Calling All Chicken People!!!

Ok, all you Chicken Lovers out there!!!  Yoo-hoo - you know who you are!!!

I have a couple of questions.  OK, remember all the years I've been blogging I've been saying that "when I get moved out to the farm permanently I'm gonna have me some chickens"???  Welp, it's time.  We have officially moved full-time out to the farm and I'm now calling it home.  It'll take some getting used to but we are so excited!

We are walking around boxes and trying to find more little cubby-holes to store stuff.  The tin garage is full, and the barn is taken up on one wall with our remaining furniture that we didn't sell.  We found a rat out there that will have to move on.  Stocked up on traps and poison last night.  You know what's bugging me the most?  My darling daughter's prom and pageant dresses.  WHERE IN THE SAM HILL AM I GOING TO STORE THAT STUFF?  I think I'm going to just get some big plastic bins and put them in there but then where am I going to put those bins?  I told her if SHE didn't take them to a resale shop, then I WAS. 

OK, back to chickens.

Question #1  --  When is the best time to get chicks?  In the spring?  Then you have to keep them warm and stuff.  How do they do if you get them in the summer?  Probably too dad-blamed hot right now in Texas, right?

Question #2 --  I don't think I need a whole gob of chickens  - just enough for me & Tony, my folks and maybe a couple more people - neighbors.  What do y'all think?  Maybe 5-6 hens?  I don't want a rooster to start with.  Maybe later.

Question #3  --  Do y'all prefer a coop that is big enough for a human to walk into or a small one to start out with?  Is it easier to clean a big coop than a small one? 

Question #4  --  I probably need to put wire over the top of their run, right? 

Question #5  --  How do you convert penned chickens into free range?  Just start letting them out?  Will they automatically start putting themselves back in the coop in the evening?  Need to wait til they're large?

Question #6  -- What is y'all's favorite feed for them starting off?  I know I can look all that stuff up, but I know that real people have special things that they like to feed.

Question #7  --  What are your favorite breeds to start with - easy, healthy, can take the Texas heat?  I WILL have an Ameracauna for sure, because there's just something I love about the green eggs. You know I had a stray one come to my house and stay for 6 weeks before something got her.  She laid me a green egg just about every single day.  I even fixed her a box with a nest in it on my front porch.  One day, she was just gone...

OK, that's enough for now.  I hope to be swamped with all kinds of good chicken info - I've visited Backyard Chickens' website and a couple of others.  That's a good site and I've enjoyed it.  And all of you that have chickens, I've probably read all your posts on chicken upbringing over the last 3 years - just cuz I was so looking forward to having some of my own.

Now, ya wanna see sumpin funny?

CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THAT HAIR?  1980's hair AND Southern AND Texan to boot!  And all naturally curly.  I used to fight it tooth and nail!!!  Found this as I was moving and cleaning.  Thought you might get a great laugh!!!  (by the way, that's NOT a beer mug - I don't drink - my momma used those for iced tea...)

OK, that's all I can think of right now.  Thank you so much!  I'll be looking forward to hearing from  you!

We're Finally Home at the FARM!

Taking a break from moving to say hi and check in on all my lovely blog buddies.  I'm trying to cram 2600 sq ft of stuff into a 1200 sqft farmhouse. It's unreal.  I fear that another garage sale is in order here at the farm. I cannot keep all this junk.  But don't you think I should wait til it cools off a bit?  Just shove it all in the barn and do it in maybe October?  Thank you, I think so, too.

OK, we're gettin' real here, people.  The farmhouse was my "playhouse" and I foo-foo-ed it up big time - now it's time for a clean sweep.  Git rid of everything that we don't need - including all the pink - in time.  This is going to be a working farmhouse - we need space, minimum foo-foo, minimum doilies, flowers and cutesy wall art.  This is a time to be practical.  Why don't you all come to my house and see what you want?  I've got to streamline - playtime is OVER. 

I'm leaning more "farm-style" now.  Pink foo-foo is over.  It'll take time to make the changes. Plus - do you know how quickly pink and light colors get dirty and stained with my guys (and gal) doing the farm thing and bringing loads of dirt into the house?  Granted, they're not all here all the time, but me and hubby are, and I must confess that I bring in dirt, too.  All the stained light blue towels and cloths are going to the rag bin.  In with the dark blue and brown.

First change I've made.  You remember my cute little glass-topped garden table and chairs in the dining area?  Well, they're OUT.  I ran across an old, old handmade farm table, bench and some odd chairs that I'm going to use in the kitchen. I was always afraid that the glass was going to get broken and it only held 4 people.  The farm table will hold 8.  It's rough cut, but smoothed by the ages and use, and I think it'll be perfect. Won't have to worry about breaking it or scratching it.  It's a work table. Only one thing ---

I sat down on the end of the bench and guess what happened???  Just like a cartoon!  Up went the other end and I landed on the floor!!!!   Stop laughing!  At least it didn't hit me in the head.  It WAS pretty funny!  We'll have to get used to doing a balancing act when using the bench!  (sorry for picture quality - phone...)

Princess wanted me to show this picture of some chairs she bought for her little apartment at college.  They were covered with burlap potato sacks!  How cute is that!

In other news, WE GOT HALF AN INCH OF RAIN!  Woo-hoo!  It's not much, but we'll take all we can get!  The ground was cracked and sandy, grassburrs were sprouting up everywhere, the garden was about gone even with watering from the water hose, the grass is all crackly and brown.  There's nothing like the Lord's natural rain to bring life back in all things growing!  And nothing like His grace and love to bring life back into our souls!

Back to unpacking, friends - take care - don't forget me!  I'll be back! Hugs to all!!!!!

This 'N That...

Doncha just HATE fire ants?  I DO!  I was picking blueberries off my 6 bushes the other day when I felt fire enveloping my left leg.  I knew immediately what it was.  I looked down and my leg was covered with the little boogers and I instantly began swatting and brushing them off.  DAD-gum!  It's like they sneakily swarm on you, and then one of them gives the command and they all sting at once!  I know it's true - how many times does it happen!  At least once a week or so!  Ran the water hose on my leg but it burned for awhile and then started itching.  Now I look like I have chicken pox all over my left calf and ankle - looked real purdy going to church this morning... and they'll leave pink scars for a long, long time.  Yuck.  And I just won't put fire ant killer anywhere around our garden areas that we're going to be eatin' from.

Still packing up the house. We DID get a contract on the house, and Lord willing, that'll go well so we can get moved out to the farm permanently.  I'm so tired of the back and forth.  Princess came home this weekend so she could help me pack.  I swear she's the most organized thang you'd ever meet.  She saves EVERYTHING, but it's all neatly organized and labeled.  She packed up lots of plastic crates with her stuff.  She probably didn't want me trying to do it cuz it would not be organized.

Garden's going well.  All you're getting today is some random shots of the farm. DISCLAIMER - You'll have to excuse the photo quality.  These pictures came off the cellphone. 

Dad came over to make plum jelly with me.  We had so much fun!  It's such a hoot when we get to do "garden stuff" together, cuz my sweet mom is just not into this stuff.  She'll do some freezing, but she will not can, doesn't want to, has no interest.  So that's me and Daddy's play time.  Sometimes my sister will come up and do it with me.  We put up 3 dozen small jars, and I still have another batch to go.  Oh yeah, here's a batch of green beans.  I think I put up about 10 quart bags of beans in the freezer.  I've got to get out there and pick my pintos, too.  They're ready...

One thing that I have really enjoyed growing at the farm, something fun just for me - is giant sunflowers!  I absolutely love them to death.  They're so big and sunny and cheery.  They make me smile!    The birds moved the seeds all over the garden from where I planted them.  They came up in random spots and I just left them where they came up.

Baby mockingbirds under my kitchen window.  There were 4 of them, just like last year, and all 4 of them probably won't make it this year either unless I guard the nest 24/7.  And I can't.  Too many cats around.  They are stretching and hopping on the side of the nest now so it won't be much longer before they are hopping out to their death.  Maybe tomorrow they'll start.  Sad, but true...

Just some more garden pics - corn and tomatoes and my watermelon vines.  I even planted  pumpkins this year just for fun.  There are several small ones forming. Maybe I won't need to buy some during the fall!

My grapevines did well this year.  They have several clusters on eath of them.  This year, we wrapped our fruit trees and the grapevines in bird netting and it HAS helped alot.

Below - my plum tree before I picked all the plums off...

AND, my morning glories are finally starting to bloom!  They've been a long time in coming. Don't know why.  I've tried them in different places around the farm to see where they did the best.  I got this piece of iron fence from Margo cuz I thought it would be good to grow something on it!

AND...................a parting shot of some of my day-lilies.  I hope you all have a wonderful week with your families and that God blesses each and every one of you richly with His grace and love!  Catch ya later!

Keep your dress down!

Meanwhile, Back at the Farm...

First off, I just want to add my condolences, well wishes and prayers for all those folks that have suffered loss of life and property in the wake of the tornado up in Joplin, Mo.  As I sit and watch the devastation on the TV and hear of the mounting casualties, it just breaks my heart for those people.  It's hard to imagine. The wreckage that I see in the pictures is some of the worst I've ever seen from a tornado. Every time I think about them and hear about the rising loss of life I could just sit down and cry.  I know we all have some blog friends from that area AND from the Alabama area that was also hit hard.  Let's all continue to lift them all up in prayer now and in the days and weeks to come...

Second of all - Vee is having a giveaway!  YEA!  She's giving away a copy of Mennonite Girls Can Cook and I want to direct you over to her blog and enter - WOW, what a treat to win that book!  Those gals can really cook!  Check in at Vee's place, A Haven for Vee, and also go by and visit the Mennonite Girls! They have some great recipes that we all would  appreciate! 

Here's a quick picture of the beautiful flowers my oldest son sent me from Nashville on Mother's Day.  He NEVER forgets his mama on special days.  He's so thoughtful.  (don't look at my Christmas mat...)

My Princess's boyfriend, "the beast" (her words, not mine) football player, happens to be quite handy with power tools.  She had him make her a thingie to put on the wall in her closet to hang her necklaces and such on. (I know you don't end a sentence in a preposition...)  But that's the way we talk down here in Texas.  I guess that rule doesn't apply here... You know there are alot of rules that don't apply  in Texas.  It's like we are our own country or something (she says proudly...)   He also built her a nice heavy desk that she distressed and painted and it looks great!  He lives in a second story apartment and his closet is full of power tools and such. He ran an extension cord down to the parking lot and they worked on the desk all of one or two days.  It may last til kingdom come.  It may also have to double as a dining table in her tiny apartment that she just moved into (another preposition).

Meanwhile, back at the farm, the garden is going good (Texas license to talk thataway).  I was wondering if I was going to have any time at all to get it in this year, what with the wedding and all.  But get it in I did.  I planted some grapevines last year and this year they are doing great and even have grapes on them.  If the crows don't get 'em before we do, I hope they'll be great.  We did go buy some bird netting to cover the blueberries, the grapes and the plum tree.  I hope to have enough to cover the peach tree, too.  Cuz they're all going to ripen about the same time.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures - I took them with my IPhone and they're not as sharp as with my camera.

See this here?  You know what it is?  Chicken litter - no, not chicken little - CHICKEN LITTER.  It stinks to high heaven.  Our hay man is fertilizing the hay pastures with it.  I also confiscated a few bucket loads to mix in my compost and put in the garden and a little in some of my flower beds. Last Saturday, the hay man was applying that stuff and the wind was blowing and it really stirred up a brown cloud of chicken poop. I'm sure all the neighbors were happy.  Smells like money to me.  A different guy last year did the hay and he used commercial fertilizers and weed killers - chemicals - and they did great, but part of me is glad that THIS new guy is doing it naturally.  You know, the cows and such eat the hay, and then we eat them - are we getting all those chemicals?  I don't want to think about it!  So I feel good about this process and I don't mind the stink so much.

Thought I'd slip this in, too.  Daddy's birthday was Sunday and we all went out to eat to help him celebrate.  I'm so thankful to God in heaven for my parents and that they've stayed healthy for the most part and they're still kickin' around in their 5th wheel camper every month, and they're still keeping the road hot with all their running around they do.  Thank ya, Lord!

A few random shots of my garden... This year I planted 'maters, peas, beans, onions corn, watermelon, squash, cukes and a couple of pumpkin plants from seed I had leftover last year from the pumkins I bought. Oh yes, and jalapenos - I'm planning on lots more homemade salsa this year!  We're already pickin' beans and have cooked up several batches.  I've got a couple of bags in the fridge right now that have to be snapped and blanched and put in the freezer.  The cukes are about ready, the plums are ready (I'll be making jelly come thursday - daddy's going to help me - he helped me do pickles last year. We had a blast!) and the corn ain't too far behind.  We've been eatin' on the onions for awhile now...June is usually the busiest month for the garden produce around here.

This mornin' about 7:30 before I left for work...

Now, early this spring I planted some sunflower seeds in an area in the back by the watermelons.  Can you see where they came up?  I'm guessing the crows moved them or something.  They've come up in random places all in the garden - mostly in the onion patch. Wierd.  I just left them alone. They look kinda cool sticking up in different places.  I imagine some people may think they look like big huge weeds, but it's just nature doing its thing.  So I left it alone.

Just a little quick shot of my garden shed which I love immensely.  I had some morning glories planted along this little rickety piece of fence last year, but didn't get them in soon enough this year.  Hmmm, maybe some clematis would be good.  I'm trying to get perrenials planted everywhere and just do a few annuals to fill in so I won't have to keep spending so much money on new plants every year.

Plum jelly making is in store for Thursday, so I better round up all my jars this evening and get 'em washed and ready to sterilize.  Friday we load up a sofa and loveseat and drive it out to the Princess's apartment 4 hrs away.  Glad to have "the beast" to help us move some stuff... Last night we went and helped the newlyweds clean out Lindsey's duplex and get everything over to Josh's house.  They guys moved and me and Linds cleaned.  I know that was hanging over their heads to get done so now they can quit worrying about it.

Well, I'm gonna take off - allergy season is here in full force (and has been for me for the last 3 months) and I'm fixing to lay my head down on my desk here at work and take a little nap.  JK!  Wish I could - that Benadryl really knocks me out!  I haven't had much luck with Claritin, etc.  Ya'll take care - I'll be back soon, good talkin' to ya this mornin'.  I've missed ya!

Keep your dress down!

Please Meet Mr. & Mrs. Josh & Lindsey

What a weekend we had last weekend!  My son, Josh, married his God-given soul-mate, Lindsey, at a beautiful lakeside service. The rain held off, it was gorgeous, a good breeze, a few rumbles, but absolutely perfect - we couldn't have asked for better weather! 

I have to tell you - the whole courtship, the whole engagement, the whole wedding, Josh getting a job right before they married, I can't begin to count all the "coincidences" that happened...This young woman and this young man were brought together by the Lord.  All their lives, her parents and us had been praying for these two kids AND their future spouses.  The Lord's been preparing them all these 25 years for each other.  If I looked the whole world over I could not find another girl more perfect for my son Josh.  Her mama feels the same about my son.  Our two families have blended into one.  We share the same faith, the same values, and now the same happiness in the joining of our two kids.

I knew early on that Lindsey was different, and that Josh was different.  They are two peas in a pod and compliment each other so well.  I could tell that they were crazy about each other.  Our whole family loves Lindsey, and hers loves Josh.  It is a match made in heaven - LITERALLY! 

Wanted to share a few snapshots with you all - mind, my sister took 'em - Lindsey & Josh will be getting the wedding photos from the photographer before long, but they still turned out well.  There's a few from the rehearsal dinner, too.  The kids went on a wedding trip to Paris, France, Athens, Greece, and the island of Santorini.  I can't wait to see THOSE photos!!!!  Maybe they'll let me share some of those!

Travel theme  - rehearsal dinner!

Here we all are - both families - at the rehearsal dinner. It was Wonderful!!!

Lindsey and her mom and dad...

Josh and me and Tony...

Josh, Tony and I.  We are so proud of him!

A moment alone with my son before the wedding....

What a blessed day for us all!

My three...

My mom and dad and their grandson...

Hayley and her daddy...

A good-looking bunch of guys...

being silly...

Us two moms!

Waiting for the bride...

More silliness...

Awwww, shucks!

The Bride and her dad (sorry it's out of order...)

The vows.

The REAL Kiss.

Git Er Dun!  Now we can EAT!

Lindsey and the Groomsmen

Josh and the Bridesmaids

See the suitcases?  THAT was the Groom's Cake!  My friend Nelda made both cakes!!!

Now THIS is one happy girl!!!  She's just beautiful!  Inside and out!

Prince Charming and His Princess had their Fairy Tale Wedding!

A happy couple!

My family is now 6!

Looks wierd to see a wedding band on Josh's hand...

Lindsey and Hayley now have a new sister!

Lovebirds...

Adam & his girl Jena

We sent the happy couple off with giant sparklers!  It was magical and wonderful and oh so fun!!! They will be back Monday night late after a long flight back from Europe.  I can't wait to see their pictures.  Don't know if I'll ever get to go myself, but I'm glad these two were able to go.

Thank you all for being patient and looking at all my pictures. I'm a little partial I guess. I thought everything turned out beautifully.  It was busy, it was hectic, but it was wonderful.  I pray for these two kids to be blessed with happiness and a home full of love for each other and for the Lord.  They'll be living not too far away from us so I'm ecstatic about that!   I hope to be back a little more now that the wedding is over with. Been super busy with the garden, and still trying to move things and throw away and put things on craigslist. Take care my friends! 

And keep your dress down!