Chastity: What Are the Limits?

This video is amazingly clear. Its a good way to approach displays of affection and setting limits for yourself ahead of time. Please share this with others.

balancing life

Okay, so I haven't been balancing life, using my time effectively, making this blog a priority, or whatever you want to call the neglect.  Amazingly, the world still spins and you three readers still live functional lives.

Farm update:

3 Red Bourbon Turkeys- loved these gals.  Turkeys are so docile, inquisitive and they make a very relaxing cooing sound.  We still have one left in our freezer.

New Poultry - 3 Bronze Turkeys - These are the guys that get really large and yummy and another heritage breed.  Also, we got another batch of chickens, around 25, that lay mostly white and several Arcauna's that can lay green, blue, pink or terracotta colored eggs.

Had a litter of piglets. Sold all, but kept one girl.  Great experience for the family.

Hatch a batch of Black Copper Marans and Olive Eggers. Another great experience

2 Ducklings that follow the children. Saturday my boy laid down and they nuzzled up in the crook of his arm. So cute.


Started having Lowline Angus Cows - So cute.  They are the height of a typical calf as an adult.  Our girl should be giving birth today.  This is our first calving and hope everything goes well.

Found a good butcher who does amazing work with natural smoking and curing.  That being remarkable may sound silly, but our family loves bacon and the past two butchers' cures have been less than desirable.  My children declared the new bacon better than store bought.  Its a small reward for all the work that we do with the animals. 

It's Simple to Balance The Budget Without Higher Taxes

If you ran your household budget like the federal government, you'd be accused of being irresponsible, greedy, and just plain stupid.

warning - be careful where you read

Warning: Do not read Scott Ott’s “Laughing at Obama” in quiet public places or on planes. On a return flight from D.C., the passengers around me had just settled in for their naps, but much to their dismay I had brought Scott’s book along with me to read. The wit and humor within its pages made it impossible to refrai...n from laughing out loud. Thanks Scott for bringing lightheartedness to a subject that we are so frustrated with, though my fellow plane passengers might not want to thank you for their lack of sleep.

 http://www.LaughingAtObama.com/

we're in debt and we blame you

I videoed these girls at the 912 DC March. Their parents did not coach them. Their message to Congress is clear.

doctors warning patients of electorial politics

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

After excitedly cooking up our first batch of our home grown bacon I can say that it wasn't bad.  It wasn't the best bacon I have ever had either. The meat was good: I just wasn't head over heals about the cure.  Next time we will get the bacon from the butcher and smoke it ourselves.  I could go on about the health benefits from knowing what goes into your food, but overwhelmingly the satisfaction came from the meat resulting from our own efforts. Tomorrow we will see how those baby back ribs are like.

Yes, I do like it crispy.

wrapped in plastic

We are awaiting our first slaughtered hog's cuts from the butcher.  He said he was interested to see this new breed and wants to our feedback on the taste.  American Mule Footed Hogs are premium ham hogs.  We'll see if that is true.  At the request of some locals we secured a stall at the county fair so others can view this rare breed.  I never thought that I'd be taking livestock to a county fair.  Rural life has brought changes and has made me to get to know myself more.  Those stories might come later.

This picture maybe a little gross for some, but this is how we omnivores get our food. We are just used to seeing it wrapped in plastic at the grocery store. I didn't know I was in that category, but a few experiences on this wee-farm has showed me that I am.  Maybe that will wear off with time. Dan took this picture. I knew if I was going to eat this ham I couldn't watch. I needed it to magically appear in my freezer wrapped in plastic for my liking.

videos worth your family's time

Maybe you have been in these situations:

Its Sunday. The kids want to watch something but are hoping for something other than what is in your collection.

or

You are tired of the usual mind numbing videos for the children.

Well, check out Book of Virtues on BYU



BYUTV.org site has 13 episodes of the "Book of Virtues. Yes, they are free for your web viewing. My children love these shows and the shows actually impart good morals to back up what we parents try to teach. You can enjoy watching something that might actually be worth your family's time.

Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration

can you hear us now?

Since I was one of those "hate mongers" on 9/12 I enjoyed this clip that Michael Beck sent me. Michael laughingly told me when I met him, "No relation to Glen Beck." It was a pleasure to get to know him throughout that day in D.C.. He worked hard to try to capture the day in images. Below I included a few of my own pics of 9/12 in Washington D.C. If it interests you, you can go back and read my article about the day that was published in the local paper at http://a10cowwoman.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-would-like-to-thank-our-senator-jeff.html. Well, the link isn't working, so go to list of posts, click on politics, then on "9.12 march observations and thoughts

Can You Hear Us Now from Michael A. Beck on Vimeo.

did this hurt?

The smaller egg is about average size for our hens. The large one is about goose size. I wonder what hen laid the larger egg? I wager she made a some noise pushing this one out. Do you think it hurt her?

Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?

Singing the tune "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?" every morning would help me keep life in perspective. I often get so focused on the task at hand that I do not notice people's needs around me. Once upon a time I used to pray every morning that the Lord would bless me with the opportunity to help one of His children and that I would notice that opportunity. Yes, I do need help to notice a need. Charity and thinking of others may come naturally to some, but there are some of us that need a hammer to the head to see even simple ways to help others. We need to work on it constantly. Also during that time, in the evening I would report back to God how I have used my time that the He has given me. That tradition needs be rekindled within me. Some special happenings came about by those simple prayers. Have I done any good in the world today? I'll start by preparing my family a wholesome meal. I know it is what I should do every day, yet my husband and children often get rushed, thrown together meals. I'll start by striving to help those in my circle of love, pray for the Lord to guide me (and hit me when needed) and we will see where this new commitment will take me.

anyone for bacon?

Boy hogs napping together, Richens and Bacon a.k.a. "Grumpy"


Girls, Hamela and Snorky

We welcome to our wee farm four American Mulefoot Hogs, Richens, Bacon, Hamela and Snorky. Mulefoot hogs are the rarest hogs in America with about 2,000 registered hogs. They are known as a premium ham hog. They are grazing, pasture pigs. While they still root, they seem to go down about only 2-6 inches compared the to 1-2 ft of other hogs. These hogs are the only breed of swine indigenous to the United States. They get their name from their mule-like hoof. We are wondering if we can share the meat with any Jewish friends?

The shelters were made from the metal roofing that a friend gave us. It is mobile, enabling us to move them if needed. Making their pens was the first time I had ever worked with hog panels and gates. Of course, Dan the Man did most of the labor. He is such a hard worker. Hopefully our children will pick that up from their father.

These guys are so ugly they are adorable. Their squeals and grunts make me smile. Raising hogs will be a new adventure for us. Hopefully it will be an enjoyable adventure. If not, then we invite you all up for a BBQ.

chicken update

I know many of you have been anxiously waiting to see how we rebuilt our chicken coop. Since we were not sure about the precise place that we wanted to relocate the coop we opted to do a temporary coop using the dog run and other materials we scrounged up. Dan was able to procure from a friend some corrugated metal roofing at no charge. The metal roofing was zip tied to the dog kennel walls and roof. We reused the pots from the sycamore trees that we planted in the fall for the nests. Plenty of plastic buckets always abound on small farms so we were set for the water bucket. The metal feeder survived the fire, though scorched and a little misshaped. A few plastic pipes that we found in the barn were turned into the chickens' roosts. And all of this cost zero dollars. I always like that amount as an outgoing figure from me. The coop is not perfect but it'll do for now. The chickens seem to like it. Their egg production has doubled since moving into their new home. But, that could be attributed to Dan and Zayne axing the roosters. The hens have been much calmer without the males terrorizing them. The main cock wouldn't let the Polish(Einstein) and the Silkie(Furry Foot) hens out of the coop. Furry Foot died in the fire. Now Einstein, who always acted like she was about to have a nervous break down, leaves the coop relaxed and sociable. She was once the clean hen in the coop, now she is out in the dirt getting her fluffy face dirty. I am happy for her.

So that is the chicken update. Wait til you find out who is coming to the farm this Saturday. . .


Inside the coop.

the fire

Some of you might remember that we built a cute little chicken coop this past summer. We worked on it as a family and with Cousin Devin helping too. A lot of love and effort went into that little home for our egg producing, feathered friends.

While we were out of town last week, our chicken coop burned down. Fortunately, two neighbors saw the fire and moved the chickens to the green house. The chickens were huddled up against the fence to get away from the blaze. Sadly, one chicken, Furry Foot, didn't make it out. She is the one hen that the rooster did not like and rarely let out of the hen house. A small part of me wonders if he kept up his usual antics that night which sealed Furry Foot's fate.

With all the hay inside, it was a hot fire, even the metal screen door melted. We were able to salvage a metal feeder tray, nails and the metal part of a rake. We are presuming that the fire started from the heat lamp. While I am not glad that the chickens are making a mess of my greenhouse, we are grateful that eleven of them are safe.

Infinite Power of Hope

This helped me start out my day with peace.

Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas

Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas

Congressional Candidate Lieutenant Colonel Allen West

Oo-wee! Talk about a motivator.