I am Being Stalked by Lady Bugs

Is it just me, or do the lady bugs seem to be out and about in abundance right now? They're all over the porch, everywhere outside, in and on my truck- simply EVERYWHERE. I think they're stalking me. No, really, they're evil and bent on Rachel-destruction. Silly things. They sure are cute, though.

Aside from that, there is really nothing too hugely exciting to report. We recently got our new hay supply, which was just in time as our old stack was dwindling quickly. Oh, how I hate loading hay. Or touching it for that matter. My sinuses haven't been right since. I do wish I wasn't allergic to hay, it makes some necessary chores very unpleasant. Other. things I hate about homesteading include giving goats their copper boluses, and trying to take proper care of everything when it just wont stop raining. A couple of my girls are due to have copper soon - their hair is starting to curl, a tell-tale sign - so if it ever stops raining, I'll be doing that and drawing blood for their CAE test, too (the kit from Biotracking came yesterday). But really, I don't know if it will ever stop raining long enough for me to get it all done. They need copper, their hooves trimmed, their blood drawn...and meanwhile, all I can do is build an ark and wait out the rain. Also, the constant rain ruins the mineral and baking soda I try to have out for them. When it dries up they wolf down their minerals like there's no tomorrow, poor things. The rain makes it nothing but worthless mush, so I imagine they haven't been getting much of it lately.

In other news, I made some adorable pumpkins for my project in Art class. I think they are just spiffy! I chose the theme "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" for mine. Oh, how I do love crafts and arts. The one with the face is The Great Pumpkin himself!


I also have made some Old Fashioned Lye soap. Old fashioned lye soap is unscented, white, and good for your skin. Many people use it as a folk remedy for acne and eczema. My great grandmother used it for her hair and skin. It can also be used on laundry, and is good to get out grease and stains (ask me how I know!)

This soap sets up very hard and lasts a long time. I've seen some lye soap that was brownish, soft, and greasy, which is caused by not stirring enough. This lye soap is not like that at all, but is instead firm and pure white, and will also float in water.

This bar size is medium-small and round. The last picture shows it sitting next to a chili can for a size reference, and to see the plastic container it comes in.

This is a "secret recipe," but is made with animal fats. This is not a vegetarian or vegan soap.

This soap is $1.50 per bar, and shipping is $4.95 if it needs to be shipped. (You can purchase more than one, and they ship for the same price. Email me at themuffinwoman@aol.com if you would like to purchase any! I am also open to equal trades, so let me know what you have that I might be interested in!


Well, that's all for now! Have a Happy and Safe Halloween! -Rachel in Wonderland

Fall is in the air!

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here at Wonderland fall is certainly in the air! Oh, how I love this season. There is something so romantic and delicious about this time of year. The air is cool and crisp, the fall colors are in full bloom, scarecrows and pumpkins abound, and - if I may have a "girly" moment - I love fall clothes. Scarves and jackets in deep autumn colors are such a delight.

Of course, along with fall come the fall chores. First on my list of chores today was making lye soap with my grandmother and aunt. Of course, that's not really a "fall" chore per-say, but it was a lot of fun and good bonding time. My second chore was to see Where the Wild Things Are with friends! Okay, okay, that is also not a chore. But the making the cookies for my friends certainly was! But baking is another one of those enjoyable chores. I'll give you the recipes for the cookies at the end of the blog. Kind of like the toy in the bottom of the cereal box, don't you agree?

As for serious chores, there are several of those, too. Today I mucked out the goat house and refilled it with old hay for them. Oh, and as far as that goes, I have a story to share. We just got them new hay, which they do not seem to like at all. I can't really blame them, as it's the first cut, so it's a little stalky, but it was free from family. Well, I gave them their new hay and then mucked out their house. Meanwhile, my dad brought me a bale of the old hay for me to use as bedding. As soon as he set it over the fence, what do they do? They jump on the old, dusty hay like it's candy, while the new hay sat barely touched. Imps, every one of them! But I do love them so.

There are still more chores to be done in this beautiful autumn weather. The kidding stall must be cleaned out for Rumor's kidding in November, I will be getting CAE tests run, and electric fence needs to go down around the goat pen; our LGD Mellow has learned to climb! We also have to build a permanent hay rack and a rain cover for their food, minerals, and baking soda. But, truthfully, I can't imagine a better time of year to be outdoors doing some good old fashioned work!

One last thing. This is just an interesting tidbit of information. Clara, who was not friendly at her previous home, has become one of the biggest attention hogs in the herd! She loves having her head scratched, and shares Ariel's opinion that fingers are indeed food! She really has turned into such a sweetheart. Of course, I love all my goats, but it's definitely a plus when they warm up to you. I am extremely glad Clara came to live with me. I contribute her turn-around to my small herd size. While I would like to have a larger herd one day, having a small one definitely has it's advantages, one of them being that each goat gets more one-on-one attention.

Alrighty, as for those cookie recipes, you can find them here:

These are "Forgotten Kiss" cookies, and are wonderful. I used mini-chocolate chips rather than the mini-M&M's shown. Also, if you can't eat cookie dough with raw eggs in it, this recipe has no eggs, so you can eat all the dough you want! (Though I admit, I eat any all cookie doughs...hehe.)

http://cravingcomfort.blogspot.com/2008/12/forgotten-kiss-cookies.html

This recipe made the BEST oatmeal raisin cookies I have ever had! The only adjustment I made here was that I used a whole cup of raisins, and omitted the nuts (I hate nuts!). Also, I had to flatten them, as they did not spread on their own.

http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=1047

Also, I make very simple peanut butter cookies that are scrumptious. Simply combine 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter. Make them whatever size you want, and squish their tops down with a fork, then bake them at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. ALWAYS start out with 8 minutes, they're very prone to getting too crunchy if left in too long. I love this recipe because it's so easy, easy to remember, and can be expanded or downsized with minimal math.

Now that you're done reading, go do your chores, enjoy the fall, and reward yourself with some cookies!! As for me, tonight in Wonderland I'm relaxing with some hot cocoa, some rented movies, a comfy blanket, and my PJ's!

Stay warm!

-Rachel in Wonderland

Goats, Music, and More 2009

This Friday, my family and I packed up (okay, we brought rain jackets and our purses) and headed to Lewisburg, Tennessee at the early-but-not-so-bright hour of 4:00am. Luckily, I came prepared with a blanket and pillow, hogged the back seat, sprawled out, and slept most of the way there and back.

In case you're wondering why we left at such an early hour, it was for a pretty good reason. Lewisburg was having their Goats, Music, and More Festival, and the Nigerian Dwarf goat show was at 9:00am! ( http://www.goatsmusicandmore.com)

I have been looking forward to the festival ever since the people we bought our LGD, Mellow, from, and was even more delighted to find they were having a Nigie show. It was a double show, with two judges judging, and therefore a double chance at the competitors winning first. Though I had thought about bring Ariel to show, I had decided against it because I had not yet attended a NDGA show. I immediately regretted it when I realized how simple it would have been! But, there is always next year, and you can be sure I'll be entering one or more of my goats at the next show I go to. It looked like a lot of fun!

I also learned quite a bit from observing the show. The judges gave very good explanations as to why they chose the goats they chose. Though I still didn't understand quite everything they said, I got a much better understanding of overall good qualities. Even things I already understood fairly well, such as body capacity and udder attachment, became even clearer when I was able to compare winning goats to the ones who got lower placements. After the first couple of classes, I started to "bet" on which goat would do well, and I was pretty accurate.

We watched all of the doe shows, and a few of the buck shows, but then sitting on the hard bleachers got a little too much to bare, so we walked around and looked at the booths. There was of course fair food to be indulged in, and some really neat booths to look at. Overall it was a very well done festival, and the coming storms held off until after we left. I would recommend the festival to anyone, goat fanatic or not. It was just good old fashioned family fun.

We also got to see some of our "goat friends" that I have purchased my goats from, and watch them show. They were Mark from Sawdust Trail Acres (http://www.sawdusttrrail.com) and Sherri and Aaron from Chinook Winds Farm ( http://www.chinookwindsfarm.bizland.com). They both did very well, so congratulations to them! Several first and second place goats, and at least one Reserve Champion each (my memory is failing as to what else they got.) Congratulations to them!

If you ever get a chance to visit the Goats, Music, and More Festival, I highly recommend it. See you there next year!

Beauty says, "Goodbye!"