A Cat's Destination

Colter is my "milking buddy". I milk two goats and he milks two goats. We have lots of random conversations during our milking times. But he kinda surprised me when he asked, "Mom, how long is a cat's destination?"

"What, Cole?"

"How long is a cat's destination?"

"I don't understand."

"A cat's destination. How long is it?"

"Cole, I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about."

"A goat carries her babies for 5 months. How long does a cat have her destination?"

[lots of laughter.]

"JESS - TAY - SHUN. Not destination."

"Oh. Well, how long is a cat's gestation then?"

"Ummmmm..... About 8 weeks, maybe?"

"OK, thanks, Mom."

"No problem, Cole."

Triplets in the Tub

Since I posted photos of Izzie and Jasmine in the kitchen, I figured I should also post Lily, Mike, and Nicki in the tub.

Yes, they did spend the night there! :D

PJ

LaLa

A good friend of ours knitted a doll for Indigo for her birthday. Indigo is very much a "girly girl" and instantly fell in love with the doll.

That evening Jim asked her, "Do you like your doll?"

Indigo vigorously nods head.

"Does your doll have a name?"

Indigo slowly and thoughtfully nods head.

"What is your doll's name?"

Indigo even more slowly replies, "Laaaaaa Laaaaa."

"Your doll's name is LaLa?"

Indigo vigorously nods head.

So, introducing Indigo and LaLa...

Well - I always said Indigo was cute - I never said she was super creative!

PJ

Hats Everywhere

Remember one of my earliest posts about the square dance we attended? If not - I dressed everybody up to look like cowboys (or "country hicks" as I preferred to lovingly call them). Since then, we seem to have a cowboy hat fetish going around.

Now, normally Mom would put an instant stop to that. But Dad sometimes likes to feed these things. And when he keeps finding hats out on his route, I'm afraid he just can't resist.

So - here's the crew in their newly gleaned hats.

And, for those of you wondering what my hat looks like. I regret to inform you that I kindly declined the offer of my own hat. Repeatedly.

PJ

Home Made Bagels

When we lived in New Jersey - we used to eat a LOT of bagels. But there is not a decent bagel place in all of Indiana, I'm convinced. So I decided I had no choice but to make my own. It really wasn't very difficult.

A lot of peope have asked for the recipe - so here it is:

Bagels

In the Evening:

In mixer place:
Warm water 2 1/2 cups
Yeast 1 tsp
Bread flour 4 cups
Mix
Cover and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Add:
Yeast 1/2 tsp
Bread flour 3 3/4 cups
Salt 2 3/4 tsp
Honey or sugar 1 Tbsp
Mix on low for 10 minutes. (This makes a VERY stiff dough - I kneaded it by hand b/c I didn't want to break my mixer)

Divide into 12 balls.
Cover with a damp towel.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Shape bagels (The children did this - poke a hole with your thumb and shape).
Place on greased cookie sheet.
Cover with plastic wrap.
Allow to rise 20 minutes.
Place in fridge.

In the morning:
Preheat oven to 500
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add 1 tbsp baking soda to the water.
Add bagels (3 or 4 at a time)
Boil 1 minute. Flip. Boil 1 minute on other side.
Sprinkle corn meal on baking sheet and place bagels back on baking sheet.
Top bagels (poppy seed, sesame seeds, etc.).
Bake 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to 450 and bake another 5 minutes. (sometimes it takes a bit longer - cut one open and make sure it is cooked)

Of course - we used home made goat milk cream cheese - but I'm sure store bought would taste good too! :D

PJ

Yes, That is a Goat in my Kitchen

Is it that unusual to have a goat in your kitchen? Not to us!

This is Izzie. She is about 6 hours old in this photo. Baby goats are just so much fun! Indigo and Hewitt think they are the absolute best toys ever. It is really funny when their feet slide out from under them on the linoleum (the goat's feet, not the children's - although that is funny, too).

This one is Jasmine. She's about 3 hours old in this photo.

Yes - for those of you who are very astute, we also name our goat babies in alphabetical order. We had 11 kids this year (made it up to the letter k). I have one more doe to kid - probably with twins, possibly triplets.

I'm sure Lulu, Mimi, and Nancy will spend some play time in the kitchen too! :D

PJ

Pretty Hair

Indigo has discovered "hair things" She goes a little overboard.

PJ

Jade

I was recently reminded that my youngest child often gets overlooked in the photo department.

She's very cute, but she definitely doesn't demand attention like the older children. So far, she's pretty mellow.

But she is crawling now, so she's going to start getting into heaps of trouble, I'm sure.

Here she is in her johnny jumper - just chilling.

PJ

Wrestling

My boys like to wrestle. (Wow, what an understatement.)

A couple of months ago, we saw an article in our local paper. It said that our town was having a 5 week wrestling clinic. We took the plunge and signed the boys up.

Ok - I'm the mom - but they are really good at it. This is a photo of them after a recent tournament. They are all wearing the medals they won. Don't they look scary?

By the way, did I happen to mention those are ALL gold medals? :D

PJ

Easter Outfits

Grandma got all the children Christmas outfits. I was supposed to get their portraits taken, but..., well...., ummm..., I didn't. :D

So - here they are. A little late, I know. Sorry, Grandma. But don't they look adorable?

PJ