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DIY Goat Stall from Wood Pallets

Posted by html404 on March 26, 2014
in Animals, DIY Projects, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Free Stuff, Saving Money, Uncategorized

You all know we are on this farming journey. Well, it is not yet a profitable venture, so we try to conserve, save and reuse. Someone suggested a DIY goat stall from wood pallets. Usually wood pallets are easy enough to find and many times are even free. Gotta love free stuff! There’s a subdivision not far from us on a busy road, which we pass all the time. One house has had a pile of wood pallets there for what seems like years. My husband decided to drop buy and ask if he could have some….just a few days before the goats were due to arrive home! To our delight the man said yes and gave them to us for free! I don’t remember how many pallets my husband and son brought home but they’ve built two stalls so far and have a couple more yet to build. These photos are not the greatest since our barn is so dark but it gives you and idea of how hubby did it. It was our oldest son’s idea to have the goat stall gate swing two ways to save on building another gate.

We just found another source for free wood pallets and we are hoping they still have some left! With the warmer weather coming this weekend (we hope!) it would be nice to get a little pasture fenced off for the goats, another stall done for the sheep and ?????

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God’s Not Dead – Movie Monday

Posted by Rosemarie Pagano on March 24, 2014
in Entertainment, Family Stuff, Movie Monday, Movie Review Monday, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized

“God’s Not Dead” 2014

Director: Harold Cronk

A Drama, Produced by Pure Flix, a Christian film studio.

Rated: PG 1hr 53min

Or go to www.GodsNotDeadtheMovie.com to view the trailer.

I have pretty much given up going to the movies, not interested in the selection of films offered, so I was intrigued by the little known, small budget film, “God’s Not Dead” which
opened March 21, 2014. It grossed $ 9.2 million, the first weekend, and as I watched the trailer, I immediately made plans to see this movie aimed towards Evangelical Christians.

Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), a pre-law student, signs up for a philosophy class with an aggressive professor. Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) is an atheist who demands that everyone declare and write on a sheet of paper that ‘God is dead.’ Josh, a Christian, refuses which causes the professor to challenge him to prove God’s existence. He is given the
opportunity to present his defense, in front of the class, and if he is unable to do this, he will fail the class. There are several story threads, woven through the movie, that capture the struggles, heartbreak and challenges that believers and those questioning their faith face.

One intriguing character is an elderly woman who is visited by her absentee son (Dean Cain). He is a successful businessman annoyed and impatient with her dependence and deteriorating state of dementia. He angrily questions her faith and she, in a moment of clarity, tells him about the consequences of sin. There are a few surprising twists and special appearances by Newsboys and “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie and Korie Robertson.

I recommend this movie because it encourages Evangelical Christians to stand up for their faith. It also invites those questioning their faith to ask questions about God. I am sick and
tired of offensive language and the blatant attempts of the media to shock and offend with their disrespectful comments. In this movie, the name of our Precious Savior Jesus Christ was spoken with reverence and praise. It has been a really long time since I’ve heard that in a movie. Also, another important concept, about this movie, was that it was based on actual court cases where students, like Josh Wheaton, defended their faith in an academic setting. The ending credits list the students and universities.

The responses to this film are, as expected, strongly divided. I think this quote by Paul Levinson, media critic and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York sums up the movie very well. He states, “The success of ‘God’s Not Dead’ shows at least three things: Big budgets are not necessary to make popular movies, there is a significant part of the population that cherishes faith-based movies, and students like narratives about arrogant professors who get their due.”

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White Chinese Geese

Posted by html404 on March 19, 2014
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Uncategorized

We were given a pair of White Chinese Geese on Friday. They came from the same farm as our goats. We wanted to try having geese as they are good watchdogs or sentinels. We thought they would announce anything on the west side of our barn, as well as help alert the hens to hawks. So we shall see.

The children call the geese Mr. Squak and Mrs. Squeek!

About White Chinese Geese

They are very loud, as you will note from the video above, which we took in January at our friend’s farm. They were announcing our arrival.

Like most geese they stay with the same mate for life.

Their eggs are edible. They can lay 40-100 eggs per year. Our female goose already laid an egg but due to the low temperatures the other night, it exploded.

This type of goose is good for weeding. When I found that out I tucked the information away in my mind to use once we have our garden done.

White Chinese Geese are on The Livestock Conservancy watch list so we will be helping increase their numbers if we allow our geese to raise some goslings.

Geese can be quite aggressive and have very strong wings. This is a bit of concern with young children so right now we have the geese in a stall until the ground thaws enough to put fencing up for them. As it was, over the weekend the male goose (gander) hissed at my husband when he was freeing Annabeth (goat) in the next stall from getting her head wedged in her stall gate.

Our geese upset our whole barn with their honking. Not sure if the other animals have got used to them or not.

Just another interesting animal addition to our farm!

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Keep the Faith – Berenstain Bears Book Review

Posted by html404 on March 17, 2014
in Books, Family Stuff, Gift Ideas, Kids Stuff, Reviews, Uncategorized

This post contains affiliate links to support our family.

If you spend any amount of time on my site you know we love books! I stopped getting children’s books to review just because we have so many books already but I couldn’t resist The Berenstain Bears Keep the Faith (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights) book.

Our younger children all love this book and have asked to read it over and over again. The message is simple. Brother and Sister Bear come across a friend, Ferdy Factual, who does not believe in God and they are not quite sure what to do or say for that matter. They were kind to their friend, though they asked him questions. I thought Mama and Papa handled the issue quite well, though they could have done a better job of explaining what faith is themselves rather than going to Preacher Brown. However, I understand that may have just been there to help children know when mom and dad do not know the answer a member of the clergy is there to consult with on the tougher questions.

This book was a good reminder to me to help our children understand that not everyone believes the same way or the same things as we do.

I give it two thumbs up for Keep the Faith for any family of faith with young kiddos in the home.

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MommysClub Flu Pack Giveaway

Posted by html404 on March 14, 2014
in All Natural Products, Children's Health, Eco Friendly Products, Family Stuff, Giveaways, Health, Health and Wellness, Organic, Reviews, Uncategorized

As moms we are always concerned with the health of our children. That means we want to feed them healthy foods and use products that do not harm them or cause adverse affects. MommysClub knows moms. They offer a variety of products that are organic, non-GMO, EcoCert & BPA free, toxic-free ingredients made right here in US. All their products are vegan, cruelty free. MommysClub are animals lovers and are a part of the Leaping Bunny community, which means they do not test on or use any animal products!

MommysClub is offering to giveaway one Flu Pack to one of you! Beat the flu this spring by using the flu pack products.

Mommy’s Club Perfect Touch Sanitizer and Daily Cleansing Foam – are your two best friends in the fight against germs. These products are perfect to hand out at Churches, Schools, Places of Work and even Gyms. Perfect Touch Sanitizers make great ice breakers for Mommy’s Club pitches. Replace soaps in Bathrooms with the Daily Cleansing Foam.

Our Flu Pack Sampler Small contains

10 Perfect Touch Sanitizers 1 oz
2 Perfect Touch Sanitizers 4oz
2 Daily Cleansing Foams

Look for our family’s review of the MommysClub All In Bundle next week!

Enter MommysClub Flu Pack Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Monday Motivation or Lack Thereof

Posted by html404 on March 10, 2014
in Animals, Blog Stuff, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Monday Motivation, Uncategorized

I have actually lacked motivation lately, thus the infrequent posting, that and the fact I have been extremely tired. Nope not pregnant, just lacking sleep! My brain doesn’t function well with little sleep. The two paper routes are killing me but I said I would give it two months and I still have a couple weeks left. Plus, it has been a long winter making the driving time so much longer than it should be.

What’s Motivating Me?

This past weekend was extremely busy for us with Liberty Day (I was solo with the younger four) and a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) Expo for our farm. I have follow up to do from the expo, plus our farm newsletter. We have to pick up 120 meat chicks and 150 young laying hens on Thursday or I should say my husband and son will be doing that task. Friday we are picking up a pair of White Chinese geese that were given to us, plus our children have piano here at our home. Saturday we have a green market for the farm….let’s just say it’s farm week!

In addition to the farm stuff, I have blogging stuff due and overdue, plus I want to start getting ahead on blog posts in preparation for spring planting, etc. I get tired and overwhelmed just thinking about it all. Ever feel that way?

What’s motivating you this week?

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Changing a Flat Tire

Posted by html404 on March 3, 2014
in Automotive, Family Stuff, Parenting, Uncategorized

Changing a Flat Tire

On Friday my daughter and I were doing the paper routes and got a flat tire. At four o’clock in the morning. That’s right, AM. I have never changed a flat tire in my life. I’ve watched flat tires be changed and know the basics but we still had my hubby call AAA since I wanted to keep my cell line open for the warehouse manager to call me back. We ended up needing his and his son’s assistance in getting the papers delivered because we had to wait 3.5 hours for AAA to get someone out to fix the tire. There was no way I would get them delivered in time.

My daughter and I watched a YouTube video of how to fix a flat tire. It was informative but we still laughed at the common sense tips the man provided. Things like don’t let the lug nuts roll in the grass – to which we responded, what about rolling away in the snow or melting in the snow? We were being silly at this point due to the long wait, boredom and lack of sleep. Another tip he gave was not to put your tire in the road….seriously? Anyhoo….we had no worries over that happening as we got our flat at the front door of the funeral home. Yep. We deliver to the funeral home and that’s where we discovered our flat, though I suspected at the previous stop as we were coming out the driveway.

We tried to change the flat tire. We had the car jacked up but after all that we could not get the lug nuts off, even with the little X-bar thingy. Don’t you love my automotive vocabulary?! Hubby is not here to give me the correct terminology right now. My dad would roll over in his grave. He was Mr. Car Man himself.

That was our excitement for the weekend because after that rough start on Friday all I wanted to do was sleep. Not really, I just need more sleep. I do have plans for my husband to teach our older children and I how to change a flat tire, to change the oil, how to check the air in the tire with a tire gauge etc. I think it’s important we all learn these basic automotive tasks.

Hubby got the tire fixed, but the tires still need to be aligned and a tie rod replaced. Goodyear just didn’t have time to do it on Friday.

Have you ever changed a flat tire? Will you teach your daughters (and or sons)?

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Meet Juno Our Babydoll Lamb

Posted by html404 on February 26, 2014
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Kids Stuff, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

Photo compliments of Hill Bunker Farms

Meet Juno our son’s new Babydoll lamb! Two weeks ago we received word from the breeder that she discovered black twin lambs. Apparently, a ram jumped the fence in September and helped make these cuties so she had early lambs. Since we were the first to reserve 2014 lambs, we were offered one of these black ones! For a bit more money we said yes! Our son is excited that Juno should be able to come home in six weeks, depending on if our other lamb is born or if there is a companion lamb available to keep Juno company until our second lamb is ready to come home.

Oh and she’s a ewe (female sheep). We thought we were going to get a ewe and a ram (male sheep) but are kind of leaning towards another ewe….we’ll wait and see what sex the next lamb is I guess. We need warmer weather to get more fencing up! Eeeks….so much snow to melt too.

Isn’t Juno adorable?

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CBR – Cord Blood Registry

Posted by Brande on February 23, 2014
in Children's Health, Family Stuff, Guest Post, Health, Parenting, Pregnancy and Birth, Uncategorized

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Dad Central Consulting for CBR (Cord Blood Registry).”

Guest Dad Blogger: Scott

Did you know that Cord Blood Stem Cells have been used for treatment for more than 80 conditions? I never knew this.

Here’s another interesting fact:

“Newborn stem cells can trigger natural repair processes in the body by reducing inflammation and increasing blood flow to injured or diseased areas. They can also stimulate the growth of new blood vessels and other tissues.”

It just goes to show you how important it is to choose a Cord Blood Registry. More treatments are being evaluated by FDA-regulated clinical trials to help with common health issues including autism. Yet, 90% of blood cord is discarded and goes to medical waste.

With the capacity to create diverse cells for our own immune system, tissue, blood and organs; stem cells are often called the body’s “master cells”. If your family decides to make the decision to bank your child’s cord blood, you need to do this before the due date. Obtaining the blood cord cells is very simple and painless. After the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, the blood cells are then transferred to a “collection bag”. You have options with banking cord blood cells, you can private bank or donate to a public bank.

During February CBR is having a promotion of $200.00 off of banking services. Log onto cordbankingbasics.com for more information.

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BabyGanics

Posted by 278Wife on February 16, 2014
in All Natural Products, Baby Products, Family Stuff, Organic, Personal Care Products, Reviews, Uncategorized

Keeping my kids clean is always one of my top priorities as a mom. Making sure my son washes his hands after using the bathroom, before eating, and after playing outside is important to me. Sometimes we are not always at home and finding a bathroom to wash up is not always easy. In the summertime we like to go to the playground and have picnics. I try to always bring hand sanitizer along so we can be clean before we eat. Have you ever looked at the label of hand sanitizer, and noticed how much alcohol is in them? Most alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain at least 62% alcohol; that’s insane!

BabyGanics is different. Their alcohol free, hypoallergenic formula kills 99.9% of germs. The problem for me, with most hand sanitizers, is that they dry my hands out so much that I need to apply lotion immediately after. I most definitely did not need to do this with BabyGanics Foaming Hand Sanitizer. They have a unique moisturizing formula.

The pump style bottle is very convenient and simple to use. My 4 year old can easily pump a small amount of foam onto his hand and rub until it’s all gone. He loves that it’s a foam.

Making a somewhat boring task such as cleaning hands, fun for kids makes a world of difference as a mom. The BabyGanics Foaming Hand Sanitizer is available in Fragrance Free and Tangerine. I tried the Tangerine, and it was such a light scent I barely noticed it. The smell was fresh, but not overbearing.

BabyGanics offers an array of products from Personal Care items to Household Cleaners. Their mission is to create products to create a safe, healthy, and happy environment for babies and parents. Their products are available in store and online at numerous places. To learn more about BabyGanics and all they have to offer, visit their website at:

www.babyganics.com