swept.

(For those of you who could care less about the process of making these felted slippers you can go ahead and skip this one paragraph.) To make the wool felted slippers I first called my mom to find out how many inches long Kara's feet were, then I drew out a pattern. I felted three separate pieces for each slipper before felting them together. I felted the bottoms (which you can't see in the photos), then the front/tops, then the strip that wraps around the sides and back of the foot. After felting the pieces together I searched my house for suede. I had decided they needed suede on the bottom to make them more durable, but I wasn't about to drive all the way to the nearest town that would have suede for sale (about 25 miles away). It was already around dinner time by that point anyway, so going out wasn't an option. My husband was the one to find me some good suede in the end. He had a suede folder type thing for storing saw blades in that he had decided he didn't need. So, I traced out the bottom of the slippers onto the suede, cut them out, then began the time consuming process of hammering holes around the edges with a hammer and nail so I could sew the suede to the felted slippers. There's no way my needles would go through the suede without some pre-made holes. It worked, but since then I've thought of a quicker way to make holes in leather. After making the holes I used hemp thread to blanket stitch the suede to the slippers. After everything was sewn together it was time for decorating. I used one felting needle to make the dark orange wool petals, then stitched them on with the hemp thread. I think it would have been nice if I had added some bead work to the slippers, but it was already past 10 PM when I had gotten that far, so I decided enough was enough. The following day was going to be too busy to work on slippers. Here's one last view of them:

The following day (Wednesday) I got to work as soon as I rolled out of bed. There was a lot to be done, because my whole family (Mom, Dad, and sisters - Kara and Mariah) were coming over for Greek food, a trip to the hot spring, and an early Christmas gift opening party. I already had the gyro meat prepared (that takes quite awhile from start to finish, so I try to have that done the day before company is scheduled to arrive for gyros). I also had the Tzatziki (Greek cucumber yogurt dip) ready - it's best to have the spices in that marry overnight. However, I still needed to mix up the dough for pita bread, roll them out, and pan fry them. I needed to make the baklava, which I started first. I also needed to saute onions, cut up tomatoes, and clean my whole house. Yes, minor details. When I should have been cleaning my house the day before I was making slippers. I tend to always count on last minute energy to kick in. It often does, but when I'm in the first trimester of a pregnancy my body doesn't always cooperate. Not only was my body not cooperating, but as I was in the middle of pita dough my husband walked in with a sheep. An ewe had apparently gone into labor the night before and we hadn't even known we had any lambs due! I quickly cleaned the dough off my hands and went to inspect my new patient. I didn't need to go far since she was right inside my door on the front rug. Her uterus was bulging out - not good. She also wasn't dilated enough. All this took a bit longer than I made it sound. Sheep don't usually like you poking around back there when they're in pain or EVER. Completely understandable, too. She wasn't contracting, which was also a bad sign. I knew there was nothing I could do as soon as I realized I could only reach two fingers in - certainly not enough room to pull a lamb out of. I called the local vets that are able to treat sheep, but there was no way they could take her. It took us awhile to decide what to do with her and in the meantime plenty of blood and manure got on my floors. Finally, my hubby took her outside to tie her up. Company was due anytime and there was nothing we could do for her except end her misery, which we didn't have time for before lunch. As tough as I like to be I cried as I cleaned the manure and blood off my floors (see, at least that wasn't all over the floor when Kara was walking around in her new slippers!). That ewe just so happened to be the most friendly ewe we had on the farm. The one that would walk up for attention and food. I can't even remember if her name was Rosy or Petunia. We had two ewes that were friendly and look basically identical, but the one that had the problem was the most friendly one. I never did know which one was which.

I'm sure I have better pictures of her, but this is the last one I got of her.

I got the dough for the pita ready, but it wasn't fully risen by the time my family arrived. I was behind on things again. Everyone stepped in to help, but still lunch wasn't served until 2 PM! At least we were able to munch on baklava while we worked. :)

We had a great time with my family and really enjoyed the hot spring.

On Thursday when I went out to check on the ewe who had the trouble the day before she wouldn't eat, was bloated, and just wasn't looking good. I called around to the vets and still no one could help her. I quickly got my hubby and we prepared for butchering her. I'm glad to report she had a very quick death. I can't seem to decide whether to spare everyone the details or not. Hmm... well, as it turned out the lamb in her was completely rotten. It was probably the most disgusting thing I've smelled since I was a kid and came upon a rotten pile of beavers. It had been dead a long time, so was a miscarriage. I'm not real sure why the ewe's body wouldn't cooperate and let the dead lamb out. It was definitely near the end of her pregnancy, because the lamb was getting to be a decent size. It really was a sad ending for that ewe, but it's all over now. It was the first time we had to deal with a miscarriage on this farm, much less a miscarriage gone bad. I hope I never have to deal with another one, although realistically I probably will.

Well, that's probably more than enough for now! This turned out to be quite a long post. I hope everyone is having a very joyful and peaceful holiday season!

Random Knowledge Share of the Day

2008-12-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

Store bought un-organic baby carrots are dipped in a high solution of chlorine water to prevent them from turning white (for money related reasons, of course).

Oxen Fun

2008-12-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the moment I've been waiting for - pictures! It's a lot of fun riding behind the oxen and it looks like those who can ride them enjoy it, too. I decided to wait until after the baby is born to try my bareback riding skills.

Madeleine riding one of our oxen.

Front view of Madeleine.

Hubby's mom and the children going for a ride behind the oxen.

My sister-in-law, Julie taking a ride on the oxen with me and children in tow.

Taking a drink break. Each oxen can easily down a few gallons in less than a minute. That's me holding Robby next to the oxen. I was in many layers to keep from getting chilled that day!

Well, that's enough for now. I hope you enjoyed my picture tour of a ride with oxen! :)

December Thus Far

2008-12-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are now here for their week long visit. We've been playing games, enjoying the outdoors, and eating plenty of good food. We had our late Thanksgiving on the 4th as planned and have been enjoying leftover pie ever since then. Yum! I'm convinced that I could never enjoy a store bought fruit pie again. There's nothing like a homemade fruit pie. The texture and taste are just so much better! The pecan and pumpkin pies are great, too. I guess the only store bought pies I ever get anymore are Cyrus O'Leary cream pies. I should figure out how to make those next!

My firstborn son lost his first tooth the day before yesterday! He sure was surprised when it actually wiggled out and has been excitedly showing off the empty space since then. How time flies. It seems like just last week I held him in my arms for the first time and just yesterday he was teething in those first teeth. Loosing teeth sure beats getting them in for the first time!

I haven't been writing as much since every time I sit down all I can seem to think is, "I'm exhausted and pregnant." That would get boring for all of my readers real quick. I also have the, "I'm exhausted and feeling yucky" days. Things are going well over all pregnancy-wise. I'm past the loosing weight part. I always loose weight for the first month or two since I don't feel like eating when I feel yucky. I don't get morning sickness as bad as many, but I do feel nauseous often. This time it has truly been morning sickness. In most of my pregnancies I've gotten the morning sickness feelings either randomly throughout the day or in the evenings. My midwife informed me that protein helps. Her tip has helped me tremendously! On the mornings after I've eaten a good size portion of meat (especially red meat, I've noticed) I don't seem to feel yucky at all!

I'll have to write again soon, but I'd rather get some pictures first. I would like to post some good ones of my sister-in-law and children riding the oxen and the oxen pulling a sled full of me and the kids. It's a fun activity! And to think, it benefits the oxen, too - good exercise and training! They can pull about 500 pounds now! They're still a bit young, but within the next 2-3 years we'll be able to use them for plowing, planting, harvesting, etc., etc. My hubby is working on fixing up a bunch of horse drawn equipment in his spare time. That way when the oxen are old enough and strong enough we'll be ready to do some real work! :)

Butchering Among Other Things

2008-11-11T13:04:00.001-08:00

We've had unseasonably warm weather for the past month or so, which has been really nice. I'm hoping it starts snowing a decent amount by the end of this month, though. Not for me, but for my mother-in-law who will be coming for a visit in early December and is hoping to get some skiing in while here. The ski slopes are scheduled to open on Thanksgiving Day (weather permitting), which would be perfect timing in my opinion.

Yesterday, my parents and I butchered six of my turkeys. I was happy to get that done - I hadn't been looking forward to this job for quite some time now. The last time I butchered some birds - roosters, I was 8 months pregnant with my daughter and didn't know I was supposed to starve the birds the night before butchering. I don't know if I would have cared even if I did know. Those roosters were really pesty - they would chase and attack Ethan (under 2-years-old at the time) and me. The protective mommy in me had had it, so those roosters weren't going to live another day. The problem with not starving the bird before butchering it is that... well... it poops while getting plucked and gutted. At least that was my luck with those roosters! The combo of pregnancy and a pooping rooster near my face didn't go over well, so I remembered to starve the turkeys overnight. It went a lot better doing that! I learned a new thing about my dad in the process of butchering. He is GREAT at chopping turkey heads off and gutting. I've never seen anyone gut anything that fast before! I'm hoping I remember all of his good tips concerning that.

Well, I thought I would think of more to write, but this will have to do for now. I'm working on scrapbooking today. I have a lot of pictures to catch up on. It would be wonderful to be caught up again! I hope everyone is having a lovely November! Take care...

Wonderful News!

2008-11-03T11:16:00.001-08:00

I'm very happy to report that this morning I found out I'm expecting my fourth child! I'm due around July 7th, 2009! I'm planning on another home birth, of course (I wouldn't plan it any other way). So, for those of you who pray, please pray I have a great and healthy pregnancy and a wonderful birth!

2008-10-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Where does time go?! I can't believe it has already been 12 days since my last entry! I've been busy, but not much is new. I painted one of our bathrooms that desperately needed it. It was the first time I did any household painting. It's funny, because my dad is a professional painter and here I am, his daughter, who has never painted a wall until now! I can paint a little over half a gallon in a day where he can handle painting at least 5 gallons a day! I'm hoping he'll be able to help me with painting my kitchen. It's a big kitchen and would probably take me a week to paint!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely October! I'll try to think of something more interesting to write soon.

My Walking Baby

2008-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Robby (about 3 weeks ago) just decided to walk one day. He had been casually practicing here and there, but wasn't making a ton of progress. I could tell he just wasn't determined yet. Well, about 3 weeks ago my hubby decided it would be fun to put Robby's little shoes on and take him outside for a little walk around the yard. The day after that, on September 22nd, Robby decided it was time he learned to walk. I have a hunch he decided it would be fun to be allowed out more with his siblings! Anyway, here are some pictures from September 21st:

Awkward steps.

Walking with daddy.

Carefully walking over the hose with a little help from his daddy.

Bending over to pick up rocks.

Picking up rocks quickly became a game he enjoyed.

A campfire my children and I started for fun. Take note of the little guy behind Ethan and Madeleine. He noticed all the stacked rocks (Ethan and Madeleine made those rock "walls" for fun) and decided to add to them. He picked up small rock after small rock and piled them on.

Winter

2008-10-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

At this very moment I have a pot of beef stew cooking on the stove. Outside we're getting our first snowstorm of the winter. It's supposed to snow all weekend and by Sunday night the low is predicted to be 12 degrees! Things are feeling cozy (besides my cold nose and fingertips). There is something about the first snow each year that is so exciting no matter how much you prefer warm weather. This winter I'm guessing I may gain a few pounds, though. As everyone living in this country knows, every form of heating is going up. My family and I, unfortunately, live in a 5000 square foot rental that uses heating oil. Since there is no affordable way to keep this house cozy warm this winter we'll not only wear layers, but I also plan on doing extra baking. I plan on staying nice and close to my oven baking cookies, bread, rolls, pies, cakes, muffins, cinnamon buns, casseroles, roasts, etc., etc. Winter is sounding downright nice to me right now thinking about all those warm goodies!

Another thing this first snow has me thinking about is Christmas. I think this year I'll make a good portion of my gifts as well as all of the cards I send out. I guess I had better not make a list of what I'm going to be making since certain receivers may read this. ;o)

This week I ordered everything I'll need to begin a new craft - felting. I'm really looking forward to using up wool from our own sheep to make things with! Hats, bowls, ornaments, slippers, you name it! I really didn't need much to begin this craft since I already have plenty of wool and other common items used in felting.

Well, I had better get ready for bed. I'm adding extra blankets to all the beds tonight! Brrr!

Windmill

2008-10-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

Windmills can't handle extremely heavy winds, so have safety brakes for times like those. Here's what happens when a windmill's safety brake fails:

Plans

2008-10-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog I chose the name based on my reasoning for even starting a blog - I wanted to continue my magazine. Plans certainly don't always pan out. The reasoning behind my halt on writing the magazine was lack of time and funds. It wasn't cheap and it took way too much of my time. I thought with a blog I'd be able to work at a slower pace and save money. However, I've ended up mainly writing about my personal life instead of all the informative articles I had planned! Ah well. I'm okay with this. I just thought I'd better explain myself to those of you who don't even know about "The Wild Truth Magazine" that I produced for 2-3 issues. My magazine began due to my passion for creation science, health, family, etc. I had a lot of fun with it while it lasted. The name of my blog wouldn't make sense unless you knew a partial history behind it, so I felt a need to explain. :)

Found!

2008-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

We finally found out sheep! It took quite the adventure to find them. My family and I had to drive up the very steep, rough, rocky hill behind our neighbor's house to finally catch sight of them. The children and I got out of the car (we were nervous it wouldn't be as safe going over the slope over to the other side as it had been up to that point) and walk down the hill, then got back in the vehicle to drive over to the sheep and llama. We chased them over to the edge of the hill towards home. It was too steep there to drive any farther, so I put Robby in the backpack carrier, and got out of the vehicle with the children. My hubby had to drive back around to get down the hill/mountain. It started to rain as I trekked down the gravely hill side as quickly as possible to herd the animals in the right direction since they were headed the wrong way. It was quite the hike/run. I held onto Madeleine's hand, carried Robby on my back, kept and eye on Ethan, and all the while ran down the steep slop as fast as possible without falling. After we got to the base of the hill we ran to get in front of the animals to head them off and get them turned in the proper direction - towards home. Not too long later my hubby showed up and together we got those sheep home. It's so nice to have them back. We had a good amount of prayer into that search! My parents, three friends, and us! It really was an answer to prayer that led us to them, because I really felt we should go over that hill even though it seemed too risky with the vehicle (if we had gotten stuck no one would have gone out to get us out - that's how far up we were and how rough it was). I'm so glad we did, though, or we may never have found them! They sure had gotten themselves lost. I sure hope they don't pull any more shenanigans like that when my hubby is away to start his new job!

October

2008-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

The peak of autumn is quickly passing by. The golden yellows will soon turn to brown and then the trees will be bare in the blink of an eye. I miss the eastern autumns where you get to see trees in every shade of yellow, orange, and red. Autumn is one season that isn't quite the same in the west. Still, I get to see high mountains with their uppermost peaks covered in snow and along the bases of these majestic mountains are many golden trees and orange-ish, reddish bushes. You don't get to see anything like that where I came from. I'm hoping that this winter we will get more snow that stays on the ground. For the past two winters that I've lived here we have gotten our most snow in November, then it seems to be all downhill from there. It's the wind... it blows and blows as soon as it turns cold out. I'm hoping, though, that this winter will be different. That there will be calm. That there will be enough snow on the ground all winter to play in.

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it. I plan on making a late Thanksgiving dinner - around December 1st when my in-laws arrive. There will be warm, homemade pies: pumpkin blueberry, and apple. I plan on making mashed potatoes, gravy, baked sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, a big green salad with all the toppings in little separate bowls - tomatoes, cheese, black olives, green onions, cut baby carrots, radishes, and (of course) cucumbers. I'll make a plump roasted turkey that we raised ourselves here on our little farm. I'll make fresh, homemade bread rolls that we'll spread plenty of Amish butter on. Yes... it will be a Thanksgiving to remember. It will be nice to have my in-laws here with us to celebrate the holiday.

Now that I've sat here dreamily talking about autumn for two paragraphs I'll bring up the bad news of the day: at least 30 of our sheep disappeared. We haven't seen them since Saturday night. We've figured out that they crossed over the fence in the back of our property over to the land behind us. My husband came across one Shetland ewe and our llama, Oscar on that property back there. He figured he'd come back to chase them home and went farther back to look for more sheep. When he came back, though, they were gone. He came back home and we packed up the children into the vehicle and we looked for the sheep together. We searched until it was nearly too dark to see out. We finally retired from our search for the night, ate our dinner in silence, and went to bed. I keep hoping they'll turn up. We'll search more today. It's just so strange that a whole herd could disappear like that. They must be out there somewhere...

Well, I better go get ready for my day and prepare for the search. Until next time...

Did You Know...?

2008-09-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Did you know that organic farmers are legally allowed to get manure for their crops from feed lots? This manure comes from animals treated with antibiotics, hormones, and are fed genetically modified food. We were told this recently from a big time, organic farmer who sells pre-started plants, cheese, milk, butter, meat, etc. all over this state. They use this manure (although I'm not clear on why - maybe because it's readily available and free) with their pre-started plants! Organic foods aren't quite what they're all cracked up to be unless... you have grown them yourselves and know exactly what went into that plant.

Draft Horse Expo

2008-09-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

About 1 1/2 weeks ago, right after my hubby got back from a business trip, my family and I headed off for a day at the Draft Horse Expo just one town away. Here are a few pictures from our enjoyable outing:

This was one of our favorite teams. I think they won in both the Unicorn competition and the 6-horse team competition. For the 6-horse team they, of course, added on three more horses.

These mules, in spite of pulling that big bulky wagon behind them, won the Canadian maze race!

These folks nearly won the Canadian race. They sure went fast! It would have made sense if they had been the fastest with that nice, small, light wagon and a good looking team of horses pulling it.

A beautiful team.

Later, when Ethan was telling his papa, Jack about the draft expo he summed it up with, "It was kind of boring." It did last a long time for little ones, but I enjoyed it! All three of the children did great sitting still for the whole thing. I was very proud of them. Here's Ethan talking to his papa about the expo:

Here's a picture of Robby that doesn't really go along with the rest of this post. I can just see it in his little face - he was contemplating what to do with that pencil first before Mom noticed (the golden head is Madeleine's):

Back on Track

2008-09-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

The cold has finally passed. Ethan had it for the shortest amount of time and I'm thinking it's because he prepared for it better. He consistently took Echinacea tincture, Elderberry tincture, plenty of liquids and vitamin C. If I had been making sure all the children took those things before cold season even started we may have been able to avoid that cold! However, it's very difficult to get a 3-year-old to take things like that. She'll take the vitamin C without a problem, but the nastier tasting things are a whole different story. I took all of the above as well as ate fresh garlic and was able to avoid the cold all together. I'm very thankful for that! It's hard enough tending to 3 little ones with a cold without having a cold yourself!

With everyone well again we're back on track with schooling, schedule, and chores. Both Ethan and Madeleine have reading lessons each day along with beginner math, writing, and science. They're both doing really well! I had to include Madeleine since she couldn't stand for Ethan to get all of the "attention"! Robby isn't as quiet during lessons as he used to be. He is learning to get around better and better all the time. He climbs up onto the couch, climbs behind the couch into the bay window, then back down. He usually aims for Madeleine lap on the way back down right on her school books. It's entertaining, but distracting, so I try to get him to sit somewhat quietly with some board books on my lap.

With the season change upon us we're preparing for winter; ordering hay for the animals, my husband is finishing up a few summer project he had going, etc. Madeleine and I built a campfire pit yesterday so we can have a few campfires this autumn. I thought it would be a fun evening activity - gathering wood together, sitting around the campfire and baking potatoes or corn in the fire. I remember all the summers of camping from when I was a child and my favorite part was always the campfire. So, why not have that here at our own home?

Well, I should get back to work! I hope everyone is doing very well!

Not Much New

2008-09-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a week now and I still can't seem to come up with a good post! I've been busy with the usual; children, household chores, teaching, crafting, etc. The children came down with a cold, so I'm more tired this week from interrupted nights. Other than that, not much is new. I hope everyone else out there is staying well! :c)

Brrr...

2008-09-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling for over a month now that winter would come early. Little did I know we would get our first snow on September 1st, though! Brrr! Of course, since the ground isn't frozen down here in the valley the snow melted within hours of the sun rising. Still, when it isn't raining we've seen snow flurries today. It's chilly! It finally warmed up to 47 degrees, but that doesn't feel very warm and it's supposed to get down to 29 degrees tonight. The rest of this week it's supposed to get into the 60's. The warmest day of the week (Sunday) is supposed to get up to 71 degrees. I'm wearing layers today since I'm not used to this weather. I refuse to turn the heat on this early in the season! Especially since this place is heated with heating oil. Ugh. We're hoping to talk the landlord into allowing us to put in a wood stove. That would save us thousands! If that doesn't work we'll heat with the minimum needed, which would make it a very chilly winter.

Anyway, I didn't mean to bore everyone with a weather update! Still, it's on my mind since I sit here in a lightweight fleece jacket thinking to myself... it's supposed to feel like summer still!

Last night I made up a big batch of cake donuts (the ones covered in cinnamon and sugar) for my hubby who had a hankering for them. They sure are tasty. Especially if eaten along with a glass of fresh apple juice. I've made way too many sweets this week; huckleberry pie, cherry pie, oatmeal raisin cookies, chocolate cake w/homemade vanilla frosting, and then the donuts. Is anyone getting a sweet tooth reading this? Good thing I keep finding plenty of help eating these things or certain, unmentionable parts on me might be showing extra, unwanted gain right now!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. I really should get to cleaning since I have a friend coming over tomorrow to craft with me! I hope everyone is having an excellent Labor Day! Bye for now!

A Windy Day

2008-08-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

The wind is whipping around this house, causing all sorts of creaks and groans. This sort of weather reminds me of when one of our temporary buildings was blown over. Still, as long as it's not destroying anything I enjoy it - storms, that is. It seems like an adventure hits when it's storming. I'm not sure why. It always causes this excited, awed, cozy feeling for me.

The dark clouds have been hovering over the mountains all day and I keep wondering if it might be snowing up there. It would seem a little early, but still beats having fires all over! As long as the snow sticks to the high peaks and doesn't come down here in August, I wouldn't be bothered. I always have loved how mountain peaks look with snow on them - so clean, white, sharp, and... cold.

Yes, a day like this makes me think of pumpkins, hot apple cider, autumn leaves & colors, a lightweight jacket, blue jeans, schoolwork, and outdoor fun. It sure beats the temperatures we had last Monday when it hit 103 degrees! Today it's 60 degrees, but is supposed to be in the upper 80's and sunny on Sunday. Although the warm weather will be back for a little while, today makes me realize summer is nearly over. We shall enjoy maybe a month or two more of warm weather before winter arrives, then it will be time to pull out the coats, hats, gloves, and snow pants. Bicycles will have to be put in safe places along with other summer toys. Hopefully this winter won't be so windy and we'll have enough snow to build snowmen with! Either way, there will be lots of learning. Ethan has been doing great with his reading lessons, but it's time to start working on mathematics with him. Madeleine, at three-years-old, is ready to start preschool this year and I'm sure she'll do great. She already has about half of the alphabet memorized, knows some shapes, all of her colors, and numbers up to 10.

Summer Fun

2008-08-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have so thoroughly enjoyed this summer! The temperatures have mainly been 70's and 80's, which is just perfect for summer in my book - especially the 70's! I wouldn't mind it if the weather was like this all year around, except for maybe 2 really snowy weeks of the year!

Ethan and Madeleine are old enough now to enjoy new things - like the circus we went to (talked about in my last post) and the fair we went to today. I have learned how to multi-task even more than before (I always find it amazing how many things can be done in a day!) My hubby has been in fair health and able to get several things done. Things are good.

Well, I'll try to find a more "awake" moment to write sometime soon. I just woke up from a nap and am feeling all groggy. I shouldn't have taken a nap right after eating! It felt good, though. I've been spending two hours a day on house cleaning each day due to my husband asking me to. Cleaning the kitchen, cooking, and laundry time don't count towards those two hours, though, so I've been extra busy this week! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!

Circus!

2008-08-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

I had been planning on going to the circus as soon as I saw the coupons for it at every store in town. I had gone to the very same circus twice when my parents, sisters, and I used to live in this area. What I remembered from it was the elephants - mainly and the fact that other kids were getting to pet the animals, but not me. This time, I decided, I would pet those animals! What I didn't know was that although the petting zoo part included elephants when I was a kid it no longer does, but they had something even better now...

When the big day arrived Ethan and Madeleine had been looking forward to it for over a week already! What child wouldn't be excited to see a bunch of elephants for the first time?! We took our good friend, Ruby with us. It was super hot out - 90's and without air conditioning in my vehicle, we were all sweating. (Well, maybe not Ruby since she is so cool!) On our way there we got some fast food, then dropped by another place for chocolate malt shakes (for us grown ups - Ruby and I) before heading over to the big circus tent to buy tickets nearly 2 hours in advance. I wanted to get good seats. While I was standing in line for tickets a little girl turned around to me and said, "Watch this!" She proceeded to take a drink of soda, then blow it out her nose and front teeth. I wasn't quite sure what to say! I think I probably said something like, "Did that just come out your nose?" because I remember her saying, "Yeah, but I was just trying to push it out between my front teeth."

I was able to get a front row for us before we headed over to the petting zoo which wasn't exactly open yet, but they were allowing folks to look. Ethan sure was excited to see a zebra there, I was surprised to see a hippo, but what we all found interesting (my children and I) was the donkey eating his own manure. I hadn't ever seen anything quite like that before. I mean... I've seen dogs and cats do that, but not animals like donkeys, mules, horses, cattle, goats, sheep, etc. That was weird. I later found out from my husband that donkeys commonly do that (he has read about it...). Anyway, I found it strange!

As we headed out to the vehicle to leave for WalMart (I needed more diapers for town days - I normally use cloth) we noticed a sign with a price for elephant rides, camel rides, pony rides, and I-don't-remember-what-other-kind-of rides! I suddenly realized my mistake. I had chosen a skirt instead of pants for our outing! I exclaimed, "We must check out the capris on clearance at WalMart!" I normally just buy my clothes at a thrift store or garage sales, but we had limited time for shopping, so I decided to do the one stop shop thing. I also decided everyone who needed to go to the bathroom needed to try using the potty at the store since the circus only had those stinky porta potties, which are no fun to use, but especially no fun to use with short people (young children). When we got there I grabbed the diapers, some bottled water (our mason jars full of water probably wouldn't be allowed in at the circus, I figured), capris, and a couple of others things on my list before we paid and headed back to the circus. I changed into the capris before heading in. After carefully avoiding the clown walking around out front we got in and bought elephant ride tickets. We stood in line for the ride when I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I squatted down praying I wouldn't have to throw up (the porta potties were busy, but even if they weren't I didn't want to have to use one for THAT!) I told Ruby to go ahead and ride with Madeleine on the elephant (Ethan didn't want to). I took pictures of their ride and started feeling a bit better. We headed into the big circus tent after their ride and found our seats. I started feeling much better once we were seated. I'm guessing I felt sick from drinking a bunch of water too quickly, then being out in the very hot sun on top of too much excitement and not enough sleep. I don't know. What matters is I felt just fine sitting down! :c)

I totally splurged and bought a thing of cotton candy for all of us to share, snow cones for Ethan, Madeleine, and Ruby and a thing of popcorn for Ethan. It was quite the event! It was only the second time in my life that I ate cotton candy and the first for all three of my children! I didn't want my own snow cone, but I tried Ethan and Madeleine's. It was the perfect treat for such a hot day, because although it was cooler in the tent than out in the hot sun, it was still hot enough to perspire.

Here are a couple of pictures of my children eating things I normally don't allow (pictures didn't turn out great due to lighting):

The show had just started as you can tell by the excitement in Ethan's face. Not to mention how happy he was over the snow cone!

Madeleine trying not to make a mess.

Robby having fun with the cotton candy.

It was so cute, when the circus began Robby forgot all about the cotton candy he was trying to get and started happily laughing and squealing at the ponies and poodles doing tricks. He stayed entertained the whole time, which was a big surprise for me! I figured he would possibly need to be walked around or carried out during parts, but he did great! He especially loved the parts with the animals - ponies, poodles, elephants, camels, and snake. For me it was fun just watching his reaction to things - his bright eyes, giggles, laughs, even screams of delight! The only thing I really didn't like about the show was how loud it was!

At intermission Ruby paid five dollars to have her picture taken with a giant snake in the center ring! If I had had five dollars left I would have done the same thing with the children, but maybe another time. I think next time I'll take a camel ride, too!

When the show was over (it was a 2 hours long) we left the tent and Ethan, Robby, and I took our elephant ride before heading home. That was really neat and I'm happy I can now say I've rode an elephant! I'll try to remember to add a picture of that here later. I have to get it from Ruby first (my camera had gotten something on the lense by then.)

Later on that evening I asked Ethan and Madeleine what their favorite part of the day was. Ethan said it was the silly clowns and Madeleine said it was the elephant ride. I think mine was probably watching Robby's reactions to the cotton candy and animals in the show.

Training Oxen

2008-08-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

My husband has patiently been training a team of oxen for the past 9 months and it seems to be paying off! When we (our whole family) went on a walk with them the other day we had them pull a chain with a few things attached to it (for a little weight) for the first time. It took them just a couple of minutes to get used to the sound of the chain dragging and weight. They did great following the commands, "Gee, haw, back, giddup, and whoa!" Here are a few pictures I took on the walk:

Our Scottish Highland oxen team (not yet full grown).

Hubby walking his oxen.

Little Bill and Curly Sue taking a break (we didn't name them ourselves).

Me watching them munch.

I'm so proud of my guy training these oxen. He even made his own yoke from scratch! I always find it amazing what my DH can train himself to do. He never saw anyone train oxen or build a yoke before, he just figured it out himself with a little help from some books and did it. I wish I were more like that! I tend to learn much better seeing someone else do it first.

Another Great Weekend!

2008-07-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

I ended up having another busy, summer weekend! It started off with a bang on Friday - my firstborn son's 5th birthday. We had a good time. I made him (Ethan) some of his favorite meals (like cheeseburgers, which is a big deal when you're allergic to cheese and wheat) and desserts he could actually eat (this child has an allergy list a mile long). It was tricky in the meal department, but I got it taken care of. Then, there was, of course, gift opening time, a few hours of hanging out with friends, and a trip to the park. He enjoyed it.

On Saturday morning, after assembling a pizza for my husband to bake for lunch, I went over to my friend, Crystal's house to help prepare for a birthday party, then hang out for the party she was throwing for two of her children. Everyone had fun! We had probably the best BBQ beef sandwiches I've ever had, yummy pasta salad, potato salad, spinach dip with homemade bread, and fruit galore! I left the party STUFFED. I don't think I ate dinner that night.

Then, on Sunday after lunch I packed up my children again and headed for the mountains to meet up with my parents at a rustic log cabin. They were camping there for the weekend along with some friends of theirs. The road there was one of the roughest roads I've been on and I have seen many a rough road in my day! LOL. Really, I have. This one was steep, rocky, dusty, and definitely not well maintained. It was full of potholes and large rocks. I was proud of my SUV, though, because I didn't even need to put it in 4 wheel drive, although I did have to put the gas down a bit far a couple of times to get over a few big rocks. Once we got there it was nice just relaxing and visiting with my mom, sister (who met us up there, too), dad, and everyone. We went an extra 1 1/2 miles up the rough road to a lake in the mountains. Ethan went in even though he was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt! Good thing he had an extra outfit in the vehicle. Robby got to feel sand for the very first time when he was set down in it for a little while - that was probably the only time he laughed out loud that day! Madeleine, surprisingly, stayed out of trouble most of the day and enjoyed playing with the other little kids there! I think probably the cutest moment of the day was when Ethan picked a bouquet of pretty wildflowers and instead of giving them to ol' mom, he handed them to a cute little girl his own age. Later he told me, "Mom, that girl that was at the river," (he confused the lake with a river), "had very pretty ponytails." (She was wearing her hair in pigtails). Too cute.

Today has been a day of catch up; laundry, cooking, cleaning, and making cards.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend:

Birthday Boy.

Madeleine stretching in the woods.

The lake.

Ethan standing by the lake at dusk.

Robby and me hanging out in the forest.

Robby enjoyed burying his own feet in the sand before he got too dirty for mommy to allow anymore play in the sand.

Farewell Ruby-the-Goat and More

2008-07-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day. Ruby the goat (the one who was always getting her head stuck in the fence) went away to a new home today along with one of her kids. I'm glad I won't have to worry about getting her unstuck everyday now!

Schooling the children has been going very well this week. Ethan is learning how to read and doing a good job of it. He is also getting better and better at writing his letters.

A local gift shop in town is planning on taking a dozen of my handmade greeting cards on consignment. I sure hope they sell well! I'm working on them this week hoping to get them done quickly. Here is one of the ones I made the other day:
I don't know if you can tell the flowers are glittery and there is stitching on a few places on the card, but there are. I really need to work on my photography skills for close up shots like these. I can't decide if the fault lies in me or the camera.

Well, I just thought I'd update everyone before I get back to work on my cards. I probably won't post again until I get the dozen done! I need to get those in the store ASAP! :)

A Sunday Drive on Saturday

2008-07-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today my family and I got to go out for what I would think of as a little "Sunday drive," only, of course, it was Saturday. What started out as a search for ripe huckleberries turned out being an afternoon of soaking up sunshine, blue skies, and the woods in all its glory. I always enjoy going out and experiencing God's creations. Today I got to enjoy picking wildflowers, taking snapshots of flowers, trees, and other things that inspired me, reminiscing over things I used to study in the woods with my mom & sisters, talking to my husband, and just appreciating my beautiful family. Here are a few of the pictures I took:

Rose hip (I think)

Indian Paintbrush

A tree a beaver felled.

A peaceful brook.

This is a sad one. This was a deer that tried jumping a fence and apparently got it's hind haunches stuck. Ouch! What a bad way to go.

And this is the crazy bouquet I picked today. I don't know the name of every flower in the bunch, but that big yellow one is a wild sunflower, the red ones are Indian Paintbrush, and I have some foxtail in there.

A Cute Question

2008-07-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Ethan recently asked me, "Mom, will there be dirt in heaven?"

"Yeah, probably." I responded, "Why?"

"I like digging holes."

It's funny the things kids worry and wonder about when they think about going to heaven.

Mastitis, Paper Crafts, Etc.

2008-07-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, after tucking my sweet children into bed I realized I was feeling the soreness I connect with Mastitis. I went and drank a glass of water, but didn't feel up to eating fresh garlic (which has helped in the past) and didn't have cabbage to help with inflammation. It was too late to take a hot shower, so I put hot clothes on the infected area and pumped to try to clear the clogged duct. Although I did a couple of the things I know to do, I still came down with a fever, chills, felt nauseated, and got one of the worst headaches I've ever had. I slept horribly and just knew I was going to have to call my new friend to tell her I wouldn't be able to come over for our little visit. This morning I couldn't walk around without making my head pound worse, so I took 2 Advil and within 20 minutes I felt much better. I took a quick trip to town to check my mail and get some cabbage before deciding I felt up for a visit after all and packed up some paper craft items to play with.

As I was headed over for the little get together I realized I had left the house nearly 30 minutes too soon, so took a little drive to look for wild flowers. I didn't find the Paintbrush flowers I was looking for, but saw some other pretty ones that looked too prickly to pick. After our little detour, I drove the rest of the way to our destination.

Our kids had fun playing outside for about 5 hours on our new friends' swing set, trampoline, and sandbox and eating watermelon, strawberries, kiwis, and Popsicles. While the kids had lots of outdoor fun we enjoyed our relaxing time making 11 cards - mostly birthday invites. It was a lovely afternoon!

Now that I've bored everyone with my mundane life I had best be going. It's past my bedtime! :)

Weekend in a Nutshell

2008-07-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the outline of my past weekend:

Friday:
Big hail storm. We had a hail storm with hail that was about 1 inch in diameter that lasted about 5 minutes. It was probably the loudest storm I've been around. My hubby was able to hear it off in the distance about 10 minutes before it even hit our place! Before the storm hit I noticed a big, beautiful rainbow outside...

I put the kids to bed at the usual time, because last year when I let them stay up for the fireworks they were off schedule for about 10 days. It just wasn't worth it this year. (I do have a slight twinge of regret concerning this. After all... fireworks only come around once a year.)

Saturday:
Robby took his first step!

I had a friend over for lunch and crafts, which was fun.

Sunday:
My kids and I spent the day with my parents and sister who live 1 1/2 hours from here, we did some grocery shopping at my favorite big health food store, went to a used bookstore, and hung out for most of the day. Here are a couple of pictures (the first one is my dad and Robby, and the second is Madeleine climbing a tree.)

Robby took 4 steps in a row after we got home from our visit with my parents. He'll be walking in no time!

Today:
It's my 6th wedding anniversary! How time flies!

I took some pictures earlier of my three cuties and was happily surprised they all smiled at the same time for me! It must be their anniversary gift to me.

Circling Robby

2008-07-01T09:27:00.001-07:00

One of the things Robby really likes to do is go around and around and around in circles. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about:

I took a video of it after I saw him learning how to stand on his own. I thought he'll probably forget all about those cute circles when he learns to walk!

Here's one of our young turkeys (we have two) peeking in our window this morning:

This Week

2008-06-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week I've had! I don't even know where to begin. I'll just tell you the minor details of the week. Things like my aching knees, hip, back and shoulder. I feel about 80-years-old and it doesn't feel very nice. I'm not even sure how I threw something out of place. My guess is when I took my dog, Lady for a walk about two weeks ago and she kept jumping off the trail forgetting she was on a leash. My arm and everything else kept getting jerked this way and then that way... I came back aching, then within a couple of days of that I noticed my knee hurting, then my hip, then my back, and shoulder. Or maybe it was when I was helping chase sheep around to give them their shots. You get in all kinds of weird positions doing that. Whatever it was, I think it's healing. It's hard to tell, though.

My right arm is all bruised up from helping my goat, Ruby get unstuck from the fence for the past couple of weeks. She was out grazing with all the other female goats, but always wanted to get to the water or food in the male's pen, so she would stick her head through and get stuck (her horns wouldn't allow her to get out). So, I finally put her in the pen. I decided it would be better for her to get bred the wrong time of year than to die of dehydration or heatstroke if I didn't get to her on time. Summer is finally here and I don't want her dying! The problem didn't come to an end, though! Now she sticks her head out of the pen and I've decided there is no method to her madness. She is just a very dumb animal. I'm starting to wonder why I had to have this goat in the first place! We were taking care of her and a bunch of other goats all winter for an acquaintance and I decided I really wanted her. Maybe because she is the daughter of the best goat we ever had, Snowflake. Maybe it was because she had just had kid goats who were females and they were so cute I just had to have them. Whatever the reason, I ended up with the dumbest goat a girl could ask for! I may have to find another home for her. One where they don't use cattle panels to pen up their animals.

Well, I better sign off for now. I'm going to have a lovely day of crafting with a couple of my very good girlfriends. I made up a good lunch for us - Thai food and pie. Yum! I hope you all have had a lovely week!

Snow!

2008-06-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was astonished to see snow flying outside! Back east it was in the 80's and 90's and here I was turning my heat on again and bundling the children up when they wanted to go out to play. Since the ground hasn't been frozen in awhile the snow melted as soon as it landed, but even so it was crazy seeing snow in mid June! It was in the 30's and the winds were strong and freezing. I can't remember another time that I've seen snow in June! Now it's in the 70's, blue skied, and sunny. Quite beautiful. I have finally begun the process of planting our indoor garden outdoors. If everything turns out we should have plenty of corn of several different varieties among many other vegetables and herbs. I sure hope it stays a bit warmer from here on out! At least until October...

Pajamas

2008-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Every morning, unless someone is supposed to come over, I like to hang out in my pajamas for at least an hour. There's something so comfortable and cozy about pajamas. This morning, as I stretched my time in my pajamas, I realized that I also like to leave them on to help me feel productive. How so, you wonder? Well, in my mind, when I'm wearing cozy, comfy PJ's, then it's morning! I got up this morning around 7:20 a.m., started a load of laundry right away, got Ethan and Madeleine breakfast, and started my kitchen clean-up/catch-up (I didn't clean any yesterday during the Sabbath day). I loaded the dishwasher and filled the dish drainer full of clean dishes. After those were done, I switched loads of laundry. Robby woke up around that time, so I fed him, changed his diaper, and got him ready for his day. I then got busy peeling and slicing apples for an apple pie. After the pie was in the oven, I switched loads of laundry again. Then, I put away all the clean dishes, loaded the dishwasher part way again and filled the dish drainer full of more clean dishes before heading down to switch loads again. Each time I went to the basement to switch loads of laundry I took hampers full of laundry down or other items that belonged in the basement to make the trip fully worth it. After loads were switched that time I went up and started folding an awful lot of laundry, then went around collecting clothes from various rooms, took the children's sheets off their bed, put away clothes, checked my email while I fed Robby, and went back to the basement to switch loads. I don't know if I wrote all of them down, but I had six loads done in my pajamas! I felt really successful. I finally took my shower around noon, then switched loads, got the pie out of the oven to cool, and made the children lunch. It was a productive morning, don't you think? And the best part is, I feel perfectly clean and as if I'm only now beginning my day!

Tired

2008-06-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

I was just hit by how tired I feel. I sat down to write, my dinner settled suddenly, and now I feel ready for bed! It's only 6:30 PM, though. I often wonder why grownups feel tired after a meal. I've noticed that after a child eats they usually have too much energy to sit still. They need to talk, run, jump, play... do something! I remember being just such a child. My sister, Kara and I would run around the living room until we were so hot we would throw our shirts off and continue our run. I remember hearing my mother comment once while watching us, "That's what food is supposed to do for you." She said this with her chin in hand, leaning on the table, looking quite sleepy. I thought it was funny at the time, but now that I feel the same way my mom did (does) after a meal it isn't so funny.

If most mothers are like me, they're often tired. They just seem to notice it more when they slow down enough, slightly relax for awhile, and think about themselves for a moment. That usually comes right after a meal. I haven't figured out whether it's all the responsibility (because I seem to get enough sleep now), my metabolism, my age, or the constant testing. Testing of my patience, testing of my character, testing of my position as mother, testing. It's an interesting, priceless, difficult job being the mother I want to be and the mother I am. It's all so tiring. Completely worth it, of course, I just wish I had more energy!

Yesterday

2008-05-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day full of interesting exercise! I helped my husband herd all of our sheep into a pin and give them shots (probably more difficult than it sounds to you city slickers out there). We also gave all of our goats their shots. I had never given anything a shot before yesterday. After I got used to it, it was actually somewhat fun... like playing doctor. I'm probably the only weird person on the face of the planet that enjoys giving anything a shot, but here I am! I found it interesting that the biggest babies were the rams and our billy goat, Bill. He (Bill) was the biggest baby of all. He let out a loud, "Baaaaaaaaah" when we had to give him his second shot. Then he went running around tossing his head back and forth. He got so irritated over the discomfort, he started butting all the rams in sight. The rams did the same thing after their shots - tossed their heads side to side, then started ramming each other out of irritation. You probably would have had to have been there to see why I found that so funny.

It was nice to have so much outdoor time yesterday. Instead of the predicted rain and 50's weather, we're getting high 60's, 70's, and plenty of sunshine. It's always nice getting weather the children can enjoy. Children are full of so much energy, they basically need plenty of acreage and good weather to use it all up in. Our whole family functions better when Ethan and Madeleine get their well-needed outdoor play in each day.

Today I plan on making several pairs of earrings I'm going to sell, hopefully get around to trimming my rabbit, Jake (an Angora), and tend to my everyday chores. I hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday as much as I am!

Small Update

2008-05-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

I waited long enough to write that the smell of manure already vanished from within my vehicle. I've been keeping busy, but didn't have anything too exciting to write. I've been working on all the boring jobs like laundry, dishes, cooking, schooling my children, feeding our dog, etc. We had a week of beautiful weather that I enjoyed. 70's and 80's... it was gorgeous. This week, though, has been rainy and in the 50's. It looks like things will be warming up again soon. I don't mind the rain. As dry as it gets here in the summer we need all the rain we can get. However, I am getting tired of the mud my children are tracking in.

Sheep in a Jeep

2008-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read "Sheep in a Jeep"? It's a children's book that I always found a bit amusing. Well, today got me thinking about that little book. You see, today I got to ride with five big sheep in the back of our SUV. We don't have a trailer on this small farm of ours or anything else that would work well for hauling animals (yet), so when needed we load sheep in our "jeep"! These five ewes were pretty nervous at first, but after a few minutes settled down and were nice for the 100+ mile drive home. Most people might be nervous that a sheep would jump over the backseat and come join you in the front, but we've never had that problem. For the most part sheep and goats don't like being too close to us people. In a vehicle that works to our benefit! The only time I was a bit worried during our ride was when all of the ewes decided to look out the back window and their rears were facing my dear children in the backseat. I'm sure you can guess what I was worrying about! All went well, though. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for my vehicle to quit smelling like a barnyard, but from experience I DO know it goes away... eventually.

My Absence

2008-05-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

Usually when I don't find time to write it's because I'm busy living. The kind of living that stands out in my mind years later. During my writing absence this last time I took a trip with my family (my children and husband) to Portland, Oregon to see my sister, Kara. We had a good time there and the children did GREAT on the drive there and back. I was happily surprised by that blessing since it was an eleven hour drive. During our visit there we also got to see some old friends of mine over across the border of Washington - it was really good to see them after nearly 6 years! Once we got back from our trip I had two days to unpack and clean house before my mother-in-law came for a six day visit. We enjoyed visiting with her, playing games, going shopping, swimming at the local hot spring, and eating some yummy meals and desserts. After she left I needed a couple of days of unwind time before getting back into everyday routine. I took it real easy the day after she left, then yesterday I worked on laundry, gave a reading lesson to my children, then headed over to play games with a very good friend of mine and her kids. I think we played 3 different games of Scrabble within 4 hours! We had a lot of good giggle time. I also made a new discovery about my very good friend; she is AWESOME at making long words!

Well, that's a very busy 2 weeks in a nutshell! I hope all is well with you and yours!

Plumber

2008-04-12T14:07:00.001-07:00

After 2-year-old Madeleine plugged up the toilet by using too much toilet paper she quickly told her mother as she ran off, "I'll go get the plumber!" Knowingly, her mother waited for the plunger to arrive.

Half Deaf

2008-04-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took Ethan to the ear doctor. I had figured out Ethan probably wasn't hearing anything with his left ear. I thought it must have been a somewhat new occurrence - within the past year. I had three theories as to what caused the problem:
1. The no-see-'em bugs that got in his ears last year somehow caused a problem.
2. The clay that Ethan had made "earplugs" out of somehow got deep into his ear and covered up his eardrum. I thought I had cleaned all the clay out, but maybe...
3. Or for some reason wax had covered up his eardrum. You know, maybe a bug got in there, his body was trying to clean it out, but instead accidentally covered his eardrum with earwax.

None of my theories turned out being fact this time. I had really hoped it was something repairable even if it took surgery. However, the doctor said it's in the inner ear, it's a problem connected with the nervous system and Ethan was probably born this way. Ethan's left ear is deaf. He said most commonly parents don't detect a problem like this until their child enters school and said I had done a magnificent job detecting it so young. That's NOT how I feel, though. How could I NOT notice my child was deaf in his left ear until the fourth year of his life??? I keep going over in my head how I could have missed that and I wish I had figured it out sooner, because I'll always wonder if he ever heard out of his left ear.

This doesn't change how we live our life as a family. It simply means we need to pay more attention how we speak to him - we need to face him more often when we speak to him. Also, we need to speak in the direction of his right ear. The doctor said Ethan isn't able to tell where sound is coming from without looking around first. I had noticed that, but hoped we would go get his ears cleaned out and the problem would end. That won't be the case. However, there is still hope in my mind/heart. I believe in miracles and believe Ethan can be healed. So, send faith and prayers Ethan's way if you have a mind to. All will be appreciated.

Spring

2008-04-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's really spring now. We have five little lambs running around (two were born yesterday) and three kid goats. It's so cute watching all of them play. The kid goats really enjoy jumping on our llama, Oscar's back when he is laying down. They sort of use him as a ramp. They run up onto his back, then jump off. Sometimes they'll throw a little twist-jump in and make it extra entertaining. It sure looks like they're having a good time!

My family is still working on getting over this last cold we caught. Mostly the children are down to coughing a few times a day, but I have such a stuffed up sinus system I've hardly slept the past two nights. I did discover this morning that by adding eucalyptus oil to some very hot water and inhaling the steam you can temporarily clear up congestion.

Well, I hope everyone is doing very well and enjoying the ups and downs of spring weather!