Happy birthday to me! And Allan!

Got a call from my friend Allan from up  the road. He first told me happy birthday and that his was today too. And wanted to know if I had an extra hive box. He had a swarm at the edge of his garden.  So I went to see if I did and yes, sure enough, I had the super from the Outback hive, full of frames. And 2 frames had drawn comb. So put it all in the car and drove to their farm.

I handed all the kids some of the hive parts and they followed daddy to the swarm. It was so cute. He and Carrie have the cutest 3 kids ever. Look at that little red head! Adorable! And of course her favorite color is purple.

They have a few hives to the left of the garden. The swarm is at the end of these rows. ON THE GROUND! How cool is that?

Just look at these beautiful bees! It was like the best present ever, for both of us!

So Allan shook the bucket in first. This is them, inside their new home. They were all so good. We sprayed them with sugar water. They were all very nice and calm. No one was stung! There were a few bee casualties though.

Next, he shook that round spool with all those bees into the hive

Then the cinder block. It had the most bees in it. Plus a lot of dirt.

This is most of the girls, inside and all around. He picked up as many as he could and put them inside. There were still a lot buzzing around at this time.

I put the rest of the frames back in, then the top board, the the top.

Isn't this the most beautiful view? And what a great place for honey bees. That's Lookout Mountain back there.

                                                          And a pond to boot.

So Allan was going to feed the bees, then wait til tonight, when they would all be in the hive, and put screen at the entrance and move them over by the other 2 hives. Then sometime, we'll split this hive and I'll get another bee hive for my farm! How cool!

It was the best ending to a birthday I've ever had! Just amazing. Who'd have thought this would happen. And it was SO flippin' EASY! We all had the best time. The kids were great. Not a single sting. Perfect ending to 2 birthday bee keepers. I am so happy right now.

Now to get ready for an early farmer market tomorrow.  Then more sheep shearing Sunday. Great weekend!

SO excited!

I just had to share this. My very first ever hot process goat milk soap!! I have always had a hard time with goat milk soap. It's always too soft. So I've been watching you tube videos and asking questions about hot process soap. It looks so fun and easy and you can use the soap right away. No curing for 2 months, like cold process. So I decided to give this a try.

Got my coconut and olive oil in the crock pot on warm. I had goat milk frozen in 8 oz baggies. So got out 2 cups and thawed it out a little. When the oils were melted, I added the lye-goat milk. Stirred, then stick blended. For ever and ever. I had bought a new blender and it was getting hot! My hands were burning. But it finally got to a good trace.

So every 10 minutes or so, I'd stir it. It has several different stages it goes through. I think this is the "mashed potato" stage.

I waited too long to stir again and thought I'd lost it. All the oils were on top and it was brown. So I just stirred and stirred, for a long time, til it all blended back together again. I was quite happy to see that!

Then it got to this last stage, quite shiny and soapy. So took it out of the pot and added some lavender EO. This is a 5 pound recipe, so had a little less than a half of an 8 oz. bottle, so added it all.  And stirred and stirred, til it was all stirred together.

Then poured, or really glopped, it into my mold.

Isn't this pretty? I am so amazed I did this! Now I just hope it gets hard. So, my first ever hot process goat milk soap. Done! All this is in olive oil and coconut oil and goat milk with lavender essential oil.

I also made some lotion bars. On the left, I just came up with a blend of EO's for a bug repellent bar. I hope it works.

On the right is lemongrass, my favorite. I still have lard lemongrass soap too.

Now I want to make more of this soap. It's so cool. And fun and easy and didn't take near as long as cold process. I always worried about getting the temps all just right. With hot process, I don't have to worry about the temperature!

It's growing...

 slowly but surely. We've had lots of rain with little bits of sun here and there. So things are progressing slowly around here.

But the clover and wild flowers are growing really well. The bumble bees and honey bees are all over the clover right now. I just hate to mow it down. But it always comes right back out the next day. So I don't worry too much about it. I do leave certain places wild for them. I hope to be getting honey this month. There are 6 fully capped frames of honey in a shallow right now. Just waiting for them to fill the rest up. There is still tons of pollen and nectar flowing out there.

Here' is a bumble bee, busy at work.

This s the okra and cucumber garden, down at the bottom of the yard. It's in between the apple ad pear trees. I think I might plant blue berry bushes down here in the fall. But the okra and cucumbers I planted last Monday, are all up and growing fast!

I am really pleased with this corn. I haven't had any luck with corn or beans the past few years. But this year, they are all growing. I'll wait til next week, then put some Blue Lake running beans in the corn.

I planted sun flower seeds down the middle of the crowder pea row. All of them came up! I love sun flowers in the garden. I also have a big bed of zinnias that are doing great too.

And all over the garden, mainly in between the rows, are all these wild daisies. I just love them and have been mowing and weeding around them.  I'm happy to see them all over the garden. They are just happy flowers.

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday. I remember that day so well. She was the best baby and toddler any mother could ask for.  She's had lots of ups and downs and is in a slump right now, but I believe she'll climb out of it soon. She was my birthday present. My birthday is tomorrow. Most of our birthdays here are May and June. My other daughter was born the day before Mother's Day.

I am not going to reach my goal of 51 pounds by my birthday. But I'm ok with that. I have lost another 3 pounds though, so down to 212 this morning! It is still coming off! I might still go ahead and get the tattoo though.

And I am going to start the Brainerd farmers market again this Saturday morning. I am excited, but have to get back into that groove again. I went to the Main St. market yesterday and asked the manager if it wasn't too late, I'd love to come back there again. She said they were having a meeting next week and would bring it up. So I hope to let back in. I miss it there. I have a lot to do before Sat. morning. So off I go.

All is well in the kingdom...

I think I have finally got the animals all put where they need to be again. These goats are a mess!I had them in the back yard since I've had them. Olga has gotten out a few times, and ends up in the milk room. This last time though, was the last straw. My husband looked out the dining room window Monday night. Said there's a goat in the yard. I ran outside and there was Miss Olga, eating a few blue berry bushes. Then she ran to a few more bushes. I finally caught the witch and put them both in the goat yard. She hasn't gotten out yet. Keeping my fingers crossed though.

They both stay right here, at the fence. Whining and calling to me all day. These are 2 lazy goats!

So we walked all around the fence line. I had my clippers with me and cut a lot of locust and oak and pine branches for them. I dragged all the branches to this little tree up in the middle of this pic. I also cut a lot of honeysuckle off the field fence up at the top of the yard. I know the electric fence  is still working because Olga got bit twice! I don't know why I think that's so darn funny, but it is!

And all the sheep and alpacas are back over in the South pasture for awhile. They really are over there. When it gets too hot for them, they all go in this little barn. Where the elderberry tree is, just past it, is a little area they go in. But this grass is nice and tall and lush over here right now. They'll stay here til the North pasture grows back out.

So the sheep and alpacas are all together and the goats are together, separately now though. Where they're supposed to be. I think they are all happy again.

There is a bird nest in the yellow apple tree. I think it's a mocking bird nest.

And the swallow nest is getting bigger every day. It's so funny though. When we're in the milk room milking, they'll both fly in then fly right back out. Sometimes they'll come on in to do some work. There's a phone line right outside the door they sit on. I am constantly talking to them, telling it's ok. They're so cute. I just hope the baby birds don't attract a darn snake later.

Getting forgetful.

This is what happens when I forget I have eggs boiling for tuna salad and go out to cut branches for the belly aching goats who can't fend for themselves. I came back in the house, after I remembered I had eggs on the stove, and found them like this. The one egg exploded and ended up out of the pan. It was still good, so I did get to use 1 egg in the tuna. The other 2 were quite burned. Not a good thing. My oldest grand daughter was still in bed and the husband had just left to go to the store. Could have burned the house down, I guess.

And I only had 5 eggs.

Somehow, the other mother hen decided she'd had enough of mother hood and flew the coop. Well, flew back into the coop. Don't know how she did it, but she's back in with the rest of the hens and Black Bart. The real mother hen is still out with the chicks. Just strange how she got in. Must have flown over. Maybe she'll start laying eggs again!

Some skeins, ready to go to market.

Some skeins I've had done for awhile now. Finally set the twist Sunday while waiting on the shearer to come.

The pink skeins are Cormo.

The grey is the Romney I've been spinning for a long time. That was a big fleece!

The bottom ones are some skeins I bought from Micheal's that were the big chunky yarn. I bought 2 skeins and made some thinner yarn with them. They are 20% wool.

The dark brown is some of Lucinda's wool, with a little bit of Abraham's mixed in. I still have a lot of both of theirs. I want to make a sweater for me with this yarn.

 These I can't remember if they are Amarillo's wool or maybe Buttercup's. I didn't write it down and it was some time ago that I spun it. Maybe it will come back to me. But I did have Buttercup's wool washed and carded, so it might be hers.

Anyway, for you spinners out there, this has a lot of twist in it, even after washing it to set the twist. That's why it's hanging with cans in it. So do different breeds have more spring to it than others? Just wondering, because the rest of the skeins are not as twisty. But I love the yarn. It's so soft.

Just a pile of fiber.

This is the Hobbit Barn. It's so little and the right side is very short. I don't know how many times I've whacked my head and said some really bad things.And most of it is really old oak. it's like metal. Cannot get a nail in it to save a life. But, it's not going anywhere, this Hobbit Barn! The man who built it, he made things to last just about forever.

There are 2 long areas to the left. The far one has a wide opening. When we first bought this place, there was a really old car in it. But one of the family came and got it.

It needs a new roof put on, because there are some leaky places. But I like it. It keeps animals warm and safe in winter. Mostly dry when it rains.

So I put all the sheep in here yesterday, waiting on a guy to come shear the 2 wethers. I have to take them to the butcher Tuesday morning. So didn't want to waste their fleeces.  And the lady who has been supposed to come since March, has not shown up yet. So found a young man who has just started shearing. He went to a school at MTSU last year. He's shorn some sheep, but still learning. I thought he could practice some more on mine.

Annabelle, wanting out of the barn.

I asked him if he wanted to practice on some more. Poor Darla has been miserable. So he said sure.  Here's Darla. She's huge! They were really impressed with her wool. It's about 6". Really nice fiber.

                                                              I just love this picture.

This is my favorite lamb, Campbelle. She's so little. She's the smallest of the quads. And looks so much smaller now that she's got all her wool off. We got all 4 of the quads done. Annabelle and Darla and Buttercup. Man, was she a wild mess! I still have not got to get too close to that one. Her mother, Annabelle, is finally letting me scratch her head now, after 3 years.

                                                              Campbelle, naked.

                                                                   Annabelle, naked.

Cameron, being sheared. She was so good. And her wool is beautiful. All grey and brown and black. Even had a little white mixed in there too.

Here's the 3 black sheep. The 2 on the left are the boys. I think I am going to have a really hard time taking them to the butcher. I have never really been too sad to see any animals go. I know this is what they're for. But these 2 guys are so sweet. And their fleece is so pretty. I'm probably going to cry over this.

Don't know what happened, but these 2 pics got stuck together. You can see the fluffy girls up there. Amarillo, on the right, was going to be sheared. They had her. But she went all crazy and jumped over the panel at the entrance of the barn. So off she went and there was no catching her. And it was getting late and they needed to leave. So Cara, Adele and Cassidy didn't get sheared either. When I let those 3 out of the barn, they ran leaping to the others. It was so funny!

And when we let each sheep out after being sheared, the others would all come running to see who it was. They'd do some sniffing, then head butting, then wander off for some grass. It's funny, watching them. They all look so much smaller. But I am pleased with how they all looked after shearing. Very healthy weights. And their eyes looked great, really pink! So didn't have to worm any of them. Very happy with how they looked.

11 bags of wool right there. From 8 sheep. Darla, Buttercup and Annabelle all had to have 2 bags. Lots of wool on those girls.

I am thinking about sending it all to a mill. There's supposed to be a new mill in N. Ga. now.

This is just half of Annabelle's fleece. There's a whole other bag full. It's not too dirty. Lots of grass and hay in there, though.

So pretty! Can't wait to get it all cleaned and start spinning now! But 12 fleeces might take awhile.

Anyone want to come help skirt, wash, card and spin now?