Chore Chart Update

My little Rose has been begging to get her name on the "chart." She, of course, is referring to the chore chart. Although she does have certain chores to do each day, she really wants to be part of the big kid chores. I have been mean to get a new chart made since Christmas but today I actually sat down and crafted a new chart.

I simply cut the center out of a paper plate and drew lines to divide it into 4 sections. Instead of giving Rose her own section, I simply added her with Journee. The idea is that Journee can help show her how to complete chores plus she can simply assist Journee with certain chores she could not possibly do on her own, such as bathing the boys. Rose can gather towels and pajamas for Journee easily as well as carry dirty clothes to the laundry.
Each week the chores change by turning the center name section.

I cannot stress how important small tools like a chore chart help make a large household run smoothly. There are certain chores the kids like least, such as dragging the trash cans to the end of our drive. This chart makes sure that each child takes on that chore equally. The chart also allows everyone to master each chore.
We have had this type of chart for 2 years now and it works very well.

I usually hang the chart on my kitchen window, just above my sink, but I am going to hang it on my Picasso style cork board in the kitchen instead. I am a little worried the boys will play and pull on it, but we will give it a try and see what happens.

So now I have completed my chore of working up a new chore chart, and my Rose is one happy girl!

Happy weekend ya'll!

The Bi-Polar Southern Winter

We made it through the cold, frigid, it's never been this cold here in my lifetime winter weather.

It was -5 degrees. It was so cold that the milk started turning to slush in my milk lines. THEN, five days later is was a sunny, pleasantly warm 60 degrees. Typical Southern winter.

It was such a nice TWO days of weather that the bees were out flying and the horse was brought to the house for a nice, long grooming.

We wore hats to keep the sun out of our eyes versus hats to keep our ears from freezing off.

That was yesterday. Today it is cool, cloudy and about to start pouring rain.

That's OK. We enjoyed the break from winter while it lasted and now we march on until spring arrives to stay.

The farm will be busy (as will I) this spring with new pigs, baby chicks, goslings and packaged honey bees. The girls will be starting seedlings for the garden as well as helping with lambing season, which begins in February. 

I also have in my possession a new book, Vintage Cakes. It just arrived but I am excited to pour through the pages and pick out a cake to bake. Quinn has already found what she wants me to bake for her birthday!
At least when the cold weather comes back this week I will have lots of yummy desserts to bake!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

Projects in Progress

We survived the extreme cold and frigid winds! The biggest issue we had was the pulsator on the surge milker. It just didn't want to pulse well. The milk would also start to ice up in the milk line. I am glad I didn't have to milk an entire herd of cows.  Today it will be a balmy 48 and by Saturday it will be in the 60s. That is a southern winter for you!

Today I am busy getting everyone back into a school routine and cleaning up and organizing my projects. I am determined to finish up unfinished projects this year, and I have many.

Of course I have also started a small knitting project that has been quite enjoyable. I am knitting a sky scarf.

The Sky Scarf is one you knit a little each day. You look outside and knit two rows of a color that represents what color the sky happens to be that day. By the end of the year I will have a scarf about 5 feet long and a representation of the year in color.

Although I am a bit of a yarn snob and prefer expensive, high quality yarns, I am knitting with soft and inexpensive yarns for this project. Perhaps next year I will have some handspun yarn ready for a project such as this.

I am following the suggestions of others and keeping this project out in the open and easily accessible. I have placed the yarn in a basket to keep on my end table in the living room.

You can make your own scarf! Check out more info on Leaf Cutter Design.

There may or may not have been a dog photo bombing this morning! Hello Arwen!

Now, most of my projects in progress are quilts that need piecing or quilting. I have a red work that has 12 embroidered blocks that I pulled out last night and started back. I also have a double wedding ring I am piecing in modern Kaffe fabrics. These two will be at the top of my list to finish.

In the midst of this I have farm projects to prepare. The kids wanted to raise the vegetable seedlings this year and I think they will enjoy it! I ordered seeds last night and can't wait for spring to arrive!

What projects are you finishing up?

I hope everyone came through the cold snap! This weekend it will rain here so we will be back in typical wet winter mode.

Happy Thursday!

The Polar Vortex

Say WHAT?

Tonight we will be getting some very cold weather. The weather man says it is a "polar vortex" and it is affecting many, many parts of the US.

It has been cold here already. Really cold for the South.

We are busting ice out of the water troughs and it is not melting. It just waits on the ground, and the boys bash it up with sticks and stones. Great fun. Cold fun.

We here in Georgia can expect to go about 60 hours without getting above freezing. It's a big deal ya'll. We have never worried too much about a lack of barn, etc because this is the South. We have mild winters....of course these next few days will be different.

Preparations have been under way the last two days.

The wind will be brutal and therefore we decided the best thing would be to build a wind block. We moved our huge canopy next to the calf stall and brought in a ton of hay to stack up.

It really is a cow dream come true. A house of hay!!!

This will give Lucy, Stella and Ivy a way to huddle close, eat lots of hay and stay out of the wind.  Lucy approves already!

The bottle calves will stay tucked into their stall with lots of hay bedding and a brood heat lamp, although they couldn't help but come out and munch on the house of hay!

This morning was an all hands on deck sort of morning. Devin even helped with the milking. She loves all of the grooming and brushing she gets from him.

 Lucy and Ivy had a great time licking and grooming each other.

So we will see what the night brings. We are hoping it's not too bad and that the milk pump doesn't freeze. I have a brood heat lamp to hang over the pump for warmth.
The horse has her blanket on and we put lots of hay out for the animals to eat.

Hmm.... Canada weather in Georgia. Whoever said there was global warming did not have a milk cow through the winter:-)

Everyone stay safe and warm!!!!

Happy New Year 2014

I have been ever so absent from the blog world. Just totally absent.

After we finally got Lucy healed and recovered, my house fell victim to the nasty stomach bug that is making itself known everywhere. It didn't hit everyone but the ones who were ill were very ill.
I lost several pounds of weight from my already light frame, and therefore my energy levels were zapped.

My appetite finally recuperated after two weeks. Today I am ringing in my new year with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. I am so very happy.

I cannot say that I am sad to see 2013 leave. Although there were many blessings throughout the year, it was also a year with some struggles and some tears. I am ready to say good-bye to 2013 and hello to a new year, a fresh start.

This morning we are enjoying one last day of relaxation and messes, and then tomorrow we will pack away Christmas decorations and clean the house up. I have many projects planned for the new year and I need an organized home in order to think and plan. Messes distract all of my attention.

                                    ****Some new year humor****


My goals for this new year include:

1. A farm newsletter. I will be sending out a letter complete with order forms for chicken, pork and possibly one or two other items. My calendar is covered with dates and events and so I want to make sure every one of my customers is in on the activities.

2. Simplify, simplify, simplify. I am clearing out the clutter, the extras, the mess. I am getting rid of all the things that take away my time and energy that do not give me any sense of love or satisfaction. It is a goal to get away from some of the consumerism that tends to take hold. I think I will start with all of my clothes.

3. Finish the projects. This specifically refers to my load of unfinished quilting projects. I did a pretty decent job in 2013 of finishing up projects but I need to be more intense. I am starting a monthly Block of the Month at my local quilt store, but it will likely be my only *new* project until I can finish my works in progress.

4. More posts on meal prep and meal ideas. When you have kids (especially lots of kids) food and meal prep consume a great deal of the day. I spend countless hours planning menus and food shopping. I have some areas down to a science and think perhaps I need to share some of what I have learned the last 18 years.

5. Less online time and more real book reading time. Seriously, I spend a great deal of time reading online while I have piles of books begging to be picked up and read. Speaking of books, I will also be going through and getting rid of books that I do not *love.*

That is all I have on my list now. I believe in keeping lists of goals short, to the point and attainable.
Starting tomorrow the list will be tackled and woman handled. I will keep you all posted on the progress.

I am going to close with a picture of Journee and her first deer. She went hunting over the weekend with her grandfather and now we have some deer roasts in the freezer. I was also lucky enough to get a dehydrator for Christmas so we will be making some deer jerky in another week or so. YUM!

Happy 2014!

And the Winner is......

Betty!!!!
 Betty was hoping she would win so she could use this book with her sons! Betty, congratulations! I will send you an email this morning to get your mailing info!

Thank you to everyone who entered and shared this contest!
If you really hoped to get this book you can still order a copy from HERE or from Amazon.


Now, if I ever get Lucy back into normal health I will share a fun gift idea you and your kids can make!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Milk Fever and Two New Calves

                              Don't forget to enter the book giveaway!

When you have an old Jersey milk cow who produces a large amount of milk, you always prepare for milk fever after calving. In  the past we would give Lucy a dose of calcium paste and she would be fine.
This time it wasn't enough or soon enough.
Although she is not in terrible shape, I knew at milking time yesterday afternoon that my girl was not well.
She was lethargic, slow, had no appetite and  was dry nosed.

The best assumption was milk fever. She needed calcium in her system.

Devin hooked up a bottle of calcium gluconate to an IV start kit and we gave her the entire bottle via subcutaneous injection at several sites on her body. We also gave her another tube of calcium paste.
It was cold, dark and rainy out. I felt like James Herriott in his books when he describes the cold nights on farm calls with a down cow. We, of course, have been keeping in contact with our own James Herriott, our vet Dr. Benson, during this entire ordeal.

She spent the night locked into the milking stanchion area, bedded down with lots of hay. I was happy that she ate quite a bit of hay during the night.

This morning Lucy is slightly better. She has a little better appetite and her nose is moist. Her body temp, however, is still low.

She had lots of company this morning from Ivy and Stella. I gave her more hay and kept her locked up until late this morning.

The vet wants her to walk around some, so she is secure to the 1 acre lot next to the milking area.

It has been a very hectic and stressful 18 hours. I think she will be okay, but I am cautious.


Now, on another note, we did drive up to a local dairy and purchase two bull calves this week as well.

I am wanting to get some steer on grass and the only way I can afford to do this is to buy bottle bull calves.

This big boy was born the day before my Annabelle. He is a Jersey/ Brown Swiss cross. He is quite large and will make a nice sized steer. The picture doesn't do him justice. He's quite beautiful.

The other bottle baby is a 3 week old full Jersey. He is quite active and loves being outside to run and stretch his legs some.

Both calves and Annabelle are doing well. I have them locked in an old chicken coop that I use as a small animal stall now. I have a heat lamp up to help keep them cozy. It has been very cold here the last couple of days and doesn't look to be warming up much this week.

So THAT is what I have been up to this week! I feel like I just had a new baby myself in that my house is a disaster and I am barely keeping up with laundry and meals! But, just like having a new baby....this too shall pass. Things will eventually get themselves back into working order, I just have to try and get my Lucy better. I am grateful to have a crockpot this morning and some chili is cooking away in it now. We will have a hot, yummy dinner after milking this evening.

It is great having so many bottle calves to feed. The kids are big helpers and the calves are very lovable!

Have a fabulous weekend! Don't forget to enter the book giveaway either! Winner will announced Monday!

See ya'll then!