Lally

A Year in Pictures ~ 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:07:00 +0000

Our year in pictures.

This picture is technically December of 2011 but I found it just today. This is my Grandma and Naomi on Christmas day. My Grandma passed away at the beginning of December 2012. What a wonderful picture to find!

January

There was snow!

and snowball fights.

February- somehow all the photos I took in Feb are of rabbits. You don't need to see any more rabbits. Maybe next year I should take more pictures of people. :)

March

Rainbow!

Meet Larry

Someone turned 9.

The birthday boy.

Someone turned 4. This is her tower of cupcakes before I dropped them. :)
They still tasted good.

Pink Legos!

The birthday girl!

April

Surprise!

A birthday bike!

Someone turned 6!

Sisters

There were lots of seedlings.

And lots of eggs!

Someone still likes to play at the park.

Reserve Champion Junior Poultry Showmanship.
You know, I was sure I'd never be a "soccer mom" but I
sure never thought I'd be a "chicken mom"

There were sunny days at the park

and underdogs

May

There were tulips in bloom at my Grandma's house.
Joe and I got married here 11 years ago this March!

Grandma's swing

There were newborn baby bunnies

and baby chicks delivered by mail

We shot rockets with cub scouts

First word someone ever wrote by herself

We went to the Canby Rabbit and Poultry Show

She still cuddles, occasionally.

I got caught capturing the moment.

We raised and butchered out own meat birds for the first time
You can read more about that here.

June

Baby bunnies grew

There was a lot of canning

No matter how much they fight, they really do love each other.

I have big helpers now

There was hiking at the bird park.

Lots of playing with my camera

and more cub scout activities

July

There was even more hiking

and playing in the waterfall

Friends for 4 years now

Cousin Thomas visited, they are all actually looking!

Most pictures looked like this :)

August

August is fair month for our family. We gear up most of our 4-H year for the kids participation at Skamania County Fair. You can read about our fair years here 2012 and here 2011 and here 2009. I never blogged 2010 as we had dial up internet and blogging was just taking too much time.

6 year olds are not very patient

Rabbit showmanship

Good thing her bird is well trained

Junior Poultry Champion

2012 Master Poultry Showman. There were tears, she was so excited.

Small Animal Round Robin

She took third place in the small animal round robin

More ribbons

Love her smile

There were garden boxes

September

6 people + 1 mini van + 3 days of camping = this
(There are 3 other kids back there)

There was beach fun

And playing in the waves

and Daddy time

There was sand, lots of sand

More hiking

There was a civil war reenactment

The women wore the most beautiful dresses

We visited Fort Stevens

Lots of stairs!

Lots of digging

There was fishing with Grandma Karen while she was camping

and watermelon eating

and more fishing

There were crafts at Puyallup Fair ~ WA Jr. Poultry Exposition

and photography exhibits

2012 Poultry Person of the Year ~ WA Jr Poultry Exposition

October

There was a fire at the bird park

and a 4-H scavenger hunt

and lots of Lego building

Yes, more poultry shows.

November

There was Thanksgiving at Grandma's hosue

and skipbo playing

December

There was present opening

lots of candles

Someone turned 12.

And isn't this the most important.

Grateful

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:13:00 +0000

"When we stop seeing reasons to give thanks,

we stop thinking there are reasons to live"

~ Ann Voskamp

I set out this morning to share some of my favorite things. Things I am grateful for, things that bring me joy. I was joining Rachel at Finding Joy in her link up and instead this is what came bubbling out of me.

____________________________________________

I went to a women's conference last Saturday. I went into it expecting a to do list on "how" to counsel women. How to help them, how to make sense of the things that are said to me that I don't know how to deal with.

"I don't love my husband anymore, I am filing for divorce."
"I don't know who I am, what am I here for?"
"Why does this hurt so bad, where is God in this?"

I wanted 12 easy steps to counseling women, twelve easy steps to get them from A to Z, 12 easy steps to me knowing what to say, what to do, and how to deal with the pain I see in their eyes. The pain that makes me ache inside and want to grab them and yell "You are more, YOU are loved!"

I didn't get that. There is no magic formula, I knew that, deep down inside I knew, but I wanted that.

What did I get?
I got a lesson in identity that grew me closer to the one who matters.
I received the blessing of a lesson in the gospel.
A lesson I knew but needed to hear again.
A lesson that I will never fully comprehend because how can a mother understand sending her child to die for others.
A lesson on what really matters.

The truth, the oh so wonderful truth, that we are forgiven. That Jesus took all my sins, all my worry, all my guilt, all my deception, all my pride, all my unbelief and He put that on and died for me. He put on a crown of thorns, walked in shame, and died for me.

Did I know this? Yes
Do I believe it? Sometimes
Do I live it? No

I am full of pride and worry and fear and the list goes on...

My gratitude to what He gives is filled with sin. Filled with my pride and my imperfections. And you know what? God doesn't expect me to be perfect. I am forgiven. How wonderful is that.

That when I am reaching for the things I do not have HE is really what I am looking for. That my wanting is really disbelief that He has provided enough for me. That He provides not only material needs but the words, His words are enough! What He offers is so much more than what I could imagine. I need to look for it, I need to be grateful for it, I need to grasp what He has given me so that I can find Him in what I am looking at.

Today I am thankful for that. Thankful for God's word that speaks to me and shows me that I am ungrateful yet I am loved. Prideful yet His daughter. A sinner yet I am forgiven. That He has given me so much and that I need Him to see that.

How about you. Can you believe that God chose you to be His?

Skamania County Fair 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:03:00 +0000

This was our fourth year at Skamania County Fair. With three kids in 4-H it is very busy but we love it! This year Madeline in her 4th 4-H year showed poultry, Michael in his 3rd 4-H year showed rabbits, and Marah in her 2nd 4-H year showed rabbits and poultry. Naomi will join them next year and we are all ready jokingly calling her the chicken whisperer.

Rabbit Breed Judging ~ Silver Fox

Rabbit Breed Judgin ~ Mini Rex

Primary Rabbit Showmanship

I always love seeing all the little girls all dressed up for showmanship. Their hair is so cute!

Junior Rabbit Showmanship

Primary Poultry Showmanship

There is always one group of primaries that are chatting away. The
little girl on the very end was so cute and her chicken was
large fowl and she handled it so well considering her size.

Junior Poultry Showmanship. Madeline is showing a
Mille Fleur Belgian Bearded D'Uccle Bantam Hen. She has been
her showmanship bird for a while now. Maddy has trained her well.

Champion Junior Showman

Showmanship for Master Poultry Showman

Master Poultry Showman!!!!! She cried, I cried!

Small Animal Round Robin. All the winners of each small animal
come together and compete for Small Animal Round Robin
Master Showman. Animals include poultry, pigeons, rabbits, cavies, and novelty goats.

Small Animal Round Robin. Madeline placed third.

Small Animal Round Robin

Showing Novelty Goats

There was cage cleaning every morning

Primary Poster Champion

Junior Poster Champion

Watching her siblings

Madeline's poster

Michael's Mini Rex rabbit Thunder took Reserve in breed judging.

Madeline's showmanship bird

The kids all did a ton of projects in the exhibit hall. They did
Garden boxes, entered eggs, made jams and jellies, bread, did LEGO crafts,
and other art projects! This is Marah with her garden box project, she also did a
poster that went with it titled "Parts of a Plant"

Michael made a LEGO model of the fairgrounds. Unfortunately I can't find a picture of it! He worked so hard for well over a month and studied the fairgrounds on google maps so he got everything just right! He got a Judge's Choice award and was really excited.

31 Days of Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe

I just did my monthly meal plan and a facebook friend asked me to share it. In an attempt to not have to buy groceries this month I went through and inventoried everything I had in the house. I did not inventory the flours, baking supplies, spices etc as those are staples and I usually always have those in my pantry.

Canning

Here is the list of what I had on hand and the quantities to work with in random order. Well actually it is order of small freezer to garage pantry to large freezer but only I would know that.
Pepperoni
Mozarella
Bacon 3- half packages (I cut these in half and we only eat a half at a time)
Pasta Sauce-7 meals worth
Rice- Brown
Beans- Red, Pinto, White, Black
Lentils
Tortillas
Pasta- 6 packages
Tomato soup- 1
Hamburger- 15 (these are small little frozen rounds, 1 is a less meat meal and 2 is a large meat meal)
Cken breasts- 3
Rabbit- 1 whole
Chicken- 6 whole
Salmon- 4 meals worth
Oats
Applesauce and apple butter
Pears and pear butter and pear sauce
Frozen- strawberries, grn beans, corn, chicken broth 1, ham broth 1

My Go To Break Recipe for Loaf, Rolls, or Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfasts

These will be the same 7 meals on a weekly rotation. Sides will be whatever fruit, etc happens to be there. I can all summer long so there is a lot of pear sauce, apple sauce, canned pears, and frozen fruits for smoothies, etc.

Oatmeal and Pears
Scrambled Eggs with toast
Pancakes and applesauce
Smoothies and Toast
Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal
Eggs and biscuits (eggs will be either flat eggs, scrambled, or omelets)
Leftover Pancakes (I make a quadruple batch and freeze the leftovers)

Carmel Pecan Sticky Rolls Recipe

Lunch

These will also be the same 7 meals on a weekly rotation. Side will be vegis and dip, hummus. Also I only make these if there are no dinner leftovers!

Sandwiches- PBJ, PBH, egg salad, tuna, whatever we have that week.
Potatoes with ranch, cheese, toppings
Sandwiches
Noodles (with butter and garlic, or with meatless sauce)
Leftover Day- This is all the leftovers in the fridge
Sandwiches
Leftover Soup or Chili- If I make a large pot once a week there will be lunch for all 6 of us as well

Pressure Canned Pinto Beans

Dinner

I write out my dinners on a blank monthly calendar I printed off in word. I fill my meals in making sure to note what days we are out late, Joe is not home, or we are out all morning/afternoon so I can use the crock pot. I also do not pick a specific way to cook some items so that I can choose depening on what we feel like when the day comes. For example a whole chicken will just say "whole chicken" and day of I may choose to crock pot it, bbq it, or roast it in the oven. Sides for dinner are decided when that day depending on what I have on hand. If I plan it right all breads, rolls, buns, etc will be made day before or that morning. Meatless meals are marked with an *

Week 1
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup*
Whole Chicken
Pasta
Taco Pie
Black Bean Chili*
Salmon

Week 2
Bean Burgers*
White Bean Soup (made with Ham stock from the freezer)
Pizza
Chicken Pot Pie (in place of crust I put dumplings on top)
Sloppy Joes
Spicy Rice and Beans*
Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice*

Week 3
Tacos
Chili and Cornbread
Chili on Potatoes
Pasta
Taco Pie
Chili Casserole
Salmon

Week 4
Whole Chicken
Chicken and Rice Soup
Pasta
Chicken Pot Pie
Waffles and Bacon
Black Beans and Rice*
Lentil Sloppy Joes*

Week 5
Lentil Soup with bacon
Breakfast Burritos*
Polenta and Spicy Beans*
Pasta

Want to see another meal planning post? Check out "A Month of Meals"

Chicken Butchering Day (Warning- Graphic)

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Warning this post contains pictures of our butchering day. There are detailed photos of the process from start to finish. If you do not want to see blood, guts, and dead chickens please stop reading now.

We spent Sunday afternoon at a friend's house for chicken butchering. She has quite the set-up and a group came together to butcher. A morning group butchered 50 birds and the afternoon group butchered 35. We brought the 10 we have been raising up for the afternoon group. Joe has butchered chickens, turkeys, and rabbits before but we've never done it as a group. Was so much more fun and we really learned a lot by seeing how Lisa sets everything up!

Her set-up outside their garage. It did not rain at all, lucky us.

Some of our birds after transport. We drive a mini-van so the

smell on the drive was not pleasant.

They would hold the birds upside down until they were calm and

then put them into the killing cone.

Quickly done. Blood drains into the

containers of pine shavings below.

Water at just the right temp. 170 degrees was just right.

Dipping the birds for 20 seconds.

Into the wizzbang. This machine takes almost all the feathers out. We have hand plucked both chickens and turkeys and this was amazing. So fast and easy. If you are local to me her husband builds and sells them. They run about $1,000. Her website is here and they also make awesome chick brooders!

Nice and clean!

Our view from the butchering stations.

Picking out the last of the pin feathers.

We started about 2pm. The clock was set-up so you could easily count how long the birds were submerged in the hot water. A table for cleaning supplies. All tables had bleach buckets and everything was cleaned regularly through out the process.

Taking out the insides.

This is what NOT to do. The bile needs to be washed away

and care taken not to get it on any of the meat. This only happened once all day!

Inside the tents. Pin feather station, butcher station, clean station.

Another woman was there to help and she was awesome at this.

So fast and she really knew what she was doing. I was just

fascinated with these gut photos. Sorry! I took several more that

I didn't post. lol

Saving the chicken feet for yet another person.

Clean water buckets for belly scrubbing.

Yep all clean.

Almost done!

Finished birds go into clean buckets full of cold water.

Out of the bucket and onto trays to drip. Look just like the store!

Double bagged and ready to weigh.

Weigh table. Biggest bird of the day 6.65!

There was more than just butchering, photos from the rest of the day.

The kids played in the woods most of the day. After we were all done the girls got to collect

eggs and see all of Lisa's chickens.

The fields around her chicken coops were full of these full of these flowers.

So how did you spend your Memorial Day Weekend?

Homemade Playdough Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I have been making this recipe for years. It is by far the best playdough recipe I have found. It is not grainy, lasts a long time, and the kids love it!

Recipe for Homemade Playdough

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1tsp oil

1cup warm water

food coloring

Mix dry ingredients in a pan. Add warm water, food coloring, and oil. Stir together over medium heat until it forms a ball. Make sure to stir (this will be hard) until all (or most) of the wet looking spots are gone. Dump out onto a table and knead until smooth. Be very careful kneading, as it is HOT! This recipe makes a large ball of dough, almost a pound. Store in a sealed plastic bag and it should last for months.

You can make any color you want, even use natural dyes if you would like. I've added essential oils as scents (be careful some are not great on the skin) and even added glitter to make sparkle dough! Experiment and have fun! I used to make this recipe and sell it online when I had my shop, Sewing Alley.

Homeschooling on a budget

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

"I can't afford to homeschool."

I've heard this many times. And I am here to tell you, you can homeschool on a small budget. You can homeschool one kid or many kids and still be frugal!

So here are 10 ways to be a frugal homeschooler!

1. Public Library. Use it! You can get all the free reading material you want on any subject you want. My daughter uses our local library for their free e-book library. There are days we come out of the library with bags and bags full of books.

2. Used curriculum sales. One of the joys of homeschooling is when a curriculum doesn't work for your family you get to choose a new one. This also means that for those of us looking for a bargain, these are for sale. Check craigslist, check online sites, check local homeschool groups. We have several curriculum sales in my local area where you can find excellent bargains.

3. The internet. I know people who homeschool with out the internet, its not a must. But it definitely makes it easier! There are free sites galore for learning games. There are entire free curriculum out there for all kinds of subjects. There are websites for homeschool parents sharing ideas. You get the picture, homeschooling and the internet are a wonderful combination!

4. Hand me Downs. Yes these happen with homeschooling in addition to clothes. Recently a friend gifted me 3 different years of a $1500 curriculum. I was ecstatic. So ask around, you never know what someone has laying around that they don't use anymore. They get to declutter and you get to save money!

5. Make your own craft supplies. Google or pinterest is your friend here. There are recipes out there for everything from model magic to playdough to sidewalk chalk. Some are cheaper to make and others are just fun to make and not at all cheaper!

6. Buy in bulk, at discount stores, or at back to school sales. Whether it's the dollar store, Discount School Supply, or Rainbow Resource. These are the Costco of the homeschool world. Glue in a gallon jug? Markers for a year. Yes, thank you! Back to school sales are not just for public school families. I go every year and get ten cent notebooks (3 cases of them), 25 cent crayons, glue sticks, pencils, etc. My kids like having their own marker box and I like only spending 20 cents on them. I try to stock up for the year at this time. When I shop this way only a small amount is put out at a time and my kids know when they are gone, they are gone. If they leave all the lids off the markers then they will just have to use crayons for the rest of the year. Yes I am that mean.

7. Memberships to local attractions. As a homeschooler you can go to the zoo or museum any time you want. Go in the morning, have a picnic, and make it a field trip! If your family is larger it often only takes one or two visits to completely pay for your membership.

8. Get outside, go to a park, go on a hike. Nature is free (unless you have to pay to park!) and kids love being outside. Grab a bird watching book from the library and see what you can spot. Get one of your 10 cent spirals and make yourself a nature notebook. Draw some pictures of plants and try to identify them. Grow a garden or get some chickens! The possibilities for outdoor learning are endless.

9. See items as an investment. Yes that microscope is kind of expensive. How many kids will use it, how many years of homeschooling will it be used, can you sell it when you are done? That microscope might not sound so expensive when you realize that 4 kids will get many years of use out of it!

10. Photocopies. If you can, buy items that can be copied. Some cannot so make sure you check the copyrights. Some say may be reproduced for classroom/homeschool use. So that book of blank maps can now be used for all of your children. As long as you have a great printer that is economical this is an excellent option for money saving.

What are your favorite ways to be frugal in your homeschool?

4H and our homeschool

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

4H plays a huge part of our homeschool here at Lally. It meets some of our social needs as well as quite a few of our educational. It also helps our family with one of the goals we have that our extracurricular activities will not interfere with family. Our family time is important and running kids to separate activities is not something we have chosen to do. The time we would spend apart is just too valuable for us right now.

So how does 4H curriculum fit into our homeschool?

4H has excellent curriculum. They have project areas for pretty much anything the kids could wish to learn more about. From Veterinary Science for the girl who dreams of being a vet to Entomology for the insect obsessed to arts and crafts of all kinds! They are priced reasonable as well which fits in with my frugalness.

The kids work through the curriculum meeting the goals and completing the activities for each section. These different areas involve research, writing, reading, math, science, and more.

What else does 4-H do for our homeschool?

We've all heard the dreaded homeschool myth "What about socialization?" For our family 4-H is a huge part of our kids social activity. They see the same kids and parents every 4H meeting, they spend a week with them at county fair, they go to poultry and rabbit shows with them. They also meet kids from other areas and groups that we see at the shows. They become friends and look forward to seeing the same kids at these shows.

Another thing I love about 4-H is the adult interaction and how comfortable the kids are having conversations with other adults. This is something I find to be true with a lot of homeschool families not just 4-H families. 4-H gives the kids an opportunity to talk with judges, adult leaders, and older teens who are always more than happy to talk with the kids about their project animals.

4-H also gives the kids an opportunity to serve the younger kids. In our area a 4-Her goes to their fellow 4H members for help first, then they go to an adult if they need it. It helps them to build leadership skills and confidence.

What do our kids do in 4H each year?

Every year the kids choose their project animal. We've done poultry, rabbits, and goats. This year we are doing poultry and rabbits. The kids are required to turn in a record book for fair so all year they keep feed receipts and notes on breeding dates, health issues, etc. This requires math and writing skills. They have to write an essay for fair. They must also daily work with their animals and study on a regular basis. Our group does a service project, hold fundraisers, and does presentations with-in our club and at fair. Its fun and learning all rolled into one. Fair is something that our kids look forward to each year, they love showing off their projects.

So if you are looking to add something to your homeschool consider adding 4-H. Call your county extension office which will be happy to provide you with a list of local groups!

Our Homeschool ~ "What does your day look like?"

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A friend of mine recently took me out to coffee and asked me some homeschool questions. The one I had the hardest time with was "What does your day look like?" Hmmm what does one day look like? Our days are so different, each one takes on it's own life. We run with things as they come up and leap from topic to topic to project as the kids come up with things they want to do. We do have some structure as its needed to help the house run smoothly and the little girls really thrive knowing what to do when.

So as all days are different here is a general guide of what we do in a day

These things happen everyday, mostly in this order:
Wake-up
Animal Chores
Breakfast
Morning Chores
Lunch
Chapter Book reading (We are currently reading Swiss Family Robinson)
Afternoon Chores
More Book Reading (sometimes)
Snack
Dinner
Kitchen Clean-Up and 15 minute tidy
Bedtime for the Littles
Bedtime for the Bigs
Family Devotional (time varies between AM or PM depending on when Dad is home that day)

What happens every week:
Karate, Cub Scouts (with Pink Troop), 4H Meetings (2x month), Church,

What do we do in-between? That depends. Here are some things each kid is working on this year:

Madeline ~ At her request she has a full on curriculum this year. She is using Calvert and she loves it. She does what she feels like and usually works till lunch time. Some days it's several lessons in a few subjects and other days its one lesson of each subject. Maddy is also working on her 4H poultry project, a Coop Tender Poultry book through the ABA/APA, 4H Veterinary Science and, 4H photography curriculum. She also has a Horse curriculum. She spends a lot of time reading, playing with her siblings, going on hikes with Dad, she loves to cook, bake, and do crafts. She loves painting and drawing. She rides her bike and swims. Everyday she works with her 4H animals. She grooms them, clips their nails, cleans their coops, etc. Weekly she attends Karate, 4H, Church, and has sleepovers whenever she can with friends. A new addition is a mother/daughter Bible Study that both her and I are working through together.

Michael ~ will usually do some writing, some reading, some math and then he is off to play. He is also working through the 4H Entomology (insects) Curriculum as well as working on his 4H rabbit project this year. His reading work involves some phonics and reading out loud. He initiated the interest in learning to read this year and I couldn't have been happier. He went from tears to I am going to read a chapter book in really the span of a few days. He loves to build things and is working through the different activities in his Cub Scout book. He spends time each day with his rabbits. He loves to help in the garden and has his own garden box that he tends too. He likes to go on walks whenever he can around the neighborhood. He plays a lot with Marah and likes to swim or ride bikes. Weekly he attends Karate, Cub Scouts, 4H, and Church. He is my audio visual kid so he loves playing computer games (StarCraft is a favorite) and LEGO.com He also loves animals so watches documentaries through Netflix a lot.

Marah ~ She is technically in kindergarten this year. I feel about kindergarten pretty much how I feel about preschool. Let them hang out with you all day and they will learn everything plus some. She wants to do everything her big siblings do. So she has a handwriting book, a nature book, etc. We read lots of books, do lots of baking, and tons of crafts. She is outside as much as possible, living and learning. She works with her 4H rabbits and chickens. She is doing both projects this year. She also has her own garden box. She spends time playing games with Naomi, loves to swim and ride her bike.

Naomi ~ Is only four. Legally in the state we are in we don't have to register with our districts until age 8. Naomi just plays, she does what 4 years old's do best. She gets muddy, she pretends, she dumps, and pours, and paints, and blows bubbles. She mimics her siblings, and copies her mom. She mixes and bakes, and colors, and does playdough. She digs in the garden and saves worms. She feeds the chickens and collects eggs. She excels at 4 year old.

So that is it. That is what we do. We don't have a school year, we do this year round. The kids work through curriculum when they want to and they take a break when they want to. We take breaks when the house needs a clean up day or some one's attitude needs some work. We do group projects and blow up volcano's, we go on field trips, and we read together a lot. The library is one of our most used resources. So Welcome to our homeschool ~ where we live life together and learn while we do it.

Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Someone had her ~~31st~~ a birthday in April. This certain someone also happened to go buy herself a camera for her birthday, from her husband of course. He was there when she bought it so it was technically from him. She has been taking a lot of pictures and experimenting and trying to understand how to use a camera that is more than a point and shoot. Photography is always something I have wanted to learn more about. I love taking photos and at one point (a very long time ago!) wanted to be a photo journalist. Sometime in between wanting to be a doctor or a chef or a baker. Yes, I wanted to be a baker. I actually wanted to have a bakery with a soup kitchen that was supported by the wonderful goodies I baked all day. Then I realized what time bakers have to get up in the morning. So I became a mom and we all know mom's don't doctor, bake, cook, or get up early! lol All right back to the topic, my new camera. Its a Canon Rebel T2i and I am so excited to learn more. Now that the kids are older I may just be able to take some classes even. So prepare for random posts full of photos of kids and trees and views and clouds and rocks and plants and anything else I happen to be standing next to when I feel the urge to play with my camera.

Birthday Tulips, my favorite

This one is also learning photography and is working
through the 4H photography curriculum.

PNPA Poultry Show

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0000

We went to the Spring show of the Pacific Northwest Poultry Association last weekend. Madeline loves attending this show and works really hard to get ready every year. Marah showed as well this year. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We spent the day looking at all kinds of poultry, both girls participated in showmanship, visited with friends, and went the the great playground that is next to the fair grounds.

Congratulations to Madeline who won Reserve Champion in the Junior Showmanship Class. Marah participated in the primary class and did an excellent job as well.

View from the fairgrounds

Marah with Snowgold

Watching the primaries

Junior showmanship class

Showing the wing

She just heard the judge announce she won
reserve champion in showmanship.

This is her "Don't take my picture" face

This year Maddy is showing chickens and a miniature donkey. Marah is showing rabbits and chickens. Michael is showing rabbits. I never thought I would be the mom with a house full of animals. At this time we have: 8 rabbits- 3 of which are pregnant and due in a week or so, 2 cats, 2 rats, 7 bantam show hens, about 15 (or so) bantam show chicks, 4 market pullets (Maddy's auction project), and 8 new laying hen chicks.

Do you have any animals in your house or out of your house?

Spring is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:51:00 +0000

Hello baby bunny!

Silver Seabright (Hope)

Soon to be Laying Hen

Mille Fleur d'Uccle

Chamomile

Tomatoes, Peppers, Flowers, and more!

Oregano

Asian Pears

Mint

Blueberries

Baby Mini Rex (Thunder)
and Mama (Chocolate Chip)

Lettuces

Bantam show chicks for 4H projects

It must be spring here at Lally.

Baby chicks, baby rabbits, and baby plants!

What has your spring been filled with?

A Year In Pictures ~ 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:43:00 +0000

We had a great 2011 and I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us.

January

There was a lot of rain!

We watched it flood.

We left the country house

There was dancing and lots of moving boxes

February

We moved back to the city

The new house

Brownie cupcakes!

We celebrated Valentines Day!

March

The chickens enjoy their new home

I finally got myself a greenhouse

We made spring flowers

Grandma Evelyn came to visit

Uncle Terry and Grandma Karen visited as well.

Someone turned 8!

Someone turned 3!

First of the garden starts.

April

There was a Mom's Night In Craft Night.

Someone turned 5!

Kids did crafts

There was hiking with Daddy.

We made newspaper pots.

You can too, instructions here.

A poultry show.

Nerf battles

We filled the greenhouse

May

We played with the goats at the farm.

There were underwear-sock wars

I planted the hill of death. Though in

May we called it the pumpkin-squash-hill.

I had farmers to help me.

I learned to coupon. I saved us when business slowed down.

We survived on the pantry for months!

I just used up the last of my laundry soap today.

This is part of it, cost me 99 cents!

The mint loved the greenhouse.

June

We butchered our first rabbit.

Greens from the garden

We started a garden tee-pee

My daughter went and grew up. (self portrait)

And so did my son!

July

There was sleeping,

and fireworks,

Chamomile,

and snap peas.

An abundance of flowers.

Lots of swimming happened.

There were chalk paste footprints across my patio.

I became one of those mom's. The ones who have a

billion animals at their house. This is Skipper.

My oldest, bestest, most wonderfulest friend got married.

(now I don't think she read this blog so lets

just say that I am not so patiently

waiting to be an Auntie and want to spoil her kids

rotten. Come on all ready Jenny!)

August

There was goat shaving.

Chicken holding

Goat nibbling

Loving on babies

Chicken love

First year rabbit showmanship!

Goat showing

and overall lots of Fair!

September

Garden Harvest

Pie baking

Canning season coming to a close.

Found and loved a hamburger bun recipe. Finally!

October

Banana Split Night. A yearly tradition every October 31st.

Another trip to Grandma's so I could stay with her while she was

in the hospital. Her front porch, which is actually her back porch.

I don't know if you can read this. I found it when

I was wandering the halls of the hospital late

one night while my Grandma slept. Made me tear up.

Another poultry show.

November

We did some pressure canning.

Some donut making

Sisters, 23 months apart, its a love-hate relationship in which they are

all ready fighting over clothing.

And more baking. Recipe for these coming soon, they are so yummy!

And more baking. Recipe for these can be found here.

I use this dough for everything. Bread, breadsticks, french bread (using steam in the oven),

dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, everything.

December

Someone turned 11!

A group of friends made each other feel better by sharing

our "Real" houses on facebook. Do you feel better now too?

Another chicken show this time with

members of our new 4-H group.

We spent time at Grandma Evelyn's for Christmas.

No snow but I love this tree.

More at Grandma's house. See that little bridge in the middle?

Almost 10 years ago Joe and I said our vows right there.

If you made it this far congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful 2012.

Nope I did not...

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:49:00 +0000

Not Me Monday is a regular thing over at MckMama. You can head over there to see all the Not Me Monday posts! You can also check out her other posts, she's got goats and a creepy barn. What more could you want right?

I absolutely did not make sausage gravy twice in one day. We did not have it for dinner and for breakfast just because Daddy wasn't home.

I did not wonder what the smell was in my kitchen all day today. It was definitely not the bones left in the crock pot from straining chicken broth on Sunday morning, cause I took care of those right away and did not put the lid back on and leave it for later.

I also did not let my kids jump off the cement wall in our backyard into a monstrous leaf pile. And I absolutely did not help them rake the leaves. And I really did not encourage the three year old to jump off the wall twice her height. That's not safe.

And last but not least I did not post on facebook this morning "It is for sure a Monday." cause my Monday's are awesome, always, cause who does not love Mondays. They rock.

Canning Season 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0000

We had a great canning season here. You can see totals (though I lost count and completely forgot to tally some items) if you click on the Harvest Totals tab above. We made pear sauce, apple sauce, lots of tomato sauce, jams, jellies, and more.

We had enough tomatoes from the garden every day to make
an entire canner full of sauce daily.

Because I thought it was funny that I took pictures of the mess. Homeschool curriculum piled up, looks like some baking happened, and canning mess.

Did you get any canning done this year? What was your favorite thing you put up?

Skamania County Fair 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:55:00 +0000

The kids participated in Skamania County Fair again this year. It was in August but I am so far behind posting photos of anything on here! It was Madeline's third year participating in fair, Michael and Marah's first year participating.

Marah and SnowGold

Michael and Buster the Polish Rabbit

#95

I really liked this rabbit judge,
he was really good with the novices.

All dressed up in her show clothes

When time came she froze and the livestock superintendent was nice
enough to let older sister go out and stand next to her. Maddy later
said "If I'd know I was going out there I would have
wore my show clothes!"

It was an excellent year at fair. The kids had a blast as always. It was also the first year that the littles and I camped the entire time. There were several meltdown moments, not only by the little girls! We will do it again this year and the kids have all ready started planning their 2012 4H year.

Homemade Non-Petroleum Jelly

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Found this excellent post about making your own Homemade Non-Petroleum Jelly. I smeared Michael in Vapor-rub last night and am envisioning a homemade version! This is more a note to self as I really want to do this!

Frogs, snails, and puppy dog tails

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:40:00 +0000

I am always amazed at what I find when I help tidy the kids rooms. These pictures are brought to you from the depths of the boy child's room.

Arrows

Tools

Do these things breed?

This guy likes to hide where
Mom will unexpectedly uncover him.
His massively large family also likes to hide places.

Foot puncture trap

What unexpected treasures do you find in the depths of your child's room?

Potato Leek Soup ~ Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:21:00 +0000

Potato Leek Soup

5 medium Leeks (white and pale-green parts only)
2 TBSP Butter or olive oil
6 Russet Potatoes, peeled and chopped (or don't peel if you'd like)
30 ounces Chicken broth (I have also used vegetable broth)
1/2 to 3/4 cup half and half (I've used whole milk or skipped this as well)
salt and pepper to taste
sometimes I also add garlic powder

1) Halve leeks and slice into 1/4 inch thick half moons. Rinse and drain well.

2) In a large pot melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until tender, be careful not to brown (though I do it all the time and it tastes fine unless they are black, then its well uh gross. Hey I'm a mom, I get sidetracked. lol)

3) Add prepared potatoes, broth, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil: reduce heat to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender. About 15-20 minutes.

4) Puree with an immersion blender (or regular blender) until smooth. Stir in half and half and season with salt and pepper. (Or don't blend at all for chunky soup, I tend to blend about half as the kids like the creamy and Husband likes the chunky, so they have to share and get both. I totally just noticed a similarity here, its to peanut butter.)

Enjoy! I tend to make this soup from memory so its a bit different each time. Sometimes more potato, more leeks, etc. Its pretty forgiving and I've never made a version that kids didn't devour. I usually serve with fresh bread and butter.

Life Verse

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:55:00 +0000

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I read this verse everyday. It hangs on the wall by my kitchen sink. As I wash up from breakfast and lunch and dinner I see it. Hanging there, waiting. Read me, live me.

I need to read this verse everyday. It speaks to me and every time I read it I love it more.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I am not joyful always. I struggle to be joyful when the mountain of laundry overwhelms me. When the uncertainty of paying bills looms in the near future. When I see friends hurting so deep that nothing on this earth can even begin to help, I struggle because I do not understand.

There are days when my prayers are just scattered random thoughts. There are days when I sit down broken and ready to let go of my control, my inadequate understanding of this life.

My thanks are inconsistent. I like to think that I am grateful, yet some days the blessings I receive are unnoticed and forgotten. Chalked up to hard work instead of my Father who gives, over and over, forgiving.

I want to live this verse. To be joyful, full of prayer and thanksgiving. To find joy in the hard stuff as well as the easy. To find joy in the mundane and the exciting. To be thankful for every second, minute, hour, especially when it is spent doing something that I do not understand.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

What about you, do you have a verse that you want to live? A verse that speaks so deep into your soul that you want to devour it every chance you get.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 02:45:00 +0000

Was reading blogs the other night and came across this post over at Freedom Acres Farm the other night. I love her blog and am in awe of her pantry. As soon as I saw the recipe for Hamburger Buns I knew I had to try it.

These are something I try but are never right. Too crunchy, not fluffy, shape is off.

These homemade hamburger buns were perfect! I did use regular whole wheat flour in place of fresh ground soft white flour and noticed no difference. Though as I don't have a flour grinder I may not know what the awesomeness of fresh ground flour is. :)

So head on over to her blog for the recipe and I'd love to know how

they turn out for you!

P.S. The kids liked them, need I say more?

Who are You Serving?

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:31:00 +0000

I have been working with one of the ladies at my church working on what are my strengths and spiritual gifts. It has been a fun and eye opening experience. After meeting with her on Wednesday I really felt the need for more direction for where I am supposed to be.
I spent a good portion of my early afternoon reading the Bible and praying. I need to do this more!

I ended up taking out my journal and writing. I am a talker, a writer, I need to write out and/or talk out situations before I can formulate all the thoughts that are running around my head. So I wrote and wrote and prayed and wrote some more. One line in what I wrote was this:

Serving our families for God because He is who we are here to serve. Not because its our job or a chore but because its what God is calling us to do!

Oh how I struggle with that! I know deep down that home is where I am supposed to be. Home with my kids, home for my husband. I long to create a retreat for him to come home to and a peaceful loving place to grow up. How often I look at my day and groan because there is more laundry and more dishes and more sticky fingerprints. Its hard to get it all done (and most days I don't even come close!) and even harder to do it happily!

A large part of me wants the recognition. "Honey you scrubbed the floors and cleaned the toilet and made dinner it looks wonderful." I realize though that while that is nice (and beneficial to our marriage) its not what matters!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

So yes I do serve my family by kissing their owies, washing their clothes, and making their meals. I serve someone even bigger and better who has called me to be here with my family. I serve the Lord and when he sees that sparkling floor (and He does!) it doesn't matter if the kids notice because the One who loves me more than anyone else all ready knows.

So what about you? How does God call you to serve your family?

MIA

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:55:00 +0000

I've been MIA lately. Lots going on and lots of posts I want to do but my laptop is dead, again. Second time in a month. Sigh... Its in the shop so hopefully soon it will be back. So for the time being I am using the old dinosaur the kids use. Can't do any photos so won't be posting much.

Anyone know how to get rid of the white borders around my photos. Its a blogger template so am thinking this is just something I can't change. It puts a white border around my signature which is driving me NUTS! Its set to transparent and shows that way other places which is why I think its a blogger template issue. If anyone knows please email me or comment here.

Hope everyone is having an awesome summer and your gardens are doing well!

Chicks

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:00:00 +0000

We had two show bantams go broody last month so we took some eggs from the 4-H Farm just for fun. We didn't really need any new chicks, but the kids have always wanted to hatch some. Well I did not expect a 100% hatch rate. lol So 7 new chicks are here and boy were the kids excited to see this little chick in the nest box. Hope fully there are some girls in there. They are all mixed breeds as there is no separation out in the barnyard but it was fun. Hoping that we get a green egg layer out of one at least. 4 of the 7 eggs were dark green so we shall see!

Strawberries are Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Strawberry season is here again. The kids had fun picking though we went late in the day so ended up with half what we normally pick. We plan to go back when the farm opens up their second field. We spent two afternoons processing what we picked and totals are up in the sidebar.


Strawberries

Strawberry Jam

Dehydrator full on yummy smells!

Fruit Leather. Ingredients: Strawberries :)

Finished jam

So what are you turning your strawberries into?