WordLess WednesDay

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My New Chair!

After building the coop for my six little chickens I realized that I wanted to make more! So I looked around and found this awesome site by a woman named Ana White.
She has all these furniture plans that are simple to follow for beginners like me. I have a huge pile of 2x4s from a torn down barn so I decided to make something fun for me. Check out my adorable little chair!

My little monkey enjoying a little rest time with my Kindle :)

The plans are for a folding chair but I decided to just keep it stabilized. I also need to stain it but I just couldn't wait to try it out....

Oh its super comfortable!!

Have you tried Mott's for Tots?

My kids LOVE juice....mostly my two younger boys. If they had a choice on a drink they almost always choose juice. Unfortunately most juices have a high sugar content and not the best thing for my little chickies to be drinking all day long. Plus I have seen reports linked with juice and obesity so that is another worry that I have. So whenever I hear of a healthier alternative I always make sure to try it.

I was happy to hear that Mott's for Tots has 40% less sugar than 100% apple juice and still tastes as yummy as the other juices. My kids love this juice and I do too! So make sure to go over to Vocalpoint and get your money saving coupons and samples* to try out this great juice! 

*samples are limited so make sure you get over there quick and sign up!!

ToughTek Fabric for Sale on Ebay!

Toughtek Fabric :)

I am currently selling my last amount of Toughtek on ebay. It is great for soft sole shoes (children and adult), handbag bottoms, gloves, etc. I actually used some for my chicken coop roof! lol It came out really nice looking and was easy to put on because I just stapled it on!

What is Toughtek?

Toughtek is a brand name for a non-slip fabric made from stretchable 100% polyester knit fabric with a special textured Neoprene rubber outer coating. Toughtek is scuff-proof, highly resistant to abrasions, and retains its non-slip quality in wet, dry, warm and cold conditions. Even though Toughtek is extremely sturdy, it is also soft and pliable. It is also waterproof, fire-retardant and machine-washable and dryable.

Also will be listing pul fabric for diaper making, fabric squares, buttons and other fun items :) Cleaning house to start my photography adventure!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Menu Planning Monday :)

Its Monday....This is what we will be eating this week :)

Monday: Crockpot BBQ chicken legs with mac salad (celebrating 80 degree weather!)

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes with wafffle fries and side salad (a family favorite)

Wednesday: Turkey Salisbury Streak with white bean mash (courtesy of the 2011 cookbook supplement from Better Homes and Gardens magazine)

Thursday: Greens and Beans with bacon, spinach and cannilini beans

Friday: Turkey Italian Sausage (Fit and Active brand on sale at Aldis this week) and oven roasted potatoes


Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more great menus for the week!!

My New Girls!

Wow its been a long time and I have really slacked with my blog :(   I have  been busy busy busy keeping house, three kids, three daycare kiddies, a hubby, and ohhh chickies!!  We added 6 little chickens to out household which is super exciting. I have been pondering getting chickens for a couple months. I had a dozen fresh free range eggs and just NEEDED to have some in my backyard! lol. My hubby was not so keen on the idea but after begging and begging he finally reluctantly said "do what you need to do :) " So I ran my little behind over to the Tractor Supply that same day and purchased six pullets (female- *fingers crossed*), a starter kit (waste of money), and heat lamp. I brought them home and the kids were thrilled!!!

How cute this baby chick....awww just adorable!!!

My daughter was in love.....

so tiny!

the chicks home till they get in the coop. My hubby (though not a huge fan of the chicks) brought me home this brooder box he built. He surprised me (so I didnt have to make it myself) and it even has little screens on two sides to vent and a piece of wood inside to clip on the heat lamp. Love him!!

So they started growing and growing fast!! I think they are about 4 weeks now and I am working on their coop. I was going to purchase one but its just not in the budget so I looked and looked at plans and ideas. I decided on pallet based coop plan for my design http://www.oklahomahistory.net/chickencoop.html. I was able to collect free pallets from my husband's farm and they also had plywood laying around so the cost has been nothing on my part.

The bas of the coop.... two pallets drilled together. I added a couple short pieces to stabilize the floor and keep the two pallets stronger together.

Turned it over and added plywood to the floor. Then two more pallets to start with the framing.

This is about the time my little chicks started to get a little color

 

Oh I bought this book (kindle edition) to learn more about raising chickens because honestly I had no idea what I was doing :) It's full of great information and totally recommend it!!

Well it hasn't stopped raining for weeks now but I am trying every chance I get to get my coop done.....wish me luck! My girls are getting big quick!!

Wordless Wednesday

Its Spring in Upstate NY!!

 aSpring has sprung in upstate NY. We enjoyed some wonderful 60 degree weather and I noticed my tulips are poking through! I love flowers! They just make me smile :) I told my hubby the its garden planning time....my response "be patient."

Well along with this excitement for flowers comes an overwhemling desire to clean (ok ok I know I am not usually like this...I actually lothe cleaning) but there is something about warmer weather after winter that lights fire under my bum. So I started going through the kids drawers and closet to figure out what fits and doesnt. Then I sorted by size, gender, and tops/bottoms getting them ready to list on ThredUp. This is a fantastic new site that allows you to list boxes and order boxes (the one I got was packed full of name brand tops and pants for my baby N). It cost nothing to list the boxes and ship them up....they even send you boxes. It cost $5 to order a box and then you pay for shipping. I was a little wary but I got a $5 bonus for signing up and so after I paid for shipping the items were less than $.50 a piece! They were all in like-new condition and mostly GAP, Children's Place, Carters etc. I would recommend trying :)

 http://www.thredup.com/183440

Wordless Wednesday

Tackle it Tuesday!

So my car drives my husband NUTS!! I have the kids all day plus my daycare kiddies and I will admit my car has become a dumping ground :(  The kids and I will bring things in but then they become lost in the black hole of  Town and Country Minivans and never make it back out! Every Sunday I have to deal with the *sighs* of my husband when we pile in for church and even though I pretend his disappointment doesn't bother me....deep down I am quite ashamed. So my plan is to come up with a game plan today for "Tackle it Tuesday" on how I can keep my car clean. There are some great ideas here that I plan on using:
1. I love the idea on this blog of a handheld vacuum! Would have never thought of this...we seldom eat in the car but when we do its becomes such a mess so have a little handheld to take care of this when we get home is so smart! This is the one I plan on ordering
I like that it have a car adapter so I don't have to worry about a charger and forgetting it home!

2. I use to keep plastic bag in the car but it looked so messy and just couldn't find a convenient place to store it sooo this blog suggests a paper towel roll with the bags inside! LOVE IT!!

3. We have  lots of kids bags around the house so I will gather those today and put their names on each. Those will be the "car bags" then my two other kiddies (6 and 3) can put their toys/books back into the bags before we get out of the car.

Check out Mommysavers.com for great ideas and other bloggers tackling car clutter today!

Books 1 and 2 of 52 :)

So I have totally been reading and enjoying my Kindle to the fullest but slacking in the blogging department. I finished my first book of 2011 and I really enjoyed it. I have become a recommitted Christian recently and really like how uplifting and motivating this series was for me. This particular story "Age before Beauty" really made me sit back and understand that each persons discovery of Our Father is different. I was grown up as a Catholic...did the Sunday school, service, baptized my children but never truly felt connected. I recently started attending a non-denominational Christian church and have feel in love. I feel the Spirit there and really felt when I was praising Our Father hear me. If you are on your own discovery I urge you to read this series.






I also finished the last chapter in the series which is called "Third Time's a Charm: A Novel" by Virginia Smith. It follows the story of Tori, the youngest and most cynical of the three sisters. It was a great wrap up novel to the series though I do wish there was more because I would love to know how the sisters continue on their journeys.














Now I have just started reading "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb and I will say its gripping already! I am a big Wally Lamb fan.... "Shes come Undone" is one of my favorite books and I have reread it several times. I also really enjoyed "I Know This Much is True." 

     This story follows a 40 something teacher in Colorado that teaches at the school during the Columbine Massacre.........

2011 Challenge #1

My main plan of 2011 is to fully explore the following relationships: God, Husband, Children and myself. After a confusing, unstable 2010 I plan to take on 2011 to make it the beginning of the rest of my life. I feel the first step it love the best of my ablity. So I have decided to challenge myself to as much as possible.

~faith
~marriage
~child-rearing.
~finding myself

So my first challenge will help me get back into my love of reading. I have commited to reading 52 books in 52 weeks. My first book is a 2nd in a series...... "Age before Beauty (Sister-to-Sister, Book 2) by Virginia Smith. This is a Christian based series about three sisters. The first book called "Stuck in the Middle" was a very inspiring story that really made me look at my own faith and not wanting to become a "pew warmer."

I have a stack of books waiting on my Kindle but really would love recommendations! So let me know what you are reading :)