They’re Here

We got the baby chicks yesterday afternoon. Aren’t they cute? We have 22 of them. 5 are Buff Orpingtons and the others are Rhode Island Reds. They had sold out all the Buff’s but 5 when we got there. We took the last of the Reds that they had. The lady said they would get more in on Monday but didn’t know what breeds they would be. The odd one is a Ameraucana. I think they are also known as Easter Eggers as they lay colored eggs. We are hoping this one is a hen. The girls thought it would be fun to get something different. Anyway, they spent the night in the kitchen next to the wood fire. It was pretty cold here last night with rain, fog and wind so we thought they might be better off inside the house. Today, we moved them to the coop with a heat lamp for warmth. The house seems quiet without their chirping.

The girls and I are off to Sam’s and Lifeway today. I hope you all have a great day and God bless.

March 3, 2012 7

Chicks Coming Soon

The girls and I have been busy today getting Mr. Rooster’s coop converted to a chick house. We have been planning on getting new chicks this spring. Jess and David are going in with us to get them. The girls and I went over to Tractor Supply the other day to get a new wheelbarrow tire. The breed of chicks we wanted to get were already there. We are getting Buff Orpingtons (not sure I spelled that right). We also are getting a few black chickens which I have forgotten the name of. I thought they would give the chicken house a little different color. We plan on putting them in Mr. Rooster’s coop for temporary.

The inside of the coop.

This is the area the chickens from last year are in. They will soon be moving into another house and lot area. (As soon as we get it ready.) Then the new chicks will move into this house and lot. When they get old enough we will combine them all together.

The day was absolutely beautiful here. Lots of sunshine and temperatures in the low 60’s. While we worked, as you could see from the previous pictures, we had lots of help from the chickens. Sometimes even jumping up into the new coop. Our ladies are very curious. We also had these visitors. They did not come very close though. We hope they decide to nest on the island again. The mallard ducks have also been checking the island out. Spring-I think- is definitely on its way.

We hope to get the new chicks tomorrow!! Enjoy your day and God bless.

March 1, 2012 4

Maple buds

Grace took this picture of the maple buds last time we were down at Jessica’s.

Today has been a very beautiful day here with lots of sunshine. Temperatures are in the upper 50’s and the wind has finally laid down. Very nice. We had planned on going to the Horn’s today after school but Grace is getting a sore throat. So we decided not to go. Hopefully, it is nothing serious and we can go over there on Thursday. That’s the plan anyway.

I have found a new curriculum for school and was wondering if any of you all were familar with it. It is http://www.clp.org/christian_light_education It seems pretty good and I am thinking of going with it for math especially. Their teacher books have the solutions to the problems, not just the answers. I need that especially now as we are getting into geometry and alegbra.

I think I will go enjoy some of this sunshine. Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 27, 2012 5

Orange Cleaner

Fill a qt jar with orange peeling. Add white vinegar until jar is completely full. Let sit for 3-4 weeks. Strain. Dilute with water. Equal parts water to cleaner. Put into a spray bottle. I got this recipe from http://justlikemynanmade.blogspot.com/2011/05/citrus-cleaners-so-easy-and-good.html

February 24, 2012 0

Orange Cleaner

I wanted to share with you all something new I am trying. It is homemade orange cleaner. I got the idea from http://isabellaanddorinda.blogspot.com/2012/01/homemadecitrus-cleaner.html Mine has been made for less than a week now but it already smells so good. I will let you all know how it turns out.

Today we finished with school and had plans for doing some outside work. However, before we could get outside, it started to rain. This, of course, required a mad dash to the clothes line. Thankfully, we got the clothes-which had already dried-off before they got wet. I think our outside work will have to be put off for another day. We are planning to expand our chicken lot and purchase more layers this spring so we have much to do to get everything ready. Maybe it will dry off enough later to work on it some.

I also wanted to share another bird picture. Grace took this picture yesterday. Mr. Woodpecker has been a regular visitor to our feeder for the past few days. Isn’t he beautiful?

Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 24, 2012 7

Crocuses

Look, everyone, what is blooming at our home!!! We were all so excited today when we saw them. I just had to share them with you all. Also yesterday, the red winged blackbirds came back. They are always one of the first birds to return to our area in the spring. Every year, they stop at my feeder in the dogwood tree and spend the day there. We wanted to get a picture of them but everytime we would get close to the window they would fly away. Grace did however get a picture of this sparrow.

Today has felt like a spring day. Warm temperatures-60 degrees right now. Amazing! I LOVE it.

Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 23, 2012 6

French Bread

I got this recipe from my blogger friend Cheryl at https://holcombfamilyrecipes.wordpress.com/ I did alter it some as I wanted to use my bread machine to make the dough.

1 cup warm water, 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 4 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. yeast. Put into bread machine and set on dough cycle. When cycle is finished, take out on floured surface, flatten dough and roll into a long roll. Pinch ends and let rise for about l hr. I put mine in my oven and turn the oven light on. Then bake at 350 degrees for 15 min.

Garlic butter for making garlic bread

1 stick butter- softened, 2 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tbsp. dried parsley. Spread onto bread and toast.

February 22, 2012 0

Daniel and Darth Vader

Daniel is SO into Star Wars right now. He has a light saber and everything. He earned his light saber. He has just recently been promoted to a booster seat and was having trouble getting his seat belt to buckle. His mom told him if he could buckle himself in 10 times on his own, they would buy him a light saber. Motivation, you know. Well, it took him a while but he has it down pat now. He was super excited because when they went to purchase his light saber, they found a place on line where they could get 3 light sabers for the same price as one at Wal-Mart. Daniel says he got himself one, Daddy one, and Sam one so they can all be Jedi. Way to go, Daniel.

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day here in Floyd. The sun is shining and the temperature is already 40 degrees. We have gotten a great start on our day. The house chores are done and we even have a few minutes of relaxation before school starts. I was wondering if any of you ladies make kefir and if you do, do you use the powdered starter or the grains? I have made it a lot using the powdered starter but am wondering if the grains would be better. Any opinions?

I hope you all have a wonderful day and God bless.

February 22, 2012 5

Tuna Cakes

1/4 cup each chopped green pepper and onions, 1/4 cup mayonaise, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 5oz. cans tuna drained, 1 egg beaten, 1 cup dry bread crumbs. Mix all ingredients together. Roll balls, flatten into cakes. Fry cakes in melted butter until done.

February 21, 2012 0

Snow

I thought I would share with you all a few pictures of the snow we got on Sunday. It was (in my opinion) the perfect snow. It was beautiful to look at, it didn’t get bitter cold after the snow and it is already melting off.

We have been working on school and getting housework caught up. I wonder how it is that our house got so dirty when we were not even here! Well, you know what they say, “a woman’s work is never done.” But I love it. It really makes me happy to look around our home and have things be in order. Speaking of which, I guess I better get busy with our day. Tonight’s supper will be tuna cakes, pinto beans, fried potatoes, rolls and (maybe) a peach pie for dessert. Enjoy your day and God bless.

February 21, 2012 7