So We Got Chickens...

We finally got the chickens that I've been wanting for four years. Lyliana and I built the coop by ourselves. She was a great help, spurred on by the promise that she could paint it. And she did, inbetween painting herself and her clothes.

Our 4-legged baby wanted inside the pen, but we had to break the news that it wasn't for him.

This is Rhoda, a Rhode Island Red. She is the undisputed queen hen, top of the pecking order.

This is Giraffe, an Ameracauna.

And Princess, another Ameracauna.

The coop fits into our Redneck Beach Shack backyard seamlessly.

But it's a pain in my booty to clean out. Already the birds have done me in. The Urban Homestead assured me that they could not turn over or poop in the galvanized self-waterer. Twice a day, I clean out the grass that has been scratched into it. And, yes, I wash out the poop. My chickens poop into the unpoopable.

And the flies. Oh, my! Forget about lions and tigers and bears.

Flies and stink and... eewwww, gross!

I was assured by Jenna Wogenrich, author of Made From Scratch, that chickens eat bugs. "WooHoo!" I thought.

"No more mosquitoes, no more flies!" I sung to myself.
NOT!

These girls are not into bugs or flies or mosquitoes. Rather, they attract more into my backyard.

I plan to stick it out at least until I get some eggs. Hopefully, the eggs will be worth it. So look for an update a few months from now. It will either be titled "I Love My Chickens and Their Eggs" or "Get Your Free Chickens Here!"

And the Winner Is...

Stephanie!

CONGRATULATIONS!

I hope you enjoy your beautiful candle.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I am so glad you all stopped by my blog and shop.

Blessed be.

-Lainie

New Etsy Shop

Hi, everyone!
I've just opened an Etsy shop and want to give something away!

All you have to do to enter the Giveaway Contest is visit my shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaJava?ref=si_shop and then leave a comment here listing which item is your favorite. The winner will be chosen by random.org on Thursday, June 23, 2011 and your chosen item will be sent to you. (The item you choose as your favorite has no bearing on whether or not you will be chosen. All results are totally random.) Please comment only once.

And remember to check my Etsy shop periodically as I have plans to add Crocheted Fingerless Gloves, Sock Monkeys, and maybe some handmade journals before October.

Good luck!
-Lainie

The Easiest Cheapest Ouchie Pillow

My original ouchie pillow was a sewn pillow with rice inside. It froze very well, and was comfortable to use (rather than the plastic guys that freeze you and "burn"). But when Lyliana hurt her mouth, the ouchie pillow got wet and was ruined.

Here is my solution:

Take a new clean sock, fill with rice, tie off with a hair-tie or rubber band. And put it in the freezer. {You can also heat in the oven or microwave for hot therapy.}

I love it. If it gets wet, I can open it, dump out the wet rice, wash and dry it, and start over. It is so simple and easy. And cheap because I already had these things in the house.

Beach Cheap! ;)

More Garden Pictures

Too high to be picked, I can now enjoy my petunias.

;)

A brocolli.

Pretty pretty hanging pots.

Two types of rosemary (green and clay pots) and my favorite herb ever, thyme.

Pansies in the sunshine.

My Beach Cheap Garden - year 2

I grew cauliflower this year. Successfully. My daughter and I enjoyed picking it from the plant and munching on it right there in the backyard.

To be Beach Cheap, use everything! This old toy bucket had a crack in the bottom. So now it has been resurrected as a brocolli planter.

A little spray paint makes an old rusted planter look like new.

A packet of lettuce seeds kept us in salads for the entire season. ($2.00)

I learned that if I put some hanging pots on the fence, out of toddler-reach, I would have plenty of pretty flowers to look at.

She's busy on the swings anyway.

And I suggest getting free pickle buckets from your local fast food restaurant. They just throw them away. Drill some holes in the bottom, and they make great planters. I have a mulberry tree in one, sweet potatoes in another.

Happy Springtime!

:)

Crocheted Soap Savers

Here is a crocheted soap saver I made while watching a movie last night. It's quick and simple. And, because I had free (here-take-this-I-don't-crochet-anymore) yarn, it only cost me the time.

I make my own soap, and that makes it pretty valuable to me. I hate to see small pieces wash down the drain or dissolve before their time. Now, I put the broken pieces into the soap saver. They last longer, and I am happy.

No, I'm not cheap... I'm Beach Cheap!