thefasserfunnyfarm
Emerging From Beneath the Snow...SLOWLY!!! :)04/13/20120 Comments The grip of winter is finally, (hopefully!) losing it's grip! The weather's been beautiful in the upper 40's & even 50's!!! :) The snow is melting, slowly, but surely & we can actually see LARGE patches of grass. There is stll FEET of snow in places, but I'm optimistic!!! :) (Vegetable starts in my laundry room can attest to tht!) Spring fever has hit this little farm HARD! With ti...{{{Sigh!}}} the necessary cleaning, (inside & out) that goes with it! Believe it or not...the inside work is WAY easier!!! :?
Outside, Moira & I have MOUNDS of different species of manure to clean, which had been frozen, up until a week or so ago! We have a chicken coop with 31 inhabitents, a goat pen with 4, & 2 horse pens ,to clean. Oooh...almost forgot the dog runs! {{{Shudder!}}}
The BIGGEST problem in trying to get all this work done is that to EMPTY all the "waste" ((Except for the dogs stuff...IT goes into a homemade doggie toilet...more on that later! :P)) we have to DIG a path thru snow still 3 ft deep! Did I mention we have to cut down a few trees...thankfully small ones...as well?
Ah well, such is the life of a mini-farmer, eh? As strange as it may sound, I'd much rather be outside working than in! :P
Before I close, I'd like to draw your attention to a really nice site a dear friend (HI MEL!) brought to my attention.
http://www.sustainableeats.com/sign-up-for-the-urban-farm-handbook-challenge/
I joined & thought I'd share!
Enjoy the sunshine!
God bless!
Kim / Momma
Add Comment Goat News...03/15/20120 Comments Monday was the beginning of "Operation Weaning" & I gotta tell you, the babie goats are NOT impressed! However, since 2 of them will be leaving for their new homes this coming Monday, so I had to start the process! What is a stresseful time for the babies is a good one for our family, as the amount of goat milk we bring into the house has doubled!!! We (Moira & I) are already makiing plans to make cheese & soap with this wonderful stuff! :):):)
God bless!
~Momma / Kim
Add Comment Lent & Things...02/28/20121 Comment Lent is a wonderful time to reflect, fast, & clean house, both spiritually & physically. It seems to me that as we go thru the "baggage / trash" we've collected over the past year it's a good time to think about how that stuff got there in the first place. What is it we can do to prevernt the build up from happening again? Perhaps more time for prayer, confession, & less time in front of the very computer I'm using to post this! Sometimes it's not less of something, but more. Like more prayers, taking a more active role in the community, more time spent in front of the Tabernacle...
Whatever it is that works best to get you & I to slow down & examine what is really important is what is needed.
Lent is that perfect time.
God bless!
~Kim / Momma
1 Comment Checking In....02/06/20120 Comments Much has happened since the last post. Advent, husbands AF retirement ceremony, Christmas, New Years, a kidding, a new granddaughter, & the Super Bowl....WOW!
Advent went way too fast, as it seems to each year! :(
My husband's retirement ceremony was held on the 16th of Dec. & it was a very moving, sad AND happy time. Still hasn't really hit either of us yet!
Christmas was a blessed, happy time, again, over too soon. I loved having all the decorations up & didn't want to pack them away!
New Years was fun because we had a bunch of friends & their kids over to celebrate with us.
My daughter's & my Nigerian Dwarf goats had their kids on the 18th of Jan. One day over their due date! :) My doe, "Willow" had one single doeling that Seth named "Snickers!" She is a rowdy, rambunctious girl, the first to learn to jump on top of the dog kennel! :) Moira's doe, "Lacey" had triplets. 2 bucklings & a doeling. The boys are "Jack & Peanut" & the doeling is "Lily." Lily was named by beautiful granddaughter "Kylie!" ((Moira nmed Jack & I named Peanut!))
Beautiful "Morgan Cheyanne" was born on the 2nd of Feb. She is the spitting image of her big brother "Justin!"
The Super Bowl...I picked the Giants to win, & they did! Would have been MUCH better had MY team.(STEELERS!!!) been there.
Other than that., we've been battling tons of snow. Probably 4 ft or more. It's so high that the kids & I simply step over the fences to feed animals. To keep the horses in, we've dug trenches around the panels / fencing & added a few layers of baler twine to "hopefully" keep them contained! PRAYERS would be greatly appreciated! :)
God bless!
~Momma
Add Comment Always Late...11/25/20113 Comments I did it AGAIN! I let not just days go by, but WEEKS without a post! {{{Sigh!}}} I have all sorts of excuses, some good, some not so much...and LOTS to write about! However the plain truth of it is I'm not organized enough! There...I said (wrote!) it! If I stick to the lovely schedule I have printed & posted in 2 seperate spots, I would be able to find the time. However, as you can plainly see, I'm much better at MAKING the schedules than I am at STICKING to them! :? Please pray for me in this matter. I need all the help I can get!
Til next time...hopefully soon...God bless!
~Kim / Momma
3 Comments Fiddler On the Roof10/28/20112 Comments My darling husband took me to see the play Fiddler On the Roof on Tuesday!!! I love musicals & this is the only one that HE likes...so it was a happy compromise! Dinner at Humpy's (a local bar / eatery!) before hand & then the performance! WHAT a night!!! I had goosebumps the entire time, as their voices were wonderful! I even behaved myself & refrained from singing along...though I have to admit, I did MOUTH the words! :) Bill enjoyed himself as well. A great night in the beautiful city of Anchorage!
God bless!
~Kim / Momma
2 Comments Forgiveness...10/19/20112 Comments I know there MUST be others out there that agree that Mel Gibson has been attacked by evil these past few years! I am not saying he's not responsible for his actions...because he is, like we all are. However, I don't believe there are many of us "non-Hollywood type" that have so many anti-Catholic / Christian folks using us for target practice either! I also believe because of his wonderful work on the Passion & all that it inspired, satan is VERY angry. Hence the attacks on Mr. Gibson.
Think about it...anything / anyone that helps, aids, promotes , does Gods will is soon brought under attack by the secular world. Just look at what Fr. Pavone & other priests like him have undergone.
Jesus didn't promise us easy... As a matter of fact, he said it would be anything BUT! However, He promised to be with us each & every step of the way. He also exhorted us to "love thy neighbor." Remember the part about forgiveness in the "Our Father?"
Which brings me back to Mel Gibson. Instead of bad mouthing him, we should be praying for him.
I think this video pretty much says it all. Pretty neat, considering it comes from another "Hollywood Type!"
http://youtu.be/_AAJuynxnTQ
God bless!
Momma
2 Comments Great News, Not Reported! ((Shame on me!!!))10/15/20110 Comments I am mortified! I cannot believe I failed to write here, on our blog, about a WONDERFUL, SPECIAL event that happened on the 28th of August, 2011! That was the day our dear daughter, Moira, received her First Commuion! (I did write on FB, but that doesn't count!)
A wonderful priest by the name of Fr. Vincent Kelber gave her both First Communion & heard her First Confession as the last official act he did as pastor of Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, AK. (He's now in Oregon!)
God bless both Moira & Fr. Vincent!
Photos to follow when the computer decides to cooperate! :?
Add Comment Catching up...09/13/20111 Comment 13 Sept, 2011
Hello All! I figured since I was already WAY behind in posting, I'd include this post I had hidden away in the drafts folder AND bring y'all up to date too!
Since returning from vacation, we've added the long awaited Nigerian Goat Girls, DH Eldest son built the pen & gate for them / me. (Thanks guys! Beautiful job!)
We've added another 13 chickens to our brood, bringing the total to a grand total of 34. (That's 33 hens, one rooster!) Since ALL the hens are young, with the newest arrivals being the youngest, we are THRILLED that 10 of our original flock have started laying! We get between 7 & 10 eggs a day now, soon it should be upto 20, maybe more, as 5 of the newbies should be of laying age!!! :) This is GREAT news as we just found out that a local feed warehouse will sell our excess eggs free of charge! :)
We are currently renovating our horse "shed" with a new gutter so that the newest member of our little farm may reside comfortably. Shadow, an 8 yo black Quarter horse mare will be arriving as soon as we get the mini girls area finished. Yes, photos will follow. ((And yes, so will the wedding photos! :P))
The last 2 projects we need to get done before the frost hits but good is to put in an underground electrical cable that DH is going to run from his workshop, behind the dog pen, green house, chicken coop, goat house, & horse shed! Then we'll be able to put heating lamps & water heaters in each area, rather than running a zillion extention cords!
Lastly, we are considering insulating the henhouse so that they'll stay warm & cozy this winter...
On top of all this mayhem, we've started school. To say we're busy is an understatement! :) I love it, though! I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING I love my family, our farm, our faith, & our beautful state of Alaska!
You are now officially caught up to date! :)
God Bless.....
Kim / Momma
P.S. Here's the post about our vacation. BTW...the moose had a FIELD day with out garden! All that they left was a few zucchini, potatoes (though they DID eat one entire plant!),
********************************************************************
Well folks, we did it! We actually took a vacation! An honest to goodness, FLY OUT OF THE STATE kind of vacation! It was wonderful, exciting, beautiful, & oh too very short!
It all began because we got a wedding invitation last year, while DH was deployed to Iraq. This was no ordinary wedding invitation. It was from our 2nd eldest daughter, (Theresa) & it was to be held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. of all places! ((Just to refresh your memory, we live in ALASKA! :P))
My dear, sweet, wonderful husband did his thing & SOMEHOW put things into motion while still in the desert of Iraq & started the ball rolling. I never really expected it to happen either. You know when you want to do something, even DREAM about it, but know in your heart,it's just that...a dream? Well, I'm here to tell you, it became a reality! A beautiful, fun filled, heartwarming, ((though far too short for us all!)) reality! One that we just returned from early ((I'm talking 0230 early!)) yesterday.
The beachhouse we stayed at was located on Pawley's Island.
The wedding was absolutely stunning, set on the beach, with everyone in their finest...((photos to come soon...DH has them all!)), the was reception held at my daughters new inlaws ((Hi Vicki! Hi Paul!)) gorgeous home, & fun was had by all!
1 Comment SAY NO TO GMO'S!!!07/26/20111 Comment I want to share this video to all! It's a pretty frightening statement on our world today...I don't think God can be very pleased at how we've abused His beautiful creation! NOR how we're treating our fellow man!
Please...watch, investigate, research, & pass it on!
God Help Us!
~Kim / Momma
Outside, Moira & I have MOUNDS of different species of manure to clean, which had been frozen, up until a week or so ago! We have a chicken coop with 31 inhabitents, a goat pen with 4, & 2 horse pens ,to clean. Oooh...almost forgot the dog runs! {{{Shudder!}}}
The BIGGEST problem in trying to get all this work done is that to EMPTY all the "waste" ((Except for the dogs stuff...IT goes into a homemade doggie toilet...more on that later! :P)) we have to DIG a path thru snow still 3 ft deep! Did I mention we have to cut down a few trees...thankfully small ones...as well?
Ah well, such is the life of a mini-farmer, eh? As strange as it may sound, I'd much rather be outside working than in! :P
Before I close, I'd like to draw your attention to a really nice site a dear friend (HI MEL!) brought to my attention.
http://www.sustainableeats.com/sign-up-for-the-urban-farm-handbook-challenge/
I joined & thought I'd share!
Enjoy the sunshine!
God bless!
Kim / Momma
Add Comment Goat News...03/15/20120 Comments Monday was the beginning of "Operation Weaning" & I gotta tell you, the babie goats are NOT impressed! However, since 2 of them will be leaving for their new homes this coming Monday, so I had to start the process! What is a stresseful time for the babies is a good one for our family, as the amount of goat milk we bring into the house has doubled!!! We (Moira & I) are already makiing plans to make cheese & soap with this wonderful stuff! :):):)
God bless!
~Momma / Kim
Add Comment Lent & Things...02/28/20121 Comment Lent is a wonderful time to reflect, fast, & clean house, both spiritually & physically. It seems to me that as we go thru the "baggage / trash" we've collected over the past year it's a good time to think about how that stuff got there in the first place. What is it we can do to prevernt the build up from happening again? Perhaps more time for prayer, confession, & less time in front of the very computer I'm using to post this! Sometimes it's not less of something, but more. Like more prayers, taking a more active role in the community, more time spent in front of the Tabernacle...
Whatever it is that works best to get you & I to slow down & examine what is really important is what is needed.
Lent is that perfect time.
God bless!
~Kim / Momma
1 Comment Checking In....02/06/20120 Comments Much has happened since the last post. Advent, husbands AF retirement ceremony, Christmas, New Years, a kidding, a new granddaughter, & the Super Bowl....WOW!
Advent went way too fast, as it seems to each year! :(
My husband's retirement ceremony was held on the 16th of Dec. & it was a very moving, sad AND happy time. Still hasn't really hit either of us yet!
Christmas was a blessed, happy time, again, over too soon. I loved having all the decorations up & didn't want to pack them away!
New Years was fun because we had a bunch of friends & their kids over to celebrate with us.
My daughter's & my Nigerian Dwarf goats had their kids on the 18th of Jan. One day over their due date! :) My doe, "Willow" had one single doeling that Seth named "Snickers!" She is a rowdy, rambunctious girl, the first to learn to jump on top of the dog kennel! :) Moira's doe, "Lacey" had triplets. 2 bucklings & a doeling. The boys are "Jack & Peanut" & the doeling is "Lily." Lily was named by beautiful granddaughter "Kylie!" ((Moira nmed Jack & I named Peanut!))
Beautiful "Morgan Cheyanne" was born on the 2nd of Feb. She is the spitting image of her big brother "Justin!"
The Super Bowl...I picked the Giants to win, & they did! Would have been MUCH better had MY team.(STEELERS!!!) been there.
Other than that., we've been battling tons of snow. Probably 4 ft or more. It's so high that the kids & I simply step over the fences to feed animals. To keep the horses in, we've dug trenches around the panels / fencing & added a few layers of baler twine to "hopefully" keep them contained! PRAYERS would be greatly appreciated! :)
God bless!
~Momma
Add Comment Always Late...11/25/20113 Comments I did it AGAIN! I let not just days go by, but WEEKS without a post! {{{Sigh!}}} I have all sorts of excuses, some good, some not so much...and LOTS to write about! However the plain truth of it is I'm not organized enough! There...I said (wrote!) it! If I stick to the lovely schedule I have printed & posted in 2 seperate spots, I would be able to find the time. However, as you can plainly see, I'm much better at MAKING the schedules than I am at STICKING to them! :? Please pray for me in this matter. I need all the help I can get!
Til next time...hopefully soon...God bless!
~Kim / Momma
3 Comments Fiddler On the Roof10/28/20112 Comments My darling husband took me to see the play Fiddler On the Roof on Tuesday!!! I love musicals & this is the only one that HE likes...so it was a happy compromise! Dinner at Humpy's (a local bar / eatery!) before hand & then the performance! WHAT a night!!! I had goosebumps the entire time, as their voices were wonderful! I even behaved myself & refrained from singing along...though I have to admit, I did MOUTH the words! :) Bill enjoyed himself as well. A great night in the beautiful city of Anchorage!
God bless!
~Kim / Momma
2 Comments Forgiveness...10/19/20112 Comments I know there MUST be others out there that agree that Mel Gibson has been attacked by evil these past few years! I am not saying he's not responsible for his actions...because he is, like we all are. However, I don't believe there are many of us "non-Hollywood type" that have so many anti-Catholic / Christian folks using us for target practice either! I also believe because of his wonderful work on the Passion & all that it inspired, satan is VERY angry. Hence the attacks on Mr. Gibson.
Think about it...anything / anyone that helps, aids, promotes , does Gods will is soon brought under attack by the secular world. Just look at what Fr. Pavone & other priests like him have undergone.
Jesus didn't promise us easy... As a matter of fact, he said it would be anything BUT! However, He promised to be with us each & every step of the way. He also exhorted us to "love thy neighbor." Remember the part about forgiveness in the "Our Father?"
Which brings me back to Mel Gibson. Instead of bad mouthing him, we should be praying for him.
I think this video pretty much says it all. Pretty neat, considering it comes from another "Hollywood Type!"
http://youtu.be/_AAJuynxnTQ
God bless!
Momma
2 Comments Great News, Not Reported! ((Shame on me!!!))10/15/20110 Comments I am mortified! I cannot believe I failed to write here, on our blog, about a WONDERFUL, SPECIAL event that happened on the 28th of August, 2011! That was the day our dear daughter, Moira, received her First Commuion! (I did write on FB, but that doesn't count!)
A wonderful priest by the name of Fr. Vincent Kelber gave her both First Communion & heard her First Confession as the last official act he did as pastor of Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, AK. (He's now in Oregon!)
God bless both Moira & Fr. Vincent!
Photos to follow when the computer decides to cooperate! :?
Add Comment Catching up...09/13/20111 Comment 13 Sept, 2011
Hello All! I figured since I was already WAY behind in posting, I'd include this post I had hidden away in the drafts folder AND bring y'all up to date too!
Since returning from vacation, we've added the long awaited Nigerian Goat Girls, DH Eldest son built the pen & gate for them / me. (Thanks guys! Beautiful job!)
We've added another 13 chickens to our brood, bringing the total to a grand total of 34. (That's 33 hens, one rooster!) Since ALL the hens are young, with the newest arrivals being the youngest, we are THRILLED that 10 of our original flock have started laying! We get between 7 & 10 eggs a day now, soon it should be upto 20, maybe more, as 5 of the newbies should be of laying age!!! :) This is GREAT news as we just found out that a local feed warehouse will sell our excess eggs free of charge! :)
We are currently renovating our horse "shed" with a new gutter so that the newest member of our little farm may reside comfortably. Shadow, an 8 yo black Quarter horse mare will be arriving as soon as we get the mini girls area finished. Yes, photos will follow. ((And yes, so will the wedding photos! :P))
The last 2 projects we need to get done before the frost hits but good is to put in an underground electrical cable that DH is going to run from his workshop, behind the dog pen, green house, chicken coop, goat house, & horse shed! Then we'll be able to put heating lamps & water heaters in each area, rather than running a zillion extention cords!
Lastly, we are considering insulating the henhouse so that they'll stay warm & cozy this winter...
On top of all this mayhem, we've started school. To say we're busy is an understatement! :) I love it, though! I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING I love my family, our farm, our faith, & our beautful state of Alaska!
You are now officially caught up to date! :)
God Bless.....
Kim / Momma
P.S. Here's the post about our vacation. BTW...the moose had a FIELD day with out garden! All that they left was a few zucchini, potatoes (though they DID eat one entire plant!),
********************************************************************
Well folks, we did it! We actually took a vacation! An honest to goodness, FLY OUT OF THE STATE kind of vacation! It was wonderful, exciting, beautiful, & oh too very short!
It all began because we got a wedding invitation last year, while DH was deployed to Iraq. This was no ordinary wedding invitation. It was from our 2nd eldest daughter, (Theresa) & it was to be held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. of all places! ((Just to refresh your memory, we live in ALASKA! :P))
My dear, sweet, wonderful husband did his thing & SOMEHOW put things into motion while still in the desert of Iraq & started the ball rolling. I never really expected it to happen either. You know when you want to do something, even DREAM about it, but know in your heart,it's just that...a dream? Well, I'm here to tell you, it became a reality! A beautiful, fun filled, heartwarming, ((though far too short for us all!)) reality! One that we just returned from early ((I'm talking 0230 early!)) yesterday.
The beachhouse we stayed at was located on Pawley's Island.
The wedding was absolutely stunning, set on the beach, with everyone in their finest...((photos to come soon...DH has them all!)), the was reception held at my daughters new inlaws ((Hi Vicki! Hi Paul!)) gorgeous home, & fun was had by all!
1 Comment SAY NO TO GMO'S!!!07/26/20111 Comment I want to share this video to all! It's a pretty frightening statement on our world today...I don't think God can be very pleased at how we've abused His beautiful creation! NOR how we're treating our fellow man!
Please...watch, investigate, research, & pass it on!
God Help Us!
~Kim / Momma