Projects and Waiting for Babies

I have been making these balls of roving for a braided rug I am starting. I do this ahead of time to hopefully save time while braiding the rug. I separate the roving into 3-5 feet lengths to keep it from tangling while braiding. This is not even close to being all of it I will need but it is a good start. The colors didn't turn out in the picture but it is a combination of gray, black iset and brown. All that roving for a 3x5 rug!

I finally finished the blue/white mohair scarf I have been weaving. I had a hard time finishing it because the mohair was very hard to weave. It is very sticky! The final look is nice but it is not very soft and probably too scratchy to actually wear. It is probably the way I wove it..too tightly. A looser weave would probably given a softer finished product. I guess that is how you learn! The brown, black scarf is alpaca with a white cotton..very soft. The other plaid (did I mention I have a thing for plaids?) is a wool scarf.

I keep checking on the girls, any day now. Is anyone else this excited about lambing?

Shots, Round-up and Verse of the Week

What a busy weekend!! It is always good to look back on a weekend and know you got something worth while accomplished. We cleaned out the sheep barn (I'm finally starting to call it that..it has always been know as the horse barn before the sheep took over). We created another stall and were able to bring all the sheep inside so their wool could dry for shearing. The barn has 4 - 12x12 stalls and 2 - 12x16 stalls so they have plenty of room. I was also able to give everyone their CDT shots and wormers. It gave me the chance to look at bellies and guess at how far along they are.

I like having them in a smaller area because it really tames some of the wilder ones down. I can spend more time with them and get some of the hay out of their wool before shearing. Of course it is more work to keep clean but I am anxious to get them sheared and start working on all that wool.

The 4th day of The Purpose Driven Life is all about eternity. Hope you enjoy this first paragraph from that chapter and the verse for the week.

"This life is not all there is. Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production You will spend far more time on the other side of death - in eternity - than you will here. Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next."

Verse of the week 1John 2:17

"This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever."

LUCY!!!

My last post mentioned that Lucy was an 85 pound sweetheart.....well.....I'm not calling her a sweetheart today!! This is the second heated bucket she has destroyed. These things are $60 each! I can't even imagine how she is managing to turn them around to even get to the cord. They are very heavy when full and I do keep them full. Anyway, I have put the new cord in a pvc pipe and rigged it so that she hopefully wont be able to get to it. I'm suprised she didn't get shocked. She doesn't even look guilty..well, maybe a little.

I know she is probably bored. I don't spend as much time out there when it is this cold. I have to make myself stay and pet her for a while when I go feed. Guess I need to spend a little more time out there. She has some massive chew toys but I guess the big green one looked better to her!

I also need to go out to the barn more often...there might be a baby soon. There are 2 girls who could go soon but they really don't look ready yet. I'm starting to think about names already. Last year my kids wanted to do a Disney theme. I don't know if I will go with a theme this year or not. Maybe since it is an election year, I could go with former president's names? Maybe Clinton for the frisky ram lamb? I might be onto something here..will have to give it more thought.

Confused wool?

I'm not sure what is going on with this guy's wool. The top layer of it is coming off and leaving the under layer alone. None of the other sheep are doing this so it doesn't seem like it would be rooing if he is the only one. We have had a very strange winter with temps in the 60's one day and then 20 the next. Very weird. I'm hoping the shearer will be here soon.

I have been in Arkansas for a week so have not had a chance to post. I got a call from my dad saying my grandma was not going to make it much longer and she wanted to say goodbye to everyone. She has been in the hospital for about a month. She passed out at home and was taken to the ER. She is now in extended care where they are hoping she will get strong enough to go home. I really don't think that will happen. She wont eat and is getting very weak. I was able to spend several days with her and I am very grateful. At 94 she is one of the funniest people I know. She doesn't even mean to be funny. She makes ma laugh and smile. She kept telling us all to be good to each other and love each other. Family is and has always been everything to her. The nurses love her because every time one of them would do anything for her she would say what every southern lady says..."bless your heart". She seems to be at peace and she knows where she is going when she leaves here. I'm just thankful that God picked me to be her granddaughter.
I haven't posted a picture of Lucy in awhile. She is an 85 pound sweetheart. She knows what her purpose is. She is happier because she knows her job is to guard her sheep. Day 3 of The Purpose Driven Life is about what drives your life.

"Everyone's life is driven by something. "

The 5 most common ones are:

Guilt

Resentment and anger

Fear

Materialism

The need for approval

The benefits of a purpose driven life are:

Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life

Knowing your purpose simplifies your life

Knowing your purpose focuses your life

Knowing your purpose motivates your life

Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.

"Point to ponder: Living on purpose is the path to peace"

Verse of the week:

"You Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 (TEV)