Built a goat house...discovered mesquite...frugal livin'...losing weight!

I just got done rocking my oldest D--she is just 3 yrs old and so sweet. Can't get enough of that.

Things are going well with the twins. They have been a great addition to the house--really the hardest thing is when we visit my sister-in-law or she comes to visit them--it is so sad and they cry for a really long time after she leaves. But I'd never tell her not to come visit--I couldn't imagine not seeing my babies--DH and I go on a date and we're gone for 2 or 3 hours and I think about them all the time! But it's gotta be better than daycare...personal attention all day long...we go outside everyday--they get discipline and structure. They are sweet girls, my S-I-L has done a really great job with them.

Built a goat house
DH has been working hard--he has basically had a full time job and 2 part time jobs (in a way--I try to keep it vague for safety reasons)--well one of the "part time jobs" is now over (hurray!) and his time has been freed up immensely--so for his first "free" weekend he went wild and did a TON of odd jobs around the house (can I say I am SO stoked or what?!) I can't wait to see what next Saturday will be like! One of the things he spent a good chunk of the day doing was building a goat house. They are quickly outgrowing the dog igloo so they needed a new house. We bought the lumber for this months ago but it has just sat around for lack of time to assemble it. It is basically just a 3 sided structure--that's all they need. You face it south (apparently most of the storms come from the other 3 directions I guess). It has a roof, back side and 2 side..sides :) Me and the kids painted it red for fun. I'll paint some white trim on it to make it look like a barn. The kids had a blast painting it and were actually kind of a big help!

I just had to fill in the spots they missed with my big roller. Afterwards they all took a bath together (4 kids in a small tub is a sight to see!) and helped scrub the red paint off each other. DD still has a little red paint in her hair...that's really hard to get out. And the dog is sporting a red streak--she brushed up against the wet paint--so she's all black with this red streak--but that's kind of in style right now anyway :) And the goose was really interested in what we were doing so he came over to check it out too and they check everything out by biting or nibbling on it....so...he's sported some "red lipstick" and learned paint doesn't taste very good!
Discovered our mesquite trees!

We have these trees in our backyard--4 of them actually--that grow these bean pods (about 4-6" long) and the goats love them. The bean pods are their favorite. Turns out these trees are mesquite trees--there are 3 types of mesquite and I think ours are either a honey or velvet mesquite but I'm not sure which--I'll have to look at the leaves closer. The native americans used mesquite as a staple in their diet. These trees are like cacti-they need next to no water--normal rainfall is adequate to sustain them. The bean pods can be eaten or dried and ground into flour (mesquite bean flour is kind of the "new" old thing right now--they were telling me all about it at our local kitchen store). Mesquite beans can be milled into nutritious flour used in baking and cooking. It is high in protein and fiber (and gluten free!) and is valued for its natural sweetness. Because of the high protein and fiber, mesquite flour helps regulate blood sugars and is good for diabetics. Five gallons of mesquite pods will grind into one pound of flour.
You can also make jelly, cakes, even wine out of the beans--wow! Lots of uses!
The leaves can be used for a tea to help with head aches and stomach aches. The sap is used as a glue, or a snack (we have one tree right now that is oozing sap---I'm still looking for a way to make it into syrup like maple syrup...if there is a way I am all over it!)
How funny when we moved in I thought...why would anyone plant trees that only provide shade when you could plant trees that produce fruit as well? Little did I know that was exactly what I had! And these trees are well adapted to the desert so they don't require the maintenance that an apple or peach tree would--hurray for that!

Frugal living
I was pretty grumpy last Saturday and DH says to me, "Why don't you go for a drive and come back with a better attitude?" So I grabbed the keys and thought to myself, "I'll come back with more than that...I'm going shopping!!!" And so that is just what I did. It was a toss up between going yard sale-ing or going to goodwill and I chose goodwill. And I'm so glad I did! It's like a huge yard sale (but really clean and organized and a 14 day return policy!) I only had $40 to spend and I really didn't want to spend that much but I ended up buying a jean skirt, a khaki skirt, 2 jean sleeveless tops and a $1 citrus reamer (that also catches and strains the juice and has a spout to pour it out--been wanting one of those for awhile!), a pair of boots (only $12.99!) and my favorite find: a corn gem pan! Brand new it is $15 from lodge but I got it used for $2.99! And there is something neat about it for me to think of all the women who have faithfully served their households that have used it before me. This corn gem pan is obviously older. I wonder how old. I have one cast iron pan that must be 50 years or much more. You can hardly read the writing on the back it has been so worn away. It is a Wagner pan (an old discontinued brand name in cast iron). That's the neat thing about cast iron--it lasts just about forever!

P.S. And one more exciting side note: I've lost 47 lbs in 6 months! I've got only 20 more to go and I'll be back in my pre-marriage/wedding dress size--sweet! And really it's not been anything over the top--we just eat healthy...no sugar...no soda...I make 3 homemade meals every day. We probably use a pound of butter every week or 2 so it's not like I'm on a no fat diet! But we do eat a salad every lunch, drink lots of fresh vegetable juices and for snacks we eat nuts or fruit or veggies. I never go to the gym or go running or walking...other than working in the yard every day and gardening--that's about all the exercise I get. And we don't eat meat more than once a week (not as a rule or anything---but meat has no fiber, clogs you up, and there are other great ways to get protein and not to mention it is awfully expensive) and when we do eat meat it's usually fish (DH's preference--he says it's Jesus food :) Oh, and I've been nursing too--so that's a great calorie burner I've heard!
Soooo....we'll see if I can stay un-pregnant long enough to lose the last 20 :) lol! For the last 4 years I have been either pregnant or nursing or both--And our quiver is not full yet! Ps. 127:3-5
God bless and good night!