Blogger Cookoff Entry~ Posted on the correct day this time☺

I couldn't decide what to make for the cookoff, I was leaning towards something really healthy. I must have leaned too far because I wouldn't consider this meal real healthy but it's good comfort food ☺ The official dinner of Oklahoma. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and fried okra.

Get some okra from the garden

wash it, slice it, while it's still kinda moist cover it in bread crumbs then fry it up

Next get your potatoes, I had red ones on hand so I used them

Peel them, put them in a pot bring it to a boil, cover and simmer 20 min. drain, mash, add lots of butter, pepper, salt, and a little milk

Then get your chicken fry ready

In a bowl crack an egg add a bunch of dashes of hot sauce and some milk

On a plate put your flour and seasonings, I like seasoning salt and garlic pepper

Dip the chicken fry in the egg mix and then coat it in flour

Fry it 5 min on each side

Save the crunchies and grease to make gravy

Add lots of fresh ground pepper and salt to the gravy

Told you it wasn't healthy but it was good ☺

We didn't have wine, my husband doesn't drink so we had iced tea

There it is all fried up and covered in gravy

♥Bucket of Babies ♥

The six black ones are Miss Squirty's they will stay small ☺ Four of these are from my green egg layer and the other three are from the same mom that gave me the last little chipmunks. One egg left in the bator it's from my buff orpington

Blogger Cookoff

I couldn't decide what to make for the cookoff, I was leaning towards something really healthy. I must have leaned too far because I wouldn't consider this meal real healthy but it's good comfort food ☺ The official dinner of Oklahoma. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and fried okra.

 

Get some okra from the garden

wash it, slice it, while it's still kinda moist cover it in bread crumbs then fry it up

Next get your potatoes, I had red ones on hand so I used them

Peel them, put them in a pot bring it to a boil, cover and simmer 20 min. drain, mash, add lots of butter, pepper, salt, and a little milk 

Then get your chicken fry ready

In a bowl crack an egg add a bunch of dashes of hot sauce and some milk

On a plate put your flour and seasonings, I like seasoning salt and garlic pepper

Dip the chicken fry in the egg mix and then coat it in flour

Fry it 5 min on each side

Save the crunchies and grease to make gravy

Add lots of fresh ground pepper and salt to the gravy

Told you it wasn't healthy but it was good ☺

We didn't have wine, my husband doesn't drink so we had iced tea

There it is all fried up and covered in gravy



Now 13 babies☺

Aren't they cute!!! These babies are tiny. They are two of Miss Squirty's babes. She was a lavender cochin and the boys are partridge cochin so these little babies will be mottled (speckled) cochins! I'm in love with these babies, the one on the left hasn't even fluffed up yet but they are super cute! I will let you know the progress of the rest of the eggs.
Update~~~ Six wee ones in the brooder this morning three of them are Miss Squirty's ☺
Update #2~~~~ Thirteen of the fourteen wee ones in the brooder all six of Miss Squirty's are here and precious none are the color she was, which is good because I probally would have cried. One more egg to go, I wasn't sure about it since it came from my new layers, so I picked it up to candle it and it cheeped. If this little one comes out fine all 14 will have hatched 100% hatch rate again. High five to my boys in the yard, they are doing a good job ☺

GEEZ!!!!

This morning we had wonderful thunderstorms, good for the garden rain and no drama in the yard  WRONG!!!! As soon as the rain let up I went to check on everyone outside. All chickens were in the coop except one, the door was open so I was worried something had ran in and taken her during the storm.  There is alot of feathers on the ground but on further inspection they are Miss Winnies, she is molting.. I have searched my ding dang yard for hours hunting for the tell tale pile of feathers. I'm to the point now that I don't think something took her. Am I crazy? I think that girl is off building a nest somewhere. She is a buff orpington, I'm not sure if they tend to go broody or not, but she has always made a gremlin noise at me since she started laying eggs just like Squirty did. Last night we even laughed at how much she sounded like Squirty just standing in the coop growling at me. So back to it, am I nuts to think she's alive and sitting somewhere and we will hopefully see her in 3 weeks? Either way the hubs has had it and all chickens will be confined from this day forward!

Where's the kleenex?

The eggs are due to hatch tomorrow, but one of Miss Squirty's eggs is starting to pip. I'm soo excited to see them all. I will be a hot mess tonight I'm sure!!!!

Blogger Cookoff!!!

So, K @  http://planningandforesight.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-cookoff-anyone-interested.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PlanningAndForesight+%28Planning+And+Foresight%29 has decided to have a blogger cookoff. I have been stressing for days on what I'll cook! Well look out guys, I've made my choice and even if ya'll don't like it my family will!!! If anyone else wants to play just check out K's link and bring it LOL!!!!

Name change ☺

I am changing the name of my blog to Happy Hollow Homestead for a couple of reasons. 1~ I feel like if you say it out loud or write it down it happens 2~ we are still on the journey of creating our little farm but it's more of a homestead to me so whatever 3~ the last name was a mouthful 4~ the area we live in was called Happy Hollow back in the day so I'm bringing it back and I've had this name picked out since we had just one bunny and 5 chickens. Thanks David and Darcy for the how to on how to change it ☺ One day I will figure all this computer stuff out, maybe ;)

News from the Homestead

 Haven't had anymore incidents yet, I spend alot of time staring into the woods and throwing rocks. The hubs seems to think it's a Thursday thing and the chickens need to stay cooped up that day. Found a plethora of information on the Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife page about coyotes so we are learning alot about their behavior, also we are borrowing a coyote call, and with the full moon this weekend I am in hopes we catch the chicken killer!!! The babies are almost three weeks and starting to feather up, the hubs thinks they are ugly, I think they are little dolls I take them outside everyday to play in my raised bed area that is fenced with chicken wire to keep them safe from the big chickens. I need to set up a new play pen so they don't gobble up my garden. My eggs are due Thursday, I'm excited but nervous that's alot of chickens!!!!  In the garden, I lost 1/3 of my fall plantings due to excessive heat. Suprise, suprise welcome to Oklahoma!!! I am going to fill in the gaps with onions, lettuce, and carrots ☺ Enjoy the day

I NEED ADVISE ASAP!!!!

Just lost another hen today, but today I saw it! I had just pulled in the driveway counted chickens told my daughter that it's a good sign when the chickens are out that everything is okay, put the key in the door, heard a noise, turned and saw a coyote on my chicken!!!! I screamed and ran after it but it got away with the chicken :( I know I need to pen them in, but until I get that setup I need advise on how to hunt a coyote. Do you use coyote calls? Douse yourself in coyote pee? Any helpful hints on how to rid our yard of this predator, throw em at me please! We need help!!!

I'm a Winner!!!!!

For the last few months I have been entering myself in blog giveaways, so much so that even my little one asks did you win LOL!!! Well finally I did!!! Thank you Jenna @ upcountry living blog for having a giveaway. I look forward to wearing my handmade lumberjack socks this winter ☺ Here's a link to her awesome story about lumberjacks in Maine and instructions on how to measure your foot for the sock to fit perfectly!!!! http://upcountry-living.com/2012/9/11/how-to-knit-a-lumberjack-sock Thanks again Jenna and YEAH ME!!!

Zombie Alert

Modern Day Redneck is having a giveaway for three zombie t-shirts! So if you want to try and win go here---http://moderndayredneck.blogspot.com/2012/09/zombi-wear-t-shirt-giveaway.html and leave a comment. I hope you don't win and I do, because my husband would love a new shirt!!!!! Sorry, I'm competitive and slightly ornery ☺

Party's Over

Well my daughters party is over. I think everyone had a really good time, I know she did ☺ Only one child got chased by Larry the rooster that day! And my cute little niece wants a bunny so I'm hoping this time Miss Lolly is pregnant. I personally felt like a zombie all weekend, going through the motions to get everything done trying not to cry every two seconds. People that had never been here wanted to talk about my chickens and coop and it was hard to tell stories that didn't involve Squirty. I also noticed I didn't have my usual happy go lucky farm lovin' attitude while showing the new people around. Maybe next time they come they will get to see the love and pride I have for everything we have done! The fabulous news is my house is clean for the first time ALL summer!!! I don't know how long it will last but it's nice right now ☺ I've been reading Joel Salatin's book This Aint Normal Folks wow how easy we fall back into easy routines of eating bad for us food. This book has motivated me to eat alot better than we are now. We have been very busy with football games, parties and such that eating crap has been easier than cooking. NO MORE, this mama will be in the kitchen if you need her ☺

Good from bad

Good things come from bad sometimes. The boys always try to sleep over in the hen house, but because of Squirty we had a nightly ritual of putting them in the chicken tractor. Every morning was wild they were frantic little guys trying to get at the girls all at once, it was really quite annoying. Last night in the mood I was in, I just didn't care if they slept over with the girls. My spoiled rotten baby was gone and everyone else didn't seem to mind. So the sleepover happened. And this morning when I let them out the usual rowdy chaos of girl chasing just wasn't there. It was very peaceful and kinda nice for a change. I can't quit looking outside to make sure everyone is safe. I hope today passes with no more losses. Our woods that were once beautiful now seem evil to me. I look out there and wonder what is lurking and watching my birds.

:'(

My little miss Squirty is gone :'( A fox or coyote took her today. I knew something was wrong when I went outside and couldn't find any of my chickens. I walked around for 30 minutes and my chickens eventually came out, but I still couldn't find Squirt I called my husband and told him that she was missing and then 20 minutes later I called him back bawling. I found her feathers on the trail to the woods. My favorite chicken that I have had for a year is gone, I will miss her everyday. Lord willing her six babies in the incubator will hatch and I will have a part of her with me again. I'm unbelievably sad. I know the fox was just hungry, but this is the second one I've lost to a fox in less than a year so I'm going to get a live trap tonight. I hope we catch it this time :( Goodbye my sweet baby Angelsquirt, we will miss you  ♥

One week old ☺

The do-do monsters are a week old!

On a side note, did I get rid of the verification words when you comment? I hope so ☺

Joy x 6

My daughter got a horrible cough and low grade fever last Thursday so I rescheduled her big party for this weekend! So with dr.'s visits and taking care of her I am behind once again on my house work, suprise, suprise ;) So I will be a busy mama this week again! Now for the good news!!!! My two buff orpingtons began laying this week ☺ So now I have five laying hens, two pullets, five baby chicks, and two roosters! I also traded one dozen eggs to my neighbor for 2 delicious smoked bolognas. I think he was giving us the bologna's anyway but it felt good to give him something in return, and I finally have plenty of eggs to share  ☺ I had put 15 eggs in the incubator last week and today candled them and gasp ALL of them are fertile! I was crying like an idiot in the closet six of the eggs will be purebred cochin from my little Miss Squirty! Four of them will be from my green egg laying americauna Winnie. Three will probally look like the little chipmunks I just hatched out. And two are from my buff orpingtons, those should be interesting. I promise once these babies are out I will put the incubator up for awhile! It's just been really cool hatching out my homegrown babies ☺

Babies ☺

What are you lookin' at?



Five cute babies



Three of them look alike but two will be different ☺

Look at those feet!

Chick update #2!

All five of the fertile eggs hatched!!! I now have the cutest little group of babies in my laundry room brood box! Three of them have markings like their barnvelder mother but with feathered feet like daddy. One is darker with feathered feet, hopefully will look like daddy. And one is marked like it's mother the americauna with the feathered feet like daddy! So all five have feathered feet! I can't wait to see what these little guys look like when they get bigger. To my husbands horror, I have cleaned and reloaded the incubator with 13 eggs. I think I may need another chicken coop ☺

Baby chick update!

The first three babies are doing great, I swear they have wings they are such little angels ☺ And egg number four just hatched!!!!! So as of right now four of the five eggs hatched cute little baby chicks!  I am about to get super busy with the party stuff, but I will post pics of my fluffed up youngens soon!

They've hatched!!!!!

This morning I woke to very loud peeping! One of the chicks had hatched ☺ It was like Christmas waking my youngest daughter up! When I got back home from dropping off my girls to school, my green egg baby had hatched ☺ While calling my husband to tell him the good news I noticed one more egg wiggling, grabbed my phone and video'd the hatching of the third ☺ I don't know how to get the videos off my phone, sorry because it was awesome! So as of right now three of the five eggs have hatched, I have the brood box warming up and ready to go. I'm a little nervous about the temp and humidity in the incubator for the baby chicks. The temp is 99.5 and the humidity has gotten as high as 85% I don't know if it's wet chicks making it rise or what. Should I lower the temp a hair? I may just leave everything as it is, they are peeping and sleeping so I think their okay! Happy Day!!!

Tuesday noonish ☺ ☺ ☺

Okay guys, can you see the small hole on the green egg above the pencil marked X? I am sooo excited!!!!!! I have a million things to do and I can already tell staring into the incubator is going to be priority number 1 ☺

Welcome ☺

I planted my fall garden just in time for another Oklahoma heat wave grrrr! So in addition to ALL of my normal chores, trying to plan this party, spruce up the house and yard, and protect the chickens from wild dogs. I have to double water and cover my new plants :p If they survive the next few days I will have quite the garden going! I planted romaine lettuce, brussel sprouts, broccoli, collard greens, carrots, potatoes, bunching onions, more cucumbers, and beets ☺ I got my kitchen painted and we bought a new dining room light. I can't quit staring into my incubator, I think I'm going to die from anticipation. I will post pics as soon as they hatch (fingers crossed). Now to the point of this post, I would like to welcome my newest followers Russell1200 @ http://reflexionesfinales.blogspot.com/ his blog is full of the latest goings on in the country you should check it out! And K @ http://planningandforesight.blogspot.com/ his blog has alot of helpful advise on prepping, witty guy you should check out his blog for sure! Thank you both for following ☺ Have a great week everyone!

Just a little gripe!

Not too long ago two of my chickens go really hurt from dogs that were running wild. Now my neighbor who is a friendly aquaintence has a boxer pup that has grown to the size of a goat. His new favorite thing to do is come in my yard and chase my chickens! I have a bit of angina when I see this happen!!! I'm pretty sure my chickens do too! Noone really has fences around here but I make sure all of my animals dog, goats, bunnies and chickens stay in our yard and they do for the most part. My dog does like to roam sometimes but she's 10#'s and wouldn't hurt any other animals. Most people don't understand that it's NOT JUST A CHICKEN! It's my chicken that I have raised for 6 months and am anticipating her laying eggs, or that I had raised for six months and she just started laying. You chicken people know what I mean. I only have nine chickens and I care about each one of them and I have had them all for at least six months! The other day I told my other neighbor hey watch out for my chickens when you leave and he casually said "Oh I will buy you another one if I run it over" This is my gripe when you come get your pup, who is chasing my chickens out of MY yard and you laughingly say "sorry". It's not funny! Me and four of my hens are having heart attacks right now sir! Also if my other neighbor did run over my chicken, it's not just replacing the chicken it's the time, feed, and love I have for them. I don't think they will understand EVER, but I'm thinking real hard about a fence to keep these other critters OUT of my yard!

Labor Day Weekend

Just a quick post before I get to work. Once a year for my daughters birthday I throw a pretty huge party. It's the only event we really have every year so I go all out to make sure everyone has a good time. The party usually carries over into the night for the adults too, so when this time comes all the things I have put off doing like paint the kitchen, replace the broken light in the dining room, etc. get on the to do list. So I will be busy for the next week, cleaning, planning, and preparing for this party.
Last night I looked at my remaining five eggs in the incubator. In two of the eggs I could see movement. Very promising! Squirty's five eggs were all duds I cracked them all open and it was just yolk. So tomorrow, I will raise the humidity and quit turning them and hope at least two hatch ☺ I have a dozen more eggs to incubate when these are done ☺
I'm going to get to painting now, but I will let you know about the babies by the end of next week. Enjoy the weekend y'all!