This and That

I just wanted to update a bit since my long absence. Our Mcmuray chicks we ordered are all doing very well, they are 2 weeks old now. My silkie babies are 1 month old and the 2 newest hatches are 1 week old (they are both silkies, one is a partridge and the other is red)
I have reduced my older flock down to 14 hens...It now consists of 3 buff orpingtons, 6 black austrolorps, 4 barred racks and 1 white egg layer. I got rid of 17 hens, mostly white egg layers with a few brown egg layers, I also gave away my 2 older aracauna's Betty and Ghost..they went back to the friend that gave them to me. We do still have some roosters but only 1 is in the pen with the girls.the 4 others roam..soon there will be only 2 roaming roosters, as I intend to catch Ugly and Game Roo and re-home them. So eventually when the new birds are old enought to join the older flock, we will have 42 laying hens. We should be getting lots of eggs this winter!
That is the update on my big girl pen. The silky pen is just the same, I havent and dont intend to re-home any birds from there.(except a couple of new babies) A couple of my silky girls have been some good broody mamas..The last 2 that hatched are going to a friend of mine.

The youngest son went to church camp and loved every minute of it. That was a long 3 days for me though. The oldest son is leaving next week for the same camp, they will be there for 5 days. I really need to take that oppurtunity to paint his bedroom while he is away...I want it done but I dont wanna do it..Lol! ever feel that way?


Our garden is okay for a beginners garden...squash didnt do great..tomatoes are tiny little things..but edible at least. We pulled our bean plants up and said to heck with it. Peppers are the same as the tomatoes, very tiny. Zuchinni, um I got 1..they have been pulled up as well. The cucumbers are doing very good...and suprisingly so is the okra. I wish we would have just planted the garden with nothing but those. I have been cuttin the cucumbers up and puttin them in some vinegar, water and sugar..with onioins and bell pepper...yummy! The handful of okra I pick daily goes in a ziploc back in the freezer..and when It fills up then we have a mess of boiled okra with our supper...I made some strawberry jam/preserves last week (7 half pint jars) with the strawberries we picked at the strawberry farm a couple months back. Gonna make some more this week and I will take pics this time and post. Oh and I made some homeade butter...I've read about how to make it on other blogs..I  finally tried it and it was really neat. If you have never made any this way, I suggest you just do it at least once that way you can say you've made your own butter.
The method I used is the heavy whipping cream in a mason jar and just shake it, and shake it. I made a batch myself and then I let my boys make a batch...I think I was more excited about it than them but, now they can say they have made butter before ; )


It has been sooooo HOT here lately...temps are like 98. But here with the humidity, the heat index is way hotter. I have gottn in my truck and looked at the temp. thing and it says 112...which is just b/c its been sittin there in the bald sun...although I know it isnt actually 112...it sure does feel like it. One day The youngest son had some neighbors friends over fishing in our pond...well the fishing turned into swimming...OMG....we let em finish up there fun swim time...but it turned the pond and icky muddy water color. So that hasnt happened again. We werent getting any rain for awhile and the pond water dropped really dramatically. Lately though we have been getting some good rains...nothing to bring the pond level back up..but enough to have to cancel a yard sale me and my mom were suppose to have twice. I was soooo ready and excited to do this sale...but now with having to cancel..I am just ready to get it over with..Lol.  It was suppose to be last Thursday and Friday..now it was suppose to be this Wed. and Turs....but it aint happening this week neither..so maybe next week...: /


Okay I have gotta go, my duties are calling me away from here. Hope everyone has a great day.
I will update my Shoot Me pics also..I have missed the past 2 thursdays : (
Okay, well duty calls!