Well hello again!!!! I've had to do a major clean up of my sewing/craft room. It was so out of hand that when I went in there to get some yarn to work on a pattern I'd been writing to share with you guys, not only could I not find what I was after, but I realized when things came tumbling down that it was time to gut that room!!! Once I got started, I ended up throwing out 5 bags of stuff, and filling many bags and boxes of stuff to donate to the thrift store. I'm very close to being finished in there, and will be in there working on many things this weekend!!!! I have several sewing projects that need to be finished, and several more that need to be started.
At this point, the way our year has gone, I'm thinking that I'm not going to be making any promises to have any new patterns, or recipes to share with you all before the year is out. I honestly wanted to have so many things for you all, but life just kept getting in the way!!! However!!! Once my workspace is clean, and workable, I am positive that I will hopefully have so very many things to share with you all!!!!
So, if I don't check in with you all before the end of the year, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!!! I hope 2017 is much better!!!!
Monday, December 12, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
What a year its been so far
I don't know about you all, but 2016 has been a rough year. Not like horribly the world is ending, we're losing the farm, the dog died kind of year, but a year where stuff just keeps happening. My poor Farm husband has had to have multiple gum surgeries, and it looks like he has one more in his future, and hopefully it will be the last one, and then he can be done with that.
My mother in law had gotten a bit of an infection and had to be on IV antibiotics, and we are almost done!!! We're so very close to being done!!!! But we are really far behind on the buildings and the farm stuff. So, we will be bringing in a little bit of help here in the next couple of weeks as soon as we get ourselves turned around and reorganized.
If our help is good, and we can get caught back up quickly, we will be able to finish butchering, and then get our replacement birds so that we can get things up and moving the way we want.
Anyways, I saw in the news this morning that Florence Henderson passed away!!!! That was rather sad...we have lost a lot of big named stars this year that were well known for their roles. I was really sad about David Bowie, and Alan Rickman. I'm hoping that we don't lose anyone else this year.
Well, I'd better pop off of here for now. I didn't mean to ramble, and honestly, I wasn't quite sure what exactly I had wanted to say, I guess I just wanted to pop in and say a little something so that you all knew I wasn't ignoring you all.
Time to go feed and water the critters before the sun goes down on me! Hope you all are well!!!!
My mother in law had gotten a bit of an infection and had to be on IV antibiotics, and we are almost done!!! We're so very close to being done!!!! But we are really far behind on the buildings and the farm stuff. So, we will be bringing in a little bit of help here in the next couple of weeks as soon as we get ourselves turned around and reorganized.
If our help is good, and we can get caught back up quickly, we will be able to finish butchering, and then get our replacement birds so that we can get things up and moving the way we want.
Anyways, I saw in the news this morning that Florence Henderson passed away!!!! That was rather sad...we have lost a lot of big named stars this year that were well known for their roles. I was really sad about David Bowie, and Alan Rickman. I'm hoping that we don't lose anyone else this year.
Well, I'd better pop off of here for now. I didn't mean to ramble, and honestly, I wasn't quite sure what exactly I had wanted to say, I guess I just wanted to pop in and say a little something so that you all knew I wasn't ignoring you all.
Time to go feed and water the critters before the sun goes down on me! Hope you all are well!!!!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Crochet Dishcloth
Hey there!!!! The day's not over yet!!! So if you have been waiting for that new pattern I promised, here it is at last!!!! This is actually part of a 3 piece set that I've written. I thought that I would start with the dishcloths, because they work up just so quick and easy!!! I loved making these once I got going with it. I'm probably going to have lots of these in my kitchen in the near future. Each one of these uses just over half a ball of cotton yarn. and an H hook.
Directions:
1. Chain 30, sc in second ch from hook. *dc in next st, sc in next* repeat across
2. Ch 2, dc in first sc *sc in next dc, dc in next sc* repeat across
Rows 4-25 Repeat rows 1 and 2 alternatively, finish off at end of row 25
Yes! It's just that simple. Sometimes, the simplest things turn out to be the prettiest. These truly are pretty in person!!! Here in a few days, I'll have the next part of this set double tested, photographed and shared!!!!
Enjoy!!!! And I hope you and your families all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Monday
I had planned on having a pattern up before the weekend was over, however the testing took a little longer. I need to wait for daylight to get some photographs taken. It will be up tomorrow however!!!!
For now though, I'm having hot tea and am snuggled up with the sibes!!!
For now though, I'm having hot tea and am snuggled up with the sibes!!!
Friday, November 18, 2016
Coming soon
Hey my followers!!!! We really have had a lot going on here in our personal lives, that has kept me a lot busier than I'm used to. My mother in law has required some antibiotics by IV, but thankfully there is only 2 weeks left of that. She's doing fantastic, and I will spare you all the details. But the whole family has pulled together to help her in her recovery,
So, I've been working on a crochet pattern to share with you guys. Right now, I'm double checking that pattern, and will hopefully have it up for you all by the Sunday night!!! It's nothing overly exciting. I wish I could design as fast, and big and beautifully as Sara Zimmerman over at Repeat Crafter Me, that woman is a serious inspiration to me. She just leaves me completely awe inspired with her use of colors, yarns and textures!!!!
Anyways, I'm taking Sam to the groomer this morning to get him straightened around. His fur grows so long and fast on the backs of his legs, and his belly, that if I don't keep up with the grooming he ends up rather matted, and I can't get it to brush out. Unfortunately he has a couple of spots like that now, and I need to get it taken care of before it gets any worse. Luckily he loves going to the groomer. Although, we are using a different groomer today. The lady that I had been taking him to had to retire due to health problems, and she really did a fantastic job with him. But I completely understand why she had to retire. Today we are going to the groomer at the Vets office. This guy is really good as well. He's who we took Nikki to during the last couple of years of her life. She hadn't needed a groomer before, but as she got older, her grooming needs changed significantly due to her joint problems, and other things. She loved it there so much, that when we would go to the vets office for her regular visits, or shots, or general stuff, that she would try to go back to the grooming area. I really think she liked the heated bed pad they would put her on. I'm positive it felt great on her joints.
My diet is going quite well by the way! That's still going. I joined a gym in town, and I'm loving it. It's really quite the sweaty workout in there. I'm not sure if it's the heat, or if it's the fact that I'm working out in a way that I don't get to work out here at home, but whew. I go 2-3 days a week.
I can't remember if I told you all or not, but we did get our second house for the chickens. We seriously need to get it set up before too much longer. Once we get it up, the plan is to run all of the birds down to the new house, and let them in there over the winter. Then, we are going to do a super cleaning of the one we have now. We will take everything out of there, and scrub the ceiling, and walls (it's dirt floor, so you can't actually wash that, just dig it out pretty good). Once we get that done, the plan is to sand the rest parts, and then are going to give the inside a paint job with some paint that will prevent rust. I'd like to paint the outside to look like a barn...but I don't think Frank is as keep on that idea as I am, so maybe just spray it off really well, and paint it the same colors it is now...brown and tan if it needs it.
Well, that's about everything that could be exciting on this end of things. I have a pile of recipe's to share with you guys, and as I said, I do have a crochet pattern to share with you guys that I've been working on, and I WILL have it up this weekend!!!!!
So, that's it better jump off of this computer, and get my rear in gear!!!!
So, I've been working on a crochet pattern to share with you guys. Right now, I'm double checking that pattern, and will hopefully have it up for you all by the Sunday night!!! It's nothing overly exciting. I wish I could design as fast, and big and beautifully as Sara Zimmerman over at Repeat Crafter Me, that woman is a serious inspiration to me. She just leaves me completely awe inspired with her use of colors, yarns and textures!!!!
Anyways, I'm taking Sam to the groomer this morning to get him straightened around. His fur grows so long and fast on the backs of his legs, and his belly, that if I don't keep up with the grooming he ends up rather matted, and I can't get it to brush out. Unfortunately he has a couple of spots like that now, and I need to get it taken care of before it gets any worse. Luckily he loves going to the groomer. Although, we are using a different groomer today. The lady that I had been taking him to had to retire due to health problems, and she really did a fantastic job with him. But I completely understand why she had to retire. Today we are going to the groomer at the Vets office. This guy is really good as well. He's who we took Nikki to during the last couple of years of her life. She hadn't needed a groomer before, but as she got older, her grooming needs changed significantly due to her joint problems, and other things. She loved it there so much, that when we would go to the vets office for her regular visits, or shots, or general stuff, that she would try to go back to the grooming area. I really think she liked the heated bed pad they would put her on. I'm positive it felt great on her joints.
My diet is going quite well by the way! That's still going. I joined a gym in town, and I'm loving it. It's really quite the sweaty workout in there. I'm not sure if it's the heat, or if it's the fact that I'm working out in a way that I don't get to work out here at home, but whew. I go 2-3 days a week.
I can't remember if I told you all or not, but we did get our second house for the chickens. We seriously need to get it set up before too much longer. Once we get it up, the plan is to run all of the birds down to the new house, and let them in there over the winter. Then, we are going to do a super cleaning of the one we have now. We will take everything out of there, and scrub the ceiling, and walls (it's dirt floor, so you can't actually wash that, just dig it out pretty good). Once we get that done, the plan is to sand the rest parts, and then are going to give the inside a paint job with some paint that will prevent rust. I'd like to paint the outside to look like a barn...but I don't think Frank is as keep on that idea as I am, so maybe just spray it off really well, and paint it the same colors it is now...brown and tan if it needs it.
Well, that's about everything that could be exciting on this end of things. I have a pile of recipe's to share with you guys, and as I said, I do have a crochet pattern to share with you guys that I've been working on, and I WILL have it up this weekend!!!!!
So, that's it better jump off of this computer, and get my rear in gear!!!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
I'm a bad bad blogger
Hello everyone! So, yesterday I went to get the link off of here for one of my recipes to share with someone, and was completely shocked that I haven't written a blog, shared a recipe, or a crochet pattern with you all since April!!!! I kind of have an excuse, but I kind of don't. I will get to all of that here in just a second, but I will say from the very bottom of my heart, I'm sorry, and I will try to do better, but with everything we have going on I cannot make any guarantees except to say that I've got some recipe's to share sometime in the near future, and I've been working on some new patterns that I want to share with you all!!!
So, let me catch you all up on everything!!!
So you know how they say, when it rains it pours? It's so true, from the farm, on through life. Ginger, one of my first Silver Fox rabbits, passed away back in the spring. She left 8 kits that were just a couple days shy of being 4 weeks old. They all made it, and I had wanted to keep 2 of the girls, but they were all just so small that we butchered them all at 6 months old. My heart really hurt over that. She died of a spinal cord injury. We think something scared her, and that's what happened to her.
Then we had a ton of rain...constant never ending rain...it rained so much that we couldn't get a garden in, and by the time it dried up enough to be able to till to plant, it was hot and buggy out, and I said nah.
We hatched a bunch of Buff Orpington chicks, I kept 4, 1 boy and 3 girls. The boy has been named Wesley. We were planning on doing an order from our favorite hatchery, but with everything that's happening now (will get to that) its going to have to be put on hold. Remember those Rooster chicks we ordered from Mt. Healthy???? Those 5 Rooster chicks that I needed for my flock???? All 5 turned out to be female!!!! Oh I was so mad!!!! The only thing they offered me was to refund my money...which I wasn't interested in, because I wanted roosters. But...that's ok...I can let things go...especially since I got 5 hens for the price of 5 roosters.
Frank had to have some major gum surgery done. It was split up into 2 different surgeries. He's now recovering from the second, and just had the stitches removed. His pain level has gone down, but he's still tender, and isn't quite able to eat his favorite foods yet. They had to do gum grafts, because his gum line had receded enough that he was going to lose those teeth if he didn't get the grafts done.
I've been on a diet, and am 3 pounds away from losing my first 40 pounds!!! I'd love to be down those 3 this week, but it's hard to say if that will or wont happen. As of right now, I'm 12 pounds away from being able to get my left hip replaced!!!! I'm more excited about that left him than anything!!! It's going to open up a whole new world to me being able to walk like a normal person. (yes, I'm only 36, but I had my first hip surgery at 12) I've recently shaken my diet up a bit to keep it moving in the right direction. I've been doing Slimfast, but have added the Atkins products in, that way I'm lowering my carb count some as well. My doctor and I have set a 20 pound goal by the end of December. I have lost 5 pounds for the month of October so far, so I'm thinking its a doable goal.
My mother in law, who is a diabetic has been having some major problems with her one foot. I won't go into details yet, because we don't know what the outcome is going to be. I will just ask for many prayers, and much love.
I had to take Sam to the vet today, again, for another ear infection. This is getting to be a yearly thing for him. I had been looking for a groomer for him, because his groomer that he was going to had to give it up due to health problems. I'm going to be using the groomer at the vets office, since they were the ones that groomed Nikki and I know that I can trust them. You see, I have a hard time handing my dogs over to just anybody. We have this one place in town, that sells reptiles, and when I went in there before to see what they would be like, not only was the lady really dirty looking, and wearing seriously stained up clothes (at least I hope they were stains) but the place smelled like a litter box that had not been changed in months. The smell of ammonia that was in the air there was almost over powering, and I wasn't about to leave my dog there. Now there is this other lady on the back streets that has a place, but I can't ever get in there to see what its like because she only opens her doors for appointments, and where as I respect that, I'm not taking my dogs in blind like that. So, even though it's going to be expensive, the vets office is where it's going to have to be. I checked and it is the same guy that worked there when we took Nikki (she had so many health problems that it had to be at the vets office). I had been working on keeping Sam's rear end fur cut off myself, but I'm far from a groomer, and I don't have the equipment to give him the groom he really needs. He's my only dog that needs to go to a groomer.
So, I'm going to close this up for now so that it doesn't turn into a long boring read. I've been working on some things using some free patterns. Once I get them done, I plan on sharing a pic, and the pattern link with you guys. If everything goes well, I hope to have some stuff to start sharing with you all within the next week...depending on how everything goes. I know I need to do some pictures, but I can't make any guarantees about that either. Lets just say, once things settle down again, I should be blogging more.....oh and as long as stuff stops breaking!!!!! (We've been busy getting vehicles repaired, and tires replaced, and we had to get a new washer and dryer, and dehumidifier etc etc...its just been never ending!!!!)
So, let me catch you all up on everything!!!
So you know how they say, when it rains it pours? It's so true, from the farm, on through life. Ginger, one of my first Silver Fox rabbits, passed away back in the spring. She left 8 kits that were just a couple days shy of being 4 weeks old. They all made it, and I had wanted to keep 2 of the girls, but they were all just so small that we butchered them all at 6 months old. My heart really hurt over that. She died of a spinal cord injury. We think something scared her, and that's what happened to her.
Then we had a ton of rain...constant never ending rain...it rained so much that we couldn't get a garden in, and by the time it dried up enough to be able to till to plant, it was hot and buggy out, and I said nah.
We hatched a bunch of Buff Orpington chicks, I kept 4, 1 boy and 3 girls. The boy has been named Wesley. We were planning on doing an order from our favorite hatchery, but with everything that's happening now (will get to that) its going to have to be put on hold. Remember those Rooster chicks we ordered from Mt. Healthy???? Those 5 Rooster chicks that I needed for my flock???? All 5 turned out to be female!!!! Oh I was so mad!!!! The only thing they offered me was to refund my money...which I wasn't interested in, because I wanted roosters. But...that's ok...I can let things go...especially since I got 5 hens for the price of 5 roosters.
Frank had to have some major gum surgery done. It was split up into 2 different surgeries. He's now recovering from the second, and just had the stitches removed. His pain level has gone down, but he's still tender, and isn't quite able to eat his favorite foods yet. They had to do gum grafts, because his gum line had receded enough that he was going to lose those teeth if he didn't get the grafts done.
I've been on a diet, and am 3 pounds away from losing my first 40 pounds!!! I'd love to be down those 3 this week, but it's hard to say if that will or wont happen. As of right now, I'm 12 pounds away from being able to get my left hip replaced!!!! I'm more excited about that left him than anything!!! It's going to open up a whole new world to me being able to walk like a normal person. (yes, I'm only 36, but I had my first hip surgery at 12) I've recently shaken my diet up a bit to keep it moving in the right direction. I've been doing Slimfast, but have added the Atkins products in, that way I'm lowering my carb count some as well. My doctor and I have set a 20 pound goal by the end of December. I have lost 5 pounds for the month of October so far, so I'm thinking its a doable goal.
My mother in law, who is a diabetic has been having some major problems with her one foot. I won't go into details yet, because we don't know what the outcome is going to be. I will just ask for many prayers, and much love.
I had to take Sam to the vet today, again, for another ear infection. This is getting to be a yearly thing for him. I had been looking for a groomer for him, because his groomer that he was going to had to give it up due to health problems. I'm going to be using the groomer at the vets office, since they were the ones that groomed Nikki and I know that I can trust them. You see, I have a hard time handing my dogs over to just anybody. We have this one place in town, that sells reptiles, and when I went in there before to see what they would be like, not only was the lady really dirty looking, and wearing seriously stained up clothes (at least I hope they were stains) but the place smelled like a litter box that had not been changed in months. The smell of ammonia that was in the air there was almost over powering, and I wasn't about to leave my dog there. Now there is this other lady on the back streets that has a place, but I can't ever get in there to see what its like because she only opens her doors for appointments, and where as I respect that, I'm not taking my dogs in blind like that. So, even though it's going to be expensive, the vets office is where it's going to have to be. I checked and it is the same guy that worked there when we took Nikki (she had so many health problems that it had to be at the vets office). I had been working on keeping Sam's rear end fur cut off myself, but I'm far from a groomer, and I don't have the equipment to give him the groom he really needs. He's my only dog that needs to go to a groomer.
So, I'm going to close this up for now so that it doesn't turn into a long boring read. I've been working on some things using some free patterns. Once I get them done, I plan on sharing a pic, and the pattern link with you guys. If everything goes well, I hope to have some stuff to start sharing with you all within the next week...depending on how everything goes. I know I need to do some pictures, but I can't make any guarantees about that either. Lets just say, once things settle down again, I should be blogging more.....oh and as long as stuff stops breaking!!!!! (We've been busy getting vehicles repaired, and tires replaced, and we had to get a new washer and dryer, and dehumidifier etc etc...its just been never ending!!!!)
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Rain Rain and more Rain
It's been raining here for over 2 weeks, and where we do have 2 days that it's not calling for rain, there does not appear to be an end in site anytime soon. Now, considering the fact that generally we do need rain, right now, it's keeping us from getting the garden plowed, and keeping us from being able to do some of the farm work that we've been wanting to get done.
On the upside, the peas are growing quite well, and I'm hoping that it wont be long before I'm picking peas. I'm so ready to be canning and starting the process for getting ready for next winter. It probably sounds like a funny thing to be worried about in May, but well, we all know how the winters on the East Coast can be.
Ginger had a littler on May 4th. Initially I thought she only had 8 kits...I was really surprised when I went out there yesterday with a container that had a towel in it, so that I could take them all out, and discovered that she had not 8, but 10!!!! That's the most she's ever given birth to. Not the most she's ever raised, but the most she herself has delivered. (if you all recall, she raised 3 of Betty's the one time.) So then, on Monday evening when I was doing the end of day chores, I noticed that Lucy was acting kind of weird, she was pulling fur and acting frantic. We had not been able to breed her when we tried to breed her the same time we bred Ginger and Betty. She was violent towards my bucks. Well I figured it was from all of the hormones floating around the rabbit house and that she would want to just make a nest for the sake of making a nest. Wrong, I went out there yesterday morning, and I saw that her nest box had a perfect nest, with lots and lots of fur in it...I was like wow, impressive, she made a really awesome nest for a doe that's not pregnant...then I thought...wait...just for the sake of looking...I stuck my hand into all of that fur and felt squirmy little babies...I was like holy crap!!! The only thing we can figure is, Bob had escaped his cage a few times, and I came out one morning and found he had climbed on top of the does cages, and I think he must have gotten her pregnant. Her cage was too far from Fred and George for it to have been either of those two. I took them out to check them last night, because I had not been free feeding her during the last 2 weeks of her pregnancy that we didn't realize was even happening. She had 6, 5 black and 1 blue. I know that Bob carries Blue, and that Lucy has a genetic back ground of all of the Silver Fox colors, so that was pretty good to see her give me a blue. I'm still waiting on Betty to have her kits. I'm thinking if she doesn't have them in the next 3 or 4 days I'll just have to take the nest box out. So, right now we have 27 kits all of different ages. Right now, Doris is the only one that has any kits by George.
Speaking of George, we are going to put him with Ethel when we take her kits away from her. I need to put him with one of my best does to see what he will do for that line Genetically. And if those kits turn out good, we're going to go ahead and weigh him, tattoo him, and write up and print out a pedigree for our book. Then, once Lucy has successfully raised this litter, and has weaned them, and we get her back to pre pregnancy shape, we will go ahead and get a weight on her, and tattoo and do up her paperwork.
Neither of the two Blue does we brought home have given birth or shown signs of nesting yet. I know that if they aren't pregnant, we need to work on them a bit and get them in some kind of a better shape. They were in the hands of inexperienced rabbit breeders/raisers, and their nutrition wasn't what you would want for breeding rabbits. We take their nutrition, and care very seriously. Unfortunately, it turns out that their pedigrees weren't worth the paper they were printed on. There were no weights, and they were missing lots of tattoos, and stuff. So, we are going to have to get their weights, and start from scratch, and work on breeding 3 generations so that we can have pedigrees from their lines. They have good fur, a good shape, etc etc, but it's going to take a lot of selective breeding/keeping before we have pedigrees from them. (oh the joys)
Everything in the world of chicken keeping is going well...kind of muddy right now thanks to all of the rain, but as soon as its not like shoveling soup, we will be out there with shovels, and buckets, and new bedding. People ask me if they are really worth the time, work and effort it takes to keep chickens, especially ones that I'm not able to free range, and my only answer is, yes. I cant describe the love I have for these funny creatures that are flighty, smart, and stalk me from one end of the run to the other, and wait for me every morning at the gate door. They have found a huge place in my heart, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
And lastly, we are going to be buying some hog panels every month, and putting them up as we buy them. What are we getting ready for??? Hogs!!!!! We are going to be raising American Guinea Hogs. We will be getting a trio next spring, 2 females and a male. I am actually thinking that if I have enough saved up for them we may actually do 3 females and a male. The Guinea Hog is a fascinating pig, and I'll tell you more about them as we go. I think that for now, I've blogged on for a bit longer than I usually do!!! I'll have some new recipes coming up here soon to share with you all!!! But for now, I'm going to close up.
On the upside, the peas are growing quite well, and I'm hoping that it wont be long before I'm picking peas. I'm so ready to be canning and starting the process for getting ready for next winter. It probably sounds like a funny thing to be worried about in May, but well, we all know how the winters on the East Coast can be.
Ginger had a littler on May 4th. Initially I thought she only had 8 kits...I was really surprised when I went out there yesterday with a container that had a towel in it, so that I could take them all out, and discovered that she had not 8, but 10!!!! That's the most she's ever given birth to. Not the most she's ever raised, but the most she herself has delivered. (if you all recall, she raised 3 of Betty's the one time.) So then, on Monday evening when I was doing the end of day chores, I noticed that Lucy was acting kind of weird, she was pulling fur and acting frantic. We had not been able to breed her when we tried to breed her the same time we bred Ginger and Betty. She was violent towards my bucks. Well I figured it was from all of the hormones floating around the rabbit house and that she would want to just make a nest for the sake of making a nest. Wrong, I went out there yesterday morning, and I saw that her nest box had a perfect nest, with lots and lots of fur in it...I was like wow, impressive, she made a really awesome nest for a doe that's not pregnant...then I thought...wait...just for the sake of looking...I stuck my hand into all of that fur and felt squirmy little babies...I was like holy crap!!! The only thing we can figure is, Bob had escaped his cage a few times, and I came out one morning and found he had climbed on top of the does cages, and I think he must have gotten her pregnant. Her cage was too far from Fred and George for it to have been either of those two. I took them out to check them last night, because I had not been free feeding her during the last 2 weeks of her pregnancy that we didn't realize was even happening. She had 6, 5 black and 1 blue. I know that Bob carries Blue, and that Lucy has a genetic back ground of all of the Silver Fox colors, so that was pretty good to see her give me a blue. I'm still waiting on Betty to have her kits. I'm thinking if she doesn't have them in the next 3 or 4 days I'll just have to take the nest box out. So, right now we have 27 kits all of different ages. Right now, Doris is the only one that has any kits by George.
Speaking of George, we are going to put him with Ethel when we take her kits away from her. I need to put him with one of my best does to see what he will do for that line Genetically. And if those kits turn out good, we're going to go ahead and weigh him, tattoo him, and write up and print out a pedigree for our book. Then, once Lucy has successfully raised this litter, and has weaned them, and we get her back to pre pregnancy shape, we will go ahead and get a weight on her, and tattoo and do up her paperwork.
Neither of the two Blue does we brought home have given birth or shown signs of nesting yet. I know that if they aren't pregnant, we need to work on them a bit and get them in some kind of a better shape. They were in the hands of inexperienced rabbit breeders/raisers, and their nutrition wasn't what you would want for breeding rabbits. We take their nutrition, and care very seriously. Unfortunately, it turns out that their pedigrees weren't worth the paper they were printed on. There were no weights, and they were missing lots of tattoos, and stuff. So, we are going to have to get their weights, and start from scratch, and work on breeding 3 generations so that we can have pedigrees from their lines. They have good fur, a good shape, etc etc, but it's going to take a lot of selective breeding/keeping before we have pedigrees from them. (oh the joys)
Everything in the world of chicken keeping is going well...kind of muddy right now thanks to all of the rain, but as soon as its not like shoveling soup, we will be out there with shovels, and buckets, and new bedding. People ask me if they are really worth the time, work and effort it takes to keep chickens, especially ones that I'm not able to free range, and my only answer is, yes. I cant describe the love I have for these funny creatures that are flighty, smart, and stalk me from one end of the run to the other, and wait for me every morning at the gate door. They have found a huge place in my heart, and aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
And lastly, we are going to be buying some hog panels every month, and putting them up as we buy them. What are we getting ready for??? Hogs!!!!! We are going to be raising American Guinea Hogs. We will be getting a trio next spring, 2 females and a male. I am actually thinking that if I have enough saved up for them we may actually do 3 females and a male. The Guinea Hog is a fascinating pig, and I'll tell you more about them as we go. I think that for now, I've blogged on for a bit longer than I usually do!!! I'll have some new recipes coming up here soon to share with you all!!! But for now, I'm going to close up.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Thinking about getting chickens?
This is probably going to be one of my longer posts, so if you are up for a read, grab yourself a cup of coffee, or a glass of something cold to drink. This may possibly end up being a 2 part post, I'm not sure yet, we will have to see how wordy this one gets.
So, I've been asked a lot of questions from people who have been thinking about getting chicks, or ready to lay hens. I've also been reading a lot of posts full of some really crazy stuff. It's amazing to me just how much info is out there that is really wild, weird or inaccurate. So, I'm just going to jump right in.
Let me start with chicks, because, well that's what chickens start out as. There are a few ways to get these little critters, you can get them from a feed store, a local farmer, from a mail order hatchery, or you can hatch them yourself. You need to pay close attention to these terms, Strait Run, Pullets, and Cockerels.
In a straight run, you are going to get a mix of boys and girls, but the thing is, you are more than likely going to get three times as many boys as you will girls. Pullets are girls, and cockerels are obviously boys. Most places are not going to let you buy less than 6 at a time. Most mail order places are going to make you order between 10 and 25 at a time.
The reason for this is, chicks are social creatures. They need to have other chicks to help keep them warm, to talk to, and to play with. Another reason is, sometimes, chicks die. I don't know any other way to put it, but they do. Sometimes their insides didn't develop quite right, or they didn't fully develop their yolk sack quite right.
One of the things you have to look for in chicks is pasty but. That's where they aren't quite getting enough water, and their poop gets hard, and will block their vent, and keep any more from coming out. It can kill them if not caught in time. The easiest way to fix it is to 1. pull their food and make sure they have lots of clean water and then 2. give them some strawberry greek yogurt. That will help their system reset itself. Then after about an hour, go ahead and give them their food back, but keep a close eye on them. I just go ahead and treat the entire bunch of chicks just to be safe.
Chicks need heat. They need the warmth, that fluff they have doesn't do much to help keep them warm. I don't use heat lamps, I used brooder heater panels. Those can be purchased from lots of different sources now. Amazon is a great place to check. They come in different sizes. Depending on how you are keeping them, they need to have heat for 4-6 weeks. I tend to only give them a heat source until they hit 4 weeks old. That's when their feathers are out, and I have them in the house anyways. In warmer weather I tend to put them out between 6-8 weeks of age. I have a special place that I keep them that keeps them safe away from the grown chickens.
Chicks need to be fed a special diet of starter grower pellets, and lots of fresh clean water. They cannot be given layer pellets until they are 4 months old. The layer pellts, which are designed for chickens 4 months and older, have too much protein and calcium in them. It will do damage to their kidneys and liver and can kill them.
Now, you're going to ask, when will my chickens start laying??? They start laying between 5-8 months of age depending on breed. Some breeds are very slow at maturing.
So, I'm going to ask you now, if you've made it this far, what are your plans for your chickens? They are quite the commitment. They require daily feeding, even when its cold outside. Are these chickens going to be for eggs? Are they going to be pets? What are your plans for when they stop laying? Will you keep them until they die? Are you going to sell them when they stop laying to people who butcher?
Chickens only have a good laying lifespan of 2 years. Some will lay for 3-4 years, but after those 2 years of good laying are over, the next year of laying is going to be about half if your lucky of what they laid before. Hens will live for 7-10 years. I've herd of some very well cared for pet chickens that have lived for 19 years. Once a hen stops laying, they start eating. And by that, I mean, they eat like a small dog. They probably eat twice what they ate when they were laying. So, if you feel like you cannot butcher these birds when they stop laying, and you cannot sell or give them to someone who will, you are going to be spending a lot of money and time on these birds, all the while you are buying store bought eggs. Or eggs from someone else who raises their own chickens. You will be cleaning a chicken coop, and cleaning up after them, etc. etc. All while having to buy eggs.
Now that we've gotten past that part, lets move on to the other down sides of chickens...so you've decided to free range your chickens, and you have a beautiful garden. You have a perfectly manicured landscape. The best manicured landscape on your road....not for long! These fun feathered friends which you have turned loose on your lawn, are going to get into those flower beds, and after they have eaten every colorful bloom, and have mowed that decorative grass, they are then going to dig up your mulch, and take themselves a dust bath. On the plus side, your bug problem is going to no longer be a bug problem.
Your chickens safety is also going to be an issue if you free range. You have to deal with Hawks, neighbors dogs, and if they don't stay in your yard, and end up in your neighbors flower bed, you will have to worry about what your neighbor is going to do to those guys. I personally don't free range, because as you all know, I have Siberian Huskies, and those chickens are a tasty fun game to them. Then, you have night time. You need to have a coop for them to sleep in at night where they will be safe against raccoons, opossums, cats, skunks, and other wild life. Chickens cannot see in the dark, and won't be able to defend themselves.
Finally lets talk about roosters. I love my roosters, and think they are a lot of fun, but I do respect their personal space. They have 2 jobs, and the number 1 job is to protect their flock. Their second job is to make love sweet chicken love to the ladies. If you have roosters, you need to respect their space. If they decide they want to be your friend, you will never ask for a better pal than that rooster. If they decide they don't like people, then they can be the most aggressive creature you have ever met.
You absolutely do not need a rooster in order to get chicken eggs. You only need a rooster if you want to hatch out chicks, but they are also a great idea if you are going to free range, because they will defend their girls to the bloody end. However, this goes back to your neighbor as well, if they don't like your neighbors, you could end up with a lawsuit on your hand. But roosters will lead the girls to tasty treats, and help them find cover when their is a hawk over head. So, unless you absolutely want a rooster, you have no need for one.
These are the basic things that you need to know before you get into raising chicks and keeping chickens. There are a lot of great sources on the web, but there are also a lot of really bad sources on the web as well. You need to read carefully, and think long and hard before you decide that you truly want to go down the path of backyard chicken farmer.
If you have any questions, please leave comments, or email me.
crochetbrandi@gmail.com
So, I've been asked a lot of questions from people who have been thinking about getting chicks, or ready to lay hens. I've also been reading a lot of posts full of some really crazy stuff. It's amazing to me just how much info is out there that is really wild, weird or inaccurate. So, I'm just going to jump right in.
Let me start with chicks, because, well that's what chickens start out as. There are a few ways to get these little critters, you can get them from a feed store, a local farmer, from a mail order hatchery, or you can hatch them yourself. You need to pay close attention to these terms, Strait Run, Pullets, and Cockerels.
In a straight run, you are going to get a mix of boys and girls, but the thing is, you are more than likely going to get three times as many boys as you will girls. Pullets are girls, and cockerels are obviously boys. Most places are not going to let you buy less than 6 at a time. Most mail order places are going to make you order between 10 and 25 at a time.
The reason for this is, chicks are social creatures. They need to have other chicks to help keep them warm, to talk to, and to play with. Another reason is, sometimes, chicks die. I don't know any other way to put it, but they do. Sometimes their insides didn't develop quite right, or they didn't fully develop their yolk sack quite right.
One of the things you have to look for in chicks is pasty but. That's where they aren't quite getting enough water, and their poop gets hard, and will block their vent, and keep any more from coming out. It can kill them if not caught in time. The easiest way to fix it is to 1. pull their food and make sure they have lots of clean water and then 2. give them some strawberry greek yogurt. That will help their system reset itself. Then after about an hour, go ahead and give them their food back, but keep a close eye on them. I just go ahead and treat the entire bunch of chicks just to be safe.
Chicks need heat. They need the warmth, that fluff they have doesn't do much to help keep them warm. I don't use heat lamps, I used brooder heater panels. Those can be purchased from lots of different sources now. Amazon is a great place to check. They come in different sizes. Depending on how you are keeping them, they need to have heat for 4-6 weeks. I tend to only give them a heat source until they hit 4 weeks old. That's when their feathers are out, and I have them in the house anyways. In warmer weather I tend to put them out between 6-8 weeks of age. I have a special place that I keep them that keeps them safe away from the grown chickens.
Chicks need to be fed a special diet of starter grower pellets, and lots of fresh clean water. They cannot be given layer pellets until they are 4 months old. The layer pellts, which are designed for chickens 4 months and older, have too much protein and calcium in them. It will do damage to their kidneys and liver and can kill them.
Now, you're going to ask, when will my chickens start laying??? They start laying between 5-8 months of age depending on breed. Some breeds are very slow at maturing.
So, I'm going to ask you now, if you've made it this far, what are your plans for your chickens? They are quite the commitment. They require daily feeding, even when its cold outside. Are these chickens going to be for eggs? Are they going to be pets? What are your plans for when they stop laying? Will you keep them until they die? Are you going to sell them when they stop laying to people who butcher?
Chickens only have a good laying lifespan of 2 years. Some will lay for 3-4 years, but after those 2 years of good laying are over, the next year of laying is going to be about half if your lucky of what they laid before. Hens will live for 7-10 years. I've herd of some very well cared for pet chickens that have lived for 19 years. Once a hen stops laying, they start eating. And by that, I mean, they eat like a small dog. They probably eat twice what they ate when they were laying. So, if you feel like you cannot butcher these birds when they stop laying, and you cannot sell or give them to someone who will, you are going to be spending a lot of money and time on these birds, all the while you are buying store bought eggs. Or eggs from someone else who raises their own chickens. You will be cleaning a chicken coop, and cleaning up after them, etc. etc. All while having to buy eggs.
Now that we've gotten past that part, lets move on to the other down sides of chickens...so you've decided to free range your chickens, and you have a beautiful garden. You have a perfectly manicured landscape. The best manicured landscape on your road....not for long! These fun feathered friends which you have turned loose on your lawn, are going to get into those flower beds, and after they have eaten every colorful bloom, and have mowed that decorative grass, they are then going to dig up your mulch, and take themselves a dust bath. On the plus side, your bug problem is going to no longer be a bug problem.
Your chickens safety is also going to be an issue if you free range. You have to deal with Hawks, neighbors dogs, and if they don't stay in your yard, and end up in your neighbors flower bed, you will have to worry about what your neighbor is going to do to those guys. I personally don't free range, because as you all know, I have Siberian Huskies, and those chickens are a tasty fun game to them. Then, you have night time. You need to have a coop for them to sleep in at night where they will be safe against raccoons, opossums, cats, skunks, and other wild life. Chickens cannot see in the dark, and won't be able to defend themselves.
Finally lets talk about roosters. I love my roosters, and think they are a lot of fun, but I do respect their personal space. They have 2 jobs, and the number 1 job is to protect their flock. Their second job is to make love sweet chicken love to the ladies. If you have roosters, you need to respect their space. If they decide they want to be your friend, you will never ask for a better pal than that rooster. If they decide they don't like people, then they can be the most aggressive creature you have ever met.
You absolutely do not need a rooster in order to get chicken eggs. You only need a rooster if you want to hatch out chicks, but they are also a great idea if you are going to free range, because they will defend their girls to the bloody end. However, this goes back to your neighbor as well, if they don't like your neighbors, you could end up with a lawsuit on your hand. But roosters will lead the girls to tasty treats, and help them find cover when their is a hawk over head. So, unless you absolutely want a rooster, you have no need for one.
These are the basic things that you need to know before you get into raising chicks and keeping chickens. There are a lot of great sources on the web, but there are also a lot of really bad sources on the web as well. You need to read carefully, and think long and hard before you decide that you truly want to go down the path of backyard chicken farmer.
If you have any questions, please leave comments, or email me.
crochetbrandi@gmail.com
Friday, April 8, 2016
Dandelion Jelly
Alright, so I decided that I really really really wanted to make Dandelion Jelly. I've been thinking about it for years. The other morning when I went outside, and saw hundreds of them in my yard all at once, I knew it was time. Now, if I saw bees busy at certain patches of them, I left those for the bees, because its still cold out, and dandelions are indeed their first food of the spring, which is what makes me cringe when people poison theirs because they are an eyesore to them. Dandelions are food that are enjoyable to everyone.
Anyways! Back to the jelly...so it really helps if you have a helper, which I didn't until closer to the end, because mine works night shift. The first thing you have to do is pick 10 cups of Dandelion flowers. Try to just get the head, because its going to make it look like you have more than you need. Once you have your flowers picked, get yourself a pair of scissors and a comfortable place to sit, because this next part takes a while. You need to cut all of the green away from and off of the flower, you are only using the petals for this. You will need 4 cups of these petals, which feels like forever to get to.
Once you get your petals all cut, put them into a big glass bowl, and cover with boiling water. I wasn't really given an amount, on the directions that I got, so I just filled a pan and boiled some water.
Then once you cover them with the boiling water, place a lid or a towel over top of this, and let it sit over night. The next morning strain the flowers out of the tea that you will have made. One of those hanging jelly bags would be perfect for this in all honesty. (I'm planning on purchasing one in the near future after this). You can also run them through a coffee filter, or a very clean towel.
Now for the Jelly making recipe since we are at this point.
you will need
4 cups of Dandelion tea,
1 pack of powdered pectin,
4 and 1/2 cups of sugar,
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Put your tea, pectin and lemon juice in the pan, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, and your sugar and bring back to a second boil, the kind of boil that doesn't stir down, once you've reached that point, boil for 1 minute, and keep stirring.
At the end of that minute, ladle into clean sanitized jars. I used multiple sized jars as you can see in my picture, so just wash extra. Put on lid, and water bath it for 10 minutes. Allow to sit over night and once its cool store in a cool dark place. This jelly will take up to 2 days to completely jell.
Yes its a lot of work, and I will probably never make it again, but it was most certainly an experience worth sharing with all of you, and if you do make it, please let me and my readers know what you all thought of it!!!
This spring/summer, I'm planning on trying some other types of jelly. I'm going to make corn cob jelly, because my sweet mother in law keeps bringing it up, and I think that means she wants some, and then I'm planning on making lilac jelly. I'm very interested in how that's going to turn out and look.
I did discover yesterday though, that I'm going to have to buy some more jelly jars. I seem to have lots more jelly to make, and not so very many jelly jars.
Monday, April 4, 2016
New laptop!
hey all!!! it took us a bit, but we got our laptop replaced. I'm having a time getting used to the navigation pad for the mouse, because if I'm not careful I'm zoomed in really close, or I'm zoomed waaaaay out!!! Its almost funny..
So, I've got some recipes coming up soon for you guys soon, Hopefully some new pictures.
Until then have a great week!
So, I've got some recipes coming up soon for you guys soon, Hopefully some new pictures.
Until then have a great week!
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Laptop died
Hey everyone! Our laptop took a dump, so it's going to be
A bit before I can get back to baby pics and stuff. I'm not
Going to buy the app for my phone because it's a bit
Crazy. So hopefully in the next 2 weeks I can do a big update for you
All!!!
A bit before I can get back to baby pics and stuff. I'm not
Going to buy the app for my phone because it's a bit
Crazy. So hopefully in the next 2 weeks I can do a big update for you
All!!!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Ranting
So, having chickens means that we have to have water containers, and feeders and all that good stuff.
Well, We went with the top fill bucket type water containers for the big run because it was "easier" let me tell you, I don't like the bucket type water containers anymore. I'm done with them. Yes the ones where you have to screw the little lid on the hole may be a bit of a pain, but they don't have the problems those bucket types have.
The problems are as follows, if the screw thing in the bottom gets too lose then all of the water just leaks out and you have a puddly mess....however if you don't have the blasted thing sitting perfectly flat, then either the water wont come out at all, or it wont stop coming out...if the little hole gets a speck of dirt in it, water wont come out, its almost like playing Russian Roullet...either the water will do what its supposed to and my birds will have water, OR I'll walk away and come back an hour later and they don't have any water at all. Sure, those things seem super convenient, and like they are going to work out perfectly, but they don't.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel better!!!
Well, We went with the top fill bucket type water containers for the big run because it was "easier" let me tell you, I don't like the bucket type water containers anymore. I'm done with them. Yes the ones where you have to screw the little lid on the hole may be a bit of a pain, but they don't have the problems those bucket types have.
The problems are as follows, if the screw thing in the bottom gets too lose then all of the water just leaks out and you have a puddly mess....however if you don't have the blasted thing sitting perfectly flat, then either the water wont come out at all, or it wont stop coming out...if the little hole gets a speck of dirt in it, water wont come out, its almost like playing Russian Roullet...either the water will do what its supposed to and my birds will have water, OR I'll walk away and come back an hour later and they don't have any water at all. Sure, those things seem super convenient, and like they are going to work out perfectly, but they don't.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I feel better!!!
keeping busy
Hey there everyone! Just a random blog, full of my rambles. We've been keeping busy here, but in a good way. I'm hoping that we can get around to butchering here soon, because my meat supply is just about gone.
It wont be long before the eggs in the incubator go into lockdown, so I'll have newly hatched chicks by next week. I've already started setting back Easter Egg, hatching eggs again. So, I'll be able to rotate everyone out, and then in again. I may end up setting up the old incubator, so that I can get them in if I get all that I need sooner. I'm not sure if I'm going to sell the chicks about to hatch as straight run, or if I'll grow them out and sell them. Depending on how many hatch, I may just split it up and sell half as straight run chicks, and then grow out the other half.
We're going to breed Lucy this weekend. She grew out into a really beautiful Doe. (Lucy is the daughter of Fred and Ethel) Ethel and Doris's current babies are growing quickly, and are in all honesty some of the biggest kits we've had. I'm thinking about putting Lucy with George, because I know what genetics Lucy carries due to Fred and Ethel, and see what happens if we use George. (George is the Son of Fred and Betty)(George is my chocolate buck)
Once we have had 3 good litters from George, we're going to go ahead and write up his pedigree, and get his ear tattoo done. The same goes for Lucy. I seriously love Silver Fox Rabbits, but the pedigree part is hard, because you don't want to pedigree and SF rabbit that doesn't fit the breed standards.
We still don't have my peas planted!!!! When we had the time to till, it snowed...and then it rained...seriously??? I hate that I'm starting to run so short on time to get my peas in the ground.
Its funny though, how many people give me the odd look about the amount of peas I'm planning on planting. They just don't get that by planting a large crop of peas this year, I'll be able to can up enough to last for 2 or 3 years. Its like when I buy large amounts of Fresh carrots. I'm almost out of them now, and they've lasted me for 3 years. Its awesome being able to grow/produce my own food!!!
Well...that's about it from here for today! Hope everyone has had a fantastic week so far!!!
It wont be long before the eggs in the incubator go into lockdown, so I'll have newly hatched chicks by next week. I've already started setting back Easter Egg, hatching eggs again. So, I'll be able to rotate everyone out, and then in again. I may end up setting up the old incubator, so that I can get them in if I get all that I need sooner. I'm not sure if I'm going to sell the chicks about to hatch as straight run, or if I'll grow them out and sell them. Depending on how many hatch, I may just split it up and sell half as straight run chicks, and then grow out the other half.
We're going to breed Lucy this weekend. She grew out into a really beautiful Doe. (Lucy is the daughter of Fred and Ethel) Ethel and Doris's current babies are growing quickly, and are in all honesty some of the biggest kits we've had. I'm thinking about putting Lucy with George, because I know what genetics Lucy carries due to Fred and Ethel, and see what happens if we use George. (George is the Son of Fred and Betty)(George is my chocolate buck)
Once we have had 3 good litters from George, we're going to go ahead and write up his pedigree, and get his ear tattoo done. The same goes for Lucy. I seriously love Silver Fox Rabbits, but the pedigree part is hard, because you don't want to pedigree and SF rabbit that doesn't fit the breed standards.
We still don't have my peas planted!!!! When we had the time to till, it snowed...and then it rained...seriously??? I hate that I'm starting to run so short on time to get my peas in the ground.
Its funny though, how many people give me the odd look about the amount of peas I'm planning on planting. They just don't get that by planting a large crop of peas this year, I'll be able to can up enough to last for 2 or 3 years. Its like when I buy large amounts of Fresh carrots. I'm almost out of them now, and they've lasted me for 3 years. Its awesome being able to grow/produce my own food!!!
Well...that's about it from here for today! Hope everyone has had a fantastic week so far!!!
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Crochet Pattern Round up
Hello everybody! Since I did the recipe round up a few weeks or so ago, I had been meaning to do a crochet pattern round up. I thought that there was no better time than now, since I'm waiting on my sweatshirt to wash and dry. (I have a sweat shirt that I wear this time of the year to do the animal chores and stuff...it got a little funky and needed to be washed.) So, with cup of coffee in hand, I'm going to provide you links to the patterns I've written, or shared. I think there is only one that I did a link to that's not my own. That being said, with cup of coffee in hand, here we go!
Snow Flake Throw
Towel Topper
Doll
Ducky and bunny easter egg cozies
Basic Crochet Stitch Abbreviations
Textured Scrubby
Chicken Hat
Easy Christmas Wreath
American Flag Afghan (Link)
Summer Granny Throw
I'm hoping to write a few new patterns to share with you all! You guys have been a fantastic audience (even if you don't comment to let me know how you like things)
Snow Flake Throw
Towel Topper
Doll
Ducky and bunny easter egg cozies
Basic Crochet Stitch Abbreviations
Textured Scrubby
Chicken Hat
Easy Christmas Wreath
American Flag Afghan (Link)
Summer Granny Throw
I'm hoping to write a few new patterns to share with you all! You guys have been a fantastic audience (even if you don't comment to let me know how you like things)
Monday, March 21, 2016
Reuben casserole
1 (12 oz.) can corned beef (or cook about 2 pounds fresh) (I prefer fresh, because its just better tasting)
1 (14 oz.) can or 2 cups packed Sauer Kraut, drained (I used the stuff out of the glass jar)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup thousand island dressing
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Crumble corned beef, mix in Sauer Kraut and place in a 1 & 1/2 to 2 quart casserole dish. Mix dressings together and pour over top and cover with cheese. Melt butter and mix with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
And there you have it! This recipe would actually be an easy make ahead, and throw in the oven later kind of dish. I would just wait to put the breadcrumbs on right before you put it in the oven.
There were no leftovers either by the way!!!
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Week in review
On Monday, we had to take Bella to the vet for an emergency situation. She scared the ever loving life out of me. She wasn't walking, making noise or eating. It turns out she had a pretty bad case of Lyme disease. Honestly, even using flea and tick repellents, dogs just aren't safe from Lyme disease. I had actually been getting the Lyme shot for my dogs, but they were still getting it, so I stopped, because there was no point in paying that kind of money, to just have to turn around to pay to have them treated for it anyways.
The baby bunnies in the first two pics are Fred and Ethel's babies. They are absolutely huge for being the age they are!!! They make Doris's babies look like runts. (Doris is the big blue bunny I took a picture of, she's rather photogenic)
I've been working on cleaning out the freezer and making jam's and jellies, so that I can finish getting ready for spring/summer. I really should have had it done back in the fall, but well you know how easy it is for time to get away from us.
My chicks that we moved outside that we got in January are doing really well. They are picking up speed on their growing, which is good.
My Orpington hens and roosters are getting huge as well.
I'm still pulling green beans out of the pantry to use that we canned last summer. They taste just as fresh as they did when we canned them. That's such an awesome feeling!
Finally, we're going to be planting peas soon!!! I was hoping to get that done today, but its snowing. Oh I can't tell you how frustrated this snow is leaving me!! I was hoping that it was going to be warm for the rest of the season! But I lost out on that one!!
Friday, March 11, 2016
January's Mail Order Chicks are outside!
My Orpington Hens and roosters, as you can see from the pictures are quite curious about their new neighbors, and their new neighbors are very curious about these birds who, right now are much bigger than they are.
In all honesty, I'm very curious as to who is going to be bigger once all of them are fully grown rooster wise, The Orpingtons, or the Rhode Islands. I've never had Orpington roosters before, so this will be kind of fun to see. I already know that the RIR roosters will be bigger than my Easter Egg Roosters, because I've seen Pete and Rufus with Sinatra and Martin...so that being said, I cant wait to see exactly where Wesley (My orp rooster) (yes I named him Wesley...can you guess the movie reference?)
Now that I have these guys outside, with lots of extra feed, they should really have a huge growth spurt!!!
Oh, for those of you who have been following me, and are wondering, no, I didn't add on to the run anymore, we went to Rockingham Co-op and bought just a door panel, and with the two of us working fast, Frank undid the hardware holding the panels together, and we opened it up a bit, and with me inside of the run, we got the panel slid in, and managed to not let anyone get out. (Where Jasper was watching and waiting very keenly, as only a Siberian Husky can do)
If anyone has any questions or comments about anything I post here, please, feel free to comment, or email me ( crochetbrandi@gmail.com)
I'm open to suggestions, or even recipe's that you would like me to try and post.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Baby Bunnies, and Orpingtons
I realized yesterday that my Orpington chicks that are outside are almost 4 months old already! That time went kind of quick!!!
Whats in a dozen eggs???
I recently took some eggs to a really sweet lady who works in our favorite place to eat. She had asked us about them, so I brought her some, and gave her my information for when she was ready for more. She was really surprised that I charge as little as I do, but I come out ok in the end (more to that here in a moment). I assured her that I sell them better at a lower price.
Recently there was a conversation in one of those groups that I belong to on Face Book, and that conversation did get a little heated. People were discussing how much they should be charging for eggs. People were attacking those who charged too much, and then people were attacking those who charged too little. One man even went so far as to say that charging such low prices, you will never get back what you had to put into that chicken to get it to lay the first egg. As far as I'm concerned, that's like a high school graduate saying ok, I need to make $80 an hour for anything I do to make up for all the time I had to spend in school to get to this point. You will never get back what you put into that bird to get it to the first egg, until it comes time to harvest that bird for meat.
I get my Chicken feed local, I buy it from the local Co-op, and I get it for less than $9 for a 50 pound bag. I'm buying it local, its also milled local, so, I'm taking money that I made locally, and spending it locally, and that money is staying local...I'm meeting other local farmers, and workers, and I'm helping out my own community. Now, I find that most people that charge high amounts are going to the big box stores, and paying huge amounts of money for feed. That money is not staying local, that feed is not made local, etc etc.
So what's in my carton of 12 eggs??? Local love, and community support.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
I'm sorry that there are no pictures of this fantastic desert!! Unfortunately it was gone before I remembered to take pictures!!! It was good to the last bite!!!
This was a recipe from scratch that was pretty easy. Although, I can tell you all that separating egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are like just laid fresh, they do not separate quickly or easily.
I made this for Todays family dinner, with my husband family. My husbands family gathers together every Sunday, its a beautiful thing, and our group has grown this past year. My husbands one Aunt has started being a regular face at the table, and his one cousin, and his cousin's girlfriend have started having Sunday Dinner with us. Its been so great, warm and fabulous to have everyone together as a group. I've loved every minute of it. We had a health scare with my Father In Law, but Thanks to God, and Medical Science, he's going to be just fine. It's been an emotional few weeks, waiting and worrying, and not knowing what was going to happen. You see, my husbands family is special to me in more ways than I will ever be able to vocalize, so I'm just going to move on, because finding words is getting hard here.
So here we go with the ingredients!
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick), butter, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg whites
2 (16 oz) cans chocolate frosting
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9- inch round cake pans.
2. Combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a bowl and stir until the cocoa is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
3. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with mixer until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the Cocoa mixture and mix for 1 minute longer. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and baking soda. Add the flour and salt. Mix for 1 minute more.
4. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks for, 2-3 minutes. Fold into the batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 25-28 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Spread the frosting between the layers, and over the top and sides of the cooled cake.
That's it, that's all there is to it!!! It may not sound quick and easy, but it surprisingly is!!!
If anyone makes this cake, send me pics, and I'll share them on here!!!!!
This was a recipe from scratch that was pretty easy. Although, I can tell you all that separating egg whites from the yolks when the eggs are like just laid fresh, they do not separate quickly or easily.
I made this for Todays family dinner, with my husband family. My husbands family gathers together every Sunday, its a beautiful thing, and our group has grown this past year. My husbands one Aunt has started being a regular face at the table, and his one cousin, and his cousin's girlfriend have started having Sunday Dinner with us. Its been so great, warm and fabulous to have everyone together as a group. I've loved every minute of it. We had a health scare with my Father In Law, but Thanks to God, and Medical Science, he's going to be just fine. It's been an emotional few weeks, waiting and worrying, and not knowing what was going to happen. You see, my husbands family is special to me in more ways than I will ever be able to vocalize, so I'm just going to move on, because finding words is getting hard here.
So here we go with the ingredients!
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick), butter, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg whites
2 (16 oz) cans chocolate frosting
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9- inch round cake pans.
2. Combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a bowl and stir until the cocoa is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
3. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Beat with mixer until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add the Cocoa mixture and mix for 1 minute longer. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla and baking soda. Add the flour and salt. Mix for 1 minute more.
4. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff peaks for, 2-3 minutes. Fold into the batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 25-28 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Spread the frosting between the layers, and over the top and sides of the cooled cake.
That's it, that's all there is to it!!! It may not sound quick and easy, but it surprisingly is!!!
If anyone makes this cake, send me pics, and I'll share them on here!!!!!
Raspberry Crumble Bars
So yesterday (March 5th) Was my husbands birthday. I was actually making these to share with everybody at our Sunday supper along with the cake that I made (recipe for that coming up as well), these were so good, that they got sampled by him out of sharability. So, I'm planning on making these again in a couple of weeks, in a larger batch.
This recipe is so quick and easy!! I really think its one of those things that can be whipped up for any event quickly and easily!!!
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 jar (12 oz.) raspberry jam or preserves
(Makes 20bars)
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking soda in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbles.
3. Reserve 1 & 1/2cups crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Spread jam on crust to within 1/4 inch of edges.
4. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly on top; press gently. Bake until crumb mixture is light brown, 20-25 minutes. Cook completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Been a little busy
Hey everyone!!! Yes, it's been a bit since my last blog post, but things tend to get a little bit busy on the farm here lately, especially since I've been working hard on staying on top of the hatching, and chick raising. About 2 weeks ago, I hatched out some Buff Orpington chicks, and then bought some black chicks from Tractor Supply. This week, we bought some more ISA Browns, which are some brown sex links. The ones we got last year were so good, we decided to get a few more for this year.
My Chicks that we got in the mail in January are about ready to go out, as they are fully feathered, and are getting too big for their brooder cage. I'm only keeping six of the Easter Egg chicks, the other 4 I'm putting up for sale in another 2 weeks.
Four of the six tetra tints we hatched out in October have started laying. I have 1 with the Buff Orpingtons, and so far, she has laid 12 days in a row!!! I cant wait to see how many days she lays in a row before she stops.
On Friday (The 4th) Doris gave me 8 cute little baby bunnies, and then today, Ethel gave us a litter, but I have no clue how many she's had yet. I can't wait until tomorrow morning when I can dig into that nest box and see what's waiting for me!!! Ethel tends to have the best kits!!!
I have a bunch of pictures to share with you guys. They aren't all in any particular order, because well, I've been taking pics to share with you all for quite some time, but I've been posting them on my FB Farm page One Crazy Little Chicken Farm if you get a chance, go over there and take a look, and give us a like!!!
So, here goes with the pictures so you can see some of what I've been up to!!!
I had more, but for some reason, they wouldn't load! My computer kept telling me they were already loaded, even though they weren't! I'll have to work on it more another day!!!
Coming up next, I have 2 new recipes for you all!!!
My Chicks that we got in the mail in January are about ready to go out, as they are fully feathered, and are getting too big for their brooder cage. I'm only keeping six of the Easter Egg chicks, the other 4 I'm putting up for sale in another 2 weeks.
Four of the six tetra tints we hatched out in October have started laying. I have 1 with the Buff Orpingtons, and so far, she has laid 12 days in a row!!! I cant wait to see how many days she lays in a row before she stops.
On Friday (The 4th) Doris gave me 8 cute little baby bunnies, and then today, Ethel gave us a litter, but I have no clue how many she's had yet. I can't wait until tomorrow morning when I can dig into that nest box and see what's waiting for me!!! Ethel tends to have the best kits!!!
I have a bunch of pictures to share with you guys. They aren't all in any particular order, because well, I've been taking pics to share with you all for quite some time, but I've been posting them on my FB Farm page One Crazy Little Chicken Farm if you get a chance, go over there and take a look, and give us a like!!!
So, here goes with the pictures so you can see some of what I've been up to!!!
I had more, but for some reason, they wouldn't load! My computer kept telling me they were already loaded, even though they weren't! I'll have to work on it more another day!!!
Coming up next, I have 2 new recipes for you all!!!
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Things I want to try this summer
This cold blustery weather, with the snow that's calling to start anytime now, has me thinking warm thoughts of things that I truly want to try this summer. One of the biggest things I want to try this summer, which probably isn't all that big at all is, Orange Marmalade. I've been wanting to try making it since I first started making jelly, and canning and stuff. I know when I was a kid Orange Jelly was one of my favorite things for my PB & J sandwiches, of course I know that Orange Jelly, and Marmalade are 2 totally different things, but some of the pictures people have been posting in one of the canning groups I belong to have been calling me to the point of really wanting to!!! So, look for pictures of whatever mess I'm probably going to make in that endeavor. I also want to make Kool-Aid Jelly. Face Book is a really dangerous place to be when you belong to lots of fun groups. (Crochet, Quilting, Canning...my FB group list doesn't really look like something a normal 30 something would belong to!)
The next thing on my list of things that I want to get accomplished this summer is, I want to get the hang of making the Double Wedding Ring quilt. I don't necessarily want to make the quilt, but I'm going to make practice blocks until I get good enough to make an entire quilt. I have my colors picked out, so I do want to make a DWR quilt, I've just got to practice, because those curves aren't necessarily impossible, just something that's going to need practice. I just love the look of those quilts, and would love to make one of them to have for Frank and I to cuddle under together.
Trout fishing!!! I want to go to a river that we can catch trout in, and stock our freezer with fresh fish. I think we can get our fishing licenses and trout stamps online now, so that will make things easier. Frank has plenty of fishing gear, so we wont need to get any of that. I think it would be fun to pack a picnic basket, and spend a day together with no television, no phones, and no work stuff going on. Just the two of us enjoying life.
And finally!!! I want to get more green beans, and tomatoes canned. I'd like to double the amount we got canned last year. This winter, we have done awesome not having to go grocery shopping for much of anything. That's been really awesome, and tasty.
What is everyone thinking about for their summer plans? I know the cold is probably getting to you all some.
The next thing on my list of things that I want to get accomplished this summer is, I want to get the hang of making the Double Wedding Ring quilt. I don't necessarily want to make the quilt, but I'm going to make practice blocks until I get good enough to make an entire quilt. I have my colors picked out, so I do want to make a DWR quilt, I've just got to practice, because those curves aren't necessarily impossible, just something that's going to need practice. I just love the look of those quilts, and would love to make one of them to have for Frank and I to cuddle under together.
Trout fishing!!! I want to go to a river that we can catch trout in, and stock our freezer with fresh fish. I think we can get our fishing licenses and trout stamps online now, so that will make things easier. Frank has plenty of fishing gear, so we wont need to get any of that. I think it would be fun to pack a picnic basket, and spend a day together with no television, no phones, and no work stuff going on. Just the two of us enjoying life.
And finally!!! I want to get more green beans, and tomatoes canned. I'd like to double the amount we got canned last year. This winter, we have done awesome not having to go grocery shopping for much of anything. That's been really awesome, and tasty.
What is everyone thinking about for their summer plans? I know the cold is probably getting to you all some.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Recipe Round up!
So, since I've not been able to figure out the tab feature of this blog yet, even after all these years, I thought that I'd go through my blog, and put links to all of my recipes here for you guys to maybe hopefully help out just a touch!!! So, every recipe that I've ever posted up until this point will be on this blog post! (I'm also planning on doing the same thing with my crochet patterns as well) (Plus since its only 10 degrees out, and Frank's working this weekend, it might kind of sort of be a great way for me to kill some time tonight!!!) (OK plus I'll admit, my walking abilities tonight may be quite limited..more on that in another blog post)
So here we go!!!
Fruit Cobbler
Raspberry Pie
Bread
Fried Pioneer Bread
Spanish Rice
Canned Apple Pie filling
Crock Pot Apple Butter
Single Serve Hot Chocolate
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Brunch Egg Casserole
Cranberry Relish
Green Bean Casserole
Apple Butter Cake
Pickled Eggs
Chili
Scalloped Potato Casserole
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Macaroni Pizza Skillet meal
Quick Oatmeal Bar
Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole
Chocolate Eclair Crumble Desert
Zucchini Bread/Stuffed Squash
Flour Free Pancakes
5 ingredient bread
Pancakes
Bootlegger Beans
Eggplant Lasagna
Peach Bread Recipe
Breakfast Pizza
Frank's Pizza Sauce and crust
apple peel jelly
Laundry Soap
Dog Got Skunked deskunk wash
Snickerdoodles
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Quick and Easy Sausage and Pasta Bake
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn Bread
Peanut Butter Balls and No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Waffles
Grans Chicken Soup
Strawberry Jam
German Potato Salad
1934 Chocolate Cake and Icing Recipe
Overnight Coffee Loaves
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Big Brownies
Rabbit Chili
Zucchini Fritters
Easy Dinner Rolls
Pumpkin Bread
And There they all are!!! I may have missed one or two, because I didn't always label or tag the best when I first started out! As I was going through this blog, to gather up all of these recipes, I was rather surprised by how long I've been doing this already!!!
I hope that you all enjoy the trip down my recipe memory lane as much as I did!!!
So here we go!!!
Fruit Cobbler
Raspberry Pie
Bread
Fried Pioneer Bread
Spanish Rice
Canned Apple Pie filling
Crock Pot Apple Butter
Single Serve Hot Chocolate
Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Brunch Egg Casserole
Cranberry Relish
Green Bean Casserole
Apple Butter Cake
Pickled Eggs
Chili
Scalloped Potato Casserole
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Macaroni Pizza Skillet meal
Quick Oatmeal Bar
Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole
Chocolate Eclair Crumble Desert
Zucchini Bread/Stuffed Squash
Flour Free Pancakes
5 ingredient bread
Pancakes
Bootlegger Beans
Eggplant Lasagna
Peach Bread Recipe
Breakfast Pizza
Frank's Pizza Sauce and crust
apple peel jelly
Laundry Soap
Dog Got Skunked deskunk wash
Snickerdoodles
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Quick and Easy Sausage and Pasta Bake
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
Spiced Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn Bread
Peanut Butter Balls and No Bake Oatmeal Cookies
Waffles
Grans Chicken Soup
Strawberry Jam
German Potato Salad
1934 Chocolate Cake and Icing Recipe
Overnight Coffee Loaves
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Big Brownies
Rabbit Chili
Zucchini Fritters
Easy Dinner Rolls
Pumpkin Bread
And There they all are!!! I may have missed one or two, because I didn't always label or tag the best when I first started out! As I was going through this blog, to gather up all of these recipes, I was rather surprised by how long I've been doing this already!!!
I hope that you all enjoy the trip down my recipe memory lane as much as I did!!!
Monday, January 25, 2016
Canning Dry Beans??? Yup
Hey there! Yes, you read that title correctly, I am going to try canning dry beans. Now, I know that sounds awfully funny, canning dried beans, like...what's the point of that? Why would you want to? wouldn't that take up more room???
Well, let me tell you, yes, it would take up more room, to a point, but no more room than all of my empty jars already take up. I buy dried beans in bulk, and I don't necessarily have to can them all up, but I can, can a good bit of them up. In the long run, it does save time, lets say its been a particularly crazy day, I come in, and what do I want to make for dinner??? Open the pantry..and hmm...oh I have everything I need to make chili, pull it all out, dump it in the pan, and walk away for a few minutes, and let it heat through. There are so many reasons though other than just chili. Being able to cook home cooked meal, without a lot of fuss, really makes life easier.
I'm going to be following this link from Little House Living for my first go round. Its straight forward, and simple. Plus it sounds rather tasty!!!!
I'll post pictures of my bean canning as I go!!
Well, let me tell you, yes, it would take up more room, to a point, but no more room than all of my empty jars already take up. I buy dried beans in bulk, and I don't necessarily have to can them all up, but I can, can a good bit of them up. In the long run, it does save time, lets say its been a particularly crazy day, I come in, and what do I want to make for dinner??? Open the pantry..and hmm...oh I have everything I need to make chili, pull it all out, dump it in the pan, and walk away for a few minutes, and let it heat through. There are so many reasons though other than just chili. Being able to cook home cooked meal, without a lot of fuss, really makes life easier.
I'm going to be following this link from Little House Living for my first go round. Its straight forward, and simple. Plus it sounds rather tasty!!!!
I'll post pictures of my bean canning as I go!!
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 and 1/4 cups sugar
2 and 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 and 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Beat together all of the first 4 ingredients
Then sift together the rest of the ingredients, and slowly mix in, until all in and well mixed.
Pour into 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Insert butter knife to see if it comes out clean.
for a little something extra optional, before baking fold in 1/2 cup chopped nuts, and 1/2 cup chopped dates or raisins.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Lets Be Random Today
As you can see, we've gotten a bit of snow, so far what snow we've gotten has only been a dusting, BUT this weekend its calling for 3 feet!!!! They also said that its going to be blizzard conditions, making it well...a blizzard!
I've been working on my quilting, and have even stopped to finish some of the side quilts that I had started. I finished a quilt that I made for my niece Faith, that only needed the binding. She loved it! My big basket quilt is going well. I'm 2 rows in. Two down, Five to go! That's only 25 more blocks to make. Thankfully I have all the little pieces sewn together, all of those billions of half square triangles.
Right now, I'm canning chicken. We butchered those 6 little tetra tint roosters that we hatched out. The bones in them were surprisingly big! I only got 6 quart jars out of them. I really thought I'd get a full 7 quarts, but no, the bones just made it look like that. I filled the space with broth though, so at least I'll have 7 jars of something! (I love using the broth for making rice)
I started a FB like page for my blog here. Just something for fun, I hope you guys will check it out!!!
https://www.facebook.com/reallittlefarm/
As you can see, I'm still using the cut and paste method! LOL
I'm working on going through some recipes to share with you guys. I have so many that I'm having a hard time picking just one!
For now, I've got to close this up! Hope that you all are staying warm!!!
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