HOMEMADE FUN

A peaceful bonfire on the beach with family and friends created a means for anticipation throughout Saturday afternoon, planned at the spur of the moment, an impromptu party of sorts, which in my opinion always renders the most memorable of affairs.  Our evening started with a lovely BBQ at Jamie's brother's home where we revelled in Astronomically High Caloric Bliss until our arteries cried Uncle, then sat in amicable agony until the kids rousted us out and to the beach for the bonfire, which would be fuelled by some of the clean wood just removed from Jamie's youngest brother's home during renovations.  We cozied up on the sand, forming a lazy semi circle with our lawn chairs and blankets around what looked more like a Tee Pee then a fire pit, and shared in a combination of ardent laughter and critical mirth at the expense of those whom had forgotten the torch to light the fire, and at the fact that in no way would this much material generate a "small" bonfire. 

OUR SMALL BONFIRE

Finally, after shivering for sometime, somebody produced a torch and we watched our small bonfire roar up before us and blend with the stars.  Our friendly heckling quickly turned to awe and congratulations on the impressive inferno and we prepared to make the traditional Fireside Smores.  The sheer capacity of our bonfire, however, presented it's own set of obstacles, particularly the intense heat and blinding light it put out disabling anyone with a hankering for a smore to get within 30 feet of it.  We quickly descovered that when baking in such a large oven one requires equally substantial equipment, a roasting rack large enough to roast a buffet of smores, appeared in our group, and a large wooden door was brought from the truck to act as a shield from the heat.  A genius idea that enabled our chef, Uncle David, to run the handle of the rack through the doorknob hole and roast our smores unscathed.

SMORES!!!!

MUCH TO HOT TO COOK SMORES

MUCH BETTER!

As we enjoyed our smores around the elaborate fire our attention was quickly riveted to the sky as we were treated to our own private light show, complements of a family friend whom gifted us some small fireworks from his store.  We sat in warmth and enjoyed the fellowship of family and friends, as our bellies ached from the amount of food we consumed and the laughs that we shared, and while I wished that Jamie had been able to join us (of course beautiful spring evenings inevitably bring long spring hours on the land), the concept of the impromptu party again came to mind and it occurred to me that this was no exception.

SOME OF THE CREW

GRACE WAITING FOR HER TREAT

ALL PARTIED OUT ON AUNT JOY'S KNEE

Grace, for reasons only known to her and the friends that started it with her, has been going around pretending to be pregnant by using her large rubber balls to create her Mommy Tummy.  Needless to say I was a bit shocked to see her prancing around with her pretend belly protruding under an over stretched shirt, and to hear her proclaim "Oh No!  I'm having a baby....FAST!"  This has been a game her and her friends have been playing the last few times they visited, and has created a lot of laughs, and shirts that may never fit them again. Particularly shocking however, was to see Grace emerge from her room last evening with not one ball, but two balls under her shirt, to create a silhouette that would make even Dolly Parden look twice.  Momentarily taken aback by this out of character game she seemed to be developing, I decided to play it light and asked her about her new busty appearance, to which she looked at me horror stricken, and visibly embarrassed, then haughtily informed me "that's not what these are! I'm having twins!"

Jamie has finished up his off the farm work, and is now preparing the land for our own crops. We decided in light of the inclining market this year to give growing Soy Beans a whirl, this will be the first time in several years that they've been planted on our farm.  Apart from this, we will have a small amount of barley planted to act as feed and will provide us with some straw, and of course our hay crops.  I am also waiting patiently for our garden patch to be ready so we can plant our veggies.

The calves are still holding their own, we are seeing a bit of sickness in the ones outside, but they do not seem quite as effected as the ones that were sick in the barn, basic care seems to be all they require at this point.  The little guy that was so sick in the barn, for some reason or other has lost most of his hair, we are unsure what the cause of this could be, but between some folks we've chatted with and our vet, we speculate that it could be either a reaction to some medications he was given, or from the high fever that he had.  We have decided to hold him back from the herd and keep him in until the weather really warms up as he gets cold very easily, his health has essentially returned to normal and he is now capering around the pen like calves his age should.  Our hope is to get him out ASAP so he can enjoy some sunshine, however it is not easy to let he and his Momma in and out depending on the weather so we want to be sure that he can stay warm and healthy once on pasture, no doubt he will receive some sideways glances from his fellow Herd Mates as he shows no sign of regrowing his coat.

OUR HAIRLESS FRIEND

RECIPE:

HOMEMADE ICE TEA

This is a summer staple in our home, I make it into a 1 gallon pickle jar and keep it sealed in the fridge to serve as a refreshing drink whenever needed.


6 Tea Bags
3 cups Water
2-3 cups White Sugar
5 fresh Lemons

Bring Tea to a boil, allow to simmer on the stove for 1/2 to 1 hour then poor into 1 gallon jar and squeeze Tea Bags to drain into the jar as well.  Squeeze the juice from 4 Lemons and add to the jar, then add the sugar as desired (I typically use about 2 cups, but you may have a differing preference).  Add enough water to fill the jar, then drop in the slices from 1 peeled Lemon, place the cover on and leave in the fridge to chill.  We have also made this carbonated by adding clear pop for extra flavour.

THE MOMMA IN CHARGE OF DAY CARE

BULLY HAVING A SNACK FROM OUR LAWN

MAX GETTING ASKED TO LEAVE THE PASTURE........

A PECK OF TRANQUILITY

I could hear it before I could feel it, a warm soft rain, falling without ever really landing, as though quietly announcing it's approach in the darkness of our 10:00 o'clock yard.  Void of demands or requirements, an unassuming, cheerful presence of rejuvenation pattering around me on the deck, and for a little while, I only had to "be".  Sitting wrapped in my favourite fuzzy blanket, sipping Black Licorice tea while Max bounded after June Bugs in great puppy gusto, it occurred to me that I couldn't remember the last time I took a minute to simply move air through my lungs, and appreciate all that God has placed around me.  Precious stolen moments, that when you think about it, truly are all we have in a world of demands and responsibilities, seemingly never enough, and yet just enough, to cleanse the weary spirit and recharge the tired mind.

A MOMMA WHOM CALVED AT THE SAME TIME AS ANOTHER, THEY NOW SHARE RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THEIR BABIES, BOTH CARING FOR, AND FEEDING THEM, RIGHT NOW IT'S THIS GALS TURN.

The past week has whizzed by in a blur of Birthday party activities, Church Conference preparations and attendance (which  ='s a marathon toddler chasing extravaganza!), a two day visit at Mom's with the girls, and all the typical activities involved in keeping our household and farm afloat.  Jamie is finishing up his "off the farm work" and preparing to plant our own crops and get the rest of the cattle on pasture, yesterday he and I ran appx 20 young feeders through the head gate for deworming, inoculations, inserting identification tags, and neutering of the bulls, which now has them ready for any potential buyers.  After a temporary decline in the cattle markets, we are again on a slow incline, which is bringing buyers back to the farm to view our feeders.  With the industry still recuperating after the 10 year slump due to the Mad Cow issues, it still takes very little to discourage the market  and always makes a farmer hold their breath when prices back slide even slightly, since they are only now growing enough to cover the cost of production.

GUSSIED UP AT CONVERENCE

PARTY PANDAMONIUM

THE PRECIOUS BUTTERFLY CAKE (GRACE HELPED DECORATE)

NOAH'S ARK??

Grace's birthday party was a huge success, from the homemade butterfly cake and pinata to the treat bags and game prizes, all 12 of her friends seemed to have a great time.  I couldn't help but feel for a new friend of Grace's who is accustomed to city type living, and who at just 4yrs old, is likely more a lady then I'll ever be.  As she stepped, assisted by her father, elegantly out of her parents mini-van, pristinely adorned in a white summer dress trimmed in gold, and brilliantly matched gold slippers, she descended our hill to the yard and was immediately greeted, much to her terror, by our two farm dogs.  Once rescued from our beasts, she glided across the lawn, around the corner of our house and as she began to climb the steps to enter our house, she was again dismayed to find the party commencing not only outside, but primarily in my riding ring, with 11 other screaming, running, playing, and very dirty kids.  After some encouragement from her parents, and yet another rescue from our persistently social dogs, she picked her way to the edge of the lawn, then faced with appx 6 feet of bare clay, balked and refused to go further for fear of dirtying her golden shoes.  Assisted again by her father, who lifted her over the dirt and onto the trampoline, she joined the party by way of bouncing the time away until we had to oust her off to play an obstacle course game which involved her place of refuge.  After a couple of half hearted attempts at the games, and with some very hearty encouragement from her friends and parents, our young friend finally loosened up and played with the rest of the group.  The whole experience was quite obviously a shock to her little system, but she left with a sugar rush and a smile on her face, to prove it wasn't all bad.

THANK YOU UNCLE JEREMY FOR ADDING 32 MORE FEET OF SLIPPING AND SLIDDING FUN!

Add caption

A Quick Summery Of The Day

The cakes been dismembered,
The nuggets all ate,
The Pinata whacked early
Cause they just couldn't wait.

Cake smooshed into the carpet
And punch on the floor,
Only eleven,
But it seemed like much more

Gummy's in tummy's
Of so many friends,
Mixed with more goodies
How will this day end?

The screeching and giggles
Proved a very fun stay,
Almost a dozen dirty faces
Means a happy 5th Birthday.

Eleven little friends,
All snug in their beds
With dreams only a Sugar Rush
Can bring to their heads.

RECIPE:

TWISTED LEFTOVER CASSEROLE

Being left with a little bit of this and a little bit of that after a chicken dinner, I decided to do a bit of experimenting and was impressed with the results:-)

Here's what I had left to use, but I am sure any steamed veggies will work.

1 cup Peas
1 cup Carrots
1 cup Corn
1 cup Green Beans
2 cups cooked Roast Chicken (cubed)
appx 3 cups Mashed Potatoes
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg
1 tbsp Butter
1 can Cream Chicken Soup
1 1/2 cup leftover Gravy
1 cup Sour Cream

Mix everything but the potatoes in the bottom of a deep casserole dish, mix together the Soup, Gravy, and Sour Cream, add salt and pepper to taste then pour over veggies and chicken, stir to incorporate.  In a separate bowl, mix Potatoes, Egg, Milk, Butter and salt and pepper to taste ( I find this works best when potatoes are warm, so if they are leftovers I heat them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes), then beat on high until very smooth and creamy.  Spread potato mixture over top of casserole and bake at 400 degrees until bubbly and golden on top.

OLE RAZOR

THE GARDEN IS ALMOST READY TO PLANT

BETHANY AND HER FAITHFUL STEED

A Bushel of Imagination(and a Peck of Creativity)

The innate desire to serve our children and fulfil their wishes is not lost on me, I enjoy the indulgence of being "the bestest Mommy in the world" if only momentarily.  To have a "puppy shaped pinata stuffed with yummy, yummy candy" was the small request Grace made for her 5th birthday party, and one I wholeheartedly intended to fulfil, until my helplessly frugal mind processed the $10.00 price tag on the tiny Poodle sized Paper Mache creation and considered the additional total of filling the thing "with yummy, yummy candy".  So, inspired by creativity and motivated by the prospect of saving a buck, I roamed the isles looking for the supplies needed to make our own pinata, and I as I paid the $6.00 total and silently congratulated myself on saving $4.00, I headed home to share my brilliance with Grace. 

As I explained that our pinata would be balloon shaped instead of puppy shaped, but it would hold loads of yummy, yummy candy, I was pleasantly surprised to find Grace completely on board with the idea and she couldn't wait to get started.  It doesn't take a Paper Mache Genius to recognise it's potential for sticky disaster, however, unforeseen circumstances can arise with even the best laid plans, and as I washed my hands, after Grace and I spent an hour smoothing wet and sticky blue tissue paper over an inflated balloon, it quickly became apparent that I had failed to consider the potential for Smurf Hands.  I alternated in shifts of scrubbing fervently and adding more soap, as Grace (who for whatever reason was able to wash her Smurf Hands back to their typical shade without effort), coached me on how much soap I should be using, but to no avail.  Somewhat disconcerted and confused, I've had almost 2 days to accept myself as a human/smurf anomaly, and while I would never have chosen this path for myself, I can only hope the off handed remarks and sideways glances will simmer down one day, and people will accept my partial Smurfy Metamorphosis.

DON'T LOOK AT ME, I'M HIDEOUS.....BUT I'M OK WITH THAT.......

THE FINISHED PRODUCT
(The blue is hidden under the final red layer)

 It's at this point I feel I must apologise to you, my readers, for my laxy daisy posts of lately, Spring has hit the farm, and of course from now until about November is our busy season, it is still my intention to post every Monday, however when or if something comes up that stops me from doing so, I will post a note as to when an update will be available.

This past week we've focused on fencing the first of our pastures and getting all of our cattle with small calves on them, to grass.  This will hopefully reduce the amount of sickness in our calves due to a Parasitic illness in our barns, and will allow us to clean out and disinfect the pens, while we've lost no other calves since I last posted, we've had a couple more young ones come down with the illness and require a great deal of care.  Our results from the vet's testing thankfully came back negative for all of the issues we assumed we were dealing with, but with a positive result for Criptosporidia, a nasty sickness, which is virtually untreatable due to it's solitary nature, being it's own organism which there has yet to be found a treatment.  The good news, is while it is particularly aggressive, if all secondary illnesses are treated and the calves are kept hydrated, the mortality rate is low.  It is always an exciting and rewarding time to see the animals make there way to summer pastures, not only does it lighten the workload, but we find so much enjoyment in watching them all, young calves to old stock cows, running, bucking and playing until they've had their fill, then contentedly grazing on their first feeds of new grass.

READY TO GO

A BREAK FROM FENCING FOR A PICNIC

HORSES ON NEW PASTURE

This week is our birthday week, Bethany turned 1yr old last Monday, and Grace will be turning 5 this coming Monday.  While Bethany's celebration was relatively small and simple, Grace has evolved beyond the "cake with the family" stage, and has planned a party with about 12 of her friends.  After she helped me fill treat bags and do some other preparations, Grace decided to head out and play in the yard, with all the rain we've had, any play in the yard will typically generate yet another change of cloths, and as she was on her third set today, I warned her against anymore playing without splash pants on.  Heeding my warning for the nano second it took her to run past me and out the door, I was not surprised to see her sitting in the mud digging holes in my old riding ring, where she's been digging for "underground springs" (something she learned on T.V.) for weeks, later, however, I was mildly surprised to find her in the yard, shirtless and filling a beach bucket with the water that gathered in the holes, then dumping it on her Little Tike's slide and careening down it and back into the hole she'd dug.  Aware that it was more the fact she was shirtless, then unrecognisable through the mud, that astonished me, I called out an enquiry as to her lack of wardrobe, to which she calmly replied "I'm not supposed to get my cloths wet, remember?"  Convincing her to put on some cloths that were destined for the garbage anyway, I geared Bethany up and we headed out to watch the fun.

BIRTHDAY GIRL IN HER NEW BIKE HELMET

MUD BATH??

TRYING BIG SIS'S TRICKS

My weight loss adventure, while commencing, tends to be a slow journey, between weather and having difficulties getting out for runs and exercise while Jamie is working off the farm.  This week has been a particularly difficult week in this respect, so this morning I decided to jump in with both guns blazing and ran my first 4km run since Bethany was born.  I don't particularly enjoy running, but found it extremely productive in my past weight loss efforts, that being said, considering I am barely able to move this evening, has me questioning my theory of accomplishing a weeks worth of exercise in one go.  Since beginning I've lost about 12lbs, which in all honesty I estimated would be more by now, however, I'm still motivated and determined to lose the remaining 50lbs to reach my goal.  I am hoping to get back out tomorrow and look forward to possibly having a bit more time for fitness in the coming months.

BETHANY'S BIRTHDAY CAKE WHICH GRACE DECORATED

RECIPE TIP:

Not so much a recipe as a tip this week, but I like to play with cake mixes and customise them to our tastes, my favourite way to do this is by adding to one box of mix, about 1/4 -1/2 more oil then the box calls for, use milk instead of water, then add 1 package of dry vanilla pudding mix, and 1 cup Sour Cream.  This makes a nice moist and rich cake no matter the flavour cake mix you use. 

A FEW MORE OF THE WEEKS ACTIVITIES

PLAYING BALL AT NANNY AND POPPA B.'S

FEEDING THE BIRDS IN NANNY AND POPPA B.'S YARD

SNUGGLES WITH A FRIEND

BETHANY, IRATE THAT I WOULDN'T LET HER LOOSE WITH HICCUP

FUSE GETTING USED TO WEARING A BRIDLE, SUCH A GOOD GIRL!

 

Hurricane Bethany

Hurricane Bethany seeped peacefully into our home one year ago on May 14, and enveloped our hearts like a warm hug.  A happy, un-opinionated and quiet soul who made Grace, at that age, look like the offspring of some carnivorous prehistoric creature.  As we snuggled our tiny bundle of  joy in the daytime, and enjoyed a restful 8-10 hours of sleep from the time she was about 10 days old, we would often comment on our luck, and draw comparisons between our polar opposite girls.  In her best Mark My Words voice, my Mom would warn us  "I Bet there's going to come a time you're gonna wish you had baby Grace back", assuming that Beth would one day show a more colourful side to her mellow and sunny disposition.

Little did we know that the wispy baby sighs and adorable gurgles that we just couldn't help but smile at, were all warnings of Hurricane Bethany's pending eruption. It came on somewhat slowly, first the rolling over at the average 4 month mark (like all proud parents we assume that anything average our girls do instantly hurtles them into the Genius Category), next came the sitting up and crawling at 5.5 months and we were sure we had a child protege on our hands, at 7 months, when she stood up and looked us in the eye we were both amazed and disconcerted, but at 9 months when she began walking, we knew we were in trouble.  Almost as soon as she was walking, she was running, soon to follow suit was the climbing, then her giant little half feral personality exploded, and Jamie and I received a crash course in parenting the average Cave Baby.  Our Cave Baby loves to tease and has developed her once adorable little belly giggles into somewhat more of a cackle, which she often employs while retreating after she has bitten some unsuspecting prey (typically poor Grace) or blown raspberries in someones face.  She loves to climb in the cupboards and it is now standard practise that if something small enough for her to carry is missing it is likely on the Lazy Susan.  She loves to rearrange the book shelves in her own system of organised chaos on our Living Room Floor, and decorate the halls by grabbing the end of the toilet paper and running blindly through our tiny home.  Of course there is her veracious appetite for, well practically everything, if it fits in her mouth it will be in her mouth, even if it doesn't, it will be tasted, at least once.  It has become quite apparent that she is more then aware that her eating habits are unacceptable because she now puts tiny objects in her mouth, nonchalantly walks by one of us and waits until we notice, then explodes into a fit of cackling giggles and runs wildly in whatever direction she assumes freedom lies.  She has also taken to waking us at least once a night for snacktime.  Her escape is inevitable if a door is ajar and because our bathroom door doesn't latch properly, no one is capable of using it without her assistance.

The end of the day generally puts me, frazzled, rumpled and stained, both watching our tiny Prehistoric Humanoid pinging from one thing to the next and the clock, as we wait for the sometimes seemingly unattainable 8:00pm bedtime.  While there are countless days that both Jamie and I ponder the convenience of a "Parenting the Prehistoric Creature for Dummies" book, we frequently remind each other that it seems like only yesterday that our, now semi civilised, Grace too was leaving us with our minds reeling.  As we watch her growing and exploring, we are constantly reduced to fits of giggles by her endless antics, and can't help but revel in the contentment of having our hair ripped from our heads as she pulls us in for hundreds of slimy kisses or the precious few moments of stolen snuggles, because, for right now, prehistoric is just fine.

OUR GARDEN KNOME

Our girls are at two very different stages in their little worlds, having 4 years in age between them.  Grace had her kindergarten initiation last night, and spent the day planning her outfit and then having me style and curl her hair so she would look just right.  I can't help but realise some irony in this, because this is the same little girl, whom only moments prior to getting all gussied up to go, was digging in the mud in my riding ring and putting worms in a jar to keep for pets, which only added to my appreciation that she is a country girl through and through.

SOME BUNNY'S ABOUT TO SPLIT THEIR STUFFING
(GRACE IN BETHANY'S BUNNY COAT)

While Jamie has been working off of the farm, Grace and I have been playing Nurse Maid to yet another group of sick calves.  We finally had to enlist the help of our local vet and had him come out last Friday to examine those of our calves that are sick and take fecal and blood tests in hopes of finding out exactly what we are dealing with.  Our mortality rate due to illness has been higher in this past calf crop, which weighs heavily on our zest for this chosen lifestyle and of course our pocket book.  It seems as though we have two contributing factors to or problem, one being a typical virus common in calves and thankfully quite treatable, and also a deficiency of selenium causing a condition caused White Muscle.  White Muscle is a condition where traces of fat are woven in the heart of a calf lacking in selenium and ultimately cause it to weaken, the calf will eventually die due to heart failure.  It is not a new condition or one we are unfamiliar with, as years ago all calves received selenium injections at birth, however the mineral complex we feed our cows is supposed to provide adequate selenium and so we have not been injecting when our calves are born, unfortunately this does not seem to be doing the trick.  The immediate resulting treatment, after the vet left, then was to inject all new calves in the barn with 1cc of selenium as a preventative measure, which I volunteered to administer because Jamie was not home.  The thing to consider is that the calves I had to inject were completely healthy, vivacious, hearty, running, bucking, human evading, 150lb + calves that don't like to be poked, particularly not with a 2 inch needle.  So as I systematically launched myself at each of the eleven careening calves to be treated, grappled them in a bear hug, and occasionally somersaulted in the manure when I missed my target, that old adage about an ounce of prevention rang in my subconscious mind. 

We had two calves in particular requiring veterinarian assistance, both of which were sick enough to be unable to get up and had stopped nursing.  As I directed the vet to the first little calf, and explained to him the medication Jamie had administered both by injection and by way of a Stomach Tube, he informed me that he would be unable to save this particular calf and jumped quickly into the pen, I, still jabbering on about the calf, watched as the vet shoved the calves mother who was laying next to her baby to her feet, and realised that the reason the vet could not save this calf was not due to the illness, but because it's mother had accidentally layed on, and smothered it.  This apparently happens occasionally, but is not something that I have ever witnessed and while mortality is something you learn to accept in farming, I was a bit shell shocked as the vet asked where the other sick calf was.  The vet took samples from the other little calf and left me with some instructions for treatment and the promise to be back in touch in a few days with our results.  Unfortunately the next day the calf we tested began to decline and since Jamie was at work, it fell to me to insert my first ever Stomach Tube, which is a long hose attached to a harder tube on one end and what looks like an IV bag on the other, the tube is inserted in the calf's mouth and down the throat into the stomach,  in order to administer Electrolytes to prevent the calf from dehydrating.  The potential issue that needs to be considered, is the potential to accidentally insert the tube into the air way and consequently release the liquids into the lungs which would ultimately drown the calf.  I have often helped Jamie with this basic procedure, but have never done it on my own, and as I ran over the instructions in my mind, it occurred to me that nothing is ever as easy as it sounds and I prayed that I would not be the cause of this calves demise.  In the end, it went very well and I have repeated the procedure a few times in the last couple of days, with promising results for the calf, it appears that he may be alright, although he's not out of the woods yet.  The heartwarming side of this story is that, typically if a calf can't get up on it's own, it can not nurse, however, this particular calves mother would frequently stand over him and wait for him to position himself on his knees so he could nurse from her.  She has been unwaveringly patient both with us and the calf, and obviously resourceful, undoubtedly adding to his potential recovery by inhancing his hydration and nutrition.

PIXEL

SOME OF THE GALS FROM LAST SUMMER

RECIPE:

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE

The perfect comfort food for a rainy day supper, served with a side of veggies we like to trick ourselves into believing it's the perfect balanced meal:-)

3 cups Elbow Macaroni
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Flour
2 cups Milk
2 cups grated Cheddar
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp Salt

4 slices of Bread
2 tsp additional Butter

Cook Macaroni according to package directions, melt butter in sauce pan and add flour to create a rue, pour in milk and add salt, cook of medium to low heat until liquid thickens then add both cheese, stir until melted.  Once Macaroni is cooked, drain and mix in sauce, chop or put bread in Food Processor to create crumbs toss with melted butter and layer the top of the Mac and Cheese, brown in oven and enjoy!