Large Family Photo Shoot: Christmas Fun

Family pictures.  We love looking at them.  Taking them is stressful!  Thankfully, Bryan is a really good photographer.  And he has some nice equipment.

Several years ago, when we were a two income family, Bryan was able to purchase backdrops, lights, stands and a remote picture taker thingy (like that technical term???)  That means we have a portable photo studio.  It has saved a lot of money on portraits over the years!

It's been a while since we pulled it all out, but with Christmas coming, we knew it was time.  We like to try and send out Christmas cards at least once in a while, and we had some serious picture taking to do.  Instead of pre-made photo cards, we use Photoshop to design and finalize our cards.  Then we get them printed as prints.  It's cheaper this way, since prints typically cost less than cards.  And we get to personalize it more.  Win-win!

We picked a day when we had nothing else major planned. Since Bryan has a four day weekend surrounding Thanksgiving, we knew this was the weekend to shoot for. We put a fun movie (Wreck it Ralph) on for the kids, and set to work.

Getting all of the lights and backgrounds set up took about an hour.  After everything was set up, we moved the stairs out from the boys' bunkbed.  Our first prop.  We also used our dining room bench.  Use what you have instead of paying lots of money for things.

Instead of jumping right into family pictures, we had the kids just play on the set for a while.  Bryan got some awesome shots during this time!  The kids were comfortable, and it worked well.

Once everyone was used to the camera, we began more directed posing and positioning.  Our goal was to take at least one wall quality shot of each of our six kids, take a good group photo of them together, and get a good picture of Bryan and I.  We succeeded!

Here are a few of the keepers...

Jayme Rebekah (age 11)

Owen Elijah (age 7)

Jeffrey James (age 5)

Ellie Elisabeth (age 3)

Sydney Damaris (age 2)

Simon Andrew (age 3 months)--he's in one of the drawers!  A pillow covered with a blanket made this a great positioner for a baby! 

Oldest 5

Our keeper group shot--all 6 of our blessings!

Mom and Dad--still loving each other after all these years! 

I'm so thankful to have a new batch of pictures to work with.  Bryan tackles the majority of the photo editing using Lightroom and/or Photoshop.  He's really good at making the colors  pop and covering up blemishes.  It's nice having a talented hubby!

Now to order prints.  Thankfully Snapfish has a great sale going this weekend!  We are planning on making another photo collage out of all of the pics from this large family photo shoot.  I'll plan on posting the final copy of our Christmas card after I get them mailed.  Don't want any spoilers :)....

Switching a Dexter to Once a Day Milking

I first heard about once a day milking when we were searching for milk cows.  I did a lot of research on the subject, and learned a lot.  But I was scared.

So we got Epi, and after she calved, I began milking twice a day.  And then Owen had some major medical problems, and was hospitalized for a week in August.  Getting someone to cover every milking was hard, but my parents helped a lot and we made it!

Then October came around.  And Owen got hospitalized again.  We thought we were losing him.  And I couldn't handle trying to ensure that the cow got milked every evening.  I made the decision.  I had my parents start milking only once a day for me--in the mornings.

Thankfully, Owen pulled through. And I loved only milking once a day!  It was so freeing.  I kept milking Epi once a day until June of 2013, when I dried her up in anticipation of my upcoming birth (in August) and Maggie's (in September) and Epi's (in October).

Since Epi and Maggie gave birth, I've been milking both of them twice a day.  We have two calves to feed, and need a gallon of milk in the morning and a gallon at night for the babies.

But, Maggie has been a bit difficult while milking.  She fights me going in.  She dances after her grain is gone.  She kicks over the bucket.  She's kind of a pain.  A pain who gives REALLY good milk.  With more cream than Epi.  So it was worth the fight twice a day.

Except now it's freezing.  Hard freezes.  And since Maggie is on her first lactation, she is still growing a bit herself.  So she converts the extra feed I've been giving the animals into fat instead of milk. Epi is on at least her third, and is giving a ton of milk with the feed.

Maggie, on the other hand, milks great in the morning.  But at night, I was barely getting a half gallon.   After much thought, I have decided to switch Maggie to a once a day pattern for milking.  Today was day 2 of this decision, and she's doing great with no signs of mastitis.

Once the calves are weaned (in January), I'll switch Epi as well, and then both milkers will be done once a day.  I choose to milk in the mornings.  This leaves my afternoons and evenings free.  But, if evenings are better for you, know that you can just as easily milk once a day in the evening.

Here are my reasons for preferring once a day:

1. I have my evenings free.  I still need to feed and water, but that can be done early or late.  Without as many problems as milking early or late.
2. I only have to clean the barn once.  With the weather so cold, limiting the amount of water I spray to clean cuts down on the ice buildup.
3. Cuts down on grain.  We only feed grain at milking.  By milking once a day, our grain goes twice as far!


Here are my reasons for not wanting to milk both cows once a day right now:

1. I don't want to warm up milk for the babies in the evening
2.  Epi is still increasing in her milk supply, and I want to encourage that as long as possible.  This is done more effectively by twice-a-day milking.
3. I can wait to clean the barn until after my evening milking.  After the sun has been out all day.  It's a bit warmer.  The ice in the barn is usually melted a wee bit, and I can sweep and spray things down more easily.   Since the calves are getting all of the milk, it doesn't need to be as clean as when I'm feeding it to my family.
4. If I milked both cows once a day, I'd have to give pretty much all of the milk to the babies.  I like milk!
5. I prefer drinking Maggie's milk--she was bred for milking lines, and had great cream.  This way I keep her milk in the morning for us, and give Epi's to the babies both morning and evening. 

So, until January, I will milk Maggie once a day, and Epi twice.  It's a win-win!I've lost a gallon a day for my family until then, but it's definitely worth it.

I know that fear was a huge factor the first time I switched.  Since I've done it before, it was easy this time.  Here are the things I've learned:

1. If your cow is producing less than 2 gallons of milk a milking, the transition can be cold turkey.
2. Mastitis risk is highest the first two or three days.  Be sure to check for swollen, warm teats.
3. The cows get used to the new schedule quickly.  It doesn't seem to stress them too much!
4. Milk production does not get cut by 50%.  I was getting 1.5 gallons of milk from Maggie milking morning and night.  Yesterday, with a once a day milking, I got 1.25 gallons.  This morning I was back up to 1.5.  That's what I'm expecting from her for a while, since her evening milkings were so pitiful before.    I've read that 25% reduction is typical.  I'll probably see about that with Epi--I'm planning on going from 2.25 gallons a day to 1.75 with her.
5. Dexters are a wonderful breed for milking once a day!

Having a family cow (or two) is much more realistic if you are able to switch to a once-a-day pattern.

A cow's teats can appear swollen without being an indication of mastitis.  Here are Maggie's teats before milking her in the morning:

They are certainly full of  milk, and she is ready.  But, they are not infected.  There is no unusual warmth.

After milking, her teats are very flexible and she's ready to go eat some hay.

So don't let fear stop you from switching to once a day milking.  It's doable and makes life a lot easier!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my house to yours..Happy Thanksgiving!

Let us remember to give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow...

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:1 

Contemplations: A Giftless Christmas

I was blessed to spend time with my two sisters today.  They had driven across the state to see our grandmother (who is ill) and had some extra time.  I really enjoyed our visit!

As I've been pondering our conversations while doing pre-Thanksgiving cooking, I've come to the realization that Christmas can be an anxiety causing day on the calendar.  Too many people to buy for.  Not enough money. Too much clutter.  The list goes on and on.

But here is the point...Christmas is NOT supposed to cause stress.  It's supposed to be a day to set aside to celebrate the wonderful gift that God gave US.  Jesus Christ.  The gift that leads us to eternal life by accepting Him as Saviour.

And I've started thinking...why do we feel obligated to exchange gifts?  When I look back on my childhood memories, I don't think about the presents.  I really can't remember what I got when I was 8.  Or 10. Or 15 for that matter....

I remember going to my aunt's house.  I remember eating lots of good food.  I remember cheating at Pictionary.  I remember Christmas with Bryan and Jayme, focusing on reading the Christmas story.  I remember the year we were in San Diego, and how hard we worked to get together a slideshow of pictures to send to our family and friends.

I don't remember the stuff.  In fact...a lot of that stuff has likely ended up at Goodwill over the years.  Or at the dump if it contained little pieces.  Those things don't last long here.  I have some cherised gifts that I treasure (like my cast iron and fermenting crock), and I'm thankful for them.  But they don't make the majority of my Christmas memories. 

I do remember stressing out that I forgot someone.  That I couldn't find the gift I wanted to buy someone at a price that matched my (low!) budget.  The fear that the person would equate how much I spent (or actually didn't spend) with how much I love them. Stress over the need to get a gift receipt in case it wasn't right. 

I remember feeling guilty when someone in the family who I knew was broke felt like they had to spend a lot of money on my family.  Like they had to get a present for each of my kids.  And me.  And my husband.  And we have a big family.  I actually felt guilty over having one. 

That's just wrong!  Children are NOT meant to be a burden.  The Bible describes them as blessings.  So why was I feeling the way I was?  All of this guilt and fear just creates a spirit of Christmas that is so negative.  Those feelings are not what I want for my kids. 

I crave a meaningful Christmas with fun memories.  Hot chocolate.  Singing carols.  Helping others. Maybe making a fun slideshow again.

So my family and friends....what if we were to go giftless in 2014?  That gives us a whole year to digest the thought.  To focus on memories and not material items.  To make cookies together.  To decorate together. Maybe even volunteer somewhere together and give back to the world a bit. Let's play a good round of Pictionary (sans cheating....I have grown up a bit over the years!)

If you feel that gifts are a must next year--let's celebrate our birthdays!  They are spread out through the year and don't hit all at once. Or let's just go giftless.  Works for me!

Thoughts?  Have you ever gone giftless? Tips for making it work?Anyone going to join me for our gift-less Christmas next year???

Picture Memories

It's been a LONG time since I've done anything with all of the pictures we've been accumulating digitally.  I can't print the photos into scrapbooks like I used to, because Owen would eat them.  Seriously--a Pica thing...paper is a no no.

But, printing full size pictures and buying frames can be expensive.  And take up a lot of wall space.  I knew that wasn't the answer.  So I've done nothing.  Until now.

I recently ran across this tutorial.  I decided I could do it!  I ordered pictures from Snapfish, and set to work with the kids when they arrived.  We had to cut each picture into a 3X3 square. Of course we had to look at each one and talk about the events depicted.  We had a blast taking a trip down memory lane!

Here are some picture samples from our new collage.  Take a trip down memory lane with me!  I'm so thankful for each of these memories...and for having pictures on the wall again!

 A couple of years ago we grew wheat for the first time.  Along with the wheat berries, we had straw.  After collecting the straw into the trailer, Bryan took us all on a fun straw ride across the field.  Here is Ellie relaxing for the trip.

 Grandpa Al and Jeffrey as a baby.  At the time, the oldest and youngest in the Tanner clan.  Now Simon occupies the youngest spot.  We need a picture of those two!

 Owen playing with the water  hose at a friend's house.  He sure loves water!

 Owen, Jayme, Jeff and me at Family Camp in 2009.  Owen has a nice shiner from a seizure fall...But despite the seizures, we loved family camp!

Not a picture that every family can claim... Five generations X 4 kids...Baby Ellie, Jeff, Owen and Jayme with Daddy, Grandma, Great-Grandma and Great-Great Grandma.  We need to update this one as well.  Thankful for extended family that goes back for generations!

 We took a trip to Texas in 2008 to see Bryan's dad Jeff.  Here he is with Jayme and Owen.  What a fun trip that was!

 Jayme in 4 states!  A picture taken on the way home from Texas at 4 Corners.

 And then there were three...Bryan, Jayme and I in California. Seems like a lifetime ago!

 My sisters and my mom.  Got to love family! Katie is at the top.  She's 8 years younger than me.  Mindy is on the right.  She's 2 years my senior.  At the bottom is mom.  I won't say how old she is...on the off handed chance that she reads my blog she might kill me! :) (love you mom!)

Jayme, Owen and I on the slides at a park.  Bryan was really into photography this year, and took some great pictures!  This was one of them.  I love how he made it black and white.

Time goes by so quickly!  It was nice to preserve some of our memories with this photo collage.  I plan on making more soon.  The walls up our stairs have some nice empty space that I plan to fill!

Lessons in Thankfulness from a Broken Washer

About a week ago, our washer stopped working.  I'd been ignoring the signs that it was dying--popping error codes randomly, and taking forever to spin out--and just continued pushing it.  Finally on a Thursday morning, it gave a new error code.  And stopped spinning.

I took note of the code, and turned to Google.  Faulty drain pump appeared to be the problem.  But...it seems that often the trouble can be fixed by simply clearing away a coin trap that acts as a protector for the pump.  

Wanting to dig right in, I found a tutorial explaining how to check the trap. It explained it clearly, and looked pretty simple. Except...I couldn't find the screws on it to remove the bottom panel.  

I began to despair. Laundry in our house happens daily.  Well, to be honest, it happens multi-daily.  In order to keep from being buried under dirty laundry, I wash at least two loads a day.  Owen's g-tube leaks onto clothes.  Simon spits up.  Owen floods the bathroom when he takes a bath.  Lots of laundry.  And I couldn't find two screws...ugh!

Thankfully, I have a handy husband.  He's been putting in extra hours at work, and even though the hour hand was clearly past the eight when he got home that night, he cheerfully tore the washer apart for me.  Those screws were hiding under our pedestal drawer. Oops!

Bryan followed the directions on the tutorial, and we found a bunch of junk on the trap.  He emptied it out, and then decided to clear out the hoses since he already had it apart.  The plumbing in our old house leaves something to be desired, and each hose he removed required a good bit of water to clean out.

Once everything got reassembled, Bryan and I eagerly turned it to a rinse and spin cycle.  Filled up with water just fine.  And then...error code.  Same one.  But then, on the next trial...it worked!  We decided to leave it unplugged overnight to reset and try again the next night.

I spent time that day researching the error again.  I found two other possibilities--loose wire and a bad pressure switch. When Bryan got home, he agreed to try, and found his multi-meter.  The power was spot on where it should be.  He also tested the pressure switch.  It was working.  At this point, it was rather late and he told me to order the part.

I did.  And then we waited for it to arrive.  During that time, I might have pouted.  And whined. More than a little... Until the Lord brought to my attention all of the good that had come from this situation.  I had to choose to be thankful.

So here are some lessons in Thankfulness from a broken washer:

1.  My husband was capable of diagnosisng and fixing the problem, so we didn't have to call an expensive repair man
2. My parents (who live across the road) gave us free access to their washer and dryer while waiting on the part.  I took them up on this...a lot!  
3. Because we had access to a washer (see number 2), we didn't have to pay the ridiculous fee of $50 for expedited shipping. We could just pay for normal delivery and allow the part some time to arrive.
4. It was the first time in several years that this washer broke.  And it was a FIXABLE problem!
5.  I learned the importance of not ignoring warning signs from appliances.  Error codes are not normal--even if they go away on their own.
6.  We learned how to clean out the coin trap.  We are going to start doing that on a regular basis.
7. Since I was going across the road to do laundry, I managed to not do it on Sunday.  And we survived.  And no one was running around naked.  I've always WANTED to not do laundry on Sundays since we're so busy from church, but always decided that we HAD to do it anyways.  I learned this past week that life went on just fine without it.  Going to keep that one up!
8. My husband put up with all of my diagnosing theories and patiently tried them all late at night for me.  I sure love him! And am very thankful for him.
9.  One day, when I didn't get over to get my laundry from my parents before nightfall...they had it all dried and folded...waiting for me.  Folded laundry.  What's not to be thankful for there?
10.  My mom had foot surgery a few days before our washer went out.  We were able to spend Friday with her doing laundry and visiting and cleaning, helping her out.

So even though I felt frantic at the thought of our washer being broken, the Lord worked everything out.  Seems to be a recurring theme in my life...maybe at some point I will learn from these lessons and stop being frantic altogether.  Choosing to be thankful does not come naturally to me....but I am learning!  And hopefully my children are learning alongside me and will not deal with this as much as I do when they are older!

Fast Five Ingredient Dinners: Shrimp Broccoli Delight

When temperatures plunge below freezing, chore time takes a little  longer here at Grouse Creek.  Frozen water troughs need thawed, hoses need extra care and sometimes water has to be hauled in by buckets. Extra hay is needed to help the animals stay warm, and clean, dry bedding is crucial.  What normally takes thirty minutes to accomplish can easily take over an hour. 

Having a quick dinner really helps the evening to go smoothly after working so hard outside. Who wants to spend hours in the kitchen after all that?  Not me!

Thursday is Seafood night around here.  Usually we have tuna casserole or salmon patties.  But, salad shrimp was on sale at Winco, and I've been holding onto a bag.  Tonight was the perfect night to pull it out.  Jayme was so excited--shrimp is her favorite!

With only 5 ingredients and about 20 minutes worth of time, we enjoyed this lovely shrimp broccoli delight.

Here's the lineup of ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter
Garlic
Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles (uncooked)
1 pound frozen salad shrimp
1 pound frozen broccoli
 
First, I threw a cube of butter into a large frying pan to let it slowly melt. (Definitely not a low fat meal!)

Meanwhile, I filled a large pot with water and turned it onto boil. When the water boiled, I threw in a box of 100% whole wheat spaghetti.  It cooks in 11 minutes (we like it tender!)

Noodles Cooking

 While the noodles were cooking, I added a pound of frozen shrimp to the garlic broccoli mixture and turned it down to low. The lid on top helped it to steam nicely.

The shrimp and broccoli taking a garlic butter bath.

 Once the noodles were finished, I dumped them into the stainer.  Then they made their way into the garlic mixture above.  A good stir incorporated the ingredients.

 

A couple more minutes with the lid on helped the garlic to saturate all of the noodles.  Make sure your temp is low enough you don't burn these!

Remove the lid and take the pan off the heat.  Inhale all the lovely garlic fumes.  Scoop out onto plates and serve.  We enjoyed a banana-orange Maggie Milk smoothie with ours.

What are your go-to meals when you're cold and in a hurry?

This post was linked up at Raising Arrows.