This week's winner...

... and Levi is goofy =0).

This weeks photos are... interesting. Levi is 1) full of himself after his birthday and 2) "rich" with birthday money and loot. So he's been living it up, buying himself things like candy and gum (which we allow because you only get one birthday a year, right?) ANYway... we've laughed and laughed at his pics because he didn't want to spit his gum out, but he didn't do such a good job at hiding it. These pics (especially the last couple) are definitely gonna be the ones we pull out and show his future girlfriends...

So, here he is with the names and his overly large wad of blue gum... he's happy to be doing this:

Here, he and his gum are getting ready to draw a winner:

He and his gum have chosen this week's winner!

And this week's winner is:

No gum in that one, but you know it's there, lol. Your Average Joe Jr, if you will contact us at robandlean@yahoo.com and let us know where to mail your ring, we'll get it right out to you. And, CONGRATS!! Next week, we'll be giving away some sort of titanium ring- check our shop announcement or back here for details- we have made our minds up yet, lol. Thanks everybody and have a great week!

Giveaway 6.28.10- Titanium and Faux Carnelian Ring

I just can't tell you how excited we are about this ring- the images I took do not do it justice at all (but I'm not a good photographer- just a point and shoot and hope for the best type gal.) This is a new band, unworn, size 8.25.

Just comment to this post and we'll enter you in this week's giveaway... Levi (or Hannah or somebody, lol) will draw a winner on Wednesday and we'll announce a winner on Wednesday afternoon, then the winner can email us with their shipping address. Good luck to everyone!!

And, our official name-drawer, Levi, turned six yesterday! And lost a tooth a few days before that =0). He thinks he's practically a grown man now. For his birthday we took him out for a Happy Meal (little boys are so easy! Our nine year old daughter chooses sushi.) Then he got some "work" clothes, which are jeans, button down short sleeved shirts, and a pair of "work" boots; and a new bike (John Deere, from the feed store. He wants to be a farmer right now.) We also let him choose some baby chicks and guinea keets while we were at the feed store and although they aren't "his", he's pretty proud of them. After that, it was cake and ice cream at my Grandmother's house, so all in all he had a great birthday.

For me, it's a little bittersweet to see my "baby" growing up so fast, but I'm super proud of him- he's a great kid and I love him to bits.

Have a great Monday everyone, and good luck!

We have a winner! And, next week's giveaway!

Rob and I are so glad that more and more people are entering this drawing each week- keep on entering and we will continue giving away rings. This week's winner has been chosen!! Hannah drew this week's winner because Levi was super busy counting down the days to his birthday (there are four days left!) and couldn't be bothered. And Hannah wanted a turn =0).

So here she is... she just turned 8 a couple of weeks ago.

She's getting ready to draw:

And the winner is:

Congratulations, Helenfin! If you will e-mail us at robandlean@yahoo.com, we'll get your ring sent right out.

And everyone else, please check back with us on Monday, June 28, because we're going to give away a new ring- Titanium with Faux Carnelian Overlay. The overlay on this band is not real stone (it's a hard surface material similar to Corian), but it is a lovely shade of red with black graining. And, the whole ring is waterproof and doesn't need special care like a wooden inlay or overlay band would. Here's an image:

The band is an 8.25 (fits like an 8 since the band is about a quarter inch wide) and we'll draw for it next week. Thanks again!!

We're giving away a Textured Titanium Ring!

This is another really popular style from our shop; Rob takes one of our hand milled rings, gives it a rounded profile, and then grinds the band to produce this almost-faceted, textured finish. Or sometimes I do the grinding, but I don't think I'm nearly as good at it as Rob is, lol.

The Textured Ti we're giving away this week is a size 9. It's unworn, and has been in our display cabinet for quite some time. While we don't technically keep rings in stock, we do have different styles and sizes here- either from mis sized bands or shop mistakes, or left over from stock that we carried to craft shows. We're glad to be able to give these bands away.

And, just a reminder of how this works: post a comment to this blog post and we will draw a winner from all the folks who post a comment on Wednesday, June 23. I will announce the winner some time Wednesday afternoon, and ask the winner to email us with their mailing address.

Thanks, guys, and good luck to everyone!!

P.S. We did get a new camera cable, but I wasn't able to get the images we took of last week's drawing- they didn't get uploaded to our computer, but they weren't on the camera anymore either. I'm sorry about that, y'all.

Meet the new girls... Talulah and Matilda =0)

Since I can't upload images from my camera at the moment, I thought I'd share some (already uploaded) pics of our newest goats. They're Talulah and Matilda, grade Nubians, and they're soooo sweet.

We needed more milk... although the four girls we milk every day give us upwards of three gallons a day. That seems like a lot until we feed our three bottle kids and then let the human kids drink their share. After that, there's basically enough to cook with. We like to make yogurt, kefir, and ice cream and would love to make more cheese (I've made mozarella and ricotta once, and they were quite good), but we just didn't have the extra. And even though most people think that goats' milk is grody because they either: a.) tasted some once and it tasted like a goat, or b.) know someone who tasted it once and it tasted like a goat, I can promise you that properly handled, fresh goats' milk is just delicious. Our kids complain when we have to buy "store milk"- they say it tastes rotten.

So, enter these girls. They look awfully skinny in the first image, but they're really not- they were just a little nervous their first couple of days here, and didn't eat much. They're slowly coming around. Talulah, the black and white doe, is in milk and giving us about three quarts a day, and I think she'll give more once she isn't so nervous about us and decides that we're friends. Raisins, animal crackers, and corn chips go a long way towards making friends with goats =0). Matilda is the brown one, and she was actually being dried off at her former home. We're trying to bring her back into milk, but I'm not sure if we're gonna be able to do that or not. She's a little more skittish than Talulah, but I think she's starting to like it here.

One thing that's super sweet about these two is that they do NOT want to be separated. So, we have to take them out of the pen together, and put them up together, or they both cry. And if they are separated for a minute, neither of them will settle down until they can see one another again. Then they touch noses and check each other out to make sure everything's okay.

Next year we have several more does that will be in milk besides the five (six if Matilda will begin to produce again) we are milking this year. Quite a few more, actually. We will definitely have enough milk for yogurt and kefir and lots of ice cream and cheese and maybe even soap. We plan on getting a cream separator also, so that we can make our own butter and sour cream (and have fresh cream for our coffee! Can't forget that, lol.)

Right now my oldest daughter and I are the main goat milkers; my oldest son can do a good job in a pinch but he doesn't really like to milk. We milk two full sized American Alpine does: Snickers and Sha-nan-a-gans; one Nigerian dwarf doe: Pillow (her registered name is Buttin' Heads Pillow Scham- there aren't a lot of nicknames you can come up with for a name like that, so she's just... Pillow, lol); one full size Oberhasli doe: Nutmeg; and the new girl. It takes us about forty minutes from start to finish- goats don't take long to milk at all- and we have the process pretty streamlined. I don't know what it will be like next year when we have several more does to milk. It should be... interesting!

Anyway, I'm sorry my camera cord decided to die, but I had a great time showing these girls to you all. When my camera is functional again, I'll introduce our other girls and guys =0).

We have a winner!

Gentress Myrrh won this week's band!

Congratulations!! Just email us at robandlean@yahoo.com and let me know where to mail your ring!

I will get images up of the drawing asap- unfortunately we're having some camera troubles at the moment. I got pics of the drawing but I think we need a new cable- they won't upload to my computer.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and please check back next Monday because we're going to give away a Textured Titanium ring.

This week's giveaway: Chunky Sterling and Amboyna Burl Inlay Band

Before I talk about this week's band, I think maybe I need to clarify how all of this works... I have still yet to hear from the last two weeks' winners, and I'm afraid I haven't been clear enough in explaining things. We just ask that you comment on this post so that we can put your name in the drawing- it will be either Tuesday, June 14 or Wednesday June 15 when we draw. I'll post with details and with the winner's name once we've drawn a winner. The winner must then contact us via either e-mail at robandlean@yahoo.com or by logging into etsy and convo-ing us through our shop. Our shop is http://robandlean.etsy.com/ . I will need your mailing address so that I can make sure you get your ring. I hope this helps, and I hope to hear from the previous winners so that I can mail their rings out =0).

This week's giveaway is a sterling and amboyna burl overlay band. It's one of our more popular styles. This band is a size 8.5 and is unworn. Just comment on this post and you'll be entered in the drawing. Ideally we would like to draw tomorrow, but will hold off on it if there are not many people to enter at that time; if we don't draw tomorrow, we will draw on Wednesday.

Good luck! We're looking forward to being able to bless someone with this band =0).

Just a quick note to the winners of the drawings =0)

If you could contact us at robandlean@yahoo.com, we can mail out your bands. Or if you'd like, log on to Etsy and shoot us a convo =0). They're set aside and ready to mail out.
Thanks, guys!!

Meet Nutmeg and Cinnamon

They're American Oberhasli does. They're sisters, and they're six years old.

I bought them from my neighbor in February, after our oldest Alpine doe (Daisy, she was 11 and my best girl) died. I just needed to fill Daisy's spot in the herd because it seemed to be so empty without her. Plus, I've always thought Oberhaslis were beautiful goats. Our neighbor wasn't going to keep these girls, and I was glad to pick them up. They both look like Daisy in the face, and seeing them out there reminds me of her. They were, like my Daisy, SO skinny when we got them. Their feet were overgrown and they were wormy and they were.... lost. The image below is of Cinnamon, the day we brought her home... she's hiding...

And right now, let me say this: I can never be a serious breeder of dairy goats. I'm not snobby enough or cold enough to look at these girls as just livestock. I can't cull (kill) does that aren't perfect. I just can't. Goats have personalities. They feel true affection for us. They can be so annoying! And also funny and tremendously loving. I love having them and can't imagine my life without them. Our goats are not pets: we do expect our girls to earn their keep by having kids and producing milk. At the same time, we also don't see them as commodities to discard if they don't measure up. I figure that after a lifetime of providing milk for our family and having babies for us to either keep or sell, that a doe has earned a spot in our home while she is alive.

I also love a good rescue, which is what these girls were. I have never seen feet so badly overgrown, and four months after these girls arrived here, I'm still trying to straighten them out. In the beginning, every step for them was painful... now they can run. They were so very skinny, with protruding hip bones and prominent ribs. Now they're filling out nicely, although they aren't as sassy as the other girls (give me a while, and they will be!) We wormed them and gave them B-12 and just spent time with them. They acted like they'd been mistreated- shying away if we raised our hands, etc. It has taken them a while to trust us, but even in the beginning they seemed so starved for affection, and they'd lick our hands and faces, as if they were saying, "Thank you".
Two days after we got them home, Nutmeg gave birth to a single buck kid. He's a Nuberhasli (half Nubian, half Oberhasli). We named him Elroy. It was awful watching her try to give birth while struggling with painful feet. We've been milking her and her udder is ruined (like Daisy's was... you can't keep dairy goats and not milk them- it does bad things to their udders.) She started barely giving a quart a day but has slowly worked up to around three. It's not great production, but remember, she was super super skinny and is still not in top condition. I'm sure that when she freshens next year after a pregnancy with good nutrition, we'll see her production go up. Cinnamon hasn't freshened, and we aren't sure if she's pregnant or not. Probably not (although there is always a possibility.) She is just as sweet as her sister is, though. I'm looking forward to milking her next year, as well. We will be breeding them to our Nigerian dwarf buck, Trouper, for mini-Oberhasli babies.

I noticed when we bought them that they both had ear tattoos. We were able to track down their breeder and first owners with the tattoo sequence. The people who bought them from the breeder have been so nice, even emailing us copies of their registrations. Nutmeg and Cinnamon are really TSJ Gold Tic-Tac and Tootsie Roll. They were at a commercial dairy in Arkansas until '07, and we don't know what happened to them between then and when we bought them. I know that my neighbor bought them as part of a herd dispersal sale and felt bad for them with their feet and all- they difinitely weren't treated like the dairy animals that they are. I don't know if we can track down their papers or not- it would be great to be able to do that, but I'm just glad to know where they came from and some of their pedigree. There is good milk behind them, and good milk behind our buck, so we are crossing our fingers for nice miking daughters from both of them.Regardless, they both have a place here with us for the rest of their lives. And they definitely have a place in our hearts.

This week's winner!!!

It took me a while to wrangle Levi in from the yard this afternoon, and please forgive me because you know, he's just so grungy. After all, his shirt does say, "Messy" on the front.... trust me, there's a reason for that. Really, though, he's been out helping his older brothers clean out the barn in preparation for the hay that our neighbors are bailing for us, so he was all hot and sweaty (and happy! Little boys like to be dirty.)

As usual, you can see that he's totally serious about his job:



He's got The Bowl:



He's drawing the winner:



He's chosen a winner:



And that winner is:



Congratulations, Nathan!! Email us at robandlean@yahoo.com and I'll get your ring right out.

Next week, we will be giving away our Chunky Sterling and Amboyna Burl overlay band, so definitely check back with us.

We're giving away a mokume ring...

and I should have gotten this posted last night, but we're now into June, which is pretty much birthday month here. Our Hannah turned 8 on Friday, and Mitch is 15 today, so our weekend was all birthday related. We've cooked out and opened presents and made trips to the store so they can spend their birthday dollars. We have one more birthday this month (Levi will be turning 6), and then we get a little break until Rachel's birthday in August.

Whew.

Anyway, we are giving away this band:



It's listed in our shop here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/46840526/sterling-and-copper-mokume-gane-wave . The ring we're giving away is the actual band from the listing- the first one of these Rob ever made. It's unworn and has been in our display case since it was made, and we thought that it would be a great giveaway this week.

This is how it works: just comment on this blog post. We'll put everyone's name into a hat for drawing (Levi is our official name-puller-outer; he does a great job) either tomorrow, June 8 or Wednesday, June 9.

Also, if last week's winner, Cat and Luke, could email us at robandlean@yahoo.com, we can get your ring in the mail today!

Good luck to everyone!!

We have a winner!!

I want to thank everyone who entered and let you guys know that we are going to be giving rings away weekly again, so check back on Monday and enter the next drawing... we'll draw a winner on Tuesday.

Anyway... this is Levi and he draws the names for us when we do giveaways... he's five years old and he just lost his first tooth. He's super serious about his work (as you can see.)



We've put all five names on identical papers and put them in a bowl:



And then... drumroll... Levi draws the winner:



And the winner is....



Congrats, Kat and Luke =0). Just email us at robandlean@yahoo.com and give us your address, and we'll get this right out to you. We hope that you'll enjoy it, and thanks again to everyone who entered.

I'm not sure what we'll be giving away next week, but it will be one of our titanium bands. I'll post which one it is when we make up our minds, lol. Just check back on Monday for the giveaway post and comment =0).

Giving away a ring today!!

We're giving away a ring!!

This is a hand milled titanium band that we've inlaid with granite. It's a size 8.5, 1/4" wide.

This is how it works: simply comment on this blog post. Tomorrow, we will take everyone's name and have our five year old draw a winner (he's totally unbiased!) We'll announce the winner tomorrow afternoon and then contact you for mailing information. It's that easy. We used to do this every week and hope to do so again.

Good luck!