Egg Time

Zack collected 7 eggs from Mercy. And has been waiting for a chance to cook them. So for lunch today the kids worked together ( that was a first) and made fried eggs and toast with OJ for lunch. Our breakfast are usually something quick because of dealing with animals and work. So after cooking them and getting everything ready they sat down to try them. A.J did like them much and Zack said they were O.K. Madison really liked them. So if we get eggs next year we'll know what to do with them.

Update

Last week Butterscotch gave birth to three babies. These are Zack's first babies born in the cold weather so he's extra nervous about them. But because they were so cold and the weather was wet and windy we weren't sure if they were going to make it. But there doing great. Today they are 4 days old. She had two broken torts and one solid.

The guy that plows for the neighbor across the street was kind enough to plow my mailbox over again. He broke the post last year this time he went after the mailbox.

Play Time !!

Ginger loves to play in the snow. And so does Zack.

Shoveling Time!!

This morning in order to let the chickens out A.J had to shovel snow away from the door to open it.

Not what I wanted to wake up today.

Anyone have a blanket?

Today was the weekend I've been waiting for. But it was so cold. Even the turkeys were shivering from the weather or it might have been fear. This year the turkeys were smaller than last year. Biggest Turkey this year only weighed 42 pounds.

Is It My Turn ?

Sculpturing Classes

Madison likes to draw and has been getting into more art related things this year. So when Karen offered a sculpturing class at the Center Madison was interested. It was the first class so far this year that she really want to take. At the moment there's only three classes to see what the kids think of it. The kids started a paper mache project that when they finish it next week it will be a bowl they can use. Madison really enjoyed the class and is looking forward to finishing her bowl and starting with clay next week.

Still working

Madison working on her bowl.

New Arrival!!

Butterscotch had a litter of 5 this morning but two were stillborn. Zack moved her to the sun porch were it would be a little warmer for the babies till they get a little bigger. When I went out to see them with Zack they were so cold they were hardly moving. So he had to bring them inside and sat in front of the stove with them in his lap to warm them. The warmer they got the more they moved and made sounds. After 45 minutes in the house in front of the fire we moved them back to the nest box with Butterscotch. So far things are looking good.

Mercy won!!

Every night when we put Mercy and Hunchback back in the garage Mercy will run ahead of him to get to the big cage. Most mornings we close the doors to the pens behind us when we put them out but we didn't yesterday so she was able to get the big cage first. Which meant that Hunchback had to spend the night in the small cage. He wasn't happy about it at all.

Chip time again !!

Since Arron had taken the boys out hunting for youth weekend. Madison wanted to know if we could make chips again. Since we have all the potatoes from the garden I told her to go for it. So she set off washing and cutting the potatoes while I peeled them.

The chip or Fries cooking.

The finished product. This one looked more like a french frie than a chip but tasted just as good.

Carving Pumkins!!

Madison is watching as Arron cuts the top of her 40 pound pumkin so she could get the seeds to dry for next year.

Madison scooping out the seeds. So she can cook them.

4-H Junk Drawer Robotics

This year we decided to have the kids work on a new curriculum. It's called Junk Drawer Robotics. We had a first meeting on the year and the kids worked on making Marshmallow Catapults. It took them a few minutes to get into it but then they all set to work. Some didn't get a chance to test theirs but they took them home to work on.

Madison with Megan and Cora working on their Marshmallow Catapults.

Zack working on his Catapult.

Zack testing his Marshmallow Catapult. His went 36 inches.

Session #2

Today we started session #2 of co-op (enrichment classes) at the Center. Madison signed up to make geometry shapes with Karen and while she's doing that Zack and I are teaching Rabbit 101. I still can't believe how many kids signed up for our class. And during the next block both Zack and Madison signed up for Chemistry with Karen and Donna. They both enjoyed their first day of classes. Though Zack is hoping Karen will put him and Joey back together for good. Instead of mixing up the groups for every activity. We'll see what happens next week.

Geometry

Madison and some of the girls working on making shapes.

Madison made this diamond shaped wand to try out.

Chemistry

Zack and his group watching what Megan and her group to see if their raisins are dancing yet.

Madison watching her dancing raisins.

Zackary playing with the raisins and not paying attention to his yeast.

Madison and the girls adding raisins to their yeast.

Zack and Joel stretching out their balloons. Before moving onto the next step with them.

Zack waiting for his balloon to fill up.

Madison and Emma waiting for the next set of directions.

Zack and Joey with their slime

Madison with her slime

Can you guess who laid this egg?

Mercy.

When I went to put away Mercy and Big White I saw what I thought was a rock in there pen. Which I thought was strange because it wasn't there this morning when I put them out. So I went inside the kennel to remove it and found this egg.

This is the window that A.J and Bumpa put in this summer for the chicken so they could get more air and light.

Chicken Pen

Today we worked on siding the back side of the chicken pen. It's the original building and has ton's of spaces in between the boards. Last year some of the chicken ended up with a frozen crown. So A.J has been working this year to improve the pen for winter so they will be warmer.

Yes, they are working together!!!

A.J and Madison cut up two of our smaller pumpkins to cook. It was nice to see them working together for two minutes.

Double Digits !!!

I can't believe that Madison is now 10. Due to the fairs take down and Arron having meetings every night this week were planning on celebrating this weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADISON !!

Sandwich Fair

Friday night we set up at the Sandwich Fair. The kids have been working hard for the last few weeks put things together. And after running around crazy Friday night setting up today the kids got to see how all their hard work paid off. This year they entered things in the bake goods, gardening, farm display, rabbits, 3 different 4-H displays. Everything looked great. And they all did a great job. Today our school 4-H group ran the food booth. It is our one fundraiser of the year. And the kids have a good time working the counter and helping with the orders. Over all it was another great year at the fair. Tomorrow we go back to take down.

Ossipee 4-H Voyagers

Here's our school group 4-H display. We didn't think we were going to have many people put things in and we ended up running out of space. But it looks great.

4-H Young Gardener's

All three kids had things in the Young Gardener's Display. Madison and Zack made poster's and A.J put in some potatoes that we grew. Plus Madison had her gaint pumpkin.

Madison's giant pumpkin she grew.

4-H Rabbiteer's Club Display

Zack and Keegan had things in the rabbiteer display.

The Voyager's Snowman

Our school group entered in the scarecrow contest. Somehow our scarecrow sounded better when we were talking about it. But he came out pretty good. We got first place for him. Arron couldn't believe it.

Madison and A.J each put in a flower in the flower display. Madison put it her spider plant on the end and got first and A.J put in his Christmas Cactus above the pumpkin and he got first place.

Zackary's pumpkin. He got first place for it.

Madison's pumpkin she grew. This is only one of hers. She got first place.

Zack entered The Little Effing Farm in the farm display again this year. We had much more to display this year but it didn't seem to fill up the space. Any way it still looked great. He got 2nd place for the display.

Madison's peanut butter blossoms she made.

A.J's apple coffee cake he made. He got 2nd place for it.

Zack's white yeast bread he made. He got 2nd place on it.

Some of Zack's Thrianta's he brought to the fair to sell.

By the time we left he had sold four of his rabbits that he brought.

Madison checking out Zacks rabbits