Around the farm with some UPS and *DOWNS*

Feeding time with Wilbur and Wallie

Can be a challenge sometimes and can have me laughing so HARD !!!
If they get a chance to get their snouts in my Black Bucket I'm holding and believe me they WILL:)
They have gotten so so fast and strong .
Then thats when the laughter begins ,with me trying to get that Black bucket from them. Sometimes until they are ready for a water break I just have to hold on tight till they let it go ! I forsee me coming back to the house with a good dose of PIG MANURE on
My Bottom End !

I must be doing something right thou because they have fat little tummies. There was a week or 2 they just didnt seem to want to eat then I read an article about them being known as Eggsuckers so I started putting 2 eggs  in there feed a 2x day and boy did they start eating UP ! Now I just give 1 egg a feeding and split the eggshells from our breakfast with them and the chickens. They have really started Growing . I could stay down there with them all day just watching them.It's funny when the pigs here me talking in our back yard they start Squealing to tell me Come down here to Our Pen and stay with US:)
Ya know you can do alot of thinking down there with them!!
To me its just so Peaceful under the trees watching them.



Meet Double "D"
What a cute Buck Dusty brought me.
He came with an awesome homemade big pen.
Show pics soon.
I still have a long way to go on learning the in and outs of Raising Rabbits .
On the down side for the Farm our 5 little newborns didn't make it:(
I got 2 bred momas right now thou due around Sept.9th.
One bred by Double D and one bred by Thumper



The Chickens have Grown so much
its unreal to me how fast they have grown.
We move their Pen about every 4 days to have new Grass.
Having 2 tiny poodles of 13 years ,we can't let them roam around the farm.We have had one snapping at the pen for a week before I broke that behavior.

This is a Sunflower that come up from some Chickens left over lunch of Black Oil sunflower seeds.
I think it just looks so beautifully placed there:)
We don't have a rooster at this time, so we have
officialy bought our FIRST bag of Laying Mash.
I sooooo want a Rooster .

The work on the Man Barn Continues
My Cottage Barn will come someday lol
Course knowing me I will invade that Man Barn more than once ;)
One the left side of this barn the Chickens will have a new run and a great place to lay eggs.

I have been picking the Roses for more Rose Petal jelly
got a batch in the fridge soaking for 24hours as we speak
LOVE THIS JELLY

Beautiful Red Layers
I think the cold Coffee and Banana Peels have reallly been helping them grow better

Just so Delicate looking
I hope to add some new color roses soon

Our GrandDaughters first day of Preschool

Last Wednesday I joined my Daddy on my very First Cow Sale!
Now that I am staying at home watching over the Farm fulltime the Pecan season has become my income.
This year our trees are in their off season but I am so hoping i can bring in enough to purchase my first cow.

I so Enjoyed the Auction
But let me just tell ya
COWS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH RIGHT NOW !!!!!
Even calfs are going for $500.00+
I will do extremely good if I manage one at that price with our expected low yeild of pecans this year.

These 2 beauties were born last weekend
beautiful in color and we were thrilled but
there were some problems and they didn't make it :(
Farm life can be hard!

Our nanny left them
and we didn't catch the birth in time
hubby worked with her ,she had a blocked tit
and the babies by the time we found them were too weak:(
I have alot of reading to do on goats and being better prepared next time. We thought about selling her but have decided we would breed her one more time .
Guess if my pecan season yields too low on income I can pick up a few new nannies ,I truly love the LaMancha Breed they are just so sweet natured and suppose to be great milkers .Hoping my son will get working on that milk stand soon or I'm just going to have to pick me up my own Pink Hammer from Town !!:)

Hope you Enjoyed the Around the Farm Ups and Downs
May you have a Wonderful Hump Day
Love from My Gang to Yours

We are Celebrating !

We are Celebrating ,our family has our 2nd Senior !!
Our Timothy Chad Golden Smith
has made it to his Senior Year ,Class of 2013 :)
Time seems to have flown by for sure.
My Golden child is such a huge blessing to me
he is truly my backbone.

Such a serious Lad
Many wishes to a Wonderful Year Son ENJOY !

we are also celebrating the birth of
 these 5 beautiful Rabbits
they are just so tiny
this is Our first rabbit breeding Blessing on Our farm
my Florida White Rabbit was bred with Our California Buck THUMPER. 
He has proven himself to be a Daddy Buck.yay!
we bought our new florida moma while she was expecting once on the farm she had 5 but only one lived so we knew she could be a moma but our buck we purchased last March when he was just 4 months old so we have been waiting for him to mature and see if he could prove himself as a Buck and he has ! we are all excited. So now it is up to the Farm to learn to help care for the new babies as we progress in rabbit meat raising.

                       May You have a Blessed Rest of the Week from
                                        Our SmithGang

Sunflowers help fill my Day

My Black Bucket Affairs
This is how my Mornings start and how my evenings End
Spending time with my cute little Black Buckets
The Rabbits get fed, then the Chickens and then Wilbur and Wallie ..
What a Minute !!!?
Wilbur and Wallie are Using my Sunflower Feed Bucket !!
What to do What to Do ...
I see a New BLACK BUCKET in my Future :)

I then tiptoe right over to my Sunflower Patch
and pull up about 5 heads that are drooping over (birds are getting their share now)
and head back to my bench and gaze at all our little animals while I shake seeds

I shake and scrap and gather them
 to feed the chickens ,rabbits and goats

 The Chickens love them
and they sure have grown over the last couple of weeks

The Rabbits sure do enjoy them as well
This is Dominoe verdict still out on the sex
My Brother gave it to us with it's a girl
um... actions speak louder than words !!!!!
I need to recheck Dominoe in another week or so .
Did read where the Black Oil Sunflower seeds help the Does produce more milk for their babies same thing with the goat nannies:)

 The goats love all the leaves off the stalks and goodness to get them to eat seeds I have found out I need to hand feed them
Seriously SPOILED!

 Forgot to mention
Someone else Loves his fare share too
CJ
he waits and waits,starring at my bench
just waiting for me to bring them over its so funny
who would have ever thought this big bear would like the sunflower pads ,I don't get it really but he does !

 Come on Moma give me some before those Goats get here
You know you see them rushing me from behind

  I just love CJ
Guardian
but such a Spoiled Sweetheart

I have several Sunflower Patches all thru the Gardens
Mostly Black Oil but some Ornamental
leaving those for the Table and the Birds

They have always been my Favorite

These are just opening

just like Sunshine

Look how much the Bees love them
thats another reason to plant them they attract bees to help pollinate the veggie patch

ahh a Photo OP lol
Everything is always taller than ME:)
notice those beautiful Pecan trees in the background

The Reds look so dareing looking:)

Chad took this pic I am still in such AWWW of it

That RED just pops against the Blue Sky

This is my first time having Orange ones

I just love how they are all so different
just like people

look closely can't ya just see a
smiling face:)

That looks like a nice Bouquet for the Smith Gangs Table

A Quick Kiss in the Garden

Blessings from the Smith Gang
May You all have a Wonderful Day

Some New Cute Farm Animals Arrive

        Introducing some New Farm Animals added this past weekend

This weekend we added 3 new Does ,
these are 2,8 week old Florida Whites
I am  excited to add these new Meat Rabbits to our Pens

The other Doe is an older Moma
also a Florida white
she was expecting but with the stress of moving her at her due date (Sunday)her babies were born sunday afternoon only one  made it ,,so far out of 5 .
Hoping she settles into her new home .we will definately wait awhile before breeding her.

   OUR NEWEST AND BIGGEST SURPRISE :)

Meet WILBUR and WALLIE
I was thrilled to get these 2 new cuties
Not so sure the hubby was but what fun I am having:)
Yes them babies rode in my lap all the way home!!!

See the trailor in the background they moved it beside our pecan tree so I could watch Wilbur and Wallie a few weeks before we move them to their new home.
they are still very small
so I wanted to give them some extra attention.

while  Tim and Chad worked on the rabbit pen ( I bathed lol )

And our California Buck Thumper thought he would jump and visit the new ladies
Alrighty Thumper get back to your side of the pen!

Wilbur

Wallie

The boys are settling In
I gave them an old asleeping bag to stay cozy at night

Naptime they went

           Later that evening Tim and I made our first  ever batch of Soap

we went with the  Cucumber Soap Recipe
since we had grown plenty of them in our garden
we added Cream Cheese Frosting Oil for the extra scent

Loads of soft Oils
Coconut Oil, Crisco and Olive Oil

Mixed with Lye water at 130 degrees and Poured Looks so Pretty

Wrapped in several Throw Blankets to hold Heat

After the 24 hours I unwrapped YAY !!!

Cut and ready to Cure for 4 weeks
It turned Out Lovely

Lathers up and has a light scent
So Hubby and I are now enjoying our newest Hobby
SoapMakers:)

May You have a Blessed Week from Our
Home Sweet Home,
The Smith Gang