~ Seed Starting ~

Yipee ~~ I finally received my seeds Monday , so today I started all the cold weather crops. I have been saving egg cartons for awhile , I was saving them for my future eggs , but remembered when I was in elementary school , how we used them to start seeds , so I' m starting some of my seeds in them this year , better for the environment and the plants.

I saved the egg shells , washed them , let them dry , placed the shells back in the cardboard holder and punched holes in the bottom of each shell. I put potting soil in each shell , planted the seeds , then I used a spray bottle to dampen the soil. I covered them with plastic wrap ( the last box of wrap I intend to buy ~ hate the stuff ) to help keep them moist , then I put the cardboard sleeve over them to keep them dark. I'll keep them in my spare bedroom until they sprout , then I'll move them to basement and put them under lights.

I did an internet search about starting seeds in egg shells , found this article , http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?id=1052. The wonderful thing about this process is you can plant the egg shells or card board holders and not worry about root damage , plus the shells add nutrients.

I started 2 types of cabbages , Early Round Dutch Cabbage and Red Acre Cabbage , Di Cicco Broccoli , Catskill Brussel Sprouts , Iceberg Lettuce and Paris White Cas Lettuce (Romaine Lettuce ). I've never started these type seeds , hope they do well.

The weather has been wonderful today , did a load of wash and hung it out to dry. DH and K Gray moved my raised beds to their permanent location , plan to work on those the weekend. The chicks are doing well , they've adjusted to the coop. The guineas decided to become totally free range yesterday , they didn't stay in the coop last night , found them a nice roosting spot , high up in the trees . I would prefer they stay in the coop overnight , but not much you can do , if they want come down from the trees.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Six Little Chicks ~

Saturday , Dh picked up our laying hens. I didn't get to make the trip as planned , Little Froggy and Curious J were staying with me , so their Dad could attend a funeral.

The chicks were smaller than I thought they would be , but oh ...... sooo cute. Curious J loved them , he wanted to hold one. He helped put food in their tray and enjoyed watching them. Little Froggy just stood back and watched big brother.

I think we have 3 Black Australorps , 1 Rhode Island Red , 1 Buff Orpington and a Plymouth Barred Rock. It will be awhile before they start laying eggs , maybe July although I hope sooner. I will be giving them names , but I think I'll wait and see what their personalities reveal.

After we came out of the chicken coop , Pa challenged Curious J to try to catch a guinea and the chase was on , but Nana had to put a halt to that. Little Froggy got brave later and decided he wanted to catch a guinea too , so cute (LOL).

We had a wonderful time with the Grands Saturday , they always bring a smile to our faces. Curious J saw my gardening beds that Pa had made and decided he needed one for a sandbox , so Pa has new project to work on (LOL) , between Curious J and I , we keep him busy.

Hope everyone has a good day , need to get off the computer , let the guineas out , feed the chicks , bunny and dogs. I'm trying to get my Spring cleaning done before the nice weather comes , because I'll want to be outside then.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Happenings on the Homestead ~

I was busy last week , Tuesday I dug up a volunteer peach tree and replanted it in the garden area. Dh mowed the leaves to mulch them , and I've been raking and piling them up to use in the garden. We don't rake them in the Fall , we let them breakdown over the winter months , then mow and rake them , they're great for the garden.

Thought I would share a pic of DH working , he's building us a large grill. He's a welder by trade , he also enjoys welding small projects at home. He's very talented , he made me these blue roses awhile back , he was trying a tinting method , that turns them blue.

The next pic is garden bench he made , it was my Christmas gift. I 've been trying to figure out were I want to put it , probably near the garden and chicken coop. He still needs to make the seating.

I also got the chicken/guinea coop cleaned out last week too. Dh picked up the chicks on Sat. , they're cute as can be , more about the chicks tomorrow ...........

Hope your weekend was Blessed !

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Silly Guineas ~

I've read that Guineas love to look at their reflection in a mirror. Today they found the basement windows and really enjoyed seeing their reflections , they started pecking at the windows. I finally had to run them back to the coop.

Yesterday , Shadow chased them and they flew up on top of the house. I was going to take a pic , but they were off the roof by the time I got back with the camera , silly Guineas.

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~~~ Happy Valentine's Day ~~~

May Your Day be Blessed with Smiles , Hugs and To Much LOVE ......

~ Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

~ Sooo....... Natural ~

( Click Photo to Enlarge )

I created this natural collage this week. It's made with a recycled picture frame and more of those natural elements , I've been gathering on my hikes. I love the way it looks , many textures and natural colors.

It hangs in my bathroom , hope the moisture in there will keep the mosses green. I enjoy creating with natural elements , this is definitely one of my favorites.

~ Natural Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Enjoying my Terrarium ~

I've been having so much fun , taking hikes through the woods and gathering little bits and pieces from the woodland. Gina wrote about about terrariums back in the Fall , http://womennotdabbling.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/victorian-terrarium-peasant-style/ and I've been wanting to make one. I finally created my terrarium Monday , I found a couple of glass containers that were missing lids and one that was intact. They all stacked nicely , so decided to do a layered terrarium. I put a small fern in the bottom jar , the second jar host a couple of other plants I found. The top container has different mosses and a limb with some lichen. I'm enjoying having a mini-woodland on my table to remind me of my nature hikes.

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Chickens & Seeds ~

I finally did it , ordered my chickens and seeds last week. I will be picking up my chickens Feb 21st , decided to get pullets. I ordered 2 Black Australorps , 2 Rhode Island Reds and 2 Plymouth Barred Rocks. I 'm so excited , can't for for those fresh eggs. I'll probably get more hens later on , but thought 6 would be a good start until I know what I'm doing.

I placed my seed order last week too , hope to receive it this week. I'm ready to try growing all my plants from seeds. The broccoli , cabbages , lettuce , bunching onions and spinach can be started as soon as I receive my order. We've had spring like weather for the last 3 days , 72 this past Sunday and it's suppose to be in the 70's tomorrow. I plan to get those raised beds ready tomorrow , maybe today.

The guineas are doing well and it's time for them to earn their keep. I saw my first tick today , it was near the dog pen. I have to figure out were I can put the shepard , while they clean up that pen.

Shadow and I have been taking nature hikes everyday. I've been collecting bark , moss , sticks , nuts , pine cones , and other natural elements for some art projects. Yesterday I made a small terrarium and I'm working on a natural collage today. I'll try to take pics later , so I can share tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week !

~ Natural Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Teaching Kids about Herbs ~

I've been reading Tansy's blog for awhile , I've especially enjoyed her post on herbs. She has started a newsletter about teaching kids about herbs , it's a wonderful newsletter and can be purchased through her etsy shop. For more information visit ...... http://fieldoftansy.blogspot.com/2009/01/available-now.html or visit her etsy shop ........ http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6696975.

Although my Grands are to young to learn about herbs , I've ordered it so I'll gain more knowledge about herbs and have the newsletters to share with them , when they're old enough.

Herbal Roots includes many activities , recipes , songs , stories. I highly recommend the newsletter to anyone wanting to learn about herbs , even the big kids (adults) will enjoy it. BTW if you decide to purchase a copy , please add my name as a referral in the comment box , she's giving away a copy of next month's newletter by the most referrals.

~ Green Blessings Everyone ~

JoyceAnn

~ Herbs & Hiking ~

The weather was colder today , but the sun was shining bright , so Shadow and I took advantage of it. We hiked through the woods for about 45 minutes , he enjoyed running in the water and jumping from bank to bank along the stream. He is so playful and a joy to watch.

I found a few herbs peeking through the dead leaves , there were a couple I'm familiar with , chickweed and wild ginger. I also found a plant that I didn't know , it has a green ovate leaf and was purple on the underside of the leaf. I plan to get my guides out tonight and see if I can identify it.

After our hike , I did a few household chores and made lunch. I made egg salad and added some of that wonderful chickweed on top , it was delish. The weatherman is calling for 1" to 3" inches of snow tonight , glad I took that hike today.

Tomorrow , I have some other herbal info I want to share.

Til then .........

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Wonderful Weather & Beautiful Feathers ~

We've had wonderful weather the last couple of days , mid 60's. I did grocery shopping earlier today , came home and let the guineas out to free range. Shadow is doing great with the guineas , guess he didn't like the whack with a stick and being locked up in the basement , from that 1st experience.

Yesterday when I went out to put the guineas in the coop , Shadow had chased them and they were in the edge of the woods . I called the guineas and they came out , I was trying to get behind them and shoo them in , but Shadow kept running and jumping at them like he was trying to keep the herd together. I finally had to run him back to the house , so I could get them in. This afternoon when I went to put them in the coop , Shadow got behind them and ran them straight in the coop , guess he showed me (LOL). I'm not sure what type of dog he is , but he has really surprised me , he's so smart and easy to train.

I've been collecting guinea feathers , their feathers are beautiful. I'll use them in some of my art projects . I'm thinking about making a feather wreath to hang on the coop.

Shadow and I took a short hike through the woods today. I found what I think might be an old mustard jar , filled with moss. I plan to use it in my fairy house / garden , that I'm planning to create soon. I also found the perfect spot for my fairy garden , can't wait to get started on it.

Hope everyone is doing well ....... What project or creative endeavors are you working on ?

~ Simple Blessings ~

JoyceAnn