Dora is so ready to have her baby

Any day now this is Angel

Some of the wool I dyed. The one on the right is Romney with silk dyed a very pretty blue.

Good Morning
Today I am off to have lunch with my neighbors three ladies have got together for a few years once a month at one or an other's house last fall they invited me to join and it is quite fun. I am not much of a visitor and really don't do coffee not that I don't like to but usually I don't have extra time or I am usually in a project around here. You can guarantee if I make a plan someone changes it I had said yes to go for lunch and my youngest daughter is sick it never fails so if she is still not well when I wake her I will get her to stay for a couple of hours with my dad.
Yesterday I worked on my web page I was on the phone 4 times I think with our Internet man but as of last night it was still not up. Maybe today. I also dyed some wool yarn from my sheep and Romney x with white silk in a beautiful turquoise blue. I hope to get a bit more down in between stuff today. I must run and race for the shower with 3 teenagers, 1 just about and the funny thing is it is my 8 year old son who hogs the shower. You would never know he always looks scruffy but honestly we do dunk him now and then:)
Something funny happened yesterday I was doing chores before I took the kids to the school bus and I thought I had better wash off the window of the van they are all mud. So I threw a water bucket on each window then my youngest son walked around the van with his MP3 player all splashed in mud and water and I said "what have done already to get so dirty" then I realized he was in the line of fire it was very funny and I felt so bad for him but man did I laugh.

Have you ever wanted to be something but your pretty sure it won't happen. I spent many hours in the van tonight so I had a lot of time to think( I am past sitting in the arena I have been either in or sitting outside an arena since August) I would love to be a writer, maybe write a novel I can picture it all. The only problem to that dream is I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to write about I couldn't even come up with a clever idea little own make enough words for a novel. That was my heavy thinking for this evening.
I also just received an e-mail to the dry grad meeting which I did not go to. That night I had to take kids to hockey and my little ones to track and field plus my youngest daughter had hurt her foot and could not walk all night. However the feeling of guilt is still there... plus the only meeting I went to was where no one got along and all it was full of very over powering personalities yet I am very, very grateful to these people who took charge and make this grad work.
Well I must go my youngest daughter is sick so I must decide with what to do with her so I can go to bed. Any day lambing and kidding can start which means no sleep last year after no sleep for 24 hours I was in the arena until 11:15 pm I was so tired I fell asleep for a few minutes. When one gets that tired you actually feel sick and chilled and when I can't get sleep and I am sitting outside at night it always reminds me of camping and how I hate it. I like to be camping during the day but I hate the nights I really hate being way from home. I know go figure. Good night have a good sleep.

Good Morning

What a great day lies ahead... how is that for positive thinking
Have you ever had a night where every thing is done you don't have to go any where, you don't have to sit in an arena, you don't have to visit and be polite making small talk, and what do I do nothing absolutely nothing, nothing got accomplished I was tired and I was in bed by 10:15 or so. Little kids camped in the living room and had a friend over so he could go to the auction today. My older son, husband went to the hockey game and my oldest daughter went to a birthday party so only half of the kids were home.
Last evening around supper we sorted goats and sheep to those who were not having babies and loaded them for the auction. That is very hard to do I have a lot of problem with the parting part of farming but I won't be able to take them all down in one load so that is the first. The trips down won't happen fast as were are waiting on lambing and kidding and then wait a few weeks more after that. It will be very hard to part with the sheep most of them were born here and if I could find a never ending supply of hay I would keep them all. We have now 6 cows and a new horse so they eat as much or more than the sheep and goats. As soon as we have grass and less livestock my new Angora goats can come.
Have a great day

Dad picking Pussy willows for mom on Valentines Day

Pussy Willows in our back yard

My scenic route strikes again. I have been waiting for Weeks and for my Internet man to get hold of me finally after many long days waiting for the call he calls this morning. I answer the phone and phone battery is dead not a problem pick up the other phone dying... with our phones no second chance they just stop these are the phones that batteries last for three days or more. So I have to phone him back on our fax machine not near the computer and it is attached to the wall. I am scared to hang up in case it takes weeks to get hold of him again. Then I have to go back to the computer to retrieve some info for him and my machine is doing a scan and it is slower than molasses. Sometimes it is so frustrating. So all of this is leading to my web page being available in a few weeks. I also was setting up pay pal at my friends last weekend and we did not read through it all, they phone after you have signed in but of course I was not home and it was after 10pm and no would answer the phone at home and I could not confirm through e-mail because I was not home... When will I learn
I will keep you posted on the web page. I am waiting on some yarn from my Fibre mill and I am quite excited about it, it is from my Alpaca's. I am going to try to get some time to dye some different rovings that will also be available. Anyway talk to you all soon

The most part of yesterday was dealt with trying to save a baby calf. So far he is living but it is still touch and go. I went out to do chores at 6:30 this morning and I was scared to go check on him.
Today I went to a spinning meeting fora couple of hours until I had to go get my youngest son for a dentist appointment. Then we came home and did afternoon chores, now off to two hockey games. At the meeting it was nice to see all the ladies again everyone busy different spinning going on. I am spinning my Mohair but I did not take enough to do I thought I would not have much time but it spun up fast. My neighbor gave me some cotton to try spinning looks very cool. I also received my Shrek wool that is also very, very cool. Those of you who don't know Shrek from New Zealand they are a flock of renegade Merino sheep that were hiding out in the hills for 7 years (I think 7 years).
I must run kids are in the van

Getting ready to go shopping

My youngest daughter trying to save the loonie we dropped so we can pay for my friend to park her van.

The sounds on the farm this morning were very Spring like; the rooster was crowing they were so happy scratching around picking up corn (just like the Cinderella movie). The new baby calf was mooing he sounded just like he had a great big toad stuck in his throat. The Emu lets out a deep thump from his chest and you can hear it all over the property. The new baby horse has found the other miniature horses so they were calling each other and yes even the crows are back. Today I gathered up all the boards around the ice rink then cut them with the power saw and my oldest son put them in the green house to dry ready for when I start planting. However I will have to repair the green house the wind has caught the plastic and my neighbors son has not got a good aim and put three or four holes in the plastic.
The front yard is raked now we just have to gather up the piles, we picked up any garbage the dogs got so we are slowly winning.
I have started to knit a lovely orange and green bamboo shawl the colours are very fall like. So it will be nice to see how this turns out. Have a wonderful night.

This is the dress she picked

Every dress she picked was lovely the hardest part for her was she did not ever think she would go with a blue dress but it is really nice.

We got it! We have a Grad dress and it actually went well everything she tried on looked beautiful and her dress is very pretty. It is a good feeling to have this done. We have also had the second driving lesson and things are going ahead. Some of our hockey is slowing down well actually one child is done but I will take it and go figure I feel sorry for him but happy for me.
Our new additions to the are doing okay but the calves are under a week and it is hard on them milk formula is hard on their stomachs so we are dealing with that. My daughter's baby horse arrived he is very sweet we can go up to him and rub him tomorrow I would like to try to brush him.
I have been washing wool in our bath tub in 5 gallon buckets and oh my gosh the smell is sickening if any one has ever made manure tea that is what it smells of. I must put it outside tomorrow before we smell of it.
No knitting was done this weekend I didn't even pick up needles. I imagine it will slow down now with more work outside I am going to try to spin during lunch hour but when the ice melts it is time to clean outside. It is an unbelievable amount of work around here sometimes you think you will just never get it done but if I keep at it I am sure I will win. I am extremely tired I will talk to you all later. Have a wonderful night

The auction trip

My middle son had reffing money to spend and wanted to buy a calf to bottle feed so three bottle babies, one bigger very bad heifer and two pigs later. We are waiting on my oldest daughters grad gift from her Oma a 6 month old quarter horse.

We are off to buy a grad dress wish us luck and we will talk to you after the weekend.

I would just like to thank everyone who leaves a comment but when I try to send a reply I just get it sent back to me. In the previous picture the rose photo was taken in my front yard last summer. My goal was to have 250 roses but the first winter of adding many, many, many roses I lost 40. However I am or was over 100 but we will see what happens over winter. It is usually the defrosting to freezing again that makes me lose them. We have spent the whole morning working on computers we now have all but one printing off one printer and the one that we could not figure out has it's own printer. It is amazing how they are work wireless did I mention I love technology now I just have to learn how to run it...

Be my Valentine

Happy Valentines
What a lovely day full of chocolate, cupcakes, candy and valentine notes. I a pretty sure the kids had a good day. I hope every one had a nice day. Me my day was good I spent most of it paying bills and working at the desk then spent from 4:45 until 9:15 at the arena and oh my goodness was I cold so cold in fact my hand hurt so much when I was knitting. I need those little hand gloves to keep my hands from aching in the cold.

Tomorrow my youngest daughter is going skiing with the school for the first time my neighbor is going to pick her up at 6:45 and then she will arrive back at school at 4:30pm. My youngest and my middle son our off to the auction to see if they can buy a young calf they hope to bottle feed it.
Anyways it is getting very late. Talk to you all soon.

Tonight when I drove my oldest son and our neighbors boy into hockey and went to pick up my middle son from the Middle school Video dance just on the other side of of property about 200 - 300 feet we think we saw a cougar in was a beige/tan colour very long, sleek and fast. We tried to get our van light on it and I would not let the boys get out. That is way too close for comfort my Alpaca's, Angora Buck, Shetland Ram, Emu, pot belly pig are and two cows are all along that side of the fence. Not to mention that we start lambing and kidding in as Early as 2 weeks. So lets hope it moves on up to the mountains and the smell of lambing does not bring it in. This morning I was just getting organized and my oldest daughter phoned she was feeling sick and school had not even started yet so I had to leave and go get her no wonder I get nothing done she then slept most of the afternoon away. I hope she is not sick this weekend so we can go find this grad dress. Well must run I have been having way too many late nights.

Busy days I just returned from hockey. My husband has gone to work he is on early shift that means he loads 9pm and the mills shut at 2pm. this is a crazy time of year but one needs to work as much as possible before Spring Break up.
I am already starting Spring work outside I sheared 4 rabbits today, cleaned the barn not by choice the Border Collie pups got into the bags of wool and shredded them all over it was an awful mess. Last week we separated everything all sheep whop are to lamb, goats who are to kid etc but yesterday I had to put them all together because our barn yard is to set and muddy and the are ruining their fleeces and they will be to messy to sell. So back to square one it will mean I will have to be on the ball in keeping an eye n everything. I like the lambing and kidding mom's to be in smaller pens easier to deal with.
No school Friday my oldest daughter and I head to Kamloops to buy the grad dress gosh I hope she finds one she likes. It is very hard for us to make the time to go find one. Did you know grad photo's cost as much as a dress, we are all so in the wrong business. Anyway must go make my son do his homework. Today I start not being a push over and putting my foot down. First I said no to going to his friends tonight and he has to catch the bus in the morning not catch a ride in and I am still on his case for the homework. However if he messes too much with me I take the computer away. Have a good night must go be the boss.

Yesterday was a barn day I worked outside all afternoon cleaning rabbits giving hair cuts and even though it is really not too cold out I froze and boy did I get messy. I hope if i can go with my plans I would like to finish a few more bunnies. I just can't squeeze any more time out of my day hopefully when the time changes I will get more hours.
My oldest daughter goes for her first driving lesson on sat. not a big deal except we are to be in Summerland for a play off game and at the same time my youngest daughter has a game and middle daughter time keeps at the arena out of town. So I will have to do some creative thinking on how to get them all to there games and let her have the van.
I am still thinking of what to do with my Alpaca I have e-mailed a mill in Manitoba who will spin it up for me I still have to find out a few things like will I get my own fibre back. I will defiantly keep some to spin but I would like to have some to offer to sell already in yarn.
I must run and see who is well enough to go to school. Have a Great weekend and I will try to get a moment to post.

Won't she hate this picture when she is older!

Do you ever feel like your in a living soap opera and you can't get out. Try living with 3 teenagers and one one the brink of being a teenager. I swear they are going to drive me to drinking. All the drama is driving me crazy and I so don't like other peoples children right now.

However on a better note actually I can't think of anything right now. My middle son was at hockey tonight and when he was getting near to be done I went and warmed up the van he came out hysterical crying I had thought he fell but he had a terrible head ache. And instead of getting off the ice (the headache started at the beginning of practice) he stayed on suffering. He cried all the way home and is now asleep in front of the fire that is not going because my daughter did not keep it going and said "Oh I didn't even know it was lit" as my last words out of the house were "keep the fire going please"
I am slowly plugging way at my shawl and I will be glad to see it done so I can move on to something else. I do hope it felts up nice.
I received my Alpaca fibre back it is nice, I was a little disappointed though it was suppose to be spun up into yarn and it wasn't and I had some people interested in buying yarn so now what?
This afternoon I was outside sorting wool I have 4 bags full so now I must wait to hear from my mill if they can take it and then I will send it off. Must call it a night take care

I just switched over to the New Blogger so we will see how it goes. My son has arrived safe but not feeling good at all. So I hope after a good nights sleep he will be better. Okay I am off to try out this new blogger

I love Technology it is amazing I just found out I can text message from home on our computer how cool is that. We do not have cell service out here. I text my son in Van. Airport and he sent me two photo's of him and some of the other children going on the trip. The poor kid has been sick I picked him up at lunch time took him to buy a cord for his Ipod, long johns, and took him to Tim Hortens he has a huge head ache and terrible stomach ache. I do hope it is only nerves then it will pass and not the flue but he was not well on the weekend. He drank pepto bismo ate ginger gravel and tylenol. He has phoned us 6 times and about 6 text messages. He phoned about 5:30 am our time he was walking off the plane.
He just phoned again right now he is on the bus and has no clue where he is they went to McDonald and chickened out to order so he got a girl to order for him. I told him I thought McDonald was the same all over the world he should have memorized the menu before he left.
My children are not great world travelers if they do travel usually there is a hockey stick and puck attached and it is within a three hour limit from home or they are with family. It is very hard on my nerves.
Tomorrow I am off to town early to pick a large bag of kid mohair and then I am going to sort it to send off to the Mill. Don't look for me tonight NO HOCKEY with my son away I get a day off, I have a hand ball game to attend then I am home. To bed early tonight I am exhausted and that means I will not sleep. Have a great day

 
We spent the day off school deworming, lice powder, and hoof trimming 

 
My oldest son helping deworm 

 
My oldest daughter helping deworm an Angora goat 

Today my oldest son leaves for Amqui Quebec on a "Y" exchange with his school with other children taking French. He will be gone a week and they have a disgusting long trip ahead of them with the school bus ride, long flights, change over it all ends after an 8 hour bus ride. I really hate it I don't want him to go but I do know he will have fun get to see other parts of Canada.
Um did I mention he can't speak FRENCH he took French in school but just did what he had to pass:)I am proud of him I would never do this I could not stay at someone's house I do not know and especially not speaking the same language.
However I noticed the red neck was creeping out of him when he put duct tape on his suit case over a label with Saran wrap so he knows it is his.
A crazy fast weekend we did not stop for two minutes but the kids had fun and they all made it home safe.
In the knitting department I am still torturing my Angora Shawl I am going to finish it and I know the end result will be nice. I do think I should only knit with that beautiful yarn at home. I received my new Lions brand cataloug it is lovely to look at it. I have never ordered I was always hold back having to order out of Canada but I am sure it is easier than I think. I really do love the organic natural cotton. Go check out their web sight just Google it.

  

Tomorrow we are deworming, separating, trimming hooves and it is suppose to be cold. We are going to get the lambing and kidding barn ready only half of it is going to be used the other half is full of hay. Some of the girls are starting to bag up and they still have a full month to go.
Some big changes are being done at Sunflower farm later this spring it will happen more towards the late Spring to early summer. After all lambing and kidding we are selling off most of the sheep I will keep the Shetlands and maybe on or two more. The Cashmere are being sold with the exception of one that my middle son gets to pick. This is in preparation for some new Angora goats I am purchasing later on.
I am also thinking about maybe buying a drum carder but that is only in the thought process. So there is a lot to think about but mainly just waiting. I hate to wait and I am very impatient.
This weekend is crazy busy three tournaments all in different towns and different parts of the province, plus three Play off rep games, three time keeping jobs and one reffing job, and last but not least my middle daughters regular ice time. So please remind how much I love hockey