Big Eggs

No wonder one of our hens has prolapse. A few of them give us double yokes a few times over the summer. Here is the latest larger egg.

Craft Sale Gone Bad

We crafted,we loaded the car, we unloaded, we set up and sold.  Or so we thought we would.  The cost of a 12 x 12 foot space was $25.00.  We sold to 2 people and made $22.00, putting us $3.00 in the hole.  We were not happy people.  By 3:30pm we were so hot and sweaty we tore everything down and went home.  My daughter made over 30 bracelets, 2 necklaces, keychains and earrings, all made by hand with hemp cord and beads.  The items were beautiful, so this was upsetting for all of us.  The money raised would have paid for her cost of a class trip next school year.  A very expensive, all class trip.

Now, the question is, should we try another place at another time?  Or do we say we're done?  It's too hot to decide today.  I guess with the recession, it's even harder to sell handmade items because people have cut back on spending. 

And here we were more concerned that we would get rained out and it still hasn't rained.

I think I will head to the porch and read a good book to relax.  That is, if the rain and predicted storms don't force me off the porch.

Lettuce in the Garden

I had my first salad today, using fresh home grown lettuce from the garden. I even cut about 3 long green onions and snipped it in to the salad. Yum! I can't wait until the tomatoes, green peppers, spinach and everything else is up. It's great to be eating so healthy too. It's also nice not to have to drive to town and buy lettuce.

Bucket List

Crocheting baby booties has been on my "bucket" list for a long time. Funny how things work out, because I am just now finding a pattern I like, and all my kids are grown. It was sure a fun way to mess with the kids today! LOL! Each one kept asking, "and why are you making baby booties?" It was fun to get them all worked up!

The top photo is the progress I am making. The one on the left is the first one I made. The one on the right (top photo) is the second one, and much better looking. I worked the ends of the bootie tie in as well.

The kids are writing their own bucket lists as I sit here and write. They were so bored that they went on-line to find "stuff" to do and decided to write 100 things on a bucket list. It's better than hearing them complain, or say "Mom you're no fun anymore!"

Well, another thing is off my own bucket list now. Maybe down the road I can donate baby booties to shelters and centers? Time will tell. I got the chance to make it today because it rained. The humidity is horrible so we are indoors. Although we still do not have air conditioning on, we are a bit more comfortable inside than outside.

Horse Riding Lessons and Chickens

My oldest daughter has finished her first 8 weeks of English horse riding lessons.  It's a bit of a drive each week, but I have discovered a local area park in which I can sit and write.   Soon I will find my way to their local library for wireless Internet.  Who knows, maybe I'll actually get some work accomplished.  I made the mistake of bringing my younger girls on these weekly trips.  All they do is talk and talk and talk.  What was I thinking?! 

One of our hens recently experienced prolapse.  We built a separate pen for her immediately, to keep her away from the other hens.  From what I learned at www.MaryJanesFarm.org, the hens will pick on her and she will diminish.  She has now recovered, but is not laying eggs just yet.  She's perky and I even caught her chasing a fly in her pen.   There is always something to learn on our homestead.  I'm sure it will become more interesting when we add more animals.

Gardening and a Stray Cat Problem

I sipped my coffee on the front porch this morning, in hopes to get another glimpse of a deer.  No luck.  It was later than usual, about 8:00am.  I wanted to vacuum first and that caused me to get outside a bit later.

Even thought 3 kids helped me in garden, I still have a lot of work to do.  I need to hoe between the rows and pull some stubborn weeds.  I managed to re-plant beet seeds, and dropped some radish seeds in between the spinach.  Not much of the spinach came up either.  Most likely from the downpour of constant rain we had a few weeks ago.

We have a problem stray cat.  He keeps coming to the house every night, attacking our 9 month old kitten, which is the only outside male cat.  We've brought them inside each night to avoid any scrapples.  One screen in the house is practically torn to bits from the inside cats warning this stray to leave.  We've brought the barn cat food inside each night, but it won't stop coming.  I will have to figure a way to get rid of him, even if it means having the humane society trap it.  He's a pretty mean one.   This is why people absolutely need to have their barn cats trapped, neutered and spayed, and released.  If someone had neutered this stray, he probably wouldn't be coming around like he is. 

Black-Eyed Peas

We, believe it or not, have tried black-eyed peas for the first time ever.  I picked an easy recipe from the Internet and gave it a whirl.  I did, however, pre-soak my black-eyed peas and cook them prior to making this recipe.  I had placed them in freezer containers, so when I found a recipe, I just needed to thaw them.  I changed the recipe up a bit too. I added about 5 cloves of garlic vs. a "pinch" and used 3 onions.  The kids each ate 2 bowls each they loved it so much.  And of course, for our family, I used 2 pounds of black-eyed peas instead of 1.