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!

apple pickin = apple pie!

yesterday,we packed up the minivan and headed out to our favorite apple pickin' location...http://www.berlinorchards.com/?gclid=CJus3_f_uqsCFUnc4AodQTLldg...what a great place it is! family owned, huge selection of apples, hayrides, pumpkins, farm critters and beautiful scenery!

little boo!

when we got home, i got to work on my first apple pie of the season...i used a combo of macs, honey crisp and golden supreme...yummy!

my apple pie w/ crumbly top!

still learning...

about 2 weeks ago i wrote that i thought 2 of my hives were queen-less...well i was so wrong! i still have so much to learn...i jumped the gun and bought 2 new queens. when i went to hive them, i did another inspection and found eggs and capped brood in both! so we took 3 frames of brood, honey & bees and 1 of the new queens and made a nuc...the other queen i am trying to sell so she doesnt go to waste. making this split was not in my plans, but i hope it grows into another full colony!

today was pat's first day as a beekeeper! he is fearless and has been asking & asking to do an inspection with me...i had to gain some confidence in myself before i took him out there. he wore his dad's jacket (maybe we will save up and buy him his own suit) he did great, he loves it! pat is a nature boy, anything that is alive and growing he is all about it! im happy that we can teach him beekeeping and as he grows it may be a real passion for him...the world needs more beekeepers!

another school year gone by...

yayyy, today is the last day of school for the boys! school went really late this year because we had 6 snow days over the winter. i cant believe how much kids change in just one year! these are "before & after" pics...taken on the first and last days of school (the boys were not feeling photogenic this morning, but still cute)...i even put them in matching shirts for the occasion...dont worry they go to different schools :)

pat...1st day of 2nd grade

last day of 2nd grade

DD first day of kindergarten

last day of kindergarten!

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!

sad day...

i read a quote on another blog that said, "when you keep livestock, expect to have dead-stock"...well, yesterday was a sad day around here...one of our 7 week old chicks died unexpectedly :( it had no signs of illness or injury...it just died! my poor 8 year old son was the one to find her (everytime he comes home he runs to the coop to see them). this was kinda the first time we had to have the "life & death" discussion with him, he is quite a sensitive boy...so it was hard. he gets really attached to all the animal. it broke my heart when he told me that he wished he could of saved her. i told him that sometimes these things just happen...and we should be happy about the other healthy chicks we still have. poor kid...it's alot to think about for a child. especially for one so sensitive and loving.

follow me...i follow back!!!

little farm girl...

my boy...

fuzzibunz update!

well...i have been gradually making the switch from disposable diapers to fuzzibunz cloth diapers  http://www.fuzzibunz.com/! i started by just using the fuzzibunz during the day, and then just using a disposable diaper for bedtime/ overnight. just by doing that, i have saved lots of money & diapers! the fuzzibunz are great...however, if you have the money, i would recommend you buying them brand new. i bought 4 gently used on ebay...and while they still work fine, the fleece layer looses its ability to wick away moisture, the more times its washed. next, is inserts... when you buy a fuzzibunz diaper new, you get 1 insert. i have found that you need ALOT more than that! another good purchase would be two wet bags...one large one for home and one travel size for the diaper bag. these bags are completely leak-proof and washable...when it is time to wash your diapers, you just throw the bags in too. fuzzibunz sells the wet bags on their website, but you could even find handmade ones or cheaper non-name-brand ones.  i have been washing with rockin' green cloth diaper detergent...
http://rockingreensoap.com/ ...and while it may be a little pricey, one bag equals something like 95 loads, and it smells AWESOME! so in conclusion, i am going to keep on doing the fuzzibunz thing...even though, my mom insists im crazy for wanting to wash poopy diapers :)

fuzzi bunz!!

mostly an effort to save money. but, i also love the idea of not filling the planet up with dirty diapers...i am going to give "fuzzi bunz " a try!! i found 4 gently used fuzzi bunz on ebay...brand new they are about $17.00 a piece, i bought them for only $5.00 a piece. i also found a woman on ebay that makes her own inserts for the diapers, with adorable prints and extra padding! the idea is to change the insert as you would change the whole disposable diaper. they also come in bright colors that i love!! boo is my third child...so i'm a little late jumping on the cloth diaper bandwagon...better late than never. also, from what i hear girls are easier to potty train than boys...so maybe in a few months we wont need any diapers at all :)

wordless wednesday...

8 years ago today...

8 years ago today, i gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy! my 1st baby, a healthy 6lb 14oz...came into this world at 7:08am. he lights up my life, in more ways than i can count! he makes everyday worth living...a true blessing. watching him grow and change has brought meaning to my life. i am so proud to be his mommy :)

toddlers are scary!

my little boo has officially entered the toddler stage! and she scares the HELL out of me! all of a sudden she has decided to climb the stairs...stand up two steps up...and try to walk down. of course she takes one step and falls to the bottom. did i mention she does this all in a blink of an eye, while i turn my back on her for 1 minute?!? not only that...she bee-lines for any toy left lying around by the boys, dumps any cup left on the edge of a table, and makes her way to the computer to turn the printer on & off 50+ times. its time to buy more babygates :)

my little boo, enjoying some of my bread!

more sledding fun!

the boys love sledding in the backyard...and i like getting them out of the house for a little while :)

brrrrr it's cold outside!

hopefully the last blizzard of 2010, lol!! we lost power for about an hour today...finally getting warmed up! i bundled the boys up, and took them outside to try out their new saucer sleds...it is so cold and windy, we did not last long, but it was fun :)