It's a Boy's Life

Lol ~ that big toad is my absolute favorite!! I lo...

2012-05-27T10:01:06.229-04:00

Lol ~ that big toad is my absolute favorite!! I love seeing families in touch with nature and their surroundings ~ we can learn so much from those critters! :)

Quite the assortment...the kids are getting a grea...

2012-05-24T07:21:28.611-04:00

Quite the assortment...the kids are getting a great course in animal husbandry!

She IS gorgeous. And, I don't have a boy, but ...

2012-05-20T09:18:16.300-04:00

She IS gorgeous. And, I don't have a boy, but my girl is amazing too. I know exactly what you mean. Must be the way our mamas feel about us!! :)

Aw! This really makes me miss you all.

2012-05-20T00:05:29.443-04:00

Aw! This really makes me miss you all.

Yes, it does make a little bit of a crinkle sound,...

2012-05-19T13:42:45.049-04:00

Yes, it does make a little bit of a crinkle sound, not much and it was just as comfy as a bean bag....

Does it make a crinkle sound when you sit or lay o...

2012-05-19T10:22:55.527-04:00

Does it make a crinkle sound when you sit or lay on it?

We've never made yogurt before, I guess I thou...

2012-05-19T06:49:16.294-04:00

We've never made yogurt before, I guess I thought it was really complicated. But your instructions take the mystery out of it. Thanks!

Putting the pot in a sink of cold water is a great...

2012-05-18T22:05:59.022-04:00

Putting the pot in a sink of cold water is a great idea. Don't know why I never thought of it. Sometimes simple tips like that really help out.

Lol ~ I love your blog... probably because it remi...

2012-05-15T10:57:01.424-04:00

Lol ~ I love your blog... probably because it reminds me of me so much! We were just out prepping our garden today, it's finally coming together! I just spent some time catching up here, sorry about the loss of Two Socks, but their new pasture looks amazing! All those baby goats and chickens had my daughter oohing and ahhing as she read over my shoulder. :)

So sorry to hear about your loss. :( I don't p...

2012-05-15T10:48:10.684-04:00

So sorry to hear about your loss. :( I don't pretend to know much about worms but I have our dog and goats (and ferrets!) on diatomaceous earth year round. It isn't only great for worms and parasites but my dog's joint problems have all but disappeared. As sad as losing a pet is, life really is a journey of 'learn as you go', isn't it?

So sorry to hear--this is definitely the worst par...

2012-05-15T08:41:35.393-04:00

So sorry to hear--this is definitely the worst part about farming with livestock.

We got beat down pretty bad with brown liver fluke in our sheep last year. It was discouraging as well as expensive. The vet said that he'd never even seen an outbreak of them in our area before, and we'd never had them before in the 6 years we've been here. But we just had the "perfect storm" of factors in one of our fields for them to crop up and now we have to manage around the situation to try and control it.

I'm so sorry about the alpaca! I really feel f...

2012-05-15T07:34:43.795-04:00

I'm so sorry about the alpaca! I really feel for you (us being green as well!). It is amazing what you learn being on a farm and how quickly you have to learn it. You jump in with both feet and its sink or swim. Thankfully you meet people along the way who help you. I'm sorry you've had to deal with loss and I hope that things calm down for you. It's a great life to have a farm but its also hard. Hang in there, and know we are thinking of you. We can teach each other!

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that things did not turn...

2012-05-14T20:49:20.340-04:00

Oh, I am so sorry to hear that things did not turn out well. We live in NC as well, on 2.5 acres with a bunch of chickens and goats. We've had some close calls with animals going down fast. I have a friend who is a few years ahead of us on the raising goat journey. When ever something comes up I give her a call. LIke today...a goat ate part of a plastic garbage bag! OY! We've had a few chickens get seriously ill, most pulled through but a few didn't. Then this past year it was bumble foot (chickens). Learning as we go! :-) I will pray that things calm down around the homestead.

Blessings,
Kerri

So sorry about your loss. Barberpole worm is a hor...

2012-05-14T15:57:24.008-04:00

So sorry about your loss. Barberpole worm is a horrible parasite. I have read on line of how you can do your own fecal checks, with a small microscope. It might be a very good idea for you to do, as you have already had exposure. It's better not to worm unless you know which parasites you are worming for, and if the load is heavy enough to require it, as it can cause resistance to the wormers. I hope things go more smoothly for you soon!!

They grow so dang fast!!! Wah! Happy day to your l...

2012-05-14T12:23:52.690-04:00

They grow so dang fast!!! Wah! Happy day to your little guy!

I have always wanted to make cheese!!! One day I w...

2012-05-14T12:23:13.164-04:00

I have always wanted to make cheese!!! One day I will have my farm.

I needed to read this this morning...I could'v...

2012-05-14T09:49:35.256-04:00

I needed to read this this morning...I could've written what you did, but all I dare to do is think it in my head. I too, when I first started out was all about the fun, the unit studies and the lapbooks and the projects. Then my 4th son was born and it was a complicated pregnancy and since then, I've never quite found my "groove" again. Depression big time, doubt...every minute of the day it seems. But then I just gave up...temporarily. Threw in the towel and started trying to "figure" things out. Read all the books by Dr. Raymond Moore and felt so very much better about my hit and miss homeschool this last year...found some curriculum that gives me and my kids some sucesses to carry us through the dark spots. So thank you for being honest, so many times I think homeschool mothers are afraid to say what they already think in their minds...like it's admitting some failure on our part. Thanks for honesty and courage and for keeping on.

The keets are so cute! That's probably one thi...

2012-05-01T22:19:02.878-04:00

The keets are so cute! That's probably one thing we'll never have, so I really enjoy photos of yours.

The alpacas do look happy too!

I appreciate this post, as someone just gave us fo...

2012-05-01T08:50:03.184-04:00

I appreciate this post, as someone just gave us four Nigerian Dwarf goats (three female!!) and I am VERY interested in milking at some point - just not ready yet. I look forward to reading about your experiences!

Oh, that's sad stuff! Hope they feel better a...

2012-04-28T16:42:53.336-04:00

Oh, that's sad stuff! Hope they feel better about it soon!

As new chicken owners, we haven't had these lo...

2012-04-28T16:42:18.797-04:00

As new chicken owners, we haven't had these losses yet, but I'm sure they will be hard. Hope your guys feel better about it soon!

SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE THESE!!! Thanks for Sharing!! ...

2012-04-26T15:50:38.974-04:00

SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE THESE!!!
Thanks for Sharing!!

Sheila

These are amazing photos! The colors of the Irises...

2012-04-25T20:31:36.621-04:00

These are amazing photos! The colors of the Irises are stunning. Great shots!

Awesome Iris's...love your site too.

2012-04-25T13:46:45.030-04:00

Awesome Iris's...love your site too.

I had trouble when I first started making mozzarel...

2012-04-19T20:49:03.810-04:00

I had trouble when I first started making mozzarella too! Then someone with a lot of experience left a good long comment on my blog, and her advice made all the difference in the world. The link to that post with her tips is here, Cheese Making Update - Goats Milk Mozzarella. Maybe it will be of a little help for you too.