Well its just the beginning

This is on our way home from church this morning.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Oh Gloomy Days

I know we all get these moments/days/years that make us feel as if life is happening without our permission and say.  Because well it is.

Two animals are leaving my ownership here shortly that I had no plans of ever releasing and its kind of bitter sweet.  I know its for the best and I am grateful for the new homes they will be getting but its still hard to part with an animal you have put a lot of time and heart into.

In the year 2010 I have had to part with more then I feel is my share to part with.  Its been a stretching experience and not one I want to repeat for any reason at all.  Im more callus to the world and what it throws my way.  I guess thats that cynical me talking but its hard to "talk over top of" when it shouts so loudly in my head.

Had my first case of real bloat here today - scary stuff.  Grateful to my friend Ashley and my vet Dr. Bergmann who gave me sound advise to help pull her through.  Hopefully in time she will be back to her old self.

Angie is still battling some chronic issue and it has me baffled.  If I just only knew what causes her bouts of sickness I would feel so much better about attacking it and making her better.  The vet has been out and I feel its like I am doing everything possible yet its not enough.

Thankfully the other 3 seem perfectly healthy with no issues at all.  They notice that SP and Angie havent been themselves so that puts them a bit out of whack but otherwise the 3 are doing well.

I have 1 sold doe due in March 2 due in April and 1 due in May.   A bit spread out I know but I guess God knows best.

I am going to try to get into the Christmas Spirit as it is that time of year.....maybe a swift nudge in the rear will do the trick, well with goats we know thats a possibility ;)

cleaning pens

Ok got the camera working

Couple weeks ago we cut down some dying trees.  The pines with needles still green were given to the goats

Today Caleb and I removed the piles of cleaned off branches.

Angie helped by eating the branches that were uncovered on the bottom of the pile :)

Some onlookers 

 Dude just wants to be noticed -- and yes I do, cant help but notice the smell :P

 My little baby growing up :) <3

Updates

Well my camera was "injured" over the summer so I rarely use it.  Ok so a camera cant be injured but its just not functioning at its peek performance since being drowned in a bucket of goat milk :P

At the beginning of this month I brought home Sadie but I dont have any new pictures of her :/

I also have had my boy Dude home a couple times to start the breeding season.  I need to work on updated pictures.

So far I have Lola bred to Dude and hopefully to Sweet Pea as well.  My friends buck Sampson is bred to Sadie and Ziva.  I am stoked to have kiddos due in less then 5 months!!  Soon I can just relax and wait.

The fall has been beautiful and nope I don't have pictures of that either :(

I think tomorrow I will be purchasing a new camera so I can have more picture posts - because we all know a picture speaks a thousand words.

Fantastic Fall Festivas

The Young Adult Ministry group from our church FBC enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship, hay ride and pumpkin carving - and of course lots of food. :)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

A girl and her pony

This little girl is the daughter of my friend. I affectionately call her "my little sister" and she calls me "big sister"

I thought this picture was just to precious not to share.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Sunrise pictures

Taken near my home
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Scared stiff

What can scare me? Doing an updo for my coworker and assistant manager for a black tie wedding! She put her faith and head of hair in my hands and I was scared out of my skin. I always am before I do an updo. But this was even more so.

But I was pleased with the results though the pictures don't show it the detail turned out great too. Thank you Lord for helping me make this creation!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Goat Nerds Talking

So a couple nights ago as always a dear friend and I were conversing over IM and she says "take a look at this link."

And yadda yadda about the one goat so Im like "ok I'll bite let me take a look"

Im impressed so I tell her -- "You seem really to like her, you getting her?"

I dont remember the response but somehow it comes around to me emailing the breeder asking for more information and waiting anxiously for a response, hardly sleeping and now today I am the soon to be owner of God's Love Farm H Sadie come November when I go to visit my friend at Phoenix Rising Farm in MA.  

She is BLACK

and later I look back at the listing and realize she is Blue eyed too. (yah I know its pretty obviously displayed on the listing I think I was to enamored by her udder )

I have been wanting a black goat since I sold my black doe Jbug to maple hill farm tina.

This NJ girl is just a sucker for black and I have wanted an all black goat since I sold my unregistered one back like 5 years ago and WOW she just fell into my lap and I wasnt even looking. Love how that happens. Sadie's FF udder is very nice and I am pleased with the udders and body structure of other does with some of her same pedigree. So I know she is a solid doe all around despite her small size.
She was a good mother, good milker and udder milks down nicely. So with all that for her how could I resist?





http://www.meadowridgekennels.com/gpage133.html

PS after our FB status messages back and forth my brother calls us the Goat Nerds



(copied from my forum www.thegoatspot.net)

News Flash - Kitty Cat has a name!

So the story goes: 

I was heading out to the barn after dinner

Mom "Seen the cat lately?" 

Me "Yah but he likes to hide under the barn or in dark corners in the barn" 

Dad "Does this cat have a name?" 

Me "No" 

Dad "You should name him Hucklebucklebeanstalk because he is always hiding...then just call him Huck" 

ROFL oh I love my dad!

So dear ol' Hucklebucklebeanstalk *clears throat* I mean Huck is now a full member of End of The Line.  Because if Dad names it, it stays.  

Creating new Habits?

Well so I kind of made it happen this morning :)

I did end up feeding horses, goats & cat and cleaned the goat pen first too. Then I heated up my cinnamon bun (yum) and headed out on the deck.

I dont need to go anywhere for vacation when I take the time to actually relax at home!  look at this view

My mom is passionate about landscaping.  Its more then a hobby to her.  Its like her second love (first being my dad of course :) )

So lets see if I can repeat tomorrow :D

Angie and Lola

Just a random picture of 2 of my girls
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

So does Fickle Rhyme with Tickle to you?

Some of you may read on and say "Well she has never been in a relationship before so she has no idea"  while the part about not being in a guy girl relationship maybe true I have and still am in relationships all the time so I do have an idea and I am a girl and this is from my girl prospective.

I want to know why is it that everytime there is a realtionship issue amongs my brothers or cousins its the girls fault.  Oh wait they are all guys! And the biggest thing I have learned with guys is they lack the ability to take responsibility.

It urks me to no end to hear words like "she was just to imature" or "being a fickle female"  "she is playing mind games" etc etc

So the girl who is the same age as this young man is the imature one?  Since when did things change and guys start maturing faster then girls?  We all know that guys mature slower.....is this their fault? No, not that I am aware of.  Its the way they were created.

Fickle huh?  I think you use that word guys just because it starts with an F and fits with female.  So you want me to start saying mature male?  In your dreams!

I take offense to those of you who have recently made it out to being "the girls fault"  You put us all down in that generalizing statement and I am just plain tired of it!

With that out of the way I will continue:
Whatever happened to good honest communication?  If you really care for someone you dont leave them in the dark (that goes for girls and guys a like!)

In this new age of texting, Facebook, Blogging, this social networking that is less social then picking up the phone, going on a date, hanging out at the beach or seeing a movie together...thats true socializing.  You think you know the person you care about?  Then spend some time work on a project together.  Be it yard cleaning for your parents, a neighbor or doing missions work, build something useful or cleaning out a junk room/closet.  DO something together.  The best way to really know someone is to see them when they dont look all put together, dont have the fancy clothes, make up, hairgel and they dont smell pretty (I live with a house of boys I know!). This seems like a "well duh" kind of thing to me but in todays day in age its extremely lacking in the realtionship building faze.

Put that communication to the test. Work through each process by talking it through, dont just expect the individual you are with (or individuals, its always fun to be with others and make a party out of work ;) ) to know what you want them to do just because it seems like the logical next step in your estimation.

Skip texting for a day -- pick up the phone to that ear and SPEAK.  I know you can, you talk into that microphone while playing PS3 or Xbox 360.  And when someone leaves you a message -- dont text a response, call them back.  Tone of voice, inflections and just the honest voice to ear conversation that will ensue is much more rewarding then a simple text left in your inbox.

We let our emotions take control of our relationships way to much.  We take offense to things said and dont make the effort to seek reconciliation because it requires humbling ourselves and dare I say appologizing for the way we treated the other individual that hurt them (intentionally or unintentionally).  Who have you reached out to today? Purposefully?  Are you really that perfect of a person that you havent hurt anyone?

NEVER get in someone else' business.  If you arent part of the problem or part of the solution dont participate!  You only make things worse by portraying your impression of the situation when relaying information.  What good does it do for the individuals involved?  The Bible says in proverbs "dont take the dog by the ears"  good way to remember not to stick your nose where it doesnt belong.  It will come back to bite you.

We have all heard the saying "its not you its me"  while that particular statement may have validity in some circomstances....if you feel the need to say it, then you obviously dont care enough for the person as you think you do.  Anyone that truly cares about you will want to know the details of how you feel inferier or what is causing the lack of communication.  And if you really care you will want that person to know too.  Hiding it away with such statements makes you look highschool drama queen and not ready for a serious relationship.  If you are doing it for attention......dont expect to get it (guys run for the hills).  Rather you might say something like "I am dealing with some issues that are not related to how I feel about you. I would love to talk to you about them so you know whats going on in my life, but I dont want to burden you with them"  This leaves the opportunity for the person to ask the questions and get to know you better and be a champion of your cause.  They will want to make you feel secure about yourself and walk alongside you in the process.  To deny them this opportunity is to tell them "you arent good enough for me"  it will drive them away instead of draw them closer as you deeply desire.

DO NOT play mind games.  Yah girls have a terrible repuation for making it hard on guys to "figure you out"  some say its playing hard to get. I say its stupidity plain and simple.  You dont want it done to you.....dont do it to them.  Guys are insecure as it is about being rejected.  We hold a lot of power girls, dont over use it.  This usually happens during the "early stages" of a relationship but can surface later too if the girl is having second thoughts about her commitment.  Its a natural response but one that needs to be overcome so that a proper foundation can be created.  One built on trust and communication not on fickle emotions that are fleeting.

So while I take offense ..... guys do have a point.  We girls need to rise up and change the tied if we ever want to be know less as fickle females and more as stable individuals worthy of being persued.  Who am I kidding right? :P  In all honesty this isnt something we can do on our own.  We need to seek the Lord God above for the strength and courage to jump out of our natural responses and find our security in Him and not in our boyfriend or even other friends in our lives. Maybe flickle will just ryhm with tickle in all our minds.

Old Habits Die Hard

so I am laying in my bed wide awake thinking grandiose thoughts of getting up early and drinking a cup of hot chocolate, reading my bible on the deck, checking TGS on my lap top, maybe taking a walk/run in the early morning air.

HAHA who am I kidding!  over 7 years ago this morning bird turned into a night owl.  Ive been told its unfair to blame the individual who actually played the biggest part in my change of sleeping and waking habits.  Now how can that be? We all know its not my fault or anything.

Well a friend is in desperate need of a little assistance in the morning and already 5 mornings out of my week I really need to be up before 8am - shocking huh? - so I am going to try.....tomorrow to get to bed earlier so I can work on changing these old habits.  Its not like I haven't tried before.  Or even had the motivation........but we all know old habits die hard.

Have you ever tried to sip slowly on a cup of hot chocolate while 5 goats are screaming "ma, ma, ma" and the dogs are barking because they see you and expect to be fed?  Have you tried to read a laptop screen outside in the sunlight?  I always end up feeding the dogs, quieting the goats by plugging them with hay, stopping to check emails and forums, blogs, you name it and by then my "peaceful" morning is off and going so I don't want to stop and smell the roses. I just want to keep going, be productive!

Somewhere in all this I need to just STOP and do just that and relax.  Everything that needs doing can wait 30-60 min while I just refresh myself for the day ahead.

Here's to early mornings and quiet times.

Kitty Cat update

and yes no name yet -- must decide on one soon.

So yesterday I put food in the dish and I hear a cry.  I listen again and call "Kitty Cat" and I hear it again.  He was under the barn and came out when I poked my head down to see.  YAY we made progress :D

So I picked him up and took him inside to the food where he became a happy kitty very fast.

Last night I didnt see him but I figured he was all right.

This morning still no Kitty but food was gone again.

Tonight I called to him, no answer.  Then as I was feeding the girls I see this black head poking up looking at me from outside the barn.  Once done feeding the girls their hay I returned - no cat.  So I called to him as I knelt near the barn where he was hiding.  He came out and was rubbing all over me and of course crying at me like "how could you subject me to those crazy ladies" haha

He then did was I was SO hoping for - he gave me a little purr.  Its not a loud as my deceased Precious' purr.  Hers sounded like her brain was rattling inside her head. but its almost like a growl its very deep.  I was estatic that he purred and I cuddled him (which he didnt like to much) and then fed him again.

He is missing hair on his ears more then when he first arrived.  Will need to treat him with frontline and possibly do some VetRx in/on his ears just in case of mites.

well thats the updated adventures of Kitty Cat.  I think I may just call him KC  what do you think?  oh boy im retarded I know

The adventures of "Kitty Cat"

So it all started one evening at dinner when mom said "we have a problem with mice in the shed" and I followed up with "yah and a mouse problem in the barn."  "we need a cat" mom said.

Off on a search I began - straight to the internet :P  Craigslist is great so I checked for cats needing a home quick and for free etc but everyone wanted me to get two - as if a cat needs a buddy! And some were to young like 5 week olds - to much commitment.

Finally I sort of gave up on Craiglist and wasnt sure where to look - I had put up an add looking for a barn cat, again same kind of results.  Then a month after putting up the add a lady contacts me from Staten Island NY.  She rescues cats from NYC and spays/neuteres them and then rehomes.

We narrowed down to 1 cat and she delivered him to my home yesterday.  Poor thing was scared stiff of the goats, chickens, crickets etc.  Nothing like the city life he was use to!

I placed him in a crate to keep him from running away (we are surrounded by woods) and he didnt seem to happy in there so I let him out a couple times and all he wanted to do was hide.

The goats were snorting at him and not so happy about this new tenant.  Last night he spent the night in an open cage inside the kidding stall.  Poor guy I felt bad so I decided to let him out on a leash, darn those breakaway collars....he got "stuck" under the barn.

I was panicking all day because I didnt know if he would come out when I was around or if he would take off when no one was looking. Each time I checked on him he was still there.  Around dusk I moved his food dish near where he was.  A couple hours later (had to run to pick my little sister up from Girl Scouts) he was nowhere to be found under the barn.  Food was eaten so I feared the worse that he was gone for good :(

I decided to look against hope the he had found his way IN the barn.  And he had!  What a relief.  He seems happy and content hiding behind the buckets of feed.  But soon he will acclimate and now that I know he knows how to get in and out I am not so fearful of him running away.  He obviously know where safety was and went on his own.

Soon this Kitty Cat will have a name.  But I cant seem to find something that suits him.  And no I am not one to name after color.  He is really glossy black with beautiful green eyes!

:P

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Off with a bang

So summer is just about over.  At work everyone is talking as if it IS over.  But thats only because they have kids in school and well I don't so to me as long as its warm and the calendar still says its summer it shall be summer in my mind!

But I must say this summer has been a good one. I wasnt so sure as it started out but it turned out pretty good.

I learned to kayak and the other night mom and I went out on Atsion lake, it was fun.

We were able to go to the Outer Banks for a week.  That proved much more fun then I anticipated and I got the darkest tan I have ever gotten in my life!

My goats did well in the shows - With my "home grown doe" End of the Line Charming Ziva taking Grand Champion Junior doe at the Harmony show. 

 Shown here with her best of breed ribbon at the Summer Heat show.

Mid summer Dad, Mom, Scott and I went to Wildwood and saw fireworks - I LOVE fireworks

And this summer I turned 25 - YIKES!  

We had our share of sadness too.  My "uncle" Paul Skeens went to Heaven on July 4th 

He is greatly missed by his wife and kids. 

I lost a goat which I had purchased.  I was so excited about her but it just wasnt meant to be.  

Love you Secret RIP

Kash my horse decided to be stupid and spooked and injured himself -- wont bore you with pictures again.  But I am happy to report that he is doing 100% better and all the skin has grown back.  Now just waiting for hair to grow in and you wouldnt even know what he did!

All in all God is good, I will praise Him even in the storms.