Monday, July 29, 2013

I'm Guilty of Being "Normal"

That's right. Guilty of becoming one of "them".  One of those "normal" Americans.  You know the kind I'm talking about.  The kind that I don't want to be, but sadly, am.  I'm one of those "normal" Americans who know how to fix things but instead, I go and buy it new.  I'm one of those who know how to make bread, but buys the crappy, chemical laced bread from the big stores.  I'm one of those people who buy their veggies from those same stores even though I know how to garden and preserve my own.  I'm one of those people who go out to eat A LOT and then complain that I can make better food at home.   I'm also one of those people who are living paycheck to paycheck because if I have extra money, it NEEDS to be spent on something frivolous. .

Well, no more!!!!!  I'm tired of being "normal"!  Me and Hubby use to live off of 1/3 of what we are living on now, we can do it again.  I actually thought about going back to work so that we can have more money.  More money for what?  To buy things.  There's something wrong with that!  It's time to go back to the basics.

It's time to use my clothes line again instead of the dryer all the time. Sure it's convenient to just take them from the washer and throw them into the dryer.  But, the clothes line is cheaper and I actually like the feel of the clothes that come off of the line.  They feel more...well, clean.

I'm going to stop eating out all the time.  We can spend some major dollars eating out.  We enjoy the convenience, but we don't really enjoy the food that much.  Hubby says I fix better meals at home.  So, why would we want to pay for food that doesn't taste that good?  And what goes along with eating out, is buying all the stuff from a big store, that I can make.  Things like bread, and stuffing, and desserts.  I can make all of these and they taste soooo much better!  I guess I just got lazy(er).

The garden isn't that great this year, but I will have corn and tomatoes.  Possibly some cucumbers to pickle if we would quit eating the ripe ones. lol.  We'll see if that will happen.  I'm wanting to plant some more beans.  The rabbits ate all of mine that I planted this spring.  Those wascally wabbits!!!!  All of the goodness from the garden will help me save money.  I won't have to go to the store every two weeks to buy food.  Those prices are getting ridiculous!  I understand why there are a lot of skinny girls in the city now.  They can't afford to buy food!

Hopefully with us living like this again, we will be able to get our house done.  Maybe build us a barn that we need terribly.  Or, get our pond fixed so that we can fish in it without snapping our line on a lily pad.  It's time to get real about all the money that we waste. I'm tired of being a "normal" American who lives paycheck to paycheck.  I want to be an "abnormal" American. LOL!

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, abnormal


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Iced Cappuccino.... A Good Way To Cool Off.

I don't know about you, but I love iced cappuccino.   If it's from McDonald's or Tim Horton's, it doesn't matter.  I love them both.  The problem with them is the caffeine.  I'm a light weight when it comes to consuming caffeine.  So I decided to make my own iced cappuccino.   It'll not only save me from the caffeine shakes, it will save me money.  So this is how I did it.

I made some decaf coffee.  Not a whole pot, just maybe 3 to 4 cups.  Then I let it sit and cool off some.   After a little while, I filled a blender with ice, poured some of the coffee in the blender.(Not all of it.  I kept some back just encase it needed to have a stronger coffee taste.   Then I add some half and half.   I used about 1/2 a cup.  Add some milk, about another 1/2 cup.  (As you have probably noticed, I rarely measure the amounts when I do this. I just pour things in and then taste. Then if it needs something, I add it.)  Next I add 1/2 cup sugar.  And then about 2 tsp of vanilla.  To add a little more flavor, I usually add about 2 Tbls of cocoa.   And then, blend and pour.  Yummmmmmmm!!!!!!

I use decaf coffee, but you can use the real stuff.  It's all up to you.   If you want different taste you can use International Delights.  Or, you can just add things yourself.  Things like, chocolate, vanilla, peppermint, just about anything you want!  Make it your own!  But most importantly, enjoy!!!!

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, ice cap lover.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Topics 1,2, and 3

Guess what?  I'm sitting outside writing this!  Not inside in front of the air conditioner, but OUTSIDE!!!!  We had some storms go through last night and they cooled it down some! Yay!!!!!! We don't have to wear scuba gear just to breath anymore. The humidity is not to bad!  We are still planning on having some storms come through tonight, and they are suppose to be strong, but as of now, I'm enjoying our weather.  So, now I can talk about something other than how hot or how wet it is. hehehe

Topic number one......Phelan from A Homesteading Neophyte will be my new neighbor in just a couple weeks.  I'm sooo excited!!!!!  It's going to be so nice to have a neighbor who thinks along the same lines as I do.  It's also going to be fun trading recipes with her.  I'm stuck in the "Paula Deen" type of cooking, biscuits and gravy, steak and potatoes, beans and corn bread type meals.  Now don't get me wrong, I can make some mean southern food, but every once in a while, I want something, well, different.  The only kind of cooking I do with fruit is cobblers, crisps, and pies. LOL.  Oh, and don't forget making fruit syrups for our ice cream.  She actually puts fruit on meat.  Gasp!!!!  :)  I've got a lot to learn.  I think I'll swap her some of my southern recipes for some of her "fancy smansy" recipes. hehehehe

Topic number two..... This topic can almost become a rant, so bare with me here.....  When has people become so sensitive to what other people say?  Has our society gotten so insecure that if a person says something about you, it automatically is true?  Everyone is so afraid of "offending" the other person because of this.  And you wonder why our younger generation text all the time.  They are afraid to talk!  Someone might take offense in something they say!!!! Now a days there are so many people just waiting to sue over a phrase or comment that someone has said.  Suck it up people!!!!!  If you don't like something that someone says, don't listen!  Very simple. If someone calls you lazy, it doesn't instantly mean you are lazy.  (Although someone would probably sue over that too.)  If someone says something offensive to you, move on!  Stock it up as ignorance on that person part.  It shouldn't reflect on you.  Now don't get me wrong, I not saying this so that you can be mean to people.  I'm talking about the person on the receiving end of the conversation.  You know what kind of person you are.  BE that kind of person that you want to be, not what someone else says you are.  Okay, I'm done ranting now.

Topic number three......Okay, I have no topic number three.  But, if you have a topic number one and a topic number two, a topic number three has to follow.  But, I have nothing to put here right now so you can use your imagination. lol

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl,  enjoying the weather.



Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Hot with a Capital H

Wow! I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted on here!  I bet you missed me didn't ya? hehehehe.  Well, we finally got rid of the rain but now it's sweltering hot around here.  If it was up to me, it would be around 70f during the day and 55f at night.  Oh, and stay that way all year round.  I think I'll put  my request in for that. :)

The goats are sweating but at least they aren't wet from the rain anymore.  I think I caught their worm problem soon enough and they're starting to fatten back up.   Now all I have to worry about is them getting too hot.  Poor things.  I wished I had enough money to buy them one of those really big fans.  They would love that.  At least I think they would.  You never know with goats.

The rabbits are having a hard time in this heat also.  I've been putting frozen water bottles in with them.  Some of the rabbits just look at the bottle and ignore it.  Others will actually take the bottle and lay on top of  it.  I'm gonna have to get a picture of that. It's pretty funny.  Rabbits like the colder weather a lot more than the hot.   I need to get a fan for them too.  :o(

The garden, in this heat, is being over run by weeds.  I don't mean weeds,  I mean WEEDS!!!!!  I'm thinking about taking the lawn mower and mowing between the rows.  Would that be considered a "natural" mulch? lol.  I've been getting a few cucumbers out of it, but I'd like to be getting more.  We do have some tomatoes growing.  They're small yet and green, but they're there.  Last year, we didn't get ANY tomatoes.  The drought did a number on them.  I can't wait to have a good tomato sandwich.  Mmmmmmm.

 Now, a complete change of subject. (That's how my mind has been lately.) I've got a nice camera (at least it's nice to me) but, a nice camera is worthless if you can't find the battery charger for it.  Have you ever put something away so you won't lose it and then forget where you put it?  That's exactly what I did.  Hopefully I'll find it soon or I'm gonna have to go and buy one from Amazon.  I hate doing that tho.  It's like giving money away.  Money that I don't have right now.   You'll know when I find it.  I have some pictures that I wanted to put on here.  Nothing fancy, just everyday pictures.

Well, that's about all I've got for now,

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, hot. And not Paris Hilton "hot."




Monday, July 8, 2013

Glorious Sun!!!!

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!  See that thing in the sky?  I have heard that some people call that the sun.  I'm not sure about that since I haven't seen it in such a LONG time. hehehehe.

That's right folks, we have SUN!!!!!!  I'm sooo excited!  (You can tell because of all the exclamation points I'm using. :)  )  And guess what I did, I sat outside with my feet up on a bucket and sipped on a large ice tea.  It was heaven. We need more days like today.  Sun and a nice breeze blowing makes very comfortable.

So far, the goats are looking fair today.  I haven't noticed any new signs of diarrhea, so that's good.  My one Nubian doe acts like she is getting more energy. Although, she could just be running away from her 3 babies.  I don't blame her, I would too.

It's so nice and out, I may even hang some clothes on the line.  Believe it or not, I love that task.  It's therapeutic.   That is until I do the ninja dance because a wasp comes to investigate what I'm doing.  Never fails.  LOL!

It's funny how some sun can change your whole mood .  It you told me yesterday that today I would feel this good, I wouldn't have even wasted my time and energy being in a bad mood.   Today is like I took a happy pill or something.  Totally different.   I think I'm solar powered.  I NEED a few rays of sun to get me going.  My batteries must have been low because of the rain. hehehe  I'm in such a mood I might (gulp) clean my house. Okay, I might not be in THAT good of a mood.  I DO have my limits.

Well, I'm going to go and get things done while I still can.  More rain on the way.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl,  happier.


Sunday, July 7, 2013

Welcome To The Jungle

Remember back a few weeks when I was complaining about not getting any rain?  Well, I'm done complaining now.  We have had rain everyday for two weeks now and the weather men are saying its going to rain for another week.  Wow!!!  I, for one, love the rain. It keeps the temps down.  That is, until the sun comes out. Then it's like a jungle.  Which with all of the greenery going crazy, it kinda looks like it.  The grass need mowed, the garden needs weeded, and I do believe I need to get some scuba gear for the goats.  

All of this rain and heat has been tough on my goat herd. Poor things are not happy!!!!  We had a toad strangler just the other day.  I went out to check on them and they had a foot of water inside one of their goat huts.  The ground was so saturated that all of the water just runs off and it was funneling right into one of their huts.  Luckily, they have many huts to chose from, but the flooded one was their favorite.

We are also keeping an eye out for worms.  So far, I've had two of my does not doing so good.  One has diarrhea, the other has very white eye lids.(White eye lids is usually a sing of anemia, which is usually caused by worms.)  I'm doing everything! It's just not working.  It's times like this that I start to wonder if I should even have goats.  If something doesn't give soon, I'm gonna give up on owning goats.

I've been really down lately when it comes to our farm.  I feel like a failure.  Our fields are full of weeds, our garden is full of weeds(except the beans, which are non existent thanks to the rabbits.), and my animals are all miserable because of the rain and heat.  These kind of times makes you step back and rethink all the things you are doing.  Do I like my goats? Yes!  But, I'm throwing everything I know at them and nothing is working!!!! I'm wondering if they would do better with someone else.

 The things that need to be done I can't do by myself and Hubby has his list of things that need done too.  Plus, it's been raining so hard and when it's not raining it's so HOT, it's dangerous to get out there and work.  All we need is a few nice cool days and hopefully we will be able to get some things done.  I hope it's soon.  I don't know how much longer our farm can hold out.

I guess I'm just feeling a little down right now. Sorry for being such a downer on here. It's just how things are around a farm sometimes I guess.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, feeling a little down.




Tuesday, July 2, 2013

We Have Water!!!!! and Rambling

We have water!!!!!! Yay!!!!!! I wanted to let the water run in the sink for hours, just because I can. hehehehe.  But, now, I have to pay for it, so I didn't.  Oh well, I'm still happy that I have good water.  I've washed many loads of laundry on the same day!!! You don't realize how nice it is to have good water until you don't have it.

It took Hubby and his helpers (my dad and his dad) almost all weekend to put it in.  Hubby, at first, rented a Ditch Witch to dig the ditch where the water line went.  We figured that since this machine is made to dig ditches, it wouldn't take very long.  Wow, were we wrong! It took Hubby 2 1/2 hrs to did just 1/3 of the ditch.  Granted, the ditch was 275 ft from water meter to the house,  but we only rented the Ditch Witch for 8 hrs.  Going this slow, it wasn't going to get it.  Hubby was getting upset that it was taking this long.  So we ended up renting a small track hoe.  More money.  :(   But, on a good note, it only took Hubby 45 mins to dig the rest.  We should have paid the extra money first off and just got the track hoe.  At least we have water now.

Speaking of water, we have been getting a nice bit of rain around here.  The garden is going like crazy!!  The corn is doing great.  The tomatoes are growing nicely.  The cucumber plants are just now starting to produce cucumbers.  The beans.....well,......the beans are all gone.  We put up a fence to keep deer and Jack (our St. Bernard) out of the garden.  But, the fence does not keep out rabbits.  Those little buggers have destroyed our beans.  It's like a playground with snacks for them in there.  They know that Jack can't get in there and get to them, so I think they moved in.  I bet they even sit on the other side of the fence and taunt him.  "You can't get us!!!"  I bet they even stick out their little rabbit tongues at him.  I'm tempted to let him in there just to get even with them for eating my beans.  I hope they leave my beats and turnips alone when I plant them for fall. If not, we might be having rabbit stew REALLY soon.

In other news, I just found out today, that Phelan will be planning on moving here in 3 weeks.  3 WEEKS!!! Yay!!!  Let the mischief begin!! hehehe.  I'm actually gonna have stuff to write about on here.  I'm sure you guys are getting bored with the every day stuff.  I love to see people experience things for the first time.  Things that I've gotten use to.  It's like I'm seeing it for the first time again.  Makes me appreciate what I have.

Well, I guess that's enough for now.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, water lover.