"What doin Mommy, what doin?"

A friends facebook status this week had me clinging to my little guy today: 

"wow, I can not imagine what it would be like to be one of those parents waiting behind the yellow tape as people dig through rubble for my kids!!! The tornado in Moore, Oklahoma hit an elementary school with kids in it."

As we pray for all the families that have been hit by the tornadoes I hold my little guy close and relish every moment.

Oh this little boy. 

I have been caring for children for over two decades.

He is my first.

The first to not be overly interested in toys

The first to want to help.

Help with everything, all the time, even when he is too little.

The first who is more interested not in "Why" but in "What are you?"

The first who's favorite phrase to say over and over and over in the car, "What doin Mommy? Mommy, what doin?"

"I'm driving."

"What doin Mommy, what doin?"

"Still driving."

"What doin?

"I love you."

"Mommy. Mommy. MOMMY."

"Yes, honey."

"What doin?"

"Just driving."

I am going to miss that little voice someday.

Christmas Prep KAL

I almost forgot the KAL today, right up until I logged into blogger to check for comments.

I turned the heel last week on my Christmas Stocking and got bored, so I cast on for the hedgehog/squirrel. I really just need to knuckle down and finish the gusset and the foot, it won't take me that long, especially now that the bottom of the foot is done in just stockinette stitch. I am glad that I extended the KAL until the end of Year of Projects, I don't think I will get both done before the beginning of next month. It's not too late to join me in this Christmas Prep KAL. In last weeks post I mentioned a few easy projects for Christmas that'd be perfect.

If you are joining me in this KAL leave a link in the comments!

List Making

Layers in their new yard 

"Easter Egger" 

...Pig Piling Turkeys...

Silver Laced Wynodette 

"Broiler" Cornish-Rock Cross

In March I posted about our to do list for the spring. It was a little lengthy and quite daunting. This is what our list looks like now!

• Fence in the barnyard :: there is quite a lot of debate on to what that exactly means. The only decided part, put up a fence near the road, and do it sooner than later. -DONE >> read about it HERE
• Move the ducks to this coop area in the dog house - turned duck house - turned chicken coop and now back to duck house. -DONE >> read about it HERE
• Move duck house and turn it into a chicken coop then build a fence around it tall enough so the chickens stay out of the daycare yard.  -DONE
• Decide where the turkeys will go. -DONE
• Move rabbits into Rusty's old stall
• Clean out winter chicken coop to put meat birds in it -DONE
• Get brood box ready -DONE >> read about it HERE

It feels incredible to have some much done! It took longer than we planned, but we all have other jobs to do other than our growing poultry farm.

I was thinking, as I helped Jason with the fence, about our failures and successes over the past year that for people who have no recent experience with poultry, we're doing pretty good. Last year we lost quite a few of our broilers in the first few weeks, maybe half all together before we butchered them. This year we lost one broiler and one turkey, I think that's quite an improvement.

We also have fences. I had no idea how much I would love a fence until we put ours up. We only have one more fence to go, for the turkeys, but we have a little time before it becomes a real problem. The real beauty of the fence and our preparedness is that next spring when we buy chicks they won't need to be on the porch!

Here is the next list:

• Butcher 5 Rabbits (so we can stop feeding them and because I really want to make rabbit stew)
• Move Rabbits
• Plant Garden
• Finish Turkey Coop
• Finish Turkey Fence
• Fix Chicken Coop to fit in the nesting boxes better
• Plant Garden
• Plant New Blueberry Bush

I am assuming that this list will take us through the next few months.

The other day Mom and I sat down and planned out the garden. Our inspiration is this garden from Better Homes and Gardens.

Source

This is what we came up with:

This is in an effort to plant what we can handle, not what we want to eat. We will also have a vine garden in near the poultry yards in the middle of the "L" shape that their fences make.

How is your Spring going?

Christmas Prep KAL :: Top Five

I am moving smoothly along on the stocking. I bought more yarn at my LYS, but in cream/white. The plan, because I'm pretty certain I will run out of blue, is to knit the toe and heel in white. Then, depending on my mood I may or may not rip out the top and re-knit it in white.

Since my camera's batteries died, and there is nothing really new to show you, I will instead tell you my top five gifts to knit at Christmas time.

1. Little Boy Blue Ribbed Hat

I will be making a few of these this year. One for Stomper, Jason, and myself. The hat is so super stretchy that even without any mods it fits my 2 year old, and it fit him at six months! It's not a real quick knit, but it is rather mindless. Good for watching favorite Christmas shows.

2. Nursery Baby in a Bunny Suit

I have only knit one other doll and the one above. Nursery Baby in  Bunny Suit is my go to if I want to make a doll. The original pattern is for a baby, but I have made it into a bear and a bunny. I have knit this doll at least a dozen times. It is knit flat and seamed, but it could be easily adapted to knitting in the round. When knit with worsted weight it makes a decent sized baby doll, about eight inches tall. I free hand knit different clothing using the measurements from the clothing.

3. Chubby Bunny

This is a quick knit, but a little finicky on tiny needles. I have made this one three or four times, sometimes as bunny and sometimes as baby. Again the clothing is free form, but as a baby she is fine with out a skirt. This little bunny baby would make a great stocking stuffer. I'm thinking of making a pair to look like Max and Ruby for Stomper.

4. Upcycled T-Shirt Dish Scrubbies

I made a dozen of these one Christmas. I'm not certain that anyone used them, but they were fun and quick to make. I think that they would make great coasters. I always enjoy getting the ones family makes me. They are quick to knit up and you can find tons of free patterns for dish cloths all over the internet. When I make one it looks something like this pattern.

5. Susies Reading Mitts

Fingerless mitts are always a good bet, and quick to knit. There are no fingers to knit up or hand to close, so you don't have to worry about the hand or fingers being long enough to fit.  I think I'll be making a pair of these for some people this year too. I made a few pairs like this for my hunter husband and gaming brother.

Those are my top five. How about you, do you have go to patterns.?

Happy Mothers Day

We had a great few days being with family. 

On Friday Stomper went to his Mimi's house to work on secret projects and spent the night.

Saturday we went to Mimi's house to celebrate Mothers Day with her.

Sunday I received two paintings from Stomper that he had made in secret with Mimi. One of his hand prints and another of his hand prints made to look like flowers. Jason gave me chocolate and frames for the paintings.

We went to church and then had lunch with my mother.

Then it was family naptime! My favorite part of Sunday afternoon.

When we woke up the boys surprised me with a trip to my favorite restaurant in town, Thai food--yum!

I love that we take time each year to think about all the things our Mothers have taught us. When I was looking for a card for my Mom I was thinking that if I am a great Mom, it's because I've been mothered by a great Mom. My Mom is everything I strive to be towards my son: patient, gentle, and forgiving. 

Happy Mothers Day

Upside-Down

I have a theory about animals.

God knew that there would be a long time before we would have books, tv, and the internet to entertain us so He gave us animals for us to watch.

Like these ducks that go upside-down to find yummy things in the mud.

We have officially named the grey duck; her name is Ink. Ink and Chicken our two silly ducks.

Christmas Prep KAL

I am just loving the texture of this sock. There are no cables and the pattern is easy to follow once I get the rhythm of the row. Now I am worried though that I don't have enough yarn. I think though that I can just shorten the foot and all will be fine.

The pattern is: Pomatomus

The yarn is: Plymouth Galway Chunky

How is your Christmas knitting coming along? 

Leave a link in the comments with your Christmas knitting!

Road Trip Planning

We are planning a trip to NY to visit the cousins!

Stomper doesn't travel well, I am super nervous about the ten hour drive.

Around Christmas time we thought we'd be clever and travel to NH at bedtime. I remember my parents doing this with my siblings and I. We'd sleep in the car and arrive some place new where we would finish sleeping. 

We packed Stomper in the car before supper and ate at a fast food joint. At bedtime the screaming began. Eventually he passed out, but it was an awful forty-five minutes. Hoping it was a one time thing we tried traveling around bedtime again when we went to a baby shower, again he screamed until he passed out. A few months ago he traveled north with Mimi & Bumpa (about a three hour drive) at bedtime and didn't fall asleep. Not until he got home at ten in the night. 

I think my worrying has merit, so I have been working on a plan so that I won't worry.

Step One:
Plan the route to include scheduled stops. I have scoped out a few playgrounds around our routes and we will be stopping at Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory around lunch time. On the way home in addition to playgrounds we will be stopping in Ticonderoga, NY to look around and have a picnic.

Step Two:
New Toys

1. Wipes container with cloth wipes to pull out and put back and repeat.

 

2. More Wipes Container Fun: Memory Game and Milk Caps

3. A Slinky

4. Sewing fun

5.  a place to play

6. A new favorite movie and a borrowed car DVD player.

7. Other small toys or books that I find in my shopping trips.

How about you, do you have any advice?

A Good Fence

Jason managed to work his 40 hours in four days in order to have Friday off to work with Dad on the fence. The fence. This is the much debated fence: where to put it, how big to make it, how tall, ect. We've been debating all winter and we finally came to a conclusion. The fence will start where the play yard stops and will stop at the rock wall. Then we'd make an "L" shape to leave room for the vine garden. The men decided that Friday was the day.

Friday morning I took Stomper and the other daycare kiddo to the library and then for a surprise picnic in the park. When I left around 10, Jason was getting ready to go out and work with Dad. When I returned I assumed I would come home to find them half finished. I drove past the yard slowly and was surprised to see many tall fence poles!

When they came in for a bit to eat around 1 I asked them how close they were to finished. Jason told me they had three or more poles to go! That's ten holes dug and ten poles set in less then three hours! I am impressed and proud of our men.

The chickens and turkeys are going to have lots of space to roam and peck at. In a perfect world they'd be free range; but with neighborhood dogs and cats, and two busy roads near-by we think fenced in poultry is the best. 

It is fascinating to me how thirteen poles can make us all feel more accomplished and more put together. At least Mom and I feel that way. We were out in the barnyard at the recently relocated chicken coop and we were commenting how good the fence poles were making us feel. What the poles represented for us, a sense of completion, that we weren't winging it. That we do, in fact, know what we are doing.

The photo below is our yard. I am standing at the rock wall the marks the beginning of some over grown fields. To the left (not pictured) is the duck pond. To the far right beyond that row of pine/evergreen trees is the street. In the background you can see a bright yellow slide, that is the play yard, with our house sitting in the back of the photo. The chicken yard takes up the bottom of the "L" shape with the turkeys receiving the "leg" of the "L". I cannot wait to take photos when there is fence up and chickens in!

The Garden '13

Recently Mom and I sat down and made a quick list of what we wanted to plant this year. Then I made her reduce the amount of tomato plants by half. The goal this year; do it well. There is a saying from the series I've been reading ("Rangers Apprentice"). Do several simple maneuvers well rather than one complicated maneuver. Granted we aren't on a battle field like in the books, but I think the principle is sound. We will have a smaller great looking garden rather than a large junky looking garden. 

With that in mind here is our list.

Main Garden

• cukes - one hill of a few plants (last year we planted 4)
• zuchinni - one or two hills of a few plants (last year we planted 4)
• summer squash - one or two hills of a few plants (last year we planted 4)
• beans - two rows (last year we planted 5 or 6)
• beets - several rows, we didn't plant enough last year
• carrots - several rows, we didn't plant enough last year 
• peppers - 6 plants (last year we had close to 20)
• tomatoes - 6 plants (last year we had 24 or more)

Vine Garden - several hills of each. Dad wants to have enough pumpkins to let the daycare kids come out and choose their own pumpkin. 

• pumpkin
• acorn squash
• butternut squash
• blue hubbard squash

My Mom found a garden plan that she wants to base our main garden after from Better Homes and Gardens. It looks like this:

Source

This is what the main garden looks like right now:

This is the vine garden:

As you can see we have our work cut out for us. This is one of the many reasons why the daycare is shut down for the summer. We have a lot of work to get done in a short amount of time. I believe that the changes we are making to the grounds this spring and summer will go a long way to making us less dependent on the supermarket, which is the goal after all.