Ragdollcatlady's Just a Little Patch of Weeds Farm journal

[Latestarter]

OK, got it. I have a small turkey and a whole chicken in the freezer so next time I shop I'll see if I can get those items and give it a try. Thanks!

 

[ragdollcatlady]

So I have decided that my grey hairs coming in are quite possibly just the blonde deep inside me slowly seeping out....

(no offence to actual blondes!)

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Happy Belated Holidays Everyone!!!

Christmas was great! Only one son wasn't here Christmas eve and day. We had a good time doing some REALLY last minute shopping....I sold Versace for Christmas money (last minute, like christmas eve) to buy my kids stuff. I know they really don't need things, but I want them to know that they are important enough that I want to search for things they like and want. We bought ingredients to make some of the foods they have been missing the most since 3 of the kids were away from home for so long this year.

Then we spent New Years Eve home with my daughter and her fiance. Their wedding was the next day, January 1st. It was a religious ceremony, but I am not familiar with the religion. It was a small ceremony, mostly family. A new in law did her hair and makeup and I got to help her get ready. She was absolutely beautiful! I did cry during the ceremony. Apparently her new husband had tears threatening to fall a few times during the ceremony too, but I guess he managed to keep them in check better than I did. DH had to have a whole bottle of "water" before the ceremony. Truthfully, he has had a really hard time with the whole idea of her getting married and has been a little bit of a handful for me lately. So that was fine.

The only thing about the wedding that didn't go as planned was the "cake" I had ordered and paid to have delivered. My DD and her husband don't care for cake and she gets black eyes (panda eyes) if she eats alot of sugar. So I asked if they liked cheesecake. He likes lime and she likes plain. So I went to a new local "bakery" to see if they would be able to pull off a different type of cake that I had in mind. I wanted a layered (2 layers only) cheesecake, lime on top, plain on the bottom, frosted with plain white buttercream, flowers and whatnot to look similar to a small traditional wedding cake. I picked a style from a pic online, decided on flowers, colors and 2 dozen mini cupcakes with white buttercream, rosebud style, in addition, in case anyone wanted actual cake instead. Think little kids and maybe a grandma or 2. She was supposed to deliver and set up between 12 and 12:30 on the day of. I never received a confirmation call, so I called the day before to confirm for the next day. I was told yes, they were coming and the silk flowers I had picked out came in but they were horrible so she picked different flowers, but they would be lovely. I said fine (but was a little confused as to why I didn't receive a courtesy call when she first realized the problem) and texted the gate code to her. So the next morning as we were having water issues at our house (an hour away from the ceremony) in the middle of trying to get 5 adults ready to go (think, valve popping off water spigot resulting in no water pressure for showers) I got a call at 11:15 that they gate code wasn't working. She delivered over and hour early, when she knew I wasn't going to be there yet...... I found out later why.The top layer was insanely fabulous! The bottom layer wasn't set right, The frosting was regular frosting which is always horrible since we can't stand frosting anyways but especially on a cheesecake!!! Buttercream is slightly less sweet and should have been decent if not ideal with cheesecake while still giving the look I wanted. The flowers were fine, the swirls were supposed to be black, but purple would have sufficed, however it was blue and the whole thing looked like I could have frosted it myself, not the professional look I was going for by paying this fool. The mini cupcakes were frosted with purple frosting (regular of course) and had the little balls sprinkled on some of them, but also looked like a 5 year old decorated them!!! I wanted white for no stains and I could have picked up professional quality cupcakes from walmart or any other actual bakery, even at the last minute had she let me know she could not deliver what I wanted! Found out later, that they had the day wrong, so that is why it was all a shambles. In my contract that we both signed, the date was correct, but since this person is an inlaw of my best friend, I got the real scoop. My best friends husband was the one to figure out and alert them the night before that they were talking about saturday, but our affair was scheduled for friday.

I don't want my money back, but that is what I get for trying to support a "new" business rather than go with the regular local bakery. I will never buy anything from those guys again. Oh and she left her cake stand and I got word that I needed to return it. Even though I had not agreed to rent, borrow or return anything to her, I saw in my contract that she requires rented equipment to be returned within 2 days following any event. So I tried to call her on sunday to return it but she still hasn't gotten back to me. I gave it to my BFF to give back to her. I am sure that lady really doesn't want to hear what I thought of her lack of professionalism, inability to deliver what is on a contract (and that she said she could do)or poor baking skills (the undone layer on the bottom).....

But aside form vocalizing my displeasure while trying to eat around the horrible frosting, I get to complain if I want cause I paid for it , but the wedding was fine, the company was good, good day! I have a new son in law! Yikes! At least I can say I honestly like him! My DD is a smart one and she picked a really good one I am sure!

 

[Latestarter]

Congrats to you, your family, and your daughter and new SiL! He looks quite handsome in his sailor's uniform, and she looks quite enamored of him As a retired sailor myself, I would have to say that at the least, she picked from the right branch of the service

Sorry the cake didn't work out right. It's really a shame, but happens all too frequently with new businesses. It's really no surprise most fail. You have to wonder what these people are thinking...

Isn't it amazing how stuff happens when you least can afford it? like having no water pressure? Jeeze... But in the end, it seems it all came together.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Congrats on your daughter's nuptials. I promise it could've been worse. My daughter actually went to the ER in her wedding dress on her wedding day... argh! But at least she has a good story to tell, lol.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Thanks Latestarter and FEM!

I am glad the cake is all that was wrong. Just something to be frustrated over, nothing to "ruin" any part of the event whatsoever.

The water was easily fixed with another part that we happened to have in the garage. DH has a weird affinity for putting those multihose adapters on EVERY spigot so we had a spare. That valve in particular was replaced (the actual metal part) but my DH isn't much of a plumber, sooo....it doesn't ever totally shut off. Hence the hose splitters that have little plastic valve shut offs. I guess it works????

 

[promiseacres]

Definitely worse things to go wrong at a wedding. Ours was cake issues too but it was the only thing.

 

[babsbag]

Congratulations on the marriage; she does look happy in that picture. My youngest son just got engaged last month ...they grow up so darn fast.

 

[ragdollcatlady]

We had issues this morning.

Leaky and Wiley (and Beaux) went outside as usual first thing, but I heard a commotion and threw open the window to find them pulling feathers out of one of my ducks that had somehow gotten into the area of the yard that the dogs use. I yelled at them to back off and they did while I stayed at the window to keep them from trying to get her again, until my son could run out and get the duck. Beaux was the only good dog today so I gave him scooby snax and he got to eat all of it by himself. (In our house scooby snax are leftover chicken skins, tendons, squishy things like that I separate out when putting away a cooked bird,that I freeze in small portions for treats.)

Then, later on, we had a repair guy out to give us an estimate and someone put the dogs out, but didn't make sure the laundry room door was shut and those 2 went out back. I didn't know the dogs were out so when I went to bring them in so I could take the guy out to show him the electrical box, I saw the door open, the garage door open and ran out in my socks through the mud yelling at the top of my lungs for the dogs. They were attacking someone in the yellow chicken house, but it wasn't a chicken. It was Rosie, my naughty little goat that has commandeered the house, sleeps in it, comes into the garage to eat only the best of the hay and runs wild and free over the whole backyard. Her nose has several gashes, a small cut under her eye and she wasn't wanting to put weight on her rear right leg at first. She should be OK though. Started her on banamine and penicillin because it is the only thing I have on hand right now and moved the kidding pen to fence in her yellow chicken house. She is usually not very nice to Pearl, but that is who she gets for company so she better be nice or I will let Pearl back with the rest of the herd.

I so hate dogs!!! I know that Leaky initiated this and Wiley joined in, but I am not sure how to teach them not to touch the animals. Leaky is a great house dog and when out with me he won't touch the farm animals, but is really, actually kind of retarded. I know he is just playing when he pulls feathers from the birds (SOOO NOT OK but he isn't trying to break necks or kill). I know he was the one to bit Rosies rear end too because that is how he plays with Wiley, trying to bite her rear end. I am most upset that Wiley bit Rosies face!!! I do understand that she might try and make her move to wherever she wanted her to be, but I can't abide biting! I am sick over this. I got rid of my best dog because she was doing what she thought was right, trying to make the goat go somewhere else and killed her in the meantime. I really like both these dogs and I don't want to give up on Wiley yet. If I can keep Leaky for a few more years, DD wants him. She told me a few weeks ago she planned on abducting him once she had a place. A properly closed door and a proper fence further back would have prevented the whole tragedy today, but I don't have enough money for a dog proof fence right now. Not that I ever really trust a dog anyway, but I really don't trust them now. The crazy thing is that Wiley is even good with the cats. Pirate bites at her muzzle and claws lightly at her face and she doesn't flinch. Ladybug has been out lately since we are switching rooms around and she will hiss and smack in the direction of the dogs when she comes in the kitchen, but Wiley just watches, doesn't get crazy or anything. If only I could teach her to be that way with all my animals we would be golden.

 

[promiseacres]

Dogs are tough, most just need more play time with appropriate playmates. Our almost year old pup still sees the kids as her playmates... considering another dog....maybe it's just so hard. I really don't want another so but I know she needs a better playmate than jumping on and mauling my kids, though they deserve it at times.