Chicken coop

A dear friend of my mine hangs out with some chicks named Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. Chickens of course.  I admit it - I am super jealous. The moment he told me the names of his little friends, I knew I also must own chickens.   Why, you might ask? Well, you are not alone in asking.  When I told my husband - he wanted to know why I would possibly want to own four creatures that peck and eat grains. First, they are odd and interesting creatures. Secondly, lil baby chicks - adorable!  Not to mention fresh eggs would be a total perk each morning.
So for the past few weeks all I have talked about is owning my own little chicken coop filled with my own lil Golden Girls. After looking up information on habitats for chickens, who knew their homes could be so hip?!

Chicken Cribs located in California have an easy DIY kit that you can put together yourself.  It can accommodate four chickens (perfect for my Golden G names!).

This type of house keeps out OTHER animals and seems pretty easy to clean. Therefore, it is the most practical.  However, there are some pretty wacky coops out there!

This particular coop seems like a giant egg, and maybe that is the point? Not sure about that.  I am just not up for the ultra-mod types.   But in my coop searching, I found a whole website deticated to chicken coop plans - Called DIY Chicken Coop Plans (very straightforward with the name!).

My other favorite chicken coop is the Eglu - which apparently was the laughing stock of coops by farmers a few years ago.  But now it seems the popular choice!  It is also pretty reasonable and they have a bunch of different styles depending on your need/space.

The article in Sunset Magazine makes it seem so easy to own your own chickens.  It answers all the questions you might have, like whether or not it is legal, or how to have baby chicks or just eggs to eat.  However, in the end - I believe this is just another fantasy because I feel that owning chickens may make me a farmer.  And for that, I feel I need to improve on our garden.  Which means we need to better our compost pile.  I know my logic seems odd, but I feel without my compost pile and garden, I shouldn't have chickens.  Till then, I will just have to keep my fresh eggs and Golden girls to my dreams.

Football madness

When you hear the words Bake Sale, what comes to mind?  Hostess cupcakes wrapped in baggies?  Three oreos in a ziplock bag?  What is this world coming to!?  My interaction with a "booster parent" Thursday night went like this:

Super Cheerful Mom:  Hi there!  We are having our annual car wash and bake sale on Saturday! It should be super fun.  Everyone looooooooves to go!

Me: Oh. Unfortunately, we will be out of town at the shore. (darn! And just what I would rather do then go to the shore - help wash cars in the sweltering heat and eating crappy cookies)

 Super Cheerful Mom: What a bummer!  It is always such a good time.

Me (now feeling guilty): Well, I can definitely bake something and drop it off ahead of time.

Super Cheerful Mom: That would just perrrrfect!  (Then she whispers this) Now, don't go and trouble yourself.  Most of us just buy something at the store - and stick it in a baggie and easy peasy!  You don't have to do any of the work, and you still have stuff for the bake sale!!  fabulous!

Me (scratching my head in confusion): For the Bake sale, most people don't bake? hmmm.....ok! Well, I will see what I can whip up - but thanks for the advice!  

I then walk away not sure if my interaction with the football and cheerleading parents really just took place or not.  

Now, I am not trying to be condescending or rude towards these parents. I would like to be friendly with them, though clearly we differ in our definitions of a bake sale.  The mother WAS extremely polite and definitely tried to make me feel welcomed.  She also didn't want to "trouble" me with making or baking anything.  But she doesn't know me. At all. And if I am participating in a lame-o bake sale for the football, gosh darn it - I AM BAKING.

I decided that I would make football sugar cookies.  I iced them with brown thin icing, and then used white piping to make the lines and laces.  I was SO proud of my work.  We then individually wrapped them, and tied them with white curly ribbon.  Needless to say, when I dropped them off at the woman's house, she was speechless.  As I got back in my car and drove away, I brushed my shoulders off.  

Job well done.  And at least the bake sale with have one cookie actually home baked.  

Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Address me with your eyes

I have so many different address labels. Some with cats (yuck!), ducks, boats and frogs (why, I do not know).  Some labels have my correct name (what that is - who knows!), some with my maiden name mispelled, some with my married name, and some with a name I do not recognize.   One common trait amongst all of the labels is that they were free. My favorite F word!
After looking through websites, I found fabulous stamps that would get the job done.  I would be able to have the following: a correct name, correct address, and not have any crazy creatures that I am not fond of.  Etsy has a slew of address labels that I have fallen for.  

Clear stickers from tickledpinkpaper

My favorite!!!
NoteTrunk

So cute!!!
ModernArt Rubber Stamps

Bugabooannouncements 

I think this may be one of my favorite simplest stamps!
from NoteTrunk

I can't stop looking through Etsy and finding all sorts of fun address stamps!!  This makes me want to toss all the free ones and get a stamp (or two!)

Warning

You should never, under any circumstance, look through food blogs when you forgot your lunch at home. I just keep thinking about what I could be eating, as I scroll through the flank steak, sausage rolls, and burger recipes.

Father's Day is approaching and I really would like to have my parents over for dinner - or at least for lunch.

I have the menu picked out, though it isn't really tailored to my dad, but more my mom. She would LOVE this menu.

I found Bruschetta Burgers. YUM!

Found on the Cooking Photographer, this recipe sounds so yummy.

I plan on using regular hamburgers, but then adding the topping below.
Bruschetta topping1 or 2 ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
Palmful of chopped fresh basil
Palmful of chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4th cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 Tablespoon basil or regular olive oil
Salt & fresh cracked pepper

Mix all the ingredients together except salt. Add salt right before topping the burgers so the tomatoes don’t get watery. Set aside.


Sounds good?  Can't wait to find out!!!

A tisket a tasket put flowers in my basket

Currently my yard is in disrepair. There are bricks, stone dust piles, trailers, tall grass, and random flower pots spewed all over my lawn. We are attempting to "pretty" up the house, but in the process, the yard looks worse.

I purchased three hydrangea bushes (so pretty), an exotic lily plant, and lots of other nameless flower plants. I say nameless because my mom and I went out to buy flowers for my yard, and no plant (and I only could identify two types as hydrangea and lily) had a sticker or tag on it - and we just guessed and picked the brightest and best!  I can't wait till the hydrangea bushes are big enough where I can clip some flowers and put them in the center of our table.  

We are also trying to brick our driveway, as part of the driveway has only little pebbles.  This irritates my husband when we have to shovel snow - as pebbles go everywhere!  I am hoping that the projects do not take that long, and we stop looking like the abandoned house on the street!

Will post pictures when complete!

Shiver Me Timbers

The idea of a party tickles me pink. I love the thought of having a themed party. Today, I think all my ideas have been wrapped up in someone's blog.   Under the Table and Dreaming posted about her son's pirate party. After my own heart!!  I love all the little touches and the cupcakes are completely and utterly ADORABLE!  I believe she made them herself. When I showed Mr, he said that I could do that if I had all the time in the world - he is right, I have enough trouble doing my laundry, let alone making and decorating little pirate booty cupcakes. 

These cupcakes she decorated using fondant, something I am not too familiar with yet.  But after looking these over, I think I might have to try it out!

After checking out her website a bit more, she also fancied a Carnival party - seriously, I believe this woman may be my new hero. 

Check out her site and see what fun and creative ideas she has come up with!

Summer Starts Slow

  The start of the summer was suppose to be one of organization.  Then starting July 1st, I will do nada. I will read, watch movies, take walks, and craft.  yay!!  But first, I need to tackle our bedroom and somehow fit everything in all the drawers.  

However, I am procrastinating - and I am watching perhaps the WORST movie ever made.  It is called Perfect Strangers, made in 1984.  The acting is awful, the plot is silly and laughable.  But I can't stop watching it. A hit man's crime is witnessed by a toddler, and becomes obsessed with finding this 1 year old to clear his name and take care of the problem (um. maybe hurting the kid?) The acting is laughable and unconvincing.  The hit man decides to stalk the mother and pick her up, pretend to date her in order to see if the child remembers his face or not.  The actions of the hit man doesn't make any sense.  Their pick up lines sound like this "Are you lost?  Yeah, I think I might be.  Well I'm lost too, let's see if Matthew my baby can lead us both home"  THAT is how these two start talking.  Then within 20 seconds the mother hands over her child this complete psycho stranger!!!!!

This is moment, I need to turn off the movie - because it is so awful.  Sorry for quick recap of this heinous movie, but I needed to share this with someone.

Perhaps cleaning my closet would be more entertaining.       

Testing on Thursday

I teach at a high school in New Jersey, and I must say I love it.  There have been plenty of times where I have sighed, looked over at my co-worker and said "Gee I love my job" and truly meant it.  Today would not be an exception.  I have one particular student who makes me laugh.  Though some might consider his actions a little odd, and perhaps off, I find him endearing.  He goes through desperate lengths to be whiny, amusing, creative, loud and obnoxious.  Still, with all his complaints throughout the year, I do believe he is my favorite student of all 7 years of teaching.  He wrote an ode to my husband as part of an assignment a few months ago.  Followed with a singing audition of a literature circle role.  He is crass and sassy, moody and amusing.  He will say things like "Though this class is filled with pieces of junk...blah blah blah" and he will have his hand waving in the air, and his head bobbing from side to side.  

I have the summer off, and not just because I enjoy not working (I mean really, who does like to work every day?), but because it was easier for me to be home to drive back and forth to camp.  I also applied to the summer school position, but didn't get it. Boo hiss to that.  However, I like the break off in the months of July and August because it honestly keeps me motivated. I always like my job.  Just when I start to feel burnt out, we have an extended break. Well needed and well deserved.

I am writing this entry because it is the last day of final exams, and it means the last day I will see the students.  Today, most teachers are happy - but for me, I am always a little sadden.  Some students I can not wait to get rid of, to send them off to the next grade. But then there are students who make me laugh and make it worth all the political aggravation.  Call me sentimental, but on the last day - it is always a little hard to say goodbye to a certain few.  Then I drive home, and wake up the next morning with nothing to do -and that feeling of sadness goes right away!  glorious two months!  

Congrats to everyone who is graduating or to those who are moving up a grade.  Cheers to everyone who enjoys what they do for a living - because without that joy, it would make for a very rotten life.

       

Monday monday

The dreaded B word. I loathe the word. I'll whisper it to you know what I mean...I hate the word bored. AH. I hate even typing it! I am as a child, I may have tossed that word around a time or two, but I am finding that more and more kids can not seem to occupy themselves! What gives?!

This summer I am hoping to get alot of projects done that perhaps fell by the wayside this year. We also have planned a lot of fun day trips, but certainly not one for every day! Therefore, it is up to Little to occupy himself when we are not entertaining him with circus events, fairs and carnivals, and museum trips. Following me around the house looking mopey is NOT a friendly experience!

What I like most about this is that some of the activities are clearly CHORES.

And I don't know what is stopping a child from just picking again till they get something they want to do.....like play video games. hmmm. This is something I need to think about.Somewhat Simple created a "Bored Jar" and I really like its presentation (which is everything!).

The idea is to come up with a list of things to do, fun and not-so-fun, so when the child is feeling bored, they can entertain themselves. The list that I came up with has over 20 activities, though some of them are repeated (like dusting and cleaning!). Below is an example of the lists I am using for the jar.

Another blog that had a fabulous "Bored Jar" was KMcKay Designs. The fonts she uses are so darn cute! She also has a ton of other fun activities for kids to make - if you want to check it out!

Summer has never been so crafty!!

Dear John

Channing Tatum is shirtless in my living room. Well, on the big screen that is. My attention is captured.

I can say when I first saw the movie trailer of Dear John, nothing appealed to me - as sappy love stories aren't my cup of tea as of recently (gasp!). I heard scenes were rushed and much different than the book - so I figured I would do the opposite, watch the movie first THAN read the book.

I'm neutral about my opinion on Amanda Seyfried, as I don't think I am really a fan. But she is so darn cute, as she attempts to make conversation with John's decent and socially awkward father. I appreciate her efforts to relate to him, and her good humor in meeting John's only family. I also like the scene were she confesses she really isn't that much of a rebel - but yet as a stream of curse words that flow through her thoughts all day, confessing she has faults. The scene that they are in the frame of the house, and he tells her that he scares her - umm...would have been better had it not been played over and over in previews. I also can't figure out how many days pass from the first time they meet and then when he goes back overseas. From the normal time frame of relationships, it seems like months. But I think it's only two weeks? It doesn't seem realistic. I love the idea of writing letters, and what a way to get to know someone. As I love getting mail, and miss the ole' paper and pen romance.

OKAY - if she was in love with him, than why don't they end up together? It was only one year! (half hour later) The father and all of his problems breaks my heart. I can't believe I am actually crying. This whole movie I have been rooting for the couple's life together, but in the end - I know it probably won't happen. I officially hate this movie. What a way to turn me into Debbie Downer!!

Many thought this movie would rival The Notebook, and I have to say I think they are wrong. The Notebook was new and refreshing, upsetting and inspiring. Though I enjoyed my two hours with Dear John, I don't feel there is a comparison between the two. The acting in Notebook was far superior, and the plot was not as predicable. Nonetheless, Dear John kept my attention as I waited for my husband to come home from work.

I hope perhaps at the very end - they will end up together? Time will tell - in 4o minutes.