Our Cheep Cheeps Are Now Cluckers!

Those sweet little chicky cheeps are now pretty much a thing of the past for our girls!  They are practically full grown.  :0)  With that said, this is probably the last weekly update I will do for them.  Ha ha because they just don't change much from week to week anymore!  Now all I have to do is wait for those first magical eggs to appear!!  Anyhow, without further adieu:

One morning, Jay caught Blackie out of their indoor cage!  She had apparently flown up and over the chicken wire...which means no more inside time for these girls!  (I can't very well have chickens running lose in the house, yuck!)

Red and Blackie:

We always end up taking these pictures at night, and they never do Blackie's coloring justice!  She really is a very pretty bird!  She has striking black and white striations.  She and Red still seem to be the queens of the coop, but we still can't tell which one will dominate!    

Miss Cleo:

 Cleo is really pretty too!  Ha ha but she is starting to get these little tufts of feathers on either side of her head that really fluff out when she gets upset.  It's pretty hilarious!  I can hardly wait to see her colored eggs!  :0)

The Twinkies:

Flopsy and Mopsy still have a little bit of baby fuzz left on them, but Mopsy was the first of our girls to start actually clucking!  When The Hubbs picks her up, she gets quite upset and clucks at him like nobodies business!  The Twinkies still get along the best with Fred, and they will actually let him preen and groom them.  It is pretty funny to watch! 

Fred Duck:

Ha ha Fred still has some growing to do, so I'll still try to take weekly pictures of him.  He is super cute!!  He follows us around cheeping loudly when we let him out of the chicken run.  We got the roosting poles put into the run this week, and poor Fred just couldn't figure out what the chickens were so excited about! 

   
I still can't believe how fast they have grown!!  We have had a lot of fun with them though!  We have (finally) managed to finish their chicken run, and now all we have to do is finish the coop.  I will be sure to put up some pictures of them both when we get them done.  :0)  For now, the girls are staying in the run with a makeshift shelter, but they really love it!  (And I love that they are no longer in our sun room!!)

Emergency Brownies

This brownie recipe is wonderful because it is really easy, fast, and made from things I always have on hand!  It is perfect for those days when I just NEED chocolate.  I love to put m&ms or pecans on top!  Yummy! 

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter--softened
1/2 cup flour
6 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts, candy, or other topping of your choice (optional)

Directions:
Dump all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix on medium speed for 4 minutes.  Spray a pie pan with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pie pan, it will be thick, so spread it out with a spatula if you have to.  Bake it at 350 for 30 minutes. 

The texture of these is slightly different than regular brownies, but I like it!  It kind of melts in your mouth, and definitely hits the spot when a chocolate craving hits.  :0)  Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Peeps!!

I saw several people make these for Easter, and they were so cute that I just had to get in on the action!  They are delicious grown up take on one of my childhood favorites, and they taste every bit as good as they look!  :0)  They are also super easy to make!  

Ingredients:
1 package of peeps
1 cup of chocolate chips, I used semi sweet
1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening
chopped pecans, coconut, crushed candy and sprinkles for the toppings 
Skewers to put your Peeps on

Put your cute little Peeps onto some wooden skewers:

 Melt your chocolate and shortening in a saucepan over very low heat--the lowest heat setting you can use!  When the chocolate is melted, dunk your Peeps into the chocolate and use a spatula to help make sure all of them is completely covered.  Then sprinkle on your favorite toppings.  Jay was in charge of our toppings:

Aren't they cute!?

I stuck them into a flower arrangement that was on our dessert table:

Directions:
Put the chocolate and vegetable shortening into a small saucepan over the lowest heat setting possible on your stove.
Stir and watch for the chocolate to start to melt.
When the chocolate has all melted, dunk your Peeps into it one at a time. 
Use a spatula or spoon to help coat the Peeps completely in chocolate.
Sprinkle on the toppings of your choice.
Lay them on waxed paper to harden. (I stuck mine in the fridge because I am super patient that way...)

These were SO yummy!  I think it would be really fun to make these with the little ghost chaped Peeps at halloween and use coconut or mini white chocolate chips for the topping.  :0)  They will definitely be a new yearly tradition for us! 

Journal Jar Tuesday #14

Welcome to the 14th Journal Jar Tuesday!  If you have missed a previous week, or are just wondering what this whole thing is about, you can go to the Journal Jar Tuesdays tab at the top of my blog.  It really is a lot of fun, and I would love for you to begin your own adventure in journaling!  Today's prompt is:

What is your favorite area in nature?

I don't think I can claim any one area of nature as my favorite...in fact it might be easier to list the things I don't like (like caves, mosquitoes, snakes, bats, flying stinging things, and extreme heat.)  As far as nature goes, if there is beauty in it, I generally like it! 
I love going to visit family in Colorado where there are glorious mountain ranges in every direction.  The air is cool and crisp, and there are little bubbling mountain streams galore.  I love the way the wind whooshes through the pine trees, and the way the aspen leaves slimmer in the sunlight.  
When The Hubbs and I were on our honeymoon in Italy, I fell in love with the hills of Tuscany too.  They are like a patchwork of nature.  There are neatly arranged vineyards, and olive tree groves, but there are also untamed areas of land that are more rugged and earthy.  The roads wind through the hills and valleys and the views literally took my breath away.  Even the air smelled earthy and sweet.  Ha ha I can completely understand why so many people dream of living there!
But I am always glad to be welcomed back home by the wide open plains of Texas!  I love the blue skies as far as the eye can see, and being able to watch a rain storm slowly make its way towards you from across a field.  On a hot summer day, nothing beats the shade from a towering pecan tree and a slow summer breeze.  I love that when it snows in Texas, everything shuts down.  Snow in Texas, is truly magical, and it never stays around long enough to turn all yucky and dirty.  And then there is springtime in Texas...and it just doesn't get any better than that!  Springtime in Texas is magical!  There are bright blue skies, vibrant green grass, warm breezes, and beautiful flowers to perfume the air.  No matter where life takes me, a part of my heart will always be in Texas.  :0) 
I also love the ocean!  The power of the waves is utterly amazing to me, and I love diving beneath the waves to witness a whole different world from the one we live in.  The way the sun dances above you and filters down to show you glimpses of breathtakingly beautiful colors just sends thrills up my spine.  
I used to say that Spring was my favorite season, but I can't even say that anymore!  I have found reasons to love all of the seasons.  I love the crisp air and vibrant warm colors of Fall.  I love the serene peace and quiet of Winter, and the playful spirit of Summer.  Each season brings new things to celebrate and enjoy.  Each season, I find more and more reminders of just how amazing God is, and of how very lucky we are to be surrounded by such beauty!   

I could go on and on, but I think it is safe to say, that I have no problem finding things that I love in nature!  Which is probably a good thing since I married an Eagle Scout and will soon be the mother of a Cub Scout...  In fact, we have plans to take Jay camping for the first time this year, so that will be really fun!!  Anywho, what about you?  What do you love in nature?  What are the things that take your breath away?        

Happy Earth Day!

I saw this adorable crayon holder a few months back, and have been saving things to make my own version of one ever since!  It is so cute!!  And I thought it would be the perfect craft for Earth Day! 

 

I used juice containers from The Hubbs' favorite juice:

Then I used a board left over from the chicken run, it is a 1x2, and it was just long enough for me to fit all of my juice containers on!  I also used brown spray paint for the board, brushed nickel spray paint for the juice containers, screws to attach the juice containers to the board, construction paper to wrap around the containers, and modge podge to coat the construction paper.  It was pretty darn easy!  And I used things that I had on hand, so this project didn't cost me a dime!  Here is the finished product:



 

Jay l.o.v.e.s. it!!  We have already spent several hours sorting and sharpening all of his pencils.  :0)  He has been a coloring fool ever since we got it finished!  And the best part is that Jay has been putting all of his pencils back without me having to nag him at all!  It is fabulous!!   

I am still saving containers to make another holder for crayons and one for markers!  Ha ha hopefully by the time we get the bookcase built for the sun room, I will  have them finished.   

Our Flock at 5 Weeks!

I can't believe how much our girls have grown this week!  They really look like adult chickens now, and when they get excited, we even get an occasional big chicken cluck or two out of them! 

We are almost finished with their outdoor run, I just have to finish weaving the two different types of wire together so that there are no gaps anywhere.  But they have been spending their days outside in the mostly completed run, and they LOVE it!  I have even been putting Miss Fancy bunny in there with them to play. 

But still, it is hard to believe that in five short weeks, they have gone from this: 

 To this:

 Cleo:

I still think she is really pretty!  She is (by far) the hardest one of the girls to catch.  Feathers fly, she runs like crazy, and clucks up a storm.  Ha ha and I am usually just trying to catch her to take her outside...which she loves!  Silly chicken!

 Fred:

Fred has really really grown!!  He is already the same size as the chickens!  here is a picture of him and Cleo side by side:

 Fred is still pretty adorable though!  We had a big scare with him this week when Jay tried to give him "flying lessons"...it was not pretty!  I mean just look at those little wings!?  The Hubbs and I both thought that we were going to have a dead duck, but thankfully Fred is a trooper, and he pulled through! 

 Red:

Red is still the friendliest of our girls!  She will sit on our shoulders and doesn't seem to mind being held too much.  This week she has really been standing up to Blackie, so she just might win out and be our head girl.

 Blackie:

This week, Blackie's stripes have really gotten more defined!  This picture just doesn't do them justice!  She is really a pretty chicken.  She is still the smallest of the girls, but that doesn't stop her from keeping most of the other girls in line!

 The Twinkies:

Flopsy and Mopsy have really grown this week too!  They get along with Fred the best, and even let him groom them.  It is pretty hilarious!  I keep trying to get a picture, but as soon as I get close, they always stop.  But I'll keep trying!  :0) 

Here is a picture of our flock (and one of Jay's toys) out in the run.  They have really enjoyed being outside! 

I hope that our weather will get better this week, so that we can finish up the run and the coop and our girls can start staying outside full time!  Ha ha but they are predicting more rain, so wish me luck!  :0)  

Easy Alfredo Sauce

When The Hubbs and I were newlyweds, I searched and searched for a good Alfredo sauce recipe.  Ha ha and at the time, my cooking skills were really green, so that make my search even more difficult!  When I stumbled upon this recipe, we were smitten, and I have been making it ever since.  I have since found several more authentic recipes, but this one still wins out because it is so simple!  I love to add chicken to the sauce, and serve it with pasta and steamed broccoli for an easy and delicious meal. 

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 garlic cloves--minced
1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese--cut into cubes (the low fat kind works just fine!)
2 Cups milk  (or cream if you really want to go all out)
6 oz Parmesan cheese (honestly I just shake some in until it tastes good, and I don't measure it at all)
salt and pepper to taste
I also like to add in a few shakes of basil to add a little color  :0)

Directions:
Put the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium low heat. 
Once the butter has melted, add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. 
Add in the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. 
Add in the milk, slowly, whisking until it is smooth. 
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and add salt and pepper.
If you are adding chicken or shrimp, you can put it in now, and cook the sauce until it heats up.  Just make sure to use chicken or shrimp that is already cooked!
   

Just cook your pasta, heat up some garlic bread, and steam some broccoli while the sauce is cooking, and you have an excellent meal to serve your family, or to impress company with!  I hope you love it as much as we do! 

Journal Jar #13

Welcome to the 13th Journal Jar Tuesday!  Have you been inspired to start keeping your own journal yet?  If not, maybe today is the day you should start!  :0)  I have really enjoyed keeping mine.  If you are wondering what this whole Journal Jar thing is about, go to the Journal Jar Tuesdays tab at the top of my blog.  Today's question is:

Did you ever keep a secret about someone?  Are you still keeping it today?  Tell about it if you can!

I have to admit that I am not the best secret keeper, but I have come a long way!  I am keeping secrets about a few people, but I can't share them...sorry!  :0)  But I can tell you about a time that I told a secret of my own:

One Christmas when The Hubbs and I were still dating, I had gotten him this big dragon statue thing.  The Hubbs likes dragons, and I was so excited to give it to him!  Well, he came over on Christmas morning, and opened his gifts from my parents and then I opened his gift for me.  (I think it was a tanzanite necklace!)  Well, I was so excited about the necklace that he had given me that I forgot to give him his present from me.  We had been sitting around talking when all of a sudden it dawned on me that I hadn't given him his gift yet, so I excitedly looked at my mom and said" Mom!  He hasn't opened his dragon yet!"  Oops!!  Ha ha The Hubbs has never let me live that one down!

I can also tell you a little secret or two about my cooking.  (Just don't tell The Hubbs, or he may never eat again!) 
You see, The Hubbs likes beef, but he has high cholesterol, and I am kind of fond of him.  So anytime a recipe calls for ground beef...I use ground turkey.  (It works for everything I have tried except for tacos and meatloaf, so when I make those things, I generally use half beef and half turkey!)  I've been doing it for years, and The Hubbs has never noticed.  :0)
Also, have you ever eaten anything at my house with a red sauce??  Well, you my friend have eaten carrots without even knowing it!  I put very finely shredded carrots in all sorts of things like:  spaghetti sauce, tacos, beef stew, Italian stew, lasagna, enchiladas, chipped BBQ, etc.  Ha ha I am all for pumping as many veggies into my picky eating Hubbs as I can!!  So if I can get away with it I do! 

So what about you?  Are you a good secret keeper!? 
   

Wild West Fest

The city I grew up in, and where my parents still live, has a fun little festival every year around Easter called Wild West Fest.  It is a lot of fun, and I love it because not many people outside of the city itself know about it.  So they always have lots of fun things to do, and the crowds aren't bad at all, which means there is generally no wait time for anything!  Throw in the fact that my parents always go, and it's a winning situation all around!  :0)   

This year, the city is building a new fire station!  (I can't wait to take Jay to the grand opening tour!!) 

This year they let the kids play with the fire hoses to "put out" fires in a little wooden house.  It was pretty cute, and Jay thought it was sheer greatness!  

Here are Papa and Jay, they're pretty good buddies:

My boys:

 And of course, what would a Wild West Fest in Texas be without armadillos!?  They had armadillo races, and the kids could pet the armadillos too:

I am also VERY excited to say that we finally convinced Jay to go into a bounce house!!  Hooray!!  It might have had something to do with the fact that I convinced him to go hunt for the dragon inside of this one, but hey, whatever works right!?  He had a blast jumping and sliding!   

 

 Ha ha they also had a mechanical bull, and Jay was beyond excited to ride it.  He stayed on the whole time, and I think he was pretty proud of himself!  His Daddad will be proud! 

Jay and Papa also went on a train ride, and they had front row seats!   

We had a really good time, and Jay was one tired boy by the time we left!!  (And so was Papa)  :0)

Our Cheep-A-Deeps at 4 Weeks

Around here, everything seems to have a nickname (or 5!)  Our darling doggy, Dutchess, is also called The Brown Wonder, Brown Dog, Minky Moo (don't ask me where that one came from, ha ha because I have no idea!), Boos, Boo Bear, and Dutchee.  Fancy Bunny goes by Fancy, Buns, Fanciful, Fancers, and Bun Bun.  Why do we have so many pet names for our pets!?  Who knows!  But the chickens are no exception.  We call them The Girls, Cheepers, Cheepies, Chickies, and Cheep-A-Deeps.  :0)  And I for one, am thankful that they are finally getting past the in between fuzzy chick and feathered bird stage!  It has been so much fun to watch their feathers come in, and to see the beautiful markings starting to come through!  Here are some pictures of The Girls (and Fred Duck):

Blackie:

She is starting to get some really pretty striations in her feathers!  Ha ha and at this point, I am fairly confident that she will be the leader of our gang of chickens.  

Red:

Miss Red is still pretty friendly.  She will still sit up on my shoulder without flying off like the other girls do!  This week, her combs have really started to come in. 

Cleo:

Cleo has the majority of her big girl feathers in at this point!  I love the dark around her eyes!  I am super excited to see what color eggs she will lay! 

The Twins:

Flopsy and Mopsy and really grown too, but they still have some baby fuzz on their heads.  I know you can't see Flopsy's head in this picture, but it was neat to see Mopsy's wing spread out.  :0)

Fred:

Fred is one cute little guy!!  Ha ha every time I see him, Flight of the Bumblebee starts playing in my head.  He flaps his little wings, and shakes his little tail.  It is pretty hilarious!!     

 He even survived church this week.  I took him up for the kids in my pre-k class to see on Wednesday.  :0)  They were SO excited, and Fred did pretty well too! 

   
We are still working on the run for their coop, but we're almost done!  WooHoo!  So hopefully I will be able to put up some pictures of that soon.  The coop itself is still sitting on my Granddad's land.  He has been sick, poor guy!  But hopefully we'll get that and be able to finish it up soon too.  :0)

Lnz's Blueberry Bread

I have been experimenting with this recipe for a while trying to get it just right.  Jay LOVES blueberries, but I get tired of making muffins or pancakes for him, so this gives me a very yummy alternative.  It is pretty easy to make, but I have to double the amount of blueberries I use because by the time I go to use them in the recipe, Jay has already downed half of them!  :0) 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter--melted
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (or you can add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of regular milk to make sour milk instead)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour (I like to do half whole wheat flour and half regular flour)
1 1/2 cups blueberries, you can use fresh or frozen

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 and grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.  I like to cut a piece of waxed paper to fit into the very bottom of my pans because they tend to stick. 
Mix ingredients in order, mixing each as you add it. 
Pour into your loaf pans, and spread out evenly.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. 
Then turn your oven off, but leave the bread in there for another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes and remove from pans to finish cooling.

Ha ha this recipe makes me want to plant blueberry bushes in our yard!  Luckily, they have been on sale the past few times I have gone to the store.  This bread is definitely yummy, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Journal Jar Tuesday #12

Welcome to the 12th Journal Jar Tuesday!  Today's entry might be more like the crazy ramblings of a sleep deprived momma, so forgive me if I get too random!  Spring is wonderful and great...but the allergies and asthma it brings have been keeping me up at night. 
Anywho, here is today's prompt:

Describe "how to live successfully".

Ha ha ha when Jay handed me this all I could do was laugh!  Seriously.  I wish a had a magical answer to this question, but honestly I am not anywhere near qualified to begin to answer it!!  In fact, this was supposed to be my prompt for last week's Journal Jar Tuesday, but I put it off for a week so that I could try to think of something ingenious to say...and I still haven't thought of anything.  But here are some things that I think are pretty wise: 

God gave us different strengths for a reason, so take advantage of that fact!  Don't be jealous of the person that can do something you can't!  If your bestie can sew like nobody's business, ask her to teach you how, or better yet, trade something you are good at for her sewing skills.  Maybe you can bake cupcakes for her kiddo's school party, or keep her family supplied with veggies from your garden, be creative, and it'll be a win win situation for both of you!  We aren't supposed to be good at everything!  Businesses always stress the importance of networking, but I believe that we should use it in our personal lives too.  :0)  Search within your network of family and friends when you need help, and you will be amazed at what can be accomplished! 

You are what you eat!  People have said this for ages, and with good reason.  Pay attention to where your food comes from and to what has been done to it!!  I don't want to get on my soap box, but I will say that companies like Monsanto are ruining our food supply.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, just do a google search for Monsanto or for Bt Corn. Scary stuff!)  Make wise food choices!  Buy organic when you can, and work to find places to buy local produce.  Your body will thank you!  :0)

Try to take something positive away from every situation, no matter how bad that situation may seem!  One of the sweet ladies at church told me this, and I think it is excellent advice!  It is easy to do when you have had a wonderful experience, but try to focus on finding something good to take away from even the worst of situations.  It is pretty tough to do sometimes, but I have found that it brings me a lot of peace!

Challenge yourself!!  It is easy to sit back and always stay in your comfort zone, but make it a point to challenge yourself, and to force yourself out of your comfort zone.  You'll be thankful that you did!  I hate getting up to talk in front of people, but I have done several programs for my women's group at church.  The first few were admittedly pretty shaky, but I have come a long way.  I feel more confident speaking to small groups now, and my programs have brought me closer to the ladies in my group.  Am I ready to take on a public speech!?  Definitely not!  But I am happy with the confidence I have gained, and I am definitely glad that I forced myself (literally) to face my fear head on!  :0)

Read Read and Read some more!  I love to read, and I always have.  I firmly believe that it is good for your soul, as well as your mind.  I love to read books, but now there are SO many other ways to read!  You can carry around your IPad, Nook, or Kindle, listen to an audio book in your car or while you jog, and even receive little snippets from a book each day in your email.  Take advantage of those things, and read your heart out!  :0)  Make sure that your kids see you read too!  They just might follow your lead and pick up a book of their own to read.

So, what about you?  Do you have any advice to live by?  I would love to hear it!  :0)
           

Meet Fred

Meet the newest member of our flock:  Fred

Isn't he cute!?

We went to visit my grandparents this weekend, and Granddad sent home this little duckling with Jay.  We tried to get Jay to name him (or her) Lucky, but he wanted to name him Fred!  Ha ha so now, we just have to hope that Fred is in fact a Fred, and not a Fredericka.  :0) 

We are going to raise Fred with the chickens, and so far they are getting along great!

 Last night The Hubbs decided to put Fred into the bathtub with Jay.  And after I stopped freaking out because there was a duck in the bathtub...it was pretty cute! 

 (Don't worry, our bathtub has been bleached back into the realm of cleanliness again!!)  :0) 

Anywho, Fred is about a week and a half old, and is a Pekin duck.  So when he grows up, he'll be solid white, like Donald Duck.  Fun Fun!