First competition for the goat Sheila

This weekend we had our first FFA competition with Tatum’s goat Sheila! This being our first one it was a learning experience. Sheila was not fat enough! The goat’s  not skinny but she should be really pudgy looking. The good news from the show was she handled very well. Much better than many of the other goats that were there in the ring. Sheila needs to learn to keep her stance longer but Tatum has already been working on that with her. Sheila has also become a diva, our new goats have been getting attention too and she does not like it. Hoss was getting walked in the pen and she was jumping all over Hoss and over Tatum. But she got her walk too and quickly recovered from not being the center of attention around here. I so miss the other show goat we had Georgina. It is so unfortunate we lost her to a sudden illness.  We will be feeding Sheila a higher protein diet and corn as well I hope to see her fattened up by the county show! Tatum will not be selling Sheila at the end of the school year. She will be keeping her and may even breed her with the help of her FFA teacher.

Sheila is the goat behind the judge

Sheila and Tatum walking the ring, Tatum is in the blue jacket.

Sheila is the one getting worked over by the judge at the far end of the ring.

My New Coupon Box

I changed from a coupon binder to a box!

So I changed, and it is good! The binder was great for a while. I sorted coupons by the likely isle in the grocery store that the item would be on and then tried to keep them in alphabetical order. I had to fold them and divide them between front and back window. It was so time consuming.

Then came a couponing friend and her box she started. I loved it. I actually went to Wal-Mart and bought the exact box she had. Not pictured is a snap latch lid with a handle at the top. From the pictures you can really see how easy it is. Clipping and organizing coupons has never been so easy. I do not have to think what section would this item be in, I no longer have to fold most coupons and carefully make sure the right information is in the front or back windows.  No more trying to keep a section in my binder alphabetical try moving 50 coupons just to fit one in, I rarely alphabetized and it made it difficult when shopping.

What I did. First I decided to keep it cute! I purchased some letter and flower stickers from Dollar Tree and personalized my one plain box.  I bought several things. Envelopes three boxes $0.97 a package. I bought two packages of peel and stick tabs for $1.98 a box, also purchased index cards multicolor pack 3.5's although I would get the larger if I had to do it all over again. I put the tabs on my colored index cards. My label tabs are A-Z a number section one tab in numerical order for companies such as 3M, and 4-way. I also added a restaurant tab and I keep restaurants in alphabetical order within that one tab.

For each brand name I make an envelope to keep them in. I fold the flap backwards and write the name on the flap I put it behind the correct letter and put it in alphabetical order within the envelopes behind the same tab.  

I keep a little envelope box in the back of the coupons to hold extra envelopes my marker, scissors and index cards and tabs.  There is also room beside the envelopes I use when shopping to hold the envelopes I am going to use or shopping lists. 

Shopping has been so easy! I can get to coupons quickly. If there is something in the store I want well, I look it up quickly and see if I can make a great deal.

At Wal-mart I went down the clearance isle and there were several medications marked down I decided to try to make some matches. I matched Alka Seltzer cold and flu making them $1 a box, and Musinex also $1 a box. Great items to keep in stock in the winter. The box has worked so well, I know I will never go back!

Future Critter additions

Chickens: we have three but we would like a nice chicken house with at least one rooster to stay in the chicken tractor. I do not like to eat fertilized eggs for meals so I would like to keep the rooster separate.

Turkey”s” We would like a few each year to be slaughtered for our holiday meals!

Rabbits: Not he fun lopsided eared kind, we want meat rabbits as breeders and have enough meat to feed the tribe!

Pigs: William wants to show pigs as part of ag next school year so we will be adding them to the reservation sooner rather than later!

More goats: Tatum will be breeding for a school project, we are going to have little Sheila’s!

Coupon week this week was awesome!

I have made several trips to homeland for a total of 6 check outs all were right on 60%!

• Prego spaghetti sauce $1.25 a jar
• Banquet family meals $0.99
• Totino’s  pizza’s $1.00
• Totino’s pizza rolls $0.12
• Jimmy Dean sausage rolles $1.25
• green giant frozen vegetables $0.70
• Johnsonville sausage links $0.99
• Suave shampoo $0.69
• General Mills ceareal bars $0.69
• Musclemen’s apple sauce free

This Weekend Coupon Success 1/7/12

Walmart savings over $10.00!

Colgate toothpaste $.19 each

Colgate Toothbrushes $.19 each

Banquet family size platters: $1.30each

Pillsbury grand’s $1.00 each

King Hawaiian rolls $1.00 each

El Monterey Chimmichungas $!.50 each

CVS

Suave ladies antiperspirant $.25 each

Homeland (savings 51%, over $8.00)

Tyson Anytizers $4.99 each

Yoplait Yogurt $.30 a cup

Jello temptations $1.20 each

Although you see my post say each I am not much of a stockpiler. If I see toothpaste or other items really cheap or free I will get them whether I need them or not. However, that may mean I have 4 unopened boxes of toothpaste. The most stockpile I have ever had was 24 boxes of various pasta I was getting for free. I only buy two papers and I use to print internet coupons but since the move I have not had a working printer so I have not printed internet coupons for months.  I do not create my own shopping list either, I use a local website called couponcloset.net to match coupons to sells.

I have recently updated my coupon filing system. My friend, coworker, and fellow couponer showed me a new way that seemed so much easier!!!  I am not yet completely switched over as today I did not have any of my specialty discount and frequent shopper cards with me.  I will share my new filing method later with pictures.

December Blooming Oak Tree

Taken December 24, 2011

What a perplexing tree! I discovered the new leaves on the tree and I got to work examining this tree and the two trees closest to it. I could not find another blooming tree on the property. The two trees next to it are dormant. The tree to the south still has dead leaves on it. The tree to the north has dropped all the dead leaves.  I was perplexed about the out of season bloom so I did a search for reputable articles about out of season blooming and discovered that the most likely culprit is the drought this summer. I did have a few trees go dormant during the drought, although this particular tree did not. We had a rather wet mid to late fall so the tree was “tricked” into an out of season bloom. I am going to keep an eye on this tree for the next few seasons and see exactly what will happen. I have heard some predictions by family members about what might happen to it some have said it is going to die; some have said it will always bloom out of season now. My prediction in its internal clock will reset itself at some point in the near future and it will have a lovely spring bloom and be just fine.

Tell All, catch up June- December!

So Much to tell!

The well house is almost completely finished and it is functioning! We build a well house that I believe would appraise at $3,000 without considering the $2,000 worth of equipment that lives there! It is beautiful! Green with grey trim was the colors I ended up going with. Outside it also has two small windows, two window flower boxes, a cupola with a rooster wind vane installed, a composition roof, and exterior walls are hardy board (cement board) a great fire proof weather durable option (after all this is Oklahoma!)!.  Inside it now has the pump sunk the pressure tank installed, the water opener installed, a wireless temperature monitoring system, electricity (of course) and had enough room left for a refrigerator and a deep freeze! There are a few things that I would like to be completed. Not all the walls were insulated with the interior walls put in. We just ran out of time and money. As time has gone on I have purchased these things and slowly being put together. We did hit a snag. We had bought a used pump and pressure tank. While the pressure tank worked great the pump did not. I had to buy a brand new one. The waterlines that were previously in use with the burn out trailer were no longer viable. We had to lay all new lines. We had them dug at the same time we had the new septic lines and the electric lines dug. We also had a frost free yard spout installed at the same time. By far the well house has been the most work out of all of the projects we have had for the new place!

The Well house to date

Waterline dig

Finding the house for the property was also a difficult task. Originally I had wanted to buy a used mobile home for the property. One that I could pay cash for. I stopped by a sale lot and was talked into a new one. Well in the end it did not work out. But that is ok. The day I got my down payment back a post on Stillwater Craig’s list led me to the mobile home I ended up purchasing in cash! It was smaller than what I needed by two bedrooms and closets. So additions are in the near future. I had it moved onto the property in August and was living here full time by late September. The work we did on it before we moved in was mostly cosmetic. I painted the ceilings and walls. The hot water tank needed to be converted for the all electric needs we have out here in the sticks. The main hold up was getting electric lines dug and installed, as well as the water difficulties we were having. I would like to paint the outside of the home however I am conflicted about waiting till the additions are done and the new siding is installed or just doing it right now so it’s prettier.

Moving took two whole months! Why? Well the mobile home is smaller than the Piedmont house in bedroom size only so my outbuildings had to be moved. And that takes big money! In August my Piedmont property was hit by a microburst and we had a lot of damage, including the destruction of one of my outbuildings, my garden shed! As you can imagine I was devastated! Not to mention all the patio bricks and ect that were moved in what seems like a million loads! Over 500 1x1’s alone! Everything was moved by Halloween!

The Piedmont "microburst" that hit my old house

yes it looks like a tornado, felt like one too!

final load!

Fall Foliage pics of the property! Simply beautiful out here!

a small clearing in the woodlot