I am so happy to be lending a hand to my friend Kris at Sugar Cookies to Peterbilts in her online bake sale to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
I donated two dozen of my granola cookies to be auctioned off in the bake sale, and it looks like I already have a couple of bids! There are so many yummy items you can bid on and all the proceeds will go for a great cause.
Go here to see all the goodies and find out how to place your bids. There is even one item available for shipping in Canada, so it's not just for those in the states. Head over to Kris's post now to get more information on this awesome raffle and bake sale!
Earlier this week, I went out to the coop one evening to gather eggs and let the chickens out to free range for a while. When I was checking for eggs, I saw that one of our hens (Ellie, our light Brahma) was sitting in a nesting box. I immediately thought she might be broody, because she always lays her eggs in the morning, so it seemed strange that she would still be in a nesting box when it was in the evening.
My suspicions were confirmed when I approached the box and this happened.
Broodiness is a very strange thing, and one the hen has no say over. Every so often, forces beyond her control will compel a hen to sit on a clutch of eggs and hatch them out. She becomes very protective of her brood and will scream and bite if you come near her babies. This is just instinct of course, and I'm not mad at her for biting the crap out of my hand. She's just doing what any good mama would do.
As you may remember, we currently have five baby chicks inside the house right now, but we have decided to go ahead and let Ellie hatch out some of her eggs. We put several more eggs under her to get a good mix of chicks and give her a better chance of hatching some out successfully. It's clear how much she wants to be a mama, and I just can't bring myself to crush her dream again (she went broody last year and I broke her of it because we didn't want chicks at the time - it took her forever to forgive me!). So we will keep you updated as things progress, and hopefully in several weeks we will have some mama and baby photos to show you.
I also have an awesome giveaway for you today! My sweet friend Jackie from Born Ambitious. Born Imaginative. recently sent me two of her cute handmade drawstring bags. I mentioned in her post about the bags a few weeks back that I loved the ones with chickens stitched on the front (go figure) and she graciously sent me one to keep for myself, and one to give away to a lucky reader!
This is the bag you will receive (as modeled by Penelope). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to let me know you'd like to be entered into the drawing. US residents only please. I will pick a winner at random on Tuesday, May 7 at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be announced next Wednesday the 8th.
Head over to Jackie's blog for more details on her handmade bags and see how you can order some of your own. She has a stockpile going right now with lots of fun designs so you're sure to find something you love. Check it out here and look around her blog a bit while you're there. The photos of her adorable kids will grab your attention and her delicious food will make you want to stick around and come back for more. If it's your first time paying her a visit, let her know I sent you! She'd be so thrilled to meet you.
~Tammy
*****GIVEAWAY CLOSED*****
The winner is...
Staci from Life At Cobble Hill Farm. Congrats, Staci!
Every summer we get Duchess shaved down because her hair gets out of control. It is so thick and heavy that if we don't shave her, she gets overheated very easily and looks just plain miserable. I took her to the vet early yesterday morning and picked up a brand new dog in the evening. Just in case you don't know or remember what Duchess looked like, here's a refresher.
Crazy, right?! She is a mix between a great pyrenees and a sheepdog, so her hair is curly and very thick. I try to keep up with brushing her and do my best to comb out any mats, but at some point it is just too much to manage. Thankfully, we have a great local veterinarian who takes really good care of her each year. I am always amazed when they bring her out to me at the end of the day, and David was shocked when I brought Duchess home.
I put a scarf on her to make her a little more girly, but she didn't care for it!
After getting shaved, Duchess gets a good bath so she actually smells clean for the first time in a very long time! David and I spent a lot of time last night cuddling with her, petting her, and getting used to our new girl. She is still really scared of strangers and doesn't like to go anywhere, so when we brought her home she seemed so grateful to be back. It made me sad to think that maybe she thought we were getting rid of her, but I kept telling her over and over again that we would never leave her and she would always have a home with us. I don't think she'll ever be a "normal" dog, but I hope she knows how much we love her.
Those beautiful brown eyes still get me every time.
Today is a very special day on the homestead. David turns 30!
More than anyone I know, he is so deserving of a wonderful birthday. Not only is he is the best husband I could have ever asked for, he is the driving force behind all of our projects on the homestead. None of what we have accomplished out here would have ever been possible without his creativity and brawn.
We really do make a great team and I am forever grateful to have such a fabulous partner in life. What an amazing thing to be living your dream with your best friend! Happy birthday sweetheart, hope this is the best one yet.
