New Lamps

I bought these old oil cans at an auction last summer, and they've been sitting around my garage for the last year, patiently waiting for me to make them into something useful.  I've also had a lamp kit patiently waiting for me to use it.  This past week, I (actually, my miracle working hubby) drilled some holes, added some silicone and made some magic.  Here is the result!

I actually made 3 of these.  Two of them are small, and I have a larger one.  I've been searching the globe for lamp shades, and this one is (I think) a winner....unless I can find one I like better. 

Each of these little ones went in one of The Girls' rooms, and the other large one went into our room.  I have yet to find a shade that will work with the big one, but eventually, I'll find one!

Here's to re-using old junk!

Chicken Mansion

We've had many, many projects this summer.  The biggest project has been building a new chicken mansion to house our new flock of chickens.  We looked and looked and researched and researched, and finally ended up deciding to build our own mansion.  The first reason was that it was most cost effective to do so, the second reason was that we wanted to be able to build it very specifically to what we wanted.  Here is the finished project!

There are a few most details to take care of, but it's pretty much complete.  I bought a weather vane to put on top of the mansion, so that'll add to the charm of it!

Right now, we have close to 40 chickens in there.  20 meat birds which will be butchered next week (thank heavens, those things are fat.  and ugly!), and then 20 layers.  The layers will think that they're living the good life once the meat birds are gone, there will be so much room!

The structure is 10 ft. x 16 ft., so there's lots of room inside to store food and other chicken paraphernalia.  We've also put up a fence around the outside for the birds to be outside and get some fresh air, so they're loving that!

The mansion is painted barn red, and it's everything I dreamt it would be!

My Kitchen Window

I was cleaning up the dishes from dinner the other day, looked outside my kitchen window, and this is what I saw...

A teenager, hanging out on our back lawn.  We shushed the Girls, and sat and watched him for a while.... I think he might be lost, because normally where there's one deer, there's more.  But there were no more....just him, and his fuzzy little antlers starting to grow.  Perhaps he's the rebellious one?  Wants to take off on his own?  Spread his wings?  I dunno....

Since then, we've seen him almost every day.  I think he likes the Girls....

My Existence

It feels as though we are in the throws of summer here, which means more time outside, less time on my computer! We've had my 17 yr. old nephew here for a few weeks, so I've been driving him to job interviews and day jobs. Then, my parents were here for a week, and we hosted my dad's side of the family for the weekend for a family reunion. The weather has been blissfully hot, so that means sprinklers and popsicles and cool baths at night. It also means thunderstorms that go on sll night long, Girls in our bed, cuddling and listening to the rain. Tank tops and sunscreen and tan lines, towels being washed constantly...this completes my existence these days. Summer. I love it!

Summer

It finally feels like summer is here.... and this is what I look out and see from my front door.  I love summer!

I picked up those cool lanterns the other day, and hung them in the tree.  The best part is that they have solar panels in them, so once dusk sets in, the lights come in.  It looks awfully dreamy....

Back Woods Beauty

Every summer, we try and pick a spot on our property to do a project.  For the past number of years, we've been wanting to tackle our back woods, and have started, in the past, but never finished.  This year, we started....worked and worked and worked and worked, and finished.

Our back woods is full of stinging nettle, rotten, falling down trees, waist high grass and some healthy trees.  We've been wanting to make trails throughout the area, and so we did.

There's a company in our area that contract their services to the power company to cut down trees and maintain the area around power lines.  After they've cut down the trees, they chip them all up, and are always looking for places to dump the mulch.  This year, we were the lucky recipients of 4 dump truck loads of mulch.  And the best part about it?  It was all free...As in, it didn't cost us a penny!

Here are a few of the before pictures....

The brush was so thick you couldn't even walk!

And....the after pictures....

I am very, very glad that this project is all done... and my sore body is too!  I don't think I want to see another shovel full of mulch for quite some time!

We also did the area in the front, around and underneath the girls playhouse, so that has tidied up that area nicely.  Now, we can enjoy the trails for the rest of the summer....along with the swarms of mosquitoes!

Only the Strong Survive

A few weeks ago, we were woken up by the Girls running into our room, yelling, "There are chickens in the yard, dead chickens in the run and we can't find the rest!"

So we hustled outside to find 3 dead chickens in their run, 3 chickens (clearly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress) in the yard, and the remaining 10 were gone!  We walked all over our property and our neighbors, and the only thing we could find were piles and piles of feathers....  Either the coyotes or foxes had found them, gotten into their house in the night, and had a feast.

We were all so sad, especially considering that our new layers aren't laying yet!  Two of the remaining chickens kept laying, but the other one, who looks fairly gimped, hasn't laid an egg since.

Then, about 2 weeks later, in the middle of the day, Art was in the shop and heard the chickens going nuts.  He ran out there to see the tail end of a fox...he got 2 more chickens.

So now, we have one lonely chicken left.  And the kicker?  It's the gimped one, who hasn't laid a single egg since "the incident".... She's quite lonely....and afraid!  Every time she hears a noise, she runs back into her house... She lives in fear.  In fear of the fox.  All alone.  With only her imagination to occupy her thoughts (dramatic enough for you?!)

Sadly, our egg supply has dried up. And the Girls income has dried up. And we have to go to the store and buy eggs, which is killing me! I'm hoping that the new chicks start laying sooner rather than later... only 10 more weeks to go.

Rest In Peace, chickens....