Oh, Hello!

You may have thought I forgot about this blog... actually, I haven't. I have had some good intentions for the past few months to update this old thing... but it just kept getting away from me. I have started a new adventure with some friends called SewnClever. You should check us out here... and perhaps "like" us on Facebook.
Anywho... This little garden blog could really be updated to some sort of small farm blog. Let me lay down what we've added. We have 10 chickens at the moment. Unfortunately, this number fluctuates due to the fact that my dogs aren't chicken lovers... especially my Boston Terrier... he's more of a chicken killer! sniff sniff.... We also have 2 wonderful goats!! Penny is a Nubian and Nigel is a Nigerian Dwarf! They are so amazing and lovable! In all honesty, I think Penny believes she is more of a lap dog than a goat. For a time, she was trying to get into the house to be with us, she follows me constantly when I'm outside and she occasionally tries to get me to hold her.
Baby Nigel being bottle-fed

Mis Penny Lane

All the amazing blue & brown eggs we get daily

Penny loves to relax in the hammock!
Well, on to the garden, I guess. We have some wonderful things growing right now!! Truly delicious! Our grape vines are giving us grapes, we have watermelon growing like crazy, squash, corn, carrots, english cucumber, tomatoes out the wazoo!! I guess picture tell a better story in the garden. Here are a few... more to come tomorrow... or the next day. Until then, adieu & go get your hands dirty in the yard!

Just a Little Somethin'

Not much to report on the garden front... I've been on hiatus in the garden since Africa.... that's a month! Yikes!! It definitely took me a little while to get back into my groove. So, pretty soon.. I'll get to work... sometime...

On a side note, I have been spending a lot of time sewing for Patchwork. Patchwork is an indie arts & crafts show put on by Delilah Snell, owner of the Road Less Traveled and Nicole Stevenson from Random Nicole. There are two show (Long Beach & Santa Ana) at the end of this month. You will find so many creative vendors and inspiring craft people here... you will not be sorry! I hope you can make it to one of the shows... I will be a vendor at the Long Beach show on Nov. 21. Check it out at PatchworkShow.com

Undone...

I have learned a lesson in finishing what you start. As our chicks were getting larger and having finished their coop, they were beginning to spend the day outside. We would bring the dogs inside and leave the chicks in their coop because the fence to the chicken coop was yet to be finished. Well, yesterday while we were gone with dogs gate wasn't latched all the way and they broke into the coop and... I'll spare you the details. I was quite emotional last night.

Well, this morning oddly enough a random chicken dropped by our backyard and it looks like she has decided to stay. Our fence is up now, so she should be safe. We also got some replacement chicks. I was quite attached to my girls, but the new ones will help me move on. We picked up a barred rock (Genevieve), buff orpington (Coco), austerlorp (Poppy), silver laced wyandotte (Sunflower). We transfered the names of the deceased to their replacement counterparts, except Sydney had decided to name our visiting guest Chloe and name the

Wyandotte and new name. We have two americanas on order due in a week (Madeline & Olivia). We are starting the whole process over again... chicks in the bathroom for 2 months... fun!

Other than that... a little garden update.

Tomatoes are growing like crazy! I have my first eggplant coming in nicely. I also have planted micro greens. My first time, but they are super easy!! We also planted some banana tree transplants that have taken well. And we will have 2 storybook pumpkins in time for Halloween.

Chicks!

So, I know I've been a terrible blogger... just leaving you hanging with all the promises of chickens. Well, good news! Chicks are here!!! I have having a hard time being motivated to finish the chicken coop with the crazy heat we've been having... finally summer showed up! I figured though, what better way to motivate myself to finish the coop, than to just get the chicks? Besides, they can't really stay out in the coop until they are 2 months anyways.

We have had a few chicks for a week and just picked up a few more today. I think the 6 we have will complete our coop for now. However, the pig at the feed store was tugging at mine and Damin's heart strings. Last week when I was there, I almost left with a 2 week old goat! She cried for me every time I left her side! Next spring we may seriously see a goat or pig.

Here are our little babies. Allow me to introduce them....

2 Ameraucanas (Madeline & Olivia) They lay blue & green tinted eggs!

Buff Orpington (Coco)

Australorp (Poppy)

Plymouth Rock (Genevieve)

Wyandotte (Chloe) I believe she is a golden laced Wyandotte

I will post better pictures of the girls this weekend (I hope)

Chili Peppers!!!!

I was very excited to see how well my chili plant was doing. It has produce more chili peppers than I expected. I have chili relleno planned for dinner tomorrow night.

A note on the chicken coop update. I haven't done my full post on the chicken coop yet because it's not done :(

I was expecting to have it all set up by now, but since the onset of this heat... forget it!! I considered working on it at 8:30 last night to avoid the heat, but didn't really want to work in the dark. It will be done soon though... maybe :)

A Long Overdue Update

I have been dying to update lately, but could not find the time. I know that sounds sad, since it would only take me 15 minutes to update, but I have been busy. Mostly busy with the chicken coop project, but that's a post for tomorrow... or whenever I get another 15 minutes.

But for now, I wanted to update on some of the fun thing going down in the garden. I have always had wonderful luck with my basil. It always grows with ease and has this yummy little spice to it. I recently picked a bunch and made some delicious pesto. Also, I have some great little bell peppers that are ready. I also have some rad little peppers that are almost ready for chile relleno. I'm not sure the name of the chili, but I know that's what they can be used for :)

My tomato plant is growing a lot, but no little tomatoes yet...

Ahhhh... Here is a beautiful sight!

My grape vines are looking so gorgeous! I have a ton a grapes as you can see below. It's so awesome... sometimes I'll be working out in the yard and it will get really quiet and I'll stop and think to myself, "Where are the girls and why are they so quiet?" And then of course, I find them eating the ripe grapes they find. They just sit there and search for the ones that are ready.

These ones above are their favorite bunch to munch off of.

Here is my first little lonely blackberry. The bush is small, but it's showing me grace. I really have neglected it.

Our apple tree has a lot of apples coming in. This is one of my favorite trees in the yard. In the summer when Sydney turned two, she would eat an apple from this tree everyday while I worked in the yard. I'm looking forward to making an apple pie soon!

And lastly in my update... The girls got to pick some carrots from the garden. Not as big as carrots I've grown in the past, but they're still carrots. There's nothing like seeing your kids face as they pull out the carrots from the ground, like "Holy Cow!!! That was under the dirt!!"

More pictures to come soon as the corn is getting taller, more strawberries are ripening, and my first potato plants are coming up! And... another teaser for the chicken coop update.

Ups & Downs

Would you rather hear the good news or the bad news first??

Okay then bad news first... I'm a pumpkin killer :( My lonely little pumpkin has died. I was trying to guide the new vines for my pumpkin to follow and I knocked little baby and it shot off the vine. I'm so bummed because it was one of the storybook pumpkins... Hopefully my vine will forgive me and make me a new pumpkin. Fingers crossed...

On the upside, my basil is going very well and I picked a nice bunch today and am going to make pesto for lunch today! Super yum!