The Sewing Ladies

The sewing ladies hit Moms office big time this past week. The girls love to look through the boxes of fabric that I have stashed in tubs 3 and 4 high...I know it is some sort of fiber issue...LOL. They pull this out and that out...they make believe that this fabric would make a lovely skirt and this makes a wonderful cape...the list goes on all the while I am with them but still able to work...somewhat as it is a rather small space with all of my stash.

Meghan was working on sorting some of the fabrics into types and Julia said she wanted to make a pillow. Julia found a bright orange piece of fabric and a tattered old doily...she said it was just beautiful... We put the fabric on the table so we could cut the orange fabric into a shape...I asked her what shape she wanted? She said a square. She then sat their and said hMM...I know what this could be.

She took the tattered oval doily ..laid it on the pillow top and then ran into the other room for more fabric...got the scissors and came back into the room. She said to me Mommy this can be a sheep...she cut two strips for the legs and then said to me can you help me make a head, ears and a tail...I was so proud of her! She is just 4 1/2 and to realize that I have given her the tools and inspiration to be creative is just so wonderful...it truly makes up for all the times I want to wring her neck...!

I helped her with the other features and then showed her how to pin the pieces to the pillow top. We then sat together at the sewing machine...she kinda lost interest as it took awhile but she still sat next to me and sorted through the gallon jars of thread that I have accquired...another fiber thing!

The next day I gave her some clean babydoll wool that was to short to use and she stuffed her pillow. She hasn't finished as this is probally at least a 20x20 pillow...but it will make a nice project for a day in the office when her sister and brother go back to school! My little blessing...it was a good day!

Dear Sweet Little Abner

Sometimes in life their are special things that come into your life that you don't forsee. This little lamb was one of them

His name was Abner and he was born on a bitter cold night in early March. He wasn't breathing when he was born so I had to revive him with a few swift suctions of his mouth and nose...with my mouth...I know yuck but it was all I had at the moment and I knew time was of the essence. He wasn't strong enough or it was just too cold and he couldn't stand. I tried everthing to get him to nurse but he was just too weak. I milked his Mom and then tubed him with the colostrum...still no luck...mind you the whole time it was freezing and the middle of the night. I then remembered hearing about giving them coffee to jump start them...I did it twice and then got a quilt from the house and put him and me inside of it and sat with him all night until he could stand....Hooray we had victory he slowly started to come around and could stand and nurse! Boy what a great feeling!

He grew we docked his tail and he was so cute! So cute in the way he seemed to toddle from side to side just like a human toddler! It took me a while to realize that he wasn't interacting with the other lambs and kids in the barnyard...mind you he was the only Babydoll that we had born this year..but their were many other types of lambs and kids. Abner stayed with his Mommy alot ...Boy did he love his Mommy, Abigail!

We had the vet come out and take a look at him it seemed to be that his front left leg had some sort of defect in that it turned inward...yet could be palpatated back in place...MMMM. The vet recomended we cast it and see if it would help. We took Abner to the vet and he was sedated and his cast was put on. Abner was in the cast for approx. 5 weeks. He learned how to walk with the cast. We had to keep him up at the barn and make sure he wasn't out in the rain or mud. I'd see raindrops and fling myself outside to get Abner and put him in the barn. A lot of effort but we just knew this little guy needed us!

After about 5 weeks of the cast it seemed like he was having trouble getting up and one morning I found him down in the pasture and he couldn't get up. He was anemic , pale membranes, even though he had been wormed 3 weeks prior. The worms this year have been terrible and very resistant to wormers. We called the vet, we wormed again and she took a fecal sample.

Come to find out he was full of coccidia too...treated him for that. He seemed to be improving but then he started to have trouble standing again. We thought it was the cast. We took him to the vet to have the cast taken off. They discovered he was still full of coccidia. It was the last time I saw him.

The vet was heroic and we thank him for that..he kept him 10 days...hand fed him...treated him for the coccidia with everything they could. The vet even made a special stand with a sling for him to stand in but to no avail. Friday evening, July 31, around 8 the vet called and said I think it's time...I said okay and then handed the phone to my husband...I just couldn't talk anymore.

The vet brought his body around the next morning and my husband buried him under his favorite tree in the pasture. Goodbye little boy

I've put together a little photo album of our farm! This a view of the barn from the house.
This is one of our Great Pyrennes guard dogs with his new haircut!!!

Our newest Babydoll Lamb, Meghan!

Late afternoon snack!

You can't see me can you???

Interior of the new barn.

View from the barn to the road.

Cruzer showing off in his fly mask...LOL!

Looking down the hill at the barn.

Julia in the pasture.

Looking up the hill from the yard.

Looking up to the road from the yard.

The barn from the yard.

Looking down the hill from the road.

Looking up at the back of the house.

Miss Julia showing off!

Me showing off my posies!

Looking from the porch to the pond.

Side view of the house.

The house looking toward the fields and barn.

2009 Mason Dixon Fair

Tuesday July 8, 2009 some pictures of the kids with their goats at the Mason Dixon Fair! It is a lot of fun and the kids learn alot of important lessons! It is hard work. We take the animals to the fair on Sunday evening...get them settled, fed , watered and then we leave them their and go home. We come back Monday morning to feed and water, Monday night to feed and water and talk with fairgoers! Tuesday morning we come back to feed and water and then the show is Tuesday. The kids won lots of ribbons and even a trophy for Ben! Premiums too to add to the feed bill!!! LOL We come back Wednesday morning to feed and then the goats are released after the fair is over at 11pm...Yess! 11pm we have to muck the pens and then haul them home...UGGH its the best part :)!

Ashlee Blevins,my girlfriends granddaughter , another child, my Meghan and Ben.

The little ones are allowed to show in halter!

The judge was Diane Kelly...she was great! We hope she comes back next year!

Ben and his goat Snow!

The kids have a great time and feel very important!

They make lasting friendships! Julia is in the orange she is wearing Meghans shirt from last year!

The older ones help the younger ones with holding their goats and making sure everyone is included!

EAGMA 2009

Sometimes when you are hot, sweaty and have been bent over for a period of time your pictures don't exactly turn out the best! What was the best was I placed first and second with Snow and Aurora at this years EAGMA 2009 show in West Virginia the weekend of June 12, 13 and 14th! They are two of my kid does that I entered in the Red Card class.

Pictures of other exhibitors and their goats!

The girls were adorable!
We even had several vendors to ogle as well!

I took a wonderful class from Phylleri Ball of Steam Valley Fiber Farm on dyeing with natural dyes! I learned alot and came home with a ton of ideas!

BARACK SALE PRICE 350

SEBASTIAN SALE PRICE 350
SHREK SALE PRICE 350

THESE ARE PICTURES OF THE BUCKLINGS WE HAVE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. ALL ARE FRIENDLY EVEN TEMPERED GOATS. THEY ARE REGISTRERED WITH REGISTERED RED PARENTS.

Off to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Yippee!!

Ohhh can't wait off to MD Sheep and Wool tomorrow!! Just figured out how to make two sided buisness cards...what rocket science!! but I did it!! I want to work on getting my name out there as a really cool fiber farm with tons...remember folks tons of mohair or insulation as the grumpy farmer calls it! I also want to encourage other indie fiber artists and fiber farms to participate in Phatfiber. It has beeen the best thing that has happened to my buisness...sales in March doubled...I've learned a ton of new marketing ideas and have gained new friends! What could be better money and friendship...LOL will blog about festival next week.