A Lamb-less March

For the first time since 2005 we didn't have any lambs in March. I have several I've been watching pretty close but they are determined to bake those little lambies a bit more. I guess old Mother Nature knows what's she's doing.

New Bunny

This is a pic of my mom falling in love with Christopher's new 4-H project, a New Zealand White rabbit. I think he would be perfectly happy as a house bunny! :)

Snug As a Goat in a Box?

Our white pygmy, Lilly, gave us twins this morning, a black buck and a white doe. After getting them cleaned off she decided she wanted no part of motherhood. They got pretty chilled but with the help of my friend, Linda, we were able to save them. They are now snug in a box under a heat lamp in the kitchen. They are currently for sale as bottle babies! :)

New Cochin Chicks

We recently took some of our ducks to a Hillbilly Auction and came home with four 3-week old buff cochin chicks. I just love their pretty feet! They aren't good layers but are reputed to be excellent setters. We're hoping at least some of these are female!

Grass and Hay Fire

Yesterday Dan tried burning a stump out of the middle of a corn field and things got out of hand. Actually, things were fine around 2 o'clock but when he came back at 4:30 the field was burning, the grass was burning and the row of big round bales was on fire. He dropped me and the boys off near the grain bins to try and get it under control there while he jumped in the loader and headed to the other side of the pond and the field. LeRoy, Dan's dad was quickly there with a shovel and worked on the other end of the grass fire. Soon the Monroe City Fire Department was on the scene too. They really didn't have to do much, thankfully, but it was sure good to see them! Chris just happened to have his camera with him so he snapped these pictures. The last I knew the stump was still there. :)

Signs of Spring!

Here are just couple pics I snapped today while out enjoying the beautiful day.
My onion chives are coming up, hurray!


Daylillies are just starting to poke their heads up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Birthday Brittney!

We helped my niece, Brittney, celebrate her 10th birthday yesterday. Double digits, hurray!!!
We were sorry Grandma and Grandpa Schafer couldn't be there but maybe they can at least enjoy these pics. :)




And here is the whole crew! Chris, Ben, Shelby, Brittney, Matthew and Abby.

Clooney & Darlin'

Here's a pic of our two outside dogs, Clooney and Darlin'. Clooney came to us from a local pound and Darlin' showed up one day half starved to death, an apparent victim of dog dumping. (Don't you just hate those people?!) Well, that person's junk was our treasure. :) She's such a lady, always having her paws crossed like that. Clooney was just being silly and begging for a belly scratch in this photo. These dog are pets but they do work here on the farm. They keep coyotes and stray dogs away and Clooney is an awesome mole catcher.

Freezer Cooking

This month I thought I'd try my hand at Freezer Cooking, also know as OAMC (Once A Month Cooking). I have every meal planned for the month, breakfast, lunch and supper. We have done this before and find it to save money and sanity! All five of us are here for every meal so cooking is a huge chore in this house, especially with three growing boys! I allow one breakfast a week to be cold cereal or instant oatmeal and one meal per week is allowed to be eating out or perhaps a take-n-bake pizza brought home and cooked. We have breakfast and one big meal on Sunday and then it's popcorn in the evening. Other than that, it's three squares a day!
I feel like I have done pretty well with getting some good food prepared and in the freezer. Some of it is just cooked hamburger, sausage or taco meat. We will pull this out and use it for spaghetti, homemade pizza, biscuits and gravy, tacos, etc. I have 4 breakfast casseroles, some pancakes to pop in the toaster, breakfast burritos, 4 dozen biscuits, a yummy chicken enchilada dish, a couple of different hamburger casseroles and some banana bread.
We are trying to eat out of our pantry and cut our grocery bill substantially. Of course, we raise our own pork and beef and thanks to Chris and Dan we have plenty of deer. Next year we hope to put a couple of lambs in the freezer as well. I do buy chicken and the occasional package of hot dogs. I like to buy bologna in bulk. We slice it and freeze it and I also make bologna salad. This is especially nice in the summer when we are busy working outside or need to take a lunch to the field.
Please leave me a comment if you have any recipes you would like to share or tips on OAMC and menu planning! :)