I am raising our food!

Never in a million years did I think that I would be raising our food rather than getting it at a Grocery Store. Don't get me wrong we also buy food from the grocery store (yes even meat) but in this last couple years it means more for me to raise our food.

To some it may seem mean because I get animals that are abandoned by their mothers or their mothers have died.

I have a bottle fed calf from last year named Princess. She will not be food as she will be a breeder. I love this cow! She is my baby even though she is fat and funny. Its nice when you bottle fed an animal from when they are really young. We got her at 5 weeks and bottle fed her every day many bottles, grain and hay till she was 7 months old. Then she was weaned to just eat grass and grain. When they are bottle fed they are so friendly. She will come running when I call her name. I cant eat her, probably because she was my first but she is for breeding anyways.

We have raised bottle fed lambs last year and again this year. I love them and would feed them four times a day. I put a lot of love and time into these animals. I know eventually they will become food but this way I know what they ate, what shots were given to them and that they had an amazing, loving life. When you buy lamb at the store you honestly don't know what has gone on with those lambs or if they are adding dyes etc to the meat to make it look more fresh.

I know so many people think its mean to raise your animals and then use them for food. I feel that I would rather have my kids eat food that is raised right. I cant butcher them as that would make me sad. My husband or friends take them in for me so when we get meat back I can kind of imagine it wasn't them. I have these animals for that. To feed my family of 6 and to feed them well.

We have four bottle fed calves right now. Minnie was saved by C-section as her mother was dying, Ryan Jr is a bull that its mother died also. Tulu was kicked to the side and Quinny mother didn't want him either. Ryan Jr will grow up to be our baby maker, Tulu and Minnie will have babies and Quinny will probably be our food. I love each of these animals but I have to remember what they are for. It would be silly of me to raise them, feed them 22 bottles a day, grain and hay, put all this money into them just for them to grow old and die as pets. They are surely cute now, I could NEVER do anything to them while they were young of course. They are loved and well taken care of so I know that their lives were good too.

We also have pigs each year. And Chickens that lay eggs. I like that all the stuff is Organic and that my kids will have less hormones in their bodies. This to me if very important.

We also have a big garden with eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, kale, squash, zucchini, potatoes, onions, carrots, bell peppers etc that we eat and also can to have more organic foods in the house.

We do have animals that we don't eat. Our goats (kids since they are babies still) are going to be weed eaters. Our chickens we wont eat either. We also have horses and they are just for riding and ranching.

Then we have our precious dogs. All six of them that I love dearly! All six of us has our own dog. Seems like a lot but they have thousands of acreage to run and have fun. We wont ever get rid of them. They will grow old with us. I think its important for a child to have an animal that is theirs to take care of and to love.

In the end I think its an amazing opportunity for us to be able to raise our own food. To be able to know where it came from and know it had a good life yet give our kids nutrients that are good for them. We are truly blessed.

Rescue Lambs....everywhere

So they really aren't "rescue" lambs per say. If there was a huge operation of lambing in a ranch and the mother didn't take the baby....it might die because there isn't time to bottle fed. The ranching operation that we have friends with though they would feed every last one. Why though....when you have a Rae-Rae!

I love lambs...The first time I ever held or even saw a baby lamb was 2.5 year ago. I did a lot of oohing and aahing. I think I said how cute they were 400 times in one sentence. Ever since then during lambing season I was hooked!

Jackson holding a one day old

I love the bummer lambs. Bummer lambs are the ones that the mom refuses to feed. Bummer lambs also can be "special" lambs like this one that have a small deformity that makes it so the mom doesn't want it. The saddest ones are the ones that are born and the momma dies:( These don't happen that often but they do happen.

Our Rancher friends know how much I love to have the lambs and feed them so when something happens they call me up and I come and get them. I get so excited each time. So much so my kids even grown and say "another one mom?" ha! Our friends would bottle feed them themselves but they know how much I love them so they give them to me.

One of the twins who mom didn't make it

This week has been lambing week so a lot has happened. I ended up with two lambs that mom died during birth. These two I wont be keeping because its another friend of ours who is out of town and we are just helping out.

Our friends lamb

Then we got "Lammie" who is special because she has a cleft palate and one eye doesn't open all the way. She will never be bred but rather become food later in the season.

Our special lamb we named "Lammie"

Today we got twins #16 (just so happens its my favorite #) because the mom passed away couple days after birthing. It sounds like there are a lot of bummers but really their isn't.

Sheep usually have twins but sometimes can have up to quadruplets. We got another bummer lamb who was so precious only half the size of the smallest ones. It was sad because she only made it 2 days:( Its hard because I cry each time.

This lil lady didn't make it:(

These lambs are just so cute and I love them so. When they are new like this they are fed every 3-4 hours around the clock. Most people wouldn't want to do that but I really do enjoy it.

Since now we have more than just a couple lambs....we had to make their own room in the barn. Their first day or two of life though I keep them in a playpen to take care of them. Crazy I know. Once they are a little stronger or eating off the bottle easy then we move them into the lamb barn. You should see how funny I look driving down the dirt road in my pjs in the middle of the night to go feed them. Again though....I love it.

Love Cudding

I don't wish that something happens to the moms or that the moms don't take the babies....but let me just say if I get more lambs it definitely wont hurt my heart. They are just little now. I cant wait till they are playing and jumping. It is soooo cute.

Trust me...you would want one after you saw them in person too! I guess that's why my true ranching friends call me Farmer Rae. I am willing to take anything that is bottle fed. Who knows...calving season will be coming up soon.

Who knows we might end up with a couple more. Our own little flock. Its going to be a lot of work but it is sooooo worth every second of it. Really gives me happiness to see these bummers grow and flourish!

Ryan helping me  do late night feeding

yummmy

They love their space.

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Seriously! How did this happen?

Its Friday! YEAH!

I love Fridays! Its the end of the week and its usually our family night. We all stay up late and spend time together but best thing is....we know we can sleep in the next day! Woo hoo I love Fridays!

After the kids were home from school and basketball practice I decided that today we would go through all our clothes once again. I swear the kids don't ever stop growing. How did this happen again? How did we end up with so many clothes and they aren't fitting? Our youngest two ..Josh and Jason (both 14) have been growing leaps and bounds this year. Shoes and pants are constantly going to the thrift store or friends. Joshua is 6'1'' and Jason is 5'6'' but it took him forever to grow. Both of their legs are super long so Jeans become close to high waters a lot. Always shopping for new pants.

Josh and Jason my 14 year olds

Thankfully Jasons mom also does some shopping for him too which is nice when he goes to visit. Its helpful. As I had said before Jackson and Jason are biological brothers. Cassie and Josh are biological siblings. The kids don't know the difference though. They are all ours to us and the kids don't view each other as step siblings at all. You can tell because laughing or fighting is all the same between them all lol.

Whelp with some moaning and groaning mainly from the boys we went through all their clothes. It all started with Ryan going through all his pants to give to the thrift shop. I guess I should add we love our little thrift shop for the simple fact that you can donate there and all the proceeds go to our small community pool. We ended up between us all with 6 garbage bags of good clothes for others, one bag that can be turned into rags, and a couple of new things that can be given to our family members. It was nice to do this.....even though we have to do it often. It was pretty funny when I was in the laundry room and Jackson told me to come find Cassie. She was hidden under the pile of clothes. Kind of easy to find someone who is squirming and laughing:)

Growing up we always gave our clothes to others. I am of sound mind that after you wash something its not new anyways. If we get hand me downs that we like I am all for it! Kids grow fast. Why buy 40 dollar T-shirts or 150 dollar pants. Don't get me wrong we do have some of those things but that's only if the kids work and save their own money for certain items. I want them to like their clothes otherwise to me its a waste of money because they will not wear them. At this age its hard for others to buy them clothes too. I remember being picky as a teen but our kids have to learn to not be that picky. Its about function over fashion. Does it fit? It is going to keep you warm? Is it comfortable? Ryan's favorite T shirts are the super hero ones that are like 5 dollars. I have shopped many times from Goodwill or thrift stores to find awesome things. The shirt I get the most complements on was actually a 2.00 find at Goodwill. We do love others stores like Zumiez, Lane Bryant, Torrid, Hot Topic, Etc....

So YEAH!!! We are cleaned out again and can figure out how many shirts and pants everyone has to get whoever has grown out of things caught up to the others. Somehow Josh always ends up with less clothes than anyone else because he is growing leaps and bounds. So today will be spent ordering him some new clothes online. That is one hard thing about living on a ranch and hour or more away from stores. So Amazon is my best friend. Having Prime Shipping is my second best friend. Whatever you need to your door in just two days. Wow! Saves a lot of time, gas and money.

After doing all this the kids were hungry. Because Jason's teeth were still sore from getting braces yesterday we decided on homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Its a super yummy good recipe so I thought I would share my meatball recipe. The sauce you can use homemade (mine is canned from this summer still) or you can just use Ragu or Presto Sauce. I decided to take pictures too so you can see how yummy. We had dinner which is always our family time. Then we watched a movie together. By the time all that was done it was 1230 and everyone was very ready for bed. I love spending time with my family. Its something I hope they always remember and also something I know I will never forget. Its fun to hear about their days. To have them ask for our advice on things. Its not always easy things to answer either. Just the fact they ask though really makes my heart swell from joy though.

Here is some Pics and then the Meatball Recipe so you can enjoy it in your own home...

Finished Rae's Meatballs

before all stirred together

Rae's Meatballs
3 pounds ground beef (remember we have a large family and I want some for next day)
3 large eggs
1.5 cups chopped onion (we like purple)
1 tablespoon of oregano dried
3 tablespoon basil fresh
1 tablespoon parsley fresh or dried
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1.5 cup of parmigiano- reggiano grated
1-2 tablespoons of diced garlic

Take all these ingredients and mix together. I just use my hands or a wooden spoon. After fully mixed take two Tablespoons of mixture at a time and roll into balls. Set on plate. After all the mixture is in balls take over to your sauce. Sauce should be on medium heat in pan. Put one by one meatballs into the sauce. Do not stir. Keep on medium heat for 20 minutes covered. After 20 minutes gently stir the meatballs. They should be rising to the top of the sauce. Cover 15 more minutes and Voila its done. Scoop sauce with meatballs over cooked Spaghetti. Add little basil and shredded parmigiano on the top. Serve:)


Hope you like the recipe and try it.


Sauce before I put meatballs in

Finished Product...YUM!

Subscribe on the home page to my Daily Blog. All you have to do is put in your email and every time I blog you will get an email. You can unsubscribe at anytime. I cant see who has subscribed but would love for you to do so. Also going to add a question of the day for you to comment on.

Question: When you outgrow clothes or decide you do not like them anymore.....what do you do with them?

Lunch bag drama!

So, as we all know I have four teenagers. This year 2015 I decided to start making their lunches again. Couple of reasons.....1. It's healthier. 2. It saves money in the long run. With my amazing mom plan I decided to help a friend of mine by buying her lunch sacks. Again 1. To help her for Christmas on her orders. 2. It's thermal and will keep the stuff cold or hot. 3. Thought I was being cool bec embroidered their initials on it and got camo bec well my kids are into hunting.

I packed their lunches with their water bottles, sandwiches, fruit and goodies and waited for their reactions . Whelp lets just say 2 of the 4 of them were not that thrilled. They are amazing bags but I think they probably really were meant for younger kids. They did have a handle ;) anyways the kids humored me and took them to school.

After school everyone said they were teased because they looked kid like. Again two of my kids decided they didn't care, one said jokingly he might accidentally lose it, and my oldest said he would rather just throw all the stuff in his backpack. We all kinda joked about it for like 30 minutes. No one was being rude just laughing. Jack accidentally said "they look like bags for 12th graders" instead of 2nd graders. Ryan laughed and told him he was too young for it still then.

Last night I packed up their lunches again  in their thermal bags. This morning they all grabbed theirs as I went to drive them to the bus stop 4 miles away. I told them not to lose it. Again the oldest asked to just put in book bag which  I said that was fine. Cassie and Jason didn't say a word ,they didn't care as long as they had their food. Josh still teased that it might accidentally disappear lol.

Now I am laughing so hard. Why you ask? Because I got those bags well before Christmas and today the UPS man came and gave me a box. I opened it and what did I find inside? The same lunch bags....embroidered with their initials. I will have to ship this back because I didn't order it twice but I can't help laughing! If one does disappear.......I would of had an extra HA!

The amazing plan of a mother......I might just be too old to be hip;)

Ps......here is the lunch bag. This one is Cassie's and she does like hers

YEAH! Another cruise! and cruising tips

Its Monday and while most people would be cringing that they are starting their week....I am excited!
Today has been a long day and its only 445pm. Ryan went to go pick up the kids since he is home early while I just booked our third cruise but first one for our kids! Excited doesn't even describe what I am.

Ryan and I went to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta on a cruise for our honeymoon years ago. Then this Christmas since all the kids would be at their other parents houses we decided to do another 7 day cruise to the same place for like a second honeymoon. Plus lets face it...I didn't want to stay at home sulking without all the kids here. We knew they would be having fun, so we decided to get out of Big Valley for awhile and get some sun. 10 degrees to 86 degrees sounded like a good start to the vacation.

Christmas in the Sun

The problem with loving your kids is the whole time you are gone having fun you want them to be there with you. So today I booked another 7 day cruise but all 6 of us will be on the ship and going to Cabo! I am so excited. With Jackson going into his Senior year next year and Cassie her junior, Josh his sophomore and Jason his freshman I really wanted to have a family vacation that would allow us to have fun and see a new place. Funny how we keep going back to Cabo but we enjoy that particular cruise and know the sites so it makes it much easier to have fun and be less expensive. We already know where to go and where not to go. We already know which excursions we like and the ones we don't like. I am all about trying to have fun and save a dollar. With a large family like us you just have to have that.

From the Ranch to Cabo! Cant wait

The kids are pretty excited. We got two adjoining balconies with the boys in one room and Cassie is the room with us. Its not like you spend much time in the rooms anyways.

I know some ppl who put their kids across the ship. I am not that person ha. I think I would classify us as strict parents but fun. I want our kids to grow up to be respectful people who knows right from wrong. They all make mistakes but I have to say that I am one lucky mom because basically 95 percent of the time they are great! Good grades, good attitudes and helpful. Good Teens.

The only part of the Cruise that I dislike is we have to take them out of school. We will have to put them on independent study and will have to do their work for the week before they leave. Most ppl would just take them on spring break but that is when they have time with their other parents. Summers we really cant vacation because Ryan is too busy with work and next year it will be Jacks senior year so we don't want to mess with that. An added bonus is.....the cruise was 1000 dollars cheaper because we were doing it right after spring break time.

We want to go some shore excursions with the kids. Ryans dad and stepmom gave us 600 dollars for Christmas so we are going to book a shore excursion with that money. Then we will probably do another excursion. Ryan and I have been scuba diving, snorkeling, whale watching, shopping (that one we wouldn't do again they just take you to where they want you to go), rhythm of the nights and sailing on yacht on the different times that we have been on cruises. I cant scuba dive for two years because of my brain surgery so we definitely will be snorkeling, going to rhythm of the nights tribal dance show and boat ride, and since we have the kids we would like to do a tour of the ship that's behind the scene. That would be a good learning experience and they can see how much others are doing so they can have an amazing vacation.

In Puerto Vallarta Dec 2014

Ryans way of Snorkling

Its going to be exciting.

Some tips for cruising:

1. If you have a balcony bring a bungee cord so you can hold the door open at night to hear the ocean or have fresh air.
2. Bring a hanging shoe organizer to put on the bathroom door to hold all your little things like sunscreens, lotions, earrings, razors, etc.....saves a lot of room.
3. Having a power strip because they only have one or two plugs to charge all your stuff
4. Bring ones so you can tip room service
5. Bring zip lock bags for wet items or to bring sandwiches off ship
6. Call into the morning show to say hello....they will leave you a surprise in your room
7. Bring water bottles and a six pack soda per person on board to save money. One bottle wine per person over 21
8. Bring meds and change of clothes on carry on
9. Wait to the last day to buy anything from specialty shops they will be 50 percent off
10. Go to all the shows....they are worth it and you would spend 100 dollars going to one on land
11. Comedy clubs are great. They have family ones and 18 and over ones.
12. Put your name in all the raffles....win some fun stuff
13. Don't get a massage on ship its 130 dollars when you can get an amazing one on the beach in cabo for 20-40 dollars an hour.
14. Formal nights....take all the pictures you can. You will find at least one you love
15. Look in your bible.....cruisers leave free drink and photo tickets
16. Go to the steakhouse on the first day...its. 35 dollars a person but SO worth it. Why the first night? Because you wont miss Steak and Lobster night. The first night you get a free bottle of wine also.
17. Cool thing about the dining room....you can order two appetizers or even two entrees if you wanted and they wont bat an eye....and its free. Fun for when you want to try something new.
18. It's often cheaper to buy a bottle of wine than a few glasses -- but what do you do if you don't finish the bottle? Cruise ship waiters can mark the bottle with your room number and save it for another night, even for dinner in another onboard venue.
19. Most cabins are made of metal…and therefore they're magnetic. Bring along some magnets (or buy some as souvenirs) and you can keep all your invites, and daily planners hung up on the walls and doors.
20. We snap a photo each morning of the daily agenda newspaper. That gives us a memory anchor for the day's pictures, a digital reminder of what's happening on board that day, and the ship's info should we need it while on port.
21. One thing new cruiser might not know is that even your largest suitcase will easily slide UNDER you bed on most cruise ships making your room area much more spacious
22. MARK your bags as fragile and they will show up to your room quicker because they put it on the top of the piles.
23. Bring post it notes so you can say where you are to your cabin mate.
24. Wear a watch so you know when to be at dinner or a show.
25. Tip your steward the first day in cash and it makes a big difference.
26. You probably will bloat.....bring some shoes that are larger or one bigger outfit.
27. Many pools and Jacuzzi on board but there is an adult section in the back where no kids are allowed.
28. Bring extra hangers.
29. You don't need an alarm clock, your phone has one.
30. Carnival is now offering "Faster to the Fun". For $49.95 (per room) you, and your cabin mates get express boarding, luggage delivery, etc. This is so worth it and you get on and off ship first to the ports.

2015!!!!

Josh (14), Ryan (39),Cassie (16), me (38), Jackson (16), Jason (14)

I decided for this year to do a blog that I can write on everyday as kind of a diary for myself. Along the way though who knows it might interest other people so I will introduce myself.  Disclaimer...I write like I talk and there will be lot of "..." and "!!!!" :) And I don't usually spell check ha!

My name is Rae, I am 38 and a mother of four teenagers. My husband Ryan and I have a blended family so two of my kids are 14 and two of my kids are 16 right now. Ryan and I have been together for over 6 years so our kids have always felt like brothers and sisters which is great! We have three boys Jackson (16), Joshua (14) and Jason(14) and one lil lady Cassie (16). They all live with us full time and visit their other parents when they can on breaks. We do not think of them as yours or mine but rather they are all OURS. I think having four teenagers is enough to blog about ha but we have a busy life so I am sure there will be much more.

Our Teens:Josh holding Cassie, Jack holding Jason

I am a stay at home mom who is busier than when I was working. I am 5 months in remission for a brain tumor that I had caused by Cushings a rare disease. I love to do things for my kids, the school and love to cook. Sometimes I am way to busy to cook but I try. I have a website for Cushings stories that I run and also a facebook group. I love my job as a mom and a Cushings advocate. This blog though is about me and my family.

My husband Ryan oversees 3 ranches and takes care of our family of 6. Winters are his down season but summers he is extremely busy. He is a contractor by heart but ended up being a rancher.

My amazing husband and I

 We live in a small town that only has 250 ppl. Moved here two years ago never thought that this would be our life...but it is and we love it.  We are in love with animals and have 5 horses, cats, a cow named princess and 5 dogs. I am known as Farmer Rae here because it seems we will rescue anything. We have bottle fed lambs, calves, kittens and even yes birds. I have been all over the world my dad was in the military. 22 countries before I was 20 and yet we live in a tiny town of big hearted ppl.

This is the daily story of our lives......