Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you a very happy New Year.  I have heard your complaints about not posting enough so thought I better get something out today.  Please keep in mind that I really do not consider myself a writer in the least and that this is a huge chore for me.  I would much prefer to tackle a couple algebra problems than have to sit and write.  In college I chose a BS instead of a BA so I could substitute some classes with statistics and calculus to avoid having to write more papers...No Joke!  Anyhoo...

Here at the Ruedy Ranch we celebrated a wonderful Christmas break.  On Christmas Eve we spent time with Gary's parents and played bingo.  We were lucky to see his Aunt Julie and Uncle Jerry as well.  It was nice to be able to catch up.  We're hoping they come for a visit this summer.  Christmas Day morning was spent opening gifts with Madeline and Joshua and then I went to work while Gary took the kids to my mom's in-laws.  They had a good time and I enjoyed my afternoon with my co-workers.  As usual we had a potluck and stuffed ourselves silly.  The Tuesday after Christmas I spent an evening with old friends from high school and we had a fabulous time.  I think there were 10 of us in all and Joe came all the way from Seattle.  It was really great to see them all.  Congrats to Kati who married (a different) Joe on Saturday.  What a wonderful way to ring in the New Year!  Congrats to Kate as well who became the first of us to become a grandparent.  She welcomed her first grandson, Adam, into the world in November.  He and mother, Sabrina, are doing wonderful.  I can't wait to meet him in person.  I also can't believe Sabrina is even old enough to be a mother.  I have pictures of her and Ali in the bathtub together when they were little.  Kate and I would throw them in the tub and not have to worry about them for and hour!  I worked on New Year's Eve and came home at 11pm to a bustling house.  Children were still wide awake!  I started cooking to prepare for my side of the family Christmas-get-together the next day.  I had to work bright and early the next morning and came home late that afternoon to find Ali had already arrived.  No surprise she was out in the barn when I got home.  We had a marvelous buffet dinner and then opened gifts.  And that was the conclusion of the holiday celebration for us.

Today, while grocery shopping, I found a steal of a deal on a cappuccino maker.  Regular price was $80 but the box top was torn so they marked it down to $50.  Not one week earlier I was at Target with Gary trying to convince him we should buy it!  After dinner I made espresso for Gary and the kids and I had cappuccinos.  Yup, you heard me.  My kids love coffee as much as their dad.  They will drink it black but they probably prefer the cappuccino.  And how cute does it look in my new snowman mugs?  I know, right?

Be on the lookout for the Ruedy Ranch Facebook page.  I will begin posting all my farm related items and pictures on that page instead of my personal page.  We really hope to have a web cam or at least to catch some actual video of a live birth in the coming weeks.  The girls are beginning to look pretty plump and by my calculations we should begin the kidding season around March 15.  Super excitement!  My two little girls, Buttercup and Blossom, who I thought were way too small to begin breeding already have caught up in size to their herd mates and are showing all the signs of impending motherhood.  Rosie started out as our largest goat and she retains that title as of today.  If it wasn't for the fact that she was so big before breeding her I would be convinced she was having at least triplets.   Daisy who did have triplets last year does not seem to be big enough to expect the same this year.   You can never really tell until the day comes.  I just pray they all get through their deliveries without any complications.  Soon you will be able to check out our Facebook Farm page for maternity pictures of our girls!

Here is another interesting egg that Joshua found in the coop.  It was just a tiny little thing smaller than a ping-pong ball.  We left it on the counter for a few days and then Madeline asked if she could break  it open.  She said when she shook it there seemed to be something in it.  When we broke it open there was what appeared to be an egg white but no yolk.  The white seems to have dried out.  It only filled about half of the little egg.  We are getting a ton of eggs now.  We generally collect anywhere from 12-18 eggs a day depending on the weather.  When the temp drops below freezing we only get about a dozen but with the warmer weather over the past week I have been collecting an average of 16 a day.  What beautiful eggs they are.  The ones I keep for our family I don't even refrigerate.  I have a porcelain egg holder that I sit on the counter.  They're just too beautiful to keep shut away in the fridge.  If you would like any I do sell them for $2 a dozen but they go quickly so let me know and I will keep some for you.