Keep your dreams to yourself.... please.

Since we moved into our country home on all both of our acres much of our lives has changed.
Have you ever heard of the book

Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow

? We got it from the library on our last book run.


I am Mrs. Wow. Totally. It is a silly little story about a woman who never wanted a cow but found out that a cow would actually benefit her in many ways. (That is a totally paraphrased version and I suggest you looking it up for yourself if you would like some light reading sometime.) :)

I never wanted a cow. In fact, I always said that I would never marry a farmer because of the stink I would have in the backyard. It's true. And here I am with 24 chickens and a cow. Fancy that. And after telling all of you out there in the blogging world about our great #59, I had many people let me know that we were living their dream. Well I have one thing to say about that: Apparently I am living your dream cuz it certainly ain't mine!

We are getting a bit better with the routine. I still think a cow is a great addition to our little Watchthesky farm adventure. #59 is supplying Seven & her clan along with our family with more than enough milk. We all think its great.

Now I'll let you in on something new. I have officially lost my mind. I caved and gave the go ahead to hubby to get a dog for our son who is having a birthday this week. I, the submissive wife that I am, let my husband bring a dog home.
Here she is.



Her name is Chica. She was named by her former owners and the birthday boy likes the name so it stays.

As soon as she walked through the door the training began. I am a newspaper trainer.

Again, the submissive wife that I am, let hubby know that his newspaper training wasn't good enough for me and I took over. I've been down the doggy road before and I will not repeat the same mistakes. No no. Chica isn't allowed past the kitchen and this rolled up newspaper is serving as a little reminder for her. I love it when things are black & white. :)

So here we go again. I'm sure I'm living someone else's dream. :)

Confessions of a milk maid.

Since purchasing #59 life has taken on new flare.
Would it be extreme to say that life is out of control??
No, I think not.

Something has to change and I've been desperately trying to think of some other way to change besides what I know is necessary. No, I'm not quitting blogging. I don't do that much anymore anyway. Really I'm the one that should quit and

the one who really knows how to write and spell

should be blogging instead. But we've got it backwards. :)

When we brought that cow home everyone told us how much work it would be. It is true that it takes a chunk out of your day, but taking care of a cow is not that hard, especially if you are sharing the work between two people. It is the consumption of time that I'm having a hard time dealing with. Here's a list of things that are falling by the wayside just because life is busy and I'm getting tired:
*Early risers are not known around here anymore. I love the idea of being up and my day started by 6:30am, but I'm just lazy in the morning. That chilly winter morning air doesn't help either.
*Housework is becoming more and more of a chore. Would someone please tell me where I can get some very cheap help for household duties!? I already know the answer to that one and my next problem will explain it.
*I've lost my ambition to keep my kids busy and train them in their jobs around the home.
*School is very hard to get started each day. The mornings that I take care of the cow means that school may not start until just before lunch.
*I've been getting lazier and lazier with meal preparation. Cooking is not one of my favourite things to do in the best of times, when time is limited and there is already a mess in the kitchen from lack of housework being done I really don't feel like pulling out the pots and pans.
*Reading the Book Reviews Friday Bible reading with the kids hasn't happened for a while. Daddy reads Proverbs with them each night, but that's all they are getting. Not good. I also am reading less and less. I just get tired.
*And of course, because of all of the above we are seeing really bad attitudes making their way into our home. Everyone is grumpy because mommy is tired and grumpy and not doing all the things she should.

Happy happy thoughts eh!? It hasn't been all misery. I'm just noticing these things are starting to take root and I'd like to nip it in the bud. All these things were there, and I knew it. It was in reading Romans that I saw things even more clearly. (See previous post).

Now the things I know that have to change is this:
*Mommy needs to get up early and get right to work whether she wants to or not.
*Mommy needs to do her Bible reading with the kids, and not only will they be learning Scripture as they should but mommy will get her reading done at the same time.
*Mommy needs to make a game plan for each day. Give each child the chores they need to do and see to it that they are done properly.
*Mommy needs to plan ahead and get back into the habit of bi-weekly menu's and grocery lists.
*Mommy needs to plan ahead for school and have lesson plans all drawn out the night before.
*Mommy needs to have a great attitude and pass that same attitude on to her kids.
*Mommy needs to get really fast at milking #59. Hubby can do it in 13 minutes flat. Mommy hasn't timed herself but is sure that she can do it that quickly too. :)

Life is busy. I'm not complaining, its a good life that we've chosen. #59 is just another way God is stretching us and preparing us for future use. I just need to get orgainized so that I learn my lessons from God faster.

I have conquered.

I milked #59. Oh yes, I did. To all of you who thought I couldn't do it I took a picture of the finished product as proof.

I cleaned the stall, fed and watered the cow... and then it was time to milk it.
Really there was no problem getting the milk out, that was easy. It's my aim that I need to work on. That jar is supposed to be full and maybe a bit besides, and it would have been full but.... all the milk that is not in the picture is nicely soaked into the knee and sleeve of my coveralls and the shirt and jeans underneath.

Now don't roll your eyes at me too much over that, It's not entirely my fault. #59, or Twink I should say, has chapped teats that are causing multi-directional spraying while milking. It was as messy as it sounds.

But its done. My hands, shoulders, and legs are killing me, but the milking has been done 3 times in a row by yours truly.

Party details.

So, just how does one go about throwing a 'Have A Cow' party??? I thought you'd never ask!

If you ask my family to come to a party you really don't need to plan anything, they are the party. :) So we started by letting the Grandparents, cousins, & friends (the friends being the ones who informed us of a cow for sale in the first place) know when the cow was arriving, and then planning a potluck lunch directly after said delivery. The rest just took care of itself as you shall see.

The cow was due between 11 & 12. The cousins arrived around 9:30, no one wanted to miss a thing. Grammie arrived after 10 and the friends I mentioned made it just in time for the potluck to begin. I've already shared a couple pic's with you, but here are a few more. :)

Here is some dip that I whipped up before hand. Just beat 2 avacados, add a bit of sour cream to make creamy, and stir in 1 or 2 Tbsp of ranch seasoning mix. Mister man it was good!!

We have punch at nearly every family get together. If you want a fail proof punch recipe look no further. Just combine 1 can frozen juice concentrate (I like raspberry) and poor in 1 1/2 - 2 bottles of 7up. That tastes great, but to really make it yummy add a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. It'll make it a sure hit. :)

We had lots of good food from everyone. My neice made the 'Have a Cow' peanut butter cake which you can see in my previous post. Soooo good! And, I flatter myself, my #59cupcakes were pretty good as well. :) Everyone was excited to bring cow-ish things....

Grammie brought some yummy squares decorated with a cutie cow. As everyone arrived she had them write their names on paper for a prize draw. The draw was for the cutie cow on the squares, which was really a 'grow a cow'. Shortly after our meal she drew a name out of our brand new milking pail and one of my little guys ended up winning. :)

Then #59's arrival is announced with happy yells and lots of chaos from 13 people trying to find their boots, coats, mittens and head outside so as not to miss any important happenings. It's not everyday a cow gets delivered to your door.

Then mysteriously all the cows on the cake disappeared. One cool aunt had planned a fun surprise...

...there were enough little cows for each of the kids to choose one to take home as a keepsake. Pretty cool I tell ya!


From that point on it was just tidying up, kids playing outside, ladies drinking tea, and visiting the afternoon away. All in all it was a very easy and relaxing day for most of us. Hubby on the other hand was shoveling his guts out just about the whole morning after the storm, and also getting the barn finalized, and milking the cow and everything else that goes with it.He enjoyed it all but... well...he was pretty tired by the end of the day. :)

Would you like to meet her???

Isn't she a gem!? I know you're really jealous now. Don't you all want to run out and buy one of your own?

We had a good day here. We love partying at Watchthesky and this was definitely an excuse to party. Here are a few pic's from our 'Have a Cow' party. :)

A day of grace.

We had a storm day. That's a good thing. It means that #59 could not be delivered until tomorrow. Although we were sorry to have to wait to have a 'cow delivery party', I am sure it was God's act of sympathy for me. Yes, that blizzard we received today was sent just so I could have an extra 24 hours to prepare myself for having a cow. I bet you didn't know it was all about me. :)

I am ready now. I spent my day cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, baking, etc...
Everyone knows that it is much easier to tend to a beast like we are getting if there are fresh cupcakes on the counter and the laundry is caught up, everyone knows.

We may not have #59 in our barn right now but hubby has milked her twice up at the neighbouring farm today. So we have had our own fresh milk today. It was great to open the fridge and see that jar with the cream rising. Love it.



Anyway, hopefully there will be a picture or two of our adventure tomorrow, which I am ready for.
I'm ready. :)

Til the cows come home

It is our very last night as a carefree cowless family. Oh my.

It may not be a big deal to you, but it's not coming to your house! I'm not ready. I think I need to stop reading "The Family Cow" too. Reading how to care for a cow is seeming more and more overwhelming and so I think we'll quit for today & take er as she comes. :)

Hubby is going to the farm for a quick lesson in hand milking (which apparantly the farmer thinks is pretty silly) in the early morning. After that #59, and a couple bales of hay, is due to arrive around 11:00am. As soon as they arrive life as we know it will be changed.

I'll just keep praying.
I think I'll keep chanting to myself too.... "We can do it! We can do it! We can do it!"

My spurt of the moment.

Okay, I'm ready to sell #59. Any takers?? We haven't even officially paid for her yet and I'm tempted to throw in the towel.


I've been reading "The Family Cow" to the kids in preparation for Monday and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed again. I go in spurts. One moment I'm all set and ready for this adventure and the next minute I'm thinking we're insane. Usually the insane feelings come when I'm tired and life is hectic. Cuz, well, life is hectic... and now we're going to have a cow on top of it all! But lets think about the benefits shall we:

* Great character training for each of us as a family.
* Ultimate homeschooling adventure in our backyard.
* Kids learn the importance of working hard and doing a job well whether they feel like it or not.
* I don't have to ration milk anymore to make it last for a week.
* We will have all the milk and butter we want.
* We'll be saving a lot of money (if nothing goes terribly wrong) on milk & butter.
* Our gardens will grow very well with our own home grown manure. (ewwwww!)

There are more benefits but those are the main ones we're thinking of. I'm not going to list the disadvantages because I just might get depressed, and I'm thinking that the value of the benefits totally out-weigh them anyway.

One thing that worries me a bit is that in our book we're reading the author says no one should get a cow if they don't like animals, if you don't have dogs or cats already, and love the idea of having a cow. Mercy, I'm totally unqualified then. Good old #59 is a means to an end for me. I hate animals. They are dirty, smelly, hairy things that cost money and tie you down (just being honest). Hubby isn't excited about getting the huge bulky animal either, just the product she'll produce. That product being two-fold with milk and cream, and also hard working young men.

I have learned in the past few hours that we will be milking at 7am & 5pm everyday, and we won't be purchasing silage. Apparently silage isn't the best buy for just a cow or two, hay is... just in case you wanted to know. :)

#59

I really never thought there would come a day when I would care whether a cow had weak udder suspension or was sickle hocked, but it did. We bought a cow today. Talk about shocking! Our little homeschooling family went down the road a ways to check out a few Jerseys. We were undecided between cow #65 & cow #59, but decided to go with the latter. She's nice.... I think. :) If you had told me a few years ago that I would have chickens, a big garden, and then a cow!!!! I would have laughed in your face. My how things change.

Actually it is a cow shared between families. My sister's troop is in on it too. Our plan is to supply both families with milk, cream, butter and lots of other good stuff with our shared ownership. Call us crazy, but we're doing it anyway. The only thing is that until last night we knew zip about cows. I mean nothing. Zilch. I've been reading up on them and asking a million questions. I've learned many interesting things in the past 24 hours. Things like:
*If you lift a cows tail up it is unable to kick. Good to know.
*They need about 15 gallons of water a day. That means we'll have to carry that much out to her since we don't have plumbing in the barn. Oh joy.
*They are unable to spit.
*They don't see colors.

Not that any of you are interested in cow trivia. :) But besides these facts I am understanding that this is a big undertaking for us and we need to get ready for lots of extra work around here. That means that mommy has to get life organized if she's going to stay sane. My, I have some things to put in order. It doesn't take much to stress me out. The thought of me and my kids and my home smelling like a barn yard is stressful to me.

To relieve this stress my husband and I have plans for the next week. Purging, organizing, and preparing. #59 is being delivered on Monday. I'll let you know how it goes. It's exciting.

I wonder if #59 is excited. hmmmm?