Monthly Archives: November 2009

Chicken Addiction

I am sure my NC family thinks I am crazy.  I am spending about two months there caring for my mom and her broken hip so we have plenty of conversations involving my chickens.

Two chicks hatched out the day before I left for NC and I was so excited.  They are Silkie chicks mixed with an Aracuana daddy.  I didn’t get to see them grow because I was gone three weeks and they are much bigger now.  Boo hoo

I have found some interesting websites where other people are raising chickens and writing about their experiences.  A woman who sells eggs and chicks lives close to me and has a website named chickenzoo.com.  She has all kinds of animals and lives on two acres like me.

My chickens give me a lot of joy.  It is fun to see what the baby chicks will look like.  I now have 33 chickens including the babies.  One of my Aracuanas just laid it’s first green egg.  I have an incubator so I will be hatching out some baby chicks in the spring.  So eggciting.

I think I may start a chicken blog….it would a diary of my ideas and happenings while raising my chickens.  I have designed a chicken house and found some cheap shortcuts for caring for unexpected situations.  I am looking forward to finding a name for my blog. 

Mom and a broken hip

Mom fell and broke her hip on October 22.  It was a clean break and she had three pins put into her hip.  The doctor said she should totally heal.

I flew to NC to help out since it really is a round the clock job to take care of someone who can’t get around.

My mother is such an active person and keeps a spotless house even at the age of 86.  The physical therapist said it is even harder for people who are so active to adjust to not being able to do anything without assistance.

I feel so badly for people who don’t have four daughters to work around the clock to make sure the patient is cared for and kept in good spirits.  We have realized how important it is to keep her thinking positive thoughts.  She is working really hard to do the therapy twice a day and walk with a walker.

Mom has such a sweet spirit.  She got all weepy when she was thinking about how all of us girls work so hard to take care of her and some people end up in a rehab center and then go home to an empty house.

Guess there are some advantages to having a lot of children.

Getting ready for tax time

This is the time of year you need to get your items to the Salvation Army or Goodwill and get your tax deductible receipts.

Also, start getting your tax information together.   You can total your medical and charity deductions.   I can’t tell you how many times I found tax deductions after I finished filing my taxes.

We have rental property so if we plan to do some work for next year, we can purchase the items before the end of the year and then do the work in the spring.

Don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a NICE tax re

Rice Krispy Treats made easier

Have you ever made Rice Krispy treats and burnt the butter or the marshmellows on top on the stove?

I learned this trick when I was working for Golden Corral.

Put 6 tsp (3/4 stick) of butter or margarine (not soft substitute) and a bag of small marshmellows into a large glass/ceramic bowl.  Heat in microwave for two minutes.  Stir until all the lumps are out.  Then add about four to six cups of Rice Krispys.  Just make sure the mixture isn’t too dry.  I just keep adding the cereal until it looks right.

I have also found that the generic brand at Walmart actually makes the treats better because they stay crispier longer.  I have also used the soft margarine substitute and the treats were not as good.  Not as crispy and the taste is different, too.