Christmas 2013
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Pig Butchering day.... a bit graphic!!!
The Boys watching Papa give a science lesson. He showed them the intestines, and other organs and gave a little talk about what each one did and why. They loved it. The sled is how we moved the entrails to the lagoon. Yeah we have a lagoon. Papa pulled everything out there to decompose. We also get a lot of birds when we do this. Our compost pile is under a foot or more of snow and frozen so we feed the critters in the winter. Not a bad sized pig. They were July Pigs so they were about 5 months old. These are the biggest two. We had a bit of fun getting just these two into the milking area to shoot them. We had no pigs, then the smallest pigs, then a small one and a big one, then all six, then two middle ones, then finally just the two big ones. Now that these two are gone we feed an entire 5 gallon bucket less of feed!! We have no idea what they weighed as we had no way of weighing them. But you can tell they are a nice size by comparing their size to Papa's. This was our 1st time using the pully system to hang them and we loved it. It works awesome!! And it's really fast.
A Good Week.
We had a great week. Not everything got crossed off the list nor did we have a spectacular moment of excitement, but it was a good, strong, working week. Papa had Monday and Tuesday off and we got two of the pigs killed Monday morning; hanging ready to cut and wrap just 2 hours after death. Monday night was a girls night so I got to take off for a few hours and go out for supper with friends and then we chatted and played games til late. We try and do these girls nights about every 6 weeks, or whenever we can get away with it. They are great fun and we need them to of set the long working days. Papa took all 4 of the kids for the evening and they had fun as well.
Late Monday night Papa hurt his back, bringing in the meat saw, and so Tuesday he went in for a massage. While he was relaxing the kids and I went to town to go grocery shopping. We had a huge cart full and saw lots of people we knew. On the way back to pick up Papa I pulled over to the side of the road to turn around, Papa was walking down the road, and went too far over and got sucked into the snowbank. I didn't even see it coming. But we were very lucky that nothing was broken and it only took us 30 minutes to get out. Papa put chains on and we were about 1/2 out when a little pickup came by and yanked us out. The kids thought it was fun..Momma did not. Thankfully he did not hurt his back again and it's mostly better now. That afternoon when we finally got home, had lunch, put the kids to bed and unloaded the Travelall, we both took 20 minutes to relax before cutting and wrapping our two pigs. Papa cut them in half lenghtwise and then brought in the front shoulders while I got ready inside. I deboned the shoulders; separating out sausage meat ( we froze it to be ground later as our grinder isn't working) and pork stew meat. That is the longest part of the whole cut and wrap process!! After the shoulders were done Papa cut the next section off and brought it in. He took the saw to the ribs (we cut across) and then he took the bacon off the ribs while I took the fat off the chops and, because our meat saw isn't working, I deboned the chops off the backbone and then Papa cut them into chops. Which I packaged and labeled. Ribs as well. Yumm. Then Papa brought in the back legs (hams) and we cut them into roasts and packaged and labeled them as well. It only takes minutes to write about but it takes hours to do. Somewhere in there Papa grabbed the tenderloin from one pig and seasoned it then BBQ'd it. We had tenderloin, rice and corn for supper and then later the kids went to bed. By 11:15 Papa was out milking, the meat was in the freezer and I was washing up, including the floor. I hate waking up to a big mess.
Wednesday was Bible study and we went. LOL. I told the kids if we had a good Bible study we would head to town to see Papa on his lunch break afterwards. We had a great Bible study so we headed off to town and met Papa just running out the door to bring the bacon to the shop to be cured. So we grabbed the bacon and he drove us out there. When we got there we were in for a shock. They no longer DO farm bacon. The animal has to be butchered by them. SO we tried another place but he never did do bacon and then another place and they didn't do it anymore either. So when I got home that afternoon I looked up bacon curing and we are probably going to do it ourselves. It should be interesting and I'll let you know how it goes.
Thursday was a fun day. Unexpectedly I got a phone call from my aunt offering to babysit my kids (all 4) so that Becca and I could go to the city for the day. Becca and I had made plans to go in either Thursday or Friday to pick up a lens for J's glasses. We were going to take the kids and be gone all day. But then my aunt called and it was heaven sent. LOL. Becca and I headed off in her car and my aunt and the kids had a great time eating Mack and Cheese and watching "Animals are Beautiful People". We flew!! I had forgotten how much you could get done in the city without kids. I got J's lens. He lost one in the snow last week. Good luck finding it!! We looked but there is too much snow and it's GLASS!! LOL. He's wearing his spare pair of glasses until we can get the lens in and the screw locktight. We went out for a leisurely lunch, got some groceries ( I saved $12 on 4 things!!), dropped off her computer, replaced a Christmas gift (it didn't work) and went out for ice cream!! We got back in time to make supper. After supper the kids and I headed to my Mom's to wish her a Happy Birthday. Papa was working late that night and we missed him by minutes at Grandma's house. He got home in time to read to the kids and milk the cow before we all fell into bed exhausted.
Friday I started a week long, or more, project of organizing my house. For the last ten months or so we have been 'making do' way to often and now there is lots of work to be done before my house feels well organized again. I cleaned out my bedroom, part of the kitchen and the entrance all on Friday. With so many of us living here we are running out of room in every room. So I am going through and sorting and chucking and re-packing stuff. Stuff we haven't used in the last year is going OUT!!! We are also making some new shelves for my kitchen and hopefully for books as well. The plan is to buy a bunch of mouse and rat safe totes and put the kid's too small clothes out in the shed. But because of the critters almost all of the clothing we have that any one's ever worn is inside. That is a lot of stuff when you have 4 kids!!! If we were done having kids I would just get rid of all the too small stuff but we are not! So I am keeping it :) And no I'm not pregnant!! :)
Today, Saturday, Papa is working and I'm getting ready for house church. I believe it's my turn to host!! Not that I do much to prepare. Not much anyway that didn't need doing anyway. I cleaned off some surfaces, made butter, vacuumed (with the shop vac but that's another post!) did some laundry, made a big crock pot full of Boston Baked Beans ( or rather the crock pot version), showered all the little Grigglets, put away extra stuff and did some dishes. And it's only 4pm!! :) I still have a little list of stuff to do (fold laundry, finish dyeing my couch cover, finish supper) before Papa gets home but I expect he'll be home a bit late and well and ready to sit down and eat supper together!! Then maybe after supper we'll read or watch one of our new "All Creatures Great and Small" together. Hopefully we'll be in bed before 11pm as tomorrow is another day, and probably a good one!!!
Late Monday night Papa hurt his back, bringing in the meat saw, and so Tuesday he went in for a massage. While he was relaxing the kids and I went to town to go grocery shopping. We had a huge cart full and saw lots of people we knew. On the way back to pick up Papa I pulled over to the side of the road to turn around, Papa was walking down the road, and went too far over and got sucked into the snowbank. I didn't even see it coming. But we were very lucky that nothing was broken and it only took us 30 minutes to get out. Papa put chains on and we were about 1/2 out when a little pickup came by and yanked us out. The kids thought it was fun..Momma did not. Thankfully he did not hurt his back again and it's mostly better now. That afternoon when we finally got home, had lunch, put the kids to bed and unloaded the Travelall, we both took 20 minutes to relax before cutting and wrapping our two pigs. Papa cut them in half lenghtwise and then brought in the front shoulders while I got ready inside. I deboned the shoulders; separating out sausage meat ( we froze it to be ground later as our grinder isn't working) and pork stew meat. That is the longest part of the whole cut and wrap process!! After the shoulders were done Papa cut the next section off and brought it in. He took the saw to the ribs (we cut across) and then he took the bacon off the ribs while I took the fat off the chops and, because our meat saw isn't working, I deboned the chops off the backbone and then Papa cut them into chops. Which I packaged and labeled. Ribs as well. Yumm. Then Papa brought in the back legs (hams) and we cut them into roasts and packaged and labeled them as well. It only takes minutes to write about but it takes hours to do. Somewhere in there Papa grabbed the tenderloin from one pig and seasoned it then BBQ'd it. We had tenderloin, rice and corn for supper and then later the kids went to bed. By 11:15 Papa was out milking, the meat was in the freezer and I was washing up, including the floor. I hate waking up to a big mess.
Wednesday was Bible study and we went. LOL. I told the kids if we had a good Bible study we would head to town to see Papa on his lunch break afterwards. We had a great Bible study so we headed off to town and met Papa just running out the door to bring the bacon to the shop to be cured. So we grabbed the bacon and he drove us out there. When we got there we were in for a shock. They no longer DO farm bacon. The animal has to be butchered by them. SO we tried another place but he never did do bacon and then another place and they didn't do it anymore either. So when I got home that afternoon I looked up bacon curing and we are probably going to do it ourselves. It should be interesting and I'll let you know how it goes.
Thursday was a fun day. Unexpectedly I got a phone call from my aunt offering to babysit my kids (all 4) so that Becca and I could go to the city for the day. Becca and I had made plans to go in either Thursday or Friday to pick up a lens for J's glasses. We were going to take the kids and be gone all day. But then my aunt called and it was heaven sent. LOL. Becca and I headed off in her car and my aunt and the kids had a great time eating Mack and Cheese and watching "Animals are Beautiful People". We flew!! I had forgotten how much you could get done in the city without kids. I got J's lens. He lost one in the snow last week. Good luck finding it!! We looked but there is too much snow and it's GLASS!! LOL. He's wearing his spare pair of glasses until we can get the lens in and the screw locktight. We went out for a leisurely lunch, got some groceries ( I saved $12 on 4 things!!), dropped off her computer, replaced a Christmas gift (it didn't work) and went out for ice cream!! We got back in time to make supper. After supper the kids and I headed to my Mom's to wish her a Happy Birthday. Papa was working late that night and we missed him by minutes at Grandma's house. He got home in time to read to the kids and milk the cow before we all fell into bed exhausted.
Friday I started a week long, or more, project of organizing my house. For the last ten months or so we have been 'making do' way to often and now there is lots of work to be done before my house feels well organized again. I cleaned out my bedroom, part of the kitchen and the entrance all on Friday. With so many of us living here we are running out of room in every room. So I am going through and sorting and chucking and re-packing stuff. Stuff we haven't used in the last year is going OUT!!! We are also making some new shelves for my kitchen and hopefully for books as well. The plan is to buy a bunch of mouse and rat safe totes and put the kid's too small clothes out in the shed. But because of the critters almost all of the clothing we have that any one's ever worn is inside. That is a lot of stuff when you have 4 kids!!! If we were done having kids I would just get rid of all the too small stuff but we are not! So I am keeping it :) And no I'm not pregnant!! :)
Today, Saturday, Papa is working and I'm getting ready for house church. I believe it's my turn to host!! Not that I do much to prepare. Not much anyway that didn't need doing anyway. I cleaned off some surfaces, made butter, vacuumed (with the shop vac but that's another post!) did some laundry, made a big crock pot full of Boston Baked Beans ( or rather the crock pot version), showered all the little Grigglets, put away extra stuff and did some dishes. And it's only 4pm!! :) I still have a little list of stuff to do (fold laundry, finish dyeing my couch cover, finish supper) before Papa gets home but I expect he'll be home a bit late and well and ready to sit down and eat supper together!! Then maybe after supper we'll read or watch one of our new "All Creatures Great and Small" together. Hopefully we'll be in bed before 11pm as tomorrow is another day, and probably a good one!!!
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