It only took us a month or better....

but the fields are planted....
After several weeks of working the land only to have it just about ready to seed, it would rain and we would have to start over again!
As of last Friday, our 2 back hay fields are seeded, fertilized and rolled.
I knew it would be an undertaking with Dave working full time and everything else that goes on but little by little we managed to git er' done!

Hopefully next spring, our fields will look like this and we will have lots of hay to feed our ever expanding band of animals!

Just to note that we currently had our own hay fields and got our own hay crop but we had a hard winter on our hay last year that killed out most of our fields so we had to replant. We are hoping to buy our own haying equipment within the next year or so, so that we can harvest our own hay instead of paying huge custom work $$$'s for it!

The Goats have arrived!!!

2 weeks ago we made the long trip down to Dalkeith, which is almost to the Quebec border. 5 hrs each way! We did a down and back and wow...was it a long day! We brought our newest members of our farm home. The long awaited fainting goats. For years we had talked about getting these guys and finally now we are owned by 3 of them! We have another little lady coming from Manitoba hopefully the end of September.

They are sweet little girls and already they have captured our hearts! They are inquisitive but shy all at the same time. We have already spent lots of time out there hand feeding them bits and bites of goodies that they love. We were told they like animal crackers or baby cookies and wow...do they ever! It is fun to watch them steal a piece from your hand and back off quickly only to come back and do it again!

From left to right there is Calico Rose, Twinkle Toes and LillyAnna....and yes they were named when we got them!

We have seen them "faint" at different times and it is quite comical. We don't set out to make them faint as that is cruel but sometimes when they get excited or startled over they go! Myself especially have been enjoying learning about them. Even the kids who for the most part do not have any interest in any of the animals in the barn are out there playing with them!

Upcoming Arrivals!!

In the midst of all the bus'y'ness that has been going on around here, Autumn came into season. As she will be 2 in September and 'just' finished her championship, it was a great time to breed her.
I decided to use an outside male this time around. My hope is that there will be a new show hopeful in the works and would be unrelated to my boys that I have here.

I decided to use this little boy. Marshall is an awsome boy and I loved his conformation and colour. Not to mention that he has a really nice head. He also happens to be grandson of Multi BIS, BISS Am/Can Ch. Durrer's Heirloom who is huge right now in the yorkies. Heirloom is 2008 #1 Toy, #1 Yorkshire Terrier, #8 ranking All Breed and the Highest Scoring Yorkie in History.
I feel very fortunate to be able to acquire these bloodlines which will only better my dogs for the future.

So mid October our 'hopefuls' should arrive! Keep your fingers crossed for healthy mom and healthy babies!!!

What to do with...

All this zuchini????
Back in the spring knowing how much a zuchini plant would yield, I purposely only planted 1. Only ONE!!!
Still it is bearing 'fruit' like crazy!

Last nights dinner was zuchini, onion cooked in olive oil with garlic and some tomatoes and peppers. Served over noodles or rice, it is fabulous!

I have trying to use it up, we have been having zuchini omelettes and I have been making banana zuchini loaf and muffins....

Still there are tonnes of zuchini coming....eeeks!

Does anyone have a great use for it? Even a great recipe for more loaf or muffins? The one I found off the internet was kind of heavy.

Surprisingly the kids actually like it! Figuring they would turn their noses up it I kind of tried to hide it in things but when I made the zuchini over noodles, they absolutely loved it! Best part too is there is only vegetables in it and pretty healthy ( would have been better if I used Whole Wheat noodles but...)

I have read too that Zuchini is full of Vitamin C so i guess we have been getting our doses lately!

The Deck - Decorated!

I've been busy trying to 'dress' up our new space outside on the deck. Last week I found this "conversation set" (whatever that means??) on sale at CT. It was $100 off the original price. Actually this time of year has been great for finding deals on outdoor patio stuff!
Anyway....we put up the set, this is where our patio table used to sit. We have found a new spot for that....


I loved these windchimes...which were also on sale...

This is where our patio table sits now!! I am most excited about this change to our deck. A week or so ago I went to Zellers and they had 1 sunshade left, this 10x12. I ended up getting $150 off this baby along with the mosquito netting for $50 off! I felt proud of myself. I love this new area. We have sat outside at night and lit the candles and it is so relaxing just to hear the quiet of the evening with maybe the odd bullfrog. It is the perfect ending to some very busy days we've been having!

In the daytime too, it is nice to sit and watch the dogs play which for me are better entertainment than any ol TV show. Or in the morning having our coffee for a snippit of quiet before the day begins.

I think for now the deck is about perfect! Not too cluttered and just right! We still have to bring some electricity to it and a water tap. However it is looking like these might be next years 'To Do List'..we'll see. Along with the lattice on the bottom and pool deck.

It was definitely worth the 2 years wait (although i didn't agree at the time!) I love the new space, especially where the sunshade is.

Congratulations Sabrina and Eric!

Last Sunday Dave's niece Sabrina welcomed 2 new additions into her family.

6 weeks early her twin baby girls were born.

Phoenix Elizabeth 5 lbs 14 oz

Essence Ava 4 lbs 10 oz

Congratulations to new mom and dad! We look forward to meeting your new little ones!!

Bella and Chad

While we were in Darien Lake, we asked our good friend Lori to watch Bella. As Bella did not fare well while we were out in BC with no one at home the majority of the time to be with her, we figured she again would not do well without 100% human companionship in our absence.

Well Bella flourished at Lori's house, especially with her 5 year son Chad. They bonded instantly and Chad much to his delight found out that Bella would do tricks and commands for him!

Lori told me that Bella would not leave his side and when he went to bed she layed in front of his door. She also greeted him every morning with a big jump on his bed.

I am so pleased that she was a good girl. Lori even said that they missed her when we picked her up! Thanks again for looking after her.

(photos courtesty of Lori!)

In Preparation for.....

These guys..........................

We are in the process of closing in last years attempt at a chicken house, to make a goat shed/barn whatever you want to call it.

We braced it and strapped it and started putting tin on the back of the structure.

Eventually this will house our 4 Myotonic (Fainting) Goats that will be arriving later this month. It really does look better than the picture projects! Will post the finished product when its completed!

We are picking up the 1st three goats pictured from Eastern Ontario later this month and the 4th (black and white girl) will be making her way from Manitoba in September. We have been on a waiting list since February and late spring we made our selections and since then have been waiting for the gals to be weaned from their mommas.

This is a new venture for us and hopefully one that we will enjoy. As the myotonic goat is endandered in Canada I am really looking forward to being part of something that is preserving a breed.

The deck is fini!!!!

This is one post that I am really excited to share! If you remember the post I wrote last month about the deck building that was going on and I promised to let you know when it was finished so here it is!!!
For 2 long years we have discussed this deck project. As with all projects it is a balance of time and money which there never seems to be enough of. Surprisingly it didn't take too long at all. Basically 2 weekends of puttering on it and its pretty much all done! The deck wood is eastern cedar and Dave did a favour for a guy and got the lumber at a great deal.

We still need to cut lattice and put along the ground and in between the new and pool deck.

We have a temporary make shift gate that is blocking access to the pool, so we have to build a gate here yet too.

I just love the new space! I also think it is cool the way there are different levels and corner angle stairs. Does anyone have any ideas of a stain that works with cedar? Over the years I have tried different stains and treatments and non of them stick? I have resorted to just pressure washing the grey away every year. Any ideas??? Anyone??? You can see the difference in colour between the new and old, I would love to keep it looking the new colour....

We have to move the clothes line yet to the far end of the deck so no one gets strangled.....:((

It remains quite bare yet as we finished the deck and left for Darien Lake within 2 days. All I have managed to do it get a few planters to place on it. If the dogs leave them alone they should look quite nice on there! For now the plan is to put a gazebo (sun shade) on there with our dining patio set underneath.

On a grander scale I would like to get some outdoor furniture at some point, like a wicker set or something along those lines. There are so many cool and interesting outdoor pieces out there! I have been surfing kijiji and craigslist for a good used set but nothing has popped up so far. Even grander yet I would like to a 3-4 person hot tub at some point. This is an item that I probably will not buy new as they are grossly expensive and if patient enough you can find a good used one reasonable. I am looking for one of those ones that is just the 110V that you plug in and use, if anyone knows of one.

There are a few finishing details we need to complete on the deck yet but I was too anxious to wait! This is by all accounts phase 3 of our deck project, the 1st being the deck at the front and 2nd the pool deck. Phase 4 and the final phase is a roof over the deck at the front giving the house that ol' country charm of a front porch. I am excited about this one too but Dave has already warned me not to even mention it until next year!!! Stay tuned!!!

One for the team...

A couple of weeks ago, baseball season wrapped up for the year with a 3 day stretch of tournament games.
The tournament is the highlight of the year for the girls and Brittany was really excited to play! She had been a very versatile player this year. Her positions included all the bases , back catcher and pitcher. I think she enjoyed pitching the most.

However she was not meant to pitch at the tournament. The very 1st game they played, 2nd inning Britt was hit by the ball in the hand.
So instead of spending her tournament games with her teammates battling it out for the win, we spent it at our local emergency department getting xrays for a possible broken thumb. Her thumb had the classic look of being broken, the icky purple colour it quickly changed to and the fact that she had a hard time moving it along with the swelling that wasn't long to appear. However after 2 hours of wating the doc said it wasn't broken just badly sprained. He put a splint on it and off we went.
Brittany was determined to play the following day and was able to at least get up to bat if not anything else.......

The girls ended up finishing A division in 2nd place. They had a great year and as always Britt is looking forward to the season again next year.
The thumb??? Turns out it was broken, a week later we recieved a call from the same doctor who seen us in emerg that yes in fact there was a fracture.
So we have bought another splint for it just to protect it so it can heal hopefully properly...
It was a great year for ball and way to go Britt for taking one for your team!!!! Proud of You!!

Road Trip to Darien Lake!

Very spur of the moment....and generally we are not very spur of the moment people we took a 3 day trip down to Darien Lake, NY.
Last minute we found out the Dave could get some time off work and it happened to fall when I had my weekend off so we (and when I say "we" I really mean "I") quickly planned a trip to a place that we had talked about for a couple of years now. It was kind of rush rush, making arrangements for all the animals at home as life on a farm does not mean just pick up and go whenever you want!
Darien Lake is basically the NY version of our Canada's Wonderland except there is camping on site. So passports in hand, off we went!
I was quite surprised, that basically in 3.5 to 4 hr drive we were there.

We decided to rent a trailer there instead of bringing ours with us. Dave calculated that the difference in cost would likely be eaten up in fuel of taking our trailer....personally I think he just wanted me to do all the driving as I usually do! (FYI...I don't drive with big trailers on the back)

This was the view from our trailer door....looking right over into the park!!!

Lots of things to do for thrill seekers!!! The girls went on all the rides multiple times. Not I however, I am a bit of chicken when it comes to heights and prefer to have my feet planted firmly on the ground....

It was a great spot, would love to do it again next year. Hopefully this time with James too. (He had summer school and couldn't miss any time) It was quite relaxing as the girls were occupied and I actually got to read and finish a book that I had started on the plane to BC.

Cost wise it was probably cheaper to do this than to buy tickets for Wonderland for 3 days and stay in a campground.

The evenings were great for campfires and they put on a fireworks plus laser show every night. The show was spectacular and very cool to watch. I totally think we made the right decision to rent a trailer versus staying in the hotel at the park. It was more economical as we could cook our own meals plus camping is just way cooler!

After 3 days of fun and tonnes of roller coasters we were ready to head back home. We stopped at a huge mall in Buffalo and did some shopping. I did some BTS (seriously Back To School shopping already?) and got some great deals. I even found a Bath and Body Works store, I have SO wanted to shop there for ages!
We toured up to the American side of Niagara Falls and checked it out. I am such a terrible Canadian.... We live this close to one of the most phenominal natural wonders of the world and I have not seen the Falls since I was 5 or so and don't even remember it.
We debated which side to see and ended up with the US side figuring that we could always see the Canadian side another time without having the hassle of customs or border crossing.
What a beautiful sight it is and so humbling!!!

We toured a wax museum of all the significant people who had anything to do with the Falls and became quite tourist'y' and walked along all the vendors. Brittany was on the hunt for "I 'heart" NY" T-shirts.

We crossed the border early evening and had dinner at a Tuckers Marketplace in Toronto. We made it home just after 10pm, tired but really happy that we did this trip. It was above all nice to spend some downtime together and also see some interesting sight along the way.

It was a cool road trip....

BC was a blast!!!

This post is sadly over due as it has been almost a month since we were out on our sunny west coast! However I do eventually get around to these things!

For 8 days my ladies and I spent a wonderful time with my sister and her family. We enjoyed each other's company and did a bit of this and that along with my nephews wedding which I DID get around to blogging about!

As I mentioned in my previous post that my aunt and cousin were able to come to the wedding as well which we were all thrilled about! Those times are so precious with them and we thoroughly enjoyed their presence there.

Here I am doing my aunts nails before the wedding. My girls and I had all gotten pedi's and mani's so she wanted her nails to look spiffy too!

My other nephew playing with my sisters papillon puppies.

It was the house of papillons!!! A true change from my house of yorkie!

I really apologize for the lack of pictures but my camera decided to act up and other than the wedding I don't have alot of other pictures. However needless to say that we all had a good time and it was great to reconnect with family again! The first days of our trip were busy, spent travelling back and forth to Victoria for pre wedding functions. We had a bridal shower, and pre-hearsal luncheon and then a post rehersal BBQ, and then was the big day!

After the wedding we had a bit of down time and spent the Monday kayaking along the ocean waterfront. It was beautiful and very relaxing! I had never been kayaking before and had a great time!

The following day we heading off on the ferry to the mainland to do some shopping. We hit the mall and spent the night in a hotel..again it was wonderful to do things with family. My aunt was so amazed and appreciative of the time spent that it brought tears to my eyes. Wednesday we parted ways and they headed back to Alberta. My sister and I went and visited a great yorkie person! I was very much looking forward to this visit and seeing her dogs and just enjoying her company. Kim is a riot and a wealth of information!

After our visit we headed off to Vancouver airport to pick up my sister's awaited new super male, (yes its a papillon!) After a long hour we managed to sneak a peak at him through the crate door. He had travelled from Germany and my sis has high hopes for this boy! Then the little guy had to clear customs and he was hers! After all the paperwork we got to see the long awaited boy and what and personality! I don't think my face has ever been washed quite so well!

These are not pics of the new little guy but of my sis's other puppies.....

We caught the ferry back to the island and one more sleep were home bound. Our flight was delayed and we arrived back in TO at midnight. What a long day it was!

So in a nut shell that was our trip, again wish I could have blogged with pics..i know its so much more exciting...

I am way behind on my blogging...there has been so much happening this summer but i just can't keep up with it all!