Taking care of the goat...

I love it when people ask me what I've been doing lately, and among the normal responses like shopping, working, etc., I get to say, "Taking care of the goat."  They usually do a double-take!  Last week, my boss's response was, "Wait, did you just say 'goat'?"  I had to giggle!

Yes, I help my son take care of a goat, which he named Kuzco.  The goat is an FFA project, and it's a lot of work!  We are city people.  I did live in a smallish town growing up, which has grown considerably since, but we never had livestock.  We had a dog.  At one time we had two cats.  And my sister had a pet rabbit... for a while.  But livestock?  I know nothing about livestock!  But I'm learning.

I'm finding that it's actually quite interesting.  It's both fun and hard work.  Our poor Kuzco got sick and lost ten pounds.  He would hardly eat anything for several weeks.  While the other goats were gaining, he just kept losing.  He finally got treated for an upper respiratory infection (yes, even goats get them), and we've had to give him everything from ensure, to electrolytes,to  pro-biotics, and vitamin B.  He's FINALLY got his appetite back and starting to gain a little weight now.  He's got some catching up to do!  Can you imagine a goat not wanting to eat?  They eat everything!  If a goat isn't eating, something's wrong.

Anyway, so while we are working to get him to gain weight and fill out, we also have to train him.  He has to run to develop strong muscles in his back legs.  The goats always eat with their front feet propped on the fence so their back legs get stronger, but he needs more.  He also walks.  He gets dewormed twice a month, and he's taking supplements along with his food (developed for livestock, not human supplements).  He gets a bath about twice a month.  And my son had to train him to walk correctly in the ring and how to set him up for the judge, and how to present himself to the judge - the showmanship aspect of it.  Who knew so much went into this?  I guess I always thought you just feed them and they're ready to go.  Not so.

Our livestock show is at the end of January, so we don't have much time now.  I hope we can get Kuzco caught up enough to look good next to the other goats instead of scrawny like he was when he was sick.  If he doesn't do well at the show, my heart will break, but it's going to break anyway when we have to see him go.  I kinda like that goat!

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Company Girl Coffee

Hello Company Girls, and all my other friends! I hope your summer is going well. Mine is coming to a close, unfortunately. I go back to teaching full time in less than two weeks. Bummer! The summer has been good, though. My twins turned 14, and we had awesome birthday celebrations, I got to go on vacation to Southern California for a week (during my husband's business trip), and I got a 2-day getaway with my sister. The twins return from their dad's house on Sunday, and I can't wait!

While I was out in California, I snapped this photo because I had never seen a flower like this. I had to touch it to make sure it was real! I asked some readers what it was, and they called it "Hen and Chicks." What was throwing me off was its color, a very deep purple, almost black. Very cool!

Rachel Anne will be back with daily "small things" at Home Sanctuary, and I've missed her! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Company Girl Coffee

Happy Friday to all! Come on in and let's visit! This has been a busy week, but it wasn't all work and no play. Last night, the whole family (5 of us - hubz, my twins D & A, my step-daughter, and I) went over my step-son's house to play with the grandkids (2 1/2 year old twin boys). After they went to bed, we ate some awesome chicken spaghetti, my daughter-in-law's signature dish. Then we played Uno Attack. So glad Mattel invented this twist on an old favorite!Do you have a signature dish that you prepare for relatives or company?

How about a favorite game you like to play?

If you're keeping up with your small things at Home Sanctuary, good for you! I'm trying. Even if we don't do every small thing, I think we draw inspiration from Rachel Anne. Her posts cause me to pay more attention to the peace, order, and beauty we create in our lives. I think a night like the one we had at my step-son's falls into the "beauty" category of life. Have a great weekend!

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Company Girl Coffee

Come on in for some "virtual" coffee! I'm glad you're here.

How did you do with your "small things" for Home Sanctuary this week? I racked my brain for something to fix today. The only things I came up with were fixing a torn paper, a pen, and a pencil (I used tape on all of them). I also "fixed up" my craft room. I ironed and hung some curtains and I hung a picture. Technically, it's a puzzle that my mom made years ago that I used to have hanging in the nursery when the twins were babies. They're almost 14 now. It's been in the attic for years. Well, I got it down and dusted it off and hung it up. I like how the room is shaping up.

I love what Rachel Anne said about fixing broken hearts, and how we are all at least a little broken, and God can fix us if we allow Him to. Of course, she said it better than I, so feel free to click over and read the bottom of this post.

Congratulations to the May winners! Way to go, Ladies!

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The Dog

We recently got new furniture, and we think we've trained the dog not to get on it. We bought him a really soft bed, and he seems to enjoy laying in it. The trouble? He doesn't seem to be able to control his peeing! He peed in his bed today, then he layed in it. So, we washed the bed, and we gave the dog a bath, and cleaned the floor where the bed had been.

But we have no idea why he's peeing in the house! He's getting old, yes, but still. Before we got our new furniture, he peed on the pillows on the couch and on some blankets upstairs (he's not allowed upstairs anymore - we got a gate to keep him from getting on the stairs). Right before the new furniture came, he got on the old loveseat and peed right in front of my husband and me. What is up with that dog? The vet didn't really have any suggestions, so I'm hoping maybe some of you do. We've got to get him to stop peeing in the house!

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Company Girl Coffee

I'm so glad you're here! It's been a vicious week at work/school due to state-mandated testing, so it's a great time to get together with girlfriends and relax.

I got a wonderful surprise this week. I won a giveaway, a starter set of 3 body butters from Main Element Love in luscious fragrances (Mango Berry - my fave- Pomegranate Mojito - and Blue Rose)! Turns out that this company is right here in my home city, but it took the Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom to get us together.
How did you do with your "small things" tasks this week? My favorite is "Minimum Maintenance Day." Straightening up for 5-15 minutes really makes my home feel more orderly and put together.

Since the main goal at Rachel Anne's Home Sanctuary is to "help create a sense of sanctuary in this busy world," I began wondering where I find peace in my life and where I can create some myself. Daily peace comes to me at the end of the day during prayers with my children and by myself, then again when everyone else is taken care of and in bed, and I can have a few moments to myself to unwind. When I know that my obligations have been fulfilled, that's when I can actually experience peace. Well, that plus an afternoon nap on weekends! LOL How do you create peace in your busy life?

Have a great weekend Company Girls!

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Company Girl Coffee

Welcome! I hope everyone has had a good week. I'm looking forward to a great weekend, too!

What was your favorite Small Thing this week? I would have to say the best thing I did this week was Approved! Were you able to give some deliberate approval to a family member? The easiest task, but one that will probably need to be redone weekly, was Going to Pot. Did you organize your pots and pans?

Don't you just love Rachel Anne?! I've been reading Home Sanctuary since 2008, and I'm always impressed and inspired by her. I wish I could say that I complete each task every day, but I do what I can. And even when I can't work the task into my busy life, I still enjoy reading her posts.

Before you go, let me leave you with a super-easy, delicious dessert/salad. Only three ingredients: grapes, whipped topping, and cream cheese. Even my kids love it. Have a great weekend!

I'd Love to Build My Dream House

The topic over at Heads or Tails this week is BUILD.

I mentioned in my Give Me 5 Monday post that if money were no object, one thing I would love to do is BUILD my dream house!

Everyone in the family would have their own bedroom, closet, and bathroom designed to fit their personality and needs, and no one would have to share.

We'd have a play room, a game room, and a TV room.

Of course, I'd BUILD a scrapbook room and a library! We'd have a living room, family room, entertaining room, kitchen (maybe 2), several dining rooms, and an outdoor grilling area near the pool and hot tub.

Wouldn't it be so much fun to BUILD your dream house!?

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Pledge (for Dusting)

micaela6955 is the winner!
Scroll Down to see my Christmas Photos!


Pledge - Keep your furniture looking less dusty, longer! We've all heard of Pledge, the standard in products to clean your wood furniture. I remember using Pledge to dust the bookcases and coffee and end tables when I was a little girl. Pledge is still around, all these years later, and it's better than ever. And with Christmas just behind us, my bottle of Pledge is coming in very handy!



Pledge Natural Beauty removes up to 84% of allergens found in dust. It refreshes the wood leaving a beautiful shine with no waxy buildup. It even helps protect your wood from water stains, spills, and every day wear.


I am giving away one large bottle of Pledge Natural Beauty to one lucky reader!

Please leave a comment on this post no later than 11:59 CST, December 31, 2008. You get to be my first product winner for 2009!

Please make sure I have access to your email address so I can contact you for your snail mail address (US addresses only, please) to give to the sponsor, SC Johnson, a family company.

This post was written for Family Review Network as part of a program by SC Johnson, who also supplied the product for review and giveaway.

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Declutter Friday

My biggest decluttering project this week was the file cabinet. How does it become such a mess so quickly? Take a look at the stack I had to shred!

My husband has a tendency to think we should keep every receipt, bill, piece of mail, etc. that we ever get, but he doesn't put them where they belong, so it's left to me, and I have to say that we will never need some of the things he wants to keep. Do we really need a receipt for the glasses he bought two years ago? I thought I was a pack-rat! So don't tell him, but I threw away a lot of things he would've kept. The file cabinet is cleaned out for now. Now, f I could just stay on top of the filing, this won't happen!

Also got rid of a tee shirt, coat, sweater, and some papers from my children's younger school days that I didn't really need to continue to hang onto.

I hope you'll visit Organising Queen and consider joining us for De-clutter Friday. All it takes is the will to want to de-clutter at least one thing a day.

Tackle it Tuesday - The Bookcase

5 Minutes for Mom makes housework bloggable!

My bookcase was in serious need of attention. I decided to take every single book out of the bookcase because there were entirely too many books than there should be on this small bookcase and it needed a good dusting, too! There were papers that needed to go into binders, and it just generally looked sloppy! Athough it took a while to sort through everything, I now have a huge bag of books to donate, the pictures and papers are where they belong, and there is order.

I decided to make the top shelf for fiction, the middle shelf for nonfiction, and the bottom shelf for reference and scrapbooks. Wouldn't you agree that it looks much better? What did you tackle today? Click the link above to go to 5 Minutes for Mom to see what others are tackling, too.

The Laundry Room

One of my favorite blogs, I'm an Organizing Junkie has a monthly "round-up". Each month, we're supposed to organize a certain room in our homes. I've been able to participate several times this year. February was dedicated to the kitchen. In May, I did my son's room. In July, we were challenged to oranize under our bathroom sinks. And in August, we did the entryway.

November was the laundry room, and here is mine, such as it is. Not so much a room as a closet, in my opinion, and certainly not the laundry room of my dreams (is there such a thing?) But, I've had to be creative and use what I have to work with.

First we have the view of the left side, then a view of the center, and last, a view of the right side. I'm fairly organized as it is, but there were a few things I needed to do.

First, the whole room needed a good cleaning. I don't think the blinds had been dusted since I moved in 3 and a half years ago. Next, I needed to clean off the machines themselves. It's amazing what you'll find behind a washer and dryer, and not just socks (a ski glove? hangers! unbelievable amounts of lint)! I had to toss some things my step-daughter put in there when she returned from college last summer such as a pop up hamper, a disabled DVD player, and a picture she no longer wanted hanging in her room.


On the left, I refolded the extra towels and made a stack for regular bath towels, a stack for beach towels, and added a plastic container for extra blankets and pillows so they won't fall off the shelf. I still have my bar for hanging items that I don't want in the dryer.


On the right, we have three stacks: flat sheets (because for some reason, my children don't always like to use the flat sheet on their beds, and I just don't get this); full size sheets, and twin size sheets. I made labels for each stack. On the shelf underneath these I have pillow-cases, my refresh'n dryer towel, and a box of dryer sheets.

I wish there was some other place to keep the laundry detergent and bleach, but there is just nowhere else to put another shelf, so those have to stay on top of the dryer.

After I cleaned the floors, I was finished, and it feels good. Wonder how long it will stay this way?

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Wonder Mop Giveaway

I don't know about you, but I can't stand to walk on my tile floor in bare feet if it doesn't feel clean! And, with six people in the household, it needs frequent mopping.

I recently received a Libman Wonder Mop, and I have to say that as much as I dislike mopping the floor, I love this mop! My hands never had to touch the water because of the unique, twisting wringer sleeve. The mop head is made of removable, machine washable, durable cotton strips, so not only does it clean well, but I can pop it off and toss it in the washing machine! How's that for handy? It also has a steel handle with a hole so that I can hang it up for easy storage.

How would you like to win one? How about winning a $100 prize package? Libman (maker of quality cleaning products since 1896) has teamed up with Weiman to offer one of my readers the following prize:

Libman Wonder Mop
Wonder-Fiber Cloth

Wright's Silver Cream
Perfect Planet Floor Cleanser
Weiman Furniture Wipes
Weiman Granite Wipes
Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes

It's easy to win. Simply leave a comment on this post or my Weiman post (or both - to increase your chance of winning) no later than 11:59 PM CST, Friday, December 5, 2008. Please make sure to leave an email address in the comment if it is not available on your blog. Non-bloggers are welcome to enter. I will email the winner, and once I receive your shipping address, I will forward it to the sponsor. U. S. Entries only, please. Good luck!

Thanks, Family Review Network, for giving me a chance to try this terrific product and for helping me to offer my readers a great prize.

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Weiman Products Giveaway

The winner is "Wehaf." (no blogger profile available)

I've been doing a lot of cleaning lately, as I'm sure all of us have, and The Family Review Network allowed me the opportunity to use some Weiman products. I'd never heard the name, that I can remember (see my blog name?), but I chose two products that I was desperately in need of, and I'm so pleased with both of them.





First of all, I tried the E-tronic Wipes because I never know what is safe to use to clean my computer. These wipes are safe to use on all of your electronics. I used them on my LCD TV, DVD player, cell phone, computer keyboard and monitor, laptop, and the kitchen radio. I even took them to work to use on my computer keyboard and monitor. They are so convenient, and I love the way they removed dust and fingerprints.






I also wanted to try the Leather Wipes. We're still using my husband's "bachelor-black" leather sofa, chair, and love seat, and they needed a good cleaning! The wipes contain six natural cleansers, and they're the only brand on the market with UVX-sunscreen. They moisturized the leather leaving a smooth finish. I'm going to have to try these on the leather seats in my 4-Runner as well as my leather boots and handbags.




Both products are available for about $5.50 per container at most hardware and discount stores such as Ace, Target, Cost-co, The Home Depot, Kmart, and Walmart. Weiman also makes Wright's Silver Cream, Wax Away, and Granite Wipes, just to name a few of their quality cleaning products.




Visit the Weiman website for some great pre-holiday preparation suggestions. Have you cleaned your refrigerator, polished your silver, cleaned your fireplace, stocked up on wood or propane? Me, either, but I'm going to! And Weiman is going to help.


$100 Prize Package! Weiman and Libman have generously agreed to send one of my lucky readers a package including the following products:



Wright's Silver Cream
Perfect Planet Floor Cleanser
Weiman Furniture Wipes
Weiman Granite Wipes
Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes
Libman Wonder Mop
WonderFiber Cloth




All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this post no later than 11:59 PM CST, Friday, December 5, 2008. Please make sure to leave an email address in the comment if it is not available on your blog. Non-bloggers are welcome to enter. I will email the winner, and once I receive your shipping address, I will forward it to the sponsor. U. S. Entries only, please.
Good luck!

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This Week on the Home Front Part 6

I completely cleaned out my pantry this week!

Good finds: 2 new saucepans that I had no idea were hiding in the dark recesses of the top shelf and two Ronald McDonald houses full of can tabs to donate.

To Donate: Candle holders that have been in there since before I moved in almost four years ago.

Combined - plastic utensils. Instead of having five bags/boxes of them, we now have two, one for spoons and one for forks.

To Throw Away or Recycle:

old grocery receipts (a huge stack of them)

half a bag of peanuts

a broken measuring cup

corn meal

two half-used containers of bread crumbs

half a bag of sunflower seeds

chocolate coffee - old and will never get used anyway

23 plastic grocery bags

Christmas resealable baggies from 3 years ago

honey

half eaten can of cashews

sponge mop replacement - wrong type

cooking oil - old and cloudy

dusty, plastic spoons

vacuum belt for vacuum we no longer own

empty wine bottle

2 candle jar lids

a bottle of saki

It's amazing how much accumulates in your pantry!

For other decluttering projects, visit Organsing Queen

CLR Tackle

5 Minutes for Mom teamed up with CLR Bath and Kitchen Cleaner for this week's Tackle-it-Tuesday. CLR says it "cuts through calcium, lime and hard water deposits, soap scum, dulling film and dirt." We'll just see about that! My project involved the bathroom.

There was some icky, black stuff parked on the metal strip at the bottom of the shower door. I've been trying to get it clean for a long time, but nothing would cut through that grime. However, I put my gloves on, sprayed the CLR on it, and waited a couple of minutes with high hopes. Guess what? I wiped it down with a sponge, and it came right off! Here are before and after pictures.

And since it worked well on the grime on the shower door, I decided to try it in the toilet bowl. Not bad!

And if you tackle a project with CLR Bath and Kitchen today, and you visit 5 Minutes for Mom, you could win a cool prize package including $100!

What did you tackle today?