KAITLIN'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION & FIREWORKS!!

Kaitlin is celebrating her birthday with her friends.

Kaitlin's requested a BIG chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.

Skylar made the BIG cookie for her sister.

Your wish is my command!

 Big sister came over with the "grandkids".

Kaitlin, Brieanna, Isabella Grace, Tristen, EmilyMae and 

Liam James.

 Kaitlin is opening their gift first since most of them are leaving.

 Nick, Brieanna, our Skylar, Skyler L, Genevieve, Kaitlin

Kaitlin and her friends hanging out having pizza and salad.

They all did go out to play a game in the back pasture. I made sure I told them all to make sure the gates all got closed. They let a cow out. Them city kids - lol! It was the birthday girl who left the gate open. Tim did get the cow back in. 

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY 

KAITLIN!!

May all your wishes come true.

After the party we loaded up our truck and took the girls who were staying the night to our towns firework show.

Getting darker.

Dad, Mom and the birthday girl!

Tim, Krystal, Skylar and Kaitlin

Tim💘Krystal

The firework show has begun!

All the girls were enjoying it.

We ended the evening with a shuttle ride back to our truck.

The girls were gonna go back and watch a movie and have popcorn.

The next morning the girls had breakfast and went swimming with more friends that came over.

LATER ON IN THE AFTERNOON......

We went to the city to meet with Jessica and the crew.

Some of the girls are getting their ears pierced.

Kaitlin has decided she would like to have her ears pierced.

She has a big crowd of fans cheering her on.

(Leith, Tristen, Skylar, Dad, Isabella Grace, Jessica, Brieanna, Liam James, Emilymae)

Getting both sides at the same time.

She felt nothing.

Left side

Right side

All three girls who got their ears pierced.

Brieanna, Isabella Grace and Kaitlin

After getting their ears pierced we met with the rest of the family for a birthday lunch.

Kaitlin, Brieanna and Skylar

Isabella Grace (the other birthday girl), EmilyMae, Tristen and Liam James.

Jessica, Leith and Gram-Cracker.

Kaitlin opening her cards.

Krystal and Tim

Kaitlin's birthday cake!

It has been a pleasure raising this beautiful young lady.

THE TURKEYS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!

OUR THANKSGIVING TURKEYS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!

Got the call from the post office and our little poults are ready for pickup.

8 on one side.

9 on the other.

Half of them are gonna be going to our friends house.

So this year we are only raising 9 of them until Thanksgiving.

They really like the nipple waterer.

Aren't they so cute!!!

MAKING WILD BLACKBERRY JAM!

BLACKBERRY PICKIN'

Skylar and Kaitlin went out and picked some wild blackberries.

They would of picked our blackberries we planted but the Japanese beetles took them over. Darn beetles! Even with the traps.

Yum - they are good!

The girls picked about 2 lbs. worth.

MAKING WILD BLACKBERRY JAM

2 LBS. Blackberries

rinsed well

Add 2 1/2 cups sugar

2 T. lemon juice

With a masher, mash and mash.

Cook it and stir it.

In the meantime, I have my jars, lids, rings, and other such stuff ready to put this yummy-goodness in the jars.

Once in the jars, wipe them off and put the lids and seals on.

Place the jars in the pot of boiling water for 10 mins.

This is so easy!

This made 4 jelly jars worth.

Trust me, this stuff tastes really good!!!!!

BUTCHER DAY!

Another successful butcher day!

Tim and I ordered this sun shade. He got it installed the day before butchering. Little by little we are getting our butcher station setup.
Having it shaded is especially nice on these hot days.

.

We tried using the wagon to move the 
meat birds in.

They actually were jumping out. 

Megan carried the meat birds to the 
butchering stand.

Tim butchered them and scalded them.

I ran the plucker and fine tuned all the feathers.

Aaron, Skylar

and Kaitlin ran the gutting table.

Megan helped rinse them and put them in the coolers.

This system this time went smoothly.

We ended up butchering 52 meat birds and 7 roosters.

Not a bad day!

The next day Tim and I bagged and weighed
 all the chicken.

We got some sold and still have some to sell.

We got the water going to get hot. Once we bag the meat, we place them in the pot of water and it's like shrink wrap. We will weigh them and label them. Then place them in the cooler.

Keeping the chicken iced down. We will add them to the freezer but not all at once.