Faces

I was out in the barn today with the Camera and some of the critters wanted to say Hello. 

 

Knitting bag fit for man!

At Church we have a Hat Ministry and I always take my stuff along in a plastic bag, so one of the ladies made me a knitting bag fit for a man to carry.  How cool is this!

Another Hat

I was asked to post a picture of something I made from the orange roving I got Copper Moose.  This is a hat I just finished.  I am not sure what I will do with the rest of the yarn I have, maybe some fingerless gloves and a scarf to match but we shall see.  Here is the pic.  God Bless Dustin

Knitting Hats

I have been busy getting some hats knitted up for Christmas this year.  I had a couple requests this year after they seen the ones I gave for presents last year.

Starting top left is Shetland with Angelina, next is Rambouillet Alpaca ear muff hat, and Rambouillet with bronze Angelina.  Bottom left is my absolute favorite, brim is Cormo Angora blend and the body is Opal English Angora, lastly the brim is Coopworth and body is Chestnut Agouti Angora.  Now I am working on a hat with the orange roving I had got from Copper Moose. God Bless Dustin

SHEEP!!!!

Yesterday my parents and I made the long trip up to Fenton MI to pick up a starter flock of Shetland sheep and a couple llamas.  We got them from the lady who runs Kirkshire.  She gave me the 4 llamas because her husband has passed away from cancer and needed to cut down on the amount of critters she was feeding.

The Ram is in the back a black and white Ilget he is a lamb, 2 moorit ewes one is a lamb and one a yearling and a black ewe lamb.  They have been running with the ram all fall so could be bred as well, if so will be my very first spring with lambs.

This is a pic of the 3 female llamas.  I am going to keep the 2 lighter colored llamas and the dark llama in the back is looking for a forever home.  The one is the front is named Yo Momma LOL  So now I have a Llama Gama and a Llama Yo Momma.  Little female in the back I need to name yet.

This is a gelding named Bullet that is looking for a forever home as well.  The other dark llama is his mom so it would be great if they could go together.  I am asking $50 each to help with the cost of gas to MI and back.  All in all we a great trip up there and back yesterday it just made for a very long day.  The good Lord blessed me with amazing parents that went with me and Dad even done all the driving.  Hope you enjoyed the pics God Bless Dustin.  

Alpacas

Yesterday after I got off work I went to visit a near by Alpaca farm who was having a Christmas Open House.  They are new to Alpacas having them for about a year now and are up to 10 Suri Alpacas. 4 of them are bred females they just picked up last weekend in Iowa.  The Alpacas all looked very well cared for and the owners were very nice people as well.  Here are some pics of the Alpacas I took while walking around the barn.  They had a small shop where I picked up another hand woven rug, this one is for Mom's kitchen.   

 

I don't typically do ths but.....

it was orange and I couldn't help myself!
With all the roving I have the last thing I need is more.  I got this off ebay from the Copper Moose.  Its Alpaca Corriedale Top call Tangerine, I almost have one full bobbin.  God Bless Dustin

Layered Batts

Here is the last of the Shetland wool I have for now.  I done it in blue and white layered batts.  Luckily I still have tons of Alpaca I can card and some llama as well.  I think I will put some glitz in the black Alpaca, either blue or purple glitz. God Bless Dustin

Bunnies and Batts

I finally got around to taking pics of a couple of the new babies in my colored Giant projects.  I currently have 3 bucks left out of my oldest litter.  They were the biggest in the litter and all have good type the choc otter being my favorite so far.  The little black buck I may be selling for a wooler if he does not pick up some weight soon and catch up with his brothers.  Right now he is 6lbs and the 2 chocs are 6lbs 4oz.




 
I have been busy carding some Shetland wool as well and blending it with Angora.  I have finally made up my mind about what breed of sheep I want.  I am going with Shetlands because I like the range of colors, it blends well with Angora, and I can easily card it myself on the drum carder.  They are also a Primitive breed so are hardy and I wont have to worry about docking tails.  I am sure I will end up with one or two that are not Shetlands but Shetlands will make up the most of the spinners flock.  I have had a couple fleeces from one flock and will be going to visit another flock that my parents found at the North American soon and will be picking up a fleece to see how it works up.  Anyways here are the batts I have dyed carded and blended with Angora.  I still have some white and blue wool to do something with as well.

Bailey Approves

Saturday morning mom and I went up to one of the churches for a craft bazaar.  I recently found out one of my Dads cousins wife weaves rugs out of fabric and would be there.  I have a love for things hand made so had to go find me one.  

   
Not long after we got back with it Bailey took right up with it doing what she does best.
    

As soon as she comes in the house she is out of it!  God Bless Dustin

New Etsy Store

After lots and lots of thought I have opened a new etsy store with my roving and yarns in it.  I plan later to add hand spun yarns, some pure Angora.  Feel free to check it out! dustyjay23.etsy.com  Hopefully soon I will be posting pics of my latest litters in my colored Giant projects. God Bless Dustin

Socks Part 1

As some of you may know I have made my first attempt at knitting socks. Socks are the one thing I have wanted to knit since I stated knitting but have been afraid to do it.  My first plan was to be able to spin my own sock yarn and knit my own socks.  After some pushing from my friend Joyce I finally stated on a pair.
 
I know its nothing to brag about but its a start in my ever so slow knitting.  I am using some of the IAGARB sock yarn I got from Joyce as well.  Its very soft yarn and is blooming nicely so far.  I will keep you posted as I make more progress but it will be slow going.  God Bless Dustin

Black Giants

Tonight I took a couple pics of some of my Black Giant project to share with everyone so you can see how far I am in the process.  So far I am getting some nice type and wool but I would still like to work on darker color and of course bigger rabbits.  They have come a long way since I first started though my latest buck I do believe will make weight and then some by time he is Sr, my does usually do as well. 

  
This is Dusty's Yang.  She was clipped this evening and has a very nice amount of oh so soft wool with a 4 inch staple. 

Dusty's Chunky Monkey.  Growing her 2nd coat with tons of crimp and impressive texture and density.  Under this wool she is a tank!  I am in love with how solid her body is.




This is Dusty's Theopolis.  Theopolis is who the book of Acts in Bible was wrote which is where he gets his name.  Growing his second coat and there is tons of it coming in!  He should make a very nice her sire, I have currently got him bred to 2 does even though he is still quite young.  God Bless Dustin

Its been so long.....

It have been so long since I have posted anything for my friends to read. I am soo sorry for neglecting my blog for so long. Its been kinda crazy around here but hopefully with cooler weather comes more free time. We have the barn done and a small lot built in front of the barn but have not been able to get the pasture fenced in since the ground has been so hard because of lack of rain. The few holes we have had to dig for the pen and in the barn have taken a couple of days we dig a little then fill the holes full of water over night dig again and repeat. So if we dont get some rain soon it will be spring before we are able to do any fencing.

Today Mom and I went to Salem IN and picked up 2 Angora wethers.




  

This is Bobby and Billy.  Bobby is the one in front, Billy looks more like a Buck then a wether since he was wethered late in life.  I am hoping that wont affect his fleece too much.  Bobby's fleece I think is going to be really nice but I truely dont know a lot about Angora goats so will have to wait till spring when I can shear and spin some it.

In these 2 pics you can really see how stout and buck looking Billy is.  I was originally going to name them Bobby and Buddy but Billy still has some of that billy goat smell going on so I called him Billy instead.  I am really hoping that goes away now that he has be cut so if anyone knows for sure please let me know.

I have 3 litters of babies bunnies as well I need to get pics of them posted.  They are all part of my Colored Giant projects.  2 litters are Tans and Otters and the other I was hoping for blacks but all the colored babies are going to have white spots so if anyone stays it will be REWs.  Hope you enjoyed the pics of the new kids I will try to not let it be so long before I post again.  God Bless Dustin

Rabbit Summer Sausage

2 lbs ground rabbit
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper corns
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
5 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Tender Quick Curing Salt
1 cup water

Mix all together in bowl divide into logs
Sprinkle with more peppercorns pat in to stick
Wrap in netting (I used aluminum foil, make sure to poke holes so water and grease drip out)
Then wrap again in plastic wrap (I skipped this since I used aluminum foil)
Place in frig for 24 hours
Place on broiler rack
Bake at 300 degrees for 1 to 1 and 1/2hours
Remove netting once you can handle, if its cool netting will stick
Wrap in plastic
Place in frig for 24 hours before eating.

I made this this weekend and loved it, so did everyone I gave some to. I have heard of people using half rabbit and half pork but I only used rabbit. God Bless!

Updates

A lot has been going on in my life lately that has lead to me cutting down on amount of animals I have here at the Haven. As you know from reading previous posts I am a diabetic and have joined a gym in hopes of loosing some weight so I wont be on meds the rest of my life. I started working on a new assembly line at work and have been working a lot of 10 and 12 hour days. It is harder work than I was doing but after 6 years on the same line I needed a change. So far the new job is very nice and makes the days go by much quicker. The 2nd semester of my Faith Bible Institute class started up last Sunday night so I now have reading homework to do and will have tests at the end of the semester. This class is amazing and highly recommend taking it if you get the chance.

On top of all of this and the most exciting and life changing is I have surrendered to the Ministry! God has brought me through a drug addiction and homosexuality and I am now feeling led help others who struggle with the same things. This is the main reason I have decided to cut down on the amount of animals I have. Right now I just trying to find God's will and see where He is wanting me to go with all of this. I have started a new blog to get things started that I plan to post on faithfully. In Healing Hands will be where I do most of what God lays on my heart for the moment or as long as God allows me to use it. I am very excited and scared all at the same time about all of this. It is amazing to think that God could use me to further His Kingdom. I would have never thought only 3 years ago I would be where God has brought me today. As the song goes My God is a mountain mover! God Bless and if you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me at psalms121@rocketmai.com

Herd Reduction Commiskey IN 47227

With the amount of things going on in my life right now I am needing to downsize my herd. Most of these are animals I have been using in my colored Giant Angora breeding program. I am willing to meet right off interstate 65 or somewhere close to home. Will give discounts to multiple purchases. Prices do not reflect quality they are priced to move as I dont have time to care for everyone the way I would like to. There may be a couple more added to the list after I have a chance go over everyone again.

AE52 Satin Angora Sr Doe Choc Agouti DOB 11/7/09 $40
Alea's Bertha 81.25% German Sr Doe Chestnut 3/2/08 A_B_CcD_Ee $50
Dusty's Drusilla 40% German Sr Doe Fawn 7/31/09 A_B_CcDdee $40
Dusty's Ju Ju 50% German Sr Doe Chestnut 8/21/09 A_B_CcDdEe $25
Dusty's Stormie 83% German Sr Doe Black 5/29/09 aaB_C_D_E $25
SWF Misty 83% German Sr Doe Black 3/18/08 aaBbCcDdEe $25
Dusty's Izzy 61.5% German Crean Jr Doe 5/1/10 A_B_C_ddee $25
Dusty's Zoro 61.5% German Tort Jr Buck 5/1/10 aaB_C_D_ee $25
Blue Tort 66.5% German Jr Buck 6/4/10 $25
REW 66.5% German Jr Buck 6/4/10 $25
Chestnut 66.5% German Jr Buck 6/4/10 $25
IS's Mary Ann 75% German Black Jr Doe 3/7/10 $25

God Bless
Dustin
pslams121@rocketmail.com
Commiskey IN 47227

God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.

While I was reading my bible tonight this verse jumped out at me and brought to mind another verse or maybe a couple more verses and I really felt I like I needed to share it.

2Jhon 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

So what does this mean? The Father the Word and the Holy Ghost are all one. I know that is not the easiest thing to understand but is true. The way I had it explained to me is its like water. You can have 3 forms of water yet its all still one thing. You have water, ice and vapor, while they are all in different forms they are all still water. The Trinity is kind of the same thing. There are 3 different forms but all is one God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When I read this I get that the Word is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was in the beginning with God and was God. That is why Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh. Jesus was God on earth.

1Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The meaning of manifest is- apparent to the senses, especially to sight, or to the mind: evident: obvious. To make clear or evident: reveal. To prove: be evidence of. To appear to the senses.

So my conclusion on all of this is Jesus was God on earth. God came this earth to free His people to give us a way out. He made it clear Who He was and there could only be one Who could have came with no mistake. I want to say that Jesus fulfilled 333 old testament proficiencies. It was very clear that Jesus was the Messiah the one and only true living God, and He came down to this earth to save you and I who are sinners alike. The same God that died for me died for you as well. The same God that loves me, loves you. It amazes me how we dont have to change one thing about us to come to God but He calls us as well are! What amazing love is that, no matter what you have done in your life God is there. Trust me if God can change my life and work with such a person as I He can work with you as well. With God there is no "can't" or "wont" with God all things are possible. God Bless have a good evening!

BABIES!!!

I was not expecting these guys for at least one more day but was pleasantly surprised when mom heard chirps coming from the spare room where my incubator is.

There are 8 in the shoe box here and one still in the incubator drying off some. I will take him out in the morning to join his siblings. These eggs were a gift from a man in TX I bought some alpaca fleeces from. So are totally unrelated to the trio of Quail I currently have. I will keep you updated if more hatch out! God Bless!

Getting Closer

The contractor finished up his part of the barn on Fri, on top of building my barn we also had him add a 15ft lean to on the big barn. Tonight Dad and I were out filling the barn with lime to help keep the moister out we filled it about 6 inches. Tomorrow we will start adding a couple boards to the base to keep the animals off the metal and getting ready to build a stall and then separate the feed storage area off. Here are some of the pics of what we have done so far.

East Side there will be a stall inside this door and a pen around this side of the barn.

North side, inside this door will be a storage area for feed and maybe a couple bales of hay.

East side, this is the front of the barn that will lead out to the big pasture area.

South side, this will be part of the small pen as well. Hope you enjoyed the pics God Bless and keep those bunnies cool!

In my little world lately

Its been some time since my last post so I wanted to pop in and give you and update on what has been going on. We shall go from worst to best in this so hang on it gets better! I had some very bad luck with my lambs shortly after I got them. I am not totally sure if the dog got in the pen with them and they all busted through the gate or if my horse busted the gate open (he has thumbs I think!) and they got out. Either way the dogs got my 2 lambs a very very bad day at my house that evening. The Dr has told me that I do indeed have diabetes. I have been slowly gaining weight over the past couple years so that and both my parents having it to I am sure I was a shoo in. So I am on metformin for once a day right now and will go up to twice a day in another week. However no matter what goes wrong God is always there and makes it better!

I have joined a gym in town, Anytime Fitness, which I am really enjoying so far. I go with a couple girls I hung out with in school so it good to catch up and talk with them on a regular basis. Trying to eat right kinda sucks but you gotta do what you gotta do even if you do like the candy bar. I will be going to see the dietitian as well to get on the right track.



These are all pics of the new barn I am having build for my spinners flock. Its a 20X24 so I wont end up with 100 sheep, I know how I get so I need to have a set limit! There will be a guard llama and I have very strongly been considering an LGD as well to keep them safe. We are going to split the big pasture in half and put up a high tinsel fence with lots of room for grazing. So once all this gets done I will be going to pick up a couple lambs with lesson learned. So no matter what goes wrong in life the good Lord always provides and makes a way out! God Bless!

Fair Pics

I thought while I washing a fleece I would take some time and post fair pics of my niece and nephews rabbit show. Austin is still in Mini 4H and Ash has moved on to regular 4H, this is her second year of it. They both done AMAZING with their rabbits again this year. Ashley took 3 New Zealand Whites and a pair of Thriantas. She took BOB and BOS in both classes as well as winning the fryer class with a NZW. The Thriantas she was showing are actually Austins rabbits and she went on to get BIS with the Sr buck. I can not remember being that excited at a rabbit show in a long time! I have been showing for several years and have never got a BIS so I was very happy and proud of them both for taking such good care of the rabbits.


Mini 4H showing.

Austin and his rabbit. He is wearing one of my hats here somehow he ALWAYS ends up with all my hats LOL.


Ash in Jr Showmanship which she went on to win advancing to Sr Showmanship!





Ashley also won the Herdsman ship award in rabbits this is her at the auction getting her award. All in all the kids both had a great week at the fair! Hope you enjoyed the pics God Bless!

THE LORD'S TEST

I woke up this morning and knew that today,
The sun would not be shining and the clouds would be gray.
As I stepped outside, rain fell upon my head.
My car wouldn't start so I walked to school instead.

I forgot all of my assignments
I failed all of my tests.
I dropped my head in disgust and asked the Lord for one request.
"Lord, why is it that things won't go my way?"

He gently replied, "Dear child it is because you didn't thank me
yesterday.
I woke you up and enabled you to see the sun again.
I gave you shelter, protected your family, and even let you make a new
friend.
I blessed you far greater than I ever had before.

But you were too busy to thank me once more.
You didn't feel sick because I maintained your health.
You had money in your pocket because I maintained your wealth.
You had shoes on you feet and clothes to wear, too.

You had plenty of food to eat and what did you do?
You ignored me and went about your tasks.
But when you wanted something you never hesitated to ask.
I was there when you needed me and that wasn't too long ago.

But when things started going your way, it was me you did not know.
As if that weren't enough, I provided your favorite luxuries.
This was something I didn't have to do-they weren't even necessities.
And when it was time to get on your knees and show your gratitude,

You decided that after such a fulfilling day, you weren't in the mood.
So I decided to give you just a little test.
To show you how it would feel to stop being blessed."
I began to realize what the Lord was saying..

He said, "My child, you have learned and you know I do forgive.
But remember to remember this day as long as you shall live.
I love filling your life with joy, and your pain I'll alleviate it.
But just a simple thank you would show how much you appreciate it."

-- Author Unknown

Toes and Socks

Its been a little while since I have posted anything, last week was fair week and the kids very well with the rabbits. I will try to get details and pics posted soon. I did manage to get all my cages in the barn burnt and bleached today still got the outside hutch to do then it will be time to clean under the cages again. With all the animals I have there is always something that need done!

These 2 little guys were born May 25th and I am just not getting around to posting pics of them.

No matter how much I like these little guys they are proof that no matter what you need to have your dogs spayed or neutered. Roo is 5 years old and I have always got her put up in time not to have pups. This time I got her put her up and she got out on her own and as you can see I did not get to her before he did! The daddy is a Lab German Shepard mix and Roo is lab so pups are mostly lab. There is one boy and one girl both just got named today. The boy has a white spot and on his chest and toes so I called him Toes, the girl is solid choc and had to think of a name to go with Toes so I call her Socks LOL. These guys will be ready for new homes in a couple weeks so if you or some one you know is looking for a puppy please let me know. They are free to a good home. psalms121@rocketmail.com




There is lots going on around the house these days so blogging may be slow but I will try to keep up and fill everyone in one happenings as I can! God Bless hope you had a good 4th!