May I Introduce...

Hello friends,

What a busy 2 1/2 weeks it's been! The goats are taking even more time than I had anticipated. It's a good thing I have re-enforcements: my children. I am so thankful for their willingness to help out and they love taking care of the goats. 

As I mentioned in my last post,  I was concerned about having the time to milk and care for the goats properly....long before they arrived.  We've never had livestock before...only chicken, turkeys, and ducks.

I wondered....

1 - Would I be able to actually care for livestock??

2 - What about trimming the hooves and giving shots?

3 - Not to mention milking twice aday??

4 - Won't they tie us down, and we won't be able to go anywhere??

1.Turns out, goats are very easy to care for. I have already had to treat a minor bloat  problem (with a homeopathic remedy). It was actually easy to treat and not that big of a deal.

2. I trimmed their hooves this week. Again, not a big deal as long as the goats are munching on grass. And I have a  friend  who will be showing me how to give shots when the need arises.

3. I can carve an extra 60 minutes out of my day to milk them. It's taken us awhile to get used to the actual milking mechanics, but we're getting faster and more efficient at it. 

4. We're basically home-bodies anyway, so "being tied down" (as people called it) isn't a big deal. We are planning to go to family Bible camp this summer, but our neighbors have volunteered to take care of the goats for us.

We are getting almost a gallon of milk every day. And last week, for the first time in 30+ years of marriage, we didn't buy need to buy milk at the grocery store. (Yippee!) We consider having the goats as one more small step toward becoming self-sustaining.  :) 

  And I use the milk in all my recipes and I have even made yogurt and pudding with it. I was concerned about whether or not the children would like the milk; all they have ever had is cow's milk. But I didn't need to be concerned - they love it.  Hubby does, too.

Now to introduce you to the newest residents on the farm....

...the Toggenbergs...

Helena, who is 4 years old, is on the left. She is calm, mellow, and behaves quite well on the the milking stand.

 Fiona, who is 5 years old,  is on the right. She is the feisty and aggressive one. She has to be the first to get to the hay and any other food that becomes available. She gets very impatient on the milking stand. So I'm working hard to be a very efficient milker.  I also purchased a hobble, which is a huge help.

Fiona and Helena are watching....and waiting for the children to come back from the treehouse.

Even though we don't have a watch dog, the goats do just as well; they don't miss a thing!

Fiona would like one extra-large order of sweet feed, please  :)

I was asked if we're going to use an electric milking machine. Nope. Ian is my milking machine.  :)

Asher feeding Darcy. (Boy, am I glad the bottle-feeding stage is over!

The 2 kids are not the offspring of either Helena or Fiona. So we had to bottle-feed them til they were 10 weeks old.)

Darcy is the calmer of the 2 kids, but she is still very rambunctious.

Natty and Duffy. Duffy is the "Tasmanian Devil" of the twins. She gets into, on top of, and out of everything. We also call her "Houdini". 

The kids will eat anything from Mimi's zipper....

...to the bark on the cedar posts.  :)

And they never seem to run out of energy.

We are enjoying our goat-herding adventure. It has been a big adjustment, but I am learning so much, and my children are, too. My husband is also learning alot, and has been my biggest cheerleader in this endeavor.

As I said, we're one step closer to becoming self-sustaining.

Lord willing, we'll eventually get there. It might take awhile, but that's ok; we're enjoying the journey. :)

Hope you all have a blessed week-end.

"She also rises while it is yet night, 

And provides food for her household, 

And a portion for her maidservants."

Proverbs 31:15

linking up with New Life on a Homestead Barn Hop

Simple Living Wednesday

March Daybook, 2013

For today, March 29th, 2013...

Outside my window...it's 34 degrees, cloudy, and cold. Where is spring??

I am thinking...about what's ahead of me today - finishing up school lessons, housecleaning, laundry, cleaning out the stalls in the barn,  and a ton of other things.

I am thankful...for my hard-working husband and his efforts at instilling a good work ethic in our children, especially the boys, by taking them to work with him as much as possible. Today is Ian's turn.  :)

In the kitchen...15 Bean Soup is in the crockpot.

I am wearing... a brown corduroy skirt, a blue and brown floral print top with a white turtleneck underneath.

I am creating...homemade yogurt from our goat's milk.

I am going...nowhere today. All of my errands and grocery store excursions are finished for the week. 

I am wondering...when we will get to till our garden. With all the recent snow and rain, it's too wet right now.  But after last year's drought, I am very thankful for the moisture.

I am (still) reading... Storey's Guide To Raising Dairy Goats. I think I've read it cover-to-cover twice already. So much information!

I am hoping...for warmer weather  - soon.

I am looking forward...to Mimi's birthday next Thursday. I can't believe that my baby will be 6 years old! Bittersweet.

I am learning...to "rejoice always". (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

Around the house...too many of my unfinished projects....cross-stitching, sewing, crocheting, etc. I need to finish them up before garden season begins.

I am pondering... the gay marriage issue that's come up before the Supreme Court. I found this quote that pretty much sums up how I feel about it...

A quote for the day..."You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." ~ Isaiah 26:3

One of my favorite things...hearing my children pray. What faith they have! They pray, and they expect an answer. I need to do more of that.

A peek into my day...

The twins are scarfing down the grain. 

Hopefully, I'll have time to post about becoming a goatherd next week.  :)

Until then, I hope you have blessed week-end, my friends.

Linking up at The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Merry Milkmaid

Hello, friends,

I recently posted about cutting back on blogging...for the simple reason that my life is getting busier.

And since this isn't a money-making blog, it will get put on the back burner quite often. It just isn't a necessity in my life. 

But back to the busyness....

There are some specific reasons why my life is about to get even busier.

For one thing, Mimi begins Ambleside Online yr1 this fall. Prepping for and homeschooling 5 children is going to be very time-consuming. I am already in the process of getting books for next year.

For another, gardening season is just around the corner. Yippee!  :)

Also, (and this is the big one !) the Lord has provided us with something we've wanted for some time... dairy goats!  

Here's the story...  

My husband and I have often talked about getting dairy goats, but they always seemed so pricey. We prayed off and on about it and that's as far as it went. We try to be as self-sustaining as possible. And we loved the thought of becoming less dependent on our local Walmart for groceries. But the high prices of goats in our area always discouraged us.

Then, last month, I got a call from a dear friend (thanks again, Shana!) who knows someone who knows someone that was trying sell some of her dairy goats to down-size her herd. The price was unbelievably cheaper than any we had seen.

So prayed. 

And waited.

And prayed. 

And He answered.

The goats arrive this evening.  We are getting 2 mamas and 2 (bottle-fed) babies.   Imagine: our very own fresh milk, cheese, and yogurt! (I can't eat cow dairy products, but I can have dairy products from a goat, so this will be a real treat for me to finally be able to drink milk.)

We are beyond excited! I'm talking sleepless-nights-because-we're so-excited  excited.  :)

But my excitement has been tempered with some doubts..."Can I take care of goats?"  "Will I have time to milk twice a day?" and on and on...

So the research began - online and I also bought the book, Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, and read it cover to cover...several times. I have learned so much, but I know there is more to learn.

There was alot of work to be done to prepare for their arrival. My husband and children worked so hard to build the barn and put up the fencing. The entire project took about 2 weeks. Hubby would come home from work, eat, then head outside with the boys to work til dark.

  Here are some photos of the construction....

Planting the cedar posts.

The boys dug all six post holes in 2 hours! Love my men!  :)

The girls helped, too, by filling in the holes with dirt.

Roof is on, walls are framed, and windows are installed.

Ian loved using the circular saw.

Two stalls in the front, and a milking parlor in the back.

The boys built the gates for the stalls.

While discussing what type of barn to build, I casually mentioned that I have always loved Dutch doors.

My dear husband didn't just make one - he made two! (Love that man!)

A very sturdy milking stand.

Yay for electricity!  :) (My husband thinks of everything!)

 Putting up the fencing.

All finished.  I love it. this whole thing was truly a family project. Hubby even put me to work pulling electrical wire. Fun, fun!

Everything is ready, so

bring on the goats!

 

I'll be posting photos of our new family members as soon as possible.  But if you don't hear from me for awhile, don't worry. I'll be in the barn.  ;)

" You shall have enough goats' milk for your food,

For the food of your household,

And the nourishment of your maidservants." 

~Proverbs 27:27

Have a blessed day, everyone.

Sincerely, 

The Merry Milkmaid   ;)

Children are a Blessing

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, 

and the fruit of the womb is a reward."

~Psalm 127:3

Continuing to Pray for Noah...

If you haven't gotten an update about Noah lately, please check out the latest at the link on my right sidebar, or go here.

And please continue to pray for him and his family.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

~ Galatians 6:2

Blogging Without Obligation

Hi friends,

Hope you're having a marvelous Monday.   :)

As my life gets busier and blogging seems to get put on the back burner more and more, I often wonder how some mommy bloggers do it all...homemaking, homeschooling,  having a home business, being active in their local churches, etc, and on top of all that, writing a new blog post several times a week.

As I told one of my friends recently, I feel as if I'm treading water most of the time. In other words, I can manage to get all the needful things taken care of. But the extras, such as blogging, get neglected.

I have considered closing this blog, but a few of my friends have told me that it's a great encouragement to them.

So I have decided to continue to blog, but I will blog without obligation. In other words, I will not feel obligated to post several times a week. Or even once a week, if time doesn't permit. My husband and children are my first priority. And my ministry to younger women (via this blog) is second. (Titus 2:3-5)

I will post when I have something worthy to share. Something that will impart encouragement to the discouraged. Something that might help an overwhelmed young mother. Something that will make a sad reader smile.

I hope I don't lose any readers because of my lack of posts. I have made some wonderful friends through this blog. (You know who you are! *wink*) And I will try to stop by and visit you all as much as possible. :) But I must admit it's a relief to have made this decision. 

Until we meet again, my friends...may you have a truly blessed week in Him.

The Fairest of Them All

Some thoughts for today.....