The “Westies” Stitchers (my old and dear stitching group) from Georgia came up for a visit  and brought along some treasures old and new:

An antique wooden painted egg crate circa 1920’s along with an Acme Egg-Grading Scale (1924) and a glass “brooder egg”  

A new egg-theme tote with a matching modular knit scarf  and Barite Geode, this is actually older than dirt.

A surprised mailed from Marietta, Georgia – A glass little red hen from Lynn & Bob (mainly Lynn).

All the way from St Petersburg, Russia, “pickin chickens”…you spin the wooden ball on the bottom , which makes the chickens peck at the grains!  While in Russia on vacation, Butch and Sylvia found this.  The chickens are quite continental now.

Rusty being very clever made me two aprons for collecting eggs  – hence the ”Egg-pron” !!!  They made up of fun poultry theme fabrics: retro-chickens, egg beaters, and chicken wire and have deep pleated pockets  for safe keeping and carrying of eggs.  (I just filled the pockets with 9 eggs prior to writing this). 

Today the girls lovingly laid the first dozen eggs!  For the past few weeks we have had 2 eggs gradually up  to 8, then  10 per day, today we hit the lucky dozen…. even got a light blue one from Betsy Ross, the Americana!   Which means at least 12 of the 25 are laying.  The eggs are laid at different times during the day.  Funny note:  Generally the next days egg is laid an hour later than the previous day.  Our heritage breed hens will each lay approximately 200 eggs per year.  (The commerical production breeds can lay 300+.)  So far everyone who has tasted our eggs has given them rave reviews!  The spoiled girls are fed organic feed,  along with free-range grass and each day a variety of treats from fresh fruits and veggies to cheese and  yogurt.

We ordered 500 egg cartons last week…adding substantially to the cost of giving our eggs away!

 Thanks Mark, Scott, Carol and Cindy!!

http://fa.smithbarney.com/castlegroupsb/

Emma … ready to ride!

                                        The garden haul

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Also growing are the little birds…..this birds nest gets remodeled each year with a new family.

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.

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)

                                                 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…

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.

                                                            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)

Little sprouts just starting…

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!

  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)

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.

                                                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

Abigail and Cosmo, Studio Assistants/paperweights

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

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

SHOUT OUT TO: Mrs. Miles fifth grade class – have fun learning about blogging!

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

Our niece-lings Cristy and Jamey our flowergirls now & then!

Pattern used:  Knitting Pure and Simple, Baby & Children’s Neckdown Pullover  Yarn:  Plymouth Yarns Jelli Beens-Lime  Cost:  Priceless