Tweaking My Chicken Care

Today I am joining Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday. So let's see. We are still baking under oppressive heat here in SoCal so I have had to take extra care of the chickens. Lots of wading dishes of ice water and flooding the planters for them to cool off in.

One of my Easter Eggers is laying these pretty blue eggs. Not sure which one yet.

What I am having to change up is watching them in the morning. One of my girls is laying a thin egg and dropping it any old place and the others are pecking it. Egg breaking and eating chickens are very bad. It is a terrible habit and I am trying to keep a close eye to see who it is and gather that egg quickly.
One of the girls layed a gigantic egg and it was a double yoker.

See my pretty egg tray. Love the colors.

Hubby and I enjoyed a breakfast of left over chicken sausage and eggs. The bright yellow color is wonderful.

Linking to:
Tabletop Tuesday
Wow Us Wed.
Cottage Style Linky Party
Primp Your Stuff Wed.

Our Getaway

Mr. Sunny and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this weekend. We had not been away in years so we decided to take a quick trip up the coast for a night. This was such a treat and something we really need to do more often. We had so much fun together.

We took our time and stopped for a nice lunch and then checked into our hotel. We headed to the Ventura Harbor for dinner and some shopping. We ate at our favorite restaurant and enjoyed such a nice view. This is what we were looking at while we ate and talked and laughed and just relaxed. Watching all the boats coming and going just lowers your blood pressure. I love to be near the water.

We had the most wonderful dinner. Fresh seafood can't be beat. This is me after saying' "don't take my picture."

This was our appetizer. Mussels, clams, oysters, shrimp. Heaven!

I just love this pic of my man. How I was so lucky to marry someone so wonderful, I have no idea. He is my  best friend and just the love of my life and I am so grateful to have him.

We were married young and really grew up together. We really enjoy each other and our life. Simple as it is and often very busy but good busy and he is the best. I love you honey!

 After dinner we walked to the beach behind our hotel and watched the sun set. The weather was so perfect. We are for sure coming back next year. Hopefully this wasn't too sappy.

Hope you all have wonderful week and Sunny Simple Sundays is going and you can link up here.

Linking to:

BNOTP

Sunny Simple Sunday #10

It is that time of the week. Time to link up your faves or whatever you would like to share at Sunny Simple Sundays. First here are a few of my faves from last week.

I am so jealous. Someone got to go to the longest yard sale and forget to tell me. Look what she found.

The Cozy Old Farmhouse found this set for $10. This is the pattern I am collecting now. I think I would have had a heart attack if I saw all of these for that price.

Oh my the kitchen over at A Delightsome Life is so dreamy. I just would love to see it in person and look at all of her lovelies. Love the blue and white chicken.

Andrea at Town and Prairie did an amazing job of transforming this piece. If you saw the before you would not believe that this is the same piece. I also found out about plastic wood. Had not seen that before and I have a small piece that needs some repair.

And the most viewed post was Art and Sand with a lovely tour of beautiful Laguna Beach right here in SoCal. Isn't this beach cottage perfect?

Okay, by the time this posts I will be away with my hubby for our weekend but we will be home Sunday to join the party so link up whatever posts you would like, share giveaways or your etsy shop. Have a wonderfully simple Sunday.

Baked, Fried and Toasted in Southern California

It is too *#@* hot for this gal. I mean anything over 100 degrees is just ridiculous and we are baking here with tomorrow going to be the hottest day. Well, I am done. Ready for fall. We of course take our time getting there around here but if it would just get down to the 90s I would be thrilled. While filling a prescription, I picked up a couple of mags to get me through this heat wave. I mean you can only be inside. Autumn Cottage, oh my dear, is a delight for the eyes. I just loved this garden shot. I will have to be creative with the patio this year as I think my chickens would think this was a salad put out for them. Some pots they leave alone and others they eat down to the nub.

I am excited about the Natural Home and Garden magazine. I hear it is a good one. Has a good article on outsmarting the grocery store with a sustainable grocery guide. Okay my interest is peaked. I will report what I learn.

I usually drink a lot of water but even I have been thirsty. I am working on this glass right now trying to keep my water intake up.

I have come inside with Q. We are the only two home as my poor sweetie is working very long hours with all this heat. When the weather is bad, he is always gone. If he doesn't keep the lights on, folks can't run their A/C. I just feel awful for him in this hot weather out working about 16-20 hours at a time. He is just so exhausted and still trying to get over that horrible cold he has had forever. I fear he has bronchitis so I called our doctor who phoned in a script for him. He really needs to be home but they are very short handed right now with this heat wave.

One bright side come hell or high water, we will be here this weekend. Just hubby and I celebrating our anniversary. We have not been away just the two of us in about five years. It is TIME!! We always have a child or children with us when we travel but this weekend is for us.

The beach is calling us. I'll be here Saturday reading my magazines.

Linking to:
Fantabulous Friday

Our Simple Summer Days

We have had a typical summer for us. No trips to the beach, not much running around and lots of time at home. I am a homebody and I just cannot change that. I did not even take the kids to the beach this summer.
I just think, oh a whole day gone and traffic to and from and I just don't feel like going. I prefer days at home with small trips here and there. We have gone to the movies twice and for trips for ice cream and the library and trips to the popular feed store to pet all the babies, but really we stayed home. My older girls run around with their friends and head to the beach on their own. We spend three days camping at the beach each fall when the weather is the best and I consider that three solid days of beach going.

Instead we swing while dragging our feet in the pool. We swim at grandma's house and hang out in the yard.

I just don't feel like it is my job to entertain the kids everyday. My mom did not do that for me. Go entertain yourself. And they really do. Kids left to their own devices with time on their hands will fill it with something they like to do. My girls are all readers, love games, cards and play video games and spend lots of time outside especially when they are young.

I may not be the most exciting mom but I think my girls have all had good summers mostly at home. I strongly believe in down time. I have to have it so they have been forced to have it too. They seem to be thriving and all like their quiet time so perhaps it's not so bad after all. I think at 45 I am not going to change. My summers will always remain simple.

Why are chickens in this post? I don't know. I guess cause I like them.

Linking to:
Fantabulous Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Potpourri Friday
Home Sweet Home

Kitchen Organization - Preparing for Back to School

School starts next week so I have been working hard to get the kitchen all cleaned and set so mornings are easier and lunch making goes smoothly.  Along with that, I have been wiping down shelves. I just love this little built in 50s cabinet. I mix my lovely pyrex with other dishes. They are so cute they should be displayed.

Some man must have designed this deep narrow cabinet. It is good for nothing in the back. I am always challenged with keeping it in order. Things get shoved around a lot. Corralling like items makes it so much easier. I keep drink items on the bottom shelf, breakfast making supplies just above and baking items on top.

 An old enamel pan makes a perfect tray for stickier items.

Small and sticky things are contained and the shelf remains clean. Picked up this pan 50 cents at the thrift store.

 More baskets. Can you tell I am a fan? I use whatever I have preferring to spend money on prettier items that are seen. Functionality is all I care about in the cupboards.

 Misc. snack items are contained in another basket. That way you can toss that box when only one granola bar or snack cup is left. The kids pull this out and have a variety to grab from. Five lunches a day are made here during to school year. My husband takes a lunch every single day. We have a system of making lunches at night. Removes the stress from the morning plus my hubby leaves very early. One kid makes the sandwiches, one gets the coffee ready and I am the boss!! Such a slave driver. I anticipate I will be taking more of the jobs on this year as my kids schedules will be the busiest ever.

I think we are ready. I am pulling out my back to school decor this week. It is too hot to do anything outdoors here. I am sharing at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday

Linking to:
Wow Us Wed.
Open House Party
The Mommy Club
Share Your Cup Thursday
Katherine's Corner
A Return to Loveliness
It's a Keeper Thursday
Gooseberry Patch
Foodie Friends
Treasure Hunt Thursday
Time Travel Thursday
Cottage Style Linky Party
Stonegable
Common Ground
A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coconut Coffee Heaven

If there are two things I love, coffee and coconut are them. Of course I love my family but you know, food wise. When I saw Green Mountain had the K Cups in coconut, I went in search.

They had them at Kohls so I picked some up. Tried it out this morning...excellent. My new favorite.

Time to fill up the coffee jar. I think they would be great iced too and since it is going to be over 100 here all week I am sure I will try it out. Oh and they have the yellow and red mini Keurigs in store at Kohls.

I happened to have this in the fridge. Yes!! It was so yummy. If you like coconut like me you will not be disappointed.

I did not get paid for this post. I just love this and wanted to share.

Linking to:
Handy Man Crafty Woman
Frugally Sustainable
Ivy and Elephants
Raising Homemakers
Bunny Hop Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Coastal Charm
Cast Party Wednesday

City Chickens, City Cats and Broken Eggs

These city girls all love to sit on my lounge chair. All four every morning. I am sitting in the window right here on my computer and though it would be nice to think they love me, I am sure they are waiting to see if I am coming out with a treat. I think my Easter Eggers are starting to lay as I have had some thin shelled eggs this weekend but they were all broken. Either these girls are bad and breaking them or they just drop them any old place. Not nice and neat like the Barred Rocks.

We had our first encounter with a predator on Saturday. My daughter told me she heard some real squawking out back so I rushed out to find my girls all huddled under the patio table and a cat I did not recognize sitting on the lawn. I sent our little chihuahua out after it and she ran it off. She chased it off the next day too. I have not seen it since. I hope it fears the dog more than it likes my chickens. Some say a cat is not a worry but others say they can be. It all depends on the kitty I guess. The eggs are getting a little bigger. Almost the size of the store bought eggs I am still using up.

I have been enjoying one each morning with my toast. The yolks are deep in color and the white stays in shape. Much less runny then store bought eggs.

Linking to:
A Return to Loveliness

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coastal Charm

Tip Junkie

Summer Hot Summer Cold

While the heat of August has settled in, our house has been struck by a summer cold. Three down this last week and boy has it been a doozy.

  For hubby to miss two days of work, he has to be in pretty bad shape. He still sounds like he is going to cough up a lung. I have been following my cold fighting practices and I swear there is something to them. After sleeping with the sickies, hubby and four year old, I barely felt a twinge of the cold. I fought it off and that is 2 1/2 years of no colds. I think that is the longest I have ever gone.

We have been staying home for the most part and I am busy with the chickens and my back to school house preparations. I hate for any of my loves to be sick but I never turn down an opportunity to stay home and hunker down. Car hasn't left the drive all day. We did run some errands yesterday, the hubby and I. We reorganized a lot of our food storage and are really trying to stock up as I see another hike in food prices coming real soon with the severe drought conditions. I will share a post on what we have done later this week. I am sharing at Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday.

It's Sunday so you can link up to Sunny Simple Sundays right here.

Linking to:
Thrifty Treasures
DIY Home Sweet Home
The Morris Tribe
By Your Hands
Pin It, Made It Monday
Homestead Revival
Met Monday
Tabletop Tuesday
Wow Us Wed.

Sunny Simple Sunday #9

Happy HOT weekend. Well summer is fully entrenched isn't it? We are all held up in the house while the heat of the day is on. I hope you can join me for Sunny Simple Sunday.

We were cleaning out the china cabinet and threw a few things in the wood tray. Hmm not too sure about it. This look just seems too formal for me so back into the china cabinet.

Now for some favorites from last week:

The Rooster Apron  from Dolly's Designs stole my heart. I am so tempted to order one for myself. I love all things chicken you know.

From the Organized Clutter Queen was a post that will make you swoon. Her potting bench and garden are so darling and full of vintage charm. You have to visit her if you did not see this post.

And the most viewed post from last week was Brenda's Beating the Heat at Cozy Little House.

She said they have had almost a month of triple digit temps and she shares some of her lovely home where she is hiding from the hot temps. I never ever tire of peaking into her home and seeing all her darling decor.

Okay now let's party. I aim to make this simple so just link up your post on whatever you are up to. I love to see all the creativity out there and the wonderful places you visit and the yummy food you make so it is your choice. Have a wonderful weekend.

Frugal Challenge - Clean and Organize the Refrigerator and Gain a Meal

I have one more week before school starts around here and I am trying to get the kitchen, the place we leave from and come home to for a meal, in shape for what is going to be one of the most hectic years I have had in a long time.

Last week, while several of the kids were away from the house, I spent a day cleaning and organizing the refrigerator. Yes, even the fridge can work better for our busy school year ahead.

Here are some things I do to keep our very small fridge in some kind of order.

Use one of your small drawers for your yogurt and pudding cups. They were always falling all over the shelves and being shoved to the back so I decided to put them all in a drawer. Now when someone wants one they are all here in one place.

Line your door shelves and drawers with paper towels. That way sticky bottoms of bottles and jars go on the towel and not the shelf and keeps things cleaner longer.

Organize like items on each shelf. Now getting my kids to keep up with this is always a challenge but why would you not put all the mustards together? Why does this not make sense to the kids?

I love baskets and use them even in the freezer. A small basket on the door holds small packages of partially used nuts and chocolate. This keeps them from landing under something bigger and me not knowing I already have pine nuts in the freezer.

Use a bigger basket on the shelf of the freezer to hold all those odd little partial packages of meats. In here was a half pack of hotdogs, two fish fillets and some Canadian bacon. This way these small things don't become lost in the freezer never to be seen again. I just pull the basket out for those odds and ends I know are in there.

One benefit of cleaning out the freezer is a dinner I didn't have to shop for this week as it was made up of older things that needed using up. Don't throw food away. It is like burning your money. Took a corned beef bought in March and cooked it in the crock pot and then sliced it for sandwiches.

And a partial package of pepperoni in my little green basket along with some pantry staples became a wonderful Italian pasta salad.

With food so expensive, and I believe getting even more so, we have to become careful stewards of the food we do buy. Make it last, use it up and eat every last drop is my motto.

Linking to:
SNS 146
Weekend Whatever
Seasonal Sundays
Thrifty Treasures
DIY Home Sweet Home
The Morris Tribe
By Your Hands
Pin It, Made It Monday
Homestead Revival