Happy Birthday to Meeeee.........

Today is my 33rd birthday!  Yaaaaayy, happy birthday to meeee, happy birthday to meeeee, happy biirrrrthdaaaayy tooooo Gooooooodwiiiiiiife, happy birthdaaaay to meeeee!  Tee hee hee! 

I just have to say that I'm thankful for every single one of the 12053 days that I've been blest to be alive on this gorgeous earth that Our Heavenly Father created for us.  God is good, He takes such wonderful care of me and my family and I cannot express how thankful I am for His Love and Guidance every single day.  I thank Him in His everlasting wisdom for allowing me to be born into the family that I was born into, and for leading The Man and I to find each other 14 years ago.  I'm also so very thankful that He chose to bless us with The Youngun 11 years ago, and I'm thankful that He chose us to be her parents.  I'm thankful for this place that He has allowed us to live on, with land for our goats, rabbits, chickens, horse and gardens, thereby allowing us to grow and preserve the food that He so generously provides for us!  So many many things to be thankful for each and every day.........the gift of life is simply that...........a gift and one I'm thankful for indeed! 

Till next time..................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

More Playing With My Birthday Present........

Yesterday after redding up the house a bit and mopping the kitchen floor I decided to experiment a bit more with my sewing. As I mentioned I really don't know how to sew and patterns really really corn-fuse me. I sketched out what I wanted on a piece of paper, took some of my measurements, wrote them down on my drawing, measured some more and then laid out some newspaper and started cutting. I had no idea if this was going to work or not so I didn't want to use any kind of good fabric. I had an old top sheet that the matching fitted sheet was worn out so I used that for my fabric for my "test dress". I was trying to go for a really simple prarie type dress and I'm really thrilled with how it turned out. Now I've got to figure out how to make some sort of chemise or blouse to wear under it and I'll be all set. It fits great and is really really comfy. Since it's just a test piece I didn't bother to hem it or anything like that, it was basically just to see if the pattern that I made was going to work. I'm sure that my mom will have the vapors when she sees it because it for sure ain't done the way a proper seamstress would've done it, but I think it looks pretty and I like it. Since I'm Queen O' the Homestead around here, I'm the only one I have to please and that's pretty darned awesome! I'll have to find some pretty fabric to make a real dress instead of my template and maybe put some ribbon and a little bow on the front!

I have such a sense of accomplishment that I could even do this! I'm enjoying myself a great deal and I'm confident that I'll get better as I go along!

Till next time...............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Why I do What I do..........

I've been thinking for a few weeks now about doing a blog post about why I'm a housewife. I think there are a lot of reasons that women end up staying home, whether it be for a few years or many. Today I'm going to tell you why I'm a homemaker.........

From the time I was a little girl, I knew in the depths of my soul that I wanted to be a wife when I grew up. That is all I ever wanted to be, a wife and then a mama and then a wife again. I never wanted to do anything else. I didn't decide to become a homemaker because my daughter was born, or because the job market was down, or because I lost a job or because I'm not smart enough or competitive enough to make it in a "real" career. Being a homemaker was the career path that I chose. When I was little I played house, and I played it hard. I was about 12 or so when I started my hope chest, asking for kitchen tools, crockery bowls, utensils and things for Christmas and birthdays. I would go to yard sales and buy things like glassware and table-cloths. I started doing almost all of the cooking at home when I was around that age as well. As I got older, any boy that I dated knew that marriage and being a homemaker was on my mind (boy did that ever scare some fellas back in the 90's!) I'm a passionate and determined woman. I know what I want and I go after it and that was pretty intimidating to 20 year old boys! There were a couple relationships that I ended after a few weeks because I knew that this wasn't a man I wanted to marry so why waste his or my time?

When I met The Man, we started out as friends. He actually had a girlfriend but it wasn't a good relationship. We talked about everything under the sun. We talked about hopes and dreams, goals, children, parenting styles, anything you can think about we discussed just in the course of our friendship. We had known each other for about a month when he broke things off with his girlfriend and we became inseparable from that moment on. We got married exactly 2 months to the day from our first date. I had just turned 19 years old and The Man was 23. God sent us to each other there isn't a doubt in my mind and He's been right there with us through the past 14 years together.

I did continue working until our daughter was born 2 years later, but I always considered it my "second" job. My first priority was always, and will always be taking care of my home and family. Since the birth of The Youngun, I've had two different part time jobs, both during her school hours and not during the summer. I wasn't happy in either of them, but some really difficult financial times called for some really heavy duty prayer and God provided them for me to get us over the rough patches. Both times, as soon as the rough patch was over God took those jobs away from me. I didn't quit them, I lost them because God knows that home is where I belong. My Heavenly Father knows that being a homemaker is my Divine calling and He knew to take me out of those jobs and put me back in the one that I truly belonged in.

I'm never so happy and content as when I'm hausfrauing it. I don't let anything interfere with my job as Homemaker of Goodwife Farm. I take it as seriously as another woman takes her paying job. That is so hard to explain to people who don't get it. I didn't fall into this gig, I'm not doing it until my daughter is raised, it's not something I do because day care is too expensive. This is my career path, this is my job, it's my calling and I love it. My entire childhood was spent preparing for this job. Those were my college years I guess you would say, the years of getting me prepared to take care of a household.

When I'm trying to explain this to someone, I usually tell them to think of their Great-Great Grandma...........that's me. With apron on, wooden spoon in one hand and a dish towel over my shoulder, I've got my uniform and my tools and that's all I need. I love my life, I don't resent it, I don't want any other. I'm a woman, I'm a wife, I'm a mother, I'm a homemaker, I'm a girl, I'm strong and resilient, passionate, creative, and intelligent. I love my husband and enjoy showing him my love and respect by providing him with a clean house, good food, fresh laundry, and a caring and sympathetic ear.

I'm not about to say that this lifestyle is for everybody, differences are what make the world go round, I just wanted to explain why I do what I do, and let the world know that I do it because I love it! I have no intention of ever entering the "real" work force again. However, should a rough patch arise, I know that God will put me where I need to be at the time, and I'll be content knowing that He'll bring me back home as soon as the rough patch is over!

I haven't even begun to articulate the passion that I feel for this subject.......perhaps I'll have to blog on it again at a later date.  As a matter of fact I KNOW that I'll be blogging on it again, cause I got a lot to say on the subject.  Suffice it to say that I'm a Housewife and I'm as proud of that as if I were a lawyer, a doctor, a newspaper editor or any other career. I pray that my daughter will have the strength of will to shoot for the moon and never settle for less than her dreams, whatever they may be, because there is no better prescription for happiness than asking God for guidance, knowing what you want and then going out there and getting it! I am living the life that I always envisioned for myself and I'm indescribably thankful to God for such a glorious gift!

Till next time.................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

29 Weeks on WW and the end of Stage 1..........

I've been on WW for 29 weeks now.  When I weighed this morning I was up 4/10 of a pound.  TOM has his toe on the scale so it's all good.  I feel thin and trim, strong and lean, fit and fabulous! 

I'm also done with Stage 1 of New Rules of Lifting for Women.  I'll take this week off and then begin Stage 2 next Tuesday.  I'm so happy with the first 8 weeks of training that I've done with this program.  I can't wait to begin Stage 2 which lasts three weeks. 

I really don't have much to report!  I hope you are all doing great as well!

Till next time........I'm gettinfitandunTHICKINandleansexyunTHINNIN!

Big Cookie!

My friend Shelly called me today around 1:30 PM. 

The conversation went like this......

Shelly :  What are you doing?

Me:  Playing around with my blog, enjoying my nice clean house

Shelly:  Well could you make me a giant cookie with Cookie Monster on it for tomorrow

Me:  Uhhhhhh sure!

So before I even got off the phone with her I had the cookie dough all mixed up!  I didn't have a pizza pan to bake the cookie on so I put the glass revolving tray out of my old microwave on the counter, lay two sheets of aluminum foil over it and plopped the cookie dough on top.  Then I covered the dough with two sheets of waxed paper and pressed the dough out. 

Then I just picked up the pieces of aluminum foil and put it right on the middle rack of my oven which I had preheated to 350*

This is what the baked cookie looks like....

I didn't have any powdered sugar so had to run to Pappy's Market (our little local grocery store which I LOVE) to pick some up, then went to get The Youngun from school.  After I got home I mixed up some icing, coloring some of it blue, some of it dark brown (cause I didn't have any black color) and leaving some white.  I had searched the web prior to this to find a picture of Cookie that I could use as a guide.  This is the final product....it's really quite large 15" across.

Not to shabby for a rush job! 

Till next time.............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Brain Hurricane!

Yesterday as I was visiting with The Man about the Greek tragedy that is his hot rod, I had a brain hurricane of epic proportions! I ordered some pepper seed this year. I’ve never started my own plants because I don’t have a good place to start them. All of my house plants have died since we moved here because when I have to bring them in during the winter I have no well lighted locales to put them in. I was determined to order these pepper seeds though! The little hamster wheel up in my brain was turning at mach speed to figure out a good way for me to start them. As The Man was deep in thought regarding The Dodge, an idea breezed through my head. What if I started them in an aquarium with a grow bulb in the hood? Will this work? Who the carp knows, but I’m going to give it a shot. I called my sister because I knew that she had an aquarium that used to house bullfrog spawn and was no longer in use. It just so happens that The Youngun is at her house today and I’ll be picking her up at a mutually agreed upon meeting place later this afternoon……SO……I’m going to get the aquarium.



The plan is to put some garden dirt (do I need starting medium or can I just go dig some of my nice rich garden dirt??) in the bottom of the aquarium, put the seeds in, turn ‘er on and let ‘er go! Will they grow? I surely do hope so. I’ll be bloggin’ more about this as the experiment progresses.


Till next time.................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Oh Woe is The Man.............

Uh oh.......The Man looks a bit upset!  What could have prompted this look of utter disgust you say?  Well lets look around and see if we can find any clues.........

Hmmm....this looks like a clue here.  Does anybody know why you would take the hood off a hot rod?  Anyone.........Bueller.........anyone? 

Ahhhhh, we have found the reason Grasshopper......What you are looking at is a head.......it's part of a motor, a rather important part.  See that green stuff down there pooled in the bottom?  Yeah......that's not supposed to be there.  That my little friends is antifreeze, which is supposed to be safely encased INSIDE the block, not up there mingling with the oil that lubes the heads!  This is what the head SHOULD look like

This is the head on the other side.  The nice oily-non-antifreezy head! 

What does all this gear head talk mean you ask?  Well what it means is that my $&#^@@!! kitchen is going to be put on hold because the freakin' DODGE has a cracked head and we have to spend 1800 BUCKS on new ones!!!!  That's what it means!!!  But don't worry, I'm not bitter, I'm not bitter at all.....

So while The Man was busy turnin' wrenches getting ready to pull the motor, I amused myself in this fashion.....

Isn't my baby handsome?? 

Till next time.................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

My New Toy.........

My birthday is next week so today while we were running errands I bought myself a birthday present.

I’ve never been able to sew to save my life which has been a great disappointment to my mom, who is the queen of all seamstresses! She pieces all my quilt tops and makes me pretty much anything that I want her to, which is a pretty nice gig if ya think about it. My friend Darlin’ Deb has been on me about learning how to piece my own tops and how to sew. I’ve wanted to, just never had any luck with sewing machines. Sewing machines and I don’t get along. However I bought myself this little number today, came home and proceeded to make this apron!

I didn’t have a pattern, just my apron that my mom made me a thousand years ago. I laid newspaper over it, cut out a pattern, and just went to town. I had a great time and can’t wait to make more stuff with my birthday present!

Till next time………….GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Kidding Season.............

In a few short weeks, this little girl will be checking in to Chateau de Maternity Ward ala Goodwife Farm. Her name is Star and she is an unregistered Kinder goat. She is the first kid born here at Goodwife Farm and I love her dearly. She is so sweet and shy and beautiful and I can’t wait for the kids she is going to give me! She already has her room reserved here.

Housekeeping doesn’t have it all bedded and totally ready for her yet, but the week before her confinement arrives it will be deeply bedded and and sparkling clean!

She has a heated kid box, that the babies very quickly figure out is the happenin’ place to be. It usually only takes a couple hours for them to figure out that it’s nice and toasty in there. They are generally found snuggled in a pile in the corner and will pop out for refreshment once in awhile and then go back inside. They also have the home away from home in the Igloo dog house, but it is mostly reserved for jumping up onto and knocking each other off!

The maternity suite offers it’s own hay rack (can you see the chicken peeking out of it? They like to lay eggs in there during the off season!), and it’s own heated water bucket.

After a few days Star and her child/children will check out so that this little lady can check in.

This is Naomi and she is a registered Kinder bred to a registered buck. Star and family will be moved to this less fancy but equally nice suite here at Chateau de Goodwife Farm.

Then about 3 weeks after the arrival of the children, Star will be introduced to this lovely contraption…….THE MILK STAND.

This will be Star’s first freshening so I’ll be training her to the stand and pail. I always train my doe kids to the stand from a very early age, that way it isn’t such a shock when the time comes. I give them a little grain and let them put their heads in the stanchion to eat. I lock them in, brush them, and rub their udders. That way they know what it’s about before the time comes.

Well that's about how things go here at Goodwife Farm. Hope your kidding season goes fabulous and you have mostly doelings!

Till next time............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Man I Feel Like a SUPERwoman!

11 years and some months ago I brought my daughter into the world. 7 lbs 15 oz of black-haired blue eyed love. I labored for 27 hours with no epidural. Back labor mind you, in a hospital where they thought that I needed to wear an internal monitor (which for those of you who don't know means they screwed a little electrode into the top of my baby's head while she was still inside me). That means that you get a catheter put in and you can't get out of bed. 27 hours of back labor, flat on my back in a hospital bed. When the time came to push I was ecstatic! It felt so very good to actually be doing something. I could feel my child making her way down the birth canal. I could actually feel her moving down my body. When I pushed her out into the world I felt like I could do anything! After she was born I had to move from the room I was in, to a room right across the hall. The nurses asked me if I could get up. I said, well yeah I can get up. I stood up. They were hovering next to me, asking me if I was alright. I said, yes I'm fine! They said for me to just sit there for a minute. I kept telling them I was just fine. As I stood up to walk across the hall, there was a nurse on either side of me, hovering, wanting to hold my arms. I said I am fine......really I am! I marched myself right across that hall and into the other room. After 27 hours of labor and after the victorious feeling of bringing my daughter into the world I felt like Superwoman. I seriously felt like I could have ran laps around the hospital. I suppose giving birth was such an adrenaline and endorphin rush that my system was just flooded. I've never felt like that since.........until now!

I know that sounds terribly dramatic, but I'm very serious. I just finished a weight training session. I squatted 100 lbs for 8 reps, I did 2 sets of 8 military-style, boy, on the floor pushups! I did 3 sets of dumbbell bent over rows with a 40lb dumbbell in each hand did 3 sets of step-ups with a 40lb dumbbell in each hand on an 18"step! I can feel my body gaining strength every single day. If you don't lift heavy weights I can't describe to you the feeling of power that you get from doing it. 6 short weeks ago, I was doing body weight squats and I couldn't do a boy pushup to save my life, and baby look at me now!

I also lost 3 lbs this week which was very nice! I took bikini pics over the weekend to see how I'm doing. The change in this 6 weeks is already pretty darn cool. I'm on track to be one fit chick in June!

Hope you all are doing fab as well and if you've never lifted heavy weights, buy a book, find a trainer, give it a shot. There is a superwoman inside us all! Embrace your inner SHE-RA, Princess of Power! ;)

Till next time.........I'msounTHICKINandsototallyTHINNIN!!

Busy Monday Morning,

After a rather productive, though terribly muddy, weekend I'm having a nice productive Monday! On Sunday The Man and I decided to brave the disgusting mud and clean out the rabbit barn and the chicken house. The Man actually got started on this little project, as I was telling him he was nuts and shouldn't we just wait 'til the ground froze again?! However, he's like a pitbull once he sets his mind to something and insisted that he was going to do it. I stayed inside to cook the deli style roast beef that I'd had marinating in the fridge since Saturday. This is my second time of making this roast and it's DELICIOUS for sandwiches! No more buying roast beef for us!

After I got done baking the roast and settin' it aside to cool I put on my mudboggers and headed out. I wish I'd gotten pictures, but I didn't want to risk getting my camera all slogged up! Nuff to say that it was all The Man could do to push the wheelbarrow through the sticky, gluey mud. We did get both barns cleaned out and the poop slung on the two garden spots. The upper garden is new ground, we just opened it up last year, so it needs all the yummy stuff on it that it can get. The lower garden is much more established and didn't take as much. We didn't get any poop put on either garden last year because the rain just didn't allow. I think that's why hubs decided to just do it this time and to heck with the mud. The poop will sit out there on the garden now until we get a dry enough spell to till it under. Nothing grows better veggies than a nice mix of chicken, rabbit, horse, and goat poop! We also butchered 5 more rabbits on Sunday morning. I've got one in the pressure cooker now for barbecue bunny for The Youngun. The other 4 will go in the freezer for later use.

This morning I got a bit of housework done, stripped our bed and got it remade, dusted, vacuumed and cleaned the ceiling fan in our room. Got the rabbit cooking, I'm going to make whole wheat pita breads, almost apple turnovers and I hope to get some work done on my quilt. I'm within about 4 hours of having it done and I really really want to get finished with it this week. I've been saying that for about 2 months now!

Anyway, I've really got nothin' exciting to report! Hope you are staying warm and dry and aren't drowning in mud!

Till next time.............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

When ya Win, You're a Winner!!

And I am a Wiener.........oops, I mean winner! Gizzards & Calf Fries is a blog that I follow. The Wife is the perpetrator of that blog and she's a crazy nut! She had a giveaway a few weeks ago and I won! I was able to choose any one of her photographs to have framed and sent to me. I chose my picture and eagerly awaited the arrival of my package. Well let me tell you..........that girl filled that box UP! So I'd like to thank The Wife for her generosity and let her know that I love all my goodies and can't wait to get them displayed in my home. She is a very talented lady with a giving spirit and I'm glad to have met her via the blogosphere!

Till next time............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Yearning for Spring......

I'm sure most of us that don't live in the deep south (and maybe even them as well) are yearning for spring. Unless you are one of those deeply disturbed people who actually LIKE winter, and then you can just stop reading right now. I'm in a slump. I don't like winter. Let me clarify, I like winter until Christmas is over, then I'm ready for Spring again. I'd like to have roughly 4 weeks of winter, from Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas, then it can get back to being spring. I need sunshine........I need it so much! Today was gloomy, foggy, dark, dank, muddy......I could go on and on. I feel so trapped, so down, so sluggish! As I was doing chores just now my boots were sinking down into the sucking deep and I was reminded that I'm not fond of this time of year!

I must take time to tout my blessings though. Dwelling on my blessings helps me to get through the winter doldrums! I'm so thankful for my two new barns. This is the second winter of having them, and they are such a glorious blessing. My old barn looked like a hog slough for the entire winter. My new barn that my goats and horse live in is nice and dry and sound and clean and wonderful. The other new barn is where I house my hay and our bunnies. It also is warm, clean and dry! I'm blessed to have a nice solid house for my chickens to live in.

My husband has an amazing job that he has been blessed to be at for 8 years now. He has worked his way up in the company and I'm so very proud of him for his work ethic, determination and drive.

I'm blessed with a beautiful daughter that is kind, caring, intelligent, strong willed. She has integrity and grit and I am so proud to be her Mama!

We have our lovely place and a snug home to live in. We have enough land to suit our purposes, but not so much that it's difficult to take care of. I'm blessed with a husband and daughter who truly want Mama to be at home and who don't mind making sacrifices of material things to keep me here.

I'm thankful for the beautiful world that God has given us to live in. He truly is the Alpha and the Omega, the King of Kings and my Lord and Savior!

I'm even thankful that God in His infinite wisdom created 4 separate seasons of weather. The dreary gloomy days of rain, mud, and cold only reinforce the beauty of the summer days to come!

I hope that as you are waiting for spring, you can find some things to be thankful for as well.

Till next time...............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Beautiful............

My current favorite song is Beautiful by Eminem. This is truly an inspiring and powerful song. My favorite lines are these

"And I know some shit's so hard to swallow
But I can't just sit back and wallow
In my own sorrow but I know one fact
I'll be one tough act to follow

Nobody asked for life to deal us
With these bullshit hands we're dealt
We gotta take these cards ourselves
And flip 'em, don't expect no help

Now I could've either just sat on my ass
And pissed and moaned
Or take this situation in which I'm placed in
And get up and get my own

And to the rest of the world
God gave you shoes to fit you
So put 'em on and wear 'em
Be yourself man, be proud of who you are
Even if it sounds corny
Don't ever let anyone tell you you ain't beautiful"

I strongly urge anybody (who isn't offended by some adult language) to find this song and really truly listen to it. God did give YOU shoes to fit YOU. They aren't gonna fit anybody else, they were made for you. So put 'em on.......get over whatever has happened to you and put on the shoes that God gave you. Be proud of who you are and where you came from, and as Marshall says........don't EVER let ANYBODY tell you you ain't beautiful!

Till next time........I'm beautifullyunTHICKINandbeautifullyTHINNIN!

Ps... the picture is my daughter at Myrtle Beach a couple years ago.

Got my sweat on!

So today for the first time in like 2 weeks the temps were out of the single digits or the low teens! Whoo hoo! We are havin' a heat wave here in Illinois! When I went out this morning to do chores the breeze actually felt warm on my face. I can handle the balmy temps of 36 degrees!

I decided that I'd go for a jog after dropping the Youngun off to school. I haven't jogged in two weeks. As some of you know we workout in our shop, which we lovingly call the Hillbilly Hotel. The Hillbilly Hotel isn't heated. I'm sheltered from the wind, but the temp outside is the temp inside. I kept up with my lifting, by just wearing lots of layers and wearing my heavy chorin' gloves to protect my hands from freezin' to the bar! I wasn't jogging though. My poor treadmill could hardly run in temps that cold.

Why is it that nothing, and I do mean NOTHING works my inner thighs like joggin'? It's a fabulous fabulous burn and I love it! I'm always so proud of myself after completing a 30 minute jog. Why you ask? Well because usually the first 10 minutes I want to quit every stinkin' stride! Then I fall into my groove and I'm feeling pretty good for the next 10. Those last 10 I'm usually chanting to myself Don't Quit, Don't Quit, Don't Quit! LOL! I'm pretty sure I was quite a bit faster today than I was the last time I went. I also got a very nice sweat on! I miss sweating, odd as that may sound, but when you are working out, outside and the temperature is 9 degrees, you just can't sweat!

Today I went into town, instead of out of town. What a difference! I got to smell the garbage trucks (which my hubby always says smell like MONEY since that is his profession), car exhaust, the sickly perfumed smell of dryer vents. Ugh! I much prefer the smell of the creek that I cross, the neighbor's cows, and the line of pines that I jog next too!

Well hope you have a fabulous day as well! Till next time.........I'm unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

Quiltin' Bee!

Today after I dropped The Youngun off at school I went to my friend Darlin' Deb's house. You may remember Darlin' Deb as my lovely friend that took care of the homestead so that we could go on our vacation to Florida. Deb is alot like me. She plants a garden, she cans food, and she loves to QUILT!! She is the only girlfriend I've ever had that enjoyed doing those things. She's a blessing to me and I love her! Anyway, enough with the mushy stuff!

I got to her house right at 8 AM and we chatted and quilted and sipped our hot drinks and before I knew it it was 1 PM! We just had the loveliest time! I also got to see some really lovely old photos of Deb's dad, which was really very neat.

This is Deb's quilt.

The actual DEB is rather camera shy and wouldn't let me take a picture of her working on the quilt, so I had to settle for just the quilt. Deb isn't sure what she's going to do with this quilt, it is large enough to fit on a full sized bed and the colors are just gorgeous. We were discussing today how the tan fabric really looks like suede.

This is my quilt. I've been working on it off and on for a couple months now. I should be able to be finished with it by Friday. I could quilt on it all day tomorrow and have it done, but I do have other stuff I've got to do as well! Can't just sit and quilt all darned day now can I? This quilt is a gift for a friend who is expecting his first child. I've got another quilt top ready to go as soon as this one is finished. I do have to make a little confession..........DEB pieced her quilt herself...........I didn't. I chose the fabrics and the pattern and my mom pieced mine. I know, I know, I've got to learn to piece one myself. That's my next goal, to piece my own. It's just so darned much easier to say....Here Mom, piece this for me wouldja? LOL!

Till next time................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

So in the last 4 weeks, I've lost 1.4 lbs. The month before that I lost 8.8 lbs. What's up with that you are asking? Well I'm pretty sure it's from the heavy weight lifting program that I'm doing. I refuse to be discouraged by it. As I've stated so many many times, this is a lifelong quest, not a mini-sprint! I'm working the program, working out hard, and the weight will come off when it comes off. I'm getting tighter and more toned every day and am healthier than I've ever been. It feels good. My husband (who is my best friend for good reason) told me last night that eventually the loss will pick back up. Right now I'm building muscle that is going to make me a lean, mean, fat burnin' machine! He said it might even be summer before the loss picks back up, but that's ok, as long as I'm working the program and working out. AND HE'S RIGHT! It doesn't matter! I won't lie and say that I wasn't disappointed this morning when I got on the scale and saw that the 6/10 of a pound I lost last week was back. I was a little bit down, but it's all part of it. I was fully prepared for this to happen when I began the New Rules of Lifting for Women program.

Anywho....I'm feelin' good, feelin' fit, feelin' fabulous! I've included a picture from when I first began my journey on July 7, 2009 and then a picture taken last night. Click on it to see a bigger version!

My stats are as follows

July 7, 2009

weight 229

waist 37.5

hips 48

arms 17

thighs 29

bust 43

January 12, 2010

weight 187.6

waist 32

hips 42

arms 14.5

thighs 25.5

bust 39.75

So till next time..........I'm stillunTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

Rendering Lard..........

Today I'm rendering lard from some fat that my sister gave me. They had a hog butchered last fall and I asked her to get me the fat from the locker. It's been in my freezer and I decided that today was a good day to get it cooked down. I use lard for making soap and in cooking. It's the very best thing in the world to fry chicken with! You need a big ole cast iron skillet with some hot lard and you'll have the crispiest, juiciest fried chicken you've ever sunk your teeth into! Home rendered lard isn't bad for you either. Anything that you can make at home in your own kitchen is preferable to something you bought at the grocery store that you can't even pronounce the ingredients!!

From this...............

To this.................

To this..............

In a few hours, when it's cooled, these jars will be full of snowy white lard, ready to be used! Whether for fryin' chicken or sweet potato fries, seasonin' my beloved cast iron pans, makin' soap, or makin' delicious corn bread, biscuits, or pie crust it's ready and rarin' to go, just like me!

Fabulous Foto Friday!

Today's Fabulous Foto Friday is dedicated to WARM WEATHER!!

Till next time...................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

New Rules......."A" day report...........

K.........so as promised here is the update on my New Rules of Lifting for Women "A" day. Started week 5 today................

An "A" day consists of

• Squats
• Bent over dumbbell rows
• Pushups
• Step-ups
• Prone jacknife crunches on the swiss ball

On my squats I'm doing 80 lbs for 3 sets of 10 reps;

bent over dumbbell rows I'm doing 30 lbs (again that's a 30 lb dumbbell in each hand) for 3 sets of 10 reps;

3 sets of pushups 10 reps (I'm doing those on our roman bench right now, getting closer to the floor every week!);

35 lbs (35 lb dumbbell in each hand) on my step-ups for 3 sets of 10 reps, and that's 10 reps each leg, do one leg then switch, legs and that's a set;

and doing 3 sets of 12 reps on the jacknife.

Then I go ahead and do my 200 crunches for the crunch challenge on WW. I did take a video of me doing the squats, but it's not the best as I had to do it myself. Will try and get a better one soon, if anybody is interested. I'm gonna be makin' some funny faces, but you squat 80 lbs and see what you look like ;) I think I'll be here for the next few workouts. It's getting pretty heavy and I don't want to lose my form. I'll see how it goes.

Till next time.........I'm unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

The Goodwife's Fantasy.........

Sometimes I fantasize about a world................a world in which peace reigns.............a world where I don't curse and gnash my teeth...................a world of supreme happiness and joy. In short a world with no dogs!

I was out in the free-cockin freezin' cold last evening doin' my feedin'. The three big girls had all been outside blowin' the cobs out for about 1/2 a hour or so. When I went out to feed, one of them had had enough and wanted to come in. I let her in on the back porch while the other two stayed outside playing while I did chores. I came in to this............ps.....I have no mudderfudgin clue why this picture won't switch to the right way......but I'm tired of messin' wid it!!!!

Which dog did it? Was it this one? She really looks like a trouble maker!

Or how about this one? She appears to have some schmutz on her face.........

Or maybe this one? It's the little ones you gotta watch out for!

Nope..........it was THIS one........looking all casual here, although I do detect a hint of smugness about the eyes. And I'm pretty sure that she isn't nervously licking her chops, but actually sticking her tongue out at me. This is the same dog that gave me THIS little gift a few months ago.

Till next time.............GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Generic Cigarettes and Diet Food.........

Hmmm, you may be asking yourself what in the hell generic cigarettes and diet food have in common..........well I'm just so glad you asked, cuz I'm gonna' tell you!

This evenin' as I was gettin' ready to go feed my critters I decided to feed myself with a 1 ounce hunk of super sharp cheddar cheese. I love super sharp chedder, the sharper and stinkier the better! I was enjoying every creamy tangy bite as I put on my chorin' clothes and headed out the back door. As I was pouring boiling water over my rabbits frozen dishes, I started to think about my hubs and when he used to smoke. When we got married hubby smoked Marlboro Reds in a Box, thank you very much. Not in a soft pack, not Kings, not 100's and certainly not Lights!! After we had been married for a couple months, the price on Marlboro Reds in a Box, thank you very much, went up to the astronomical price of $2.10 a pack! Oh the horror! (Yes I know they are like 5 bucks a pack now) Hubby told me he was quitting, weren't no way he was gonna' pay that for smokes. And just like that he quit.........that was close to 14 years ago and he's never smoked since. His parents urged him not to quit, just to switch brands. Smoke generics they ever so helpfully told him! He said, and I quote "If I can't afford to smoke Marlboro Reds in a box (thank you very much), then I won't smoke a'tall. And by crappy, he hasn't smoked a'tall!

I feel the same way about diet food. Not about the money part, but if I can't afford the points to eat the real stuff (ie, cheese, milk, whathaveyou) then I ain't a gonna' eat it a'tall! I eat full fat cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, whole milk. If I can't have the "good stuff" then I'll just stay away. I don't want to be able to eat MORE, thereby eating imitation everything. Give me real food or give me death, that's what I say!

Till next time.........I'm unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN! and eating full fat dairy products, and NO low-fat, fat-free, sugar-free, subsitute food!

Wordless Wednesday........

Today's WI day!

I weigh myself every Tuesday. I'm prompted to do this by my online WW tracker and it reminds me to weigh (as if I needed a reminder) and asks me if I did it, or if I want to do it later. I weigh first thing in the morning, after a potty break, and sans clothing! This morning I was down .6 pound. I think that's 6/10 of a pound, but I'm no math wizard! I do know that it's a LOSS and that's what matters. The scale is still traveling in the right direction and I'm happy about that!

I did my 4th week of Stage 1 today with the New Rules of Lifting for Women. Today was a "B" day. The "B" day consists of Deadlifts, Dumbbell shoulder presses, Wide grip lat pulldowns (which I have to modify cuz I don't have a lat pulldown machine) Lunges, and Swiss-ball crunches.

I'm doing 75 lbs on my deadlifts, 20 lbs on the dumbbell shoulder presses (that's a 20lb dumbbell in each hand) 10 lbs on my modified lat pulldowns, 5 lb dumbbells in each hand for my lunges (oooh how those suckers hurt) and then of course the swiss-ball crunches which are a walk in the park due to my 200 crunches a day challenge! I'm feeling good and strong, fit and fabulous!

Thursday I do the "A" day workout and will post the weights that I'm using then. Somebody jokingly asked me if I was going to videotape my workouts to encourage others, and I really think I might. It will be the weekend before I do it though, because I'll have to have Hubs help me!

Till next time......I hope you are all feeling lean, mean, strong and tough!! I'm still here, unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

Recipe Tuesday!

Today's recipe is Homemade Ice Cream and it's a recipe I got from Rhonda Daniels. It's the very best homemade ice cream I've ever had and we make 5 quarts of it about every two weeks while my girls are fresh. When they are dry (like they are right now) it's a very sad time around Goodwife Farm because we have to buy ice cream and drown it in toppings to hide the taste!

Homemade Ice Cream


•1 qt plus 3 cups of whole goat's milk
•12 egg yolks (fresh from your own chickens are best)
•2 tsp salt
•3 cups sugar
•1 qt heavy cream (again from your goats if you've got a separator)
•4 TBSP vanilla
Scald milk. Mix egg yolks and salt and beat with fork until thick. Add about 3 cups of scalded milk to egg mixture, beating with fork all the while. Add back into milk in pot. Add sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it coats a spoon. Strain (if you don't strain it will be chunky, I strain mine through my milk strainer). Chill. Add cream and vanilla and freeze in ice cream freezer.

One of our first purchases after getting the goats was a hand crank White Mountain ice cream freezer. You just can't get the rich, smooth, creamy, deliciousness with an electric one. It's pretty nice to sit out on the porch, the husband and I, talking, eating salty ice and taking turns cranking! This ice cream freezes wonderfully well and doesn't get hard as a rock either. You can scoop it out for a yummy bowl anytime. As I said above, a 5 qt bucket usually lasts us about two weeks. You can add pretty much anything you want to it as well. We've made peanut butter malt and strawberry among others. Our top three favorites though are Cookies and Cream, Peanut Butter Cup, and Cookie Dough! Have fun and make your own favorite variety! If you do add stuff in, freeze it until it's almost done before adding it. Otherwise all your "goodie" will settle to the bottom!

Till next time................GOD BLESS FROM GOODWIFE FARM!

Does this coat make me look fat??

Naomi is knocked up with her first kid.....or kids as it may be. It is also very very cold here 3* actual temp with wind chills of around -10 so her coat is very thick and fluffed out. Naomi is also a short goat.....like me.........so right now she's lookin' a little on the "fluffy" side. Poor dear, she's self conscious...........

I've been inspired.......

by another blog that I follow to share a few tidbits about myself that you may not know. It might not be pretty, but it's going to be honest!

1. I love my Jesus more than I can even begin to express. I've never once doubted that He is the Son of God, that He walked this earth, and that He died on the cross for all of our sins no matter how undeserving we are. I have unshakable, childlike Faith.
2. I love my husband with a passion and intensity that I've been told by more than one woman on more than one occasion isn't healthy. To which I respond......sucks to be you for not loving your man that way. If you don't open yourself up to that kind of love, and vulnerability you are missing a relationship that is indescribable. He is my best friend in the world and there is no one on the planet that I'd rather spend time with. We've been married for almost 14 years and there's never been a day that I was with him and wishing I was somewhere else!
3. I will support my little girl in whatever she wants to do with her life. There is nothing that she could do to shake my belief in her and love for her. I tell her that wherever she goes and whatever she does, me and Daddy will be right here. Spread your wings and fly baby!
4. I don't like little kids much and really have no love for babies. I mean I loved my baby every second of her life, but now have no desire to hold, cuddle, coo at, feed, nurture or otherwise have anything to do with babies!! Hence the reason that I have only one child! I even "closed the factory down" about 6 years ago to insure that I didn't have any more!
5. I cuss...........ALOT! And not just the nice parlor words either. My daughter has a cussin' jar for Mama, and I'm supposed to put 50 cents in it every time I say a cuss word. She has given me a free pass for damn and hell, but let me tell you, there ain't enough quarters in the world......... I tend to cuss like a drunken sailor who's been shanghaied by pirates in the Pacific in a leaky canoe!
6. Since we are on the topic of drunkenness, I don't drink and neither does the Hubs. Neither of us have any use whatsoever for alcohol of any kind. Just don't see the point.
7. I like to drive......fast.......and squall tires, and cut cookies (that means spin the car around in case you ain't a hillbilly)
8. I don't go to church. Not enough room here for me to list all the reasons why. It's enough to say that I don't. The most important thing is listed in No. 1 though, so don't worry about me.
9. I've got no sympathy for quitters, whiners, drama queens, or babies. I'm a shit or get off the pot kinda gal. Just do it, don't talk about it, don't discuss it to death, for pete's sake don't WHINE about it.......just.....do..........it! There is nothing that you can't achieve if you want it bad enough, be it a good relationship, a nice house, whatever. If you want it, figure out a way.
10. I've broken the law before. I won't list which ones here, suffice it to say that I've got alot of respect for the law..........at least the ones that make sense to me. I am a very MORAL person. Legal does not equal Moral.........and some things that ARE legal are very very immoral. So I pick and choose........sue me.
11. I'm very selfish when it comes to friendship.........and I've lost friends over it. Nothing gets in the way of my time with my husband and my daughter. Some women can't handle that, oddly enough, and they like to tell me that I'm obsessed or that I need to get a life of my own. I won't try to explain it all here, it's really more of a face to face sort of discussion. Nuff to say that if you are going to be my friend, it's going to be on my terms. If that ain't good enough for you, then you can get steppin'. If you can't understand that I have no desire to hang out with you when my man is at home.........then you can take a hike. I'll spend time with you while he's at work, but when he is at home, I want to be with him. My man is gone 12-14 hours a day, 5 days a week, we go to bed at 8 pm and get up at 4 am. That gives me 2 hours a day to see him and be with him Monday - Friday. Why in hell would I want to go shopping with you on a Saturday when I could be spending the day with him???
12. I like to be by myself. I really don't know how to expound on this one......just that I do like my own company.
13. I like really angry music sometimes. Eminem, Rehab, Theory of a Deadman, Saliva, Buckcherry. I also like classic country and hard rock, but when you are having a really bad day, there is nothing like a little Marshall Mathers, or Texas Hippie Coalition to bang your head to! And nothing makes me feel sexier than dirty, sexy lyrics!
14. I like purses. It's about the only girly fetish that I have. I have tons of purses and the first thing I look at when I go to Goodwill or Salvation Army is the purses!
15. I like to lift weights and be strong. This may be something you already know about me, but I mean it. I want to be strong. Freakishly strong and I want to be muscled up. Not like a steroid chomping lady body builder, but I want people to be able to look at me and go.....wow, she lifts, ya know?

K...........enough of my blabbing. Please do this too........it's pretty fun and cool and neat to learn surprising things about folks!

Till next time........still unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!

Squat Rack Baby!

Aren't husbands fabulous? I'm finishing week 4 of Stage 1 in my New Rules of Lifting for Women. I'm already up to enough weight on squats that I can't get it lifted up and over my head to rest on my back. When hubs and I were working out on Friday morning, he had to help me. I told him that I needed some kind of squat rack, or else I would have to wait to lift weights until he got home, and that just ain't gonna work. That got his brain to spinning and so on Sunday we trotted off to Lowe's to buy some 4x4's to build Mama a squat rack.



I'm gonna build ya a squat rack baby! You aren't doubtin' me are ya??

Who me? As if I would ever doubt you?! Just because you HATE building stuff......I'm just sayin is all.

Hubs really truly does HATE carpentry with a passion. It's just lucky that he loves me with even more passion ;)

Here is one side almost done!

One side done........isn't it just terribly faboo? I know you'd never guess it, but we are flyin' by the seat of our pants! No pattern, just a crazy idea in a crazy man's head! LOL

Drilling the holes for the lag bolts..........

Cuttin' off the bolts cause they are way too long..........hope it doesn't scuff up the Coronet!

And then there's the finished product! I'm testin' er out to be sure it's gonna work. Worked like a charm! Pretty soon I'll have thighs of steel and carrying TWO sacks of feed to the barn won't be a problem!

Till next time..............I'm unTHICKINandsoTHINNIN!