OMG, Nicole, so CUTE – can’t wait to meet Pip in person!!! I was just thinking it was around this time of year a couple of summers ago when we met Mittens, right?!

Pip looks so happy and so do the rest of you, canines and humans alike! My sister has recently adopted Cinnamon, an 8-pound Chihuahua, who has been a favorite breed since she was a baby. Robin was raised with two Chihuahuas, two brothers, and though our parents named one Chi Chi, Robin was allowed to name the other: Humphrey. No one knows why but Humphrey was her dog for life. Congratulations on your rescue furkid!

awwww, congrats to Pip and your family! he is such a little cutie and so is Bonnie! love the picture of him in his little shirt too!

OMG – we also just adopted a 7 month old Dachshund/Chihauhua (??) mix. Her tails doesn’t stop wagging and the happy pee happens all the time! Hopefully she will grow out of this. We also got her from a local rescue “Perfect Pets Rescue” – an adoption fair in PetSmart Poughkeepsie, NY – (the only way to go to get a dog or cat), and we have named her Lily. I have been waiting for a long time to get a dog and this just happened. She is the best thing EVER!!!!!!! I especially love when she sleeps with my on the couch while watching TV at night. Good luck with Pip!
Diane

What a wonderful tribute to your beautiful daughter. it’s so obvious that you’re both enjoying the journey of learning together. Happy birthday Audrey.

Audrey is an amazing person and you guys are wonderful parents!

Nicole, this is such a wonderful tribute for Audrey to read too. I just did not realize until reading this how you have become an astute parent in these times. Very hard to be a parent now although when you were little and growing up we were very close too. You thought sometimes I was too protective! I love the first picture of you and Audrey with your beautiful smiles. She was such a joy as a baby girl. The picture of you two at Easter,with the pretty dress from Texas I bought for you, is another one I really like.
Looking forward to doing more grown-up things with Audrey when I get there. Love, Mother

Beautiful tribute! You probably know that my daughter, Robin, and I have a special relationship. She’s an adult with a family and, while I’m her mother first, we are best friends and very close . . . a bond that is special and a precious treasure.
Enjoy every moment with your girl!
CJ

Thank you for sharing the gorgeous pictures. Here in Minneapolis is finally greening up – first flowers to bloom in my yard just over the weekend – a lovely purple iris.

loved the chicken selfie!!!

Loved seeing pictures of your flowers, chickens, and vegetable garden! I miss June in Connecticut. The weather is nice to get outdoor home projects done before the hot days of summer begin.

Thanks for the information on the windmill mole chaser. I never heard of that product. Let me know how good it works at keeping the moles out of your garden.

Thanks for the wonderful blog. I don’t always say post here but I enjoy what you share. The pictures are wonderful. Guess I better put some color out in my yard.

What a treat to share your farmgirl life with us. Thank you. I’ve learnt from this post too 🙂 I’m not really comfortable with insects but am hoping that with learning of the value of each and every creature I will grow to be more comfortable around them. I don’t know if I’ll ever actually handle them in my hands like your daughter is holding the frog, but who knows 🙂

I too love red and have a red Cuisinart coffeemaker, a red blender and other red kitchen utensils. As for your sewing machine, spend the money and buy the belt you need. Your treasure is meant to sew and it should be used to creatively enhance your home. Congratulations on the find!

OMGeepers! I JUST LUV old mid-century cake tins… I have been collecting them for the past 4 years… metal, plastic, square & round… and yes, I do use mine.
I have even spray painted a couple for fun a fun twist (the orphaned ones missing the platter…
hugz from this lil farm~gal aka katmom
>^..^<

Clean it up and USE it. I have my grandmothers treadle machine…and I LOVE It. It is quiet and so nice to use. You have the manual…you should definitely use it.

I have my Grandmother’s machine and love it. it serves as my bedside table since I have a high bed. I love to hear people talk about how much they love older items! enjoy yours!

I’m so glad you rescued this beauty. I searched for years for a Singer treadle. She sits in my country kitchen. It’s a Red Eye. Sews perfectly. I could find a belt for it several years ago. I had thoughts of sewing when we had a power outage!!! It’s woodwork is very pretty. It started me rescuing all sorts of sewing machines. I love bringing the dead ones back to life. My latest machine has the owner’s writing in the manual. She carefully tried all the stitches and left samples in the book along with her notes. To me, that’s treasure. You found wonderful items in your cabinet. So lucky.
It’s funny. I just spent the morning going through my latest machine and learning its ways. Then, I find your story. Thank you for sharing. I love my stitching ladies!

I believe the “what is it?” Item is a ruffler attachment. Nice find! I’m envious!

Oh I almost forgot to tell you that if you find one of these handcrank machines while traveling don’t try to take it on an airplane as carry on luggage or you might find yourself in hot water! Gee they didn’t know what it was and it had “explosives” on it. Ya think maybe a machine that old has a lot of machine oil and perhaps some gunpowder from the husband cleaning his guns while the wife sewed?? We made it thru but almost missed our flight in the process! Peace Connie

Please do not allow your machine to sit idle. I have two treadle machines, each a found treasure and it took very little to return them to working order. Belts, needles and bobbins are easily available online. I seem to hear a contented hum coming from my machine as it runs. I was also amazed to find that for my Singer and White, the history of the machine can be found, down to the factory and month they were made, by using the serial numbers on the machine.
Enjoy

Thank you for sharing. I already ordered the gum

Thanks for this great article. One thing I would like to add (my pet peeve): Stop using dryer sheets. Either use the sun to hang your clothes out to dry OR put 4-5 used tennis balls in your dryer with the load of wet clothes. They will bounce around and completely soften your clothes better than those chemical sheets with the toxic perfumes in them. The chemicals in them are disastrous for your health despite their ubiquitous use in the U.S. Some friends didn’t believe that tennis balls could possibly work — until they tried it for themselves, and now they’re hooked. No more chemical dryer sheets.

Good for you! There are vegetarians and vegans in the San Francisco Bay Area who have been promoting natural and organic for years. We’re not aging hippies either, although we do espouse some of the same ideals. Always read the ingredients on the labels of anything you purchase including towels, linens and clothing. Coca Cola recently announced it was removing the chemical flame retardant from their American production by the end of 2014 even though it has been banned in Japan and other countries. Sigh. Keep on being diligent, spread the word, support your local agricultural community and your family’s health. And enjoy nutritional yeast on your homemade popcorn! 😉

And I love your handwashing station…I’m going to make one of those today.

First, do NOT paint the milk can. Leave it as is: it’s a wonderful reminder of the past. The porch is lovely. Another thing you can do on your fire pit is put a grate over the top and do some outdoor cooking (corn on the cob wrapped in aluminum foil, veggies in foil pouches, hot dogs, burgers, etc.). If you can put a tripod over the fire pit that will hold a Dutch oven, you can have dinner cooking or bake some biscuits. Just some ideas. Enjoy!

Hi Nicole,
Everything looks GREAT!!!!! Love the décor on the back porch, the new rocking chair out front and that firepit!!!!! Love it all!
Audrey looks like she is in her glory with her friend and marshmallows!
I am hoping to set up my back decks this weekend since it is supposed to FINALLY be nice!!!
Have to get all my cozy goodies out, I LOVE sitting out there after dinner and just reading and relaxing! It truly is the simple, little things in life that make it complete!
Big hugs to you my friend!
Love,
Laurie

Love the porch, Nicole! If you didn’t live so cotton-pickin’ far away I’d come over and sit a spell and chat with you on your porch! We have a deck (no roof) on the east side of our house which we love for mornings until the sun gets too intense, but we LIVE on the deck in the late afternoon/evenings in warm weather!
We’re looking forward to outdoor opportunities to come . . . still a bit chilly most of the time here.
Thanks, Nicole!
CJ

Let’s face it: We’re all spending way more time at home these days, so it’s more important than ever to make our backyards welcoming and special. And in northern climates, we need to make the most of those precious few warm weather months! Any backyard can be made a little cozier with our best tips and tricks for making your space more beautiful, useful and fun. And you don’t need to spend a lot of money or hire a landscape designer to make over your backyard. With these simple ideas, you can create a restful oasis for you and your entire family (pets included).

Welcome to the chicken mama club Nicole… Or is that Mother Hen? Looks like your girls are settling in very nicely… They sure do have personalities of their own. And, they sure bring much joy to us backyard farmers don’t they? They are fun to spoil and so worth it for all those delicious eggs they ” gift” us! Happy Spring from your Beach Sister!

Hi Nicole,
SO glad to read and see that all is going well with your chickens (and Roo)! They look great! You will find that they are addicting and before long you will want more and more!
One of my hens is a Silkie Bantam (they tend to go broody often, which was fine with me since she only lays tiny little eggs- we didn’t get her for egg production, but more for her good looks and sweet personality).
Well, she went broody about a month ago, so I decided to get some fertile eggs (since I don’t have a rooster),from a local farm, to see if she would sit on them and if they might possibly hatch out. I gave her 6 eggs to sit on, 2 Brahma,2 Speckled Sussex, 1 Aracauna and 1 Cockoo Maran.
Well, lo and behold, on Monday morning I awoke to 2 new baby chicks. Then yesterday one more. We are still waiting to see what happens with the other three eggs which are under her. It is simply amazing to see things happen in their natural environment! My daughter is loving it, as am I.
Of course, we take the risk that our chicks may not be hens, but roosters instead, so we will just have to wait and see what happens. But we are totally loving the whole experience.
I have her isolated from my other 7 hens, and she will have a separate coop/run area for her and her chicks.
I am so happy for you, that you are finally getting to enjoy being a chicken owning farmgirl! (and its hysterical that Audrey was “uncomfortable” about holding a “warm” egg!)
Enjoy your girls (and guy)!
Big Hugs to you!
Laurie

I’m completely new to the farmgirl community and I love reading your chick-mom blog. I hope to join in on the fun someday.

Love reading about you chickens! so neat!

Your post is sooooooo perfect for first-time chicken owners. You so nailed it. Thanks for putting a huge smile on my face this morning:)

To answer your question and the puzzler of all times, the chicken came first. The egg wouldn’t have been able to get on the ark on its own. Now you Noah. 😉

Oh Nicole,
So glad you are enjoying “all” aspects of being a backyard chicken farmer! Yes, there is definitely the good the bad and the ugly sometimes (as with all things!) but, in my opinion the good far outweighs the bad!
You have probably already experienced the roughest part- which is keeping chickens “indoors” when they get big! (and very messy!!!)
I bet before long you will be wanting MORE chickens, as they tend to be addictive!
I currently have 8 hens, but one of my girls is sitting on a clutch of 6 eggs, which if successful, are due to hatch out about April 12th or April 13th. Its very exciting to see this happen naturally right in my own backyard! Its a new experience for me, as the chicks I have gotten in the past came from a hatchery, so I have my fingers crossed that all goes well.
As always, I loved reading your story. Always exciting to see whats going on in your neck of the woods!

Loved your post, I am going to print your advice and look at it often. I have wanted chickens for years, deciding I might wait until we retire. Those cute little peeps at the grain and feed store get me every time, thanks for reminding me how quickly they grow. Someday I will take the leap and squeal at our first egg but or now I will enjoy reading your tales.

Oh I can so relate!!! Enjoyed reading your post. Here’s a p.s. we had several roosters and they were the larger sized breed. One literally attacked my husband when he went in to check the coop. He ended up with a bruise and scratches on his face!! They were immediately taken care of. No…I cannot eat them…gave some away, made soup from a few and still have one left in the freezer…. any takers?!?!

Loved hearing about your chickens. I grew up on a farm and spring always meant
my mom bought a hundred chickens. Loved the little yellow balls. Helped my mom feed and water and make sure they were Ok in the bruder house they lived in. Also helped dress out chickens when they were ready. Never liked gathering eggs as chickens will pick your fingers when you try to gather eggs. Roosters are mean and not to be trusted. Thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck with the hens.

The insulators reminded me of my husband’s distant relative who had a pit behind her farmhouse in Iowa full of discarded insulators. She would paint them with aquarium paint, fire them in her oven, glue them together and add a ring of marbles to the joint to create large candle holders. I had them for years when I had a large dining table and remember them fondly.

What an interesting post; I never knew all the history of these insulators. I have several that I’ve collected through the years. Some of my uncles worked for the railroad, so a few were passed down to me and the others I’ve picked up along the way at yard sales or flea markets. I love the tealight idea, so I’ll be sure to try that one.

How interesting! I have a large collection that I’ve picked up here and there at flea markets. My grandaddy and i used to pick them up beside the railroad tracks when I was little. I pretended like they were treasures and they were to me because I was with my precious granddaddy!
I decorate with them and even use them as doorstops! I like the windowsill idea and will certainly do that! Thank you for this interesting post!!!!!

Nicole, I never knew all this about the insulators. I know I had some when you were growing up. Did I give them to you? A good story and love all the comments. I never thought about using them for candle holders.

Love,

Mother

I took one of the old cross arms from telegraph lines and added to it and put over walk way with insulators on it everyone coments on it and really pretty at christmas with light on it.

My aunt made me a lamp out of one when I was in my 20’s(eons ago). My lamp was turquoise & my sister’s was clear. They were both absolutely beautiful. Aunt Inez heated them in a 450 degree oven, I think she said for an hour. Then placed them in cold water in her sink. They crackle and in some instances must be glued back together. She had purchased mini bases that fit around the dimensions of each insulator that she had purchased at a local craft shop. They had a tiny gold colored filigree that was about of a 1/4 to 1/2 inch high that came up over the edge of the insulator. She wired them and each had a small night light bulb inside it with the insulator over the bulb. The lamp had an inline switch. They made beautiful t.v. lamps. Mine was lovely but my sister’s really sparkled like crystal with hers being clear.

I love them but have 3 aqua blue green insolators 2 is hemingray one has -62 made inusaan the others biger has no# 3 Cable an hem
ingray the other has a 6 i would like to no the value an maybe sell them. Thanks

As a big fan of the veggie/vegan lifestyle, I enjoyed “Forks Over Knives” and tried some of the recipes mentioned during the movie. I especially like kale and my simple salad now is just washed and torn kale, lemon juice and an avocado mashed through the kale with your hands. “Purple soup” was created with beets, red cabbage and a red onion I had on hand. It’s not quite borscht nor cabbage soup but is a lovely color. I’m also adapting to the anti-cancer diet so turmeric is added to most dishes, and I use chia seeds and nutritional yeast as often as possible. Try nutritional yeast on popcorn instead of salt and cheese–yum! Here’s to spring!

Oh my goodness, what a useful post this is. I’m definitely going to get a rubber jar opener for my garlic. Brilliant! And your meal planning is excellent.

I live in Dallas, Texas. My kale is already up! Planted from seed in January. I have all sorts of other veggies growing too. Exciting!