Balls not included

Well I thought balls were not included but apparently there is a pair..... one of our "Girls" is a GUY.
crap.
The Polish chicken that my husband picked out is the one. There is a 5% error on sexed chicks and our luck has it, I don't play but maybe I should try the lottery.

Hopefully this little guy won't tick off the neighbors, 1 neighbor in particular. If so, we just might fill our freezer sooner than I thought. Right now the darn thing sounds like someone is strangling it while it screams for help (think nails in a chalkboard).

The kids reply: yay we get chicks next year! That's just what I need a bunch of polish chicks running around (insert polish joke of your choice here) well, not my choice as far as breeds go. I prefer a more winter hardy vaiety like the Barred Rocks we have. The place where we got them said we could exchange any that were males, we'll keep you posted.


On a brighter note: I do have good news... but you'll have to stop back in tomorrow!

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My new level of insanity

I just sprinkled a few  different varieties of seeds (ok 8 to be exact).

I didn't look that bad when they were first coming up.

Honest.

Apparently I have a heavy hand (and a quarter of it didn't sprout).

It's only eight flats of lettuce plants.

With all this lettuce I am pretty sure i'll be crapping like a rabbit.

Yeah, definitely.

Don't tell my husband (but I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough).

Hidden treasures...

...from the garden...

...cucumber...

 ...squash....

...cabbage...

 ...squash...

...scallop...

...crisp lettuce.

Lettuce

Crisp lettuce basking in the glow of the late afternoon sun.

Merrily dancing along a stone wall, taunting me with their mouth watering leaves.

A rabbit would be in heaven in this patch of romaine, 

come to think of it so would I, with a splash of dressing ofcourse!

City night life

You can't get any farther from the life I'm striving for than this.

It is nice to go and visit but I'll take my: 

lawn full of weeds,

chicken poop blessed shoes,

long trips in the car to get anywhere,

quaint little town I live in (don't blink you'll miss it),

the friendly people I call neighbors,

the rare occasion we smell the lovely aroma of cow,

I love it because:

every way is a scenic way,

those seven little feathered kids waiting to greet me,

the many hiking, biking and fishing spots around,

the wineries (do I really need to explain this one?),

oh yeah and the fresh air.

Layered cake concoction

This is my Black Forest Cake it's a super easy cake to make and the presentation is fabulous. You can make your own concoction with whatever ingredient flavor combination you so choose. Below is the basic recipe to make this huge bowl size pictured above for you adventurous types.

1 box cake mix (bake according to pkg directions)
2-3 small (3.9 oz) box instant pudding mix (make according to directions)
2-3 cans (21 oz)  fruit or pie filling
3 small (8 oz) containers whipped cream (I use small containers when in a pinch- they defrost faster)

optional: whatever syrups, sauces, jams or flavorings you so choose.

After you make, bake and mix according to package directions comes the fun part - layering!
To start off put a tiny bit of pudding in bottom of container, then continue layers below:

layer of cake
layer of pudding
whipped cream
fruit or pie filling

Continue either til the container is full or you run out of ingredients.
Top off with a final layer of whipped cream and decorate the top as you so choose.

I have a couple other secret ingredients that I also add, so be creative!

Here's a couple options you can try:

chocolate cake,
butterscotch pudding,
butterscotch or caramel sauce,
whipped cream,
cherry or apple pie filling.

Vanilla cake, lemon cake or angel food cake (rip in pieces),
lemon or french vanilla pudding,
whipped cream,
fresh or pie filling strawberries

Chocolate cake,
mocha pudding or mousse,
fudge,
whipped cream,
cherry pie filling


Or maybe a mint combination, or peach combination.

The possibilities are endless have fun and let me know how your concoction tastes!

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Earring making 101

Making earrings is really very simple once you get the hang of it. There are so many beautiful beads out there so the possibilities are endless. Some of these earrings in the picture my children made. If you make timeless classic earrings you'll use them for years to come like the green round ones in the center I made 20 years ago!

To get started you'll need:

Main Beads (here we're using the green ones)

Accent Beads (it can be silver, gold, a color,etc.)

2" Head Pins (they have little flat end that helps keep the beads on)

2 Fish Hook Earrings

You'll need a round nose plier, flat nose plier and a cutter tool. The tool at the top of the picture has round ends, then goes to a flat section and at the base can cut the wire, the other one just cuts wire.

Next figure out how you want the earrings to look. Here are a few options I was playing around with. These green beads had a large hole so I had to use another bead to prevent it from sliding off.

Take your round nosed pliers and pinch the earring wire at the base as close to the beads as possible and bend it at a 90* angle.

Next go down about 1/4" or so and start winding the wire around the tip of the pliers (to make a loop). At some point you will need to cut the wire, just remember it's better to cut too little off than too much.

You will want to leave a bit of an opening so you can slide the earring hooks onto the loop. At this point if the loop is a bit bent you can use the flat nose pliers to make it flat, even and more professional looking.

Then take the flat nose pliers and squeeze the loop shut so the hook cannot come off.


Pretty simple once you get the hang of using the tools to make loops. Enjoy your one-of-a-kind earrings.

We will show you other possibilities soon, so stay tuned!

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America's gardens

One of the things that stands out in my mind that First Lady Michele Obama did as a positive step forward was to break dirt and have a garden at the White House once again. In the past there has been fruit and orange trees, herbs, a victory garden during war time and even a children's garden at the White House. Above is the garden layout at the White House this spring. There is approx. 30 different crops not including the perennial herbs. The crops planted here are very common in what you would see in a typical garden in the US.


However, have you ever thought what that very same garden would look like if all that was planted were crops that are subsidized with your tax payer money? Crops that are grown using common commercial practices such as pesticides, herbicides and mass cultivation of only one or two crops. Not to mention Monsanto's push to use their genetically modified seeds.


This is what the crops would amount to if transposed onto the same garden layout:





Corn 35%
Wheat 20%
Cotton 20%
Soybean 15%
Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts and other specialty crops 0.5%

The remaining 9.5% you would squeeze in Rice, Canola, Sunflower, Peanuts, Sorghum and Tobacco.


I guarantee you the very same garden would have a lot more variety like the first garden design if you took the averages from small farms that practiced more natural, organic, earth and organism friendly gardening practices. Farms that are strongly against Monsanto's Frankenstein seeds and stick to Heirloom seeds that have been passed down from generation to generation.  Those crops also stand up better in droughts and floods than those crops regularly doused with man made chemicals.

Chartreuse fronds

This to me is beautiful... their triangular tips of chartreuse green pointing here and there. The fern fronds themselves are like little fingers reaching for the sun trying to catch as many rays as they possibly can. They almost look like they're glowing with the suns warm rays finding their hidden spot amongst the trees. These ferns are happily situated inches away from our little creek that quenches their roots on a hot summers day.

Simpler times

Simpler times.

 back when fun meant late night lightning bug excursions and the excitement when someone caught one to put into an old mason jar.....

when cool was the sound of a baseball card stuck in your bicycle wheel while you were cruising down the street with your friends...

making friendship bracelets and gum wrapper chains....

skipping rocks.... 

when a day spent outside playing baseball with the neighborhood kids was a daily occurrence....

a warm gooey marshmallow that was roasted to perfection over a campfire for your very own smores.....

when the whole family got together regularly just to eat dinner.....

the thrill of staying out past dark just to hold your own sparkler.....

being given a huge slice of watermelon not only to enjoy but for those pit spitting contests off the back stoop...

making a fort using blankets and chairs and whatever adventures your imagination presented...

getting out of breath playing tag....

picking dandelions for Mom....

Simpler times.

You know what I mean....

before video games... when kids had to use their own imagination. 

before childhood obesity.... when kids played outside all day.

before couch potatoes..... when going camping was the thing to do as a family vacation.

before the endless supply of high tech gadgets....when Lincoln Logs and marbles were the cool games to have.

When less was more.

When family was the most important thing.

When money was saved and time was spent.

When kids could be kids. 

A good read: The Backyard Beekeeper

Having grown up with bees I must say I love bees, they're amazing little creatures. Kim Flottum has done a superb job on The Backyard Beekeeper in explaining all that a newbie to bees will need to know. Great pictures help you see up close of these marvels of nature and help you to be able to identify a drone from a queen and what a supercedure queen cell looks like. If you want to start up an apiary take a look at this book. I love the pics of the complete metamorphosis of the honey bee and the maladies these little guys (and girls) may face and possibly succumb to.

Another benefit of being a beekeeper is turning all that wax into some cute and really great smelling bees wax candles which is touched upon in his book. The icing on the cake for me is the recipes in the back for different creams to use on your body as well as soaps, toners and lip balm. What book on bees would be complete without some recipes to make using your own freshly extracted honey. The recipes range from Meats, toppings, fruit recipes, drinks, vegetables, salad dressing, sauces, salads and desserts. Whether you have bees already or are looking into getting a hive of your own this is a nice addition to your home library. There is nothing as great and rewarding as bottling up your own honey- natures liquid gold.

Plight of the honey bee

Bees.

Without them our available food would drastically decrease. Think downward spiral. My dad had many hives when I was young and truthfully they won't bother you unless they are provoked. Even when there were masses of them flying around on a hot summers day when they were busy gathering you could walk right thru the flying frenzy and not get one sting. It's surreal.

Colony Collapse Disorder.

With hive upon hive of bees literally disappearing off the face of the earth many people and organizations have been in a bit of a panic mode. Many Bee Keepers who truck their hives around the U.S. by the tractor trailer full have and still are suffering financially due to loosing masses of hives. Some say it's the chemicals that are being put on the crops that the bees then walk on and carry it back to the hive. There have been accounts of nearby fields being sprayed and within hours hives are almost totally empty. gone.

Do your part.

I do not use any herbicides, pesticides,  etc on my flowers, lawn or garden. I have happy little dandelions in my yard in the spring  and pretty clover showing their little heads in the summer. Planting flowers that bees love is another way to help them. My Father went so far as spreading clover seed all over our back yard and he would purposefully not mow certain patches just for the bees to gather from the clover that we would later benefit from in the form of honey. Think farm stand honey giving off it's golden glow from the warm sun as it sits on the weathered shelf.

Another way you can do good is have a hive in your own back yard. Bee Keepers are a friendly helpful bunch and would be more than happy to be a mentor to someone just getting their 'wings wet'. If you're not sure about taking care of these intriguing little guys, you could get in touch with the Bee Keepers Association or your local group and see if someone is looking for a new location for a hive or two maybe even in exchange for some jars of honey.  That is a pretty good way to learn the ropes of the Bee Keeping world without the upfront investment.

Whatever action you take I'm sure the Bees will Thank you.

Dutch baby

Dutch Baby, German Pancake, Puff pancake..... whatever you call it this light as a feather pancake is sooo good you better make a double batch. This light and fluffy treat tastes great with a light dusting of powdered sugar and if you like you can top it with some great preserves, or even fresh cut fruit and don't forget a drizzle of maple syrup! With my family of five I always make a double batch so figure half a batch per adult.

Preheat oven to 425*F.

Whisk together:
   
     1/2 cup all-purpose flour
     1/4 cup sugar
     1/2 cup milk
     2 large eggs

I next put up to 3 tbsp butter in my 10 inch cast iron pan and put in oven til butter is melted. Then pour in batter and cook 12 to 15 minutes or til golden brown. The pancake will loose it's attractive puffiness so serve immediately.

When I make a double batch or more I find better results if I bake each batch in it's separate pan, otherwise it may be under cooked in the center.

My garden loves me

and I love my garden with nutrient rich soil and delicious fish emulsion. A great spot with plenty of sun and steps from my back door so I can easily harvest whatever lettuce or herbs I may need. 

 I happened upon this heart in my garden as I made my usual rounds in the garden peeking under leaves and vines seeing what bounty my garden will be rewarding me with in the months to come. 

Eyelet fan shawl

2 skeins of buttery soft baby yarn
US 6 knitting needles

This shawl is a generous 22" X 68".
It's a super simple addictive pattern that is classy for any occasion.
You may want to use stitch markers to help you stay accurate with the pattern.

CO 135 Sts and K 5 rows.

6th row *K 2 tog, K 2, YO, K 1, YO, K 2, K 2 Tog, repeat from * across row.
7th row P across row. Repeat the 6th & 7th rows 7 times.
Next 6 rows K.
Repeat from 6th row until work measures 68" from beginning, BO.

Fringe: Wind yarn over a 10" piece of cardboard, cut one end. Use 5 strands, double in half and knot through center st of last 2 rows at lower edge of each solid section and each lacy section ( every 5th st ) across end.

Then take half of one group of fringe and half of next group of fringe , knot together 1/2" from 1st row of knots twice, ( I repeated 2 more times ) trim evenly. Repeat fringe on opposite end. I also put a knot at the end of each yarn to prevent fraying.

K- Knit
P- Purl
BO- Bind Off
CO- Cast On
YO- Yarn Over
Sts- Stitches
Tog- Together


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Chicken whisperer

My very own chicken whisperer.

 Who knew.

Out of all the chickens we have (Rhode Island Red, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Polish & Barred Rocks) the Barred Rocks are by far the friendliest girls we have. They love to be picked up and petted, and they hang around us for a little love and affection. When you're bending down if your leg is vacant, they are quick  to hop up  to say hello. The Polish is the least friendly and the Rhode Island Red and Silver Laced Wyandottes are somewhere in between the two extremes. We were originally going to get all Barred Rocks but the variety we have is very pleasing to the eye. Only about 4 more months before we gather our own farm fresh free range eggs- how awesome is that!

Butterflies debut

The last three butterflies made their debut yesterday. They are all Black Swallowtail, two I believe were males and one female. This was really neat to experience both for me and my offspring! I love their bright bold markings they're really beautiful creatures.

The kids thought it was really cool to look at them close up!

My daughter had two of them on her hand and they both crawled up her arm and onto her face which made a cute photo op.


We then put them all onto the lettuce patch and one eventually fluttered happily away.




I would definitely like to do this again- it was really something to have a butterfly resting on your hand.

If you missed the post about the chrysalis click here: http://sewcarey.blogspot.com/2011/06/chrysalis.html


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Flowering corn plant

This is my corn plant, which is a house plant, that had bloomed once again for me. It fills the room with it's aroma which is similar to lilacs. A corn plant is pretty easy to take care of, so it should be a good pick to someone new to house plants as it's pretty forgiving.

And then there was three

One of the butterflies made their debut today and the kids were all aflutter with excitement!

It was cool to get an up close view of these dainty creatures. Butterflies are natures delicate rainbows with wings. Simply beautiful!

I believe this is a male Black Swallowtail.

If you missed the post about the chrysalis check it out here:  http://sewcarey.blogspot.com/2011/06/chrysalis.html

A good read: Farm Sanctuary

Enough can't be said of what Gene Baur at Farm Sanctuary has done to help protect the animals that suffer ill treatment before going to the slaughter house. The animals that will ultimately line the refrigerated shelves endure some of the most horrible living conditions, living conditions that are nothing more than cesspools. Looking at all those pretty cellophane packages we aren't aware of the unnecessary abuse and neglect that they endured.

Reading Farm Sanctuary you'll discover the real cost of cheap food, why agribusiness uses a whopping 25 million pounds of antibiotics a year, which is 8 times the amount used to treat human illnesses. The horrible treatment of unwanted male chicks and how their short lives are ended. It amazes me of the loopholes that humans have created and the ones that are suffering from it are the animals.

There are sad tales of animals but there are also ones with happy endings like the profiles that he included in his book of the animals that he has saved over the years and he shares a little bit of their story as well. No matter what your stand is on how animals should be raised for meat this book brings to light many interesting facts and also disturbing occasions that he has been eyewitness to.

You can visit Gene and Farm Sanctuary at:  www.farmsanctuary.org

Heavenly deliciousness

Who of you don't remember playing with friends on a warm day and happen upon a vine of this sweet stuff? I fondly remember not being able to resist the sweet taste of honeysuckles as a kid. Often you would smell their heavenly aroma before you were close enough to even spot the hidden vine. Everyone would then hop off their bikes to get their taste of this floral gem. It was definitely worth the risk of poison ivy!

It still tastes as good as I remembered it. Mmmm!

De-stress

During your busy stressful day today stop for a moment, take a deep breath and appreciate the beauty that can be found in nature. The billowy clouds drifting above your head..  

Chrysalis

We were given four chrysalis in a plastic container. Three are hanging from the lid and one is attached to the popsicle stick. We do not know what type of butterflies they will be but we are eagerly awaiting the day they will emerge - anyone want to take a guess?

Garden's a growin'

 The garden's growing by leaps and bounds lately especially the squash which probably had something to do with the massive amounts of rain we received.

 My mouth waters just thinking about the Butternut, yellow summer, romanesco, zucchini, white scallop and rampicante squash we'll be harvesting in the next couple of months!

We are trying luffa this year and if we have success you will have a chance to win some for yourself.

 The Rampicante squash we have growing on a vine as it will overtake everything in it's path- similar to Little Shop of Horrors! The squash will get to be around 2- 3ft long and you can harvest them as a summer squash or a winter squash- how cool is that! I plan on having a seed giveaway of this awesome squash.

Then there's the tomato plants Cherry, Roma and Black Krim. I can't wait to bite into the red juiciness fresh from the dirt in my little old garden! ( I bet your mouth is watering about now! )

The thyme plant from last year is in full bloom now. I love to take some red wine vinegar dressing or balsalmic vinagrette and put some fresh thyme gently crushed into the bottle and let it's tasty flavoring intermingle in the dressing. Give it some time in the bottle the longer it's in there the stronger it'll taste.

The lettuce patch is doing great and the cabbage is getting big (think corned beef and cabbage with onions, potatoes and carrots). All the cucumber plants have a bunch of flowers on them. I hope we have better success this year with the cucumbers.

We have a few rogue tomato plants that came up from last year, which in my opinion is awesome. Can you spot the tomato plant in the lettuce patch?