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Showing posts from 2012

Christmas with the England's

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Each year for Christmas, my family does a 'homemade' gift exchange. It's a lot of fun, but it can also be a challenge. The gift must be gender neutral, which usually isn't a problem. The issue is that I am from a family of builders and construction workers, so I have to compete with my uncles making mailboxes, bird houses, shelves and other such awesome gifts! So I put my brain to work (with the help of pinterest!) We all share a common interest of the outdoors and everyone has the same last name, as Grandma had 6 boys and I am the only married girl grandchild. So this is what I came up with... This is not the 'Final' picture as I forgot to take one! The only major change was that I trimmed the tafata even with the top of the E. It was easy and simple and I thought it looked good. Well my family loved it and I got many compliments! My Grandma was the one who ended up with it and it was hanging on her door the next day! :) Here is what I used: Wreath $5

Halloween!

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I love the holiday! I was unable to go out this year and participate in the festivities,  so I thought I would share a picture of Halloween past... This is my Mom and Sister as 'Assault & Battery' The idea actually came from my classmate and mom put the idea into action. Did I mention she is good at what she does?? :) They won 2nd place in the contest they entered.

First Egg!

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One of our chickens laid her first egg! Broken and in the feed dish, they will learn eventually... Let the egg laying begin!

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

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I tried a new recipe tonight... Broccoli Chicken Casserole 5 Tablespoons Butter 1 Onion, diced 1 20oz Package frozen broccoli, thawed 10 3/4oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup 1 Whole rotisserie chicken, shredded 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 cup milk Salt and Pepper 1 6oz Package Stove-Top stuffing Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of dish with 3 tablespoons of butter. In a large bowl beat milk and soup, combine onion, broccoli, chicken, 1 cup cheese, garlic and 1/2 package stuffing. Spread into dish. Melt remaining butter over remaining stuffing, mix and then spread on top of casserole. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese prior to removing from oven.

Nesting Boxes

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While shopping at Easter this spring, my husband talked me in to buying some baby chicks. I am not a chicken person, especially roosters. But the thought of raising our own eggs and having garden fertilizer appealed to me. So we got 6 hens and a rooster. We had an old chicken coop on the farm, however the nesting boxes were not in it. After looking at how much they cost (approximately $25 and up depending on how elaborate you want to get) I decided to put my shop skills to use and make my own. I looked at a few different plans online and decided on this one because of the low cost and we had the materials on hand. Materials: 5 gallon bucket with snap on lid Drill Utility knife Drywall screws 2x4’s 2x6’s Directions: I used a bucket that contained drywall plaster; it’s a little shorter than a regular 5 gallon bucket and they fit in our coop better. It was clean and had a good fitting lid. I removed the handle and lid first. I then cut one lid so approximately 1/3 r