31/21: 200th post!

This is my 200th post on this blog... woohoo :)! I'm going to just leave you with a few random photos!

Suriyah

31/21: today. . .

. . . I worked on buddy walk stuff for a lot of the day, just doing odds and ends for it. I finished 1 poster, and made a notebook full of info (that took the longest).

This morning some friends came over to help butcher the hog with my brother, so while they were all cutting and packing meat, I was working on this stuff (I'm not the butcherer anyway. . .).

We had these miniature hay bales, got them from an auction probably. I think they are cute, and am probably going to use them for decoration. So, me and some friends wondered if we could make them. We tried, and decided that they must be made with a machine - they are packed SO tight. So instead, we made our own mini hay-bale type of things - they're still cute (the one in the pic is not a good one!), just not as cute as the others :).

After doing things like that all day. . . except I did have a "break" and loaded 28 hay bales. . . we decided to learn a new line dance which I got down fairly well (my sister "Q" being the teacher), and then we danced the ones we already knew and got our workout ;). Very fun!

So, there's my post for today. Have a great evening!

Suriyah

31/21: Buddy Walk Prep

We only have 6 days... almost 5 days... till our Buddy Walk. My sister Qadoshyah is running a booth for Reece's Rainbow adoption ministry, and we are having the small animal petting zoo. SO, we have not prepped for it that much and I keep telling my whole family -"the buddy walk is in 2 weeks". . ."the buddy walk is in a week!". . ."the buddy walk is in 6 days, we have to get ready!!" :). So today, I started to make posters and things for our booth. I think everything should come together pretty well, but we do have to do some things otherwise we will end up running out of time. Tomorrow, Mom said, we are going to work on the Buddy Walk things.

Tonight I finished a sign, and am working on information sheets on the animals. I have to work on getting all the pens together and everything organized.

Tomorrow it's going to be a bit busy in here I think - my brother, Norayah, slaughtered a hog he's been raising to put in our freezer (for us to... cook) and in the morning some friends are coming over to help with the processing. And then we'll be doing the Buddy Walk stuff. . . hopefully.

Well, I hope I wasn't too boring with this post for you today! I just went through the iPhoto library and picked a few pictures out that were taken today.

None of the goats in the picture below are pregnant :). . . healthy goats!

these piglets are SO cute!! They are wild and run all over.

adorable!

Have a good night!

Suriyah

31/21: At the Fair

Well, obviously I did not have the time (or brain power, I guess) yesterday to schedule a blog post for today. . . it's late, but it's still today :)!

I got up at 5:45am to milk the goats, they weren't all too happy about that but got over it quickly. We got to the fair a little bit after 8am. The reason we were going was because my sister entered rabbits in the show on Friday, someone showed for her Saturday since she couldn't be there, and then we went today (Sunday). And I guess I didn't have to go, but wanted to for the fun of it.

SO, I've never really been to the Tulsa State Fair before... yikes, it's HUGE!! There were a crazy amount of rabbits, and they were also showing beef cattle, Boer goats, llamas and whatever else I am forgetting. It was fun, but I'm tired! Here are a few pictures from our day with captions, enjoy ;).

These were Percheron draft horses, their owners were getting them ready to pull the cart. These things were giant! One of the guys grooming them was 6'2" and the horses withers were still a few inches taller than him. . . very neat animals!

This little alpaca was in the petting zoo. He/she wasn't super friendly but not too wild.

Osiyyah watching some of the petting zoo goats. They were friendly for feed and a few were just friendly, but then one of the workers went in there to catch a kid for a photo and obviously didn't know what he was doing. . . or was just making a show. . . and was jumping/jerking/chasing these goats all around the pen, just to catch this little kid. The goats were all freaked out by the time he was done and all the spectators were laughing. . . poor things (the goats, that is).

 "O" petting a turtle. . . he liked them a lot ;).

This 4-horned Jacob ram was in the petting zoo. . . he was tired!!

Some of us next to the camel. . . it's feet were pretty big.

These things were in the petting zoo and weren't very "pet-able" :). I forget what they were called though. . .

That's all the photos for now. . . and of course we didn't get ANY of the rabbit area.

I hope you had a good weekend, I did! Have a good night!

Suriyah

31/21: Piglets!!!

Well, I had a crazy morning. . . . and I guess we all did! The whole house was awoken to Mom running in saying "Wake Up! The pig is having babies!!". So everyone ran down to the pig pen. It is my brother's pig. He's raised her since she was pretty small and then bred her. She has had 6 piglets, and I think she is probably done. They are big healthy piglets and are so cute! She had 4 girls and 2 boys. One of the boys was having a bit of a problem figuring out how to nurse, but I think they should all be fine. There are 3 black and white ones, 1 solid red, one brownish one and one red and white one... I think ;).

big mama pig!

So after all that, I was already over an hour late for milking. I was coming back up and my other brother said "Hey, can you come help me? It'll only take 5 minutes." Alright, so I went and helped him and it did only take about 5 minutes :). He wanted me to give the new pigs their shots while he held them. When that was done, I was half-way deaf from all the screaming, those pigs are LOUD! The picture below is my brother with the 11 new pigs that we were vaccinating (that he got from the livestock auction last night). . . not sure what he is doing in this picture. . . sneaking up on them I guess :).

I finally was able to get the goats milked and fed, and also finally fed myself breakfast. When we got home last night, there was a box of laying hens in our bathroom - yuck! One of our friends had gotten them for us... thanks ;).

I just got done loading 20 bales of hay for a guy and am finally able to sit down and write this. Tomorrow is suppose to be another crazy day. . . going to the fair because my sister is showing rabbits, and I think I'll just go for the fun of it :)! So, I might actually schedule a blog post for tomorrow since I probably won't have the time.

Have a good day ya'll!

Suriyah

31/21: What Causes Down Syndrome?

Today I am pasting an article in from the National Down Syndrome Society website. I figured I should put some educational information on here about Down Syndrome, since I haven't really talked about it much before.

What Causes Down Syndrome?

In every cell in the human body there is a nucleus, where genetic material is stored in genes.  Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes.  Normally, the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, half of which are inherited from each parent.  Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called "nondisjunction."  Nondisjunction results in an embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two.  Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate.  As the embryo develops, the extra chromosome is replicated in every cell of the body.  This type of Down syndrome, which accounts for 95% of cases, is called Trisomy 21.     The two other types of Down syndrome are called mosaicism and translocation.  Mosaicism occurs when nondisjunction of chromosome 21 takes place in one-but not all-of the initial cell divisions after fertilization.  When this occurs, there is a mixture of two types of cells, some containing the usual 46 chromosomes and others containing 47.  Those cells with 47 chromosomes contain an extra chromosome 21.  Mosaicism accounts for about 1% of all cases of Down syndrome.  Research has indicated that individuals with mosaic Down syndrome may have fewer characteristics of Down syndrome than those with other types of Down syndrome.  However, broad generalizations are not possible due to the wide range of abilities people with Down syndrome possess.  Translocation accounts for about 4% of all cases of Down syndrome.  In translocation, part of chromosome 21 breaks off during cell division and attaches to another chromosome, typically chromosome 14.  While the total number of chromosomes in the cells remain 46, the presence of an extra part of chromosome 21 causes the characteristics of Down syndrome.     Regardless of the type of Down syndrome a person may have, all people with Down syndrome have an extra, critical portion of chromosome 21 present in all or some of their cells.  This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.   The cause of nondisjunction is currently unknown, but research has shown that it increases in frequency as a woman ages.  However, due to higher birth rates in younger women, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.  There is no definitive scientific research that indicates that Down syndrome is caused by environmental factors or the parents' activities before or during pregnancy.     Once a woman has given birth to a baby with Trisomy 21, it is estimated that her chances of having another baby with Trisomy 21 is 1% greater than her chances by age alone. The age of the mother does not seem to be linked to the risk of translocation.  Most cases are sporadic-that is, chance events.  However, in about one third of cases, one parent is a carrier of a translocated chromosome.  The risk of recurrence of translocation is about 3% if the father is the carrier and 10-15% if the mother is the carrier.  Genetic counseling can determine the origin of translocation.  How is Down syndrome Diagnosed? Prenatally There are two types of tests for Down syndrome that can be performed before a baby is born: screening tests and diagnostic tests. Prenatal screens estimate the chance of the fetus having Down syndrome. These tests only provide a probability. Diagnostic tests can provide a definitive diagnosis with almost 100% accuracy. Most screening tests involve a blood test and an ultrasound (sonogram). The blood tests (or serum screening tests) measure quantities of various substances in the blood of the mother. Together with a woman's age, these are used to estimate her chance of having a child with Down syndrome. These blood tests are often performed in conjunction with a detailed sonogram to check for "markers" (characteristics that some researchers feel may have a significant association with Down syndrome). Recently, researchers have developed a maternal serum/ultrasound/age combination that can yield a much higher accuracy rate at an earlier stage in the pregnancy. Still, the screen will not definitively diagnose Down syndrome. Prenatal screening tests are now routinely offered to women of all ages. If the chance of having a child with Down syndrome is high from prenatal screening, doctors will often advise a mother to undergo diagnostic testing if they desire a definitive diagnosis. The diagnostic procedures available for prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. These procedures, which carry up to a 1% risk of causing a spontaneous termination (miscarriage), are practically 100% accurate in diagnosing Down syndrome. Amniocentesis is usually performed in the second trimester after 15 weeks of gestation, CVS in the first trimester between 9 and 11 weeks. At Birth Down syndrome is usually identified at birth by the presence of certain physical traits: low muscle tone, a single deep crease across the palm of the hand, a slightly flattened facial profile and an upward slant to the eyes.  Because these features may be present in babies without Down syndrome, a chromosomal analysis called a karyotype is done to confirm the diagnosis. To obtain a karyotype, doctors draw a blood sample to examine the baby's cells. They use special tools to photograph the chromosomes and then group them by size, number, and shape. By examining the karyotype, doctors can diagnose Down syndrome.  Another genetic test called FISH can apply similar principles and confirm a diagnosis in a shorter amount of time.

Have a good Friday!

Suriyah

p.s. - winter's coming :)!

31/21: what to say...

Well, what am I going to talk about today. . . I'm not feeling very "talkative" :). Yesterday we had hay delivered and then normal Wednesday night happenings, I cleaned up the house after all that at 11:30pm - fun! Today it's so nice outside. It's school time right now, and then I'll be loading some hay up early this afternoon and everyone else will be busy with their normal crazy Thursday events.

I guess I'll just leave you with a few photos from the past few days...

Sorry I'm not very exciting today :).

Have a good day!

Suriyah

31/21: Walking the Goats

Yesterday me, Osiyyah and his twin sister Yophiyyah, went on a short little walk with the 2 goats that are "in training" for the Buddy Walk. Here's a few pictures from our little "event"... Osiyyah was very excited about it.

Osiyyah was walking "Cutie",

And Yophiyyah was walking "Blondie",

Have a good day! The Buddy Walk is only 11 days away!

Suriyah

31/21: Day 5

Well, today is October 5th... day 5 of the 31/21 challenge. Not sure what to talk about today, LOL. Everyone is doing school, it's nice and sunny outside, and all seems to be going pretty well. We're going to be getting a truckload of hay delivered within the next few days hopefully. Remember, winter is coming, which equals - not much pasture!

We have a lot of hickory nut trees on our property and it's that time of year again, when the nuts are falling. Mom and some of the kids went out and collected some the other day. Hickory nuts are SO hard to crack though!

We also planted a lot of sweet potatoes a few months back. Both up in our garden and across the street in "the other" garden (my nephew's wife's garden). The other day they dug some up. Some of them were really big, and they sure were yummy! I like sweet potatoes, but some of my family really doesn't. So we made sweet potato fries - those were a hit!

Today I've got to finish school, make some cheese, clean the house, workout... whatever else comes up.

I hope you have a good day!

Suriyah

31/21: Sunshine Award

I was awarded the Sunshine Award by one of my readers. Thank you, Olivia!

The rules are,

1. Save the image above and post it to your blog.

2. Pass the award to your favorite bloggers.

3. Link to their blogs.

4. Let your award winners know they have won by commenting on their blog.

5. My winners are,

1. Got Down Syndrome - my sister's blog about Down Syndrome.

2. Life On The Ranch - my mom's blog.

3. Urban Funny Farm - A family who has adopted 3 children.

4. Adventures of Canuck - my sister, Ezriyah's, blog about her dogs.

Have a good day!

Suriyah