August 25, 2010

more goodness

In the way of an update,
we have lots of praises - again.

I don't have a 'before' photo handy, but for those of
you who knew this "garage" in it's last life...
you will have to agree - it has seen some change.

The inside's looking pretty different too.

It's definitely on the small side, but I guess it's kind of
funny when you stop and think about how much room
Americans think they have to have...

This is going to cut our cleaning duties big time. :)

We got our phone lines moved today,
and enjoyed hearing about how terrifying our rooster is.
A guy came out a few days ago to mark with flags,
and evidently he carried back a story about
our scary chickens...
The guys who came today were pretty concerned;
that first guy was an Ex-Marine...

Just imagine a chicken that could scare him.

Yep. That would be Ludwig;
He's pretty benign actually.
We just keep him for the fun of seeing Ex-Marines
running around backwards.
Must be those piercing red eyes;
we're not really sure.

More along the lines of praises -
God blessed us with a load of free peaches today.
We are known for keeping our eyes out for unwanted
fruit trees, and have been watching these peaches.
We made an inquiry, and today received the call
that they were free for the taking.

So we did...
Another entirely unexpected blessing -
due to several mistakes that were made regarding our
counter-top order, we found out today, we will
be getting the top we were dreaming about for
much, much, less than we would have paid for ones we
liked less, but were cheaper.

God is so good to us.

5 comments:

Laura said...

Good Morning Miss Kate!
Thank you so much for posting about goats on my blog...I truly appreciate your advice! We are going to check out some more goat farmers at the Windsor fair next week...hopefully I might even meet someone looking for a home for their goats!
So sorry to hear about your house...but I love how your new place is coming along! God is so good...He takes care of us and provides...just when we need it most. I'm so glad that your family is able to stay on your land...what are you planning to do with the house? Will you be tearing it down?
Oh, and the rooster! I can soooooo relate! We had a crazy bard rock a few years ago...notice I said "had"...who loved, or perhaps didn't love is a better description, the color "pink". So, being the only female in my household...I was his prime target. Did I ever tell you how much I love chicken soup?
I'm looking forward to seeing your finished pictures...I can imagine how relieved your momma and dad will be when it is all done and you are moved in.
Two questions...I loved your blog on the eggs...we are running into the same issue now with our new hens...too many eggs for a family of 5. I'm going to try the canning...but I find that when I hard boil fresh eggs...they just don't peel very well...do you have any tips on this? Second question...do you have a favorite goat milk soap recipe that you can share? I have several but I always like to ask those who have been successful with soap just what they used for a recipe.
All for now, we are picking corn today to freeze for winter.
Have a blessed day,
Mrs. Laura

Laura said...

Hi, it's me again!
Just got your comment over on my blog...how about a trip to Maine to help me pick out the best "momma"? I would love to have a "seasoned farmerette" help me choose! Or maybe, just maybe you have one for sale and you deliver??? Come on now, you're really not that far away...does your family like seafood? (if you didn't "catch" on...I'm trying to bribe you with lobsters, crabmeat, and clams!)

Hope you have a fabulous day!
Mrs. Laura

Kate said...

Hello! :) At this point, yes, it looks like the house is going to have to be torn down. We're not quite sure when or how yet - but it's going to have to be soon.

When I was little, we had a turkey that had an issue with anything Red... Which was a problem for me - because my chore boots were red... :)

As far as boiled eggs... That's always been a huge issue for us too. The results are so unpredictable! This last time I - 1. Waited for the eggs to get about a week old, (I've heard that fresh eggs don't peel well.) 2. Washed them, and then refrigerated them. (They keep really well on the counter top in a basket if they've never been chilled, but I realized chilling them might make a difference in how they peel...it seemed to.) 3. Let them sit at room temperature for a few hours before boiling. 4. I went by the directions of a French chef :) - and he said not to let them boil hard - just a gentle boil, on med. heat. 5. Once they are boiling - let them cook for about six-seven minutes. 6. He said to immediately put them in ice water. This method worked surprisingly well. I maybe only had three egg 'fatalities' out of about 30. Not bad. :)

Email me at goodnessandmayhem(at)gmail(dot)com - and I will send you the recipes for the eggs and soap.

Kate said...

Oops! I published my last comment just moments after you left the second comment! :) Mom's all for that idea - she loves seafood. :) That would be a lot of fun... Too bad we can't squeeze it into our schedule anytime real soon, probably not as soon as you'd like to get a goat... We sold our last goat about a year ago - I still miss them!

Christianna said...

Kate, I just had to tell you. You take beautiful pictures! =)