Happy 3rd Birthday, Marinn Lee!

Where did my baby go?? Somehow, is a series of seemingly never ending days, three years whizzed by. Where once there was a tiny baby resting on my chest there is now a silly, sweet and sometimes sassy toddler running by on the way to her next adventure. It is so bittersweet as each milestone approaches. Part of me aches for the babies they once were and another part is beaming with pride as I watch them grow into wonderful people. Will birthdays always be this hard for me??

When I sit with my husband at the end of the day I get lost in the memories and we recount times past, but in the moment with Marinn on her birthday there was much celebration for what the next year will hold for her. (Gum chewing and driving are on her list!) We had our traditional birthday pancakes, there was an impromptu photo session courtesy of the front facing camera on my phone and we ended the night with her requested purple cake. I couldn't be any prouder of the confident and fun-loving girl I get to watch grow! Happy birthday, Marinn Lee! We love you so very much!

We celebrated with friends and family with a joint party with her sister earlier this year. You can see pictures from her birthday party HERE.

First Snow of the Season!

We had the first snow of the season which elated the little people in my life. To them snow is such a magical occurrence and I love hearing their excitement in their squeals of joy as each flake falls or the announcement "it's my lucky day, it's snowing!" This year my excitement has grown because both of them are enjoying playing in it! (In previous years I had one crying to go in and the other crying because they had to go in and it was miserable, cold and wet.) In honor of the first snow we ventured out to make the long awaited first snowman. For Marinn this was the first year she actually participated and she was giddy as she rolled the ball across the yard and watched it grow. We threw snowballs, built a snowman (and a snow chicken) and giggled and laughed as we rolled in the snow. It was wet, it was cold and it was glorious. I love spending days like these with my girls!

Family Traditions: Christmas Cookies

Few things say Christmas like cookies. Whether your style is gooey cookies, filled with chocolate morsels or a crisp,  frosted sugar cookie there is sure to be a cookie to please your palate. Almost more importantly, you need one to please the Big Guy's palate,  it would be drearisome to have your house passed over on Christmas due to lack of cookies!

Cookies are an easy option for a potluck, a friendly gift for a neighbor or a great treat to enjoy around the table with your family. The best part is you can enjoy them fresh from the oven or tuck them into the freezer and pull them out as needed and they will taste as fresh as the day you baked them. (Off the record: they thaw very quickly and leave little trace evidence when you sneak one out for a late night snack!)

The only thing that could make a cookie better is to spend an entire day baking them with some of your favorite people! That is exactly what we did at Kathy's Christmas Cookies 2014. That's a fancy title for baking cookies with my lovely aunt and sisters for our third year. It is quickly becoming a tradition I cherish. It is hard to find an opportunity for all of my sisters and myself to get together as we get older and have our own families and careers to juggle. I'm very grateful for my aunt, who has quite the knack in the kitchen, for facilitating and sharing her recipes and knowledge with us. We may have only participated in this tradition for a few years, however cookie baking with her goes back to when we were much younger. She was actually the one who baked the reindeer cookies with us which have become the Christmas eve tradition I have carried on with my children. I feel lucky to have such a great family and I am excited to see my children making memories much like my own!

That's Not Funny

As we sat at the table after dinner I announced that I was going to venture out to the store for a few necessities. This isn't a habit I have, usually shopping is done during the day and with my helpers. My statement was met with tears and protests from both girls.  Luckily Daddy came to the rescue... kind of.
He announced with great excitement, "Alright! Mama's leaving, we get to do whatever we want!" Amelia, used to his shenanigans played right into it and clapped and cheered with delight. Marinn hasn't quite learned that sometimes Daddy is being more sarcastic than literal. "We can do anything you want!" he continued. Marinn settled a bit and looked at him questioningly then looked at me.
"Poop!" she said.
"You need to poop?" he asked.
"No." She turned a sideways glance to me and said, "Poop! Toot!"
Amelia started laughing and Andy looked puzzled ask asked again, "You want to go poop?"
"No!" she couldn't hold back the giggles at this point.
I stood up and excused myself from the table, letting Daddy know as I parted that she was saying 'poop' and 'toot' because I don't find it appropriate to say such things. The entire room erupted in laughter as I walked out the door.
I will never understand the humor some find from bodily functions. I think my children may have inherited this 'humor' from their grandma. Maybe that is why I don't find it funny, maybe I was traumatized in my childhood. Regardless of the why's, these will continue to be inappropriate words in our house... as long as I'm home anyway!
I must admit, it is a little reassuring that when given the opportunity to do "anything you want" my kid chose to say (only slightly) inappropriate words!

Once There Was A Opossum

Every night as the sun drops in the sky our flock makes there way to the coop where they take claim to their spot on the roost to rest for the night. Early in the year I would spend a great deal of time chasing them in out of fear something would get them before I had a chance to close them in for the night. At after a few nights of being too busy to chase them down I realized how much easier it was just to let them put themselves to bed when they were ready, you know, instead of running around with your arms flailing like a crazy person. Our routine has remained that simple since then with little exception. Every once in a while the gate to the run blows shut in the wind and I have to go open it for the few ladies who can manage to jump out but not jump back in. (Really?! It's like they try to be difficult.)

Last night that very thing happened and my dear husband thought he would stay toasty inside by the fire and wait for me to come home from the grocery run to handle it. The problem with his plan was that it was dark by time I returned which meant that the hens probably my had found places to roost and I would have to find them all and carry them to bed. I grabbed a flashlight, slipped on my boots and set out to find my chickens. I stopped in the coop to see just how many I had to track down. As the gate creaked open the chickens started stirring and I was shot a look  or two as I shined the light into sleeping faces. Sleeping chickens are funny, they wake and look at you but don't move, even if you're lifting them. A head count of five told me six birds were (hopefully) roosting elsewhere. It also brought back a little rage at the loss of my other chickens, no longer am I counting to 15.

I stepped out of the coop and circled around the fence and into the open part of the building where I thought I would find them. A quick shine of the flashlight revealed a cluster of hens roosting on a support beam along the far wall. As I turned a half circle to see if I could spot anymore of the ladies I caught glimpse of one by herself and continued around to spot another. I started to bring the light back around to determine who I could carry back first when the flashlight illuminated something I hadn't notice on the first pass, a opossum. At the foot of my chicken! As she sat perched atop a saw horse he was on his hind legs peering up at her. When my light hit him he froze. I thought he was surely going to bolt and I was already playing out in my head the conversation I was going to have with my husband: now we have to worry about another predator when keep our chickens safe.

You know what opossum don't do? Run away. I remember encountering one when I was in high school and she would run you off, she never backed down. She would stand on her hind legs and hiss until you would give in and run, giving her domain. There was even a brief episode where a few guys we hung out with decided to take her on, wielding their fancy new knives. She still didn't cave and those guys ran from her like little pansies after she charged them.

I was equipped with a flashlight and a cell phone so I did what anyone in my situation would do, I called my husband. Wouldn't you know I had to call him twice to get him to answer? After very matter of factly telling him he needed to get his gun and come get rid of this opossum he responded,"Nuh uh, are you being serious? There is a opossum? Where is it?" There was no concern in his voice, no urgency in his pace. I actually had to confirm he was in fact going to come out.

While waiting for him to make the journey out to the building I took a step toward the nasty terrorist and he backed down away from the chicken and slinked behind a board propped against the back wall. I stood holding him at bay with the light. No way was I letting him get away after finding a potential new food source for his family.

My fearless husband arrived to take out this opossum and save our chickens....with a baseball bat. Not what I expected. I handed off the flashlight and scooped up my nearly eaten chicken and carried her to the coop. I returned to scoop up another to clear the path to our pest. I pulled the board back away from the wall and the husband attempted to chase the opossum out. He wouldn't come, he knew he has the upper hand where he was. After using a little force he scurried out to the yard where he stayed, hissing at us. He was injured and pissed.

This was the part where I questioned the choice of tool to take care of our problem. While my husband defended his choice (due to the noise that would have been created by shooting they would undoubtedly attract the attention of our neighbors and perhaps the police) we both agreed that we would need a small gun to be able to handle these problems in the future because disposing of animals in this fashion is unappealing.

Once the threat to the chickens was gone we put the rest of the birds to roost.They were shook and did not go without a fight, which helped put into perspective the fact that we were doing what was best to protect our chickens. Even so, taking the life of an animal isn't something we take lightly. There was a mix of emotions as we walked back to the house. I was relieved the chickens were all accounted for and that my husband was able to handle a task I wasn't sure I could handle, but it was still sad we had to kill something.

As we approached the house the neighbor's yard was lit up with a show of christmas lights and there was adistant hum of festive music that played in time with the lights. As we started up the stairs and all was right in the world as we knew our flock would be safe for another night and we were another step deeper into farm life.

Blueberry Apple Butter

I often make family members my taste testers when I try out new recipes and one of my favorite games to play is to pull out all of my fruit butters and jams and make them try one after another... while I watch... and analyse what they think by their expressions... and ask a million questions. It makes them a little uncomfortable. Weirded out yet? They are actually pretty good sports about it and I give them the goods to take with them so I like to think it's a win-win. My favorite is when I announce, "this one is blueberry apple" and almost every time I get the response, "I don't really care for blueberry." I persuade said person to try it and guess what- it's pretty much the favorite of everyone who has tried it!

I love smothering a fresh baked biscuit in this sweet butter, the girls want it on their pancakes (They win today!) The deep purple color is so pretty and the flavor is outstanding. I have to make sure to hide spoons when I pull it out because my girls eat it by the spoonful!

Ingredients

Makes approximately 7 cups

7 pounds of apples, cleaned and quartered
4 cups blueberries
Juice of one lemon
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp allspice

Directions

In a large pan combine apples, blueberries and lemon juice. Heat covered over a med-low heat until juices start to appear in bottom of the pan. Turn heat up to medium and continue cooking until all fruit is soft and easily pierces with a spoon, stirring occasionally. Once fruit is tender remove heat and process through a food mill, discarding skin, seeds, and tough pulp from the core. Place processed fruit into crockpot and add remaining ingredients, stirring well. Heat on high uncovered until fruit has reduced by half. Stir occasionally to keep from burning along the top edge as it reduces. Fill 8 oz mason jars and process in a water bath for 5 minutes or allow to cool and store in the refrigerator. 

Note: For a smoother texture I run the finished butter through the blender.


Breakfast time!

 

Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen

There has been some stirring in the coop as of late. Two chickens lost to neighbor dogs and another due to casualties of stress from the ordeal has lead to some unforeseen developments. Our once timid (and sometimes seemingly banished) Cinnamon Queens have taken the opportunity to raise themselves in this chicken hierarchy. The past few days my husband and I have notice that with a few chickens out of the picture there is some new found confidence among these birds and they have become, well, quite bossy! The chickens who were last to eat and chased out of the coop to lay have now, as a group, taken first dibs at treats, chased others away from the water dish and I even found my beloved lap chicken laying in a different building! Oh how the times have changed! My once mighty Barred Rocks have become submissive to these Queens. As long as everyone understands their position there is no problems though sometimes hens whose pecking order has been disrupted can act out violently towards others in an attempt to establish themselves dominant.  It seems as though everyone is adapting to their new status and there hasn't been any issues. I'm particularly relived since cold weather is approaching and the hens will start to be in close quarters with each other in the next few months. Inside the coop we added another roosting bar and threw down some extra bedding in preparation for them spending more time in the coop rather than free ranging on our two acres and hopefully they will settle in nicely for the winter.

Here they were enjoying the nice weather while it lasts. The girls and the chickens were very excited about the freshly turned dirt to play in!

I had to make the husband climb up and collect the eggs the Barred rock had been laying, half dozen total! And inside pieces to the mower no less!

Putting the Garden to Bed

We spent a bit of the day yesterday and today putting our garden to bed for the winter. It was so nice to stand out in the sunshine and breathe in some fresh air before the weather turns colder. I had the chickens and the girls to keep me company as I got started turning it under yesterday and I had my handsome husband to help with the shoveling of our lovely compost and carrying of the hay bales today. I walked my garden behind my tiller (that I love more than one should probably love a piece of machinery) and I sang loudly along to my Pandora 90's Country station (with head phones on..I'm that girl. I don't mean to be, but I am. I'm sorry to anyone who has to hear me!) I walked and walked and found myself thinking of each thing that we grew as I went section by section. I was so pleased with how our first year garden grew and I went from reminiscing to planning for next year. I began to think of all the things I would grow, how they would look, taste and who I would share them with. One of my favorite parts of gardening with year was to have something I grew using my own hands to share with someone who would enjoy it. I think that sometimes when you find something you truly enjoy doing you want to show everyone how great it can be and convert them! Until next year garden...

Chicken Woes: Broken Egg Inside Chicken

It has been a traumatic couple of weeks as a chicken mama. After losing a chicken to the neighbor's dog we woke the following morning to follow a trail of feathers into another neighbor's yard where another dog had gotten one. The first attack left one bird traumatized, as I found her pacing the yard and spinning circles right after it happened. I was afraid she had been the initial target and maybe had just been lucky enough to get away but after looking her over a couple of times I found no wounds on her. I brought her back into the yard and gave her space as she hid under the back porch. I went out that night to make sure she had returned to the coop with the others for the night and when she had I thought that she would be fine and that she was just shaken up.
The next morning I went out to find that she had assumed her position under the porch again and I lured her out with a grape to look her over again. Again I found nothing and I thought that maybe she needs a little longer to settle down. Shortly after looking her over I realized another chicken (the second one) was gone and i was distracted from her as I went in search of the other. Again that night I went to check on her and she had gone to the coop. The following morning I found her again under the porch and I noticed her comb was a bit droopy. I expressed my concern to the husband who responded by saying that he would be hiding under the porch too if everyone was getting eaten.
I tried to lure her out that day with no luck but later that evening she was out in the back yard with the other chickens. I literally jumped up and down, clapping with excitement because my chicken was okay! She was still moving slow, but she was out with the others and I was relieved. The next morning she was under the porch, but as the sun got higher in the sky she was out with the others. She was moving slowly and standing strangely and I started to wonder if she was egg bound. I wasn't sure who had and hadn't laid, as there are many chickens and they were all a bit shook with the dog incident. I text the husband to tell him I was going to bring the chicken in for a soak, just in case she was egg bound. He insisted I wait a day because 1) I'm not expert and I literally was just searching for a reason she was acting strangely and 2) he is not a fan of bringing chickens inside. I agreed I would wait and when I went back outside I found one of the girls holding her. I reminded them that the chicken was not feeling well and we needed to give her space. She sat the chicken down and when she did a bit of egg was pooped out. I shooed the girls out of the coop and thought that maybe the problem was solving itself. Maybe the stress had caused her to not fully develop the egg and it was going to be one of those messy soft-shelled eggs.

It turned out I was very wrong.

As I entered the coop the next morning I found the chicken laying sprawled out in a nesting box with her head hanging low and her eyes blinking slowly. I gently picked her up to bring her in and I realized I could feel her bones very pronounced under the feathers. I brought her into the kitchen and put her in the sink to soak and began googling her symptoms and that is when I first read about eggs breaking inside the hen. After forcing her to drink some water I wrapped her in a towel and laid her to rest in a box while I did more research. When I went in to check on her she had pooped and passed more egg but there was no trace of a shell. I knew then that it was a broken egg I was dealing with and did what the researching told me to and I reached inside her with a lubed up, gloved finger to feel for shell. I felt nothing. I continued to give her water and offer her food but I knew things weren't going to end well for chicken. She was too weak to hold her head up. I was surprised when I woke the next morning to find her sitting a little more up right but after passing more egg I again tried to search for shell pieces with no luck. We left the house to run an errand and when we returned she had passed. The girls were very sad to say goodbye to another chicken and I was sad that I wasn't able to help her. There is a lot to learn with our first flock and I hope that the hard lessons are over! Next time I will recognize the symptoms and hopefully be able to help before it progresses as it did with this hen.

After researching I think that what happened with this chicken was the stress from the dog attack led to her not eating or drinking. The not drinking led to dehydration which in turn led to the egg being unable to pass as normal. When the egg became uncomfortable I think she ate and drank less putting her into an even more weakened state. When she was picked up by the girls I think the egg was crushed and was then cutting into her. I believe the egg was still high inside her and that is why I couldn't feel shell and why she was still able to poop.

As a result of this we have started a collection of things to have on hand to help our chickens should we find ourselves in this situation again. The list includes; rubber gloves, baby aspirin, petroleum jelly, and Epsom salt.

How I found her in the coop.

Taking a soak in the sink.

She was too weak to hold her head up so she was resting on her beak.

Freshly blow-dryed after another soak. 

RIP "Elsa Chicken" #4

S'mores Pie

We celebrated the much-anticipated 5th birthday of my lovely Amelia with this pie/cake last night. She blew out the candle, made her wish and smashed her fingers into the gooey marshmallows, squealing with delight! I found this treat in Southern Living Magazine via Pintrest (I'm a skeptic of recipes found there, but searching down the original recipe from a legit source eased my worries.) Starting with the original recipe, I modified it a bit to omit nuts and I wanted the golden brown marshmallows to be the visual rather than the chocolate frosting.

The result was a rich, moist, brownie-like filling inside a buttery, crunchy graham cracker crust topped with chewy, toasted marshmallow. The flavors are so good! The only down side was in order to get the filling fully cooked the graham cracker crust gets very browned. I think if I were to make this again I would use half the amount of filling to keep it from over browning as well as to cut down portion sizes. It is a tasty pie, but the richness makes a small piece sufficient!

Ingredients:

Graham cracker crust
 
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about half a box)
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter
4 oz semi sweet chocolate bar

Topping

3 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

Heat oven to 350
Mix crust ingredients together until combined and press firmly into the bottom of a 9" spring form pan, taking them about 1 1/2-2" up the side. Set aside.
In a double boiler melt butter and chocolate until smooth. Remove to heat and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile combine sugar, flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Whisk in eggs, vanilla and chocolate mixture. ( I added a small amount of chocolate at a time to help temper the eggs and keep the warm chocolate from cooking them.)
Pour into prepared crust and bake for 60-75 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan. Just before serving move oven rack to lowest position and set broiler to low setting. Top the cooled pie with marshmallows and place in broiler until preferred browning is achieved. Remove outer ring and serve immediately.

After cooling the marshmallows become hard and chewy, making leftovers less appealing. I served the leftovers the next day and opted to remove the marshmallows and start with fresh, toasting them in the broiler as before.

I came across this recipe while planning a shared party for birthdays. What cake would be more appropriate for a bonfire party than a s'mores cake? That, coupled with the fact that my children are marshmallow fiends, made this cake a no-brainer for me. I knew I wanted to make a layered cake that looked a little rustic so I thought that maybe I could pull off using it for the party. It turns out this wasn't the best choice in cake for the party because it is best eaten immediately and the cool temperatures outside turned the marshmallows tough. It was very pretty though (I placed marshmallows closer to the edge so they would spill over) and the kids were impressed regardless! We made round two on Amelia's actual birthday and enjoyed it fresh from the oven in all its toasty, gooey glory!

Happy 5th Birthday, Amelia Ann!

It's hard to believe that my baby is 5 today! Time is just going to fast, I'm not ready for 5. I'm so proud of this little person who brings so much joy to our lives. She has always had a strong sense of independence and is a very social being. The older she gets the more her personality shines through. I stand in awe as I watch her walk into a room of strangers, a smile beaming across her face, and walk right up to someone and strike up a conversation.  She will try anything at least once, she knows no fear. She has a grand imagination and demands attention for her performances, be it story telling, singing or dancing. She is an emotional girl who has a contagious laugh that can turn to tears a drop of a hat, then right back to laughter. She has a patience about her as she takes her sister by the hand and shows her the ropes. She is never as silly as when she is dancing around the house, making up words to songs with her daddy. She is such a hard worker whether it be doing chores, practicing writing or dancing. I am so proud that I get to be her mom and watch her grow and discover the world. Happy birthday, Amelia. May all your wishes come true!

Because I think my kid is super cute, I love photo/video documentation of the happenings in our world and I found a free app courtesy of a blog I follow I made a couple of videos to mark the occasion. Enjoy!

Italian Dressing

Before I was married or had children I worked as a server at a local Italian restaurant. It was there that I was introduced to this version of Italian dressing; a red wine version with a sweetness to it. A craving for it served warm over a spinach salad lead to an attempt to recreate the recipe at home. Although I'll admit it has been a while since I've had the original version, I think I may have come pretty close with this tasty recipe!

Ingredients: (makes one quart)

2 cups corn syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup burgundy wine
2 tbs Italian seasoning
2 tbs dried onions
2 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well using a whisk. Once combined pour into a 1-quart jar with tight fitting lid. Store in fridge for at least one hour to let ingredients combine and dried seasonings soften. Shake well before serving.

Shared at

Halloween Costume: Garden Gnome

A read a little history on gnomes and was quite intrigued by these tiny under-dwellers who hold great powers, helping plants grow. It was said that they only came out at night and if they were caught out in daylight they turned to stone, thus the statues.  They are known for their willingness to help in the garden which seemed quite fitting for my little farm hands. With a little inspiration courtesy of my sister via Pintrest we set out to make their costumes. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Lynch Homestead! May your day be spooky, your treat bag full and your nose and toes stay warm!

Birds and Bushes

When I was looking for a house with the husband I was so excited for a home that was all ours, a home where we could do whatever we wanted, where investments would be our own and long term. We could finally do things like plant an orchard and put flowers in the ground, things that we hadn't be able to do in a rental house. One year later we are settled into our home and we are doing such things. We have poured ourselves into our home and getting it to the state is in now. Imagine then how it felt when, after all this hard work, someone/thing is starting to destroy things. I tried to talk to the person, I talked to others, I cried angry tears, I yelled out of frustration (in the privacy of my own home to my husband, not at the people) and now I'm just not sure what the next step is. 

Lets say you planted some lovely bushes in your front yard. These aren't just any bushes, these are the bushes you have wanted for so long! They were expensive, they were researched, purchased from the most reputable seller, shipped at no small fee and looked after daily. They were growing beautifully until one day when you came out to find the neighbor's dog had dug up and destroyed one of your bushes. What do you do in that situation? I decided to approach the neighbor, after all I had told them in advance about these bushes and asked them to keep their dog out of my yard out of fear it would destroy one. I didn't imagine that the neighbor would become so defensive and flat out deny what I had seen had even happened. Fast forward a few weeks later and the same thing happened again! Again I approached the neighbor this time to be greeted by more hostility. I was told that I should put my bushes in the back yard where the dog wouldn't be able to get to them behind the fences. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! The nerve of some people! I should put MY things in my BACKYARD so your dog can be in my front yard?!? I was retelling the story to another person and before I could finish they actually said to me, "you're just going to have to keep them in your back yard." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Am I just crazy? Am I the only person who thinks that I should be able to do and have whatever I'd like wherever on my property that I please without fear of someone's dog coming onto my property and destroying it? 

Lets change the context a bit and see if it changes your opinion. Lets say that they aren't bushes but kittens, sunning themselves in the front yard against the fence. If a neighbor's dog comes onto your property and kills you kitten does it change your opinion? Does it make it your fault for not keeping your cat in the back yard? Does it negate what the dog did? Are the neighbors not liable for the damage?

They aren't bushes that the dog is destroying and it isn't kittens, they are my chickens. The ones that I raised from chicks, that the girls and I have cared for, the ones that are feeding my family. I researched the types of chickens, I researched the care of chickens, I have made educated decisions on how I would raise and care for these birds based on what is healthiest for them and, in turn, us as we consume eggs and eventually meat. Our chickens free range on our 2 acres where the majority is fenced and occasionally they hop the fence to eat the fruit from a crab apple tree in the front yard. These yards are not stacked on top of one another as in the suburbs, there is substantial space in side yards as well as from the house to the street. These chickens hang out within a few feet of the fence line well onto our property. On two separate occasions the neighbors dog has entered our yard and taken a chicken from along the fence and drug it into it's own  yard where he kills the chicken. We have no legal right to shoot the dog once he is on his own property so we have tried to talk to the neighbor to solve the issue to no avail. Does the fact that it is the chickens being killed change your opinion?

We made a point to introduce ourselves to the neighbors as we moved in, brought Christmas cards and gifts, wave as we see them because having relationships with our neighbors was important to us because 1) we have small children who will inevitably be talking their ears off, kicking balls into their yard, riding bikes down the street etc 2) I'm a social person and I like to reach out to people and a sense of community is important to me and 3) because we knew we were getting chickens and the person who previously lived in our home liked to welcome neighborhood dogs into her yard with treats and we knew that needed to stop for the safety of our future chickens as well as my sanity (because I despise stepping in dog poop when we do not have a dog.) Every neighbor responded well to our requested to keep their animals off our property... except the one. We battled and battled with that dog to finally break the habit of being in our yard and worked tirelessly to close every hole in the extensive fence line. We made every effort on our part that we could to resolve the issue without conflict yet the neighbors find us to be the problem, not their dog.

I'm frustrated with the situation because it isn't getting better and a second dog ate a chicken the day after the last one. I guess I don't see the difference between a bush and a bird, my yard is my yard. Because my birds a food source for us does it make it okay for a dog to eat them? Is the neighbor no longer liable? I understand that there is a risk in loss because we choose to free range our chickens, however unless my birds leave my yard I feel there is a responsibility on the part of the neighbor for the loss due to their animal entering my yard. Simply making a real effort to keep the dog on their property and an apology would have gone a long way. Now that we realize this is going to continue to be a continuous issue we have some decisions to make. Do we go against what we decided and enclose our chickens, taking away all their freedom, having to compensate with more store bought feeds and overall making them more stressed by the confinement? Do we document and try to get compensated for our loss? (we have invested a pretty penny in these chickens) Do we take one on the chin and keep going? 

Rest in peace "Elsa Chicken" #1, 2 & 3

Pretty in Plaid Birthday Party

We had so much fun celebrating birthdays with a joint party for the girls this year!  We decided to try this after our poor December baby was having little attendance to her parties and the weather is so unpredictable in November that planning an outdoor party is a bit of a gamble. There is a small enough age gap that at (almost) 3 and 5 we can still get away with such things. Our girls are pretty easy to please, give them some cake, a few friends and some room to run and they are down to party.

We hosted a Pretty in Plaid bonfire in our backyard where we roasted hot dogs, served chili and corn bread, raced horses, popped candy-filled balloons and celebrated my babies . The girls had fun hiding in the tee pee, stuffing their faces with marshmallows. That, coupled with the much anticipated races on stick horses and running around with their friends, pleased the girls. The adults got to sit by the fire and sip seasonal ales while filling their bellies with food. There was a cake this year (not cupcakes, which according to Amelia are NOT cake and do not count on birthdays) and two very happy girls blowing out candles!

I got to put my craftiness to work this year making invitations, practice my hand lettering with the envelopes (long live handwritten letters!), sew a little with the tricky tee pee and I even did a little paper mache for the confetti eggs. It was just enough handmade details to make my heart happy!

Cheering on Our Boys in Blue!

We are very hometown proud when it comes to sports teams. We would never think of cheering on anyone other than our Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. We rock our shirts on game days and chant along with the best of them. This year it has gotten a little more serious. Our Royals were the winners of the Wild Card game, went on to win the ALCS and are playing in the World Series. THE WORLD SERIES!!!! So needless to say we have had to bump up our game to show support. In addition to much sleep loss due to late games we have made sure to wear the same shirts that obviously led to previous wins, rocked some blue nail polish (and added some gold for bling as we furthered), toasted the Boys in Blue, yelled 'MOOOOSSSSEEEE' a lot (mostly because it's fun) and we've even eaten our share of blue food. Needless to say, we are having a lot of fun cheering on our team!

Party Planning for Birthdays 2014

Party planning for birthday party 2014 is under way! I Love party planning with a capital 'L.' It's kind of my thing. List making, creating, cooking, entertaining, I swoon! This year we are trying something different and having a joint party for the girls and we are doing it before either of their birthdays. In previous years we have celebrated with individual parties close to their birthdays, which has always been fun but also a lot of work.  With their birthdays falling in/close to the holiday season it seemed less stressful this way and easier for our guests to attend. We will see how it goes this year, maybe it will the first of many celebrated this way! An added perk to celebrating early is the weather (fingers crossed) will allow for an outdoor party which will mean we won't have our house bursting at the seams or have to spend too much money renting a space. 

Fall is my favorite season so I'm excited to embrace it for the party theme. Cool weather, warm clothes, hearty foods, does it get better than that?  Now if you will excuse me I'm going to plead with my children to take a nap so I can immerse myself in all things fall and fill up a new notebook with list after glorious list!  

Chicken & Waffles: An Update on The Ladies

From the moment the tiny chicks arrived at our home an adventure began. Our girls have loved caring for their chickens and watching them grow. It started easy enough; feed, water, clean, repeat. We have watched them grow from little puff balls into beautiful, full grown chickens with full combs and waddles. When The Ladies hear the back door open they come running and they follow us all round the back yard. The girls refer to themselves as "chicken mamas" and they take great pride in their chickens.

Cinnamon Queen