Winterizing a Shelter

It was a very pretty day for working outside!  So I decided to winterize a shelter for our bucks that was in dire need of a makeover.

Here the shelter is before anything was done to it.  It was like a wind tunnel.

Always keep your hay rope! Comes in handy for projects like these.

First, I hung a thick quilt on the open side, cutting 4 slits in the top, then stringing hay rope through over the roof, and attaching it to the other side. Yes, it's pretty okie-looking, but it works :)

Attached hay rope.

Then, I cut two slits in the sides, and wrapped the blanket around the poles.

The side is done.

 I started on the wall by digging about a 3" trench, then setting a board inside the trench. Then I attached wire to the inside of the board, and nailed a piece of metal on the outside of the board, leaving a space in between the wire and metal wall. I used the little space to put insulation in (junk blankets and fabric). Then I added a support beam at the end.

Another view of the wall.

I added a coroplast board to finish the wall. I put a pallet on the side behind the quilt, and leaned a pole up to secure it.  Done! It's pretty warm inside already :)

Jasper, already enjoying the shelter

Stay warm!
~Hannah

Sunday Project: Planting Rye Grass

Yesterday, my two brothers and I planted about an acre of rye grass by hand.  It was pretty fun and only took about an hour and a half.  We walked in a line and spread out the seed by hand, sprinkling it as evenly as possible.  After the seeding was done, we took a piece of chainlink fence, and folded part of it on itself, making it heavier at the end for dragging on the ground.  Dragging the fence spreads any uneven seed out and helps bury it a bit.  Now we just wait for rain and growth!

Rye grass seed

Some photography from today  :)

Goodnight fellow bloggers!
~Hannah

New Ranch Project: Miniature Donkeys

Yep, so I decided to buy a mini jenny (miniature female donkey) yesterday as my new school/farm project!  The front pasture is getting quite tall and we needed a cheap way to mow our lawn, and she's a perfect choice!  My brother bought a john (castrated donkey), and together, we're working on halter training them both.

Josiah with his miniature donkey

Mini jenny

We've only had them for a day and already have halters on them.  They're leading quite well for how stubborn donkeys can be  :)

That was pretty much it for today

Cheers!
Hannah

Quick Oat Flour Pancakes - Gluten Free!

I've got another recipe for all of you  :)  These pancakes turned out SO fluffy and personally, I like them WAY better than the ready mixed batter you buy at the store...especially since they're gluten-free!  For the oat flour, I make my own out of regular oatmeal.

Pics of how to make your own oat flour below:

Grind oats in a blender

This is what you should wind up with...fluffy oat flour

This recipe makes about 15 pancakes.

Ingredients:

-4 egg yolks
-4 egg whites
-1 1/2 cups oatmeal
-1 1/2 cups oat flour
-2 cups milk (I use raw goat milk from my farm)
-4 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-8 tbsp sugar
-4 tbsp oil

Directions:

1.  Mix the oat flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Pour milk into a pan and cook until slightly hot.  Turn off the heat and pour in the oats (not the flour).  Let that sit in the pan for 5 minutes.

3.  Separate the egg yolk from the white and put them in two separate bowls.  Then beat the egg yolk and oil together.

4.  Then, mix the egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients.

5.  Beat the egg white until it's a bit frothy or has some air whipped into it and pour it into the main flour mix.  Don't just stir it in, but fold it until the batter looks fairly smooth.  Now you're ready to make pancakes!

6.  Take a spoon and just pour small amounts of batter into the pan (make sure you grease your pan).

Hope these turn out for you and are as delicious as they were for me :)

Goodnight!

~Hannah

Shared on:  Welcome Wednesday

Choco Apple & Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

This is one of the easiest recipes to make and only takes about 50 minutes until it's ready to gobble up!  Being one of my family's favorite breakfast recipes, I make it all the time!

Ingredients:

-2 eggs
-6 cups oatmeal,
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-2 cups milk (I use raw goat milk from my farm)
-2 cups sugar
-2 tbs ground cinnamon
-3 apples slices super thin
-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all of the above ingredients except the apples (save a few chocolate chips for the top).

Oil a 10x10 pan and then lay the thinly sliced apples on the bottom until covered.  Sprinkle just a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on top of the apples.

Pour the mix into the pan and even it out with a spoon.  Then (this is optional) lay a few apple slices and chocolate chips on top to make it look pretty :)

Pop it in the preheated oven and set your timer for 40 minutes.  You're DONE! 

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading.  You can also just make the simple baked oatmeal with this same recipe...just take off the apples and chocolate chips.


~Hannah

Shared on:  Surf Sunday  -  Super Mega 8

Ups and downs

Well, it was a sad day yesterday.  Ginger, our oldest Grandma goat died at age 14.  It was sort of expected by me and my sister, as she wasn't acting herself at all for the past week.  God gave her a long life and made her produce some beautiful goats!

1 Samuel 2:6-7

 ⁶ The LORD kills and makes alive;  
    He brings down to the grave and brings up.
 ⁷ The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
    He brings low and lifts up.

On a brighter note, we bought another goat...a beautiful Nubian doe and she's pregnant, due in August!  She's now the second biggest goat we own  :)

Is this a goat or an octopus?

Stay cool!
~Hannah