Chicken Buffet

Today I cleaned out the chicken coop really good because everything was damp and wet from the few days of rain we got here. After I clean the coop the chickens know they will get a treat. Today it was a broccoli plant that had already produced broccoli for me so I had the big leafy plant left. I just pull that big sucker out of the ground and throw it in the coop. The chickens LOVE it! They sure are lucky I have a garden and can give them plants like that.

I have 19 chickens now. About two weeks ago, Sparkles died. It was so sad because she had gotten very skinny and was molting. It got really cold here so I put her in the garage with a heat lamp to keep her warm. After a night or two, I went out there and she was dead in her sleep. I had jest checked on her before she died. It was a shocker to me because I certainly didn't expect her to die. She was my first dead chicken and won't be my last. So now I am down to 19 chickens.

My three littlest chickens are Buckeye chickens. They are super curious and have a very sweet demeanor. They are so curious that every day I go in the coop, one or two of them flies up to my shoulder or my back. It's funny but also super annoying when I am trying to clean the coop! the other day they tried to fly up on Kennedy's shoulder and she about came unglued - it scared her. Once I told her what the chicken wanted to do, she laughed.

That is a day in the life of Paige's Peeps.

He and Me

Yesterday Kennedy went to the "He and Me" event at preschool with Matt. She was so excited she had a hard time sleeping! She wanted to wear a special hair bow and look pretty. This is an annual event at the preschool where they make crafts and spend time with their daddies or special the "he" in the child's life.

Kennedy and her self portrait

Apparently this is what happens when your daughter figures out how to work the camera on the ipad. I had about 50 pictures but kept these few.

The Zoo

Last weekend we headed to the Zoo with Cathy, Larry and the twins (the girls cousins). It was such a beautiful morning and we had a great time. We are lucky to have the Zoo so close to home. If I could go there and walk around every day, I would. Here are a few pictures of the girls. And notice Shelby's princess dress. Haha!

Moe Update

Seems that life is flying by and I have neglected my blog. Life has been hectic and seems like we are always doing something. Matt has been working a lot, my work load is a little heavier now on top of the kids, school, etc. I was looking through the blog the other day and saw some old pictures of the girls and made me realize how much I should keep up with this blog. So many memories to go back and look at!

Matt's work has been kinda crazy lately. The city is short staffed so they call him to do a mandatory shift often - like once a week to every 10 days. That means he often works three days in a row, one day off and right back to work. The money is nice but makes the juggle with the family that much more difficult.

My work is kinda crazy right now because it's year and I am working on getting the books completed and gear up for our financial audit in a month or so. I still work at Angels and love it.

Kennedy - she is growing like a weed! She is still in her Pre-K class at pre-school and doing great. She is learning how to count to 100 by 5s and 10s. She writes great and loves all the art projects at school. She still going to gymnastics once a week at the local YMCA. She is still my little chicken girl and helps me out in the coop all the time.

Shelby is now 2 1/2 and the terrible twos are in full swing. She is such a funny, smart, energetic girl and really loves to be a "girl". She wears a princess dress almost daily complete with the princess shoes and crown. I can't tell you how many times I have been shopping with my little princess. She is such a good talker and a smart little girl. She loves to do art stuff, color, and just be my shadow. The girls are really starting to play together and build their own bond and I love seeing it.

That is the Moe update in a nutshell. Life is crazy but we seems to be having fun.

Eggs

I am finally getting 6-9 eggs a day. Look how pretty they are!

25lbs of Carrots

Yesterday I pulled the rest of my carrots from the garden. It's been getting chilly here (down to freezing at night) so I wanted to get the carrots out before they got ruined by the cold. I had no clue I had so many still growing! There were so many that I had to already them out in the lawn to clean them off with the hose. I cut all the tips off outside and gave the greens to the chickens. They loved them! It took me a couple hours to clean and cut up all the carrots but its done and now I will can them later this week. I think I am going to make more garlic dill carrots since Kennedy loved those so much.

Broccolli

The other day we picked our first broccoli of the fall season. Kennedy had been eyeing it for a week or so and she cold not wait to pick it. As soon as it came off the plant, she was holding it and taking bites! She is so funny. She sat there and nibbled on the broccoli for probably 10 minutes. Like I have always said, if you grow it, your kids will eat it!

Canning

Man, oh man, I canned my rear off yesterday. It took me almost all day but I managed to can a bunch of bread and butter zucchini pickles and tomato relish. Both these recipes come from my great grandmother so it's pretty cool to make them and be able to share them with friends and family this christmas.

Blueberry Donuts

I just made these for the girls and they are super good. Thanks Pinterest! I have a little waffle iron thing that is meant for making donuts so it worked perfectly for this recipe. The girls gobbled them up so they must be good!

Here is the recipe if you want to try them:

http://www.countrycleaver.com/2012/07/blueberry-lemon-glazed-doughnuts.html

Enjoy!