Wednesday, February 01, 2012
19th Winter
7:34 PM | 
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Well, I've just past the date that marks my 19th winter. . . I turned 18 on January 27th!
I can't express how thankful I am for all the kind words and gifts I received on my birthday. Thank you all very much! I have everything I need right now, so anything more is a real blessing.
I got in from doing chores and found Mom had cooked up a delightful breakfast of hot oatmeal with raisins and apple chunks mixed in, and besides that she made crispy donut muffins and served fresh oranges.
We usually gather as a family for devotions at breakfast, but that day Dad and David left to do some milk delivering for me. Jonathan took Dad's place and led the reading of the Word and then we sang our morning hymn together.
I opened up the gifts and found some pretty special surprises. Thank you all for the cards and kind words! One of the gifts was a particularly practical item from Andrew. He gave me was a compact, sturdy little LED pocket flashlight. I carry it around with me all the time now. It's the perfect size for a tool light and bright enough for spotting varmints at night. Thank you Andrew!
Jonathan gave me a very inspiring and thoughtful gift. It is the book called The Family by J.R. Miller which gives a very important Christian perspective on what family life should be in terms of God's Word. I will cherish the book for many years to come. Thank you Jonathan!
Mom gave me a clever and creative gift. Have you ever seen a tea tumbler? I hadn't. It is basically a glass thermos, so it is easily kept clean, with an insulated lid and a mesh straining insert that fits into the mouth of the bottle. In the early morning before I go out to the barn, I can boil a little water and pour it into the tumbler with the tea leaves, and then cap it and let it steep. The mesh filter strains the tea as you drink it so once the water is poured in you are ready to go. I don't have to wait until it has steeped to pour it into the thermos to drink, it is ready immediately. Thank you Mom!
Dad and Mom gave a gift that will certainly free up some time for the bottle washer. An envelope with money towards a dishwasher (which I am now looking to purchase). I appreciate all the time Mom has volunteered to keep the cabinet stocked with squeaky clean bottles, but with the addition of an automatic dishwasher in the near future I hope she will have more time to do the things she has set aside due to bottle washing. Thank you Mom and Dad!
One gift I received from David a couple days prior to my birthday. He bought me the DVDs of the new movie Courageous and the not-so-new Flywheel which were made by the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Baptist Church. I hadn't seen Courageous before and am really thankful to have been able to see it and have a copy to show others! It delivers a powerful message of the importance of godly fatherhood. You can't help but feel the hand of God motivating you to be like the courageous fathers that you see in the film. It is a great tool for influencing the minds and lives of all who see it. Courageous is now sold in our local Walmart! Thank you David!
". . .for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11
I can't express how thankful I am for all the kind words and gifts I received on my birthday. Thank you all very much! I have everything I need right now, so anything more is a real blessing.
I got in from doing chores and found Mom had cooked up a delightful breakfast of hot oatmeal with raisins and apple chunks mixed in, and besides that she made crispy donut muffins and served fresh oranges.
We usually gather as a family for devotions at breakfast, but that day Dad and David left to do some milk delivering for me. Jonathan took Dad's place and led the reading of the Word and then we sang our morning hymn together.
I opened up the gifts and found some pretty special surprises. Thank you all for the cards and kind words! One of the gifts was a particularly practical item from Andrew. He gave me was a compact, sturdy little LED pocket flashlight. I carry it around with me all the time now. It's the perfect size for a tool light and bright enough for spotting varmints at night. Thank you Andrew!
Jonathan gave me a very inspiring and thoughtful gift. It is the book called The Family by J.R. Miller which gives a very important Christian perspective on what family life should be in terms of God's Word. I will cherish the book for many years to come. Thank you Jonathan!
Mom gave me a clever and creative gift. Have you ever seen a tea tumbler? I hadn't. It is basically a glass thermos, so it is easily kept clean, with an insulated lid and a mesh straining insert that fits into the mouth of the bottle. In the early morning before I go out to the barn, I can boil a little water and pour it into the tumbler with the tea leaves, and then cap it and let it steep. The mesh filter strains the tea as you drink it so once the water is poured in you are ready to go. I don't have to wait until it has steeped to pour it into the thermos to drink, it is ready immediately. Thank you Mom!
 |
| Tea Tumbler |
 |
| Me holding the candles for my cheesecake dessert. Mom has a great recipe for cheesecake that uses homemade yogurt cheese and whipped cream for the filling. |
One gift I received from David a couple days prior to my birthday. He bought me the DVDs of the new movie Courageous and the not-so-new Flywheel which were made by the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Baptist Church. I hadn't seen Courageous before and am really thankful to have been able to see it and have a copy to show others! It delivers a powerful message of the importance of godly fatherhood. You can't help but feel the hand of God motivating you to be like the courageous fathers that you see in the film. It is a great tool for influencing the minds and lives of all who see it. Courageous is now sold in our local Walmart! Thank you David!
Sincerely,
Peter
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Thank you Andrew
8:42 AM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Here's the finished results of an idea that I had a while ago. We recently submitted these to be printed on magnets by Vista Print.
Each family that owns a share of a cow will receive one of these magnets to show which cow they they own. Being on a magnet, they can display it on their refrigerator for others to see. I think it will connect them to the farm a little better and make them appreciate where their milk really comes from. It is also a great way to spread the word about our dairy as it will bring up conversations at the customer's homes about them really owning their own milk cow.
Andrew did all the work of designing on the magnets and used his latest new program Adobe Photoshop to do a few touch ups to the pictures. There is few tools in Photoshop that he used to brush the cows and smooth out a few spots that their hair was ruffled. He also swatted the flies on Sandy's nose with one of the tools. Combine the skill of the user with the professionalism of the program and you have some pretty amazing results. Thank you Andrew!
More another time,
Peter
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2
Each family that owns a share of a cow will receive one of these magnets to show which cow they they own. Being on a magnet, they can display it on their refrigerator for others to see. I think it will connect them to the farm a little better and make them appreciate where their milk really comes from. It is also a great way to spread the word about our dairy as it will bring up conversations at the customer's homes about them really owning their own milk cow.
Andrew did all the work of designing on the magnets and used his latest new program Adobe Photoshop to do a few touch ups to the pictures. There is few tools in Photoshop that he used to brush the cows and smooth out a few spots that their hair was ruffled. He also swatted the flies on Sandy's nose with one of the tools. Combine the skill of the user with the professionalism of the program and you have some pretty amazing results. Thank you Andrew!
More another time,
Peter
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2
Labels:
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Upgrade
6:59 PM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Hello,
Well, even though spring is a busy time of year, we are still able to take some time to do things we enjoy. For me, one of those things I enjoy doing is playing guitar.
Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a Blueridge BR-160 guitar at a discount price! It's retail value is $995 according to one dealer. Having a high quality insrument has inspired me to play more now, and I can tell it has made a difference in the smoothness of my playing.
Here's a short tune I played this afternoon. Enjoy!
Amanda's Reel from Bartlett Productions on Vimeo.
Well, even though spring is a busy time of year, we are still able to take some time to do things we enjoy. For me, one of those things I enjoy doing is playing guitar.
Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to purchase a Blueridge BR-160 guitar at a discount price! It's retail value is $995 according to one dealer. Having a high quality insrument has inspired me to play more now, and I can tell it has made a difference in the smoothness of my playing.
Here's a short tune I played this afternoon. Enjoy!
Amanda's Reel from Bartlett Productions on Vimeo.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring Preparations
4:13 PM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Well, spring is getting busier all the time! After a few very busy weeks of traveling to the homeschool convention and going to Carlton Minnesota, it is good to be back to a routine and be able to get things ready for the season ahead.
We have some new additions to the farm that you have probably heard about from the other blogs. One of them is the new pigs. Blackhock the gilt had a litter of 13 half Hampshire and half Berkshire pigs. We have taken one in the house to feed since it didn't grow fast enough for some reason and it wasn't getting a chance to nurse.
I'm back to milking now, since Della delivered her calf. It's a heifer and she is doing really good. We separated the calf from her mother soon after she was born so that we wouldn't run into problems keeping them apart later. The weather was nice too so there wasn't the threat of it getting chilled. It was an easy and fast delivery.
My days now include about an hour of horse training with David and Darla. It is a pleasure to work with an animal that tries really hard to do what you want. She is learning very well and will be all set to ride by the time the snow has melted.
PeterTuesday, March 01, 2011
Done milking
4:13 PM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Hello,
I just thought I'd let you see the brochure up close. Here's the links to the images:
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Front.jpg
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Inside.jpg
Early Saturday morning, Jonathan and I packed up and left for Minot to instruct at the Appleseed at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club's indoor range. We got a call from the shoot boss the day before saying that he was half way here from Iowa and that he had to turn and head back home for a family emergency. Jonathan was already going to be trained in to be shoot boss, but it was a surprise to us to hear that we were the only full instructors to attend. It all went very well and we had 15 shooters on the line on Saturday, and about 10 on Sunday. One other Instructor In Training was there and helped us out on Sunday. We didn't get any riflemen out of the weekend, but two of the shooters got 208 and 206 points of the 210 needed to score Rifleman or "Expert" on the AQT.
I milked Sandy for the last time on Friday evening. She will be dry now until April 27th (Lord willing!) and then the other cow is due on March 21st. So for now, I have a break from milking! The evening of the first day of the Appleseed, we stayed at some friends place in Minot, which for me, was the first night away from home since December of 2010. I do miss going out and bringing in a bucket of milk though.
Until next time,
Peter
I just thought I'd let you see the brochure up close. Here's the links to the images:
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Front.jpg
http://bartlettfarm.us/images/Inside.jpg
Early Saturday morning, Jonathan and I packed up and left for Minot to instruct at the Appleseed at the Minot Rifle and Pistol Club's indoor range. We got a call from the shoot boss the day before saying that he was half way here from Iowa and that he had to turn and head back home for a family emergency. Jonathan was already going to be trained in to be shoot boss, but it was a surprise to us to hear that we were the only full instructors to attend. It all went very well and we had 15 shooters on the line on Saturday, and about 10 on Sunday. One other Instructor In Training was there and helped us out on Sunday. We didn't get any riflemen out of the weekend, but two of the shooters got 208 and 206 points of the 210 needed to score Rifleman or "Expert" on the AQT.
I milked Sandy for the last time on Friday evening. She will be dry now until April 27th (Lord willing!) and then the other cow is due on March 21st. So for now, I have a break from milking! The evening of the first day of the Appleseed, we stayed at some friends place in Minot, which for me, was the first night away from home since December of 2010. I do miss going out and bringing in a bucket of milk though.
Until next time,
Peter
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Check it out!
6:04 PM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Hi there,
You may be able to read a little from the picture but it would help to have the .pdf version of the page. I will post a link to that full color file as soon as I can. Right now it is stuck on the laptop computer that crashed.
Well, it's been a very long wait for me with lots of time and work involved. I began planning this out last fall, so I was really exited to have it arrive here in the mail today. Check it out below
Yes, it's what it appears to be -- a brochure! I spent many, many hours writing and revising the contents, and so far I haven't found anything I would change about what is said inside. The topic is Real Milk. "Taste the difference, Experience the Benefits" as the front panel says.
The brochures are not cheap to print. They cost about $.50 cents each so I will be giving them out to very interested people only. We used the company VistaPrint for printing these brochures and the business cards. I highly recommend them for their service, accurate printing and professional products.
Peter
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
17 Years . . .
2:12 PM |
Posted by
Peter
Posted by
Peter
Hi,
On the 27th of January, I turned 17. It doesn't seem like it was very long ago that I turned sixteen, but it has already been a year!
I had a enjoyable morning and received a few gifts from family. David and I shot a couple AQTs before lunch while Dad and Jonathan delivered eggs to town (it was Thursday, our weekly delivery day).
Usually, we have pizza for supper on a birthday, or lasagna, but I asked if we could have tacos instead. And we did! Very good ones too with plenty of tomato and lettuce, refried beans, chips and salsa and good fresh milk too.
I appreciate all of the gifts I received and one was really exiting to me. It's a book called "The Milk Diet As A Cure For Chronic Disease" by Charles Porter. It's a small reprint of an old book written in the early 1900s by a doctor who used a strictly milk diet to cure thousands of patients of various chronic diseases including arthritis, diabetes, and asthma. The book was written to his patients who were to read it before the treatment so it explains what and how to complete the cure. I talked to one person that might be interested in a cow-share, that was probably following this treatment since she had regained part of her kidney function because of raw milk.
Another creative gift was from Andrew. He put together this "dairy award" for me for my "valuable contributions" to Bartlett Farm. See below>>
It's a mini wooded milk tote with the wooden ribbons and tags glued on.Thank you Andrew, and everybody else! I am truly blessed.
No, those books aren't all mine. Dad gave one to each of the family.The day after my birthday, Dad and Mom and Jonathan went to Minot for a check up on his jaw surgery. Everything looks good and so Jonathan is able to get back into work slowly. While they were away we had an incident here.
We hadn't stoked the woodstove as well as we should have so it was mostly out with only a few coals in the firebox. David spent about 15 minutes warming up the chimney with newspaper and sticks until it caught the logs on fire. He left the intake open and the flu wide open to let the fire get established, and then he would close it down.
Andrew came in from picking up a UPS package outside and noticed creosote ash scattered on the snow all around outside. He called David and I outside, and we looked for the source of the particles. Then we noticed about half way up the chimney, the smoke was pouring out between the cracks in the two sections of new pipes. Figuring something was not right with the wood stove, I came back inside and closed the air intake and flu on the chimney. I put my boots on and grabbed a jacket and gloves and went outside again to look at the chimney. Now it was billowing out of two joints of pipe! Andrew and I ran to the shop and retrieved the long ladder from it's storage place. We rushed up to the house and ran the ladder up a few rungs and leaned it onto the edge of the roof. I didn't think of it, or tell him to do it, but David had a bunch of buckets of snow ready and waiting for me to take up to the roof. I took one with me and climbed twenty feet upwards to the edge of the roof. After safely footed on the dry shingles (thanks to the snow-tread on my bunny boots) I ran over to the top of the chimney and found pretty much what I expected. Sparks and ash propelled out of the pipe and a roaring sound. That confirmed my suspicions of a chimney fire. I dumped the bucket full of snow into the pipe and it sizzled its way down. I peered down into the smoke-filled black hole and saw that the pipe lining was red hot. A few feet away, on the north slope of the roof was a wide snow drift which I shoveled into the chimney pipe with the bucket. My right hand being bare, since I had taken two of the same handed glove out of my bin, was freezing now so I pulled one of the knit liners I kept in my pocket out put it on. I do not recall the exact procedure for putting out a chimney fire, but I did remember that our good friend Steve talked about using snow to extinguish one. It worked and not too long later the smoke peacefully drifted out of the pipe and water dribbled from the cleanout below. I climbed down and we gathered at the base of the ladder and thanked the Lord for directing us in extinguishing a potential house-threatening fire!
Just another one of those exiting adventures that we have around here.
Peter
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