Lambs Are Our Next Venture

It's been awhile since I blogged about the animals on the Ponderosa but I just had to share a story about our latest additions. 

Our beef are going well, in fact we don't have any issues with the beef and this years calving was a breeze.  We have downsized by 3 heifers which was the plan when I blogged FAREWELL TO OUR CALVES.  It was a little difficult to decide which ones would go, so we made it easier by seeing which ones calved by the end of October and which ones didn't.  We now have 1 bull, 5 heifers and 5 calves (all of which are heifers).

Our chickens are going great guns and producing 10-12 eggs a day for us.  This is far too many for my household alone so my parents and sisters are getting supplied regularly.  My husband is taking some to his work mates and the added bonus to those who visit us on the Ponderosa gets to take a tray home as well.  We still have 2 roosters (although one will be going in the stock pot over the xmas break) 14 hens and 3 chicks.  We are contemplating getting a few more hens as our brown shavers are getting a little old.

The chicken paddock is fenced off and contains fruit trees.  It's a big space that the chickens can't really manage the grass.  It seemed a waste of good grass to cut it all the time, so we thought pigs.  After speaking to a few people about pigs, the idea of sheep in that space would be better.  Totally green with sheep, we started asking questions about breeds and management.   We settled on looking for the wiltshire breed as they self shed their wool and are less resistant to common diseases.  They are also great breeders producing twins or triplets.

Ok ... decision made .. now to get some and from where.  Again I turned to trade me to gauge prices then an awesome opportunity for two ewe lambs came up that we just couldn't resist.  The breeder we purchased from are a lovely couple who are sheep crazy and helped us trim their feet.  She keeps in contact with me and is keen to come out whenever we need her assistance.  The lambs are due for their vaccination within the next month, so we might be calling on her assistance.

Baabara & Shaunequa ... still shedding their wool

All settled in now

The plan was to simply fatten them up and put them in the freezer, but we've decided that we will look for a ram and breed from these two.  Given the prices for lamb at the moment, it might be a fruitful investment.

Happy learning peeps!

Shutters Turned Photo Display

Rolling on from my post OLD LOURVE DOORS TURNED SHUTTER DÉCOR, these hideous brown doors which were given a new lease of life have now been given another purpose for Jayden.  A photo display.

My original thought was to use old wooden pegs to help display Jayden’s photo’s she wanted, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any pegs that could hold the photos.  Solution?  Small bulldog clip.  (Well that’s what the guys in the office call them).  I even found different coloured ones and took them home to see what Jayden thought.  Luckily she approved and voila!!  Shutters turned photo display.

Happy living peeps!!

Ornate Mirror Renewed

There’s a few favourite websites I like and trademe has to be one of them.  Although some things that I generally look for are unrealistically priced, if you look hard enough you can find some really great deals.  

Over a year ago, I was looking for an ornate mirror that could sit on Aaliyah’s drawer and started “watching” one which was priced for about $150.  It was made up of three mirrors which could tilt/turn in different directions and thought it would be perfect.

Unfortunately I missed the auction and had to start from scratch again.  Fair to say I was pretty disappointed with myself UNTIL I visited one of my favourite shops on the north shore of Auckland called JUNK & DISORDERLY.  Low and behold it had exactly the same mirror for less than $100, although this one had seen better days.  “Nothing my husband can’t fix” I decided and carefully crammed it in the back of the tiny car to take home.

I was pretty pleased with my purchase as was my husband and both my daughters.  As it turned out, the mirror didn’t end up going into Aaliyah’s room on her drawer and I’m not sure whether Jayden claimed it for herself or whether Aaliyah agreed to keep the one she already had.

The mirror now sits in Jayden’s room on top of a great desk I got for a bargain on trademe.  I blogged about it in OLD DESK MAKEOVER.  My husband fixed the small issues it had and gave it a beautiful gold finish.  For an added bonus, he whipped up some great lights.  What do you think?

 After finding this beautiful piece, I've since seen another just like it pop up on trademe every now and again.  I've been tempted to buy now

Happy living peeps!

Creating Their Mark

If you are looking for a quick decor fix, you have limited funds and you want something that will last forever then hand prints or foot prints of your children is the answer.

Nearly 18 years ago I wanted just that.  I had some paper left over from making our wedding invitations, an old ink pad (yes just like the ones we used at school many years ago with real ink stamps), some old picture frames and my two year old twin daughters Aaliyah and Jayden.

The process was pretty easy and best of all my daughters had lots of fun doing them.  I think the funniest part was managing them so they didn’t run all over the wooden floor boards with ink on their feet.  :-)  Thinking back now, our old Navy house would've looked amazing had the floor boards been whitewashed with their ink footprints on the floor.

These pieces have travelled with us through every home we have lived in and although the girls have changed them slightly by painting the frames, they sit pride of place in both their rooms.  The date on the prints represents the date the prints were captured.

At first the prints were meant as a quick decor fix, but nearly 18 years later I find myself reflecting on my decision to do these pieces and how they represent so much more now.  They represent my legacy.  My past, present and future.  Those people who have influenced me throughout my life, especially those who have left this life but continue to guide me and my family.  They are a reminder of my daughters achievements and the journey they have travelled.  More importantly and what's more exciting, they ask what successes await my daughters and how as a whanau we will enjoy them somehow, somewhere, and always together.

Happy living peeps!

Old Louver Doors - Turned Shutter Decor

I generally get accused of holding onto something for nothing on a regular basis -  trust me, I hear it all the time from my sister Deanne. Why do you have that?  What will you use that for?  Get rid of it!  It's just clutter!  Or as my cousin Marian says "it's mish mash".  BUT, if ever I had a reason to hold onto something for nothing, this idea has definitely paid off and I'm getting praises from the haters out there (in my family that is!!)

I had these old louver sliding doors which were used on an old built in cupboard in our laundry.  They weren't very effective and I thought they were hideous!  My husband took them off the cupboard, and in his quest to clean up was going to throw them away until he heard one of my frequent sayings  "STOP!!!  I want to keep those".  He probably rolled his eyes and thought "WTF would she want to keep them for" .. but graciously set them aside.

Fast forward 12 months ... we were redecorating Aaliyah's room and I wanted to use them as a feature behind her side drawers.  Only problem was, Aaliyah only wanted one side drawer and her awesome revamped headboard became to main feature in her room.

Roll on Jayden's room.  Yip, two side drawers and a feature wall at that.  Perfect!!  These hideous brown doors were given a new coat of paint and now sit proudly behind her side drawers.  What do you think?

Jayden has a quite a few photo's she wants to display, so I purchased some small pegs that she can hang them on the shutters.  Maybe when that is finished, I'll put up another post.

Happy living peeps!!!

Tomato, Basil & Garlic Salad

This is another quick, easy and healthy dish to whip up for a meal.  It has some strong flavours so this dish goes really well with salmon, steak or lamb, or simply by itself with a nice chilled glass of white wine.  

I like to lay the sliced tomatoes on a platter, then layer the rest of the ingredients, but if you prefer to place this in a bowl, then I recommend using sweet cherry tomatoes.  Simply half them and gently toss with the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients
3-4 tomatoes - sliced 
2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
A handful of roughly chopped fresh basil
Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper 

Method
Get out a nice flat platter and lay the tomatoes in a single layer. 

Sprinkle the garlic over the tomatoes and sprinkle with of olive oil over the top.

Season with salt and pepper and then finish by sprinkling the basil all over the tomatoes. 

Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Happy living peeps!!