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We had three does due to kid the end of February to the beginning of March. Thankfully, all three mamas did great and we had a problem free kidding season.

We had such a mild winter with barely any snow, so I was hopeful the births would happen snow free. Nope. We received the most snow of the entire season during those couple weeks during kidding. The only snafu this caused was that we couldn’t use one of the kidding pens I planned to use.

BUNNY

Bunny surprised me just a little by having her baby a couple days sooner than I was expecting. She was in her kidding pen, though, so all was good. I was also a bit surprised that she had only one baby.

Farm Girl heard a goat making a horrible sound, when she investigated she noticed Bunny was in labor. We got to the barn just as Bunny birthed her little boy. We watched and watched expecting her to have another. After half an hour, both Farmer John & I checked her using the bouncing method and decided there were no more babies.

Because the temperature was below freezing I made the buckling a goat coat using fleece I had in my stash.

He was born on our friend’s birthday, so we started calling him Frankie. This worked out perfectly since one of my new favorite show’s is Grace & Frankie.

GEORGIA

Georgia, Georgia, Georgia.

She would have had her babies out in the snow. And, it’s all my fault.

I wasn’t expecting her to kid for another few days so I opened the stall door in case she wanted to go outside. She did. As I was about to go back inside the house I decided to check her backside for any indication that labor might be close. I noticed her vulva was a different shape. It had been puffy. Now it wasn’t puffy, but it was elongated. I right away brought her back into the barn and shut the door. I wasn’t expecting things to progress as quickly as they did, but I was hoping the change meant she was close.

Since Georgia had a change, I walked over and checked Willow. She did not have any noticeable changes, so I went back to peek at Georgia. Holy Guacamole, she was in active labor! She was laying down in obvious distress making a horrid sound.

I literally turned around, walked a couple feet, and grabbed the goat cam. Within those few seconds she pushed out her first baby – a boy. I stood there in awe and within another minute or two she delivered her second kid. This time a girl. It happened so quickly, I’m not even sure she knew she had another baby.

Doe on the left. Buck on the right. Their markings are incredibly similar, but the little girl’s tan areas are darker and redder than the little boy’s.

Georgia was a first freshener, so I was slightly concerned about how she would do during labor. She did fabulously. Below is her labor video.

WILLOW

I was getting a bit nervous about Willow. I was expecting her to kid over a week sooner than she did. For the most part, she didn’t seem in distress. But, there was a time two days before she delivered that I thought for sure she was in labor. When I checked her, her vulva was actually open a bit. Then later she was laying with one leg out obviously uncomfortable. A couple hours later – nothing. She went back to her typical self.

The next day – nothing. No indication that something was wonky the day before or that labor would happen soon.

The next morning, before taking the kids to school, I checked on her. I noticed nothing.

By the time I got back from school, she had 3 babies. I was so relieved!

She had 2 bucks and a doe.

I did get video of Willow’s birth. But, since the little rascal opted to have her babies in the short amount of time I was not home, the video is all from the goat cam.

This was our second kidding season. Last year we missed Willow’s birth by just minutes also. So this year I was determined to learn how to know when a goat is nearing labor.

I researched the topic and put up camera’s so I could watch their every move. I watched a ridiculous amount of Goat TV searching for signs that labor was near.

What I learned is that no amount of Goat TV will really give an indication of when labor is near. None of my goats gave early signs. I even went back and watched video prior to their labor’s searching for signs. Virtually nothing. One time Bunny pawed at the ground – big deal, Moon paws at the ground or backs of people and other goats all the time and she’s not even pregnant. Willow had a bit of excitement, but that was two days before she gave birth. I already knew she was close, so that didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know – expect cause me to worry something might be wrong.

None of the typical signs happened until they were in active labor. I was hoping for signs a little sooner.

I need more practice before the tail ligaments give me a clue to labor being near. I started feeling what I thought were their ligaments about a month before they were due. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice much of a change. Willow and Bunny’s may have been getting softer, but not so much that it was a clear indication of labor. And, Georgia’s always seemed loosey goosey to me.

I will continue my labor sleuthing skills next year.

I am incredibly thankful for the seemingly easy, trouble free births. We have 3 mama’s who did great and a total of 6 healthy babies.

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A couple weeks ago I attended the NWODGA’s annual goat conference. It was a great day and I learned a lot from the speakers I had the privilege to listen to.

THE SESSIONS

There were a wide variety of classes to choose from, whether you were a youth or an adult. There were topics for dairy, meat, and fiber goats. There were topics on disease, cheese making, using herbs medicinally, mastitis, and more. That was one of my draws to attend the show – the variety.

There was time to attend 4 sessions.

My first two sessions were with Gianaclis Caldwell from Pholia Farm, author or Holistic Goat Care and Mastering Basic Cheesemaking. I enjoyed her a lot. She was knowledgeable, a great speaker, and definitely adored her goats.

I have her Holistic Goat Care book in my personal library. I asked her to sign it for my goat partner/daughter.

The third session I attended was on dystocia, the possible problems you may run into during kidding. Again, the speakers were knowledgeable and a joy to listen to.

The fourth and final session was an online class that I believe was developed by Washington State University. It is a new online curriculum geared towards middle and high school students. The module we did was on biosecurity. There are more modules in the works. They are great for 4H kids.  The researchers would like more feedback on the modules, so if you or your 4H group are interested please take the course and fill out the evaluation.

I had goats due to kid, so since I had my laptop with me, I was able to keep an eye on things using our security cameras. It may seem silly, but those cameras made it possible for me to go to this conference. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable being gone all day without being able to check on things in the goat barn.

THE VENDORS

I didn’t have a lot of time to browse the vendor tables. But, I was able to talk with the people from Simple Pulse, who I just recently bought a milking machine from. I also bought a couple goat coats from Coat Your Goat.

We had so much snow and ice that our road was slick enough it required chains to come and go. I had 3 goat mama’s due any day, and the conference was quite a drive. Despite the challenges at home, the conference was fabulous. I’m so glad I went.

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My first legit race of 2017 – the Shamrock Run in downtown Portland. In 2014, Farmer John & I ran the 5K. We had a great time, but I haven’t ran it again… until now. And, I upped my game. I ran/walked the hilly 15k.

FLAT JENNIFER

I bought a new shirt from Sparkle Athletic and a skirt from Sweet Spot Skirts for this event. I love them both. The tulle tutu was fun last time, but this outfit was so much better.

THE START

A friend from high school celebrated her 40th birthday the night before the Shamrock Run. I didn’t drink too much or stay up too late, but being downtown early still kinda sucked. The start time was 8:50 and I got there with plenty of time to tend to all the pre race things, like visit the port-a-potty. I forgot just how big the Shamrock Run is. I was surprised to see the crazy amount of people lined up for the 15k.

FIRST COUPLE MILES

The first section of this course was similar to the Portland Marathon I did in October. Start at the waterfront, run south on Naito to Barbur Blvd. This time I knew what to expect for this part of the event. It’s not real steep, but definitely at enough of an incline that you feel it.

I remember looking up on the hill at OHSU thinking that’s where we’re headed. Eek!

THE HILLY MILES

Once on Terwilliger Blvd it was up, up, up. It reminded me of the hill I run at home, except this was longer and not gravel.

The few glimpses of the Willamette River were awesome.

Bagpipes! Somehow that beautiful sound just makes you want to do your best. It’s very encouraging.

It was a welcome sight when I saw the loading dock of the tram at OHSU. I knew the worst of the hills were behind me.

THE END IS NEAR!

Down I ran. Then, through the tunnel I could see the Koin Tower. Woop, woop! Just a little bit further!

DONE!

I crossed the finish line strong and grabbed the water, thermal blanket and medal I was handed. I did it!

I had been training, but I hadn’t gone a 15k distance in a number of months. I was a little concerned about how I would do, especially with the hills. I came in under a 12:00 minute pace. I’m thrilled with that. It’s not fabulous, but it’s right where I should have been. Most importantly, I felt good at the end.

AFTER PARTY

It was a chilly day to be wearing a tank top. So, I was looking forward to the warm potato soup at the end. Not going to lie, I wasn’t impressed by the looks of the soup and was slightly disappointed. But, remember that saying don’t judge a book by it’s cover. This soup was delicious.

A friend of mine and her neighbor finished the 8k right around the time I finished by race. We hit the beer garden together. I’m not a fan of beer. But… it’s an Irish themed run and the sun was out and I enjoyed my run. So, I grabbed the free beer. We listened to the band and had a jolly time.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, friends!

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It’s no secret that I love Disney. Over the years I have acquired a few fun items. I never had a good place to display them. But we are now done home schooling, and that opened up a wall that was once covered in learning material. The wall was a blank canvas that I chose to decorate in all things Disney.

A Look at all the Gallery Pieces

1: Run Disney Race Canvas

The Run Disney races I’ve completed have definitely been my favorite races as a newbie runner. I wanted to do something special with the race bibs and medals, so I came up with these race canvas’s. Click here to find out how I made them.

2: Laughter Wood Sign

The final piece I added to the gallery wall was this handmade laughter sign. Click here to find out how I created it.

3: Vintage Mickey Poster

I found this image at the Costco Photo Center. I simply had it printed just as I would any other photo at Costco, then mounted it on a canvas panel.

4: Family Castle & Character Photo

I put this collage together after our 2009 trip to Disneyland. I printed it as an 8″x10″, then trimmed it a bit and mounted it on a painted canvas.

5: Mary Poppins Silhouette

I found this Mary Poppins silhouette doing a google search. I printed the image, then traced it on to 1/4″ plywood. Using a scroll saw I cut the image, then painted it black.

6: Dream Signage

Years ago I found this dream wood cut out at a craft store. I painted it glittery lime green with the intention of displaying it in one of our flowerbeds. The sign never made it outside. Instead, it sat in a closet… until now. I combined magenta acrylic paint with glitter and pearl mixing medium then painted over the lime green. After the magenta paint dried I used sand paper to roughen up the edges.

7: Mickey Ears

Each of the kids has a pair of Mickey Ears. They are simply displayed on a shelf.

8: Ornament

During the Tinker Bell Half Marathon weekend in 2015 I bought this ornament. It’s flat, so it hangs perfectly on the wall.

9: Seven Dwarf Cross Stitch

I don’t know exactly when I made this cross stitch. I would guess I was somewhere around 12 years old. I loved it then and had it hanging in my bedroom. But, once I moved out on my own I never really had a good spot for it… until now. I’m so excited that it has a new place to be on display!

10: Donald Duck Poster Trio

I downloaded these Donald printables from Disney Movie Rewards. I painted 11″x14″ canvas’s red, then mod podged the prints to them.

11: Birthday & Mickey Ear Canvas Panels

We have been to Disneyland 3 times with the kids. Each time I have taken their photo with Mickey ears on in front of the fountain near the entrance at California Adventure. So, using canvas panels, I created a hanging display of one photo each year.

I bought a wooden star shape at a craft store and painted it gold. Next, I cut out a shape of Mickey ears and used it as a stencil. I put glitter glue in the stencil then sprinkled black glitter on the glue. While the glue was drying on the star, I painted 3 5″x7″ canvas panels blue. After the blue dried I used painters tape to mark off the edges to provide a dual framed appearance. Inside the tape I painted gold. I also painted numbers representing the years. I used hot glue and ribbon to attach the 3 panels and the star. The final steps were mod podging on the photos and using craft glue to add the numbers.

Two out of the three times we’ve been to Disneyland with the kids were over birthdays. So, I created a similar display for the birthday photos. Both times we celebrated at New Orleans Cafe. It’s low key, but still a special treat. I like it because you can go whenever it fits your schedule for that day. You let the waiter know you’re celebrating a birthday and would like a cake. The cake is big enough for everyone to get a taste and comes in a cute take home box.

12: G

Our last name begins with G, so I created this Goofy inspired sign using a scroll saw and paint.

13: Pin & Photo Canvas Display

To commemorate a few of our favorite rides I put together these canvas displays. To read more about how to make them click here.

14: Bulletin Board of Pins & Photos

I went with friends to Disneyland during the Tinker Bell half marathon weekend. Those friends were a bad influence. They wanted to see what the pin collecting craze was about. I didn’t really care to much about it, but decided I’d give it a whirl anyway. It was so much fun! I didn’t have kids with me, so no added stress. Just a fun time at Disney. And, the scavenger hunt of finding pin traders and the perfect pins was on. I came back totally addicted. It is good, clean fun. However, a bit on the spendy side. I didn’t want my kazillion dollars worth of pins to be thrown in a drawer, so I turned our old home schooling bulletin board into a pin collection board. I take the backs off the pins and the pins stick and stay right in the bulletin board.

Of course, I also added photo’s. Right now I have pics up of my adult trip to Disneyland and our latest trip with the kids. I recently joined the Disney Movie Club and sometimes the movie comes with a lithograph. I added a couple of those, too. I have a variety of lithographs and Disney printables, so I change them out occasionally.

15: Imagination Cut-out

I created an image spelling the word imagination, printed it to size, then traced it onto 1/4″ plywood. Using a scroll saw I cut out the letters. Our scroll saw isn’t very big, so the image was too long. I ended up cutting the image into 3 sections, which worked perfectly fine. I also cut a border out of plywood. I painted the word imagination lime green, then used glitter glue to adhere lime green glitter over the entire thing. The background border piece is simply painted black. Using gorilla glue, I glued the green glittered piece to the black piece.

Click the image below to download a larger file of the word imagination.

16: Main Street USA Silhouette’s

I remember getting a silhouette done when I was a kid on Main Street, USA. So, the first time we took the kids to Disneyland my must do souvenir was getting their silhouette’s cut. I got the frames at a craft store not long after we returned from our trip.

There it is, our Disney inspired wall. There are many pieces and it’s a little crazy, but I adore it anyway. The problem will arise when I do another Run Disney event. Where will those canvas’s go?

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The Vernonia Half Marathon marked my 5th half in a year, as well as my 5th half marathon ever. Last May I ran my first half at Disneyland. Apparently the enjoyment outweighed the pain and agony since I keep going back for more. I commemorated #5 by wearing the same outfit as I wore at my first one. Trust me, I felt like I needed all the help I could get to finish this race. As it turned out, I did better than I dared to hope for.

Getting to the Start Line

This was a point to point course, which I believe is a first for me. I parked in Banks and at the High School were buses ready to take us to the start line at Stub Stewart State Park.

The Start

Fairly typical start line routine.

The Course

The course began uphill, but amazingly enough that first mile went by quickly. My time wasn’t faster than normal, it just seemed to go by quick. It was a great way to start the event.

A little after the mile 1 marker were two people cheering us on in critter masks. I took a selfie with them because I really appreciate people going out of their way to make sure we have a good race.

The next number of miles were downhill. Downhill! Woop, woop! It only seemed like a steep downgrade for the first little bit, then it felt very gradual.

By about mile 7 the course flattened out and was fairly flat the rest of the way… no wonder I enjoyed this course.

Mile 10 tends to be where I slow down. I don’t often run over 10 miles while training, so it’s no wonder that I’m not used to it. However, this time I kept my pace and was still feeling good past mile 10!

I don’t know who the photographer was who took this photo, but I’d like to thank him. This is the first professional race photo I’ve ever liked of myself. And, even better is that it was taken during a PR race and is taken on my home turf in the Oregon Coast Range.

Map My Run Stats

I did 5min/2:15min intervals throughout the entire race. Those times seemed to work perfectly that day.

Eats

I have never been so happy to see olives and oranges. By happy I mean I nearly started crying. Two weeks prior to the race I began the JJ Virgin Diet. I realize starting a new way of eating 2 weeks before an event is not smart. But, lately I always seem to be training for an event and at some point I was just going to have to go for it. So, I went for it. I am not bashing the JJ Virgin Diet, but I have never felt worse than I did those 2 weeks of starting that diet. I think there were a few contributing factors that were out of my normal. But, whatever the reasons, I had been miserable.

Because of the diet I couldn’t partake in my normal race gu’s, gels, gatorade, etc. I hadn’t cheated one tiny bit during those two weeks and I had one week left to go. I didn’t want to mess it up because of the run. However, I did want to have a good event. So, I made an electrolyte drink to take with me and packed filberts for a snack. Unfortunately, I forgot the filberts in the car and the electrolyte drink was so horrible I could hardly drink it.

So when I got to the aid station to find not only the normal gu and gatorade, but also a wide range of other snacks, I was ecstatic. They had gummy bears and m&m’s, which I couldn’t have. They had bananas and peanuts, which I also couldn’t have. They had oranges and olives and I couldn’t believe my luck. As stupid as it sounds – and maybe I have a food issue – but those few olives and orange slices were the encouragement I needed. I was getting slightly concerned how I was going to finish the race strong on just water and a few sips of disgusting homemade electrolyte drink.

They had these treats at 2 of the aid stations. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Finish

Coming off the trail and into the town of Banks I realized I could actually PR this race, so even though I was getting tired I gave it all I had ’til the very end. I knew it wouldn’t be the case, but I was still hoping that once I got to the high school track the finish would be right there. But, nope. Of course I had to do a lap around the track. I completed the lap and sure enough I PR’d.

My chip time was 26 minutes faster than my chip time at the Star Wars Half in January.

My Food & Drink

As I mentioned earlier, I was doing the first phase of the JJ Virgin Diet when this half marathon came around. This screwed up my typical food options before, during and after the race.

I typically have water at the aid stations and often also have the gatorade or other similar drink. Not this time. I found an electrolyte drink to make at home and brought it with me. I guesstimated on the amounts when adding the honey & sea salt. I may have over done them. Or, I’m not a huge honey fan, so I may just not have liked it. But, either way, the drink was horrible. So horrible it was all I could do to drink the amount I did. After I found the olives and oranges I quit drinking it all together. FYI: honey was technically a no-no on the diet, too. But, I figured I would have it anyway since I was opting out of the gatorade.

Another missing drink from my normal was Advocare’s Spark, or some other drink with caffeine. I usually drink it on the way to an event. Then, I’ll have a gu or clif shot blok during the run. All of those items were out this time. So, I opted for a caffeine tablet. I had never bought them before and was shocked to see how much caffeine was in one tablet. I cut it in half and had one section before the race and the other half during. Maybe that’s what put a little boost in my step.

And finally, my post race food. I would have loved to partake in the soup and stuff offered at the event. Unfortunately, not this time. I wasn’t sure what I would want afterwards or how hungry I’d be so I packed an apple, cutie, almonds, rice crackers and gimme chips.

Music

The final difference during this race than previous races was my music. Maybe I need to climb out of the rock I apparently live under, but I had know idea until recently that you could download your amazon prime music to your phone.

Normally I buy the music I want to listen to from Amazon and download the mp3’s to my phone.

However, I have Amazon Prime. So, most of that buying wasn’t necessary. I listen to Amazon Prime music all the time when I’m at home and sitting at my computer. I have hundreds of songs in my library and have a few playlists set up. I stream it when I’m home. I assumed that’s how it worked on your phone, too. A fabulous friend of mine recently told me, though, that I could download the songs using the Amazon app on my phone. This tidbit of info saved my patootie. About a week before the race I got a new phone and when I went for a training run I realized I hadn’t downloaded any music on it. Dang it! How was I going to run an hour and a half without music? Then I remembered what my friend told me. So, I thought I’d try it. And sure enough. Using wi-fi at the library, I quickly saved a number of songs using the Amazon app, went for my run and enjoyed some tunes. The nice thing about this method was that it gave me a whole new playlist to listen to during this half marathon than what I usually listen to run after run.

Fitbit Stats

Not all 30,000 steps were from the race, but the majority were. Ironically, the 30,000 step badge is named a trail shoe. Fitting since I just ran on a trail.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this event a lot. It was definitely the pick me up I needed from the last 2 weeks of feeling miserable. The people running the event seemed efficient. Taking the bus to the start line went smoothly. I loved running on the Banks-Vernonia Trail. The people at the aid stations were friendly and encouraging. I felt good the majority of the race. And, the PR was amazing. I’m not gonna lie, though. I was sore the next few days. More sore than I had been in a long time. Maybe it was those miles of downhill? Maybe it was my lightning quick feet that day? Maybe it was all the fatigue from the 2 weeks prior? I’m not sure, but wowzers I was feeling the pains of this race for days.

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About one year ago I came up with the idea to open an etsy shop selling digital graphics. Near the end of summer, fears set aside, I opened the shop. Six months later I get to celebrate 100 sales in my shop. Amazing! And, thank you!

I have been a stay at home mom for the past 13 years. Last year, for the first time, all 3 of my kids went to public school, giving me a few hours each day to myself. It was time to put that graphic design degree I earned to work. Doing something I enjoy outside of mom stuff has been wonderful. And, earning a few bucks is rewarding in its own way. So, thanks again to everyone for supporting my small business.

Photo Booth Props

My etsy shop primarily sells photo booth props at the moment, which I love. We live in a stressful world, and I love that people can let loose and enjoy their friends & family using props made to celebrate life’s milestone’s. Click here to download snowman props for free.

Thank You Freebie

My other favorite type of item at Ridgetop Digital Shop are tags. They come with a digital png file for digital scrapbooking or journaling and also a printable sheet for other crafting or party needs.

As a thank you for a great first 6 months here is a printable sheet of my Fresh Eggs tags. They are primarily used for placing on egg cartons when selling your own eggs, but also look great added to spring craft projects.

Thank You Coupon Code

As another thank you here is a coupon code good for $2.00 off anything more than $2.50 in my shop.

————————————————————————

coupon code:
CELEBRATING100
expires March 31, 2016

————————————————————————

How to Apply Coupon Code:
1. Once you add an item to your cart, click apply shop coupon code above Item total.
2. Enter CELEBRATING100 and click Apply
3. The coupon discount will adjust your order total

Etsy Affiliate Link

If you have been wanting to open an etsy shop, here is an incentive to do so. Clicking this link and opening your shop will earn us both 40 free listings.

Here’s to another hundred sales!

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Birthday

:: More Ages & Color Options on our Etsy Site: Ridgetop Digital Shop ::

Kids

Teens

Any Age – adult

20’s

30’s

40’s

50’s

60’s

70’s

80’s

90’s

Graduation

:: Class of 2017 Coming Soon ::

Class of 2016

Celebrating 2016 graduates! This basic set includes fun colors: teal, hot pink, & silver

/ Color Variations /

Want to show your school spirit? Pick one of these color options:

Classes of 2016, 2017, 2018, & 2019

This set is good for events involving the entire school such as homecoming.

Back to School

Preschool & Kindergarten

Grades 1 – 6

Grades 7 – 8

Grades 9 – 12

Family Reunion

Lodge Theme

Holiday

4th of July

Halloween

Santa & Friends

Day at the Lake

/ Coordinating Product /

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