Elvis Is Gone

Well, it's official. Elvis is gone. This morning he left Deep South Kikos to head out to his new home in Utica, Mississippi. Mr. and Mrs. Willis made the drive down to pick him up.  I have to say, I am really going to miss him, but I know he will do great things for their farm.

We had a very enjoyable visit with the Willis' this morning. They will be hosting a goat field day at their farm sometime in September, and when I get the information from them I will post it here for those that may be interested in attending. 

Hope yall are having a great weekend!

A Sight For Sore Eyes

For a while, I've been out and about only seeing dry, extremely dusty ground and parched crispy grass. I have been wondering if we were ever going to get any rain. It had rained all around us last week....like 5 miles from our place would get a good drenching........ with us getting zero, zilch, nada! It would get dark and cloudy and the humidity in the air would be so thick it would be hard to take in a deep breath of that sticky air. I just knew that it was going to rain......only to see all of that blow right on over us without giving us one. little. tiny. drop.  I would've been happy with enough to just settle the dust, it didn't have to make big puddles everywhere.

what a sight!

Well, that has changed.  Hallelujah!  Thank you Lord!  For the past 2 days we've been getting some of that much needed rain! That puddle above is such a sight for sore eyes.  We've got several of those around here, and I am one happy lady about that situation!  My prayers are going up  for those farmers desperately needing the rain for their crops.  I know it would be such a relief for them too...

Remodeling Is Finally Winding Down

I've mentioned that I would share some photos of progress that has been made on our remodeling. Well, here goes........... 

Shane went to Home Depot and got the insulation that we needed, along with renting the machine to blow it in.  We intended to go in through the window with the hose so the machine could stay outside, but the hose wouldn't reach all the way through the attic to the other end of the house, so we had to move it.  All the while, the attic was steadily heating up because the sun had started beating down on the rooftop. 

The machine was put in the house and my responsibility was to "feed" the insulation into the machine keeping it full. 

All I had to do was cut the wrapper on the block of insulation down the middle and break it in half, (by whatever means I could) then push it through the opening.  There was a razor on the left side that would cut through the plastic wrap so you could remove it as it went into the machine.  Once the plastic was removed, the insulation would expand in the machine and then it would get broken down and blown through the hose.  Poor Shane.....he was on the other end of the machine.....the hose.  He had to crawl around in that hot attic wearing a breathing mask blowing out that insulation.  That was a hot job!  Thank goodness for Powerade that week!!

We also had to get a drain line from the new addition connected the the existing septic tank.  What a job that was for Shane.  He dug the 30 + feet trench by hand.  Of course he had little hands to "help" him do the jobs.

helpers

Dillon really stepped up and helped out.  They made many trips like this back and forth.  Each time having to get the slope of the ditch just right.   Remember this whole remodeling business is all new to us.  We're not in the home building business in any way.  This whole project has been filled with many, many, MANY lessons.  

The stove arrived and was  put into place!  I am ready to try this thing out!

The kids bathroom is complete, except the hanging of the towel bars!  Woo Hoo!

kids bathroom

This is our bathroom.  It is part of the new addition.  To the right of the bathtub, we have a "toilet room" as the kids call it.  It is a separate little room from the rest of the bathroom   Also behind the door when you first walk in to the right is "Shane's" shower.  Putting together and installing the shower door was a doozy!

master bath

So there you have it....A little snippet of our what we've been up too.  Hope you all have a great week!  God Bless!

Down Home Cookin

We just ate the most delicious supper tonight, thanks to my mother in law's gardening skills.  We had peas, cornbread, tomato gravy with rice, and sweet corn rounded off with a big ol' glass of sweet tea.  I had the idea to take a picture of all of the deliciousness to share and soon realized that I had licked my plate clean.  Ooops.....but I must say it is one of my most favorite meals to eat in the summer time.  Good ol' down home Southern cookin.  Mmm mmm good!

Happy 4th!!

 Wilson Free Clipart

We hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

5 Random Things About Me

1. I love Elvis Presley.  His gospel is my absolute favorite!
2. My senior year in high school, I was the mascot....please don't even ask ;)
3. Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I love to collect Christmas movies and have been known to pull them out and watch them during the spring and summer.  
4. I am a thrifty coupon shopper.  Although, I am not one of those "extreme couponer's".  You will not see me getting 400 bottles of salt because I can get it for $0.05.  Seriously...... 
5. I have gallstones, and let me tell you....they are no fun!

Now, won't you sleep better tonight knowing these little tidbits?  :)   Have a blessed day!

Sunday Afternoon Visit

This past Sunday after church, Mr. Nic Girgenti and Mr. Mike Kimball drove over from Louisiana for a little visit.   The men enjoyed some good goat chat over some sweet iced tea and/or coffee when they first arrived.  Then it was off to the pastures to do a little looking around. 

Observing the bucks in their pasture

Shane got the border collies out and rounded the bucks up and put them in the catch pen so they could get a more up close and personal look. 

They not only came for a visit, but came to pick up Gold Digger to take back to become an member of Lagniappe Kikos.   Luckily the slab under the old hog barn was high enough that they were able to use it to load this fella up.  They just backed their truck up to the edge and it was the perfect height to get him loaded without having to actually pick him up.  Those bucks have a way of leaving a smell on you that Ajax can't take off, not to mention they aren't lightweights!

While we were under the hog barn, I happened to look up and see this whopper of a nest loaded down with wasps ready to attack!  Nic did inform me that since it was July, they won't sting you......Too bad that wasn't the truth.  We have unfortunately found many nests lately, that I'm constantly paranoid of them.  It would be nice to at least take the month of July off from worrying about them.

We expect that  Gold Digger will do great things for Mr. Nic and Mr. Mike's program with their goats. 

Nic Girgenti and Mike Kimball with ECR Gold Digger

Keeping Cool in the Cave

I took this yesterday while out in the pasture.  Jael is still keeping cool with her pups in the cave she dug in the side of the pond dam.  By looking at this photo you wouldn't guess that it was 100+ degrees outside.  They all look quite comfortable.   Although, if you could've seen the person behind the camera, there wouldn't have been any doubt.  I think I actually started to melt. 



**Mr. Mike, I am working on a post about the visit yesterday**  Oh and I have several photos ;) !