Welcome to March!

When I think of March, I get a tingling hope of Spring. This past week has given us a glimpse of Spring with new life. Two of our does freshened, each with a healthy set of twins.

Mary cleaning one of her kids

Ruby cleaning one of her kids

 The first doe, Mary, one of my first two originals, freshened with a buck and doe. Ruby followed the next day with a beautiful set of twin does. Thankfully, I was able to be present for their births. Ruby did wonderful delivering her first doe, but the second one took her sweet time and then ended up being stuck in the wrong position. I had to reach in and rearrange her a bit so that she could make her grand entrance into the world. As nervous and impatient as I get around kidding season it also gives me feelings of joy, hope, wonder, amazement, and awe. I can't put into words how blessed I feel to witness these births and each time it is so special to me.

Mary and her kids

Ruby and her kids

I am eager to for Spring to get here, as we have decided to once again raise a small flock of chickens for eggs and this year will dabble in raising meat rabbits as well. Our garden last year produced so much that I had wished I knew how to can. This year my goal is to do some research and learn to can so I can save our harvest and lower our grocery bill. I am also very excited for the apple trees to fill once again. I found an awesome recipe for apple pie last year and it tasted especially divine using our very own apples. We also have a cherry tree, which I didn't take advantage of last year but I hope to figure out something to do with the cherries as well.


What are your plans for Spring? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it, plus I'd love some tips about raising rabbits!

Have a wonderful day dear followers!

I've briefly introduced you to my goat adventures, but I figured I would give you all a glimpse of my whole starter herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, which includes 2 does and 2 bucks. 


"Dyna" as we call her is the Diva and the spunky one out of the group. She loved to run and play and kick up her heels. She is bold and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. Dyna tends to do pretty well at shows, she placed 2nd in her class at our first show and 1st in her class at the second show plus was awarded Reserve Champion Junior Doe. She seems to mature faster than my other doe and I hope that she milks well in the future! Big Sister insists that Dyna is "HER" goat.



"Mary" is a sweet quiet girl. She is go with the flow and easy to get along with. She loved to run and place but seems to be more interested in her surroundings and exploring. She seems to be a little slower to develop than Dyna and hasn't placed as well as in her first two shows. The older she gets it seems like her body is catching up. I plan to breed her much later than I will with Dyna, so that she has plenty of time to mature into a great milker. Little Sister insists that Mary is"HER" goat.


"Joey" is my shy boy. He isn't too wild about human contact, but will tolerate it. I wasn't sure if I would like him when I first bought him, but he is really growing on me, I like him build and his resilience. His dam raised triplets, so I am hopeful that he will pass on some nice milk genetics.

"Johnny" was a bottle baby growing up and boy can you tell it. He is like a puppy dog and will follow me everywhere. He is very friendly and just loves Big Sister. He will eat ANYTHING that a human gives him, even icky medicine that the other goats fight me with. He appears to have more of a dairy build than Joey and his dam was a good milker, so I am hopeful that he will pass on nice milk genetics as well. 

I would like to get another doe, maybe a yearling, after winter to round out the herd a bit. I plan on breeding my girls next year for summer kids. If I am blessed with a doeling I will be keeping a doeling from each of my does and selling any other kids (assuming I can part with them, I know I will fall in love!) I can't wait to start milking and making soap and cheese! I have been doing a lot of research so that I am prepared once the milk starts flowing.

We have a show coming up mid September and this time we will be taking the boys as well. I am new to goats so I am curious as to what the judges think of my little bucks!

Have a wonderful evening dear followers!

Well, last month I decided to show my goats at an American Dairy Goat Association sanctioned show about an hour away, but their time is an hour ahead of us. These are my first goats and I have never shown an animal my entire life, but I figured I might as well jump in with both feet. I loaded up the van at 4:00 A.M., yes people 4:00 A.M., and headed to pick up a friend of mine who has shown goats before. I am not a morning person, so, I kind of forgot a lot of things... like chairs, our puppy exercise pen since I wasn't sure if my goats could fit through their gates or not, shavings and ice for the cooler. I got gas, paid for the ice then forgot to get it, silly me. Had to make a quick pit stop to pick up shavings for the stall, thank goodness there was one bag left on the shelf!

After making pit stops for gas and shavings, then taking the wrong turn and going about 3 miles out of the way, we finally arrived about 7:35A.M. their time. We were just 5 minutes late, but so were a few others and they were still registering goats, so all was good. We got the girls unloaded and set up in their stall, the gates were wide enough they could just fit through them, so instead of enjoying the show we were baby sitting the whole day and taking turns if a breed came up that we wanted to see. Our class didn't start until 5:30 P.M., yes P.M. people. It was a very very very long day. It was a neat experience, I wasn't sure I wanted to show again after that long day but I met some more cool crazy goat people and they convinced me to take my girls to a show at the end of this month. I will be more prepared this time and I won't have to get up as early since it is local.

My girls hanging out in their stall at the show!

Overall, it was fun but exhausting. My Gold, Blue eyed doe, Prairie Wood Golden Dynasty "Dyna" placed 2nd out of 6 in her class. My Chamiosee colored doe, Prairie Wood Mariposa Vistosa "Mary" placed 6th in the same class. The judge was picking long bodied does all day and I knew Dyna woukd do much better because she is the longer bodied of the two. The girls had tough competition but I was pleased with how well they did all day and weren't stressed at all.  They just kind of went with the flow.

I have to admit, I am totally into this owning goats thing, they are so fun! I am sure there are many more adventures to come and I just can't wait until the are old enough to breed and milk!

I'm thinking Big Sister is totally into the goats too! :)

Have a great day dear followers!

The fields are growing thick with grass and the weather is staying consistently warm. I am so very glad that Spring has finally decided to arrive! I know that the girls are loving it too, since we can go outside pretty regular now. They love playing outside and visiting the horses. A lot has been going on at the farm and I figured that I would give an update, since I can't remember the last time I did one.

We tore down the little red barn next to the house, it was a sad sad sight, but it had to come down before it fell down and hurt someone. The good news is that we salvaged some of the exterior red pieces of wood and decorated the office and med room in the main barn with it. It looks amazing and so rustic!

We still have several really nice horses that are looking for homes. We adopt anywhere in the US, so if you are looking for a horse to love, check out some of ours, here.

The goats are no longer coming into the house at night. They are outside 24/7, doing great, and enjoy it. The girls and I take them for walks as often as we can. They are both learning to walk on a leash, I hope to take them to a couple shows in June, but we will see if I can get them ready in time. I have no idea what I am doing so we will either rock the show or at least provide the entertainment.


Speaking of the goats, I decided to name my little hobby farm Twinkle Little Farm. Big Sister is learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old McDonald and sometimes mixes up the words. She was singing one day and said "Twinkle Little Farm" and I just fell in love with it. So, because my daughters were such a big part of my decision to get goats and more specifically Nigerian Dwarf Goats, I decided that it was only right that the girls be a part of naming the farm.

My geese decided they wanted to sit on their eggs, so I let them. I wasn't sure if they would actually hatch, but I figured I would let them try. Well, Mr. Goose is fertile and all my Girly Geese are great brooders because I now have three little goslings under a heat lamp on my porch. I was afraid they would get snatched by wildlife so I decided they were safer on the porch then outside with mom. There probably should have been 6 of them, but 2 were either squished or attacked by the geese and the one egg was busted before it was baking. The girls love playing with the goslings, Little Sister is a little too rough and I really have to watch so she doesn't squeeze their little necks too hard. Big Sister is great with them and I am pretty sure they love her too, or at least think she is "Mom."

We are still working on the new house, it seems to be taking FOREVER! I never knew how hard it was to find GOOD Contractors and good construction workers. I hope and pray we are in the house by Big Sister's 4th Birthday. Most of the drywall in the new section is in, so God willing I will be choosing paint next week. Any suggestions?

Wow, if I were a super blogger, I probably would have been able to split this post into several, but that is not how I roll, hehe!

God Bless and have a wonderful day dear followers!

Please give a warm welcome to my new babies!

A couple posts back I introduced the idea of getting goats. Well, I am proud (I think) to inform you all that I am just a couple days away from beginning my journey to become a crazy goat lady. I bought 2 adorable little doelings from a farm in New Mexico. I had planned on them arriving in late May, however oddly enough it was going to cost more for them to be shipped ground by a transport company than by air, so they will be here Friday. Crazy, right?

I have been reading everthing I can get my hands on about raising goats. The poor breeder is probably wishing she never agreed to sell the doeling to me because I have been emailing her several times a day with questions. I have been gathering supplies and such to make their arrival as comfortable and stress free as possible. I still have a few more things to get done, but I feel confident that this is going to be a great experience.

Check back soon because I plan on sharing lots and lots of photos!

Have a wonderful day dear followers,

It may not be surprising that my husband affectionately calls me "Ellie Mae" from the Beverly Hillbillies when I bring up wanting to add a new addition to the farm. My adventures in poultry raising has been...interesting. Rural King is my worst enemy in the spring, as they faithfully have the cutest day old chicks, ducklings, and goslings, every year. Don't get me started on auctions, I brought home a calf in the back of my dear sweet husband's van once, as well.

So, when I admit that I have been researching goats for a while now, this will probably not be surprising as well. I am really interested in making goat's milk soaps, especially after purchasing some online. I became even more intrigued as I learned about raw milk benefits for my girls.

Well, a couple days ago, I decided to bring up goats to my husband, again. You see, this isn't the first time we have discussed it, last year's adventures at the Petting Zoo really brought the idea to the forefront of my mind. As we get closer and closer to finishing the house, I feel like it is something we need to do, for our family. Maybe I caught him on an off day, because my husband said yes and he even is making suggestions on where to put their pasture and shelter!

I have decided that I want to start with a pair of Dwarf Nigerian does for milking and as pets. I chose this breed for their ability to produce a nice amount of milk for their size and because I think that they will be small and docile enough that the girls can enjoy them as well.

So, I am in the planning process, trying to decide on pasture/shelter size (alloting for babies in the future) that won't put too much strain on our budget.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Have a wonderful day dear followers!