Three Months Hiatus....................

Wow, the holidays kept me so busy, with a new grandson and all that good stuff! I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.

I have been busy crafting, gardening and chicken wrangling. Not so much wrangling except for those two times, more just sitting and watching them do what chickens do and getting to know all of their personalities.

CHICKENS 

Well since I posted last Carrie laid the first egg on November 25, 2012

Carrie's first egg

I was laying in bed on that Sunday, the windows were open since we were having a cold front. All of a sudden I heard chicken screaming, not the "we are getting attacked" noise but more of a "OMGOSH this hurts" noise. I knew what it was as soon as I heard it.  But I didn't count my eggs before they laid, oh no I got up and ready for church in my normal mode and when I went out to the coop ~ THERE IT WAS!!!!!!!!!

A little tiny perfect blue egg. So proud.

Since then we have had two layers, Carrie and Miranda.  This past Sunday I gathered two small eggs, not sure if I have a third layer or missed Miranda's egg the night before.  They use the same nesting box, out of six, they use just the first one.

We had to build a chicken fence to keep the dogs from terrorizing the chickens and also wanted them to have free range time as much as possible.

Coop Fence

Here it is partially complete, it is finished, I just failed to take a photo.  We also have a rouge chicken that comes into the yard. "My milkshake brings all the boys to my yard" or rather 

my chickens bring all the ................... you know where I am going with that.  Anyway, I named it Rouge, I am still not sure whether it is a roo or a hen.  I think it is a wild chicken though, looks like my Amerucanas do, but skinny and just different.  It hasn't held still enough to take a photo, but it is getting more used to me, this morning I was out there and it stayed rather then running away. 

Speaking of roos...............  Willow ~ one of my Buff Orpingtons that I hatched well, now it's Will I Am ~ like the dude from The Black Eye Peas. He is a lovely rooster that has yet to crow, but two out of two experts (myself and my chicken partner in crime) agree that this IS a rooster.

Will I Am

I hatched that handsome fellow!!  The chickens have been free ranging while I am home and they really love it. (Please note that in this photo you will see two orange 5 gallon buckets, they are covering sprinkler heads that would drench the coops, so until I get them capped, we have buckets) Don't judge.

Free Range

I haven't yet put down mulch over the sand, so I have been putting the hay from the nesting boxes down when I clean out the coop. Honestly I don't think they care one way or another, as long as they can scratch they are happy, and a worm or grub BONUS!!! They have the whole side of the house (top of pic) and more space behind where I was standing to take the pic. That is Will I Am and Jenny in the fore ground, Mo and snow and one of the Cookoo Marans with either Carrie or Miranda. 

And so you know, one person ~ even with a pool net CANNOT catch a chicken that doesn't want to be caught. Ever.

GARDEN

The garden has been a huge learning experience, I haven't learn near enough yet though.  South Florida is a challenge to grow veggies.  To date I have harvested; tomatoes, broccoli, a few beans, peppers, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce and the ever popular dollar weed! Most of the crops grew and grew and then overnight died. Such as squash and zucchini, in fact I had actual vegetable growth and starts for both and then overnight it seemed the whole plant died. The carrots were bitter, the chickens enjoyed the green parts and I gave the carrots to a friend with a bunny. We ate the cauliflower, broccoli, banana peppers, lettuce and  tomatoes too,  but now I am down to only tomatoes.  I have been giving the chicken the actual plants they love the green parts!

Cauliflower 

Fresh veggies!

CRAFTINESS

I was super crafty for Christmas, I made almost all the gifts I gave. Cookie recipe in a jar, cinnamon ornaments, beeswax candles, spice simmer and dish clothes.  I also made a new wreath for my front door.

Christmas Wreath 2013

Over this past weekend I tried my hand at soap making and last week I made laundry detergent.  I have to also give props to the inventor(s) of Pinterest.  Such wonderful inspiration!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you.

So I made this laundry sauce as it was called, mine came out more like laundry whip, which has a pretty cool ring to it. And I do not mean ring around the collar.  Anyway, I will be selling it in my etsy store once I have that all up and running, I am in testing mode right now.  If it doesn't test well I won't sell.  But here is a little before and after, yes the pictures were not taken in the same room, but the only lighting was the flash. 

Before Laundry Whip

And here is the after

After

The reason I took after pics in another room was so I could put all four dog beds together, did not think to do that before. The whip has the purest, cleanest, freshest smell ever.  Even better than fresh cut grass!!!

Cold Process Soap.  I had to, just had to, I love homemade soap so much I had it stocked piled from when I would go to New Hampshire. Lately though, non, zilch, nada.  I had to resort to commercially made soap. (Kicking rocks) So I did my research, I read books, blogs, looked at Pinterest until I am officially addicted to it.  But over this past weekend I officially became a soap maker.  Can I have an AMEN! Now mind you soap takes four weeks or more to cure, so the testing will have to wait, but during clean up there were some bits and pieces left on the mold and who am I to waste so I washed my little hands with the bits.  Even 24 hours into the cure I had lather, I had softness and most important I have a great smelling guest room now.  The soap is in there curing. 

Soap in the molds

The soap is Lemon Lavender Oatmeal Soap

Curing

Curing 

I also tried my hand at making a sugar scrub and a chicken suet ring, unfortunately no pictures yet.

So that is a few months all wrapped up into a few paragraphs, you are probably sitting there thinking she did like four things, she totally could have blogged more.  You are right, I could have, but things happen, things change, people need to readjust to what is going on in their worlds. 

Thanks for visiting and come back soon.