~ A Blessing ~

May this Day Bring You Many Blessings !

JoyceAnn

~ Well , The Weather Outside is .........

frightful , but we still have power and that's delightful ( Yay ). We got about 2 or 3 inches of snow last night. Today we're getting intervals of sleet , freezing rain and more snow maybe , so we're not out of the woods yet. Little Froggy and I ventured out to feed the chickens and see what we could see. Here's what he discovered ............

~ Since I didn't have my boots , Nana made me some makeshift boots by covering my shoes with rubber gloves ( LOL) ~

~ I found out Snow and Ice is hard to walk on ~

~ The Hens weren't sure if they wanted to come out of the Coop ........

but they did check out the White Stuff ~

~ This Guinea was keeping Lookout ...........

but we don't think the Guinea Fowl were to thrilled with the Snow ~

~ I finally got the hang of walking on this stuff ......

and I just had to plow through the snow on the slide (smile) ~

~ We saw Something Beautiful ............

and something that's keeping us warm and cozy ~

~ Boy , was I give out when we came back inside ~

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ ~ The Calm Before the Storm ~ ~

We're suppose to have a major snow storm heading this way tonight , but the sunrise was beautiful this morning. The weatherman is predicting freezing rain , sleet and snow for the weekend. So I've been busy getting prepared , we don't see much snow in our area , but we do get a major storm every few years. We're in a rural area , lots of trees , which means we're likely to have power outages. We have been without power for up to two weeks , due to a hurricane and up to a week from a icy snow storm. I made my trip to the grocery store yesterday , so we're stocked with plenty of food. I pulled some of the turnips yesterday , I love eating them raw like an apple , they're great to have around for snacking. We've had a couple of weeks of warm weather and the kale was sprouting out , so I harvested some kale also , plan to make some potato soup with our homegrown potatoes and kale today. I'm also going to put on a large pot of vegetable beef soup , we'll be eating soup and sandwiches this weekend.

Today I'll be getting the kerosene lamps and the kerosene heater out of storage , cleaning and making sure they work properly. Storing more water , although I always have some stocked. We have a charcoal grill and a small propane stove for cooking outside if needed. It's times like these I wish we had an indoor wood heater , the wood furnace isn't so great if the power goes out , but hubby does have a generator we can hook up to it. I have cooked and perked coffee on top of the kerosene heater during power outages , it works in a pinch.

Hope you have a great weekend and are prepared for whatever comes your way. Stay warm and safe my Friends.

~ Winter Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Art From my Heart ~

There's a great giveaway going on over at Marie Segal's blog ~ Art From my Heart ~ she's a wonderful artist , click on link below to leave a comment for a chance to win your personalized Angel or Goddess.


Giveaway page
10th Giveaway -win a chance to have one of my goddess angels made just for you!!! http://mariesegal.blogspot.com/2010/01/10th-giveaway-new-decade-new-year-new.html

This giveaway ends January 28th at 6pm , so be sure to leave your comment before tomorrow night.

( The frame she'll start with to Create your OOAK Angel or Goddess )

( This is an example of her Creations )

~ Beautiful Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Going to Grandma's (Nana) ~

I found the little suitcase in the attic a few years ago while I was getting the Christmas decorations down. It belonged to my youngest daughter when she was Curious J's age , so I brought it down and passed it along to him. He always brings it when he spends the night , it's a little worn , but well loved , makes me smile each time he comes through the door with that suitcase. Seems like yesterday that my daughter was packing that suitcase to go spend the night with her Grannies. Dh's mom bought our oldest daughter one too , he was a burnt orange color and had a little girl on the front. She couldn't find another one with a little girl , so she had to buy the suitcase with a little boy for my youngest daughter , she loved it anyway.

Curious J is growing up , he enjoys hanging out with Pa . He loves his toolbox and likes to work in Pa's shop. We did get to spend a little time outside Sunday , before it started raining again. He helped feed the chickens and got to see the roosters for the first time.While they were hanging out in the shop , I cooked a hearty breakfast. I made biscuits , Curious J loved the homemade biscuits. Watching him eat a biscuit brought back childhood memories , when I was little I loved eating my Grandma's biscuits too , she always had biscuits made and the grand kids were always snacking on cold biscuits , but they were sooo ...... good.

Do you have a favorite memory about going to Grandma's ?

~ Family Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Spring Cleaning in Winter ~

Hi Everyone ~ Just a quick post today , hope everyone had a great weekend. Curious J spent Saturday night with us , more about that adventure tomorrow. Today's cleaning day , I've been busy decluttering and I'm actually getting rid of some stuff (Yay). Getting the Grands room cleaned has really inspired me to keep going , well time to go , break time is over and I'm off to vacum out the heat return vent and mop the hall.

~ Blessings to Everyone ~

JoyceAnn

~ Blessing ~

May this day bring you Rest and Peacefulness !!

JoyceAnn

~ In My Rain Boots ..................

I stomp around in my rain boots ....... if you watch the Noggin/Nick Jr channel , you may recognize this song/tune , the Grands and I love that song.

We've had so much rain over the last few months , I'm so " Thankful " I bought me a pair of rubber boots back in Fall. Dh picks at me all the time about my boots , but I just couldn't resist these tie-dye boots with a peace sign : 0)

Geronimo with his ladies.

The chickens are enjoying the mud puddles , I filled their bowls with fresh water and they headed for the puddles to drink , guess the rainwater taste better (LOL).


Another view of my boots , I don't know what happened , but they're different colors , they weren't like that when I bought them. I take them off and leave them on the back porch , so I think maybe the sun shining in faded one of them.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend !!

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ Pillowcases ~

I was visiting Lizzy Lane Farm blog and found a wonderful new use for those extra pillowcases you may have hanging around. I have several I've kept , the sheets always wear out before those pillowcases do. She was making jelly and was using an old pillowcase as a jelly bag to strain the juice. I don't have a jelly bag either and have always used cheesecloth , but I'm not a big fan of cheesecloth , it's hard to work with , folding it , trying to hold the corners and a pain to try to wash and reuse. I'm excited about using a pillowcase the next time I make jelly , I can't believe I never thought of this , such a simple concept. That's the great thing about blogging , there's always something to learn , someone sharing a tip or creative idea. You can blop over to http://lizzylanefarm.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/jam-and-jelly/ , to checkout her pillowcase jelly bag. After reading her post I was wondering what other people use their old pillowcases for , so I googled to find out.
I do use old pillowcases for other things , such as laundry bags. I've been washing the Grands stuffed toys in pillowcases , they work great for that. I also use a pillowcase (t-shirt style , pictured above) to dry my greens , just wash your lettuce , spinach or other greens and toss them in the pillowcase and shake , set aside and the pillowcase will absorb the water.

Here are some great ways to reuse pillowcases ............

~ Store your winter sweaters in a pillowcase or cut a hole in the top and slip over clothes to use as a garment bag . You can cover leather goods , such as purses , shoes or jackets to keep the dust off .

~ Fold your sheet sets and store inside one of the pillowcases.

~ Use a pillowcase to cover your sewing machine or other small appliances.

~ Use as cushion covers , I've used them to cover cushions for my rocking chairs on the front porch.

~ Use white pillowcases to cover baby's changing table , very frugal idea.

~ Cover small plants or herbs on those early/late season frosty nights. Another garden tip I love , use them to haul your harvest. I'll be using one come garden season , they'll work great for corn.

~ Use a pillowcase for dusting and cleaning ceiling fan blades. Just slip over blade and gather to pull dust into bag , then you can put the pillowcase over your broom and clean the cobwebs , protects your paint.

While you're cleaning , shine that silverware with a clean 100% cotton pillowcase.

~Pack a pillowcase like a hobo bag for your child's overnight sleepover.

~ Use a pillowcase for your dirty laundry when you're traveling.

~ Use pillowcases to wash delicates and stuffed animals. Use as a dryer bag for those stuffed animals too.

~ Use as wrapping paper for those odd shaped gifts , just put gift inside and tie with beautiful ribbon.

There are some wonderful ways to re purpose pillowcases too ....... Check-out the Farm Chicks blog to see her reusable bag made from a vintage sheet.
http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/01/vintage-pillowcase-bag.html

More ways to re purpose pillowcases ................

~ Make an Apron

~ Make cafe curtains

~ Make a child's dress

~ Make a child's art smock , just cut a hole for the head and arms , so

simple

~ Make napkins

~ Make reusable bags

What do you use your old pillowcases for , are there any ideas you would like to share ?

~ Greenest Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Monday , Monday ~

Hi Everyone ~ I've decided it's time to get my Spring cleaning out of the way . Since I'm always busy in the Spring getting the garden ready and wanting to enjoy time outside , I've decided , now is the perfect time to get my cleaning done.

So today I plan to start in the Grands bedroom , it's time to downsize some toys , get it cleaned and organized. I'm going to thoroughly clean and declutter 1 room each week over the 2 months , so I'll be through by Spring.

Hope you had a " Great " weekend !

~ Be Blessed ~

JoyceAnn

~ May this Day ..........

Bring you Blessings of Simplistic Beauty !!

JoyceAnn

~ Birds of a Feather Need to Flock Together & a Giveaway ~

Please take time today to say a " Prayer " or send " Healing Blessings/Thoughts " to the many in need in Haiti . If you can , please consider giving a donation to the American Red Cross , it's definitely a time for us to flock together and help if we can. I'll be making a donation today , you can go to http://www.redcross.org/ or call 1-800-733-2767 to make a donation.

There's a great giveaway happening over at .... http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-years-contest-somebodys-going-to.html be sure to check-out this giveaway if you're a knitter or would enjoy a beautiful knitted birdnest to use for your Spring decorating. This giveaway will end Feb 12th ' 2010.

Speaking of birds and flocks , Flassie suggested a great name for the other rooster. He'll be called " Chief Little Roo " , I like that name. Well , I need to head out to the chicken coop and feed up. Hope everyone had a great week and has a wonderful weekend.

~ Blessings to You All ~

JoyceAnn

~ Music to my Ears .........

Yesterday morning as I was walking to the chicken coop , I heard a rooster crow , actually I heard 2 crows. They weren't really loud , but some one's definitely crowing. I'm not sure which one was crowing , although it may have been both since I heard 2 crows. As I entered the chicken coop , they were standing on top of the nesting boxes , but they didn't crow anymore. They haven't been roosting with the girls , they've been roosting on top of the nesting boxes. It was music to my ears to hear the crowing , it brought back memories of my Grandparents farm.

I've picked out a name for the rooster on the left , he's brave , so I'm calling him " Geronimo ". The other rooster is more of a gray color and has white ear lobes , I've thought about calling him " Ashes " or " Charcoal " , but I'm not sure about those names. Anyone have a name suggestion for the Roo on the right side of the pic , should I give him a chief name too?

Update ~ I decided to go feed and water the chickens this morning , before I edited and publish this post , as I finished up and was getting ready to come back to the house , I noticed Geronimo puff up and start crowing , he crowed about five times :)

~ Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Sunday Blessing ~

~ May This Winter Day Bring Blessings of

Warmth and Happiness Your Way ~

JoyceAnn

~ 2009/2010 Time Capsule Memory Ornaments ~

I saw this idea on the internet somewhere , but can't remember were I found it. I thought it would be a wonderful gift idea , but I wasn't sure were I could find plastic ball ornaments , so I kinda shrugged the idea to the side. About a week before Christmas , I went into the outbuilding looking for something and guess what I found , yep , plastic ball ornaments. I had bought a box lot a few years ago at a thrift store that was going out of business , it was full of Christmas stuff , including some plastic ornament balls filled with pot-pourri. So I grabbed them out of the box and brought them in house , removed the pot-pourri and washed them. I was planning to add some decoration around the top , but time slipped by to quickly and I didn't get a chance. So , I just glued a yarn hanger to the the top , these balls were perfect for the " Time Capsules " because they have a plastic cap that pops out. Anyway , the concept is to write about Christmas memories and place them in the capsule. I gave the girls one for each Grand , so they could write down memories for this past Christmas or next Christmas. I made a list of memories they may want to include in the "Time Capsule Memory Ornament "and made note that it wasn't to be opened until they turn 18 or 21 years of age. I didn't post this before Christmas because I didn't want the girls to read it on my blog , but it's a great gift idea for next Christmas , Easter or a Birthday. I think it would be great to add a special memory at their Birthday , Christmas , or every holiday in the year. Thought I would share now , as it might take time to find plastic ball ornaments , but you could recycle a small plastic bottle or use glass ornaments. I didn't want to use glass because we have so many wee ones around.

~ Warmest Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Eight Weeks ...........

have passed since I gathered , chopped roots and tinctured my echinacea. I didn't have any cheesecloth on hand to strain the tincture , so I cut squares from an old sheet and used a piece to strain it. The sheet squares actually work better , so I'll be using them from now on. I plan to cut about a dozen squares and use them for herbal straining only , the great thing is they can be used , washed and used again , much better than cheesecloth and so much easier to work with. Yesterday I was browsing the internet for info about herbs and I found info on making garlic tincture and cayenne tincture. I definitely plan to make these tinctures soon to add to my herbal medicine cabinet. If you're interested , here's the link http://www.ehow.com/how_5345994_make-garlic-tincture-recipe-dosage.html. It tells you how to make the garlic tincture and what it can be used for. If you look to the left of the article , you'll see a link to making cayenne tincture and it's usage.

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

* Chill'in da Coop *

Looking Confused , I'm not so sure about this New Place ?

The Girls Checking out the New Roos !


Mya gets close , who is this guy ?


~ Still , CURIOUS ~


~ The Roos trying to get away from the Lady with the Camera (LOL) ~



I released the roosters yesterday and so far so good , but they're young , so I'm not holding my breath. They aren't crowing yet , how old are they when they start crowing , anyone know?

~~ Many Blessings ~~
JoyceAnn

~ Cock - A - Doodle - Do ~

I've been checking Craigslist lately , looking at goats , checking prices and trying to decide what kind of milking goat I want to add to the homestead. On Saturday as I was browsing I found a post for free silkie roosters , I e-mailed the poster to find out if the roosters were aggressive , he e-mailed me back and said they weren't. So I decided I would get the hens a boyfriend (LOL). Sunday afternoon , Dh and I rode out to pick him up. But we came home with 2 young roosters , not sure how that's going to workout , the guy said he really needed to get rid of them because he lived in town. He had hatched 9 eggs a few months ago and out of the 9 had 7 roosters. I ask if they would fight as they got older , he said he didn't think so since we let our chickens free range during the day and they wouldn't be confined to a small area, but he's new to raising chickens too , so I'm not sure about that. I am planning to get 6 more hens soon , so I hope they'll be o.k. , although they'll all be confined during garden season.

Two of the hens are molting , the black one above (Jenny) looks horrible and I've been worried about her. The weather has been frigid lately , in the teens or around 20 at night and barely above freezing during the day for the last week or so , but so far she seems o.k. The hens aren't laying as much now , but we're still getting 2 or 3 eggs a day.

Today I'll be releasing the roosters from their holding pens so they can meet the girls close-up , they're in the chicken coop , but I've kept them separated. Hope they get along well and praying the roosters don't get aggressive with each other or me(LOL). I have a fear of roosters , but it's time to face that fear and move on. I've read that silkies aren't as aggressive as most roosters , so we'll see. If you've ever had two roosters , I would love to hear about your experiences.

~ Warm Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Wonderful Giveaway !

You've got to check-out the wonderful giveaway that Tammie over at http://unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com/~ is having. If you like honey and could use a new a honey pot , she's giving one away or maybe you need some new stainless steel biscuit cutters , she's giving away a set of those too. While you're there , be sure to check-out her herbal tea blends she creates , I haven't tried them yet but hope to soon. You must enter before January 15th 2010 , so blop on over and read all about it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day , we have a couple of new editions to our little homestead. I will post more about them tomorrow.

~ Many Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Sunday Blessing .............

May Your Day be Blessed with Color , from a Beautiful Sunset !

JoyceAnn

Looking Back ~ At Goals for 2009

Looking back at my ...... 2009 Goals

Seeing what I accomplished and what wasn't accomplished.

Learn to make bread ~ Loaf , French , Sourdough

Update ~ I started out the year learning to make french bread , but didn't follow through on the bread making. I do want to learn to make sourdough and loaves of bread , so maybe I'll add that to my list for this year.

Learn to crochet

I didn't accomplish this goal , seems the year went by to quickly. But , I'm determined to learn to crochet soon.

Chickens ~ Fresh Eggs

YAY ~ We did accomplish this goal , got 6 hens back in Feb. and have been blessed with 886 eggs since May 31st.

Continue Decluttering

Hello , My name is JoyceAnn and I'm a pack rat , wonder if there are therapeutic groups for this problem (LoL). Actually I think it might be a hereditary tendency , a few years ago we were having a cookout at my Mom and Dad's when my cousin said , some of this junk has been out here since we were kids. He was referring to scrap metal and other stuff my Dad had piled up here and there. I had often wondered why I wanted to keep everything , always looking for other ways to use something. My Mom isn't like that , when she's tired of it , it's gone. Guess I'm more like my Dad , of course both of my paternal Grandparents were keepers too , so as the saying goes " I got it honest ". I did some decluttering , but not as much as I would like to get done.

~ ~ Garden Plans ~ ~

Start most plants from seed

I did start most of my plants from seeds , but the kitty destroyed quite a few of them. It was a learning experience , this year I will start the seeds sooner in a safer place.

Start Asparagus Bed

Accomplished this goal , but plan to move the bed this Spring. I shouldn't have put it so close to the chicken coop :(

Plant Grape Vine

I didn't get new vines planted , but we have an old vine we cut back and this Spring we plan to build a new trellis for it.

Plant Apple Trees

I didn't get new apple trees planted .

Plant a few more Blueberry Bushes

And I didn't get any blueberry bushes planted either.

Start Strawberry Bed

I did get a strawberry bed started , but it needs to be moved and enlarged.

Start a Garden Journal for 2009

I did enjoy creating my garden journal , it really comes in handy for looking back at what I did well and what needs improving.

Continue Herbal Studies

I did well with this goal , identified several new herbs growing around the homestead. I made tinctures , oils and used wild herbs in my cooking. This is another goal I'll continue this year , actually it's a lifetime goal.

Build a Faerie House

I created a " Fall Harvest " themed fairy house , not exactly the house I wanted to create , but I did get one made.

( * ~ * )

Walk and Hike more

I did walk and hike more this past year , but it slowed down over the summer months due to ticks. Then Fall brought rain , rain and more rain , so didn't hike as much as I would've like to. I don't mind the rain , but I'm a little fearful of sliding /falling and getting hurt , so I've stayed out the woods.

Pick -up litter along the Roadside / Once a Month

I'm ashamed to say I didn't follow through on this goal either. I did pick-up litter around the driveway each time I went to the mailbox , guess that counts for something.

As I start 2010 , I'll be making new goals and keeping some of these goals too.

~ 2010 Blessings To Everyone ~

JoyceAnn