New Years Eve

It's raining today ☺ I have been covering my raised beds every night and beginning to think it's silly. I'm hoping this rain will give my veggies the final push to grow so I can harvest what's left. Last year I harvested brussell sprouts late into Febuary, this winter is already proving to be much colder. I still have broccoli, brussell sprouts, and collard greens. I'm going to cook the greens tomorrow for New Years Day, my mom says it brings you good fortune for the year. I'll take a serving of that ☺ I know my critters aren't enjoying this weather today, but it's just a day and it's washing chicken poop off porches and bird poop off my car and fingers crossed amping up my veggies!
I sewed all day yesterday, I made three tote bags out of feed sacks, a few reusable veggie bags to take to the store, I'll be interested to see how those hold up, and I made the cutest curtains for my goat barn. I will take pictures of them as soon as the weather clears up!


Happy New Year to all my blog friends, I hope 2013 brings us all good luck and fortune!!!! Eat your black eyed peas and collard greens though just to make sure☺

Boogers, Barf, and Christmas

Update::: I changed the name of my post, it was more fitting LOL!!! Also just made Mama Peas cauliflower cheese soup. It's delish, I'm so glad she shared it with us ☺

We had a great Christmas this year, we were supposed to get snow Christmas day, Ha! not even a flake but it was cold!!! My mom suprised me with an apron with recipes transfered onto the fabric. Some of the recipes are in my grandads writing, he's been gone for sixteen years but I feel him with me quite a bit, especially now that I am doing the things he loved to do. So that present was very special ♥ At my grandma's we always do a "white elephant" "dirty santa" whatever you want to call it game. It's pretty fun! This year after all was said and done my cousins wife was wanting our OU hooded bath towel, so my husband started trading with her. So we ended up with this....
and a Si from Duck Dynasty shirt! I love, it!!!! Redneckanize!!!! I also received a package in the mail from a fellow blogger ☺ I was like a little kid opening it up! I got wild grape jelly, it's good. You don't realize how much sugary corn crap is in store bought jelly until you have homemade grape jelly. Thank you CR it is awesome!!!!
That night I went to bed with a sore throat and woke up Christmas eve sick! My oldest had a stomach bug that same day but we carried on. We had one more party with the hubs family. I made it through and passed out on the couch until 5am when I had to get up and finish wrapping presents and making magic happen. Luckily my little one was really tired and didn't wake up until after nine, so I got a little more sleep! I made ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, candied yams, deviled eggs, and rolls that day. It took forever with my cold! I ate, and slept the rest of the day! My middle girl woke us up at 2 am with the stomach bug her sister had, let me just say I'm glad my nose was clogged!!!! She didn't make it to the toilet in time uuuggghhh gross!!!
The tree is down as of yesterday. Our weather has been absolutely cold! I keep covering my garden HA! We'll see how long this goes on or if they survive! You never know, this is Oklahoma and it could warm up! My little chickens have been free ranging since my last post, I was going to wait but they rushed the door and came out. They put themselves up every night now, I'm soo proud. I ♥♥♥ having ten little furry footed fluffy butts in my yard! One of the little roos is a keeper! He is mean and nosy but his personalitly is just like his mamas was so his name is Lil' Squirt! I lost one chicken last Thursday, I don't know if predators like that day but it's not a good day on my farm. I'm thinking hawk. I saw a huge one feasting on something in my neighbors yard, it might have been my little chicken :( Miss Lolly hasn't had babies yet. I'm still hopeful but if she doesn't this time we are going to rethink keeping rabbits.
As for my pay it forward homemade gifts, well I didn't get them done by Christmas so you guys are just going to get a gift on a random day probally in the year 2013!!!!!!!  Have a great weekend y'all!!!

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

His sore throat and boogery nose!!! Merry Chrismas from my sickly home to yours!!!

Friday...

We're still here! YEAH!!!! Yesterday was crazy windy! 55+mph wind gusts with 35mph sustainable winds and it was cold! At some point something got one of my chickens :(  It may have been the big cat I've seen creeping around. It's been a few months since we have lost any birds, but not long enough. So thank God today is a beautiful day and I am able to stay outside with the critters!!!! I have moved my Miss Lolly (rabbit) into the house. I think she's really pregnant this time! She has built a beautiful nest and is as big as a barn! She is due Christmas day and we are supposed to have snow and really cold temps. I can't have the fur babies out in that! Our grandpa had found a chinchilla cage, I'm not one to turn down any sort of critter cage especially free!!! So I cleaned it up, it took forever it was NASTY, calmly (it's a miracle) got Lolly into the pet taxi and brought her in. My husband had built the rabbits fully enclosed boxes with a little rabbit hole to get in and out of, so when I looked in hers I found the most beautiful nest! So I brought her rabbit box/nest in and opened the door to the new cage and just sat the box in front of the door. Fingers crossed for healthy baby buns on Christmas! This will be my first and I have had rabbits for almost two years, so I'm excited ☺

Some more LOL's

This isn't our elf I Facelifted it LOL!!!

 

LOL!!!

End of the World.......

I don't want to be this way, but I'm scared! Not of the end of the world on Friday at 11 or whenever they say it will happen, but of people. People have gone nuts!!! I am usually a homebody anyways, but I also procrastinate especially around the holidays, so I still have alot to do. Today I am going to gather everything I need to stay home until my families Christmas party Saturday. I need to finish up some homemade gifts and baked goodies anyway, so those will get done! I have told several people today that I'm staying in for the next two days and they ask why and I say because I'm afraid people will be nutty because of the end of the world thing. They don't even know what I'm talking about, so now I look nutty. Whatever, I have two tons of crap to do, and I will be home just in case. I hope everyone stays safe these next few days, I don't know what if anything is going to happen, but my gut says to stay put!!!! So take care my friends ♥

I'm hoping things settle down and I can get back to posting Happy Homestead stuff instead of being Debbie Doomsday! So don't leave me yet, things are just really bugging me lately, there is alot of bad things happening in our world but I am hopeful things change for the better☺

Hunting eggs :/

The other day I posted about processing six roo's. That night we put three girls and the lucky boy in with the big girls. I have been letting them out earlier than normal because anyone with chickens knows that there is alot of butt kickin' going on until everyone finds their place in the flock. Well I didn't get eggs for almost a week! With one egg a day this is horrible, so the other day I was refilling the hay manger for the goats and in the bottom area that catches the dropped hay I found two eggs!!! One of my hens that I thought was molting is laying again, yippee, but in the hay manger! So now I started checking the hay manger daily for eggs, and they are there!!! The next day my little lucky roo was sounding the alarm, I went to see if the cat that's been sneaking around lately was beside the shop and nothing was there except a nest of four eggs from a different hen!!!! She went back to the same spot the next day and started screaming because I had taken her eggs LOL!!!! So now she has made a nest on top of the hay stack in the goat barn! Good grief!!! I know the big change in the flock has caused them to go wonky with their egg laying, I just don't know how to fix it! It's kinda fun hunting for eggs everyday except when you can't find them!!! Any suggestions on how to get them laying in the coop again?
The baby chicks have finally started putting themselves on the third level of the new coop each night. I do have to bribe them with scratch on level two and make sure the light is on all before 4:30 but hey whatever works. I will let them start free ranging next week if they keep up the good work ☺
Bella and I put lights on a small tree outside of the coop last night. It's the chickens Christmas tree ☺
Enjoy this beautiful day everyone!

They are in God's hands.......

That's what I keep telling myself this morning. I can't quit crying though, I don't know why. Since my 1st grader stepped out of the car the tears came and they won't stop. The school had a police officer there, I don't know if that triggered my emotions by making all of this more real or what. My kids are at school, they are in Gods hands until this afternoon, it's going to be a long week of praying, and a huge relief to have them home for Christmas vacation.

♥Hug your babies, pray for the families who lost their little ones, and embrace the true meaning of Christmas ♥

 

Silence of the yard....

The homestead is too quiet now. We processed (or whatever you want to call it) six roosters. There used to be too much crowing and now there is none. I miss my big boys :( but one would chase my children and the other would chase my dog so they had to go.


the button looks like a smiley face LOL!!!

I made a beaded crochet bracelet the other day, thanks to Kim at the red farmhouse for the inspiration and link to the instructions. This one I will give to my cousin in California ☺

The baby chickens in the new coop have started coming down to the first level during the day, well thirteen of them, one must be scared of heights. At night they wait for me to put them one by one back on the third floor! If they were smart they would put themselves up at night, that's when I will let them free range during the day!
We now have two layers, two molters, and a ton of babies! One rooster survived butchering day only because the hubs thought he could get him without me. HA!!!! I am chicken mama and I know my chickens. I told him REPEATEDLY that we need to get him together and he took it upon himself to get him. Well he got away LOL!!!!

It's really cold here today. Last night I harvested a bunch of collard greens, I will cook them down and put them in freezer bags, thank you Sunnybrook Farm for the info ☺ I also harvested three heads of broccoli! I can't wait for dinner tonight, my little one is already gagging at the thought, but it will be yummy!

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

This week....

I have not only been having fun with the elf! And playing with my adorable puppy! I have made soap! The white one is my plain ol' goats milk soap and the brown one is called peppermint patty ☺ It looks like a brownie and smells like peppermint! The hubs thinks it looks gross but smells good, I will share the recipe once it's ready and I can try it!

 

I was also pleasantly surprised that my tomatoes ripened in the window. Yummy! I'm going to make chow chow with the green ones. My mom and I love chow chow on bean chowder ☺ Hopefully the recipe I have is a good one!

And for those of you who like the elf pics, Snowball was found watching a movie with Flynn Ryder this morning! Have a great day everyone ☺







Welcome ☺

Welcome to my newest followers. Thank you for joining me on my journey! I hope my daily elf stuff isn't putting you off. I am really having fun with it and just want to share!!! So welcom Creative Carmelina, DFW, Steve, 5 Monkeys and a Chick, Misty, Sandy ( a fellow okie), and Jacey Storer. If you have a blog link that my technologically challenged self didn't find please leave it in the comments. I would love to check out your blog too ☺

Wednesday

Thank you  Jacked Up Glock Mom for this idea for snowball! I think a wood booger could be in the car and my child wouldn't notice! She's not too observant in the mornings LOL!!! Maybe after school she will find her ☺

I am very busy today but wanted to tell all my blog girlfriends thank you for your comments! I love your stories about what you want for Christmas! We girls are awesome and our fella's are lucky to have us!!! I hope everyone gets what they want for Christmas (goat prodders, ammo, guns, clean rooms, good health, ect. )!!! Have a great day!!!

I'm not normal!!!

I went to Walmart last night, I had to, I hadn't been in forever and we were out of alot of things. Walking through the aisles of CRAP made me long for sturdy well made products. Where are they? Everything is soo disposable its sad. I avoided the toy isle completely... I have a small child and I know what happens to most of those "cool right now" toys, they end up at the Goodwill! I did find my neice, what I think is a nice present. I still have alot of presents to get and not alot of time especially if I want them to be thoughtful gifts. Anyway, heres why I feel "not normal". Last Christmas eve my husband built me a compost bin! It was a great present! This year I want a clothesline, so I can save on energy costs and dryer sheets, outdoor fresh you can't get anymore outdoor fresh than being outside!!!! My dad is building me a rain barrel! I've been wanting one for awhile but had to get guttering first LOL!!! These are presents a "normal" woman shouldn't want!!! What are my blog girlfriends wanting for Christmas? Hopefully I'm not alone in my weirdness ☺

For you Mama Bear LOL!!!

Snowball was taking a bubble bath with friends this morning ☺
She says Hi Mama Bear!!!!

Monday

Snowball was found this morning looking at my little ones Christmas list!

Chicken coop is DONE!!! It still needs paint and I'm sure we will have a few things to change. It's three levels and we didn't get it done until late last night, so I put the birds (two by two) into the top roost area. This morning only one was brave enough to stand on the ramp so I put them (one by one) into the bottom open area. I hope they start exploring today and visit the second floor nest boxes and then find their way back to the top floor roosts or I will once again have to put them (two by two) into their roosts. I am hoping by the end of the week they can venture out into the yard and will then put themselves up at night. My little one who used to be an outdoors girl has been petrified of our yard since our rooster Larry chases her anytime she comes out. She now spends most of her time indoors and when she's out has anxiety. I think the time has come to just have only sweet ladies in the yard. We have about eight roo's that need to be sent to freezer camp and that still leaves us with four (for now)!!!! Time was against us this weekend and the hubs is back to work so I'm hoping this coming weekend we will stock the freezer. It will be much safer for the little chickies to come into the yard without the boys although some of the big girls can be rough with the little chicks, I guess it's the pecking order business. I will take pics once it's all done ☺

What did snowball do today?

She made snowflakes out of napkins ☺

And yes my green, reuseable, friends, I am going to use cloth napkins. I hate wasting paper. I am faced with a little resistance here from the family but they don't do the shopping so I will win ☺

I also forgot a piece of yesterday's story. While the hubs was taking care of the bird, he had a shop light shining on him and into the woods. He was skinning away and heard a noise, when he looked up a fox was about 20 feet away staring at him and walking across the clearing to the other side of the woods. He was so shocked at how close it was he just stared at it, and he only had a knife on him so he wasn't prepared for this guy. Peeing around the yard is back on in full force. That is a chore I don't think he'll mind LOL!!!!

Snowball has arrived!

Snowball the elf on the shelf is here today! This should be fun ;)

A real quick story. Last night I was super busy with my girls and didn't have time to mess with my chickens. So, my husband put them up for me, let me just say he never has to do this!!!! Eighteen of the chicks I hatched still live in the big brood boxes in the shop until the new coop is built so everyday I take them two by two to my fenced in garden to spend the day and every night I take them two by two back to the shop. I end each evening huffing and puffing from the nine trips and sick of all these roosters (we have plans for them and soon). The hubs says he'll take care of it LOL!!! I get back from dropping my little one off at a dance and he has one of the roosters in the tree! I guess it wouldn't cooperate (duh!) and he got irritated with it (men!) so now it's in the fridge! It was headed there anyways, it just got there quicker than the others. All I have to say is HA!!!!! Now he knows what I do every night and he couldn't do it without someone getting butchered!!!!
Seven more roosters are headed to the freezer this weekend and hopefully the new coop will be done tomorrow ☺