january & febuary

bees: so sad...we lost 2 of our hives. but, i kinda expected it...they were smaller and weaker than the other 2. so, we will be buying 2 bee packages and starting again in the spring!

chickens: i have baby chicks! last week my order of 26 baby chicks came in from mcmurray hatchery...4 died within a day and i sold 6 to a neighbor...so we are down to 16. i tried some new breeds...partridge rock, buff orpington, speckled sussex, silver spangled hamburg, and silver laced & gold laced wyandottes.

garden 2012: if you are looking to buy non-gmo, heirloom seeds...you must check out "baker heirloom seed company" ...they have a beautiful free catalog, and so many varieties of seeds! i am so excited for spring...i cant wait to start growing!

kids: i am excited to say that my little boo is about 75% potty trained! it will be so nice, not to have any diapers to change!

thinking of spring...

this winter has been pretty mild compared to last year...we have had days in the 50's & 60's, and (i hate to say it, because i may be jinxing us) no snow! the boys are feeling very cheated this year...no snow days, no sledding, no snow! i, on the other hand, am grateful!...this year we have saved alot on our home-heating costs, compared to last year. the warmer days really make you look ahead to spring! my spring 2012 plans...

the garden: we made 2 more raised beds over the winter, and plan on making more! i have been making lists of all the veggies i want to grow this year... cutting out the ones that didnt do well last year, and picking some new ones to try...like blue corn :)

chickens: i have baby chicks coming!!! we had some new breeds that we wanted to try, so i placed an order with McMurray Hatchery...my little chickies are schedualed to arrive feb. 15th! we have gold and silver laced wyandottes, partridge rocks, buff orpingtons, speckled sussex and silver spangled hamburgs all ordered! i have a large rabbit hutch, that we are moving into the basement and going to use as their brooder. we are also lookng into expanding the chicken coop/ run area to give our girls more space...i am also on the lookout for and old kids outdoor playhouse...i saw a photo online where someone converted one to a little hen house!

bees: with the warmer temps our honeybees actually came out insearch of forage...i was happy to see that all 4 hives are still alive! i am really looking forward to a good honey harvest this year...hopefully the girls get an early start!

fall decor...



i found that piece of pottery for free on the side of the road!



i love this pumpkin! i plan on saving the seeds to grow next spring!

end of summer- tomato chutney

6-7 good sized tomatoes (roughly chopped)...you can use green tomatoes also!
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 apples (peeled & chopped)
1 small cucumber (peeled & chopped)
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp garlic powder OR 3 cloves finely chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cumin

combine all ingredients into a large sauce pot...heat to a boil...reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until reduced and thickened)...stir to prevent sticking...pour into prepared canning jars...process jars for 10 minutes in boiling water.
*i did not peel the tomatoes...i did pick out any really large pieces of peel that floated to the surface.*

lots of tomatoes and a bee update...

"black krim" heirloom

i have been waiting all summer for my tomatoes and they are finally ripe!! we have had weird weather this summer...only a few really hot days, several weeks of just rain, and alot of days in the 70's or 80's...i grew a few different varieties this year, and my fav is the "black krim"! they have a deep red/ purple skin, and a really strong flavor. i really love slicing them up for tomato sandwiches...toasted bread, mayo, tomatoes, salt...perfection!

in bee news...all 4 hives are doing well! here is a video of hive #2 "washboarding"...they are dancing forward & back. no one knows why they do this "social activity", but it is really cool to watch!

hive inspections and the start of summer!

yesterday we had bee~utiful weather, so we suited up, and went to check in on our girls! we started with hive #2...this was the hive we started with a 3 lb package. things are going good so far, but these bees have alot of building to do! the queen is laying eggs...we saw lots of capped brood and alot honey stored. but, this hive has me worried because they only have about 4 framed built out with comb...i have been checking in on them a couple times a day, there has been lots of activity, and i am still refilling the feeder every couple days...so i thought there was going to be much more growth...hive #3 was a split from hive #1, being beginners we had never "split" a hive before so we were really worried that we didnt do it right, and would loose our bees. BUT, this hive is going gangbusters! they had 6 out of the 8 frames covered with comb and bees, so we added a medium super on top. these bees are sucking down the sugar water i have been feeding them...i filled it yesterday afternoon, and this morning it is half empty!...hive #1 also has me kinda concerned...they seems to be having an ant problem. i read online that if the hive is healthy, they can keep invaders, such as ants, at bay. but it looks like alot of ants to me!...did you know that bees need plenty of water to drink? we used a chick waterer as our new bee waterer! we filled the base with small stones, so the bees have a landing spot!

yesterday, i harvested the first batch of peas! within a week or so we should have more peas, beans, lettuce, and strawberries... we built another raised bed, and i planted my herbs...chives, basil, parsley, cilantro and rosemary! in the big garden, we planted 5 rows of corn, 3 rows of pumpkins and 4 rows of onions! the corn was a local "early" growing variety, and has already sprouted!

our laying hens are about 16 weeks old now! so in another 5 weeks of so we should start getting eggs! finally, all our work/ expense will pay off!

my little boo, enjoying the weather!

birthday, bees, peas & chickens..the month of may!

6 years ago today, at 7:08am, i was blessed with a second healthy baby boy! a little sweetie with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes...my doctor said he was one of the most handsome boys he had ever seen. he was born with his hand up over his head "waving hello"... yesterday, i asked him if he could stay 6 years old forever and always be "my boy"....he told me that he couldn't stay 6 forever, but he would always be my baby :) happy birthday "DD"! mommy loves you so much & you make my world brighter everyday!

in bee related news...our package of bees (for our second hive) has been delayed for over 3 weeks now, because of the terrible weather in the south! we finally got word that our girls will be here next weekend! yayy, i cant wait! yesterday, we attempted another hive inspection on hive #1...i say "attempted" because we had a smoker malfunction...and by malfunction i mean it would not stay lit and SMOKE...we have tried different flamables in the smoker and for some reason we can not get it to smolder for longer than a few minutes?!? anyone have any smoker tricks?...so, i pulled the cover off, and without the smoker they were pretty irritated and stung me through my jeans on my leg. so we decided to let them BEE and come back another day with a working smoker.

"johnny" our ri red rooster!

our chicks are 9 weeks old, all healthy and loving being outdoors. i love watching them...they have such personalities :) AND we have peas, beans, raddish, butter~leaf lettuce, and strawberries all coming up in our new raised beds! other exciting news...next week there is a livestock auction that i am looking forward to! i almost have my husband convinced to let me get 2 goats...maybe "feta" and "cheddar" will come home with us next weekend!

peas!

gearing up for spring...

 the men-folk working on my chicken coop...

 still needs the nesting box attached, doors & ramp attached, and to be painted...

 salem says "mmmm tastes like chicken"...

 my flock, 1 week old...

 my little auracana chick, can't wait for her blue and green eggs...

one of my little barred rocks!

downpouring...bye-bye snow, hello spring???

today i am grateful that it is pouring rain instead of dumping snow! i hope that this is a small sign that spring in creeping closer and closer. we have so many plans for this year's garden...and i cant wait to get started!!

composting!

with plans for next spring's veggie garden... we have started composting! my husband put together 3 sections of old stockade fence (you could also use old wooden pallets)... i have a pail in the kitchen to throw our egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags & veggie peels in, then at the end of the day i toss them in the compost pile. we layer in grass clippings, dried leaves and spent potting soil...once a week we hose it down and give it a stir...come spring we will have "black gold" to add to our garden! once we get the chicken coop up & running... we can age the chicken manure. that too, will make great compost!