The Chicken Whisperer

Hope you are surrounded by those you love today (and every day)!

xoxo,

M

Linking up to the Seasonal Celebration

Reuniting Children with Nature - Habitat Building

MATERIALS:
Natural materials: sticks, blades of grass, leaves, rocks, sea shells, flowers, pieces of bark or wood chips…
Optional materials:  colorful clay

TIME FRAME:
15 - 60 minutes

PROCEDURE:

• Decide what kind of creature you would like to create your mini-habitat for.  Think about your favorite animal, where they live and what they would need to survive.  
• Gather any materials that will help you create your chosen habitat.  Think about how you can interpret what is needed by animals into a smaller version of that habitat.
• The clay can be used to hold your items together, and it can also be used to represent different aspects of your habitat (the blue could be used to represent water, the yellow to represent the sun…)

REFLECTION: 
How did you decide on which habitat to re-create?  How is the habitat you created different from your own                 habitat?  How is it the same?

CONNECTIONS: 
Think about your local zoo or aquarium... How do you think they decide what to include in their habitats?  Do they provide everything the inhabitants need to be healthy and happy?  What could be different about their habitats?

TIDBITS:
Habitats fall into six general categories: grasslands, oceans, wetlands, arctic tundra, forests, and deserts.  It is estimated that there could be 5 million to 100 million species on the planet, but science has only identified about 2 million of them.

TIPS & IMAGININGS:
Recycle an Altoids tin or an old shoe box to create your habitat in.  While creating your habitat, think about what all living beings need to survive:  shelter, food and water.  Remember, while humans need clothing to protect our bodies, wild creatures do not.

This activity is part of a series of low cost, hands on activities that can be used by anyone who has a passion for nature and who believes that a child's time spent in nature is not only important, but necessary.  Each activity was either created by me or gathered from a variety of sources.  You can find the complete list of all of the activities on my Nature Activities tab.

xoxo,
M

~12,354 stitches

 

There's something about a new baby that just lightens my heart and reminds me that everything is just as it should be despite any lingering questions, doubts or concerns that might try to distract me from the pure love that surrounds us all every minute of every day.

From within the energy of love and joy that a baby brings to my awareness and being, upon hearing the news that we will soon be graced by a brand new little being, I set out to create something that I believe every new baby should have...a handmade blanket of their very own.

There's nothing quite like picking out the yarns and then sitting in the quiet meditation of stitching it all together.

I've been making blankets for babies ever since I can remember, and for the first time ever, I just completed my first set of blankets for a beautiful pair of twin girls.  Though early, both are perfectly healthy and got to go home immediately.  Mama Sara did an amazing job.

Though I am not sure when we will get to meet them (Missouri never felt far away until Tool Lady's brothers started having babies), I trust they know how deeply they are loved and I hope their blankets will keep them warm.

xoxo,
M

Eggs!

I am incredibly happy to report that our chickens are officially laying again!  We hit a dry spell there last fall when several of the ladies were molting...Then, the weather got cold and I think they all went on strike! That is, until last week when they started laying again  :-)  Thank goodness!  We've been getting 5-7 eggs a day for the last several days and, honestly, I'd almost forgotten how delicious fresh eggs are!

xoxo,

M

Hide-Away Projects

A couple of years ago we purchased four little stools with lids for storage and extra seating.  They immediately became the place to store my current yarn projects, toys for any little friends that visit and any other necessary miscellaneous and fit perfectly beneath the bottom shelf of a wall of built in book shelves in our Living Room.

Best of all, they serve as the perfect container to hold my current yarn projects! I have instant access to all of the colors I'm using at any given time, my little bag of hooks and scissors and I get to put my feet up while crocheting!!!  I mean, really, who doesn't love simple things that make life easier?!

Anything that let's me put my feet up while also being productive is just about perfect in my book ;-)

xoxo,

M

Linking up to Seasonal Celebration Wednesday

Link Tag

Happy weekend, everyone!!!  Here are a few items that have caught my eye recently...

Food & Kitchen

• Dark chocolate sweet potato chips?  Oh, yes please!
• Raw yogurt

Preservation & Preparation

• How to can fresh small potatoes
• How to store your canning supplies if you don't use them year round

Farm & Garden

• The Price of Corn.  Absolutely beautiful.  Hope-filled.
• Oh, how I long for a wood burning stove!

Education & Environment

• Melting glaciers make me sad...
• Hidden viral gene discovered in commercial GMO crops.  Gross.  Wanna do something about GMOs?
• Please sign this Petition to White House calling for mandatory labeling of GMO foods.  Hey, it's worth a shot!  If people can get 25,000 signatures for the creation of a Death Star, we can do something about GMOs, can't we?

Just because...

• Who can resist the kindness of Sperm Whales and the acceptance of a funky dolphin?
• Love, it really does make the world go 'round!

xoxo,

M

Flying Glass & Spilled Beer

Last weekend, in the midst of our busy madness, we made two batches of beer; a Red Chile Chocolate Porter and a Belgian Golden Ale. Since the carboys "live" in our garage while they do their fermentation thing and the garage is pretty cold in the winter, Tool Lady did a lot of research on how to keep them a bit warmer. The answer was to place both carboys into a large tupperware-type tub filled with water and then place a fish tank warmer into the water to keep the temp of the water in a safe range. It worked! Our beer went from sitting there and doing nothing (too cold) to dancing around and beginning to ferment (perfect temp)! We were very glad for this since the alternative would have been to bring them inside and put them up on our dining room table for the next couple of weeks.

Red Chile Chocolate on the left, Belgian on the right

However, on Tuesday, upon returning home from work, we found that one of the carboys had exploded (the Belgian).  Literally.  There were huge chunks of glass strewn throughout the garage and a very large chunk of what remained of the carboy still in the tub of water.  Super scary!

The best we can figure is that, in the fermentation process, the grains bubbled up and got stuck in the airlock which then didn't allow the pressure/gasses to release, so they built up and built up until the glass could no longer contain it and it exploded.

So, what's the lesson here?  Well, we think it's don't over fill your carboy so your beer has room to dance!   We're also thinking that we need to invest in a better airlock.  Second lesson?  Always keep your fermenting beer in a place where, if it does explode, humans and animals will not be harmed!

Here is the exploded top and the airlock that was jam-packed with hop pellet residue

Thank goodness it was in the garage and away from our cats and dogs when it exploded!  Ugh...I don't even want to imagine...

Now, I wonder what our neighbors heard?  Probably a pretty loud bang, you think?  Geez...

xoxo,
M

Reuniting Children w/ Nature - Bird Nests

This activity is part of a series of low cost, hands on activities that can be used by anyone who has a passion for nature and who believes that a child's time spent in nature is not only important, but necessary.  Each activity was either created by me or gathered from a variety of sources.

MATERIALS:
Natural materials (sticks, blades of grass, leaves, etc.), string, cotton, lint, yarn, clay, a bowl

TIME FRAME: 
15 - 60 minutes

PROCEDURE:
The adventure in building a birds nest is really in finding the materials and thinking about how you would like your nest to look.  Once you have your materials, you simply need to weave them together in any pattern you’d like to, as long as they hold together in a bowl-like shape.

If you would like to create a bowl shape out of clay first, you can then use the clay to help your materials stick together.  Simply weave your natural materials together on both the inside and outside of the clay bowl to ensure it is fully covered up.

REFLECTION: 
How do you think birds choose where to build their nests?  Do you think humans choose the build their home where they do for the same reasons?  Why or why not?

CONNECTIONS: 

This activity fits perfectly as  an extension to a Nature Walk. Simply carry a bag with you on a walk and collect items as you see them.  Also, don’t forget to be on the look out for birds nests while on your walk!  There are so many different ways to build them!

TIDBITS: 

Did you know that there are approximately 10,000 bird species in the world?  The smallest among them being the Bee Hummingbird (only 5-6 cm long) and the largest being the ostrich which can reach a height of over 9 feet tall!

TIPS & IMAGININGS

• Recycle an old shoe  box and use it to keep your birds nest safe and sound
• Imagine how it might  feel to live up in a tree… the sun filtering through the leaves, the wind blowing past your cheeks, the  squirrels scurrying along the branches...what else might you experience  up there?

It is well known that children have an innate connection to the earth and all of its creatures.  They long to be out in nature, to get their hands dirty, explore and use their imagination.  They know that the earth is ours to take care of, without being told.  They find great joy in watching a lizard run across the steps ahead of them or in seeing a deer munching on the trees.  They love to sow seeds, pull weeds and eat kale.  Children thrive when given the  opportunity to build a Fairy House out of natural materials or hide among the bushes or hang on the branches of a tree.

It is true that nature is dirty, it holds a lot of uncertainties and it is unfamiliar to our urban senses.  It is not, however, something to fear.  One step at a time, we can reestablish our relationship with Nature and in doing so, heal ourselves and our environment. What we should we afraid of is what might happen if we don’t heal our broken relationship with nature.

Whatever it is you're doing today, I hope you're enjoying yourself!

xoxo,

M

Goats Milk Soap - Beginnings

I mentioned in December that we've been freezing our leftover goats milk every few days in preparation for eventually making our first few batches of Goat's Milk Soap.  Well, the day finally arrived and we jumped into making soap for the very first time!  As with anything new, there was definitely a little learning curve, but all in all, it was a great experience!

Tool Lady built our mold using the El Cock wood we found during our kitchen counter re-do in early 2012, and, using the Summer Bee Calculator for all of our measurements and the directions from Eden Hills, we made 9 pounds of soap which is now curing in our garage.

We didn't use a specific recipe for this batch, though we wrote everything down to keep track (lots of oils, lye, goats milk, oatmeal and a bit of honey) thinking that we can tweak the recipe as we continue to make batches until we are happy with what we create, then we'll stick with that.

Right now, though, I am just super excited about our new adventure in soap making!

Do you have a favorite soap?  A favorite scent?  A tried and true recipe you're willing to share?  Oh, I'd love to hear your thoughts and stories!

xoxo,
M

Linking up to Seasonal Celebration Wednesday
& The HomeAcre Hop

Weekends Are For Resting...

...unless you have things to do.

Brunch with friends...seed shopping...home brew shopping and future home brew fantasies...emergency water rotation and refilling...goat milking...sun spot & snack loving chickens...attention given to long-ago-dried-and-forgotten herbs...soap frame creating...baby blanket crocheting...goat milk soap making (our very first!)...2013 garden planning...Red Chile Chocolate Porter brewing.

Thank goodness for three-day weekends!!!

xoxo,

M

Link Tag

Happy weekend, everyone!!!  Here are a few items that have caught my eye recently...

Food & Kitchen

• A little pig or horse with your cow?  Hmmm...no thanks!  Know your farmer, know your food.
• "Today, we produce about four billion metric tonnes of food per annum. Yet due to poor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as market and consumer wastage, it is estimated that 30–50% (or 1.2–2 billion tonnes) of all food produced never reaches a human stomach."  This is a serious issue and must be addressed!  This is another study, so dig in if you're so inclined...if not though, please take the above numbers to heart.

Preservation & Preparation

• 15 items your can never have enough of...
• I really should pull together a Grab & Go emergency binder

Farm & Garden

• Great informative chart on chickens (breeds, markings, eggs, behaviors...) 

Education & Environment

• A terrifying and important look at the possible future of our environment 
• Or, if you don't want to sift through the whole document, the 32 most alarming charts from the above study
• Bookless libraries?  Not yet...but eventually (maybe).

Just because...

• Here's an interesting perspective on the population in the U.S.

I saw this last link posted on my brother's facebook page accompanied by his incredible wisdom...

• Bucky's Self Disciplines 

"We all could benefit from just reading this and considering the idea of a world that is formed on abundance and creativity for the whole, instead of choosing a reality tunnel of lack, selfishness, and worry. We are all capable, and all notions of our inherent flaws are horribly over-reported in order to convince us to settle for less and do anything in our power to cling to a pittance while we turn our backs on infinite wealth. We don't need any New Year's resolutions, we need a new era of RESOLVE!" 

~HJW

I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful weekend!

xoxo,

M

Expanding Ripples - Fed By Threads

The social and environmental issues we are facing these days can feel incredibly overwhelming, big and unchangeable, despite our continued work to affect positive change in our own lives.  This feature highlights individuals and organizations who are working for positive change...taking small (and large) steps to create positive change for our environment and in our communities. I firmly believe that passion and action are priceless and that one person can inspire countless others...just like the expanding ripples in a pond are caused by a single disturbance.

I am very honored to introduce Alok of Fed By Threads!!!

***

What inspired you to begin the work you do?

When my partner Jade Beall was bulging pregnant, we decided to make a community dance shirt for our studio here in Tucson, and at the same time we learned from the local food bank about the absolutely devastating depths of the hunger problem in the United States with over 50 million Americans facing food-insecurity. We said to ourselves, "Our family has to do something, even if it is a small act!" So we decided to simply feed 12 meals through the food banks every time someone bought one of our dance shirts. And hence, Fed By Threads was born. But we never expected to be apparel people: instead this bloomed out of our way of life, our belief in caring for the environment, helping the needy, and supporting local and the national economy. That is what drives us each day when we wake up, and we just happen to offer clothing that represents that way of life. Also, after my mother died of cancer three years ago, I began to educate myself about all of the chemicals and additives that surround us every day here in America, including pesticides used to grow our food and many of the raw materials in our clothing. I was shocked at what I learned and set out to take baby steps to change my own life. Through all of this, I have realized how powerful all of our choices are and that through voting with our wallets, we can be part of a movement, a tidal wave of change.

Alok - Co-Founder of Fed By Threads

Jade - Co-Founder of Fed By Threads

What do you love about what you do?

Fed By Threads is my life's work coming together! I am passionate about meeting people and talking to them about the environment, helping the hungry, and supporting our country's economy. More than that, however, I get to learn about their lives. You see, Fed By Threads attracts equally passionate people who stand up for what they believe in and live by those beliefs. Their stories are so inspiring to me and I feel blessed to meet them every day when we open our doors. I love knowing that people walk out with a different sense about the power of the choices and a renewed sense that together we can change things!

Is there anything you would change about what you do?

Not a thing: we are taking baby steps, trying to do things right, growing organically, and getting fabulous advice from many people around us.

What new skills have you learned through your experiences and how have you applied them to other aspects of your life?

We have learned patience and a deeper sense of gratitude for everything we have in our lives. When we learned about how vast the hunger problems are in the United States, we doubled our efforts to be grateful for the gifts in our lives. We've also learned about the apparel industry, how to bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and many other aspects of retail & clothing that we never imagined we'd be involved with. That has been a major learning curve!

What have been your greatest challenges in spreading the word about hunger in the US?

Given our marketing team consists of just the two of us working on a limited marketing budget, we face challenges that bigger organizations don't face in terms of getting our message out. We are, however, incredibly grateful to the numerous people who help us spread our message about helping the needy in this country via word of mouth. I think people simply don't know how bad the hunger problem is in the United States, even in working families who are struggling to put food on the table.

What can people do on a daily basis to affect change in the world around them?

The number one thing we can do is to remember that the tiniest changes in our own lives actually add up. If we commit to making one tiny change each month, in a couple years, we will look back and be shocked at how far we have shifted. Baby steps of change can seem miniscule until we realize we aren't alone. Meet other like-minded people who are doing the same things you are doing. Don't feel alone. Connect online or in your communities. But don't feel pressure to be 'perfect' and change all at once. Give yourself credit for every little change you make, no matter how small. Waste less, reuse more, be more generous, consume less, be more mindful, and all of that actually has a high likelihood of raising the quality of your life! That is what has worked for me!

Is there anything else you'd like people to know?

Together, we can make a difference. That isn't a catch-phrase: it is truth. Every day I connect to more and more people who are realizing how much power we have to make change! It is the most exciting thing I have ever experienced in my life. Once we taste this and join with others so we don't have to go it alone, there is no turning back!

***

Fed By Threads

Fed By Threads on facebook

Fed By Threads on Twitter

For more information on hunger in America and how you can help, please visit Feeding America

***

Do you know of an individual or small organization that you think deserves to be highlighted?  Would you like to be highlighted?  If so, please email me at trinityvision3(at)gmail(dot)com or comment below with any ideas or suggestions! 

xoxo,

M

Chickens...

...like to eat.  A lot.

This was a little treat...a mixture of warm goat's milk whey (leftover after making cheese) and some oats and it made them very happy on a very cold day.

Hope you're staying warm wherever you are!

xoxo,

M