Rise & Shine

This is everything we got done BEFORE 10am today.

*Hung our clotheslines & the diapers that we stripped

*Put together the rest of the Playscape

*Painted the light fixture for the re-vamped front porch

*Got the Picnic Table situated

*Cut the backyard, weed-whipped & trimmed fence line

*Set up the fire pit

Us-1, Sunday Morning-0

Let hope hope we can keep some momentum & get the rest of the weekend list crossed off!

Hmm...maybe I should go back to the list & add 'Write Quick Blogpost' so I can say I crossed another thing off...

Mail Call!

Got something ultra fun in the mail today!!!

I came across these little gems a few days ago & could hardly contain myself. 

3 days later they were at my door step with my name proudly plastered across the top! And you are never going to believe how much they cost. Go on, guess...

WRONG!

They were $3.78 total. 

That's right, I said TOTAL!!!! With tax & shipping, which apparently was rush shipping because it came from China...in 3 days!

'J' & I tried them out this afternoon at lunch time. Judging by the excitement in his eyes I am not the only one delighted by these little cutters :)

I foresee these little beauties getting quite the workout in my kitchen.

*Click HERE for link*

So friends, what have YOU gotten in the mail lately? Be a friend, share your finds!

DIY Stain Remover- RE-Review

So you may remember my post a little while back about the Homemade Stain Remover that I tested out on 'J's dingey white undershirts. 

No? 

Click HERE for a refresher.

All caught up now?

Good.

Back to the Re-Review. I hadn't given up hope that this would help around the house. While out in my shopping travels I even picked up a small travel size spray bottle just for this purpose, to fight the good fight...against stains.

The time came one day when I let 'J' have a tiny bit of slurpee to taste & it inevitably ended up all over his shirts (not while he was drinking it, when there was about 2 TBS left & he managed to dump it all over himself & the front porch...). So I put them in the tub & sprayed them down with Out SPOT Out! (yea, I named it...) & scrubbed with a nail brush & left them to sit. Ten minutes went by & I rinsed as much soap out as I could. Wasn't that much difference. So I let them sit some more...about 36-48hrs more... (Oh how I would love to say that it was intentional, but sadly it was not. We got so sidetracked that we forgot about them for a couple days, eek). Then we tossed them in the wash and.....

BEFORE

AFTER:
STAIN FREE!!

I was stoked! I gave it a 2nd chance & it proved itself to be a WINNER!

Then today came.... & with it came the discovery of my Lip Tint & her introduction to our micro-fiber couch. They met, they hit it off, & she definitely left a lasting mark on him. I tried water right away...it was a laughable attempt. 

Then a thought occurred.

What if?

What if I try Out SPOT Out?

Maybe, just maybe....

YES!!!! Eureka!! It worked. No joke folks, the above picture was taken less than 30 seconds after spraying/rubbing the stain with Out SPOT Out. Thats how fast acting it was.

Not only am I glad to have my couch back spot free, but I now am armed with a miracle spray. 

Stains beware, I'm packing heat now...you better hide.

Well Shit...

You know how when you have a baby strapped to your chest & he is crying/fussing in your face & you are desperately trying to get dinner in the oven (dinner that was SUPPOSED to go in the crockpot but you got side tracked & missed your window & it will take too long now so you are going to try & do it in the oven even though you haven't done this recipe like that before so you look up similar temp/times online) & after its been in for 53 (out of the 90) mins  you get this urge to check the guidelines again & see that it was indeed supposed to be covered for the first hour....something you did not do?

Well Shit.

Looks like I'm gonna need a cold beer to wash this 'dinner' down....

Craft On! {Monogram Door Decor}

It took an extra amount of effort to get this post up, but I managed & here we are, reading it together (*imagine I'm sitting next to you....wait, that's creepy...never mind, forget I mentioned it...moving on...back to whatever we were talking about before this got weird...)

We're in the midst of a Front Porch Freshen-Up! A couple weekends ago we got to work- taking everything out, wiping & sanding down the trim & damaged areas, getting out the paint (that we bought a year ago for this project!) & gettin PUMPED for this make-over!! Annnndddd.......then we had to go to a family thing, put all the stuff back & haven't touched it since. This is becoming our M.O. with house projects, have I mentioned the year long kitchen remodel? Yea, still not finished...a year people...a FULL year.

So, to motivate us me I decided to whip up a little something special. A Fun, Frugal Monogram Decor for the Front Door (go on, say that 5 times fast, do it- I double dog dare ya)!!!

This entire project cost me less than $5!! You can get craft letters from most craft stores now, but I got mine at Joann Fabrics along with a small, wooden flower. I gave the flower a coat of white paint & painted "Welcome" on it. You could personalize it with your last name or a holiday greeting if you make a seasonal monogram. There are a LOT of possibilities. I grabbed a skien of yarn from my stash, a few colored felt sheets & my handy dandy Hot Glue Gun. Let's get started:

STEP 1: GET WRAPPIN'!

You will need: Cardboard letter, 1 skien of yarn,

Hot glue gun & clear packing tape

I cut 4.5" pieces of yarn to cover each 'end'

 (It took 15 for each end of my S)

covered the ends & secured with tape.

Then wrap yarn from one end to the other,

secure tails with a dab of hot glue.

STEP 2: FLOWER POWER!

Flower 1

You will need: Felt sheet(s), scissors & hot glue gun
Cut a strip of felt at 1.5" thick (the height will determine
the length/fullness of the petals, the length of felt strip
will determine how big/small your flower is)
Fold the strip in 1/2 & secure seam w/ dabs of hot glue.
Snip the strip from one end to the other (you can do this
on a diagonal or straight depending on the look you want)
Then roll up your strip, securing w/ hot glue as you go.

Flower 2

You will need: Felt sheet(s), scissors & hot glue gun
Cut a square from the felt
(bigger the square the bigger the flower)
Round off the corners to make a circle, then starting
at the outer edge, cut into a spiral. Slowly get wider
as you cut, leaving a 'bulb' in the middle.
Roll up your spiral, starting at the smallest end.
Stop rolling when you reach the 'bulb', secure at that spot
w/ a dab of hot glue. Then cover the base w/ hot glue
& fold the 'bulb' flap over to cover the base.

Flower 3

You will need: Felt sheet(s), scissors & hot glue gun
Cut 6 "flower" shapes from felt, you can make as many
scallops on the edge as you'd like.
STEP 1 requires 5 of the flower "petals".
Use a petal as the Base, fold petal #1 in half, matching
the middle point of the fold over the middle point of the base.
Secure the bottom 1/2 of #1 to the base w/ a dab of hot glue.
Fold #2, placing the top 1/2 of #2 over the bottom 1/2
of #1, secure to base w/ a dab of hot glue.
Continue w/ petals #3 & #4, tucking 1/2 of #4
under the exposed 1/2 of #1.

STEP 2
Take the final 'petal' & pinch in the middle,
place a blob of hot glue in the center of the
4 petals, place pinched tip in glue.
Then take a few small pieces of contrasting
felt (or small button/bead) & glue in the middle
(I apologize for the bad pics, it was late & I was tired! lol)

STEP 3: PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

And what do you have?

A welcome sign that is sure to put a
smile on your visitors faces :)

Hopefully soon I will be able to post pics of my new door decor on our freshly painted door in our newly updated front porch!!! One can only hope, OR one can get off ones ass & just get the thing done already...either way

I hope you have fun with it & Keep On Craftin' On!

I Linked up with The Six Sisters!

The post that almost wasn't...

See the screen in that pic? 

"What's wrong with it?" you're asking?

Well, that screen had been filled with words, lots & LOTS of words!! 

Gone. Ka-put. Disappeared. Vanished. Gone. Gone. Long Gone.

When you spend you're entire day entertaining 2 kiddos, you don't have much free time to sit & type out all those pesky words. So when you DO take 5 mins here, 10 mins there, over the course of an entire day to type up a post, it's pretty numbing when you accidentally do something (and I'm still not clear what that something was) & they all disappear. 

Of course this was about 1 min after I had done a final proof-read & triumphantly declare that I was "indeed going to bed early tonight!"

then *POOF* 

change of plans...

I stayed up & re-wrote half of it. Then went to bed disgusted.

Which brings us to today. I finished it & am moving on.

Upward & onward, my friends...upward & onward (while still carrying a little bit of hate towards my computer & phone...it was a team effort that took down that post, stupid technology...) 

Get Your Brag On- Link Up Party!

I'm linkin' up with Brandi over at Gluesticks today! Click *HERE* to check out some great craft/treat tutorials- like #19: 50 Great Fathers Day Gift Ideas from Craftionary!  Check out #58...it may look familiar ;)

Have a great day & Craft On Mamas (& Papas!), Craft On!

Cookin' in the Kitch {Nutty Nana 'Milk' Shake}

If I haven't mentioned it before, we are a Dairy-Free House.

'J' was diagnosed as a newborn with Severe Dairy Allergy. So, as a general precaution, we don't keep dairy in the house so there are no accidents.


*not to get off topic here, but I need to say an FYI:

Eggs are NOT dairy.

I assumed this to be common knowledge, but since dealing with the Dairy Allergy we have encountered person, after person, after person, that thinks Eggs are a DAIRY product. I'm sorry, but when you find a COW that lays EGGS, please, let me know. I have been told (all matter-of-factly), "Well, they are in the Cold/Dairy Section at the grocery store!". If that's the case then Jello is also Dairy. And Fresh Pasta Noodles. And Orange Juice. I have seen all of these items in the same section. 

Ok, back on track. Instead of drinking Cow Milk (which I personally have always found disgusting) we drink Almond Milk. If you've never had it, you should try it. Homemade Hot Cocoa made with Almond Milk- superb! 

We went through a pretty lengthy Fruit Smoothie phase. We made lots of different variations, but the main ingredients were fresh/frozen fruit, frozen spinach, almond milk, soy yogurt (optional). 

Now we have a new favorite:

Nutty Nana' "Milk" Shake

1c Almond Milk (I use Original)

1 Banana, broken into pieces

1 1/2 TBS Cacao (I use an Organic one from our local Health Food Store)

1/4 tsp vanilla (omit if using Vanilla Almond Milk)

2 TBS Almond Butter

2 tsp toasted Flax Seed (Get mine at Trader Joes)

healthy sprinkle of cinnamon

handful of ice

 Add all ingredients to blender

 Blend until smooth

Drink, Enjoy, Smile


If you really want to kick it up a notch, add some chocolate coconut or almond ice cream for a yummy night time treat!Oh yea, that's the stuff.

Enjoy~

Mothers day 2012

Happy Belated "Us" Day to all my fellow Mums out there :) 

Hugs & love to all those trying/struggling to become a mum. I've been there, I know how hard Mother's Day can be when you're in that situation. 

But I also know this :

Stay strong, & have faith. Things can & will change. It may not be the change you expected or imagined, but that doesn't make it bad.

Just because you haven't carried/delivered your own child, doesn't mean you aren't a Mother figure. Before having my kids I 'mothered' my nieces & nephews. I 'mothered' the little girl I nannied. I 'mothered' some of my younger cousins. Not only do I think I made a difference in their lives, but I know they made a difference in mine. They helped prepare me for the life I have today. 

So to All of you out there, Happy Belated 'Us' Day ~

Here is how we spent our weekend,

We started off Saturday by going out to breakfast,

which is a special treat we rarely do. Then headed

to Jamison's Music Class :)

After a tasty lunch of Beef Shawarma I

went to my "Surprise" Massage Appointment.

A much needed (& much deserved! lol) 

early Mother's Day Gift from my boys.

A say "surprise", because they called to confirm my

appointment friday afternoon! haha. So much for it being a secret.

Then we went to my in-laws to celebrate 

my MIL's 52nd bday. We had a great time hanging 

with the family & celebrating a wonderful lady.

We were all pretty exhausted by

 the time we finally got home.

Little 'A' & I had some late night cuddles

filled with lots of smiles, giggles & kisses

Then up early to pack the Clan up & meet my siblings 

at my parents church to surprise my mum. And yes,

she was surprised. She even cried a little :)

It was Jamison's first time going to a Nursery & he

did really well. We were nervous he would freak out a little.

I received this beautiful handmade card from my boys.

I made sure to wear my Grandmother's ring.

I always wear it on Special Days so that a 

part of her is celebrating with us.

After Church & Brunch at my parents house,

my crew headed home to grill dinner

& go for a stroll around town

We stopped & got a special treat, Vegan cupcakes

from the Cupcake Station, soooo good. 

Surprise Deal- they were buy 2 get 1 free!

Then we walked home, hand in hand

After the boys were settled in bed for the night,

the Hubs & I watched a movie. 

It was a VERY busy, non-stop weekend, but worth every minute. I got to spend every moment with my boys & family. They always show how much they appreciate me, but all the kisses & smiles seemed extra special this weekend :)

I hope you all felt as Special & Loved as I did, it's times like these that make all the "hard" days seems so much more manageable. And not just the love from my boys, but being able to shower our own mothers with love & special moments. To remind them that we may not be kids anymore, but we will always be their 'babies' & they are Forever our Mums.

Color me GREEN

When I sit down & think about it (which, lets be honest here, I don't often have time to do with 2 under 2) we have gotten really "crunchy" these past 2 yrs. If you're not "down with the lingo", Crunchy is a term used for folks that are pretty much Hippies, but aren't always full out wearing tie-die & dreading their hair. (As far as body hair...I tend to fall on the "hippier" side of the scale. In my defense I stated in an earlier post that I don't get much time for personal hygiene to pamper myself...)

Before we had 'J' I started researching Cloth Diapers & knew I would Breast Feed. And even with his severe Allergy Issues I stuck to it. Then when it came time for solid foods I started out making my own baby food, then did some more research & settled on Baby Led Solids (they feed themselves what we eat, solid, not mashed up, no spoons, no feeding it to them). We have really tried, as parents, to follow our instincts & logic & not just the "main stream". Just cause everyone is doing it or has done it a certain way for a few decades doesn't make it right/the only way. Personally, i feel a lot of the time it's for convenience or profit towards big companies.
*Example: Have you ever wondered WHY they started mass producing jarred, preservative filled "baby" food? What do you think babies ate before that? What do babies in the rest of the world eat? If I took chicken & carrots & mashed them into a jar, put it in the cupboard for a year, then took it out to feed you...would you eat it?


I can't pinpoint exactly when our thought process started to change, but I do remember one of the first things we did that made our family & friends raise their eyebrows. The Master Cleanse. Ever heard of it? No? Well basically you drink ONLY a special 'lemonade' that you make & water for a minimum of 10 days. No food. And you do a salt water "cleanse" everyday that, shall we say, "cleanses your colon". Then you have to slowly re-introduce solids back into your system, but should (which we didn't) follow a more natural diet excluding dairy & meat.
We did it together before we got engaged. Personally I was fine with the cleanse. I would actually do it again. I felt GREAT! But, I only was able to do it for the minimum 10 days. Truth is, I was hosting my sisters Bachelorette Party & didn't want to be the lame-o sippin on special lemonade not eating any food. Also I wanted to be able to share a drink, I was the Maid-of-Honor after all! Ok, 2 drinks....well.. it's still a little fuzzy, but I think you have to multiple that by another number to end up with an even larger number & thats a better estimate of how many I had. Hey, what can I say, a moment came when she needed me & she tagged me in. And when your Big Sister/Best Friend tags you in, you don't look back, you just close your eyes & jump on in!

Little by little we started trying to be nicer to Mother Earth & lets face it, nicer to ourselves too.

• Recycling more & more, even taking stuff from non-recycling family members homes so we could put it in with our recycling. Yea...I'm sure that sounds as absurd on this computer screen as it is in real life when we do this. Lol! 
• Hubs was offered a job just blocks from the house & we decided to go down to a one car family while he walks to work. 
• When the weather permits, I walk the boys into town to do errands & try to only drive the car once a week (unless we have appts or something planned). 
• We all go to the Chiropractor when necessary to try & keep our bodies healthy to avoid illness/needing prescription meds. 
• I cook 97% of our meals, all fresh, local & Organic when possible. And currently do NOT eat dairy, legumes (soy, beans, peas, etc), grains, & limit sugar.
• We tend a large garden that we share with our awesome neighbor, again, all Organic, chemical free. 
• The boys both wear Baltic Amber & Hazelwood necklaces. The Amber is a natural pain reliever that was a HUGE help with teething & the Hazelwood naturally absorbs extra acid to help with reflux & eczema. The Hubs also wears the Hazelwood for his own GERD issues & I wear an amber bracelet for an issue with my hands & wore a necklace during 'A's pregnancy to curb morning sickness.
• We are currently making homemade: Laundry soap (for clothes, not diapers), dishwashing detergent, hand soap, wipes solution & cleaning products. {See tab 'Home Made Simple' at top for recipes}
• We no longer use paper towel, we use cloth towels/napkins.
• I left my old Obstetrician/hospital & switched to a more natural, forward thinking Hospital for my maternal care during 'A's pregnancy. We used Hypnobirthing to help with labor discomfort & I had a successful med-free, Natural VBAC with the help of my support team & wonderful MidWives.

There is plenty more we could do, or plan to do. And, seriously, it doesn't take that much effort, but the rewards are amazing. Not just personally, but economically too!

But I think a large driving force behind 'the change' is our kids. They are our future & we have a choice in what that future is like. And if just one of these things makes even a small difference, then it is all worth it.

The Future is Bright, my friends~

Look Up ^

Hey, just wanted to point out the new tab at the top :) It's all the recipes we are using for our homemade soaps & cleaners, enjoy!

*Can you believe this is how I spent my Friday Night? Lame-Ass....

Cookin in the Kitch {Herb Crockpot Chicken}

So I have been trying to make at least 1 new thing a week for dinner. We have a history of finding things we like & sticking to them...week after week after week. 
One time, to break the cycle & expand our palettes, I decided to cook everything in a fancy Cooking Magazine/Mini Book I had bought. Since we were single & livin' it up, cost was kinda at the bottom of our worries. I didn't make it all the way through, but more than half way! It was fun while it lasted, but the grocery bills quickly caught up with us.
Now, with this new Paleo Lifestyle, we are eating all kinds of new things. And with 2 under the age of 2, the crockpot has made a major re-apperance into the kitchen. Also, I have gotten more"experimental". Just kinda adding this & that & the other while crossing my fingers & toes that I didn't just botch it big time.
I come from a long line of wonderful cooks, & growing up I would sit in the kitchen in amazement as they just did it. No recipe cards (or in my case, open laptop on the counter) or book out. Just a pinch of this & dash of that kind of cooking. It's something that you just have in you, & I guess part of it is gained from taking the journey yourself. You have to get in there & get your hands dirty. Experiment. TRY. You have to make mistakes so you always remember never to do that again.


Yesterday I did just that. I tried a recipe last week that I found online, & the end result was not what we had hoped for. While eating said "meal" I thought (out loud, as i often do, which the Hubs tends to find irritating cause he never knows when I'm talking to him or myself...) of what I would do different, if I did it all again. Instead of chicken pieces I would just do a whole chicken. I would NOT add the bacon fat to the pot, per directions. And so on & so forth. By the time I had finished, it was a completely different dish! Lol. But, one that appealed to us more. So here it is, Herb Roasted Chicken & Gravy with Vegetables- Crockpot Style.


Ingredients:
1 whole Chicken (3-4 lbs)
2 Leeks
4 carrots
2 Sweet Potatoes
4-5 celery stalks
8-10 Cloves of Garlic
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Peppercorn
Thyme
Fresh Rosemary
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth

• Chop veggies & rough chop about 6 cloves of garlic.
• Saute garlic & leeks in Olive Oil for a few mins, until leeks begin to soften.
• Add remaining veggies to pan, season with S & P to taste. Add a small palm full of thyme (about 1 TBS). Continue sauteing for about 7-10 mins on medium heat, until fragrant & veggies start to soften a bit.

• Add veggies to the CrockPot, deglaze the pan with wine & stock & let simmer.
• Rinse chicken, pat dry, season inside with S & P. Place on veggies breast side down.
• Pour liquid from pan over chicken & veggies.
• Season top of chicken with S & P & rosemary (leaves from 1 sprig)
• place remaining whole garlic cloves (2-4) inside of chicken with a few rosemary leaves

• Set CrockPot timer for LOW, 6 HOURS.
• After it is done, I like to take the chicken out & place under the broiler breast side up for a few mins, until the skin firms up & gets a little golden.
• Remove all but about 1-1 1/2 cups of the vegetables, then use an immersion blender (or standard blender) to turn remaining veggies &  liquid into gravy.

And there you have it, Easy Herb Chicken & Gravy with Veggies.
And the critics were unanimous, Two Thumbs Up! We will definitely be having this again.

Pure Gold, Baby.

Hmm.

It seems I am at a cross-roads.

Somewhere along the way I kinda got "anti-birthday". Let me clarify that, I kinda got "anti-MY-birthday".

It's not in some "woe is me, I'm getting old & can't handle it" kinda way, it's in a "I could care less that its my birthday & there really is no reason to make a spectacle of it" kinda way. The only thing I actually still enjoy about my "day" is that I share it with my beloved grandma. She is one of my most favorite people ever. Ever ever. We made a pact that every year I get a year older & she gets a year younger. She has definitely held up her part of the bargain, because she is 82 & still kickin' it like a 50+ yr old. I kid you not, she still volunteers as a nurse. A profession she has been doing for a solid 60+ years.

True Story:
The first time my sister got married her (now Ex) Husbands grandma got her Granny Panties in a bunch because she was younger than my gma, but looked twice as old & didn't want to be in pictures together.

Well, I'm getting off topic here.
The cross-roads.
As much as I hate celebrating my birthday, & even though I gave 'Husband' explicit instructions NOT to do anything for it this year...
I just realized today that its my Golden Birthday.
I turn 30 on the 30th.

So do I? Or don't I?

My "anti" status came from several years of crappy birthdays, I eventually just gave up. What's that? You want examples? OK- passing kidney stones & a bursting ovarian cyst at the same time (while trying* to get knocked up so didn't want to take any pain meds), pregnancy complications & getting put on bedrest, a sibling deciding to host a separate party ON my birthday because it was on a Saturday!

Did I forget to mention that my birthday is October 30th? The day before Halloween, or as we in Michigan call it "Devils Night". So that also brings up the issue of everyone always wanting to only go to a party if the dress code is: Costume Only. And this year my bday falls on a Tuesday. How lame is that?!

What to do, what to do?
I guess I should be leaving that up to the Hubs, cause I'm not gonna plan my own party! Well, let's get real here folks, we all know that I will plan every detail of my own party & just tell everyone that Hubs did it so I don't look like a lame-o control freak. Such is the Life of a Type A personality.

I guess you'll just have to wait 5 months to see what I end up doing...

*Even though the ER doctor was insistent that I was NOT pregnant & got extremely irritated when I refused to have any xrays done or to take any pain meds, I was INDEED PREGNANT with 'J'! About 3 days to be exact. In yo' face doc! Boo-Ya! Mother's Instinct wins again.

DIY Stain Remover {Review}

I always keep an eye out for DIY Home cleaners/Solutions. We're on a tight budget & anything that I can make myself may take a little more time/effort, but will save major $$ over time. 

I found this Stain Remover on Pinterest & knew exactly what to try it on. 'J' has a few standard white undershirts that had MAJOR collar stains, stains on the front & were overall really dingy.

The recipe is simple: 

mix one part Original Blue Dawn with two parts Hydrogen Peroxide, 

Apply to stain, 

Rub in a little,

Let sit,

Then toss in wash

As you can see, it didn't remove the major stains on the front.

But it did brighten them up and remove most of the collar stains.

Lessons learned:

It doesn't remove all stains, but does an ok job on lite ones & dinge.

Apply lightly, probably best if put in a spray bottle.

Hand rinse it BEFORE putting it in the wash, it took forever to rinse out all the soap in the load.

All in all, not bad. I will definitely try this again, especially on fresh stains.

If you try this out, let me know if it worked for you :)

RE-Review, click *HERE* to read the update!

Photo-A-Day; May

It's crazy how fast the week/month flies by when I do this Challenge. We're already into the 2nd week of May! One things for sure, I need to start deleting a lot of pics off my phone, it's filling up fast!

Here they are, enjoy~

DAY 1; Peace

Both boys napping, Ahhh...

Peace & Quiet

DAY 2; Skyline

I was a day late on this one, oops...

DAY 3; What I wore

The essentials for a trip to the zoo

DAY 4; Fun

'J' had a fun time playing with his 

new Color Clip Cards I made him :)

DAY 5; Bird

Cluck, Cluck

DAY 6; You

It's me, myself & I.

Getting ready for our Anniversary Date Night

Check back next Monday for pictures from Week2!

Until then, heres a sneak peek of the words:

someone that inspires you

a smell you adore

something you do every day

a favorite word

kitchen

something that makes you happy

mum

Need a reminder of May's Photo Challenge? Click HERE.

Farming Fun

Yesterday sure was a treat. 

We scored discount tickets on LivingSocial for a Sheep Shearing Fest at a Farm Center about an hour north of us! 

It was 'J's first time seeing farm animals up close, & man did he get a kick out of it. Some of my fam met up with us there at 10am & we marched right into the Milking Shed to see some cows in action. Not gonna lie... was a little disappointed when I didn't see 'Milk Maids' hunched over an old wooden stool, teet in hand....apparently thats not how things are done now. At least not there. 

But we got to get up close & personal with some "ladies" & their little babies too!

Then we ventured into the Sheep Barn & got to see some piggies takin' a snooze, not too exciting, but 'J' was still squealing with delight.

There was a bunch of little lambs walking about in the pen & one tiny little fella walked right up to 'J' for him to pet him! I'm pretty sure 'J' thought it was a dog though, lol. Still, a neat sight to see.

I can't tell you how many times we heard "BAAAA! BAAA!" & "moOOooO" ...& that wasn't coming from the livestock...

'A' snuggled right up in the carrier & slept through most of the adventure. It was nice to be able to focus on 'J' & all the new sights he was taking in :)

Hubby was a little nervous when I mall walked to the Chicken Coop. It is common knowledge around here that I want chickens.

To raise.

In my backyard.

Our city recently passed the Ordinance once again allowing residents to raise chickens on their (tiny) property. Personally I think it would not only be fun & educational for the kids, but we would get eggs! Win, Win! As soon as I opened my mouth he looked right at me and said, "No. Just no. Not gonna happen". One day...one day he'll see the light. That, or he'll just come home to find some chickens walking around the backyard...it could go either way folks.

Then it was on to the Main Event, the Sheep Shearing!! We watched as this guy clipped & flipped & wrestled a years worth of wool off each one. The kids couldn't take their eyes off of it! Then we all got to feel the fresh wool & ask questions like "how many sweaters can you get from that?", "Does your back hurt?", etc.

All in all, we had a great morning/afternoon & can't wait to go back. I would love to make it a yearly thing. 

Just cause you live in the city doesn't mean you can't 'farm it up' every once in a while :)