Well, today was supposed to be a silent Sunday - but I can't let it happen because I gotta CROW!
One of my hens laid the perfect chocolatey egg yesterday! It is our first egg from our very own hens!
This little gal:
Laid this little brown egg in her chosen little (new) nesting box yesterday!
(The white egg is the ceramic egg) Me thinks we built the nesting boxes just in the nick of time!
Here is a close-up:
And another - compared to 'normal' sized eggs... the blue and light brown are Steph's eggs:
Here they are all together... it's a shame we don't have a store bought white egg to compare to, but (oh darn!) we don't!
And just in case you can't believe how dark brown and beautiful it is, here ya go!
When chickens first start laying, their eggs are small in comparison to when they are mature... so her eggs will get bigger soon.
Aren't these eggs beautiful?
I can't wait until Gussy starts laying blue/green eggs!
Here she is just in case you forgot which chicken she is:
Check out her green legs!
Anyway, that is my not-so-silent brag Sunday!
Gotta get to church! Maybe I will have a new egg today!
I have been helping Steph and Raelee make soaps. Steph has a business selling her handmade soaps on Etsy and even though Raelee helps, she has a short attention span and is 'over it' quickly so I help out when she peters out. That is where I come in... but first...
Here they are starting a soap Raelee loves to make:
When Raelee is interested - she is REALLY interested and concentrates on getting it right:
And she did terrific! This is the 'new' Tutti Fruiti soap! Isn't it pretty?
Steph tried a new one too:
When we cut it the next day, it looked like this:
I love the anticipation of what to expect. Looking at them after they are poured is no comparison of what they will look like when we cut them. Go back and look at the previous two pictures... see what I mean?
Steph has come up with some terrific soaps:
Some smelly yummy enough to eat - like the mocha one!
I have yet to pour any, I think it would be fun - but she does such a terrific job why should I? I would be scared to death I would mess up a great thing!
If you haven't yet tried her soaps, I hope you do really soon. Here is her website linky. You won't believe how much they lather - and I certainly don't think you would be disappointed. Her customers keep coming back for more. :-)
I don't really feel much like writing today - Let's just say I am down
in the dumps.
We are having some (extended) family issues that have me
really bummed. I am sure it will all work out in the wash, but having
to tippy-toe through the muck, cover your ass and ignore those I love to get out of
'dodge' is getting to me... defending myself constantly has gotten
on my last nerve. Those people weave these tangled webs and then try to
'catch' me in their web of lies and deceit. Some of them always
watching for me to make a misstep so I can be accused of something I did
or didn't do, having 'witnesses' to back them up and 'tattletales' to
race back to them with my supposed wrong doings... let's just say, it gets very, very
old.
It is one thing if you are not happy in your own
little world, but why, oh, why is it necessary to try to bring my happy
little corner of the world down with you?
I have
been doing a lot of thinking lately. My mom died at 61 years old. My
dad died at 62. I am 55. Now, granted, I am not doomed to living just
after my 60's, but the reality is do I really want to waste the rest of
my time defending every breath to people trying to destroy me?
I think not.
And
so I have had to come to a harsh realization; if I want to live in
peace, no matter how much I love those people, I need to step away and
know that it can be their choice to live in upheaval and turmoil; but it
doesn't have to be mine. It may be their choice to chose a path of
deception and crucifixion; but just because they chose it doesn't mean I
need to be the subject of their destruction.
And so
with this realization, I have had a lot of food for thought. Days and
days of thought, hours and hours of contemplating have led me to one realization; that if I only live to be as old as my mom, I have
about 5.5 more years... and yes, I know I am not guaranteed another
moment, but I am thinking of the 'what-ifs'. So, 'what if' I only have 5.5
more years... what would I choose?
I would choose to live it in utter peace and harmony.
For
once, I am thinking of me and those that are always and forever there
for me; lifting me up, gently correcting me when I am wrong, and seeing the good in me - and mostly choosing to
overlook my faults, choosing to love me unconditionally and truly
forgive me when I do screw up.
I believe I am worth that. I don't want to live one more minute with this constant bickering just because the word 'family' is part of the equation.
Life, no matter how long, is just too short to live constantly dodging 'bullets', always feeling like others want to see you hurt, to fail, to be at fault.
And what is worse, they seem to always be able to bring me down to their level of wallowing... reasoning, begging forgiveness... and I absolutely hate that. Because *I* am not always the one that is wrong.
That is not love.
I read a statement last week that says it all: "Bitterness is like acid, it destroys its own container first."
I think I may be on to something...
I do have a happy life, however - and apparently that isn't acceptable.
Looking back, it has been this way for years.
Looking forward I just don't need this heartache.
Life is just too short to lose another breath to this nonsense.
So many choices.
So very difficult.
So sad.
I actually caught both of my roos crowing at the exact same instant! Actually, I have never heard them doing this before - usually I hear one crow and then the other answering. They may have been doing it for the 'tv' camera!
If you keep watching after they crow, you will see my 'special chicken' Ella pacing trying to figure out how to get down; she eventually does, but she frets over it forever!
Steph and I took Ms Raelee to a 4-H sponsored 'event' - and we made ceramics today! Can you guess what Raelee painted?
Hmmm, who is that crazy girl in the background?
I made a soap dish - not sure if I am going to like it or not though. I added flowers after the word Soap. There was quite a discussion if I should say "Soap" or "Soaps". I ended up saying "Soap" but there will be many bars in it! Lol...
And that was my exciting day... what else can I say? Lol.. I told you I am boring!
Raelee had her 10th birthday in May. Her actual birthday is the end of May, but since there were so many things going on this year, her mom decided it would be ok if she had several birthday parties during the month of May; 1 for friends, 1 for family, one just because and one just for fun. I don't actually remember how many she had, but it was more than one.
Raelee has always said, "I am NOT a girly girl!"
Since she will not listen to papa and I - we will let you decide if she is a girly girl!
Here are a few pictures from one birthday party:
I cannot believe our girl is 10!
So tell me friends and family... is she a girly girl? Please, answer yes or no...
And go ahead - keep trying to convince us, Miss Raelee, that you are not a girly girl!
Let our family and friends decide, are you a girly girl?
I love you - GIRLY GIRL!!
PS: This is written in PINK because PINK is her favorite color!
Steve and I had to have the chicken laying boxes finished by the time they were 4.5 months old.
Last night he finished. The chickie doodles are 21 weeks old now! *WHEW*
I had to research... always researching. What did we ever do without computers??
So I found a man that had used dish pans for the nesting boxes. If an egg breaks or it gets soiled, you just remove the dishpan, wash, put fresh hay in and replace. So that is what we did! I sure hope it works.
Here is the box from the front view.
Each cubby hole is 12"x12"x15" deep - which is supposed to be perfect for our feathered friends.
The view from the top - the eggs you see in there are ceramic eggs. They are to 'encourage' the girls to lay. We shall see.
My girls are supposed to lay colored eggs; browns, blues and greens. I can't wait to see if they do!
Now we just have to install the laying boxes in the coop. That is the last major step of finishing it. We have a bit of touch up paint to do, but it is hot. We will wait until it cools down a bit. The girls don't seem to mind at all.
Neither do the two roosters.
They just crow and crow.
GRRRR!!!
