Random Thoughts This Morning

This morning I have found myself pondering lots of important things like....

1.  If you give a kid a mud puddle he/she will jump in it until the puddle is all splashed out and empty.

2.  Bees are buzzzzzzzzy all of the time.  Rain or shine they are at work!  Fascinating.

3.  I used to read 2 or 3 books a week.  I am down to 2 or 3 pages a night before the ol' eyelids slam shut....parenting tires a girl out!

4.  Strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar are one of the most incredible taste sensations out there.

5.  I ordered caterpillars for our butterfly kit and the day they were received my daughter's caterpillar, ,caught in our very own backyard, turned itself into a chrysalis....a bit ironic I thought!

6.  I am ridiculously excited about the new series Girl Meets World.  It premiered last night and my daughter and I have a popcorn/ice cream date scheduled tonight to watch it.  Last summer we watched Boy Meets World and loved it.

7.  My daughter has caught the same slug 3 different times....3 different times it has escaped and then been found.  Everytime the slug is rediscovered I imagine it is screaming "Noooooooo" as it is being put back into it's habitat.  Don't feel too sorry for Spot the slug though.....it has a habitat set up that I envy!

8.  This morning I am having left over chile rellenos for breakfast.  I LOVE LEFTOVERS for breakfast!

9.  I am channeling Annie and singing "The sun will come out tomorrow......"  Really.....the sun will come out tomorrow....right?  I am feeling a little soggy!

10.  A child's project involving flour in cake pans requires intense supervision.  Otherwise clouds of said flour will erupt all over the house and footprints comprised of flour will be found on the couch.  Ask me how I know this! :)

And that is it. I am thunk out for the day....Happy Saturday everyone!

Chicken In The Freezer

We decided to raise hens for eggs three years ago and I haven't regretted the decision for a second.  We loved our girls and they were amazing egg layers.  Our hens were getting older and their egg production was starting to decline so this year we decided to get new chicks.  We live in a small town on a large lot but how many chickens we are allowed to keep is ordained by the city. We can only have so many chickens.  For this reason we decided to put our older hens in the freezer as crock pet hens, and start off fresh with our new chicks.

Our older hens were treated like the little rulers of the roost that they were.  Treats in the form of garden weeds and kitchen scraps were hand delivered every day.  They had lots of room to run, scratch, dig, and play.  They were given excellent chicken food and their water was always kept fresh and plentiful.  Our girls had great lives, but at the end of the day they were raised for their eggs and meat.  I am sad and already miss the ladies (though the new chicks keep us hopping) but AM happy that I know exactly how well they were treated and what went into their bodies.  I know the meat provided by one of our chickens will be healthy and ethical.  As I don't plan to give up eating chicken, I am glad that some of the chicken we consume came directly from our little backyard "farm".

The Birth Of A Chicken Coop...... Alternatively Titled....... My Husband Rocks! I Think I'll Keep Him.

Before

Helping Dad

Last week was a busy one for our family.  We put hens in the freezer (our first time butchering chickens) and built a chicken coop.....or I should say my husband......with help from our son......built a chicken coop.  A lot of thought went into this coop.  We purchased a chicken coop kit a few years ago and it worked great, but this year we purchased more chicks so we need a bigger coop.  Things like laying boxes, easy cleaning accessibility, roosts, and where to put the food and water were all things that needed to be considered.  My husband drew up a blue print and he and my son went to work.  I love how it turned out!  It is a two story coop with SO much room for our new girls.  Cleaning and gathering eggs is easy and changing the food and water is a breeze.  Thanks hon!

Interior Shot

Done!