Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[Denim Deb]

Awww thats cute! Although I remember the lords prayer being worded a bit differently? (I could just have a bad recollection, it has been a while )

The Lord's Prayer is found in 2 places in the Bible, Matthew and Luke. Plus, different translations of the Bible will have it worded a bit differently. Here it is from Luke 11:2-4 KJV

Our Father, who are in heaven, Hallowed be they name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.

 

[lorihadams]

Yeah, that's the kid friendly version that came with the VBS materials....they made it into a song.

The slide show is done but we couldn't get the video to upload from my camera so we had to improvise.

I woke up today with a horrible crick in my neck....good thing I'm going to the chiro today. I can't wait to show him the bruise on my leg from my last adjustment

We had two awful storms yesterday...hubby came home from scouting and took the kids to his friend's house to swim in their pool with his little girl for a while and then to see Nanny for a bit while I slept on the couch. I took benadryl all day yesterday and had ice packs on my hand and bicep all day off and on. I'm still swollen this morning from the bee stings but not as bad. I can actually see the dimples in my knuckles today but my index finger is still swollen and my hand is still a little puffy and itchy. I have never had a reaction to a bee sting like this but I think it is just where I got stung twice in relative close proximity to each other this time.

I need to go to the grocery store and TSC today....blech. All I really want to do is go back to bed cause the second storm woke us up at 1am and we had to rush to get Frawg off the porch and dried off and into the crate in the bathroom where she proceed to howl for the next hour.

Chad just called and said his friend they went swimming with yesterday asked his girlfriend to marry him last night. He's been talking about it for 6 months now but he finally did it last night. They met at her church and after he dropped his DD off at her mom's house he fakes that the tire pressure is acting up and pulls over in the church parking lot where they met. He gets out to check the tire pressure and slips the ring onto the guage. He asked her to get out and read the guage for him cause he couldn't see it. So now she's irritated and looks down at it and says "it's not low". T told her to read it again so she yanks the guage from him and the ring hit her finger. He said her knees buckled but she said yes. Gave him her grandmother's ring....he has a 7 yr old from his first marriage and she has a grandbaby already but they are really good together. She's like 10 yrs older than him. He's so goofy....who would have ever thought to put an engagement ring on a tire guage???

 

[TanksHill]

How sweet!!

 

[lorihadams]

Holy earthquake batman!!! My children and I were sitting on the living room floor playing Candy Land when the earthquake happened yesterday. We are only about 50 miles from the epicenter so it was really strong here. No damage but two freaked out children Now they think it was cool that the floor was bouncing us up and down but when it was happening I was the only one that managed to stay calm

Maddie has an ulcer on the back of her throat. I took her to the doctor today just to make sure it wasn't strep and she said that it was negative and that if she was still complaining Monday morning bring her back in and they would test again but for now just give her motrin and lots of fluids and rest.

We were supposed to be going to the water park for the kids' VBS stuff on Sunday and now thanks to Hurricane Irene, looks like that's not gonna happen. We are going to talk to my MIL, who lives in Wilmington NC, and try to convince her to evacuate to her boyfriend's house in Fayetteville at least for Friday and Saturday.

My brother has decided that he and I will have Monday night "therapy sessions" and I have been instructed to call him if he doesn't call me by a certain time EVERY Monday night I love him....he is going through a really rough patch right now and I have been there and done that so I told him that I would definitely be there to listen if he needed it.

Today I am gonna finish doing the laundry and start preparing the animals for the weekend's projected rain and winds. I am going to put Brahma mama back in the big run with the other chickens and move the ducklings in the tractor to the back side of the barn so they have some shelter from the wind and rain. We have a platform that we had the kid's plastic playhouse sitting on that we are going to move into the goat barn in case it floods again so at least they have somewhere high and dry to go until the water recedes. We have to redig the trenches around the barn to divert some of the water but we are supposed to really get dumped on with this one. We trimmed the goats hooves and boy did we wait too long to do that... They were awful. I figure we'll give it a few weeks and do them again to get them down where they need to be.

I'm planning on checking the hives probably Friday and putting sugar water in them and leaving them be for the weekend with all the weather coming. I am hoping the pollen patty in Hive 2 will help them along. I have another one in case they need it. I am really grateful that the feed store a few minutes from here has started carrying beekeeping supplies. They are selling the pollen patties individually so I was able to only get 2 instead of a box of 10 and I didn't have to pay/wait for shipping them.

Had BF and her family over for dinner last night and had a wonderful time...we did hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill and then watched hunting shows while the kids played out on the trampoline.

Gonna see about enrolling the kids in either gymnastics or tae kwon do at the YMCA...gotta see how much it would be and the dates for the sessions.

Frawg has quit bleeding and will not let Tonka near her so they are back on the porch together again and are gonna get a bath Friday night so they can both come in the house for the weekend.

Chad is delivering decoys that he sold today and has set a new record with Zink Calls....he sold $2000 in calls in 2 weeks! He is also supposed to be picking up a check for the mallards from the gentleman that bought them from us, hopefully he kicks in a little extra for my labor.

I am going to go catch up on things around here and then burn the cds for the VBS slide show for everybody and clear everything off the camera. The kids want to do a nature journal and I am thinking that it would be really cool if we could take the camera and print off some pictures of stuff when we go for our walks every week.

Well, that's about it! Everybody in the hurricane's path stay safe!!!

 

[gettinaclue]

I was at work and my chair started moving across the floor LOL. My house is 10 miles as the crow flies to the epicenter and DH was at home asleep. He said it shook him out of bed. We've had 5 after shocks, and I gotta say...I wish the people on the west coast would keep this stuff LOL. This I can do without. LOL

Glad to hear yall are okay.

Nikki

 

[lorihadams]

I was in the middle of posting a reply to you, Nikki, and my wireless card died

I thought about you guys and wondered if you were alright, sorry your hubby got rattled but glad you are okay. My kids think it is the coolest thing ever....now. At the time they looked like they had seen a ghost

My BF called us last night and it seems that running her mouth has paid off....she was talking to one of her husband's coworkers and asking him how her hubby was doing (shoulder and back injury) at work and he was telling her that it was bad. She says "I'm really gonna have to look into getting a hot tub now, aren't I?" He says, "are you serious?" She says, "yeah, why?" He says "hang on a minute" and picks up the phone and calls a guy that he is doing a side job with and asks him if he has gotten rid of that hot tub from the job site yet...BF is freaking out and saying that she can't pay for one NOW and thinking oh, lord what have I gotten myself into. So the guy says, "yeah, I think my boss might want it but we don't get off until 4 so hang on to it until we can get there" Now, BF is losing it and says, "how much does he want for it and how bad a mess have I gotten myself into?" He says, "nothing, all we have to do is come get it..." Turns out they were doing a remodeling job and the people were selling the house and needed to get rid of the hot tub cause the buyers wanted it gone before they closed on the house in 2 days. So last night we went over there to help her move in her new FREE hot tub.

Now she has to build a platform and clean it and upon inspection there was a small crack on the inside of it in the floor so they are gonna get in touch with the local pool place to see if they can patch it. Craziness. The guy said that he has to get rid of 3 or 4 every year cause people just don't want the upkeep and expense that comes with it.

Today we have story time at the library and I'm gonna check on some stuff at the YMCA for the kids and see how much our membership renewal will be and when I need to pay it. Hubby says that he wants to sell the fitness equipment and buy a new shotgun. He's killing me. I'm over it. He needs a new one anyway cause even though he is right handed he is left eye dominant and shoots left handed. Most guns are not made to be shot left handed so it can be a little awkward. He had to get rid of his muzzle loader cause it was a side arm and if you shoot it left handed it goes off right in your face. Not good. He looked into getting an in-line muzzle loader but honestly, I just use my 30.06 during muzzle loader season and hunt in the back yard and he continues to hunt with his bow.

Still don't know what is gonna happen for the waterpark sunday cause now it looks as if the storm won't even reach the Roanoke area so we may actually get to go after all.

 

[Farmfresh]

I was at work and my chair started moving across the floor LOL. My house is 10 miles as the crow flies to the epicenter and DH was at home asleep. He said it shook him out of bed. We've had 5 after shocks, and I gotta say...I wish the people on the west coast would keep this stuff LOL. This I can do without. LOL

Glad to hear yall are okay.

Nikki

Glad you all are OK.

This stuff is scary. Especially for those of us who spend our lives sitting on "inactive" fault lines. New Madrid fault line is expected to give us a BIG shake ... someday soon. Time will tell when it happens and how bad it is, but the LAST one rang bells in the church towers in BOSTON!! I hope all of your jiggling doesn't cause New Madrid to slip.

 

[lorihadams]

Well....my husband came in last night all excited....seems that his uncle 2 houses over is going to be dividing up his land (cow pasture, already fenced) between his two boys that live next door. So cousin K told hubby that they were pretty sure that they were getting some cows in the spring...don't know what breed they will be getting but Chad told them that we would pay for leasing the land if we could run a few of our own in with his!!! Now, I really want some Dexters for meat/milk but I don't know where around here I could find some. I guess I know what I'll be doing for the next few months. Any thoughts on breeds???

And he said...under his breath....that they were thinking about getting a few dairy goats but were trying to justify the fencing issue I love it!!! Cousin K told hubby how impressed they were with what we were doing and how much we had accomplished in just a short amount of time being here. Her kids have been on her for a while to get some chickens or ducks or rabbits or goats or SOMETHING and have been living vicariously through us the last year. Maybe it's starting to rub off on them

We are still tracking the hurricane and are trying to convince MIL to get out of Wilmington today. She is near one of the inlets and is definitely at risk for flooding where she is. If this thing hits and the storm surge is substantial she may not be able to get out if she waits too long. We talked to her last night and she says she has a bag packed and has all her important documents in plastic bags and packed up and anything important up high in case she does get flooded. She is adament that she needs to stay to keep an eye on her clients' homes She's killing me. She is sooooo stubborn. We broke out the secret weapon last night and had my son call her We'll see what happens today. Our biggest concern is that it will hit during high tide and if that happens then it is gonna be way worse.

We are on track to go to granny's for the waterpark trip with the church on Sunday. So far the projected weather has everything east of them so the trip is still on. We'll see what happens over night as this thing makes landfall and see if the track changes and decide for certain if we are leaving tomorrow morning.

We got a strong storm last night and the barn trenches we dug worked very well. There was no standing water in the goat barn and no water in the hay side at all. My biggest issue is that the goats keep pooping in the trench and damming it up I also took a look at Aliana's gums today and noticed that they were a little pale and she isn't eating all her food at milking and her production has started to drop some so I ordered some of Molly's Herbals for all of them this morning and will start a worming regimen for them all as they haven't been wormed at all since coming here in May. I thought I saw a small worm on Aliana's rectum this morning so I would rather give them the treatment than not. It should be here by Monday. They still look pretty good so I don't think it is gonna be much of an issue....coats are shiny and they aren't dropping weight, if anything they look a little bloated. They aren't lethargic but if there is a worm issue I would rather nip it in the bud now that wait until I start seeing dramatic symptoms. I've heard good things about her treatments so i ordered the wormer combo pack and if it helps then I will continue to keep them on the preventative once weekly.

Today I am doing some crafty stuff with the kids...toilet paper tube caterpillars and butterflies....stenciling with shapes to make different pictures (tangram type stuff) and we broke out Tyler's piggy bank this morning and had a lesson on money value. I also think we'll finish reading Frog and Toad today and read another chapter in Charlotte's web...I think we'll do some spider stuff when we are done with the book. Next week we'll check out some books from the library and do some spider projects....I have a couple skeins of yarn so we might make some spider webs. Last night we worked on spelling and addition with Tyler while the satellite was down during the storm Then we played memory for a bit until bedtime. They were super excited yesterday when we found a book at the library they loved but that had been overdue for a couple months now...Chick and Pug. So we read it 3 or 4 times last night at bedtime.

Last night we had a little drama before the storm...when the wind picked up it ripped the tarp on the chicken tractor so the baby runners and brahma mama had to go in the big run with everybody else and we had to get the babies into the duck house for the first time in the rain. There was some bullying going on and the smallest duckling got pecked quite a bit on the middle of it's back but no blood or anything...just missing feathers for now. My ugly mystery chicken got in a knock down drag out with brahma mama and came away with a mouth full of feathers. Gotta love it when they re-establish the pecking order.

We are supposed to get more storms today but it is supposed to clear off tomorrow...we'll see. Happy Friday everyone!!!

 

[lorihadams]

So I guess I will tackle the new list of questions already....here goes




1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? Virginia, zone 7

2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? married with two kids

3. How would you define self sufficiency? trying to produce a good chunk of your needs on your own

4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? farming full time--would love to do a CSA

5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? yes, helped build lots of stuff--my dad is a brick mason

6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? No

7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? MIL gave us two roosters and it snowballed from there--my granny contributed to that a lot too because when she was young being self sufficient was a way of life and not a choice so she has taught us a lot

8 Cloth or paper? cloth napkins unless meat processing and then we use paper towels

9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? produce 90% of our own meat and milk our goats and have a garden, would like to do a pig and rabbits in the future and would love to be a better gardener, learning how to make soap and cheese, cows are in the works for next spring

10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? I don't think I could ever produce all of my own food, I have never canned anything but freeze a lot of stuff. I would love to get solar and be off grid because we definitely have the capacity to do that here but I don't honestly know if we'll do it

11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? somewhat but we don't have a lot of storage space for canned goods--I do have a lot in the freezer and I'm working on getting a second freezer set up

12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? I escape through books...I love to read

13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? I can drive a tractor if someone walks beside me shouting instructions so I don't kill someone

14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? I sew some, quilt, and am learning to make soap. I do like to teach others

15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? Yes, we have chickens, ducks, goats, bees, and are talking about adding meat rabbits and cows next spring

16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? No but my husband can

17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? Sometimes I like growing my own fruits/veggies but this year has been a challenge

18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? yes, we use bait

19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? We own 3 acres but have access to more with hubby's family land

20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? No

21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? Right now I would say that I don't really have a specialty but I am learning about my livestock and the products I can make from them

22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? probably animal husbandry and organic methods for plant/livestock management

23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? No but my husband does

24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? a little

25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? I don't know cause I haven't traveled enough to know what would be ideal--I do like farm living though

26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? No but had one as a child growing up and I miss it

27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? Wonder Woman....I had the underoos!

28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? Some are in different degrees

29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? Yes, yes, yes and yes

30. What was your MOS? I don't know what MOS stands for

31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? Yes, we deer hunt and my husband is a waterfowler

32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? Hunting, sewing, construction skills learned from my dad, gardening/animal husbandry learned from my granny

33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? never thought about it

34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? Yes, we have plans to add solar to our house once it is paid for in 10 years

35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? Are you kidding me???

36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? Not completely...I would like to try it someday, we hope to when we add solar to our home

37. In what do you trust? Is that a trick question???

38. Do you make things yourself to save money? I try but it usually ends up costing me more money than I save by the time I finish

39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? Absolutely

 

[gettinaclue]

My family has chosen to ride it out as well. Wilmington and Williamston being the two main towns.

I don't like it, but you couldn't get them to move for nothing. It's the way we came up. You don't leave when a hurricane hits, you hunker down and protect friends, family and property. I can't help but worry though.