Ready, set, grow!

Well yesterday was a very eventful day in the garden. Most of the plants that could fit have been planted, tho I am waiting on the new herb bed to be assembled and filled with mushroom soil for the final planting. The weather recently has gone from cold to very warm overnight and I am hoping it will stay that way.

With the recent rain we've had all of the trees, flowers and sticker bushes have gone full steam ahead with their new growth of green-yellow leaves. Everywhere you look (and listen) spring is here and that is something I've missed terribly, but don't you worry I'm making up those ten years that I've endured without it. The only thing I don't miss is the ticks. There is a remedy to get rid of ticks, one that I'd love to have working in my yard and woods...guinea hens. I love them but they are really noisy and I doubt the nosy next door neighbor would go along with it.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

SCORE!!!!

We just made a Big score in the chicken coop department. We picked up these huge wooden boxes at a small airport near Philly- for free! They came from Italy carrying helicopter parts in them. They're built like Fort Knox and are approx 10' L x 6' W x 4' H.

The thing about people who don't have a flood of funds coming in ( and 3 kids with ravenous appetites ) is you do things as cheap as possible. We're going to basically stack one on top of the other as the floor is made with 2 x 9's. Soo excited!!!

My secret love affair...

I love love LOVE my crockpot! Is it me or does everything that comes out of it ends up being so moist and delicious and melt in your mouth awesome? The spicy chica that I am ofcourse my fave recipe is Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups with it's chicken cheesy melt in your mouth spicy jalapeno gooeyness (my mouth is watering as we speak) everyone in the fam comes back for seconds and thirds!

Ahhhh....

There's nothing like a fresh breath of warm spring air after a shiver fest with months full of winter snow. I swear if you listen carefully you can hear the spring flowers faintly cheering.

On a sadder note about half of my tomato plants got fried. I had them under my makeshift greenhouse plastic and opened up the sides this morning, but I guess the sun just was too strong. So about 5 flats are now brown & shriveled. bummer.

Chick tips

For all the future chicken owners out there I thought I'd post some tips to starting your chicks our right.

The chick minimum for hatchery deliveries is approx 15 to 25 chicks and a farm store is approx 6.

Items: Something to keep them in ex: card board box, or a wire cage with sides covered to protect from drafts, feeder, waterer, thermometer, heat lamp and red 250 Watt bulb,  chick starter feed and bedding if not a wire floor.

The first thing is get all items setup and ready for the peeps before their grand arrival. Including getting the temp correct 24 hours before they come. Thermometer should read 95*F for the first week and decrease the temp by 5*F each week til it's at @ 70* then they can go into the coop. I use a large cardboard box and hang a heat lamp to one end of box with a red 250 watt bulb from the ceiling with a metal chain ( I don't trust the clamp). Plastic garbage bags line the bottom and then paper towels (less slippery than news paper) go on top. Pine shavings can be used instead, or if you have a wire cage which would be less messy (could lay paper towels down for the first week or so).

Feed- I use a 1 gallon waterer and an 18" feeder for the peeps, but there are smaller options out there. Start out on a chick starter, then depending on the feed directions go onto a developer feed. Some people will once or twice sprinkle a tiny bit of sand in the feeder for digestion. If your chicks had a rough trip a little sugar can be added to the water.

At around 3- 4 weeks if it's warm out (@ 70*F) and not windy you can let them play in the grass/ outside SUPERVISED preferably with a fence for a short period of time.

Personal Experience: Despite it's name chicken wire should not be used as predators can reach in and kill chickens (and leave a nasty mess behind). It's best, in my opinion, to use 1/2" square hardware cloth.

But don't take my word for it, go to your local library there's bound to be a couple great books to read up on. So, if you have questions feel free to ask!

Optimal poopers

Come fall time our garden will receive the girls busy backend benefits...Manure!

Girls, girls, girls!

     Well as of yesterday our family has grown by 7. We have 7 fluffy balls of adorableness! Each of my kids picked out a chick along with my hubby and I got 3 of the variety I was going there for originally. We have 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes, a Rhode Island Red, a White Polish and 3 Barred Rocks. The kids have off the next 5 days so the decision was made to get chicks now so the kids could fully enjoy them. This has been a much anticipated occasion, one where questions and talks over dinner about what they eat, where they sleep and past chicken experiences have been shared over the past few years. The two things that they 'required' in a house when we made the BIG move was 1) a house with stairs (Fl houses are usually 1 level)  and 2) a place that allowed chickens. I guess it's time my kids made a new list!

 

3 Barred Rocks

Rhode Island Red

White Polish

2 Silver Laced Wyandottes

A FUNNY NOTE: The White Polish chick has a fluffy afro which will be replaced by feathers, but according to my daughter it's because she has a bigger brain! The same kid who also wanted me to get toys that chicks like to play with....ha ha ha!
     So our family dream is slowly coming to fruition. We have moved closer to family, have a garden (although small) and now the pitter patter of 14 little feet that will feed and nourish our bodies and I hope to soon hear the 'buzz' of progress on this 'mini farm'.

     Now that we've got the peeps next we're looking for a free small shed or scrap wood so we can make a coop and a chicken tractor. We've been on the lookout but haven't secured one yet, we have about a month before they'll be too big for the cardboard box. Stay tuned...

A Special Event

Tomorrow night is a very special event which comes around once a year. The Memorial. Last year over 18 Million people around the world gathered after sundown to commemorate Jesus death.

Golden Blossoms

Here in PA it's overcast and dreary reminiscent of a cold fall day. Here's some golden yellow blossoms that will liven your day up a bit....and something we hope to see in the next few months! 

Crazy winter

According to everyone else this has been a crazy snowy winter. I'm taking their word for it as this is my first winter up in the northern states in ten years.I did enjoy it immensely tho- winter in all it's beautiful splendor.

My kids had fun this winter sledding and making beer-men. But now I am on the sidelines with my pom poms cheering for team spring.

Gimme an S...

NSP's



    NSP's.....admittedly I have alot of them. In the sewing and crafters world Never Started Projects can be a good thing, or so I want my husband to believe. I buy fabrics, patterns, yarn, etc. whenever on sale or with coupon in hand. There they sit on the shelf ready to go. It's nice to be prepared whenever the 'itch to stitch' hits me. With the recent tightening of America's belt my 'stash' has been a lifesaver to me. I have dresses, skirts, suits, hats all waiting to be lovingly put together with minimal numbers of Washington's leaving my wallet. There is one exception - quilts. They require massive amounts of fabric to construct a bed sized one, which is somehow the only size I ever make (we will delve into this weakness at a later date). So with less spare cash quilts are on the back burner- unfortunately.

    
     This is a quilt that my kids helped select the fabrics and lay out the blocks. Hubby even got in on the action by showing the kids different brick patterns that he has installed at customers houses.

P.S. This is the warmest, cuddliest quilt in our home as it's natural cotton batting is encased with super soft flannel which has earned it's desire by everyone- even the cats!


NSP's aren't limited to the craft world. My NSP's also stretch into the backyard (my poor husband) and into the garden and barn and... well you get the idea. Here is where I would like to add the infamous Honey Do List, but unfortunately it's usually accomplished by myself. Hopefully you are more success than I.

Confession: I have no patience when comes to the veggie garden, so in my take prisoners, kick ass, who needs a man spirit I do it myself.

     I want bees so one of my projects this year is to build a top bar hive and maybe get a swarm of bees in there. Hey it can' hurt to reach for the stars right? Crazier things have happened to me and I'm sure you too.

Help not wanted

      I must confess I LOVE to grow stuff. All growing up my family has always had a veggie garden. It, in my opinion, is something that I thought all people do...well until recently. I am actually stunned that not everyone shares my passion to 'grow'... well more like an obsession really.

     I had recently moved back up north last summer after living in Fl for a decade (never thought that was ever going to happen) and ofcourse I am totally psyched to plant a garden again this year. I always try to make it a family affair, however my husband usually just does it to amuse me (yeah i got you figured out!). I gave him tomato seeds and a continer and said to 'just sprinkle them in there' so he, with the kids help, dumped ALL the seeds in. Long story short...over 200 Roma plantlets are up and that doesn't include the Big Boys, Cherrys or the Black Krim. I've already ran out of dirt a number of times as i've repotted them all and I started to use plastic cups to try to stretch the last bags of dirt as far as possible 'cause the pots that are remaining are quite large. Mental note for next year : Help Not Wanted.

ugh.

    We are renting and only have room for 9 tomato plants. Not to mention all the other seeds we had also planted that have shown their little green heads. My house seriously looks like Little Shop of Horrors!

Spring...it's about time!

Where does the time go?

My boys in a blink of an eye have grown soo much. I can get a glimpse every now and then of the young men they will very soon be. I don't even want to think about having an empty house in the near future, but I know it's part of life. I did my best raising them. They will do great things!

Here we go!

I've procrastinated long enough, but...it's official I've finally started a blog.Well hopefully this is the start of good things to come!