Meet the Chickens....

Thought you might enjoy a little photo tour with commentary of our backyard chickens.

"Yo Lady,..... Ya, You! Could you let us outta here?"

"Freeeom, Sweet Freedom!"

"Mmm....What do we have here?"

"You Lookin' At Me? You want some of this?"

"I am outta here!"

"Leave me alone! I am not a morning bird!"

"A little privacy here please?"

"I'm feeling the urge.....time to head to the nestbox."

"But before I get to work, can I get a little privacy please?"

"PREDATOR!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!"

Disclaimer: No hens were injured in the making of this photo tour. Chickens are not bothered by housecats in the least, can't same the same about the poor cat being chased by the hens though.

Our Chicken Coop...

It was suggested I share the story of how the chicken coop in our backyard came to be. I would be glad to share with your guys, since it is one of those things I used to be able to tackle. Nowadays when I see the coop I think to myself "I can't believe I actually built that!"

I was about 5 months pregnant with Whippersnapper and Mr Wonderful was traveling a lot for work during the week. I was into one of my obsessions, namely keeping backyard chickens. I really, really wanted to build a chicken coop and had been making all kinds of building plans. I researched what was needed, I surfed the internet for hundreds of pics of actual coops, and I asked the owners about what worked and what didn't etc. I really threw myself into it because I wanted to do it right, and well because I get obsessed about things.

Now the more responsible, patient, and sain portion of the patnership, Mr. Wonderful, suggested holding off on building a coop until later in the spring and after a bunch of other to-do stuff got done. As you all now know I don't have patience and I decided to just do it myself.

When Mr. Wonderful got home that Friday evening, I had coached the kids ahead of time to keep quiet about the coop in our backyard. First thing out of Spud Man's mouth was this.... "Mom built a chicken coop, it's out in the backyard! Wanna come see it Daddy?" Kids shhhhhhhh! Dang it I did not even have a chance to buffer the situation or anything. Mr Wonderful was dumbfounded and said "Well I guess you're not waiting for me to help you then huh?" I blushed and grinned from ear to ear. He loved it and thought I was crazy all at the same time....but you know what...he is the first to direct people's attention to our coop and tell them all about how I did all the cutting, screwing, designing etc and that he had nothing to do with it........I just really love that man....pitter patter goes my heart! Truth be told he did help me some.....he promptly added 575 pounds worth of reinforcements (that I did not feel were neccesary) that made my once somewhat mobile coop impossible to budge from it's temporary building site....thanks Honey!

A quick note about my practicality.......when we did this it was mid January! Luckily it was very warm for that time of year and it was a wonderful time for us to be outside. I think it was in the 50's most days but still got cold at night.

Here is what I got done the first day or two.

The entire coop was built from scrap materials and cost about $50 for hardware, paint, and misc items. It is sided with cedar faced plywood Mr Wonderful brought home from a job dumpster years before.

Of course I had them put to work from day one, and they loved every minute of it! Even if the little one occasionally got hungry.

I caulked all seams for weather tightness then painted over them for extra coverage. I am picky like that. Oh and I am in the process of roofing in that pic too. By the way I never said I was a particularly neat worker either...much like my indoor activities.

Slaving away painting the interior. I just love those guys!

Here I am painting, preggo, and evidently expecting high water! Check out those pants!

You'll remember I am impatient right? Well here I am trying to dry paint with a worklight (they put out heat). I was too impatient to wait to paint until the next day. of course just as soon as I finished painting the temperature dropped down to freezing and I was worried the paint would be a mess it it froze while wet.

Sunshine and Spud Man expertly demonstrate the run door pulley mechanism.

We finally got the coop moved, oh man that was hard, it is sooo heavy, it took several helpers to come move it!!!! Thanks Again Honey! Every hen needs a ladder to climb to get in, right?

Brave soul that I am, I was so darn proud of that thing I actually agreed to have my picture taken just 8 days away from delivery!!! Ok enough!! I am annoying myself with all this bragging....yuck!

Oh ya, one more thing, Mr Wonderful said I had to wait until the coop was completely done before I could even think about hatching out any chicks. I still have no idea how we ended up with a new incubator and these beautiful brown eggs in our house especially before the coop was done.....still a mystery. Hee Hee. So much for patience!!!!

Stay tuned for the journey of hatching chicks....coming soon.

Disclaimer: No unborn babies were harmed in the making of this chicken coop....see? Healthy and Happy.

Another Camera Option...

Shhh...I am NOT obsessed here, really. I don't want to hear it!

I found this camera that I am leaning towards now. It is a Pentax and it has a super strong body and is supposed to be built like a tank, it also has weather/waterproof seals to protect it too so that if you are in a light rain or something it would help protect the camera from damage. Now knowing we have small children, and that Mr Wonderful likes to go for hikes and take pics of wildlife (he has some awesome shots of a nearly grown elk trying to nurse on his knees from a Momma cow, also a doe squatting to pee, and several other rare freaks of nature!). So with that in mind I am thinking tougher built is better, as well as all the features it has and the fact that any Pentax lense ever made fits it as well. Where as with the Nikon there are only certain ones that will work with it.

I am thinking more on the side of durability because Mr Wonderful is the reason we no longer have a video camera. He took it hiking and tripped and fell onto it against a log. The video camera never worked again, but I'd like to think it saved Mr Wonderful's life or something useful like that.


Anyway here is this new Pentax K10D camera I am considering along with the original two I posted about earlier, the Nikon D40X and the Nikon D80. Also here is a review site I found that compares several cameras against the Pentax K10D model.

Keep in mind I am still light years away from #1 being able to operate a camera like this #2 being able to afford this puppy #3 being able to spend the $ I am able to save on a camera like this when there are mouths to feed, diapers to buy, hair cuts and highlights to be had, etc. I still really want to work towards this. I could see this being my hobby, the more I try to make my current Nikon 4300 digital camera do, the more it lets me down. I try to do some manual settings and they all end up grainy no matter what settings I do. The last several nights I have fallen asleep reading my manual for hours hoping there will be some easy fix for this problem...nope not yet anyway.

I repeat, I am NOT obsessed.

"Utterly" Disfunctional

Yup, it's true I am "utterly" disfunctional. I have had 4 kids and was not able to successfully breastfeed one of them. With my oldest Sunshine I made it 3 miserable, horrible weeks. I thought I was going to have my life sucked out thru my nipples! It hurt so bad and I would cry and cry each time it was time to feed her. I can still remember that night (well early in the morning) when we finally decided to break down and give her a bottle.....I cried a deep heart wrenching sigh of relief, and from that moment on I got to be the loving connected Mommy I desperately wanted to be but couldn't because of how much pain and agony was building from trying to nurse. I think she even let out a sigh when we gave her that bottle. Then we both slept for a long time (well a long time with a newborn in the house anyway) and it was such a relief to finally be able to let myself heal and enjoy this bundle of joy. It was such a big weight off my heart (literally in some ways beings my boobs were like milk jugs).

Then came Spud Man, I wanted to try again because I knew breastfeeding was really the best.....I did considerably better with my determination and commitment and I made it much longer with him....still cried, still never got used to it, still hurt so incredibly bad that I had to do something different after about 4 weeks. I decided to try pumping/expressing the milk and give it to him in a bottle. That worked! I managed to do that for 3 full months! I was so proud of myself because I found a way to get him that milk without having to torture myself with the agony of breastfeeding. I was able to pump ample amounts of milk in a short amount of time only several times per day which was heaven compared to the non-stop nursing he liked to do. I was able to control the pain because I had full control over how much it hurt when pumping and it worked for me. I set a goal for 3 months and I did it!


Then came Tobers, same thing, I tried so hard to breastfeed, another several weeks of torture, I felt like such a failure why won't my breasts work like they are supposed to? I read all the books, watched all the movies and yet I still could not make the pain go away, I was told by experts he was latching on correctly and that is "should" not hurt........but it really really did!;( So again I turned to the pump and feed option. This time I wanted to do better than the last time and I did! I made it 4 whole months!

Then came baby number 4, Whippersnapper. I said "I have got to make this work, I must have been doing something wrong before." So I geared up for another round of breastfeeding......(by the way has anyone told you that the more kids you have the worse the afterpains are while nursing? Ya, you might want to check into that before you sign on for another one....just FYI) I did it I took the pain, I gritted my teeth, I took deep breaths, I cried, I hyperventilated, I tried relaxation techniques, football hold, cross over hold, traditional, it all hurt! I even went back to the hospital for appointments with a lactation specialist....she said he was latched on well and that I was doing everything right and again it should not hurt. Well it did, it really really did! So eventually I did the same thing....pumped and fed in a bottle, I was like Bessy the milk cow...I pumped while riding along in the car, I pumped in bed, I pumped watching TV....I had so much milk stored in the freezer we were overrun! I could sit and pump 16oz-24oz 3 times per day! I was a milk producing machine! So I pumped and pumped and saved and caluclated how long the stash would last and finally at 6 months I was able to stop pumping and continue to feed him some breast milk for another month or two along with some formula every few bottles to start to get him used to that as well! Yessiree I made it 6 months as a milk cow! I was inspired by the amount of money I was saving on formula and that he was getting mommy's milk even if it was not in the traditional means.

So ya, I guess I am "utterly" disfunctional but I'd really like to think I made up for it. I can relate to any milk cow out there milking machines and all. Oh and like when we were kids and walked uphill in the snow both ways to school.....I used a manual breastpump almost the entire time. (No Joke!) Those electric ones scared the crap out of me!!! Oh and don't think for a minute that I was at all obsessed about finding the right breast pump either.....I only ordered like 3 before I found the right one but that was after hours and hours of research and reading reviews.....turns out the good old manual one from my first child was the one I went back to every time! I refuse to admit I was obessed, really.

So there is my child nourishing journey....truth be told I am envious of people who got the natural experience of nursing and got to enjoy the bonding and special moments (without the pain) because that was something I really wanted and did not fully get. I still think I did the best with what I was given though.

Cloth Diapering....

Brave soul that I am, I once used cloth diapers on our youngest, Whippersnapper. It goes back to the fact that I tend to get obsessed about things, especially when it is a different way of doing things. I guess you could say I like to walk to the beat of a different drum.

Anyway, I dove into this cloth diapering world full speed ahead. I enjoyed it so much I even started making a few styles of diapers myself (because I like to sew, and I just knew I could come up with some new improved version, I didn't). It was fun for about 6 months, then his poops (did I just say poop? Sorry!) started getting gucky from solid foods......ewwwweee! I soon gave up on this enjoyable obsession. I knew that might be the case, but that did not stop me from buying $80 worth of cloth diapers before it was all said and done. Overall I figured out we saved about....$150-$200 during the time we used cloth. I was all fine and dandy with those newborn poopy diapers, (oops sorry said poop again) because they were easy to wash and did not require the dreaded toilet dunk....there is something about swishing a diaper in the toilet that really revolts me. I gagged each time I tried it.

I feel like I have so much information wasting inside of me about cloth diapers. Someone else must gain from my hours and hours of research into cloth diapers. I won't bore you with all the details but here are the basics.... I loved how the Bumkins diaper covers fit so trim and how you could use basic prefolded diapers in them or fancier fitted diapers inside.....they were by far the best thing in both value, leak protection and fit! Plus what is not to love about fun little prints and traditional diaper styling with velcro fasteners and everything? The nice part about having the covers and cloth diaper inserts seperate are that you can reuse the cover several diaper changes before it has to be washed and because the diaper cover/waterproof parts are the main expense out of the two elements. That system makes for a better value overall, especially because when you are done with the diapering stage all those prefold diapers make great rags for cleaning and window washing!


Then my 2nd favorite type of diaper, especially for at night, it is called Fuzzi Bunz....these things are like the cadillac of diapers, they are a pocket style so you stuff the absorbent stuff inside two layers (one waterproof, one fleece so their skin stays dry but the moisture wicks into the absorbant layers) and they fit really nicely as well. Only problem with Fuzi Bunz are that they cost an arm and a leg so I only had one.:(

My 3rd favorite option is called the Bumkins All In One diaper, they are pretty much like disposible diapers in that they are all one peice and they function like a disposible (except that you have to wash them), no messing with covers or fumbling with folding everything just so.....just slap that puppy on and go.....these are great for on the go mommies! They are also pretty expensive. Truth be told I miss the fun of all the cute little covers, the extra pats on the back, and the bizzar looks you get when you mention that you use cloth diapers, but I don't really miss the extra laundry. Check out Whippersnapper in his cute duds at a couple months old.

Those were the days!!!

Today as I was sorting thru some baby clothes for a expecting friend, I ran accross all those cloth diapers.....I had to do it....I got one of my favorite printed diaper covers and a soft fluffy diaper insert and put it on Whippersnapper.......they still fit! So he has been running around in cloth all day and it has been a trip down memory lane.....unless he were to poop (sorry had to say it!) Then I would've had to cry and whine and curse the day I ever decided to put that cloth diaper on his bum! Here he is today in his duds. Still oh so cute athough a lot harder to photograph because he is always on the go!

Sniff Sniff, what's that I smell? Uht Oh! "Oh Mr Wonderfuuuuullll....Whippersnapper needs a diaper chaaaaange!!!" Too bad Wr Wonderful isn't here., because he really would do it for me, he loves me that much. I had to face my biggest fear and open that diaper. Sure enough I was right. Booo Hoo hoo.

I now have one less cloth diaper and....

....we are back to reality!

I Get Obsessed.....

I have this little teency tendancy to get obsessed about anything I am interested in. I get into something of interest, and research the crap out of it, and go on and on about it and just have to have one or try one or whatever. I really like these times of obsession it is the thrill of the chase, it is something to take me away from dirty dishes, whiney kids, and everyday life. I like to look things up I like to find new and different ways to do things (even if they are harder, like cloth diapers, or having your own backyard chickens). I just plain get obsessed about stuff...then soon I wonder off to find another unsuspecting subject to research to the fullest.......I like it that way.

There is only one problem with this little habit of mine......I drive everyone nuts around me with my one track mind about whatever I am obsessed about. I tell them all about what I am learning and finding and they politely listen and wonder when oh when is this agony every going to end...the it does and it starts all over again with a new subject in a few weeks.


I have often wondered why I can't be mildly interested in something and gradually over time learn about it and spread out the fun and linger in an interest to keep me occupied for longer periods...nope not me I must learn all I can about it in the shortest amount of time and not think about much else (namely dishes, dinner, children, husbands etc). I have pondered this little situation and the only thing I can think of is that missing patience bone....I just don't know how to slow down and savor the journey I must hurry there.......seriously has anyone seen my patience bone? I really think it would make me a more sain individual.

It's like drooling over a new car......

......ahhh a new camera. I can smell it, I can see it, I can imagine it! I am starting to quiver just thinking about that clicking sensation!

My preliminary research is leading me towards a budget model rather than the spendier ones. I have been eyeing the Nikon D80 but the price has me freaked. So I started to compare the models and also checked out Consumer Reports Online (I love that place). They recommended the Nikon D40X and when compared the two models only have just a couple differences, truth be told I have no idea what those comparisons mean just that they are all the same in all those really specific numbers. The price is almost HALF! So for now I am shooting towards the Nikon D40X because it seems to be a good value.

Now what am I willing to DO to get it? Hmmmm. I have been brainstorming and this is what I have come up with....

Helping Mr Wonderful cut firewood (he loves it so much and once offered to pay me for helping, and for the sweet company of course, so we could sell the extra wood that we don't need for ourselves) I HATE getting firewood.....so this is a huge sacrifice, he was supposed to hear that I was willing to go cut firewood and fall over with the sheer proof of my determination and desire for a new camera and then promptly take me online to buy one! It did not work out as I had hoped.......so on to more options.

Sell our horse trailer (because when we use it to get wood it takes to long to fill up an entire trailer AND the pick-up, which poses a problem for the last idea if I really want the most $ possible per load.....HAHA)

Make an extra rabbit hutch when I make ours and sell them.

Cash in my IRA (It seriously crossed my mind.....another attempt to get the impression accross to Mr Wonderful of just how serious I am here.....again did not work as planned.)

Be patient and save as I can....(I really don't like this option since it has a cuss word in it!)

Buy a lottery ticket.

Be patient and pray that loved ones (in other words Mr Wonderful-ly Stubborn) take a hint for gifts......again that patience word really does not sit well with me.

Do it with an interest free plan.......which we swore we'd never do again and I am morally against....ok well not morally but almost. I won't do it though.....I want the satisfaction of earning/saving/waiting for something I desire and not the guilt of going ahead before I have a chance to be blessed with either the hardwork, blood, sweat and tears, OR blessed by a gift from someone I love. So be p..ppp....pp..patient I will.

Too bad my "new car" temptation comes with the price tag of one or two CAR PAYMENTS!

I want one of these....

I feel like my life might be more complete if I had one of these to dust......oh and I would like the house that goes with it too please. Every spring and fall I come down with a terrible case of landitis (where I start throwing fits because we have not bought that dream property yet, I have to have land of our own to function properly honest, that is why I am so disfuctional.....not sure what I will come up when we finally have land and I am still abnormal). Anyway it is something that will come up often as you read my thoughts. There is something deep within me that yearns for land, I think it comes from being raised by a ranching family, land was so important and defining. Of course it doesn't help I was raised on a beautiful 200 acre mini-ranch complete with pine trees, wildflowers in spring, canyons, ridges, wildlife, and of course the ever important year round creek. So my standards are a little unrealistic......beings we are a 1 income family with 4 kids. I happen to suffer from the effects of rose~colored glasses syndrome.....I think things should be entirely possible in an unrealistic time frame......the treatment for this condition is the single most diffucult and painful thing I have had to endure.......PATIENCE! (The word patience in my books is considered a cuss word. I hear it on a regular basis, I usually reply "Stop Cussing at ME!!!".......I think my patience bone is broken....no wait I was not born with one!!!!)

So if you happen to see one of those things above laying around let me know I'd be happy to take it off your hands for you. Not a problem at all really.