Snowy Surprise!

We had a wonderful surprise this afternoon, 3 inches of snow.  I love the crunch of fresh snow under my boots and the glow of Christmas lights over the snow.  What a nice change of pace!  It took me a little less than two hours to get home, but that provided time to talk to my hubby, catch up with a friend and talk to mom.  There are worse ways to spend a couple of hours.

The chickens don't seem to be affected by the weather though.  My little overachievers are at it again.  Check out this egg...

I can't help but feel a little sympathy for my poor little chicken.    The crazy thing is, I got two of these this week!  I'm not really sure what's going on, but they're all still walking, so I guess there's no harm done.

That's all for now.  Hope you have a wonderful week, no matter what the weather brings!

Time Well Wasted

Today was one of those days I dream about....  going to my favorite antique stores, hanging out with my mother-in-law

(yes, I got VERY lucky in the in-law department), finding the perfect new "old world" Santa to add to my collection, having a nice dinner with my in-laws, decorating our Christmas tree

 and enjoying a good movie.  Oh and BONUS!!!  I even got to make popcorn, well it was supposed to be popcorn balls, but it turned out to be cararmel corn, you know, the kind that makes you afraid it's going to pull out your fillings.

 Jason's mom had been talking about how Chuck's mom used to make the best popcorn balls.  And I thought, this is perfect, I love traditions!  So we tried our hand at it.  We both decided we'll try the marshmallow popcorn ball recipe next time.  Still, it was nice to do a little "baking" with her.

Meanwhile the boys went to Costco, watched movies and played video games.  So we each enjoyed the day in our own way.   :)

In the midst of all of that, we actually made it in and out of the mall (the last weekend before Christmas) in one piece (an hour and 15 mins to get less than a quarter of a mile, but in one piece nevertheless)  AND, I actually managed to get my oil changed and get out of Jiffy Lube for only $19.99.  That, I consider a true accomplishment.  :)

If I don't have time to blog before Christmas, I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday, filled with laughter, the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas, oh yes, and lots of "time well wasted".

Brrrr....

So, I learned tonight that eggs split when they freeze.  Check it out...

So, this morning I woke up to "honey, we're going to have to put a space heater in the pump house.  It's frozen; so there's no water."  So Jason barely got through his shower and the water ran out.  We must have had water in the holding tank, so there was enough for his shower.  Luckily I have showers at work, so I had somewhere to go.

That wasn't the only setback though, when I went out to the barn, we lost a blue andalusian hen.  Such a bummer, poor thing.  I don't think it was because of the temperature though, there must have been something else going on.  I'm just sad to lose one.

Then there was water for the cows... That was frozen too of course, so I had to break the ice and then poured a bottle of Sierra Springs water in for them.  I know that's crazy, but I felt like it had to have some warmer water or it would freeze again right away.  So, we have some very spoiled cows.  I feel so bad for them when it's so cold outside.
Hope you're keeping warm.  :)

Good Egg, Bad Egg

So, the overtime at work lately hasn't allowed for much blogging, but I do have one little tidbit for anyone who's interested.

If you've ever wondered how to tell if an egg is good or bad, here's the tip.  If an egg floats, you know it's no good, don't take any chances.  If it sinks, you're safe.

 See, bad egg...



 


                                                  Good Egg...

Now you know. :)

That's all I have for now.  Have a great week!

Thanksgiving Weekend

What a full weekend!  It started off rough, but it was wonderful in the end.  Thursday, Thanksgiving, we went to mom and dad Chases' house.  We had a great time visiting with the fam.  We got to see Jason's Aunt and Uncle, Chuck's brother and their son and daughter-in-law and their son.  They were so friendly, it was really nice to visit.

Friday I went to some great bazaars, Vintage Roost in Albany, Christmas in the Barn in Shedd, and Country Sage in Albany.  This was my find of the day.  Jason really thinks they're ugly, but I think they're adorable.  And, they're handmade!  :)

Saturday we did a little shopping, nothing too exciting, Coastal had grain on sale, so we stocked up.  The cows thanked us by bellowing loudly the moment they saw us.  Then we went to dinner and a movie.  We saw A Christmas Carole 3D.  It was great.  I'm not usually that into animated movies, but it was great.  I wouldn't take little ones to it though, the last "spririt" was pretty intense.

Then today was the really satisfying day.  :)  Is it weird that I enjoy things that most people consider work?  We rented a log splitter today and made quick work of the wood pile.  Some of it isn't worth saving, but we've got a pretty decent pile of wood for the winter.  Hopefully that will cut back on the propane bill.

The chickens even came to survey our work.  :)

Too Good!!!

The pumpkin pies turned out so good, I couldn't stay out of them!  Oh my gosh, I found the best recipe!  I never should have made this the week before Thanksgiving.  I have no self control!  Now it will be two weeks of no self control instead of just one day!

Chuck, my wonderful father-in-law, will be up Sunday to start working on our fencing.  He has the week off, so we hired him to help make some progress on our fence.  I'm really looking forward to getting more fencing done.  :)

Fall Fun

Jason and I made a pumpkin pie together today.  He told me first thing this morning, "hey, I thought we could bake something together."  I thought he must have been up to something, but he was serious.  :)  We finally got around to starting it around 5:00.  I found this new recipe at All Recipes.com.  It was awesome!  The recipe calls for honey; I was really excited to use some of our honey.  We used one of our home grown pumpkins too.  YUM!!!!  The recipe even stood up well, it didn't turn to mush when it was served.  :)

I spent some time today getting the barn ready to house our new chickens.  I'm getting 9 new chickens from a co-worker who is moving into town.  They're Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rock.  I hope they'll do well with their new roommates.  :)  Jason helped me put up two new roosts so we'll be prepared for them.

I'm looking forward to them arriving this week.  Oh!  We got two very large eggs today.  I think these girls need a week off!  :)

Another Rainy, but Productive day...

This tune is going to get old very quickly... I'm sure most days throughout the winter could be labeled, "another rainy day". 

We finished laying the rest of the sod today.  Some of it is literally layed out in the front yard, no topsoil, no prepwork, nothing.   Just so that it won't die, staying rolled up on the pallets.  Jason had a great idea for curving the side yard in front of the garden shed, so we layed it the best we could. 

We got a nice break in the rain today, but the ground is still very, very wet.  We'll see how it goes.  We just figured it has a better chance of surviving in these conditions that rolled up on a pallet, so what can it hurt? 

We were completely exhausted by the time we got done around 3:00.  We layed around and did nothing for the rest of the day.  Except that we did pressure cook a turkey...  Jason has been curious about it so we tried it out.  It was done in 1 hour.  Amazing!  It just fell off the bone.  I don't think I'm too keen on the flavor though; it's pretty bland.  But it will be great for soups and pot pies.  You have to try everything once, right?  :) 

Another Rainy Oregon Day

It is pouring outside; we even got a little thunder earlier today.  Hobbes was not impressed.  He quickly retreated to the closet.  We started finishing our sod in the backyard, but got rained out again. 

Jason is concerned about us getting sick, otherwise I'd still be out there.  It's nice to take a break though.  But it's still pouring, so here I sit typing.  I think Emma has the right idea about how to spend a rainy day...

I ended up going to the feed store to pick up some more chicken scratch and grain for the cows.  One of my co-workers, Sheila, is planning on giving me her chickens since she's moving into town.  So I spent some time looking at the barn stall trying to figure out what upgrades I need to make.  I think just add a couple more roosts and some more nesting boxes.  Even though they tend to all lay in one box anyway.  I also need  to add another low roost for my little "Frizzle" who can't fly up to the roosts with all of the other girls.

Hahns and Donna and Christian and Alaina came up for dinner tonight.  We had a great time together.  Jason and I had a bet how long we thought it would take Christian to ask to play video games.... 

He acutally made it through 3 episodes of home repair shows before he asked.  I was pretty impressed.  Then Hahns and Donna went to the club and the kids and I made cookies,

and now I'm watching them play "Up".  It's pretty funny because the characters can hit each other and they make funny noises.  It's pretty cute.  :)  The kids get a huge kick out of it.

 Now I'm really tired and want nap time!  :)

New Back Yard!!!

With the help of some wonderful friends, we now have a beautiful back yard. It's so nice to have something done!

Beautiful Fall Day

Today was a beautiful day!  Complete with a visit with Mike & Christine, Chase & Derek.  We went for a little walk, took rides on the tractor and enjoyed some really good Chicken & Dumplings (if I do say so myself).  The recipe is courtesy of America's Test Kitchen.  I love it!  Jason even loves it. He can be a little picky about his food sometimes.  :)  Anyway, the boys loved their rides on the tractor.  Chase even tried stearing for me.  He did pretty good, with just a little help.  Derek didn't want to at first, but eventually he tried.  He had a great time! :)

When they left Jason and I had a nice nap.  I fell asleep to the sound of the Vikings/Packers game... Which the Vikings won by the way.  It's kind of hard not to be happy for Favre.  I'm kind of torn, I want to be a Packer's fan, but it's so hard not to root for Favre!  Anyway, I digress, we had a nice nap and when I woke up at 5:00 I ran the recycling to the dump so I won't be tripping over it all week.  Went to Coastal for some shavings and grit for the chicken coop and came home and cleaned the barn.  It's such a nice feeling to "put them to bed" in nice fresh stalls.  It's amazing how easily the chickens get stressed.  I felt bad getting them excited, but I really needed to get it clean.  With the time change it will be dark each night when I get home from work.  Well, it was dark then too, but I really wanted to get it done.  It looks so nice and fresh in there now. 

We really need to get some new roosts set up too.  The girls all crowd together

 and sometimes there are a couple that aren't so lucky, they have to sit on top of the nesting boxes.  ... Maybe they're just anti-social???

Harold was nosy and obnoxious as usual. 

He was rotten today when we went for a walk.  He kept trying to headbutt Derek.  We actually had to leave the pasture because he was following too close.  I think Derek was just too close to his height, so he decided he'd like to play the same games he plays with Maude.  That's all for now.  Goodnight!

Busy Week

After my comment, "I can't wait till this weekend....", a good friend and mentor told me, "honey, don't wish your life away...".  I think about that often as I look forward to a special event, or a change in the weather.  She was right, I shouldn't wish my life away, but I'm sure glad it's Friday and I have the whole weekend ahead of me.  I spent the week not getting home until 8:00 or 9:00 each night and I'm exhausted.  Now I have a weekend of "good clean work" and visits with family and friends ahead of me.  This is my favorite time.  Tomorrow we put sod in the back yard.  I'm so excited about that! :)  Here is the before picture...  It's going to be hard work and raining, but I'm still looking forward to it. 

And here is the after picture...

I'm afraid the rain got the best of us.  We weren't able to lay the sod today.  Everything was just too soggy and we can't lay it without big ruts from stepping in the dirt.  They're going to try again on Tuesday... 

Harvest Party '09

Yesterday was the most amazing day!  It started off with me running around getting last minute supplies for the Harvest Party we've been planning for months.  As I drove to the flower market to p/u candles  and Bittersweet the sun was shining through the clouds periodically.  Then I stopped to p/u the linens from Barclay's rentals.  While I was waiting for them to get my order together, I milled around a little looking for acorns under their huge oak tree.  It's surprisingly difficult to find acorns with their little caps still attached!  By the time I was  ready to leave there was a torential downpour!  I couldn't believe it... I was determined not to let it get me down though.  The weather just is what it is, I guess if people have to be elbow to elbow inside the house, it will still be ok.  I arrived home and stepped inside just in time to see the neighbors tent, they so graciously lent us, go tumbling across the back yard.  That's when my demeanor went south!  Jason was cooking the base for his cinnamon ice cream on the stove and had to abandon his post to try to figure out what to do with the tent.  It turns out when it hit the ground, it buckled the support arms and they were broken.  So I'm scurrying around at Jason's request looking for a hammer, stakes, my dumbells, anything we can think of to anchor the thing down in the still blustering wind!  (It's still standing in the backyard by the way).  After we got that under control Jason realized his ice cream base was boiling on the stove, NOT GOOD!  But, we managed to pull it all together.  Our wonderful friend Jeff arrived in the midst of the chaos and added just enough humor to keep me from totally losing it.  Because meanwhile I still haven't showered, there are now only 2 1/2 hours left before the party and I'm still supposed to make pigs in a blanket for the kids, roasted carrots, squash stuffing casserole, pickle wraps, an apple pie and a pear sour cream pie.  Needless to say, I did manage to shower and get ready in time, but the pies became an apple/pear sour cream crisp, the pigs are still without their blankets, the squash is sitting next to the box of Stovetop Stuffing mix on the kitchen counter and the pickle wraps never materialized.  No one was the wiser though.  In fact, there was so much food, I should be set until Thanksgiving!

But, that's just the background... The party was a HUGE success!  We had such a fabulous time.  I got to meet a lot of Jason's co workers, they were all very nice!  Leslie and Gayle were really great about checking out the animals and checking out the garden.  It was really cool.  I really wish I would have had more time to visit with everyone, but that's how it goes when you're the hostess.

My favorite parts of the party were the music, played by our neighbor, Steve Couch, and his band members, the pictures and the beer Travis made.  They band played guitar, fiddle and bass guitar.  It was wonderful! Everyone just hung out on the porch listening to them play. Matt made his awesome smoked pork shoulder, I ordered a beautiful fall themed cake from Bittersweet baking in Salem.  Rachael made an awesome chocolate caramel fudget cake, Mike and Bethany brought a pear crisp from the pears of his mom's pear tree.  Jeff made awesome deviled eggs, John brought potato salad, mom made beautiful German chocolate cakes and everyone brought side dishes and desserts to share.    Kids were running in and out of the barn, playing on the hay and checking out the animals. 

Then the pictures... Donna took pictures of everyone for me.  I'm so grateful that she did that.  You just can't be everywhere when you're hosting a party and this way I got to see all the things I missed. 

Then Travis' beer was a huge hit!  Everyone kept asking about who made it and if he keeps his recipes.  The guys were actually "guarding" the beer in the garage so he wouldn't take it when he left.   

It was just great having family hanging around and kids running everywhere.  It was just exactly what I imagined.  I got lots of compliments on my decorating, which was very nice.  I'm just so glad everyone was happy and comfortable and relaxed.  It was great!

The topper to the night was when Ry, Travis & Sarah's youngest son didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to me.  He was so cute!!! :) 

If I wasn't so tired, I'd want to do it again next weekend! 

A Change of Scenery

I love the lush green of Oregon, but we traded it this week for a view of the California coast and the San Joaquin Valley in Central California.  It's worth it sometimes to have a break & visit with family. 

We enjoyed a nice visit to the beach this weekend.  The weather was beautiful and sunny, but a bit chilly. 

The change of scenery has been nice.  My cousin found me a whole sand dollar.  Not something you'd think is a big deal, but it's kind of hard to find them without any chips in them. 

On one of our morning walks my uncle picked a fresh pomegranate for me.  They're a lot of trouble for a little reward, but I still enjoy them. Anyway, it's been a great week, more later...

My girls were holding out on me again!

I didn't get a picture of it this time, but I found another stash of eggs again!  I only found two in the nest boxes so I went looking.  Sure enough, I found another pile, behind the tomato cages and the wheelbarrow.  I pretend I'm irritated that they've hidden them, but it's really pretty cool to find a them. 

Very busy weekend...

This weekend was awesome!... Full of work accomplished but I still managed to squeeze in a few visits with friends.  I've heard or read somewhere that my name means "industrious bee".  My mother couldn't have known I would live up to it, but I feel I have.  Much to my husband's chagrin, I squeeze everything I possibly can into every day; and this weekend was no exception.

Busted!

Look at the pile of eggs I found behind a couple of rubbermaid containers that some of the stubborn Lakenvelder chickens insist on roosting on.  I had one of our chickens hide eggs before.  She had convinced us that we lost her and by the time we found her, she had acumulated a pile of 26 eggs.  Luckily this time, I found them before they went bad.

We also harvested honey this weekend.  We removed the boxes weeks ago, but we rented the extractor and "jarred" our honey today.  It's absolutely beautiful.  I feel a little guilty though, stealing the fruits of their labor and consuming it so quickly! 

I also had a small flower job this weekend, 8 centerpieces for mom's board meeting.  Then I moved the rock pile from the back yard, had bark dust delivered, rototilled above the retaining wall, moved some compost up there from the compost pile, rototilled again, We got a ton & 1/2 of hay yesterday and put that away.  I changed out the bees Apigaurd, moved the straw bales out from in front of their hives.  I think I'd rather find another way to block the wind.  There were mouse tunnels through the bales and I don't really want to encourage mice that close to the hives..  They'll be a nice addition to the compost pile though. Went to Amy's for an Envy party, didn't find any jeans that fit, but bought a little clutch.  Then stopped by and visited with Mike and the boys.  I got to feed them and spent a little time crawling around with them.  They're so cute!   Jas' and I drove the flowers for the board dinner down to Salem tonight, got to seem my mom for a nice little short visit.  :)  And now I lay here with very heavy eyelids, not wanting to get up early in the morning. :)

Catching Up

Tonight I had a nice surprise, 4 eggs from the young chickens! :)  The chickens were hiding them in a new spot. The last few nights, I've been mowing until dark.  I wanted to post pictures of the sunset, but didn't have time to stop and grab the camera.  We moved the cows to the other pasture tonight.  Took a bit to convince them to go, but it was pretty uneventful.  I swear, nothing gets my knees shaking faster though, than having one of them startle! 

Another night of shopping

Shopping for furniture definitely does not afford me the personal satisfaction that a  night filled with weeding, collecting eggs, and cleaning up a brush pile does.   Believe it or not, these things truly give me a sense of satisfaction, a job well done, a good honest night's work. 

The good news is that I think we've narrowed our search and my treks to the West Side of town should be coming to an end.  Jason made the comment tonight... It would be cheaper to just cancel the Harvest Party. Because we decided we definitely need new furniture before inviting people over)  I said, ok fine.  He laughed, which means he understands that he pushed my buttons and he'll let the topic drop. 

I know he'll have a blast, he just doesn't enjoy the anticipation and preparation as much as I do.  He will enjoy the jobs he's finished though...

Goodnight for now. Hopefully I'll have something far more interesting tomorrow night. 

TGIF!

When was the last time you got this call,? "I need you to get home as soon as you can, one of the cows has wire wrapped around it's neck!"  Poor Jas' he was so stressed.  He successfully got the wire off of the heifer's neck though with no injuries, thank goodness!  I'm really pretty impressed with this feat. Just the other day, I could barely get them to eat out of my hand.  That's how uncomfortable they are around us, but he got close enough to cut the wire and make sure she was ok. 

Tonight was the perfect type of night.  Nice and warm outside, lots of crickets chirping and a clear sky.  I love it!  Yesterday we harvested 7 frames of honey.  I haven't extracted them yet, but they're sitting on my dining room table just waiting to be "spun".  There is nothing better than the smell of honey and bees wax.  Anytime I walk past the dining room I get a whiff of it and it smells heavenly!

Tomorrow is a day of pampering, oh and furniture shopping... I'm finally using the gift certificate my friend Kelly got me for Christmas for a facial.  Yay!  Thanks Kell!

Karma???

I find myself wondering about Karma tonight...  Jason and I went to collect honey from the bees tonight and we dropped our brand new camera in the grass by the hive.  I'm sick to my stomach thinking it's permanently damaged.  I'm thinking of Karma because here we are "stealing" honey from our hard working bees and trying to take pictures of it and we drop the camera.  Hmmm....
Oh well, I think my wonderful husband has definitely taken giant steps to redeem his Karma.  We accidentally brought a bee in on the frames, that buzzed angrily around the dining room lights for a couple of hours.  I gave Jason a pitiful look and said, I feel bad for that bee.  He actually took two glasses, trapped it and walked it "home" to the hive.  I love him more every day. 

Today I decided to change my blog name as I was standing there trying to coax our heifer/steer into another pasture.  I thought, I feel dazed and confused most days on the farm and decided, "that's it, that's the name of my blog, FARM dAzE!"  So, yeah, that was one of our adventures tonight... convincing the cows that the next field over was much more attractive and they should go there, quickly.  OH CRAP!  I just remembered I forgot to turn off the water to their water tank...  Be right back. 

Um, yeah, who says you can't water your pastures by overflowing the water tank?  Sheesh, see what I mean?  Dazed and confused...

Anyway, the cows are successfully moved to the next pasture over and that's about all I accomplished tonight.  I did manage to get a workout in... But other than the bat that flew in and out of the garage while I was working out, that wasn't very exciting. 

One of the best parts of the day was hearing Jason singing, "It's time to go to bed, it's time to go to bed" to the goats as he was bringing them to the barn.  It was very cute.  :)  I love my farm boy. 

Gotta love three day weekends...

Today got a little slower start, 9:30!!!!

I cleaned out our garden shed today, it looks great! It'll be even better when it's done being built. I also spent some time sitting and just listening to the bees, at Jason's advice. It was great. The sun was out and they buzzed around trying to get the last bit of pollen for the year...

I had the best surprise today too, our first egg from the baby chickens! :)

Also, cleaned up the backyard, cleaned out the fireplace, made a new Mediterranean salad recipe from Sunset magazine, also made a new chicken corn chowder recipe for dinner that I had almost thrown away the night before while reorganizing my cook books. Oh and... made a blackberry cobbler. Speaking of, gotta go, that should be cool enought to eat now. :)