Hello Spring

I've been waitin' for you....

Seriously, it was the perfect first week of Spring! 

After the last few months of freak snow storms in between lovely 70 degree days, Winter could not make up it's mind.  This was a good one too,  Ava was able to really play in the snow now that she's walking.  Although I had that girl bundled up so tight it was kinda hard for her to move.  

Hopefully (fingers crossed) spring is finally here!  

It has been too long of a wait for these little buds to make their appearance...

 This will be the second year for our beautiful blooming Hydrangeas out back, that is if they can resist the toxic Chihuahua pee coming from our neighbors dog.  While I love that little guy to pieces, he has already made me dig up / replant / dig up / move / replant more (everything foliage ) that I have ever wanted to.  I have got some pretty hardy trees in his go to spot right now, so if they can survive a year there than they can survive anything! 

 (I adore the pup, hes just a grumpy old guy who pees 8 million times a day)

 

There are so many wants on my to do list this year for the back yard and all of this warm, breezy spring weather is making my (very lite shade of green) thumb itchy!

* Angela *

Another round of Chicks

We've got more chickies coming to yard! 

Since we lost two of our last batch we decided to go ahead 

and give it another try with a few more babies.  

From what I've learned chickens are chickens, and when they decide they want to roost behind the bushes in front of the house instead of heading back to their coop like the rest...well...it kinda makes them prime dinner for the mean ole hungry fox that roams our area. 

I can't blame the fox, I mean if I was walking down the street and stumbled across a nice, big, gooey cinnamon roll just stittin there on a silver platter (I hate to admit) I would totally eat it!

These girls however are waaaay to cute to eat,  and they will have their own home on the back deck coming very soon.  In a few months once they are big enough to fend for themselves, we can introduce the little ones to Big Red and Blue, the last of our original flock... not sure that four hens can really be considered a flock, but now we will have seven so...we'll go with it. 

*Angela*

Creme de la Coop

.... so now that the ole` 

what is that?

 *slash* 

 is it supposed to look like that?

*slash*

 pile of lumber?

*slash* 

chicken coop!

 (Oh I see it now) 

is coming to an end, I thought I'd share some of the inspirational coops from around the web that got me SUPER excited about owning chickens. 

Granted... having a mini flock of hens really is quite interesting and entertaining it also provides very edible benefits as well.

 FRESH EGGS

I do have to admit though, I was not all that stoked about receiving a box full of baby chicks for my birthday from a very confused yet well intended husband. 

OK.  The box was very small, and it only had four chicks, but it looked like a lot at the time.

The good part of that gift, the part that made my eyes light up, and my arm hairs get all tingly is when he whispered

 "you get to design the coop". 

 I think I just about dropped the box of baby chicks and ran to the computer, the search was on...

This was one of my absolute favorites, so fancy schmancy...i'm pretty sure these chicks live in a very hoity toity area.

Photo: Backyard Chickens

So cute, do you think the chickens do any gardening with their own little lawn up there?

 Photo: DIY Cozy Homes

 Photo: HGTV

 Photo: modfarm.tumblr.com

 Photo: Organicgreendoctor.com

 Photo: thegardencoop.com

Photo: ChickenVillage

Fresh Eggs.....

          ........Cheap Therapy!

The thing about living with four little ladies in the back yard is you always have someone to talk to... you know...girl talk!

Someone who tells you like it is. 

Ok... so maybe they are a little judgmental with their quizzical expressions and constant bauking at your delimas.  Really the only good they do is let you voice your thoughts and listen to you as you figure it out for yourself. 

( Isn't that what therapist get paid the big bucks to do anyway?) 

 A rare picture with all four girls together.

Buff Buff (Buff Orpington - I know, we are not very creative with names) 

 is my bestest friend... she comes a runnin whenever I head out to the Chicken Yard and squats her little chickie butt down so I can pick her up. 

Really I had no clue chickens could be so domestic, Buff is more obedient than my dogs half the time.

 Big Red (Ameraucana - looks like a Hawk) she is our adventurous one,  you turn your back on her for one minute like your in the kitchen cleaning dishes and here come Big Red marching her silly self thru the front yard. 

next up...

Tweedle Dee and Tweele Dum (Silkies - The poodles of the Chicken world)

 Definitely not the smartest out of our chicks but probably the cutest.  Poor Dum (blue silkie) has hair that is so out of control she has a hard time seeing around her, for the most part she just follows Dee around by watching for her little white feet.  Very Cute!

.....and for bonus points.....

FRESH EGGS  

Every morning whether you want them or not! 

At the moment we don't have their coop finished yet so it really is like going on an egg hunt every day.   Unfortunately right now they are enjoying a wee little corner in the far back underneath their future roost, which means I get to crawl  *yes crawl* on my hands and knees thru the chicken poop to get my yummy eggs.  

Aren't they beautiful! 

I wonder how long I can just use them for decoration? 

All shades of blue, green, blush, and tan...once the silkies start laying we will have some tiny white ones thrown in the mix!

I love my girls!

*Angela*   

 

Bird & Garden Baby Girl Nursery

We finally have Lil' A's room done, and I have to say it is my FAVORITE room in the whole entire house! 

If you remember a while back I had found a little birdie that helped me make up my mind on the direction I wanted to go with the nursery. 

This little guy here

For the most part I feel that I have held true to the original plans (although nothing stays exactly the same way it was planned) with the exception of the fabric I wanted to use.  

Throughout most of my pregnancy I swore to myself that I would not go super girly in the baby's room, I myself am not a girly girl and I wanted to create a room that my very masculine husband would feel comfortable spending some time in as well.

*Turns out it wouldn't matter if I painted it hot pink, if the baby is in there my husband is in there.  He only has eyes for her (and me)!

 

However the closer it was to her being born the more girly I got, so when one of my friends passed down her crib bedding... all pink and green and flowery, I took it and ran.  I adore the garden theme anyway and it still goes perfectly with the birds and green in the original plan.

The overall effect is very calm and peaceful (we're hoping that rubs off on the child =)

I still kept the room toned down on the girly side but I love that it is just feminine enough to let everyone know that it is a room for a sweet baby girl.

I love the frame over her bed, it was so easy to make and I wanted to pull together the birds with the chicken wire

 (I thought it was very appropriate).

 Her dresser was a yard sale find that was a a cheap looking yellow pine piece (Uggg).  We stripped down the top and brought it back to a nice natural look that matches very closely to her crib, then painted the lower part a soft ivory.   I wanted it to have a little more definition against the white beaded board walls and not get lost so much.

The "colly birds" dish I just snagged at Pottery Barn has moved upstairs to hold onto all of baby's hair bows.  I think their adorable but hubby thinks they look like brain constrictors, so right now they are decor!

 I love how the curtain filters the light shining in thru her window,  this room is the brightest in the house but it also faces the neighbors back yard.  Now... we are much closer with our neighbors than anyone should be (love/bicker with them like siblings) but I don't necessarily want them to witness our 3am nursing time while their dogs are doing the 3am peeing thing, hence the single panel over the entire window.

This banner was super easy to make...scrapbook paper, glue stick, and a ribbon. 

Trust me you can figure it out.

 

This little guy is battery powered and flutters around in his jar when he detects movement, 

I can't wait till baby is alert enough to actually watch it.

On the other side of the room is the changing station, again with some cute little birdies hanging around.  

I am all about the functionality of a proper changing table,  but not at all about the exposed and necessary storage of baby mess.  So up went the panel I made to hide the storage with fabrics that kinda matched the crib set.....so nice and pretty now!

See baby mess is still there...

The birdie mobile is a "mommy made" project, this was really fun to make... for some reason I always feel like things come to life when I get to stuff them! 

(sounds weirder than it is)*

Hey look....my little guy found a home!

The door handles are going to be switched out with black ones.

This little green house was pulled out of the trash a while ago...

I have always adored the little bird perched on top, but it is missing the top layer of glass so not really effective anymore, just pretty!

OK.... 

now the functional side of things that we cannot live without! 

No. 1   Baby Monitor

My in-laws gave us an awesome baby monitor, it is the "Summer" brand. Really all their monitors look great. This one has an eye in the sky to spy on the baby. (sorry.. I went a little Dr. Seuss there).  You can even rotate said eye and spy around the room as well as zoom in on the picture.

See... an aerial view of the crib.  This one is very sensitive on hearing as well, it can pick up even the slightest whisper, or you can turn the volume off to watch the baby in peace and quiet.  Then if you are really brave you can turn the screen and volume off, it has a nifty thingy at the top that shows the volume (when baby screams it goes red) this feature works well for me, baby screams for 5 min when you put her down then passes out.  It took a while to figure out she was just working herself to sleep, if I hear her or see her flail I want to pick her up but for some reason the volume meter isn't as unsettling.  *go figure

No. 2   Mobile

This works well at night with the projector that show a nature scene on the canopy and plays music,  then at nap time she just watches the animals dance around her head and listens to music.  In the mornings sometimes she wakes up and starts talking to the animals, we listen in on the conversation thru the baby monitor.  Love that girl!

No. 3   Storage

A while ago we started to give our closets an overhaul

Well they are finished (for now) and are providing plenty of much needed storage space. 

Door #1

hubby built me some shelves to contain even more baby mess, eventually this side will be turned into a reading nook but for now it holds all the extras. 

Door #2

Cute baby clothes! 

Plenty of room left but their clothes are so small.

There you have it, now I'm already planning her "Big Girl" room. 

I know I know...I need to slow down!

*Angela*

We have Chickies!

My sweet hubbs surprised me with a box of baby chicks for my birthday!

They are so cute and tiny, and I pray to God that I don't kill them.  

With a baby baby on the way, a baby puppy that we are trying desperately to get trained (she is so crazy! I hope it's just the puppy mush brain), and now 4 adorable baby chicks to provide for.....

I'm a little overwhelmed! 

But very EXCITED!

He did such a good job too...he picked out 3 different breeds so they all look different (at least they will when they get older) and the different breeds lay different colored eggs.  

Good way to keep track of who's earning their keep! 

We have two Silkies, one Blue and one White, an Ameraucana, and a Buff Orpington.

Here is what they will probably look like when they get older and easier to distinguish:

 The Silkies are apparently the "poodles" of the Chicken world.

The Ameraucana kinda looks like a hawk, some are more colorful but I think this is pretty close to the same coloring of my Chick. 

And finally the Buff Orpington, she is a pretty standard golden girl.  For some reason this is what I always thought of as the standard chicken.

Now to go along with all our other house projects to get ready for baby, we get to also

 build a hen house... (YAY?)

  I have been looking and there are some Swanktastic chicken coops out there.Can't wait to get started!

*Angela*

Preserving the Harvest

I don't know about you, but I love  all the fresh produce that nature provides throughout the summer months!  It's always a little sad when you know the growing season is coming to an end as the days get shorter and the air grows cooler.  But along with that comes the wonderful days of Fall so you make do. 

One of the main goals that Hubbs and I have, is to become as self sufficient as possible, this means a nice big garden in the summer that produces enough produce to store through the winter.  

So for my birthday this year my dear sweet man got me a pressure cooker and a ton of Mason jars.

It may sound like a boring gift (way better then a vacuum, depending on the vacuum) but I was thrilled.  I have never before used a pressure cooker, not really much of a using the kitchen person, needless to say I was a bit intimidated.  

Luckily for me my neighbor girl is a Domestic Goddess and was willing to come over and give me a good canning lesson.  Seriously this woman is amazing and I strive to one day be as efficient in the kitchen as she is. Her pantry is filled to the brim with tons of canned produce that she does throughout the year, and there is always home made jams in her fridge.  Thankfully I get the extra bounty! 

Really the whole thing was pretty easy, just a little time consuming so while we waited for the HUGE pressure cooker filled up with water and cans to get to almost boiling the neighbor and myself indulged in some coffee and left over Birthday cake  =) YUM! 

Once we finished stuffing our fresh peaches in their cans and filled them up with Welches white grape juice ( great preservative)  all I had to do was put the lids on and wait for them to seal while cooling. 

I feel pretty comfortable with my canning experience so maybe next time I will venture to can more than two things of peaches.  What can I say, I started small but now I'm itching to stock the pantry with tons more gleaming cans filled with summers goodness. 

*Angela*

Botanical Beauties for free!!!

Well hello there,

I have definitely been inspired by Lauren over at http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/  on her post about hand picked flowers.  

Why in the world should you have to buy flowers when most of the time you can find a beautiful bouquet just a few steps from your front door.  Talk about a way to save some green $$$

The thing about it is you don't even have to look for just flowers, a blooming tree, herbs, or even pretty weeds would work.  

This bountiful bouquet is just a couple of Crape Myrtle blooms that I snagged from a few trees in a nearby strip mall parking lot, and a  pale blue hydrangea from my neighbors yard.

I feel I have to let everyone know there were a few strange 
looks that came my way from passing motorist. 
I like to think they were thinking 

"Man, I wish I was brave enough to steal flowers from a strip mall",

but really they were probably thinking 

"what is this crazy girl doing running from tree to tree with a pair of pruning shears in the parking lot".  

So to save myself from these looks, next time I'm going in the dark of night with a wing man! By the way I do not condone stealing, I was simply pruning their trees for them =)

OK... so if you have to be more on the up and up.  This little boot is filled with Basil twigs from my own backyard.  Its pretty in a little vase and nice to have on hand when your cooking! 

* Angela *

Growing Green (Herbs)

      Just in-case anyone wonders what happened to my garden box from last year....I am happy to say that it is now a garden consisting completely of herbs.  Since the Neighbor Girl kept stealing all my Basil last summer I moved the box from behind my house to a nice sunny spot in-between our two houses. 

Now we will have fresh herbs all summer long!!!

Hello Mr. Herb!

Oregano

Basil

Chives

      I will have to replant a few that I pulled up since they were looking well beyond bring back able. 
But we have the basics to get by until then, Man I feel like I live in the Mediterranean!! Fresh herbs all around!

*Angela*

Growing Green

      Last year was my first attempt at growing a garden, I was very nervous since all my houseplants die in a matter of weeks so I couldn't imagine keeping a whole 4x8 raised bed garden alive.  Luckily, to my surprise a garden kinda grows all by itself as long as it has the right amount of water.

      So with a little success under my slightly green thumb I decided to really jump into it this year. 
     
      Now... we only have so much land to work on (hence the quarter acre name) not to mention a deer community that loves to eat free food, so I decided the best way to combat the little munchers was to do a fenced in garden.  I figured chicken wire would allow the most sun to reach the little seedlings since I have so many trees in the area.

 (I still need a gate since the bunny's like to munch in the garden too, but so far I haven't see any deer stuck in there not able to find their way our....the Dixie dog is a different story)

      I designed it to have a 2' perimeter bed so it's shallow enough for me to reach all the goodies in the back, a walking path, and a center island bed. This way I don't step on my plants or walk all over their root systems. 

      Let me tell you,  it is a LOT of hard work to get one of these things up and going. I will forever be amazed with all of you who have mega-sized gardens to tend to.  Thankfully I will be keeping the same bed for many years to come so this past spring was likely the hardest part.

      Now my garden is growing lots of green leafy things that I can't with to put on the table. It is such a great feeling to know that I had a hand in producing my own food.  I started from seeds (which about 90% of them actually took =) I hear that's unusual) so I have seen it go from baby sprouts.

 

       To actual veggies just waiting for their day to be picked.

Back to the simple life just watching a garden grow!

*Angela*