Weather Fred & Happy Birthday Quintin

Evening weather report calls for rain tonight. Weather for this area from online says:
Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm this evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low near 70F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Since Fred is on the roof of the chicken house he is calling for no rain. We shall see who is right in the morning.
September 11th holds sad memories for all of us but its also the birthday of my MIL Minnie and grandson Quintin. Quintin always takes that day off from school. He is sad his birthday is remembered being on that tragic day. I am very proud to have such a sweet tenderhearted grandson. He is having a small party tomorrow night at his home which I will miss being 6 hours away. He and his family are going on a camping/fishing trip this weekend for another celebration. Quintin loves fishing more than anything.

He also loves animals. His time spent here at Hidden Haven was mostly out playing and taking care of all the animals here. He has the prettiest blue eyes that will melt a young lady's heart one day. Quintin is full of energy and doesn't like sitting around. He enjoys staying busy and even at his age can repair and build things. Happy 11th Birthday Quintin from Grandma and PopPop. We love you!

Diva and the girls don't know what to think. Its so quiet around here. No grands running out to feed them cookies. No grands trying taking them on walks or feeding them leaves. Diva even got all dressed up hoping that would bring someone with the cookie bag. She was disappointed. Things may be quiet but I am catching up on lots of work. Got the yard mowed and weedeated. Got weeds pulled and now I just need to mulch the veggie and flower beds or at least whats left of them as they are dying off. Also have plans to clean the house this weekend as I have company coming Monday for a couple of days. A friend from a homestead forum is visiting from Texas with her hubby and son. They visited for a few hours several years ago but now I get them for a couple of days. I am excited! She was the one that got me started with Nubian goats. Things around Hidden Haven blog should be back to normal. Will be posting a couple of Hidden Haven stories soon and catch everyone up on all the animal news. Can't believe summer is almost gone. With the grands here most of the summer it sure went fast! Thanks for stopping by even when I was slack on posting. Have a blessed weekend!

Happy Birthday Gabby

Today is Gabby's 10th birthday. Its also the day she and her brother Quintin go home. We celebrated yesterday by going to the mall and out to lunch. Did lots of walking, laughing and talking. We enjoyed spending the afternoon together and even I didn't mind the mall for once. Might have been because it wasn't very crowded. Gabby and Quintin helped do the feeding for the last time yesterday afternoon. I let them sleep in this morning. Their things are packed and waiting by the door to be loaded in the truck as we start on a 3 hr drive to meet their parents. I have really enjoyed having the 2 of them here. I don't get to see them very often so really loved each minute. So Gabby Happy Birthday from PopPop and Grandma. Thank you for all your help here at Hidden Haven. Have fun at your birthday party and take lots of pictures for me.

Quintin's Blog

Quintin has gotten blog fever. He just started his blog tonight and hopes to add games and posts of his daily adventures. If you get a chance please stop by and give him a welcome to the blog neighborhood. Thanks!
Today has been spent getting over a stomach bug I caught from Quintin. We are waiting on Gabby to get it now. We also spent most of the day chasing goats, repairing fence, and finally putting Baby (dwarf goat) in a closed pen. She kept getting out and going in with the bucks.They wore themselves out chasing her then trying to get through the fence when she got tired of them and walked under the electric wire. Crazy day.

I Have Hired Gardners!!

Thank You Isabella and Nicole!

I just love this picture of Hidden Haven! Isabella and her mom Nicole took time out of their busy day to make it. Isabella even remember hay for the goats! Thank you girls! You made my day more than you will ever realize. Its been a very crazy stressful couple of days and this just made it all much better.

Yesterday Harvey and Will went home with their parents. It seemed very strange not to have a baby in the house last night. Gabby and Quintin are here till Thursday. With the rain we had all day yesterday we tried to have a quiet inside day but ended up just walking around Walmart and then taking a walk and going fishing. Quintin fished while Gabby and I looked for bugs. We came home and after feeding and milking (Quintin helped milked) had a early supper and watched a movie. Since we have 3 sofas in the living room we decided to just all sleep there and fell asleep watching RV. Hopefully today will be a wonderful start to a wonderful week. The sun is shining but we are getting ready for the rain that will come from Hurricane Fay. We have beans to pick, okra, tomatoes, cukes, eggplants to gather and a few other chores before we get busy playing. Enjoy your day and blessings!

This Has Been a Very Rough Day

So I am posting some photos of the amegios and also some photos of the mighty warriors. The warriors had a hot pepper eating contest when here and I never got around to posting them. Murphy's Law has been going crazy here at the homestead today but tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully it will be a quiet, peaceful blessed one. I sure need it!

Having Fun

No Pictures or Interesting Post Because..

William got to spend the night at home last night since they couldn't unload his tanker. We had alot of projects to talk over. We did the feeding and milking and headed out at 7AM this morning to meet Megan (my daughter) to pick up my grands Quintin and Gabby. So we and she drove 3 hours to meet and then 3 hours back to our homes. I am so glad the grands got to visit afterall. William had to go back to Greensboro tonight so he could have his tanker ready to be unloaded early in the morning. The hired hand has a sore throat so decided to spend the day in bed. The people that own a row of houses in front of our property decided to have someone come in and cut all the big pine trees. When they cut the trees some limbs feel on our electric fence. The noise from the cutters equipment spooked the bucks that were in the fence that no longer had electric to it. Leonard got out and went in with the does. We weren't home so didn't know he was in with them. The hired hand was sleeping in his camper and didn't know. I come home and have to get him back where he belongs. Have no ideal if he bred one.Let the cutters know they need to clean the limbs off the fence NOW. Do all the milking, watering and feeding goats while the grands feed and water the chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits. Harvey is sitting in his stroller letting me know he is unhappy as he has been in a car seat most of the day and he doesn't want to sit in the stroller. The grands are wanting supper so a fire in the firepit and a pack of hotdogs and s'more makings solve that problem. Harvey gets mashed potatoes and corn before a bath, bottle and bed. The grands are out playing ball and I am trying to clean the mess around the house. Had visitors and sold some soap. Have 3 orders I need to get packaged so I can mail them tomorrow. Have eggs to clean and put away. Grands to get settled for the night. So no pictures, no adventures of Hidden Haven because I need to get off here and return some phone calls , walk the electric fence and get ready for tomorrows adventures which I promise will include pictures of the 3 Amigos and Harvey. Hope your day was a good one.

Harvey

Harvey has been a very happy little boy so far. He hasn't cried and slept for 12 and a half hours last night! He also loves to eat ravioli.

Saturday

It is so quiet here. I haven't heard the word grandma since yesterday morning. The boys are home and I am cleaning, doing paperwork, soap orders, gardening and getting ready for 2 more grands arriving tomorrow. Williams grandson's Will and Harvey will be coming to spend the week. Harvey is only 8 months old so this will be his first time staying and enjoying the homestead.
On a different topic, I have had quite a few questions on my photos. How I add words, do fades, etc. Its very very easy. Just go to picnik and join for free. You can do so many things with your photos and its easy step by step instructions. Believe me if I can do it anyone can. Now its back to chores and enjoying the quiet.

Goodbye Mighty Warriors

Tomorrow my mighty warriors go home. Its going to be awful quiet around here without them. They also were a big help with feeding, gardening, disbudding and taking care of the goats. Since they were such a big help I made them teeshirts to wear home. Woody has Nod on his teeshirt as Nod will be his when he is old enough to leave his mom. Zack has Winkin' on his as Winkin' will be Zack's when he is old enough to leave. They love the shirts but are more excited to be taking home Nitra and Thundertoes tomorrow. They and their dad are going to start raising goats. I think they have a pretty good start! Goodbye Mighty Warriors. Thank you for all your help this summer. Thanks for all the laughs and fun times. Thanks for keeping me company and the great conversation. Oh yeah, Thanks for letting me have my computer back! Love you guys.

Busy Monday

Yesterday was so busy I didn't take a single picture. After morning feeding and milking it was time to do the dreaded disbudding on Nitra and Thundertoes. This was really dreaded as William has always been the one to burn the buds while I help hold (with my eyes closed). Yesterday it was me doing the burning and the mighty warriors and hired hand holding. The hired hand choose to answer his cellphone when we started on Nitra so the mighty warriors proved to be very brave and mighty. They held Nitra very very still while I did the disbudding (with my eyes open). The mighty warriors didn't like what had to be done but they stuck it out. With Thundertoes the hired hand was back and proved not to be as strong as the mighty warriors in holding. Zack had to reach and hold where the hired hand was holding because Thundertoes was moving to get free. Once Zack got his hold on things went smoothly and the job was finished. We have Nod to do today or tomorrow but his brother Winkin is lucky in he is polled. Meaning he has no horns. He and Willow are dancing around the homestead because they don't have to face the hot burning tool. The boys also helped me in the soap shop, picking beans, okra , tomatoes and cukes. They cleaned up the yard and of course had to have a fire in their fire pit. What mighty warrior doesn't like fire! We did 3 loads of clothes and are building up good arm muscles cranking the wringer. We moved a few goats around and open the chicken pen so the chickens can free roam during the day. The mighty warriors even remember to close them in at night. We had a very bad lighting storm during afternoon feeding yesterday. There was lighting, thunder and high wind but not a drop of rain. Very strange and spooky. We sat down to a supper of pinto beans, homemade mac n cheese, potatoes, tomatoes, cukes, and cornbread. Kinda starchy but hit the spot. The potatoes are so good but so easy. Just slice them like fries and put them on a baking sheet. Pour some ranch dressing over and mixed them up. Put in 350F oven for about 15 minutes then sprinkle shredded cheese over and pop back in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes. They are soooooo good! Woody loved them so they have to be good! Will try to take some pics today. After a full belly I had one mighty warrior asleep before 8:30 and the other was snoring before 9! Thats amazing for 13 and 11 yr olds. The boys will be going home Friday and I will be getting ready for Quintin, Gabby, Will and Harvey's visit.

Goat Eggs

I went out to gather eggs and found Louie in one of the laying boxes. When I gather the eggs I give the hens a little chicken scratch to munch on so I can take their eggs. Guess Louie wanted a snack too and figured this was the best way to get one. The mighty warriors went with the hired hand to the lake today. I got a good start on restocking my soaps and also did a really good check on all the animals. I even did all the afternoon feeding, watering and milking before the tired, sunburned guys returned. Woody was asleep before 8:30 and I think Zack will soon be as they had a very fun but busy day.

What Was I Thinking

This morning I did something I haven't done before. I woke the mighty warriors up and had them feed the chickens, ducks, geese and rabbits while our hired hand fed and milked the goats. I took the morning off from outside chores. It was nice. I got the indoors chores done while they were outside. After breakfast I made the mistake of offering to take them to the mall. They weren't the problem. Since I don't have school age kids I had forgotten this is tax free weekend on school shopping. The mall was packed. We walked around, got a soda, and people watched. The boys had their picture taken in the photo booth. Of course we know they just sat and smiled pretty don't we. LOL They went into a few game stores while I sat on the bench outside the store. They had a blast and taking boys to the mall sure is a lot cheaper than taking girls! We left there and went to our favorite shopping place. The thrift store! Got William 5 pairs of pants, me 5 shirts and a pair of shoes, a barn cookie jar, couple of baskets, a vintage saucer to display, military shirt and boots for Woody. All for a total of $11.00. Zack had his head in a book and didn't find anything this trip. We stopped by Micky D's and splurged on 99 cent double cheeseburgers and came home. So except for the crazy time at the mall it was a nice morning. We are back at home cooling off before heading out for afternoon chores. Tomorrow the boys are going back to the lake after we disbud a couple of kids. Woody called his sister Hope to tell her he went to the mall and we got a good laugh. Hope is at her cousin Kristines. She and Kristine were out in the clubhouse Kristine's dad built. It has a bed, tv, fridge and a/c so they sometimes spend the night out there. This time the 2 "blondes" were locked in and couldn't get out. Hope told Woody she wanted to talk to me. When she told me I just started laughing. Hope said; Grandma we have to stay here till 5 cause no ones home! Still had to laugh. They had done the same thing here in my soap building. The lock on both are on the inside. All they had to do was pull the door to them and turn the knob all the way one way then push the door open. I called Maggie at work and she told me they called her and she talked them step by step how to open the door. These girls are 13 and 11 years old and true blondes. This will keep the family laughing for a while.

Rest In Peace

This morning the mighty warriors found one of the bunnies had died. They built a coffin, dug a grave and prepared a service. They first wrote their "headstone" on paper till I reminded them we are going to have severe storms today and the paper one won't last. They made the next one out of wood. The mighty warriors understand that animals don't live forever. They were sad about their little bunny but after the service they went back to petting and caring for all the others ones we still have. Plus they weren't too sad as I noticed they left a Woody was here and Zack too on the paper. LOL

Busy Saturday

The mighty warriors have been working on fine tuning their torches. They also strung and broke my green beans. I went out to pick the cucumbers and tomatoes and found my beans were ready to pick. I only picked a bucket for now but Monday will have me picking alot and getting them ready to can. Each one of the boys did a load of laundry in the washtubs this morning and I did a load of towels. They cleaned their room and made their beds and washed their breakfast dishes. We went to CiCi's Pizza for lunch and now are back home getting ready to do afternoon chores. Its warm but cloudy so a good outdoor day. Tomorrow is suppose to be hot and muggy. I have been asked to do a post on my washday using our non electric (handcrank) wringer. I am getting some links together and will try to post tomorrow evening. The mighty warriors and I had a really good supper last night. Salmon patties, fresh corn on the cob,mashed potatoes, rolls, cucumbers and tomatoes right out of the garden and fresh cantaloupe. Tonight we are having some of our green beans with new potatoes, corn on the cob, cucumbers, tomatoes, baked chicken breasts, biscuits and watermelon. Hopefully Woody and Zack will get a little meat on their bones. I'm sorry there hasn't been any Hidden Haven stories or homesteading news but its been rather busy. I will get back on track in the next few days. Have a blessed weekend.

Mighty Warriors

Today the mighty warriors helped move the young bucklings into the pen with the big bucks. Never mind that they left the gate open and we had to chase those young bucklings all over the creation before moving them to said pen.

We then moved little Princess Diva in the pen with the big does and her mom Diva. No problem there as she was happy to go. We also moved Mandy and Baby in the same pen and pasture. They were very happy.

We then moved Blinkin into the nursery pen which was once the maternity pen and now is again. No problem there as she was happy to have the space and be alone.

We moved the young dwarf bucklings too but I lost count how many times the mighty warriors let them get loose.

From there with sweat dripping the mighty warriors helped move the baby chicks to a bigger pen and Dorthy and her unique family to a bigger pen too. No escapes and things went smoothly.

The mighty warriors were getting hot and thirsty but the wicked witch kept them working. They mulched part of the garden and oh my goodness they got their mighty warrior hands dirty! They also wanted to take the dogs for a walk but after letting them out and having to chase them around the world and back (too busy to take photos) the walk was cancelled. The sun was starting to set so the mighty warriors needed fire.

But those fires were too big for the mighty warriors and had to be put out.
Mighty warriors decided it best to enjoy fire by eating steak and baked potato cooked on wicked witch's fire instead.