Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps

The Holstein’s Of The Dairy Goats

January 26, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Many people have asked me, “What breed are the best dairy goat milkers?” Hands down, my vote is a snubian. What is a snubian? A cross between a saanan and a nubian.

For those of you not familiar with goats, you really can catch a lot of flack for choosing one breed over the other. But I live in my own little goat world out here, preferring to not show, and also preferring to see who becomes the best milkers on my farm. I mix and match, and I’ll admit, I have some “different looking” dairy goats from time to time.

The doe in the photograph is Chameaqua. Her dam is an American Saanan, her sire is a pure bred Nubian. The genes for white are fairly strong in this breeding. The ears are not pendulous, as in a nubian, but they are not erect as in a saanan.

My saanans come from a very thin line. I wish they would put on weight, they tend to look more on the emaciated side. Someone once asked me, after they connected to my dam’s lines, “Do they put their food into their hips, or into their milk?” Without a single thought, they put their energy sources into their milk. They eat like horses, and milk like crazy.

The snubians have the best of both worlds. They are blessed with the wonderful richness of nubian milk (very high fat content in nubian goat milk), and they carry through with the very high volume of a saanan.

I have two snubians up and coming behind Chameaqua. I cannot wait to see if they also naturally take to the milk stand!

One more excellent point for snubians, they grow like weeds! I have never, ever, had a kid on my farm that grew like these youngsters do.

One particular snubian (thank you to the ADGA.org list that I copied from) belongs to Yvonne Roberts, a friend that I chat with from time to time. The doe is amongst the top 5 experimental breed milkers in the United States (GCH R R RESOURCES PEPPERMINT STICK 2*M). Way to go Ms. Peppermint and Yvonne!

Well, that is my goat talk for today. I’ll come back next week and showcase another.

Happy Monday! Stay dry…and hopefully we will all be able to post while the latest winter storm pushes its way through.

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm) | Tagged Dairy, Goats | 13 Comments »

Internet Connection In The Country

January 26, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Not a pretty picture for a Monday morning blog post. Not hardly! But with a sense of humor, thought it was fitting to tell about how we deal with weather out here, and internet satellite. Nothing new to some of you, in fact, many of you!

I remember the day when I had a black and white TV, no cable, no satellite, and I could still get 4 major channels tuned in on the old set. Never did I think I would live in a house in the country with two satellite dishes on the back of the house. Do you ever look at those things and think they make a house look like some sort of strange receiving station?

The guys wanted to put the dishes on the front of the house. Gulp. No way. I do not live in a mansion, but I thought it just was not a good idea!

We live “out there” but not so out there. DSL is 1/4 of a mile away. The report to us was, “No, never will be strung down your road.” Okay…fine. We have a great high speed internet. I am very happy with it, however, when the clouds get heavy, guess what? No signal. The TV signal is a strong one. Normally we are under a tornado watch type of situation before we lose that puppy.

The forecast for the next several days includes heavy snow and possibly ice, through Wednesday A.M. . I looked at tonight’s forecast online a bit ago, “Thickening and lowering clouds… .” Uh huh…that means no signal.

Dial up is another story. I can receive email, which means I stay in touch. When I receive an order, I can fill it, but there is not enough speed for the blog, website updates, or anything beyond email. So…we shall see.

Living in the country comes with its joys, and a few sacrifices, but I am very happy!

Today we are going to pick up some hay, grain, and a few other supplies, and then bunker in. I figure we will see warmer days in about 4 weeks, and I will definitely have that in mind! Spring is right around the bend! Perhaps I will get some more seed catalogs in the mail today!

Posted in All In A Day's Time | Tagged Internet Connection | 8 Comments »

Butterfly Award

January 25, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

I am honored to report that I have received a Butterfly Award from Alix, of Casa Hice. Alix is a fun lady, one that is a joy to talk with, a supportive friend, and one that definitely writes an entertaining blog! You might not want to take a sip of coffee or pop before you sit down to Ms. Alix’s blog!

Blogging is a great way to make new friends, connections across the globe. I feel blessed that we have the means to network with so many people. Being able to write is something that I treasure, and being able to read other’s blogs is something I look forward to each day!

All blogs take time and effort. Blogs that are simple are just as valuable as those that are elegant and fancy. Spilling your heart, knowledge, and passions out in print, for the world to see, deserves acknowledgement. But choosing one single blog to give an award to, or ten blogs to give an award to, is very difficult (for me). The reason is, they all deserve an award because they were put together by someone with thought behind them.

So, here is what I am going to do. I am going to post the rules for the butterfly award, but the rules I am going to follow will be bent slightly. My goal is to choose at least a recipient per month for a Butterfly Award. This means that my award giving might stretch over a 10 month span.

When I give an award, it will be given for whatever reason I see fit at that time. It might be awarded to someone having winter doldrums that needs brightening up, it could be given to someone that has a great blog, it might be given for one particular interesting blog post, and it might just be awarded randomly.

That is my plan…and here are the blog rules that have been handed down to all recipients of the Butterfly Award:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3. Award up to ten other blogs.

4. Add links to those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

6. Is my own rule, HAVE FUN!!!

Today I have decided to award one blog. This is being given to a lady that has been a good friend, Amy, of I (love) Nubians, make mine Mini!, Pine Pod farm.

I met Amy going on 4 years ago through a goat forum. She is a positive young woman, one that lovingly tends to her goats and farm critters, and is very dedicated to her family and friends.

Amy helps me in many situations. Just the other day, for example, a blogger reported that they were not seeing photos correctly on one of my blog posts. I knew I could email Amy and that she would be Johnny-on-the-spot, reporting what she saw. She did it, and I know I can trust every word she says. That is friendship. A good genuine friend! Thank you, Amy!!!!

I will have my eyes and ears open to more award deservings…you just never know. I could award the remaining 9 tomorrow, but I’ll take my time more than likely! 🙂

Posted in Family & Friends | Tagged Award, Blogging, Friends | 11 Comments »

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

January 24, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

This is the recipe for oatmeal cookies, re: the Nearly Forgotten Oatmeal Cookie blog post. 🙂

The cookies are soft to chewy, not crunchy.

1C butter flavored crisco (I subbed with 1/2 C butter and 1/2 C canola oil)

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. milk

2C flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 c. quick oats (I used the type of oats that you normally boil/cook)

1 C chopped nuts

Add first 6 ingredients together. Mix in next 4 ingredients and fold in oats and chopped nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Posted in General Reflections | Tagged Recipe, Weekends | 5 Comments »

Nearly Forgotten Oatmeal Cookies

January 24, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

There is a story behind this nearly forgotten statement. Last night I told Bob that I would bake oatmeal cookies for him in exchange for making a light box. As he was making the box, I looked at my calendar, my notes, and I looked throughout the house for something that I just knew I was forgetting. Uh huh…LOL…have you guessed by now? I forgot to make the cookies! He kept it under his hat until nearly bedtime. When I saw the silly grin on his face I asked him what he was up to, he said, “Hmmm…I think I recall a 7 letter word that has something to do with building a light box.” Ha ha ha…it only took a moment, I figured out oatmeal…outmeal cookies!

When we got married, I also happily married this (greater than) 25 year old Kitchen Aid mixer. I love that baby!

The top photo shows some of my cookbooks. I love the tried and true books. My grandmother and aunt are in many of the church and small Missouri town books that I have on my shelf (about 15 of these types of books). I do not cook as often as I would like. I LOVE to cook! I need so much more time in my life. As it is, I cook when I can work it in. It makes me sad, but I have to pick and choose. Speaking of pick, I also have a picky husband. So, there isn’t a lot of variety, but I sneak things in now and then!

Cookies ready to hit the oven…

Honey…you’re home. Martha Stewart would be proud. Warm cookies and milk! And of course, we always drink from a jelly jar. Nothing else is presentable, and nothing else makes milk taste so good! And if you are wondering, I drink the goat milk, he goes for cow (unless I include goat milk in a recipe).

Finally…quit your belly aching! Love you, dear.

Posted in Family & Friends | Tagged Family, In The Kitchen - Recipes | 13 Comments »

Dairy Goat Milk Transporting

January 24, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

One of my favorite things in life are goats. We have meat and dairy goats on the farm. I am interested in all, however, dairy is my passion.

I love visiting the local cow dairies. I love dairy cows. I am a city girl, gone country 8 years ago. You should hear the comments that emit from my mouth. I do not look at houses or cars. I comment about pick up trucks, tractors, barns, and more importantly, udders. I constantly look at animals, udders, backs. Did I ever think I would know the difference between the profile of a dairy cow or a beef cow? LOL! I do. Look at the hips, it shows. If I were rich, and could afford the large dairy barns, huge amounts of pasture, and if I could pay the helping hands, I would run both a cow and goat dairy!

As I looked at the calendar this morning I realized that my dairy hiatis is about to end. Cammille will freshen once again sometime around 1/19/09. The rest of the girls follow shortly behind. Until then, I am working out of the freezers. Yes, that is freezer with an “s,” plural, and I could easily say plural(s), if there were such a word!

I have a commercial freezer in my soap shop, filled to the brim with milk. My kitchen side by side freezer is filled with milk. I have an upright freezer in my laundry room, filled with milk. My side by side in the barn is filled with milk. My friend’s freezer, 15 minutes way, is filled with milk. Gulp! I think I have milk. Milk…good for the soul.

Normally, no matter when I put the boer buck in with the girls, they decide to start kidding out sometime between 1/29-2/2. And, normally, there are several things occuring around that date. Last year it was a blizzard. I have plenty of blizzard kid pics (in the house) from that week last year. The year before, it was a siberian express, meaning, the temps were below zero each morning and kids were hitting the ground in numbers. I had 20 kids in the house for 3 weeks! More on that someday. It was a hilarious, exhausting, fiasco!

This pic has a story behind it. One of the freezers is not frost free. I still had girls in milk when we bought the commercial freezer for the soap shop. So, my husband came up with a milk transport plan. Our green machine came out, lined with a twin size fitted sheet, and the milk was transported out and away from the old freezer. It saved on the backs, and it brought on some fun, a LOT of laughter! My husband and I do some goofy stuff, and laugh at the same antics for many-many years. Anyhow, we proceded to fill the commercial freezer with the transported milk and was able to defrost the old freezer. Thank you to the green machine!

Why so much milk in the freezers? A newborn goat kid takes a lot of bottles, and even when I resort to milk replacer, I mix it with goat milk. If a kid takes 2 bottles a day, multiply that by 3 months, and multiply that by 20-something kids! I bottle feed all dairy kids. A freezer empties very quickly.

So far this year, no boer kids have been born in abnormal temps, nor any adverse weather, in fact, no boer kids yet at all. Someone asked me a few days ago, “Are they pregnant?” Yeah, they are! The first possible due date was 12/9, but guess what? They know it is not yet 1/29, or 2/2…it is on the way…they are holding out. Of course, they are goats!

Take care…have a great Saturday!

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm) | Tagged Dairy, Goats | 6 Comments »

Light Box and Lotion Sample Day

January 23, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Today’s projects include making a light box and formulating several batches of lotion.

There are a number of easy to follow instructions on the internet for making light boxes. If you need a place to photograph products or crafts, these boxes are an inexpensive route to take.

I bottled up 1 oz. lotion samples in the shop earlier today. With the shipment of each order I enclose a sample. The samples formerly were soaps only. Now I will be including either a lotion or a soap, and I hope to be able to give customers the option of their choice in the near future!

Our snow is completely gone now! The sun is shining again today. It sure does make the spring fever worse. The only remedy to that one is spring! I received several garden, flower, and pond related catalogs in the mail yesterday. I think Bob and I made a good dent in the pages already!

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Light Box | 13 Comments »

Soap Success – Inauguration Soap Day #2

January 21, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Cutting was just completed a short while ago. On the curing racks they go! I am happy. 🙂

As a re-cap, the middle picture is the soap within minutes of being poured into the molds yesterday. The soap (in the middle pic) in the mold on the right was to be teal, green and white colored soap. See the peach in the photo, dotted throughout the soap? It made for some beautiful teal soap today! No peach. For those of you that are from the hippy era, and even those that are younger, this soap is scented (in my opinion) sort of mystical, far eastern. If you like patchouli, and this one is totaly different than patchouli, I believe you will like this one! I will say more about it in upcoming posts. I am one to get droplets of oils all over me when I soap. I keep a clean room, clean tables, clean instruments, but when I soap, I come out smelling good. I could wear the scent of this particular soap every day, I love it!

The soap on the left (in the middle pic) is pink grapefruit and mint green. Cut, (in the right pic) it is some gorgeous soap as well! Right now the mint is overpowering the grapefruit, but I believe it will settle down.

Anyhow…I hope you have had fun with this! I did!

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Goat Milk Soap | 11 Comments »

Inauguration Day Soap

January 20, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

After watching President Obama’s acceptance speech I headed to the soap shop. I had not made soap for many weeks. I need to get the curing racks back in action!! I pulled muscles in my back while lifting hay last night, so I watched the speech on a heating pad, which helped by the way, and for that I am grateful! I am a go, go, go type of person. So, I got up, put on my coat, and announced, “Off to the shop. I cannot call in sick today!”

These are the two batches that I just poured into molds. I did not go red/white/blue. I was in a green color mood. The soap on the left is grapefruit mint. It will not be as dark in color once it cures. The soap on the right, hmmm, quite the different story. I’ll start a new paragraph dedicated just to the soap on the right, tee hee.

I’ll start with, I have been making soap since 2003. Today is the first day that I have used a colorant other than herbs, essential oils or complextion clays. With that being said now, I’ll also tell you that I hate to read instructions! Yes, I am one of those people that likes to try things on my own and then go back and read. Don’t ask me why, even I do not know why. I learn a lot more that way, always have. But, things go wrong from time to time. So…today, I made one batch of soap that was supposed to be teal with white and green swirls. Hmmm…does the soap on the right look like teal, white and green to you? Naw…It is more of a peach cottage cheese with white and green swirls. Ha ha ha. I am not sure if it is going to “take,” for a few other reasons that only a soaper easily detects. So, I may be throwing it out. I hope not!

I have been lucky, my record stands at 2 batches of soap thrown in the trash can in 2008. The one on the right just might be another. Tee hee. I hope not, it smells devine!! One of the batches that I threw away stunk, yes, it absolutely stunk! It was supposed to be a replica of a famous perfume, instead it was P-U-fumey!!!! I tried to like it. I cannot politely tell you here what it smelled like. My husband walked into the shop the day that I cut that loaf into bars and asked me what stunk so bad, and he cannot smell anything! I opened the trash can and dumped the soap. Took the trash bag out of the room as well. Funny! It had to go!

Anyhow, that is my soaping story for the day. Tomorrow I will cut the loaves into bars and share pics then too. I took a new shot inside the soap room today, just to show you how bright of a day we are having. I didn’t even flip on the fluorescent lights. It was nice!

Take care…enjoy!!!!