We received a wonderful surpise from our friends at The Castle Group – a red Radio Flyer wagon! I had been wanting one for use in hauling the girls, garden goods and eggs. So here are the girls inspecting the new “poultry porter”.
Thanks Mark, Scott, Carol and Cindy!!
http://fa.smithbarney.com/castlegroupsb/
Emma … ready to ride!
The garden haul
Oprah has been coming into the chicken coop cackling for the past few days…something was up…over the weekend she laid her first egg! Oprah came in “second” in our egg laying contest. Here she is in the chicken coop quite proud of her accomplishment!
And yes, you can see there are curtains and framed family photos (baby chicks) in the coop.
I found the egg in the coop when I zoomed home on a break from Kim Nixon’s Rug Hooking Retreat at RT Lodge. So I thought you might like to see it on a background of one of the hooked rugs designed by Kim. To see more of her creative work, visit www.undertherug.com
Here is the group of fun and crazy artists at the retreat, who also learned more about chickens than they wanted to know.
The egg laying mystery is solved: it is our little Emma who has been busy! While I was cleaning the coop she came in, started hopping in & out of the nesting boxes and seemed anxious. She followed me out the coop’s front door, into the smaller yard and found her xylophone and started playing a tune (normally she plays only one note at a time for a treat). She still seemed out of sorts, so I placed her back in the nesting box and bingo a little while later she laid an egg!
Here is Emma playing her tune in a pre-egg-laying concert. (More to come on Emma’s Rockin tunes…)
Emma’s Egg laid July 9th displayed on a quilt made my dear friend Nance, whos birthday is July 9th!!
FIRST EGG!! July 6, 2010 I found our “first” egg in the coop, on the ground next to the nesting box in the morning – Yippee!
Estimated cost $5,000
Here is a re-enactment photo of how I found it in buried in the wood shavings (I was so excited I picked it up, ran in to show Dan, then had to get my camera and put in back where I found it).
This is Emma who came in to seeing what I was up to, she jumped into the nesting box to show me where it should have been laid. It is a mystery just who laid the first egg….
Second Egg – July 7…this time it was laid in the nesting box !
Look how tiny these first brown eggs are!
Second Egg estimated cost: $2,500
Well I guess Auntie Lil will have to be called Uncle Lil….she started crowing….eeek! Everybody told me that she was a he, since he towers over all the other chickens and bosses them around. So we have a Rooster. Rats. We ordered all hens and they gave us a free one, guess which one!
I still will call him a “hen-ster” and hopefully “he” will learn to behave! You do not need a rooster for the hens to lay eggs by the way. They will lay eggs anyway. You only need a rooster if you want the eggs to be feritized and to hatch chickens.
Red, White & Blue – I love to celebrate the 4th of July! The cabin is decorated inside and out … barrels planted with red, white and blue flowers, flags flying, quilts and lots of hand stitched “Americana” theme projects I made through the years.
The baby Keets are one week old, they are taller and started growing little wing and tail feathers. They look like tiny ostriches now, with their legs set further back, long necks and tiny heads. Look and see what I mean…..
Baby keets are little Guinea fowl. They were born on Tuesday …so here they are at 3 days old. My friend Karen got some for her farm and gave us four. We hear that they are good watch dogs for the farm and chickens; as they are loud and obnoxious. They are so tiny compared to the baby chicks. They are hard to tame and have a spaz fit every time we go near the brooder box. We are handling them several times so they get used to us. So far it is not helping! They are so cute now….but just wait and see how funny they look when they grow up.
We spotted a couple of turtles today….they are late arrivals this year. Normally see them around and about a month earlier. They must have been busy. They are Eastern Box turtles. When we first bought the property 23 years ago we spotted several of them, some munching on the strawberries near the creeks…..that is how we named the place: Turtle Creek Farm.
Chicken version of playing ball – with the ‘Refs” on perch above the field watching the plays. Chickens play only when they want to, they do not follow rules, or play as a team. They cheat whenever they can.
Misty morning shot of one of our vintage hay rakes against the background of wild roses.
To honor those who served our country– Dan’s father, Daniel Lovett served in the US Navy as a signalman, along with his brothers, Gerald, who served in the US Army as a Medic, and Raymond, a medic also served in the US Navy.
This is the season for wild fragrant honeysuckle. It is growing along some of our fences, the pastures are filled with its beautiful fragrance. Honeysuckle is one of my favorite “weeds” as they refer to it around here! Below the actual photo is a thread painting I did of some wild honeysuckle .
The garden is really starting to take shape, first up were the radishes
Also growing are the little birds…..this birds nest gets remodeled each year with a new family.
One of the first things every girl should learn how to do: The Princess Wave
Little Emory learned this new trick from her Aunt Jamey, after noticing how she was watching her hands. Here is Uncle Dan holding her, as we are all laughing at her gentle slow wave from side to side….the people at the table next to us said “that baby is doing a parade wave”.
A girl never knows when this wave will come in handy, always good to be prepared.
At the break of dawn two car loads of Maryville Ravelers headed to Atlanta for the Stitches South event….had a great time shopping and seeing friends from Atlanta….we returned with boatloads of yarn, patterns and ideas for new projects.
Walking out the ramp to see the great outdoors for the first time ….
The chicken coop has two chicken doors, this one is to the little yard at the entry and the side door takes them to their large yard with a movable electric poultry fence. This fence hopefully will keep them in and other critters out (it also works on battery and solar power). Dan and I are setting up the fencing now…..so if this is my last blog entry you will know that I was fried.
First brave chick was Auntie Bessie (yellow one) followed by Oprah (black one)
Movin’ on up….the girls were packed up and moved out to the chicken coop. They squealed, they squawked, then settled in. The chicks are 8 weeks old now and working on pecking order as to who will be Queen.
The girls coming over to Dan for a snack.
Everybody wanted to “roost” when I sat down! There are 5 on my right leg and 4 on the left.
Garden gazebo at the La Playa Hotel in Carmel -
where we were married 21 years ago!
Emory’s first Easter at Cousin Geri & Joe’s
Keeping with the peep theme – Joe’s Peep Mojitos
Geri’s Peep Cupcakes…
For some reason I did not have any requests to make my Easter Jello Peep Salad again this year for the holiday buffet. Wonder why?? So I wanted to share the recipe anyway (and remind the family that Peeps keep forever…so the peep salad may appear again).
Jello Peep Salad
Jello – Large size any light color, prepare according to package directions
Peeps
Can of Fruit Cocktail, drained—remove pineapple bits
2 Carrots, cut into thin sticks
1 Celery stalk, cut into thin sticks
Pour the liquid Jello into the pan. Place in refrigerator for just a few minutes until thick but not set. Take from refrigerator and place your Peeps around the circle Upside Down and completely into the jello. The bottom of the peep should be just visible above the top of the jello mold. Now, place your carrots and celery sticks straight down into the Jello around the the Peeps. Finally, spoon the chopped fruit all over the base of the mold and press very gently so that the fruit becomes embedded into the Jello without disturbing the Peeps or the carrot and celery sticks. Chill completely. When the jello is set, up-end your mold onto a plate and you will have a little scene of peeps playing ring-around-the-rosy amongst the grasses and fruit-y looking flowers.
Here is the latest spring knitwear, perfect for Easter….the Chicken Cape modeled by Auntie Fran, a Rhode Island Red. The chicken cape is a shawl pattern my friend Cindy gave me, embellished it with swirls of embroidery.
OK, we are going into week 4 with the chickens and now they are going from the oh-so-cute stage to kinda geeky almost teenagers (‘tweens). Their heads look too small for the long necks (sorta like turkeys), longer legs with feathers making them look as if they are wearing cheap capri pants. They are all growing at a different rate. Look and see what I mean….
How you doin?
You talking to me?
Can you believe what she is wearing?
Jesse and Sandi visit and laugh at them
Gift from Bob & Sue…it sings, lights up and does the “Chicken Dance”….now they are all doing it.
(Lucky for you I do not know how to add audio to the blog yet)
Spring has sprung at Turtle Creek…..lenton roses and daffodils are starting to pop up everywhere.
Go Green – Think Green -in honor of St.Patrick’s Day, plus it’s the right thing to do! Here are some photos of our little sprouts, Dan started them a few weeks ago along with building more rasied beds for the garden. The sprouts are heirloom tomatoes, various peppers and eggplant.
Little sprouts just starting…
For several years my friend Rusty and I exchange cookies and a small gift for our birthdays. We try out new recipes on each other…I tried these because of the quirky combination of ingredients….they are really, really good! We have been using this same white tin for quite some time.
Orange Scrunchies – cookies!
Makes: 35 – 2” cookies
1 pound box vanilla wafers
1 – 6 oz can frozen orange juice
3/4 box powdered sugar
1 – 7 oz bag coconut
Crush vanilla wafers in a food processor or blender to make fine crumbs. Add the orange juice and powdered sugar, mix well. Dough will be sticky. Form into 2” balls and roll in coconut. (I used those disposable plastic gloves when rolling the cookies). Refrigerate to set. Eat and smile!
The girls have been busy entertaining visitors!
Reading fan mail from the Weasel
Chicklet Holly
Chicklet Jamie
Chicks hopping into Jeanne & Holly’s hands
Chicklet Caroline has one fall asleep in her hands
This little Rhode Island Red loved Jamie
All of them came to greet Anjte
Our sweet chicklet Emory checking out the chicks
Cristy and Emory and peeps
Emory meets Abigail (who tells her that cats are better than chickens)
The chicks will be one week old on Friday, March 5th. They have grown so much in the past 6 days. Little wings are starting to grow, tiny tail feathers, they are even a bit taller! First chick to hop into my hand was one of the Buff Plymouth Rocks (yellow ones). She has done this for a few days now. Her name is Auntie Bessie Marie. They will be named after our aunts, my family from Massachusetts, so they are the Plymouth Rock girls…Dan’s family from Rhode Island (and having red hair) will be the Rhode Island Reds. All shall have the middle name: Marie (family tradition, keeps the Marie Club growing).
Everybody who comes by the nursery to visit the chicks gets free marshmallow peeps.
Group Photo
Gossiping at the water fountain
Chicken feet (rocket powered)
look at the little wings!
the end.
Turtle Creek Farm is pleased to announce the arrival of Baby Chicks! They hatched on Friday at the McMurrary Hatchery in Iowa. We got the call late last night from the Post Office in Knoxville that they had arrived, so at 11:30 pm we picked them up. Finally getting them back here by after midnight. So here are our first baby photos:
Picking chirping chicks up at the Post Office
Box-o-Chicks
Tight fit
First Chick out – they were taken out one at a time and given a sip of water
Basking in the heat lamp
Event: Smoky Mountains Fiber Arts Festival
Date: March 19 & 20, 2010
Location: Townsend, Tennessee
WORKSHOPS IN A WIDE ARRAY OF FIBER ARTS
VENDORS - DEMONSTRATIONS - SHEEP HERDING TOO!
For event information please visit the website: www.smfaf.org
Such a rainy day calls for a good soup – This is the perfect tomato soup recipe from Cooks Illustrated—rich and robust flavor. 
Cream of Tomato Soup – Cooks Illustrated Magazine Makes 5 ½ cups, serves 4-6
2 – 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, reserve juice (or 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 large shallots, minced (about 2/3 cup)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch of Allspice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy
Cayenne pepper and table salt
Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread tomatoes out in single layer and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake about 30 minutes, let cool slightly, set aside. (this is what gives the soup rich flavor!)
Heat butter over medium heat in large saucepan, add shallots, tomato paste and allspice. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until shallots are soft about 7 minutes. Add flour and whisk until combined. Add reserved tomato juice, then the roasted tomatoes.
Using a hand held blender, puree until smooth. Add cream and heat over low heat, stir in brandy, season with salt and cayenne pepper.
(Heart is made using a drop of heavy cream, formed by swirling a toothpick to shape and make dots)
Enjoy with fresh bread and a salad! Penny Rug created by Shelby Morris
Seeds for the garden are starting to arrive….(buying a Fresh Market store would have been cheaper).
Here is Sam and Grady wearing their new sweaters I made for them. I think they look adorable! (see previous post in January about this sweater project).
SHOUT OUT TO: Mrs. Miles fifth grade class – have fun learning about blogging!
Random Act of Destruction Case #532–Chewed Up Photographs
Suspect: Abigail
Crime Scene: Studio
Approximate Time Frame: 2:00 am – 6:30 am
Evidence: Photo breath on suspect, object in question relocated
Defendant Alibi: Claimed to be sleeping at the time
Here is Danny taking a day off from his bicycle shop, Revolutions, at the track in Miami. (note: we prefer him riding his bicycle instead of his Ducati, but why would he listen to us?)
Our niece-lings Cristy and Jamey our flowergirls now & then!
These yummy Valentine cupcakes were made by Denise Marie (of the “Marie Club”). They were quick to do, using a white cake mix and strawberry jello (follow jello recipe and set aside). When the cupcakes come out of the oven, poke holes on the top and pour the jello mix in. This makes them have white and red swirls! For frosting she used 1 cup powdered sugar sifted, blend with 1 cup of butter softened at room temp and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Decorate to your delight.
The offical Knitting Olympics – Ravelympics 2010!! (yes this is world-wide). Team Maryville is invited to a party at Smithsonjane’s house tonight, Friday 12th….mass Cast-On at 9:00 pm, as the opening Ceremonies begin in Vancouver (it is snowing here). My event: (project) is a Celtic Cabled Cowl (hard to say, even harder to knit).
Rain, rain and more rain. The creeks are overflowing and pastures look more like ponds. The weather man said we have a chance of “icy fog”. What is that? (must be like dressy casual).
The February/March issue of QuiltingArts magazine is featuring my fiberart work in a section called “In the Spotlight”. To see the full article please check it out on my website. I am thrilled to be in this wonderful publication and thrilled that they spelled my name right.
Made to welcome the newest member of our family, Grady (born the very last day in December) and his older (by three years) brother, Sam. They were both knit by using the top down method.
Pattern used: Knitting Pure and Simple, Baby & Children’s Neckdown Pullover Yarn: Plymouth Yarns Jelli Beens-Lime Cost: Priceless
These note pads make great quick gifts – everyone can use them. This project was inspired by a note pad gift I received. Using a standard sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, divide the page into 4 equal sections. At the very bottom of each section, using black marker, write a name or sketch a little something. This can be then taken to your local office supply store for printing. Ask to see a selection of paper and ink color choices. (In this case I choose to use black ink). I had 50 sheets printed, then cut into 4 equal sections, ask to have the top glued to use for pads.
We woke up to Turtle Creek covered in a blanket of winter white. The only prints in the snow were animal tracks that were going 
in all directions. This is a photo of the entrance and the lower pastures.
Since we are thinking of adding chickens to the farm so we can have fresh eggs, we visited the Dunlap’s clucking collection of prize-winning chickens. He raises various breeds for show and shared his vast knowledge.
Here is where I keep some of the small heart rocks, in jars that line the side porch windows. Other heart rocks are placed in different spots around the cabin that hopefully bring a smile to whoever may see them.
It has been our tradition to hike in the Smoky Mountains on New Years’s Day. It is a great way to start the year off by enjoying the quiet beauty of the park. This year Danny and I hiked with Fred and Tami. Found the first heart rock of the year – always a good sign. Happy New Year, may it be the most creative one yet!
