The Slaughter House

Consider this a warning to the squeamish: this post contains images involved with processing meat.

Hunting season always brings the fear of, "What if...he really does shoot a deer?"

Unfortunately, Josh brought home two deer this season! So our garage once again turned into a slaughter house. Josh worked a couple of seasons processing deer and has slowly accumulated the tools deemed necessary to accomplish this task at home. For the two or three husbands that were forced into reading this post, now is the time to be jealous, very jealous. This year he got to pull out the over-powered motor to hook up to the way-too-big-grinder: power tools to process venison. A man will do anything to increase speed.

But let me tell you, I was beyond impressed. We accomplished in one night what has previously taken us an entire week. Josh was able to grind over 90lbs of venison in less than an hour while I struggled to keep up with wrapping and labeling. The sounds of the power tools, the hum of the bullet-heater as it increased the temperature in the garage to a comfortable 70 degrees, the whine of the motor as it spun the over-sized fly wheel on the way-too-big grinder, all helped to drown out the sucking noise as the venison entered the grinding shaft. Josh still will not confess the true per-pound-cost of the venison that fills our freezer, which should include the hotel, shooting range, and power tools, etc., but I am non-the-less pleased at the opportunity for us to bond, and I am certain James Dobson would agree: A couple who process deer together will stay together.

The Intended versus The Practical

Responding to the first comment I received in helping me sort out my dilemma….

This topic will definitely have to be revisited… and yes, there is a trend that most of it involves laundry.

Our king sized bed was intended to be a resting place to collect much needed zzz's, allowing our minds to rest. Instead as the largest flattest surface in the house, it has become the collecting place for clean laundry, which actually forces me to get it sorted in order to go to bed each night.

A full sized couch in the master bedroom was meant to be a relaxing location to escape from the toils of the day and curl up with warm blanket and a good book. But instead, it has become an overflow location for the never ending laundry sorting quandary.

A corner whirlpool tub should be used for soaking, relaxing, and catching a few moments of hydrotherapy, but instead it is used to separate the 'worn' but acceptable to 'wear again' clothes from the too dirty and must be washed clothes.

Any couch or cushion covered furniture should be a place to sit comfortably if the cushions were actually on it. However, in our house, these cushions are often found as the building blocks for forts, thus making the cushion less a piece of furniture, and more an indoor trampoline.

And no fort would be complete with out a roof, so sheets and blankets of all sizes are often found hanging randomly throughout the house.

Our guest bedroom, intended to house a bed, that is currently being used elsewhere, has become a play room for toys, toys and more toys (all girl stuff of course).

Okay, so the only really cool item that I actually found a creative use for is going to make every Pampered Chef Consultant vomit a little in their mouth. It is the little brown square scraper that comes with a stoneware purchase. It is a great tool for scraping the food or other unidentifiable substances off your kitchen/dining room floors and/or walls. I have one with my mopping supplies and it helps remove some of the most stubborn globs of caked on who-knows-what off my floor.

Can you believe I made this happen?

This post contains the most awe-inspiring photos so brace yourself for…

The blades of our labor...





The first set of pictures were taken on Setember 11, ten days after we seeded. The second set of pictures were wtaken on September 22. Amazing, I know and I saw it with my own eyes.

Once again, growing grass has proven to be obtainable. My countless minutes of watering were not in vain.


The deck was our Spring/Summer project. And we love it. The girls ate breakfast and lunch outside almost every day.