Make Something Monday #13

Ivy and I have had a bit of fun making these spool dolls. There's lots of websites with pictures and tutorials for these. I could only find small spools to start with, but I've got some bigger ones now to play with when we get a chance.

Waiting...

We've got eggs in the incubator now. They've actually been in about a week and a half. Which means we have about another week and a half to see how many chicks we get. I'm cautiously optimistic about our results. I put a dozen eggs in for a starter batch, and I only put green eggs in because I think they are prettiest! We started with 10 chicks last summer. So I think a dozen will do fine if we get a good hatch rate. We'll use roosters for the freezer and keep hens for eggs or sale. Paul is going to build a smaller chicken run for these so the big chickens won't pick on them and we can raise them up separately. He's also got to get some kind of brooder setup built this week. The last batch I raised in the laundry room in a couple big cardboard boxes scooted together, but it was summer and really warm. They were a couple days old when we got them, and we got away without keeping a light over them. This time with them being just hatched and the weather cooler, I think we need to get a light in there for them. We've still got one more rooster than we need around here, but we just haven't taken the time to send him to freezer camp.

And I keep trying to figure out if our goats are getting rounder, but unfortunately, they are quite round to start with! As long as breedings took for the goats, we are looking at some time close to the end of June for kids. I'm considering whether we will keep Bella once the others kid out. I'm not getting huge amounts of milk from her, but she's been good about letting me milk her. I usually get between 2.5-3 cups per morning. Since the baby is on her during the day time, I don't milk at night. And she really doesn't seem to be warming up to me any. She only comes willingly at feeding time. We also don't know any history on her. Even though she is a dairy breed and supposed to be registered, some goats are bred more for show lines and not milk lines. We don't know anything about her background and breeding. If you buy goats from a breeder who does dairy goats for milk, they should have records of milk production and be breeding their line to improve production. Betty Bob and Bambi were both from a breeder who has plans to try to get her dairy approved to sell milk. She also shows her goats and keeps careful records of how much milk they produce. So I'm hoping that Betty Bob and Bambi will be good milk producers, and if they are, I am leaning towards selling Bella. I'm going to keep milking her until then, though. Without the baby on her, I figure she should produce about a quart or a little more a day. That's not enough for our family, but might work well for other people's situation, and somebody might appreciate being able to buy a goat in milk already. Nothing is set, obviously, but those are some things I'm mulling over.

Bit of Whimsy Giveaway!

Well, if you've been visiting my blog for any length of time, you know I love Bit of Whimsy Doll patterns. And that's why I'm so excited to share that Sevi Designs is hosting a give-away for three Bit of Whimsy Dolls patterns. The first place winner will get to select two patterns and the second place winner will get one. While you're at Sevi Designs be sure to check out her other giveaways--she's doing a whole weeks worth!

Make Something Monday #12

Today, I wanted to share these two little owls that I made for a swap. These are made from yet another adorable Bit of Whimsy Dolls pattern. They sewed up so quickly, I think I had two completely made in about an hour. Well, take that back. Everything that I needed to do to them in the sewing room. I still had to add their faces and sew them shut after stuffing. Still--they went together so quickly and easily. I loved this pattern. Holly and Finn each grabbed an owl when I brought them out of the sewing room for finishing touches, and I considered just letting them have them and whipping together a couple more. But the deadline for the swap was close, so I finished them and snuck them away from the kids when they weren't paying attention. I'll make a couple up really soon for them. I think I will use flannel when I make theirs to make them extra soft and snuggly!

Far out...

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

Do you like to take those little "personality" quizzes? Some of them are pretty silly, but it seems like I just can't pass others up. Have to watch them because they can be time suckers, too. Does it really matter what flavor of ice cream I am? This one looked fun because it was about being a mother (I am!) and chickens (I have!) so I went along for the ride. I think the answers like, letting my kids wear whatever makes them happy even if it's tutus and fireman hats to the grocery store got me the groovy mama label. Go figure. Pretty far out, huh?

So what kind of Mother Hen are you?

Wordless Wednesday #7

"Tree vs. Barn"
Score: Tree-1, Barn-0

Tie One On!

Heads up for another great giveaway over at The Apron Goddesses. This week you can win a copy of The Kitchen Linens Book or The Apron Book by EllynAnne Geisel. You can also visit EllyAnne's blog here. The Apron Book is actually already on my wishlist in my craft books club. I've just been waiting for a good sale and extra pocket money to coincide so I could get it. Maybe I can win it instead! The Linens book is just out and although they say not to judge a book by its cover, I just can't help loving that little teacup!