Chickens are Weird!

While I was standing at the kitchen sink, still in my pajamas at lunchtime (don’t judge) yesterday, The Husband came in and informed me that there was something outside that I just had to see. It was a bit chilly out, so I asked him to consider very carefully if I would truly think the sight was worth standing outside freezing. He insisted that yes, I would, and to bring the camera.

Out I went, camera in hand, to see this wondrous sight:

spare chicken

spare eggs

Now the whole picture:
spare pickup

That is the spare tire, mounted underneath the bed of The Husband’s work pickup. It’s been parked for about a week, waiting on repair parts.

There is no doubt that chickens are weird creatures. I tell them so every night when I come out to make sure all is well before locking up the coop. They just look at me, as if to say “You’re the one talking to a bunch of chickens, now shut the door, it’s cold outside!”

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Pink Candlesticks

Since we’ve had a few days of sunny weather lately, I decided it was time to spiff up a pair of candlesticks that have been collecting cobwebs and dust for oh, several years now. I picked them up for $1 at a thrift store, back in the days before thrift store employees thought they were in the business of selling antiques.

They had collected a heavy coating of candle wax, so first I chipped off as much as I could with my thumbnail. Then I fired up my teakettle and poured boiling water over them, which quickly melted off the rest of it. A quick scrub in soapy water, and they were ready to paint.
candlesticks before

I sprayed them with a light coat of primer, and about 20 minutes later, I sprayed on the first light coat of paint. All told, it took 3 light coats of paint to get good coverage from all angles.

pink candlesticks
I like the way they turned out. They remind me of pink Vitrock depression glass, but much less fragile.

Have you fixed up something you already had, rather than buying something new recently?

Linking up at:
Weekend Bloggy Reading

Posted in Decorating, Repurposing | 5 Comments

All the Noise, Noise, Noise!

I got a call from the post office this morning.  They said they had a noisy box waiting for me, so I told the girls to get their shoes and jackets on and get in the car.  Though they’ve been pestering me about it for the last two months, they could not figure out why we were going to town today.

2013 Bantams Cropped

And now, after a very peaceful 5 days, my concrete bathroom is rather loud again.  The hatchery (turn down your speakers before clicking the link, this website crows!) provided Gro-Gel in the shipping box, and they all arrived alive.  5 each of straight-run bantam Red Cochins, Blue Cochins, Partridge Cochins and Buff Silkies.  Plus a few extra in case of losses.

If all goes well, they’ll soon be moving under Henny Penny and the big blue cochins, most of whom are presently sitting on wooden eggs.

Just one of the things that make living in the middle of nowhere, totally worth it.

Posted in Good Stuff, Poultry herding | 3 Comments

More Printables

I’m still in the middle of several unfinished projects, so today I’m sharing some printables I’ve created. There are two, with several color combinations for each one.  Clicking on the picture should take you to the google document that you can download and print.

The first is the Aaronic blessing:
Aaronic tealAaronic orangeAaronic NavyAaronic pinkAaronic greenAaronic lime

The second is a reminder of what love is:
Love Printable
Love yellow
Love pink
Love red
Love butter
Love navyThese files are for personal use, please don’t sell them.  “You have received without paying,  give without being paid.”

Posted in Decorating, Good Stuff | Leave a comment

Incubation Printable

The hatching bug has bitten me again, and I’ll be setting a dozen eggs in the incubator tomorrow morning. I thought I’d make a chart to keep track of days, temperatures and turning the eggs. This process should take 21 days, but if the incubator happens to be running a little below the correct temperature, it can sometimes take a day, or two longer.

I’m sharing the chart I made in case it would be helpful for someone else. I might just let The Taterbug fill it out as we go. It’ll be good penmanship practice, and she’ll get to learn how to read a thermometer.

You can click on the link below the image to download the printable.

Egg Incubating Printable

Posted in Homeschooling, Poultry herding | Leave a comment