Milk going in, Milk coming out

The best feedings today: Alec, 10 ounces. Dapper Dan, 4 ounces. Lady, 3-4 ounces.

Belle's (aprox.) total output: 3 1/2 quarts.

I would love to have a scale to weigh the milk on so I can keep an accurate record.

Bedspread

I am looking for a nice pieced quilt to put on our bed. I would love to make one, but my strengths don't lay in that category of craftiness, and the time involved would be enormous. I think it would be ideal to find one that was a King, but otherwise just something piecey and pretty that I could doctor to fit our bed.

Slowly I am trying to brighten/ lighten up our bedroom from a darker more formal feel to a brighter more cheerful feel. The curtains I made the other day help enormously.

A little of Everything

I like that we gotten experiences with many different animals. I have learned so much about life and have gained much more appreciation for the beauty and functionality of their existance.

Tonight, we went to the Cole Family Ranch and picked out a couple of piglets. I was kind of expecting something sweet and Wilbur-ish, but what he had ( 9 weeks old, eating solids) were about the size of Buddy-boy. Somehow, though, there was about 25 more pounds packed on their frame then Buddy has on his. Raising pigs seems very cost effective from what I can tell and I am eager to see how it goes. We picked out a little girl and so did the Lawlors. I wanted to get one other one but I had a budget in cash and was short the cost of two. Still, though, he had plenty to chose from and I might go back. He informed us (not in a con-artist way, he was totally LDS) that they grow faster if there are two or more, since they run and fight to get to the food, whereas with one they lazily browse throughout the day.

Eventually, I hope that we have had a bit of experience with everything feasible so we can tell what we like raising the best, or what is the most cost effective, etc. Then, we can have a few animals and barter for what we need/ want that we don't have.

Furniture Polish....

....a la MJ's.

1 c olive oil

1/2 c lemon juice (fresh, just toss the lemon remains down the disposal for freshening!)

1"x1" piece of beeswax, melted

Mix it all up quickly so the wax particles are as small as possible. Use a soft cloth to rub into wood (cabinets!), let sit a few minutes, then buff with a clean dry rag.

Morning happenings

Chives are up, and the cucumbers, cantelope, and beans in the Myrtle basin are up.

The kids aren't thriving, but getting enough milk (from the dribbles they happen to swollow) to survive. I tried the flutter valve nipples which Lady and Dapper seemed to like better, but Alec does wonderfully with the regular one.

Got a quart and a half AM milking from Belle. Yippee!

'Little House' schedule

I love 'Little House in the Big Woods'. It's my favorite of the Laura books, and the pictures are just so sweet. I was thinking about my goal of slowing down and getting back to the basic stuff (instead of rushing though or skipping basic stuff in order to have time to do things that are less necessary or just of leisure or entertainment, most likely costing me money). I remembered Ma's saying:

Wash on Monday

Iron on Tuesday

Mend on Wednesday

Churn on Thursday

Clean on Friday

Bake on Saturday

Rest on Sunday

While I can't realistically follow this schedule to the letter, I think it's a good idea. It can be so overwhelming to try to do a bit of everything everyday, and never finish or accomplish anything. I think I'd like to adapt this list to:

Wash and Clean on Monday

Iron and mow on Tuesday

Sew on Wednesday

Wash and Weed on Thursday

Bake on Friday

Projects on Saturday

Rest on Sunday

I also love how these things that Laura listed are what is to be done after the everyday things like dishes, airing the bed, feeding/ milking, etc.

I'll try it and see if I get more things done this way.

Curbing the Impulse (purchase!)

Even though DH has said time and again what a pain those reusable shopping bags are for the baggers to fill, I went ahead and got some. I know it seems counter-productive (saving the environment and all) to buy bags vs. making, but they were $1 and my time and fabric were well worth it.

I had to get some things at the store this morning, and set a '3 bag limit' for myself. I kept thinking about what I could get to fit into those 3 bags I had. I passed up on a LOT of impulse items, knowing that I needed the room in the bags for other VIP items.

Also, I had cash today, and I kept very close track of what everything cost so I would avoid extreme embarassment at the checkout if I were to come up short. Normally, a few ($5, $10, even $15) dollars over I wasn't too worried about, but I didn't even have a back up card with me.

These are interesting findings....I might try again. ;)