Getting Ahead

Happy Saturday all!

It's been a bit crazy here this week, but we've been able to get ahead on some projects and even have been able to look ahead to this fall and winter. (I know, who wants to think about cold on a beautiful warm day like today?)

Earlier in the week the kids and I started mulching the herb beds after getting the weeds out. My darling husband finished for me while I was at the E.R. with Princess Wednesday night. (We thought she might be having appendix issues, but thank the Lord, she was fine. Turns out she pigged out on sugar free candy that badly upset her stomach!) Princess and I were also able to get some of the veggie garden weeded and old newspaper laid out and prepared for mulch.

The other day Wheels helped me bring the "Big Kids" out in their cage to set next to the run so that the "Big Girls and Boy" could meet without fear of injury. They are back out there today and I'm hoping to get them into the coop tonight under cover of darkness. They're just getting too big for the cage we had them in, and with the "babies" in the cellar, it's getting crowded, stinky and noisy. Biscuit, the young rooster, is also getting louder every morning. This morning it was 5! We need to find him a new home soon.

We also had a surprise out in the coop Sunday morning. After letting the "Big Girls" out for the day, I was headed back to the house to make breakfast. I heard a rooster crow behind me and was astonished to see that one of our "Big Girls" was flapping it's wings, puffing up and letting go with a cock-a-doodle-doo! We didn't have a clue that we might have boy. So he will be heading back to our friends Abby & Brian.

Shawn has also been busy with getting bedding for the chickens and materials for building a shed to hold the bedding. We've been very fortunate that Shawn works at a saw mill and have been getting the shavings for bedding for free. Earlier in the week he stopped at a neighbors that had a sign for hay for sale. He was able to get 10 bales for a really good price. 10 bales will last us a long time. This morning my darling husband was up early to go get some big pallets that he was given for free. The pallets have enough lumber in them to make a good start on a small storage shed, if not to complete it!

Yesterday I headed to New Hampshire for a doctors appointment and a shopping trip to B.J.'s. The doctor appointment didn't happen, (ugh!) but the shopping trip did. I was able to stock up on Goldfish crackers, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and white vinegar. After returning home, having dinner and helping with a load of firewood, Shawn, Princess and I headed to Tractor Supply for chicken feed. I had a coupon for 10% off of our total purchase, so we picked up a bag of chick food, too, although we won't need it for another week or two. I also picked up some 1/2 gallon mason jars (I had a 75 cents coupon for those, too!) for food storage.

This morning I'm baking after having cleaned the coop. Tomorrow is a potluck at our church, so I've got 2 cakes for church, 1 cake for tonight (it's Shawn's birthday!!!) and a batch of breakfast cookies for the week. I tried making them into actual cookies instead of bars because I've run out of pans. Hopefully, they'll turn out o.k.. After a short brake when the baking is done, I'm going out to the garden to weed before it's too hot!

Hoping you have a lovely Saturday! Let me know what you're up to in your gardens, kitchens and homes my friends. I'd love to hear from you!

Blessings,
Kelly