Retro Apron

I finally got around to uploading some more pictures of stuff I have made.  Here is a picture of an apron I made much like Amanda's apron, except in Christmas fabrics.  I have more pictures of this pretty apron over on the Sew What? page of this blog.  Check it out!

Cute Crocheted Items

I was part of a pattern tester group that got to try out a new pattern that someone had written.  I was sent the pattern and told to crochet it just as it was written and make notes as to what was unclear or wrong, etc.  The finished piece turned out to be this cute little bunny.

The cute little cupcake was super fun to do and a free pattern on the web.  Head on over to my crafty corner to read more about my crocheting and see other things I have made.  Check it out!

Pear Pincushion

I made this pear pincushion for in my cousin's sewing box.  It turned out to be a prickly pear if you will.

It is cute and easy to make.  Head on over to the Sew What? page of this blog for more details.  Check it out!

Curious the Chicken

This is Curious.  She is a Rhode Island Red chicken that is 3 years old.  She act more like a dog than a chicken.  She is very affectionate and loves attention.  She is also curious about everything.

When she was just a peep she would walk with me the length of the brooder while I cleaned out the duck's side.  It was a large brooder and she would walk back and forth watching and 'helping' me.  She has continued to stay affectionate and inquisitive about everything as she has gotten older.  The other chickens will sometimes gang up un her and beat her up some - just establishing the pecking order of the flock.  I tend to stick up for her and don't let the other birds pick on her, maybe that is why she is attached to me.

Curious loves to be held and pampered.  When she was getting really beat up over the summer, I would rescue her.  She would willingly let me pick her up, and take her to a different part of the yard.  My other chickens would not cross the driveway so I would take Curious over to the orchard and put her under one of the cherry trees.  I would give the tree a  shake and Curious would gobble up the Japanese Beetles that would drop to the ground.  I would try to get her to move to the next tree but she would just look at me and say, "No, you put me here under this tree.  I am not moving."  So I would have to pick her up and carry her to the next tree for more yummy bugs.  Goofy bird.  So pampered she would not walk to the next tree!

When I take the birds a fresh water every night she is standing in the nest boxes waiting for me.  As soon as I step into the coop she is right there to take several long drinks before I can get the watering can set down.  She does the same thing with the food can.  She eats first and looks to the other hens as if to say "Neener neener neener, I get to eat and drink first!"  I think I have totally upset the pecking order!  I don't really care as long as I know she is getting food and water and not getting beat up. In the picture above you see Curious and Fuzzy at the watering can.  Fuzzy is a whole other story bird!

I scrambled up some eggs for the hens over the weekend.  The need the protein and it helps reduce pecking when they are cooped up for long periods of time like they have been lately with all this bad weather.  I had 2 plates full of eggs balanced on my arm and hand as I opened the coop door with the other hand.  As soon as I stepped inside the coop Curious did this:

Yep she hopped right up onto my hand balancing all the eggs and just sat there on my fingers.  She was very comfortable there and started to eat the eggs at her leisure.  Again, she looked down at the rest of the birds on the floor of the coop smacking their beaks, drooling for the eggs, and took a big bite of eggs and said "Neener neener neener!"

She stayed on my hand like that as I eased her down to the floor and put the egg plates down for the rest of chickens to enjoy.  They all devoured them and made happy noises.  They are funny when they get stuff stuck to their beaks.  Since they obviously can't lick their beaks off and don't have opposable thumbs to handle a napkin - they do what they can to clean their beaks off.  They stroke their beaks back and forth across the roosts or on the floor to wipe them clean.

I love my chickens and know they don't have a long life span, but I will be really sad when Curious and Fuzzy pass away.  These two chickens in particular have such notable personalities and are so darn funny, loving and quirky, it just make you smile.

Super Bowl Sunday Menu Ideas

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and being a Pennsylvanian, or Pennsyltuckian as some say in these here parts, we root for the Steelers.  I have my Steeler T-shirt on even though I probably will not watch much of the game.  I will be making goodies to munch on throughout the day for us.  We are not hosting a party but just us making a day out of the event.

I usually try to make a good big meal on Sundays, not just because I have the time, but it also gives me leftovers for the week's lunches for me.  Today however is not going to be one of those days.  I may still get some leftover out of todays noshings but it will take some creativity on my part to make them do-able lunches.

On the menu for today is Buffalo Chicken Dip:

Since it is still fairly early here, I do not have it made yet.  I will post the recipe on the What's Cooking page of this blog.  Later, after I get it made I will post a finished picture.  This is a pretty popular dip.  You can scoop it onto crackers, use scoops/tortilla chips, or use celery to deliver this yummy flavorful munchie to your mouth.

There will also be Taco Scoops:

   

 This is a great appy for parties.  It gives you the great flavor of tacos in a one bite delivery of a scoop chip.  Super easy to make and delicious to eat!  Again, I will post recipes and finished pictures on the whats cooking page.

I will also be making Hot Sausage in sauce with pepper and onions:

This I have to get moving on now.  It is best if you let it cook away in a crock pot all day long.  The sausage gets infused with the sauce and the sauce gets infused with the hot sausage.  A marriage made in  the crock fit for heaven!  Slap a saucy sausage in a fresh roll, top with cheese, sauce, and grilled onions and peppers, splash on some ketchup...oh I am drooling~!  Once again finished pictures and recipes will be posted to the Whats cooking page.

I may even make some lemon, cherry, and red raspberry tarts, if I have time:

I make my own pie crust from scratch - so easy to make, and use commercial bakery filling sleeves for the fruit filling.  More details will be on the whats cooking page.

If you are a football fan, enjoy the game and may the best team win!

Up at 4am on a Saturday

I roll over in my bed all snuggled down, toasty warm,  under my wool blanket and realize I am wide awake.  I squint to get a blurry glimpse of the clock glowing red on my bed side table.  4:00 glares back at me, mocking, taunting me through my uncorrected vision blur.  I groan in disappointment and disbelief that it is Saturday, my weekend, and I am wide awake at 4:00am. I give a sigh and haul myself out of bed.  There is no use in trying to go back to sleep now.  I am up for the day.  I get up at 4am during the week for work and that is fine, but I would like to be able to sleep in a little (6am would be fine) on the weekends.  Not this weekend apparently.

Now it is almost 6am, I have had my cup of hot tea and have been surfing around the internet all morning so far.  I still am in my PJs, rebellion for having been wide awake at 4am on a non-work day.  Actually, my plush super soft sleep pants are very warm, soft, fuzzy, cozy, and just down right cute, and I don't ever want to get out of them.  They are bright pink (ack!) with cup cakes all over them, so whimsical and fun! Pair those with a pink t-shirt and a a dark blue Eeyore zippy, and matching blue fuzzy slippers, and I am so darn color coordinated it makes me want to break out in song! Well almost....the boys are still sleeping - most of the United States is still sleeping at this hour on a Saturday.

Even my tea mug is color coordinated with my sleep attire!

If only I could be so put together for life outside the house!  Maybe someday.  Not today, it is my day off and the freezing rain is coming down outside again.  Hopefully it will not amount to too much and will melt off quickly.  Have a great day!

Ice Storm Feb 2011

It is Wednesday and I am home from work.  It feels strange, like it should be the weekend or something.  My son has not had school for the past 2 days either.  This is something, as his school never cancels school!  The even canceled for today last night!  The weather is really bad, that is why I am not at work.  We got hit with a major ice storm that brought sleet and freezing rain for the past 2 days.  I even heard some thunder earlier this morning.  Thunder and lightening during ice/snow storms are pretty impressive.  I did make it to work yesterday even thought it was pretty bad, but not today, it is way too icy for me to be out there.

We got quite a bit of ice.  I would much rather have had snow, but I don't control the weather.  I just have to roll with it and wish I lived someplace warmer.

The chickens are not happy.  They have been able to get outside the past few days with all the sunshine we have had.  Not yesterday or today though!  That is all I need is to have them slide and break a leg on the ice.  Chickens are not the most graceful creatures in the world.  No, it is best to keep them cooped up in the coop until the ice melts or I get in the run and chip it all out....I think it should melt!  Chipping out ice is not fun, easy, or a clean chore.  Bits of frozen chicken poop, mud, rocks, and scratch fly up in your face and get in your hair and all over your bullets and everything - I have when that happens.....sorry 

i digressed into an old taco commercial for a moment.  Anyway you look at it chipping ice out the chicken run is not for the faint at heart, or the weak muscled.  

We have an extension cord running from the house to the Chicken coop.  This supplies the much needed electric to run the heat lamps inside for the birds.  The coop is equipped with 2 red heat lamps in the winter. It is necessary to heat the coop for the water to stay thawed and to provide some heat for the birds.  I check them every day for signs of frost bite to their combs.  I don't worry about their feet as much since we keep them cooped up when it is really cold and icy outside.  Their perches are 2x4's mounted flat so they have to sit on them with their feet flat and then hunker down over their feet which keep their feet warm when they sleep.  Pampered chickens - I have them!

I even found wile rabbit tracks outside Dust Bunny's cage.  This wild rabbit got onto the porch through a gate, up the ramp, and onto the porch to say "Hey you - in the cage.  Yeah you.  Whatcha in for?"  Then he skittered away.  Goofy rabbits.  I wonder if they are planning to break Dust Bunny out of jail?