I Don't Wanna

I don't wanna be nice today. I'm feeling scrappy and sarcastic. It happens don't pretend it doesn't to you.

 I will presevere and be nice.

I'm just saying, "I Don't Wanna".

But I'll end with a pretty picture!

Yes Sireeee Bob

Yes Sireeeee Bob !

The last ewe delivered 2- 14# ewe lambs this morning around 6:30 am.

LN went to feed her cows before getting ready for school and found or hear them.

They were still smoking as the wetness evaporated and mama licked them to death.

I love me some lambs!

Yesterday S and I

filled in hole in front of arena cows water trough.

It was 9-12 in down from original ground leval and hard for younger stock

to drink from bottom half of trough.

This is a tree root completely uncovered.

A few loads of packing dirt later we had this...

I know they'll dig it out again with their weight and erosion but for now...

before we did this we did this so they would leave me alone to shovel all the dirt

it makes them all HAPPY and with their mouths so busy I can work easier

TaDa ! Happy Campers!

I'm Baccckkkkkkk....

I'm back after major issues with Windows and Internet Explorer.

I think I have it fixed but I'm not sure.

Yes I admit I'm on Facebook and I played Words With Friends. Therein seems to be my issue.

The game must hate my computer and threw nasty issues into my Windows program that wouldn't repair. So off to Tom my computer guy I went. Presto 120.00 later and issues adverted.

 So me being smart like this comes home and boots up.

I went to FB and to Words game and yep there it was. I have quit the game and resigned to all partners. Hopefully that solves it and my minute in the program didn't reinfest everything.

Time will tell. 

Busy Busy Weekend here. 4-H obligations on the Community service side, last indoor soccer game, and sewing on LN's outfit.

Off to show dump truck driver where to dump soil to fill in holes cows made.

Hope it solves the "low spot when it rains pond" issue.

Not Pleased at All

So not what I want to see in February of any year!

I have tulips up as well 2 months early.

All those people who never leave their houses anyhow to go outside for any reason

ought to have to live with their doors and windows open with no screens on.

They can enjoy the bugs and diseases that weren't killed off this winter. 

As sure as the sun came up this morning we'll pay for this weather.

I am not pleased.

Braces Wednesday

Today was 1st brace day for LN.

Top braces went in, bottoms in 2 months. No pain or discomfort and it happened quickly.

She doesn't do pain so that was a bonus.

So funny to see her fidget with her mouth all night and look in the mirror.

Totally comfortable with Train Tracks, Metal Mouth, Brace Face comments.

She was giving some of them to me too!

Thank goodness she is only one of five to require them also.

My wallet appreciates that.

Sadly this picture explains how LN and I feel about Fleck.

 I don't know if he was kicked in the head  and his wires are scrambled or what happened.

His mom kicked him a few times because she was sore but only half-heartedly as she moved away from his sharp teeth but I didn't see any damage that I knew of.

I do know his mom won't let him nurse and didn't miss him when I took him to the house to give milk replacer and warm him up a couple of times.

He just seems listless with his eyes closed and all hunched over no matter how much milk he swallows.

No hollering at all from her.

I think she needs to join another family or life after she weans remaining 2 kids.

I let Fleck go tonight to the auction to sell  to be  bottle raised. He wasnt thriving with me and maybe someone else will have better luck.

I couldn't put him down but couldn't keep him either. 

Sad thing is he's been gone for 5 hours and his mom doesn't miss him at all. 

In other news..

What's a fashionable 12 yr old to wear when she washes her steer on a cold, windy day you ask?

Why everything I say.

She had carharrt bibs on over sweats and my rubber insulated gloves with her brothers plastic pants over her rain boots .

She hates being cold when the spray flys.

Good kid though she stuck with it for over 4 hours after school.

Washing and blowing him out and helping the guy who clipped and fitted him.

The chili in the crockpot I made earlier was appreciated greatly that night.

Responsible

I'm so mad and sad.

I had to make a decision to end Festus' life last night. Now it turns out I'm the one responsible for his seizure and eventually death. I didn't know that he was eating something he couldn't digest. I'm sorry and sad to lose Festus. He was a good friend and companion to all our calves and lived quietly ;] with our cows for 10 years. He'll be missed by the whole surrounding neighborhood. His brays and heehawing are legendary around here. 22 isn't old but he lived it well till yesterday.

I have a kid not doing well. He must have been off teat for awhile but I couldn't tell. I'm sorry for that too. I let him in my kitchen for 5 hrs. He slept by heater vent after drenching with milk replacer and then sucking some from a bowl. He stood up after 5 hrs and screamed and peed everywhere while hollering for his mom. I put him back outside with his mom but will be feeding him replacer every few hours.

I'm also responsible for waking up to a 7 month pregnant cow aborting/slipping calf/fetus. Apparently we have disease here (from some old herds of roping steers) I should have vaccinated for but I didn't know about it till now. Another 1st time heifer is 3 weeks from due date. I pray .... she makes it safely with a live healthy birth. You can bet I'll be vaccinating for alot this spring. I feel so responsible.

SOB I'm mad and sad. I know now but why didn't person who knew tell me before this?

Or about Festus eating issues?

I can't stand to hurt or see animals in pain. Decisions need made. Alot of deaths and sickness that should have been preventable need accountability solved.

What A Pain...Literally

One of our nannies Marvina (don't ask ;] ) has 3 week and a few day old triplets. One side of her bag has a large funnel type nipple that is large hourglass shape. I'm sure there is a technical name for it but I don't know it. That side works and she's raised 3 sets on it counting this years. This morning I found her biggest triplet crying and lethargic. He prefers that teat and has been draining it. He's 2x the size of the other 2. Apparently he has caused a sore to pop up right beside the nipple and she hasn't been letting him suck since sometime yesterday. Now I'm putting udder cream on it and milking her out for him and letting him suck on her a little bit. This requires tying her up short and high. One person holds her leg up tight and other holds head while 3rd milks her. What a pain literally for both of us, humans and her. It will heal but till then alot of work.

Actually working on it ...

Yep I'm actually working on the "Quilts for Kids"

I quilted the inside main body of the kid quilt and made one pass around the smaller

border before running the bobbin out. Decided it was a nice start so felt better

stopping to do the evening feeding.

This is the reason I didn't sew earlier. It's an addiction really! Reading makes me lose track of time.

 After morning feeding I was lost in the Kat Martin world.
Yesterday I finished another Kat Martin book, this morning I started this one.

After LN got home at noon R & S2 came up with a friend that helps us fit cattle.They looked at LN's steer and feeder calf to see what clipping needing doing this week. They also checked out R's cattle to figure the work it'll takes to whip 2 all white heifers into shape with their 4" long hair coat.

Seems like they are figuring on 3 full nights this week to get clipping done.

Girls walked their cattle and then whole clan went to look for pigs.

We put a hold on a few and will go back in a few weeks to reevaluate but I am definitely feeling good about our options. I didn't take pictures because it wasn't my place and I don't want to upset the breeder.

Yesterday at the fabric store with my 50% off coupon I bought LN these....

She's in love.

It matches her 4-H shirt and her Snuggie she won for selling ads to support 4-H.

She's a sock freak. Maybe I should do a sock post someday.

And yes she is laying upside down on the couch. It's normal around here.

I'm waiting on dinner to show up. S went to get take out.

I know it's bad and not homemade or healthy but still sometimes you just gotta have some.

Quiet Ramblings

Quiet night alone. Just me and a longneck and its been awhile since I had one. Tastes good, had leftover pizza so beer works with that.

This afternoon went to fabric store and craft store. Both had good sales so I restrained myself. Bought a few battings at 50% off and another rotary cutter at 50% also. At craft store got a set of short needles and a needle case at 50% off so I was happy.

I need to treat ewe's foot tomorrow she's limping. What a pain in both ways.

Off to read another Kat Martin book. I love when I'm alone and I can read undistrubed.

Done Rambling for today, Peace Out as they say!

Lots of...

Lots of small things were accomplished today.

Kids were dehorned/debudded. They are only 2 weeks old so they forgot about the indignity of it all very fast. Within a few minutes they were back to racing around and climbing the steps in their pen.

I built creep feeders in both goat and sheep pens and rehung a gate trying to minimize the goats running all over the loafing shed when I put them in their pen at nights.

Otherwise I almost got on LN's bad side. I forgot to send her entry form for 4-H Favorite Foods Contest that was due by 4:30pm. It's been 75% done for awhile just needed 2 minutes to complete it and email to 4-H office. Thankfully neighbor called with questions for her sons' form that hadn't been started.

That made me take the 2 minutes to keep myself out of trouble and finish the form and I emailed it by 3:00pm. WooHoo early ! I hate procrastinating but I do sometimes.

I'm working on it! OK?

I am.

and because I am....

Tonight me and LN did this.... early too, its not due till mid-April.

We went to get her outfit for 4-H Fashion Revue at least started. A friend of ours A is helping again this year. She helped R a few times some years ago and this is 2nd year for helping LN.

She lives 1 1/2 hour away so we meet at her MIL's house near our house. Grandma gets to play with new 7 month old grandson while A helps LN and me get going.

LN is making a tan pair of pants like the upper left pair on the pattern and the pink coat on pattern she'll be using the blue/tan houndstooth for. LN has a bright orange as well that we may be able to get a vest made off time permitting. All the fabrics are Wool. LN is entering the MIYWW contest as well as her 4-H contest. MIYWW is Make It Yourself With Wool which is a state and then if lucky, a National contest for young people to enter that sew their own outfits of wool. There are prizes such as scholarships, savings bonds and sewing machines, etc. awarded. It is a great contest.

LN would bein the junior division if she competes.

Tonight they got the patterns set up for her small size and everything cut out for the coat and pants.

A sent LN home with homework she needs to complete before they meet again to actually start sewing.

All and All a much better day today than yesterday. I hope the weekend remains as such.

Tomorrow LN is attending the Livestock Overnighter to complete her PQA training she needs to show pigs with this year. After I finish at noon at the feed store I hope to finish the quilt for Quilts for Kids.

Joanne's is having a 50% off sale on battings  so I'm going to try to run there and stock up as well.

Sunday after LN comes back we are going to look at some possible pigs for her to show this year.

Time starts to fly this time of year as projects are gearing up.

Bites...

This day bites a Big One! I don't know why either. It's dreary, trying to rain but not kinda day. I hurt all over and I don't wanna be positive or upbeat. I just want to curl up in a ball and sob. Of course I can't but I wanna... . I hate, hate , hate drunks and the destruction they leave behind in their wakes. I'll write about it someday but not today. I hurt too much.
This is what drunks do to innocent people...

                                                                                   and

this is where they pulled me and my 2 girls out of

4 1/2 years ago.

I still hurt with each step I take and my girls will never be the way they were

before that night.

Drunks suck .

Country Folk...

So lambs tails got banded anyway, told you when girls got home we'd do it.

We band the tails to prevent problems later in life such as issues with lambing and disease. For hygiene reasons short tails are necessary. It pinches them for a few minutes but they get up and take off after their moms shortly after that. Tails will fall off in a 2 or 3 weeks.

I was the one banding as girls brought me lambs so no pictures, sorry.

But ...

this is a supermarket food display rack we were given few years ago. The kids love running up and down it and diving off the top. When we wean them we'll put them in another area that has 2 back to back and some large electric spools to climb on. The lambs don't bother with any of it when the lambs & kids are put together after weaning. The kids climb the hay elevator in the background too. So far noone has bailed out at the top. We did have 2 nannies climb it and it tipped down with their weight so they bailed off at the bottom before it bounced back up and never climbed it again.

This is a homemade feeder for the goats made of a cow trough and baby crib panels for the hay rack.

We had the parts (trough from previous roping steers, crib panels picked up free left at auction) so it was free to assemble and works ok. I wish the kids would stay out of it

but they only do this when they are young. Table in the background was my Dads' he left with me when he moved out of state. It's heavy steel with a thick plexiglass top.

Nannies love to sleep on the shelf and on top too.

Aces' halter breaking is still going but very slowly. LN pulls trying to keep his head up

while R gives a lil bit of assistance.

Uh -Oh ,the coat is off. LN means business now!

Put a round bale to cows to finish a full night of animal chores. I kinda scraped paint off SIL S2's truck cab

while I was trying to push hay bale off truck flat bed with the tractor bale spike. 

It was half dark. He didn't seem worried, said it was a farm truck so ...

Gotta love country folks don't cha ? 

Basking

Basking in the sun, ignoring the wind ,waiting on tails to be docked.

What a life!

Need to dehorn kids too!

Maybe tomorrow...

My whole body aches today so I'm checking out of all but normal chores.

Of course when R and LN come home that might change

and I need a round bale for cows in arena

and S2 is bringing one to me which means he'll be hungry too

so....

I bought new pressure foot for my Janome .

No excuse not to finish quilting it and sewing binding on.

so...

I want a knitted cowl neck scarf.

I can knit.

I have yarn.

so...

Happy Hallmark Day!

Happy Commercialized Hallmark Florist Making A Killing

Only Way To Know If You're Significant Other Cares

 Cause They Bought U Overpriced Stuff Day !

Litlle jaded I know but other 364 days a year is when you should know whether he  cares and loves you not today.

Course S being cheapskate only buys me auction stuff  anyhow

and these flowers were on "special" Sunday when he went to Sam's Club

but it's the thought that counts.

Course what that thought is

is another thing....

Ok enough mushy stuff lol

This is the Red Velvet Crepe Cake

LN made last night as a possiblity for her 4-H Favorite Foods Contest

coming up at beginning of March.  She usually does a dessert although main dishes , appetizers, etc are allowed and judged by catergory.

Member makes a recipie they serve to judge and answer questions about

how they made it and are judged by apperance, taste, techniques, difficulty, etc. 

It needs a few changes but overall she liked it , frying cake batter like crepes was fun to her.

LN has to have a single place setting and centerpiece to go with her entry

I'm stumped this year, maybe red/white/blue theme?

This goes with Valentine's Day pretty good though.

Also need garnish for cake top or around bottom on plate

Maybe ... Oh I Don't Know

Favorite Room

http://aprairiesunrise.blogspot.com/ has this link upgoing...

For the Love of... My Favorite Room is

Sewing Room of course

It's a room my husband and I built in the basement when we had all 5 kids still around. The girls shared the room upstairs. Our craftsman style 1915 house technically only has 2 bedrooms  so with 5 younguns we needed more space.

Now it's mine...and everyone elses" craft/excersise/den

But Still...

one side with sewing machine and bookcase overfilled with paint for crafts and kids sears mini old sewing machine and tins of buttons and serger, iron, cool tin lamp and gobs of quilt & cross stitch books

opposite wall has table I cut and pin on, TV for when I'm bored (left over from R when she had her bedroom here before she married) Dresser has patterns and stuff in drawers

open closet area has bins of fabric, spinning wheel I need a refresher course in, radio cause I love me some tunes and R's clothes she didn't want to deal with!

Right in the Middle in the way is the

Queens Chair

LN & I use it if we watch TV or I handsew or knit down there

it folds up when it annoys me

That's it, if you want to share go to A Pairie Sunrises' blog to link up!

Warning

This town kid is now a farm and country chick. She came home w LN after soccer practice yesterday

 and fell in love. LR is 10 yrs old and lives in town. She asked million questions and hit it off with

Mud

Coveralls

Boots

Goats

Cows

Sheep

Life

She wanted to sleep in the barn with her lil man Fleck but I was mean and made her come in

This morning 1st thing, "Can I go see animals?"

She led an older cow to her feeding area and smiled so big as she did it

It's cool to convert another kid...

Sounds like a cult huh? HeHeHe... wellllllllll

Warning

if you are squemish you may not want to look

It's squishy and gooey

and life...

Otherwise we had set of ewe lambs born last night from 3:30 to 5:00

1st tiny hoof and mouth appeared at 3:45

then 12# ewe lamb

cleaning off

I've never had a ewe take an hour in between lambs

but at 4:45

Another foot maybe hard to see

then

2nd little girl well 2nd 12 # girl

They are healthy so I'm not complaining I'm just tired

Looking for spickets

Finally

I finally had a few hours to straighten up dewing/craft/den so I could do this...

I finished the top of the "Quilts for Kids"

 I need to buy the batting, I only have pieces left but I'm picking up a new pressure foot that should make my little basic machine purr a little when I cram 3 layers through it. I'll get batting this week.

The backing which becomes the fold over binding is...

 The top picture seems lighter but best I could do in my basement room at night under flouresent light.

It does coordinate better than the 2 pics show.

The wrinkle in the top left hand bottom part is from this...

She likes to help check out the stiching in case there's an issue!

Waste of Snow

Looks pretty around blueberry bush...

Actually just a waste of snow turned to mud as fast as it fell!

Now that feed store is closed and LN has been to practice and back I can work on this

Latest Quilts for Kids

Blue and Yellow happen to be LN's school colors so she loves it

Need to sew, Need to sew, Need to sew!

Don't need to ...

Wash this dirty bird!

Dear Diary

Started this blog as a sort of diary so...

Dear Diary,
            Why would people pay BIG money for their children to play travel sports when

A: they tell kids its just for fun
or
B: their kid is more worried about looks, gossip or boys than game
or
C: kid is a rec player not travel and parent knows but can't tell jr cause of modern day pc crapola ?

It doesn't benefit your child and it hurts mine who

A: is very competitive, hence mom shells out big bucks for travel
and
B: she s serious enough to CARE whether she loses or wins
and
C: She a travel level player being held back so your kid can mess around on field
                                      
                                 Diary, If you know the answer please enlighten me.

                                                                       Sincerely, Frustrated Broke Mom

Ole Blue

Ole Blue is my recycled cabinet.

I found it in my husbands shop holding oil cans 20 years ago when I 1st moved in with him.

I drug it out to the front porch where it sat in pieces for a few years more.

I drug it to neighbors wood shop where he repaired it. Thanks Rueben!

It needed bottom rail and doors rehung (I did that) and new piece of wood on the side where damp ground had rotted wood.

Couple years ago I drug it inside (it's heavy with capital H) to the kitchen.

R & I used blue milkpaint to touch up where Mother Nature had faded and wore off original.

 I waxed the whole thing to show consistancy.

I filled it with stuff! Snacks, reusable water bottles, cookbooks and shoes on the bottom with baskets of gloves and hats. Can't have too many!

I love Ole Blue!

S S D D

Same Stuff Different Day.

This afternoon the haltering , walking lessons with Ace continued. After 10 minutes of trying to pen him to be caught R gave up and took his Mama in pen hoping he'd go to her. Wrong the 1st time but eventually he wised up. LN worked with him but dang he's stubborn but she stayed right there.

He made a few steps then dug in his heels and dropped his head.

So funny to watch, LN will get there but Ace is going to claw and scream the whole way.

Even R with some grain and a pet didn't trigger a nice response.

 

To keep the frustration down LN goes to her kids for some loving and wrestling.

They love her now but will they after de-horning this weekend?

Necessary evil for us. LN does not like her hand being spiked or twisted against horn in the show ring.

We find if we burn them early they forget quickly.