Brown sugar pop tart.

They were winners. Everyone loved them. Just pie crust with brown sugar and cinnamon inside. Mmmm

Are you kidding me?

"The Davis Campus Veterinay Genetics Laboratory is approved an as A2 Certified Tester. A2 Corporation Limited owns a suite of intellectual property rights (including patent rights, trademarks, and technical and commerical know how) relating to the testing, breeding and herd formation of animals used to produce A2 MILK, or milk free of beta casein A1, and the subsequent production and sale of such milk. Any person who intends to form a herd of animals used to produce A2 MILK, or milk free of beta casein A1, and/or produces and/or sells such milk, may be infringing A2 Corportation Limited's intellectual property rights. Please contact A2 Milk Company LLC (A2 Corporation Limited's exclusive North American Licensee) with any further inquiries. A2 Corporation Limited may access and use information from the Davis Campus Veterinay Genetics Laboratory relating to the A2 testing carried out by the Davis Campus Veterinay Genetics Laboratory and may communicate with the person seeking testing or the owner of the animal to be tested.

Results will be sent to the person selected on the submission form and to A2 Corporation Limited."

Wow. Guess we will never ever test out girl! Freaky! 

Sick.

I have had a cold for 2 weeks. Keeps me from good sleep. And keeps me from sleeping for several hrs at night. And all our busy stuff lately on top of it is really draining me. Hoping a end is in sight soon. 

   Today is Thursday. So that means Tuesday, Jocelyn was not acting well.and DIdNT eat her morning ration... My thought was ketosis. So I started drenching her with molasses and giving twice daily Vitamin B shots. She is a tolerable patient. But not a prize winning one. It was a little difficult. But it wasn't helping enough. 

   Then in the night I checked on her. She was weaker. Unsteady on her feet and I suspected Milk Fever. But was unsure. At 6:30 am yesterday I checked on her again. She was most certainly down with MF. I hurried and dosed her with what I had. [ injectable vit b., human capsules of calcium, magnesium and vitamin C. And a blanket to keep her warm.her ears had gone cold between my 1:30 am check and 6:30 am check] Then called 3 vets before finding one willing to come out quickly. He got here within 45 minutes. And it is a 25 minute trip to his office. I was pleased. 

   He listened to what I had done so far as we walked out to the pasture. He gave her IV calcium 1.5 bottles, then the last .5 of the bottle in her side. A bottle of glucose. Shot of antibiotics. And one other thing I think. I need to call and ask him what it was. Then we tried to get her up. Not happening. 

   He said she might need a bit to have the strength to get up. I asked how long. This is my first experience with MF. He said it depended 1-4 hrs. Then left. That was 9 am. He was with us a hr. 

    She got worse after he left. By along shot. She quit talking. She only sometimes held her head up. Ilaid  with her. She lifted her head and laid it on my lap. I cried. I held her. Prayed for her. Begged God for her. She is my baby girl. I can't imagine not having her. 

   At one point Patrick came to check on us. Her eyes rolled back. Her head went heavy. I (we) panicked. I slapped her. Told her she couldn't die. She came out of it. I waited. And waited. And asked God to help me see the blessing in her passing. I thought she was done for. 

   Patrick and the children left to run errands. Including getting our last batch of chicks from the post office. When they got back, he came out to see if there was progress. And give me lunch. I told him it had been 4.5 hrs. She had to get up. We tried everything. She tried to get up. But gave up. Patrick heard the neighbor out. (She was right at his fence line) and hollered for him to come help. We tried again. She kept trying. Then quit again. 

   Art went home. And came back with a rod used to 'swat' a horse. He called it his horse loading stick. Patrick held the halter and pulled. Art swatted her and we all cheered her on. A minute later she was up! I hugged and kissed her. Chester set out straight away nursing. I cried again. And praised The Lord for letting me keep my girl. I stayed with her a while longer. Got her feed which she ate. Then hay which she also ate. Then checked on her a couple dozen times til 2am. 

   She is still doing well. Constantly improving. She is wonderful. And alive. And I know more about preventing MF. Farming is rough. And it about killed my already weak adrenals. Typing this all up was also stressful. But needed. I try hard to keep records. 

    My God is Greater. Awesome in power. And my Jocelyn. Is beautiful and mine. 

   

So busy...

Lots happening. Fall is busy. 

Lots of food to put up. And no where to put it...

Milk. Almost. Jocelyn calved Saturday morning. His name is Chester. We love him. Sooo much. He is seriously the cutest calf ever. Photos to come. They are on Patrick's phone. And he is at a fellow knife makers. Working on knives. I am milking her twice a day. Getting almost nothing. She still has the calf. And refuses to let me have more than 12 oz at a time. Tomorrow morning I remove the calf. Bittersweet. It is sad. Yet they don't seem to notice much. I am dying to have endless milk again. Seems I haven't milked in forever. Forever. But it was under two mths. By a decent amount.  

   Friday night I had moved her to a smaller paddock. For several reasons. 

1: she is closer to the house to see her birth. (Still I missed it) 

2: DIdNT want the horses to bother her. 

3: this paddock has more grass

4: I wanted to I guess. 

While I was out the moving them Wisdom was standing on the gate watching. I went over to her and smiled at her. She smiled back and said "Momma, Jocelyn is your baby, and I am your girl. " 

   Yes Woo. You are right. I love them both so much. I can't imagine not having my baby or my girl. 

Today I went out and laid down with Fawn (Jocelyn's last calf) I want to cherish her being a baby. Someday she will also give us milk. I hope to breed her next spring. When she is 18 mths or so. She is a good foot shorter than Jocelyn. I want her to get good and grown before. 

   She is a stinker. The more love you give her the more she demands. Have you ever been hit by a cow head? Yeah. Keep your eyes open. And be ready for a firm steady "No". I generally take a thin waterline tube out with me. She doesn't like the swinging sound and backs off. I forgot it today. I am not sure honestly how to train a heifer. But I hope I do at least decent at it. :/

   My freezer has stopped running. Again. Never by a freezer from sears. I have hated everything we have boughten from them. Everything. I have no jars to can anything. So something's are going to the chickens. And we are eating the rest fast. It is flaky. And might start back up again before long. Until that happens I am cursing it. And getting rid of it once it is empty. It has given us fits since the beginning. I can't tell you the number of times the service man came out while it was under warranty. And how frustrated I was when the warranty was over. 

   I need canning jars. Seriously like a few hundred. Please? I want to put up more apple sauce and pie filling. And Apple cider. And vinegar. And pumpkin. And potatoes. Our stores are out of qts. :( yes I am pouting. 

    

    Did I ever give an update on the amount of sunflowers? We had about 13 Lbs of seeds. I'm thrilled. We will plant at least double that next year. 

My food plan for tonight and tomorrow. To empty my soon to be full of milk fridge and bum freezer. 

Parris' cookies. They look awesome. I'll be eating them later. Mmmm children already started. Peanut butter sugar cookies. Melted dark chocolate in the middles. 

Patrick's DVDs came in today. 5 boxes of them. Holy cow. Huge packaging day tomorrow I think. Seems overwhelming. But will be so nice to be done too. 

I am getting ready to milk then start supper. And fill the dehydrator with the rest of the apples I have. I can use gallon jars. They are the only jar I have to spare. Might have to learn how to make a dried apple pie this winter. 

  

   I had meant to work on the garden again today. But the freezer and other chores ( moved the current chicks out of the barn to pasture. fixed the fence after removing the neighbors colt and mare from the pasture.  Etc. ) stalled that. Hard to get it all done. But I hope to at least water my lettuce tonight. I planted it on Saturday. Cleaning up the garden and planting it takes time. I am having to focus my time better. 

   Ok. Off here. I'll try to post pics tonight or tomorrow. No promises though. I'm busy. 

First cobbler of the season.

A few jars DIdNT seal. Bummer. So I quickly set up a cobbler to use them up. 

No one was disappointed. It is so yummy. Only wish my Jocelyn was in milk. Nothing. Nothing beats her cream. 

It is yummy! I must put up many more jars this year. I must. This is supper tonight. Plus snacks. Sooo yummy. 

   Tonight I am moving Jocelyn to a smaller paddock. I need to be able to find her faster  when she calves. Getting excited. And so ready. I am praying for a bull calf. But not everyone agrees with me about that. ;) 12 days or less!

Apples...

This is my new APC. Ready for her Maiden Voyage. She is a hard worker and took care of over 60 qts of Apple Pie Filling this week. We along with friends we worked up over 110 qts worth of apples. In the form of juice, filling, and sauce. 

    Patrick took a picture of the apples when we picked them. But it is still on his phone. I might post it later. It was a lot. I also hope to pick lots again tomorrow. I know of a few trees. I'd love to put up a ton more jars. But that surely means buying more again... Not sure how many I can or should buy. Plus I have to buy more filling supplies. And make a trip up north to the bulk store. This has been a busy 2 weeks around here. But we are loving it. Fall is the best. 

W still had 6 qts. In the canner at this point. And see the gallon in the back? Half full.  I had no more jars to can in. Again. I have bought jars multiple times this year. More than ever before. And some of these belonged to friends. They brought their own jars. 

   Their daughter is getting married and rather than cake her and her guy decided they want pie. One of the flavors they want is apple. So I convinced them to come make pie filling with me. We had so much fun. It went fast and we spent about 16 total hrs making it all. And we lost plenty to tummies. It is seriously yummy. The father of the bride and the groom also gave a great review. It will be so fun to enjoy it at the wedding. I love work days with friends. 

   There are plenty of people to keep littles entertained. And fed. And fed. And fed again... And plenty of workers. Littles helped too. But attention spans varied depending on the person. But we employed all we could as long as they were willing to be hired. ;) we paid in apples and apple treats. :)

Where's spot?

I had a silly fear all my childhood... 

Patrick's grandma just sent us another box of goodies. And this book was in it. And so was my life long fear...

Yep. That. I won't tell you how long ago I quit turning off my light and running and jumping into bed to avoid them. It isnt relevant. Really it isn't. 

   I did look at the copyright date though. 1980. I wonder if this is what started it for me. I have no idea. But now you know another strange thing about me. I don't do it anymore. And I am even willing now to get up to potty in the night. ;) 

Pressure or frustration

Hi. I work best when under pressure. Or when frustrated. Yep. Sad but true. Wish it weren't. 

   I have two time restraining sewing projects to work on. Sept. 30th is the deadline. So time is nearing. (Pressure) and I got frustrated at silly comments. Thus more pressure. ;) but I am ready. Some material is picked out. And drawings are made. Though I know from prior experience that my projects can morph some before I am done. 

   I am pushing myself to do this to a degree I never try for. (Remember the frustration? Aka pride I suppose. ) oh well. I am determined and this is my starting fabric. Needs ironed. But I hope to see is change lots by the end of the day. My girls are going to help with some embroidery. Cause they want to be a part of the fun. 

   I am fully happy to let them. But also have to let a little of my ideals slide. They see things I don't. Good and annoying at times. But I really try to include them in everything I can. They are the purpose. :)

 

Currently listening to the W's song 'Stupid'. Know it? I was a huge fan of them as a teen. And randomly have sang bits of their music over the years. But we finally bought an album this summer from iTunes. I need them all. Really. Swing music. Good stuff. Hilarious. 

Canning apples

We picked at two neighbors homes. And got enough to fill two 5 gallon buckets. Both trees had set backs. 1 was tiny. And the deer were eating the apples fast. The second was butchered by line crews. So only the uncut side of the tree produced anything. I have never ever canned such a small amount in a day. Felt so odd. Almost not worth dirtying the tools. Not quite. I need to get used to doing small amounts. Done it several times this year. Mainly with okra in small batches. But it is still so odd. 

   A couple times with friends we had canned over 400 jars of sauce and filling in a day. Not today. ;)

My handle was in need of repair. Not sure what broke it. Hmmm. So this was dads fix for today. Worked great. 

Not sanitary conditions. Notice both children licking their fingers? Yeah. All. The.Children. Did. That. 

Slobber sauce it is. ;) 

Rhyyan saved an apple before I boiled it. 

Mom I on da counta. 

Mom I want some dat. 

Thanks mom! 

Tasting....

Good job! It is yummy!

No sugar was needed. Which is my favorite sauce. It is wonderful! I got 16 quarts. And 1 of juice. 

The children ate a half gallon. And drank a pint of juice. 

I have potatoes in jars ready to be canned. But waiting for the canner to finish with the applesauce. 

Garden DIdNT happen today. It was raining a bit this morning. So Monday I hope. But at least I can get the canning done today. 

Mutant Sunflower.

These are all pictures of one sunflower I picked today. A crazy mutant. But we all thought it was fun. I picked about a dozen today. 18ish more are left out there to grow. We are planning on planting at least double what we did this year. 

   Since this was our first year we DIdNT know much about them. But they can handle some neglect and grow really well. And give a good harvest. 

   We (ok patrick did. This was his deal) just mulched them heavy in straw. And watered well the first couple weeks. Then left it mostly alone til now. Only a water now and then. Also watching them if any stalks broke. We picked if that happened. 

    But it is decided. We love our sunflowers. 

Nap time

So far lots has been done today. Now I am laying my Wis down to nap. 

Today:

Breakfast: toast and kefir. Me. 

 

Dishes. Parris and I. 

Laundry. Joelle and Malachi. We are caught up!

Coffee roasting. Parris. She made a pot too.

Lunch Chinese. Lomein noodles. Me. 

 

Canning tomatoes. Then Lilley found more in the van from another friend. Patrick forgot to tell us. Me. 

Fridge cleaned out. Rhyyan. 

Yesterday's canning was shelved. Parris and rhyyan. Pickled okra.(Joelle) (Tabitha's recipe. Youre welcome children.) salsa. Me. 

Small taters were sorted out for canning. Lilley. Judah and I. 

School work. All but Parris so far. ( I helped ;)

Garden supply list made. For spring. Me. 

Garden growing list made for 2015. Me. 

Fall garden planned this year. To be done tomorrow. With lots. Lots of lettuce. You're welcome Patrick. (He voted tons of lettuce) me. 

Catch up on friends blogs. I love blogs. Me. 

And currently at 12:30 pm. My list for the rest of the day is...

Can the found tomatoes. Done

Can potatoes. 

Figure out and make supper. Done 

Check on Jocelyn and feed her. Done

Water goats. Done

Check the sunflowers in the garden. Done and picked some. 

Get out seeds for the fall garden. Done 

 

Clean my room a little... Maybe. I'm really good at avoiding that one!

And this is only my list. Hoping lots more is done today too. 

But it has been a great day. :)

Editing to say...

I didn't get 2 things done. 

1: my room... Not a surprise there.

2:Can potatoes

But I added in a soap order. 

Run to town. 

Picking 4 buckets of a neighbors apples. 2 were rotten off the ground for our chickens. 

Grocery shopping.

And a little bit of nothing. 

Tomorrow...

Apple sauce

Dig taters

Can taters

Plant fall garden 

My room?? Maybe. 

Salsa!!

This is my massive 3 gallon bowl. I am making a fast salsa to can. We are only getting a trickle of maters in. Something is rotting them. We have to pick them early to avoid it. :( 

   But most of these can from our friends Nick and Noelle. They brought them out the other night. I was going to just can them as tomatoes. But then another friend Connie brought us these peppers over. So salsa it is! Yummy! Bringing it to a boil. 

   My MIL called today. She said she was giving away tomatoes as fast as she can. She has reached her limit of canning them. Boo. I am far from done with what I have put up this year. No chili yet. And might not get any up either. 

   Apple season is here. That makes me very happy! Sauce and pie filling coming up! Yummers!

Mona.

This is Mona. 

One of my new tricks. I want to actually remember to turn off the hose. Or trade over the laundry. Or set a timer for anything. 

   So I got Mona. I hope I love her. She is named after one of my old bosses. I really liked her. So this is my reminder to pray for her also. Though I have no idea where she is or what she is doing now. 

   Patrick's dad had a girlfriend named Mona that Patrick loved. She still calls him Son. So I also think of her with this.