Pregnant Amber

Pregnant Amber was up by the fence doing a 4 step dance this morning. It goes something like this ~ swish tail quickly, while stomping back feet, then paw ground with front feet and repeat. Oh, and you need to have a bagged up udder to make it all interesting. It helps to have loose ligaments in order to make the moves look graceful too. Wondering when we will see new baby faces? Or was this dance just a practice round, an effort to keep us exercising our legs running back & forth to the barn?

Amber & Glory ~ 2011

She is not the only one on pregnancy watch right now. Glory is within days if not hours of Amber, whenever that is. Glory lost her ligaments over a week ago, but hasn't bagged up yet. Even though her swell of baby(s) has dropped low. It is so hard to gage when they will birth as each doe has her own set of signs. Often displayed at varying times with each pregnancy.

Amber ~

Both of the ladies have large sides, with Amber looking the roundest. I wouldn't be surprised if Amber was carrying triplets, though large kids may explain her broad side better. She has birthed twins every time with each of her previous 4 pregnancies. Glory has had a single kid and a set of twins to her credit. Always with the doe looking just like her, markings and all.

Glory ~ 2011

Their due dates are not anticipated till the end of February. If so, they sure are displaying signs early. Either that or my calculations are off as to when they were actually bred. Guess we will have to wait and see like every year thus far.

Watching for the signs,

Deborah

JOY DARE ~ continues,

a gift before 9am, one before noon, one after dark ~ 1/26

168/92 time on the computer

169/93 weather radio warning

170/94 dinner already started by husband

3 gifts that might never have been ~ 1/27

171/95 sleeping till 9am

172/96 flock of Robin's visit

173/97 Jason's opportunity - job

Wednesday It Is ~

Wednesday's are the days I used to catch up on the paper trails left from the week(s) before. I try to spend time at our computer desk reading emails, researching, logging in farm info, filing and the like. I make up our dinner menu for the next week, double check my grocery list, check the online sales papers and print out any coupons I might need. It takes time but is a great step ahead for my errand day tomorrow.

Today I rose first and had the quietness of the office to flesh out some waiting posts for this blog.I think best when I can climb into a mind not distracted. Even then many times my mind thinks one thing and my pen or fingers write out something similar, but not exactly how it sounds in my head. So it helps to read and reread everything word I put out for public observance. This process takes time, some days lots of time and I fall behind in getting them posted the same day. Above all the needs of my family and this farm comes first before this pleasure of writing. Causing the desire to be shelved to a time when I can give it my attention. I keep telling myself that it okay, it's okay to be still behind. I write for my pleasure and to leave a written letter to my future family members of what touches my life. Included in my thoughts too are those of you who grace me with a visit and a lingering over the thoughts I spend my days with. I thank you for honoring me in such a way.

A special find this morning while reading some favorite blogs was a link for memorization cards for the books of Matthew 5-7. It is a year long plan of memorizing the Sermon on the Mount. If you would like to join in you can find the link on "A HOLY EXPERIENCE". Direction are on January 25th's post. I was both touch and inspired by a quote found there.

"Time memorizing Scriptures is perhaps more important than quiet time — because when we fill our hearts with His Word, we can fill all of our hours with His Word — and “quiet time” can then become all of our time." Ann Voskamp

The thunderstorms today made shopping a drippy mess. I had several errands to run while out, requiring hopping in and out of the car. Getting a later start than I had planned had me arriving home just about dusky dark. I dreaded the idea of having to unload the car and start dinner at such a late hour. I was thrilled to walk in the door and find some supper items already simmering on the stove and my husband waiting with a sneaky grin on his face. It was his love gift to me. He knew my day had been long and challenging with the rain and was ready to give me some much needed help.

While the mac & cheese and corn muffins were baking in the oven. We ventured out to the porch with a cup of hot tea to watch the last rays of light leave the sky. The turrets of rain earlier had given way to a slowing drip, drip, drip. We chatted about easy things back and forth to rhythm of our rockers. It was nice to take a moment to breathe and relax into the evening.

Our COLD is still hanging around unwelcome. I am feeling better today, but my husband is feeling worst. You never can tell where a virus will lead you or how long you will have to stay. With hopeful hearts and resting bodies I am sure we will continue to improve. As the say "time heals all things" including nasty bugs responsible for our Colds.

JOY DARE gifts for today are:

one grace borrowed~
165/89 memorization cards- A Holy Experience

one grace found~
166/90 a baby"doll" for Preschool class

one grace inherited~
161/91 love for gardening

Seeing light just around the bend,
Deborah

Crafty Tuesday ~

Having set aside every Tuesday as my "crafting" day has opened the door to a multitude of ideas on how to spend them. I am never without inspiration or a long list of what to, need to, like to projects. I am thinking it would be much help to me if I already had the decision made on what I was going to tackle. Some of my crafting time is eaten away in trying to decide what I am going to do and gathering needed items. So I've started a list of project ideas and a organized schedule of sorts to help me out.

In the Sewing Room~

One thing for sure that I will be working on each Tuesday is the "BOM- Block Of the Month" challenge I started a couple of weeks ago. See my first square here. The squares are promised not to be hard, but for a novice machine quilter they are proving to be a little more of a challenge to me. None the less I was pleased that I only had to remove one line of stitching to finish the 2nd block in this series. It's called a "Wonky Pound Square"

Crafting in My Kitchen ~

Is another area I try to create in each Tuesday too. This week I decide to try something new in my yogurt making adventure. Each batch in the past I have added a pkt. of cultures purchased from where I get my cheese supplies from. They are not overly expensive, but the fact that we are making yogurt on a weekly basis now means we are going through them like a wildfire. In reading from other sources, many use a few tablespoons of plain cultured yogurt from the store. In keeping with eating fresh I didn't want to add something processed to my natural untampered goat's milk. So my maker makes 7 servings at a time. Lon and I eat one apiece, giving us 3 days worth of homemade yogurt. So I decided to use the 7th serving to start my next batch today. Following my usual recipe instead of adding the culture packet. I add a couple of tablespoons of the last batch we made. Setting it on the counter to incubate into some yummy goodness. It will take about 8 hours or so to finalize, so I will have to let you know how my experiment turns out. At face value it would be a frugal way to keep us in yogurt and not have to spend money that could be used in another area. Fingers crossed.

The other kitchen creation today was making some more foaming hand wash. I had found a recipe on line back before Christmas. It is an easy 1-2-3 craft. Using only 3 ingredients, talking about frugal! I scented this batch again with Lemongrass essential oil, adding some Tea Tree E.O. for antibacterial help to the container before blending. It turns out great and cost mere pennies to make. Here's the recipe if you want to make some yourself. If you have an old foaming pump bottle they can be used with this blend.

Foaming Hand Soap

1 part Castille soap ~ I used 2-4 tsp.

3 parts distilled water

25 drops Essential Oil of choice ~ I used less, till scent was right for me

I put soap in first then added enough water to fill a 9oz. recycled foaming pump bottle. Added essential oils and shook gently to blend.

Kitchen Capers on Monday ~

I decided to add a regular baking session to my Monday's Home Blessing time. We are trying to eating all of our breads without the added chemicals and preservatives found in store bought. Choosing instead to use whole grain flours, fresh eggs, our goat's milk and other simple ingredients.

I love baking breads, the feel of warm dough, the heavenly aroma, and the rich taste on the tongue. I am still learning, but my loaves and buns are coming out better with each batch. Having a sourdough starter I have been trying different recipes that can use "the cup of throw away" required each time I feed it. This week I pulled out a new recipe called "Clay's Multi-Grain Sourdough Sandwich Bread." A long name for a wonderful loaf featuring a blend of hearty grains.

It rose beautifully and baked to a lovely brown color. Soft and full of yummy holes makes you think it is store bought except for the mess in my kitchen. Plans are to use it for toast on some of our morning breakfasts and slicing it for eating with meals or even making a sandwich.

Though our favorite way to eat sandwiches in on the easiest recipe for buns I have ever come across. I've made 2 batches so far and Lon has labeled them "The BEST," living up to their name as "Beautiful Burger Buns." They are a breeze to make in the bun pan we bought this Christmas. Though the recipe calls for 8 buns and my pan only holds 6. I had to improvise with 2 English muffin rings to finish out the dough. After baking these yesterday I have to decided to increase the bun count by adding a couple more rings to divide the dough into 9-10 portions. They rise a lot and the buns are soft, buttery and delicious, but a little too large for me. So making more should bring the size down to a better portion just right for hamburgers and lunchtime sandwiches. It was quite a productive day for me that took me right up to dinner time to complete. I was tired, but pleased as punch at the results.

Making my list for next Tuesday,

Deborah

COLD has 2 faces~

It is a COLD day here at the farm. The winter front due to bring in the rain is teasing us with a damp cold. One that probably has floated from off the bounty of snow coverage elsewhere in the United States. My sister in Seattle has gotten her first heavy snow of 6-8" all in one swoosh of wet Winter weather. I love to see snow falling, love to see snow sitting on the ground and dusting the trees into a wonder-land of beauty. I don't care for broken power lines, frozen pipes, loss of water and a multitude of other inconveniences that can come in with a snow storm. But I will confess my eyes search constantly with the forecast of a possibly. My blood starts pumping with the first flake and I get giddy as a kid when it starts to cover the ground. Can't help it! Living in the south limits the opportunities we have for descent snow or any snow for that matter. Ice we can get, rain we can get, bitter cold even at times and a few tornadoes which we dread. For those who feel they get "blessed" with too much snow I feel for you, but I still love snow.

Both of us have come down with some form of a viral illness that has us looking to each other for help, but not able to find nor offer any. So not only is it a nasty day outside, it is a COLD day inside. It's not a good thing for both of us to be down at the same time. Chores still have to be done. Animals are funny like that, no sympathy for your sneezing, coughing, runny nose, stopped up head, blah like symptoms. They still like to eat regularly whether you do or not. They still need someone to milk them, give them water and fresh hay. The hens don't simply stop laying just because you don't feel like gathering the eggs.

Getting the essentials done is a challenge. The threat of bad weather is all about us, as we are under a tornado watch today. It has been raining since before my eyes open this morning. Making us wonder if there will be a break in it long enough to make the trek down to the barn. The worst is yet to come both in the weather and our COLDs, when night time hours seem to elevate how bad it can get and how bad you can feel.

Good news is COLDs are limited to a week to 10 days duration. Bad news is the only thing you can really do is wait them out. They are caused by viruses that don't respond to antibiotics or most meds we reach for when sick. Though somewhere in my memory I remember the saying "Feed a cold and starve a fever." Best course of action is to put on a big pot of homemade chicken soup. No fear to eat away our discomfort as there isn't any fever to starve at this point.

Tissues in hand,
Deborah

JOY DARE GIFTS~ January 13th - today, January 20, 2012

3 Sounds you hear -
120/45 roar of wood burning heater
121/46 purr of contented kitty snuggled close
122/47 excited chatter of granddaughter over visit

one thing you wore, one thing you gave away, one thing you shared
123/48 brown boots
124/49 a smile
125/50 bible story with granddaughter

3 ways you witnessed happiness today
126/51 Leah dancing & singing in abandonment to Praise CD
127/52 Silas curled up on bed napping
128/53 Daisy's excited to see you tail wiggle

one gift that made you laugh, one that made you pray, one that made you quiet
129/54 Kenny
130/55 time extended
131/56 journaling today's adventure with runaway horses



132/57 runaway horses rescue
133/58 dog pen & house for Daisy
134/59 The Bread of Life
135/60 Living Water
136/61 Temple (House) of Prayer
138/62 grace given & extended again

3 gifts from God's Word
138/63 2 Corinthians 4:17
139/64 Philippians 4:7
140/65 Jeremiah 29:11

A grace in the kitchen, in the weather, one that might never have been
141/66 running water
142/67 clear skies for trip to see Mom & Dad
143/68 the visit with Mom & Dad

3 gifts you saw only when you got close-up
144/70 the years on my daddy's face
145/71 worry in my momma's eyes
146/72 heads of emerging daffodils

One thing in the sky, one from your memory, one thing that is ugly-beautiful
147/73 rain falling
148/74 past snowfalls
150/75 a muddy barnyard