The Sledding Chickens On Video!. . .

I had fun taking pictures of the girls in my previous "Snow Day" post, but my mom, who is visiting with my sister in Texas right now told me that I should have video taped it.  She wanted to see.  So yesterday, I had the girls show everyone via video how their Henny Penny's like to go sledding.

Here's part one:

And this is part 2:

Now isn't that so much more fun than sitting in front of a gaming system or a T.V.?  My children just love to play outside.  They do like their new XBox Kinect that they got for Christmas, but they really like playing outside more.  And they get plenty of fresh clean air living in the country.  We also made home made Maple Sugar Snow Candy yesterday.  It was delicious!

You know what I hope that everyone will take away from my blog (where chickens are concerned)?  It's simple, Buff Orpingtons are an amazing breed of chicken.  They are so sweet and friendly.  They love children and people in general.  They are extremely patient and absolutely full of personality. They thrive on human contact and make it simply impossible not to love them! I have 2 hens molting (since January), yet my 3 girls consistently give us 14 eggs per week.  If you don't have any chickens but are planning to start the wonderful chicken experience this spring, then I highly recommend the amazing Buff Orpingtons.  If you already have chickens and don't have any Orpingtons, then you need to add them to your flock.  We are going to add 2 more to our happy little flock this spring.  I can't wait!

Snow Day!!!

Today was a snow day. And even better, it was a Friday snow day. Really now, is there anything more fun than a snow day when you're a kid? I don't think so!!

Our neighbor Riley came over in the morning, and the girls started sledding first thing. Before long, the Henny Penny's were sledding along with them!

Here's how country girls spend a snow day!!

Then it was on to snowman making. . .

I love the snow hat!

They had lunch, and afterwards the chickens had some more fun with the girls:

And then they all made Snow Ice Cream.

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 cereal bowls of clean snow

Warm the milk, vanilla and sugar (so sugar will melt) on the stove top.

Put that into a container in the fridge or out in the snow to cool. When cool, it's time for Snow Ice Cream!

Put 4 cereal bowls full of clean snow into a big mixing bowl:

Add the cream, sugar and vanilla.

Stir, stir, stir. . .

Smile for your crazy camera mommy. . .

. . .and come in the house for the first taste. All three girls had a pajama day. That's always cozy fun!

Yummy!!!!

Snow days are so much fun, and I always try to make them really special. Don't you wish you could come over to play too?!

Chicken Wire Isn't Just For Chickens!

First off, I want to apologize.  I should have taken a before picture.  I am constantly taking pictures and for the life of me, I can't believe I forgot to take a before picture.  Anyway. . .here's the after photo:

The before photo "would have" revealed a hideous picture frame with an old ugly oil painting in it.  The frame was really dirty and had that gold gilded finish.  After I cleaned it up, I spray painted the frame and then washed over it with a very diluted brown tempera paint so the carved wood could be highlighted and it's beauty revealed.  The frame is big. . .35"x29".  I have been keeping an eye out for a large ornate frame especially for this project.  I used a staple gun to attach the chicken wire and it was not an easy task.  It was hard to get it to lay flat.  In fact, I didn't get the chicken wire to lay perfectly flat, but I just kept pulling hard on the wire as I stapled away, first on opposite ends, and then on the sides.  Trust me, if you plan to do this for yourself, and you're using a large frame, that is how you need to do it.  I did it wrong the first time and had to start all over.  I backed all the photos with cereal box cardboard to prevent curling over time.  I then attached them to the chicken wire with a few dots of hot glue.  The little clothes pins are just for looks.  They aren't really the main mode of securing the photos.

So there we have it.  How fitting to have a chicken collage with a chicken wire backing!  See? . . . .chicken wire isn't just for chickens!

Your Horse Drawn Carriage Awaits, Miss Daisy. . .

Earlier this week, Tara and Madeline bought this from a local garden/store keeper where we live.  We love supporting local business when we can.  When we brought it home, we decided to let Daisy try it out first.

She wasn't totally fond of it, but the alternative. . ."jumping off into the snow". . .wasn't very appealing either.

Bawk. . .bawk. . .Well, this is quite a conundrum. . .

Bawk. . .A little help here please?. . .

Awww heck!  Bawk. . .sometimes you've just gotta take the plunge!

Which she gracefully did!  She pushed her way through the snow over to Tara so she would pick her up and put her back into her run.

Then the carriage came into the house for it's intended purpose:

Chickens In The Snow

Well, lets just say that they DON'T like it! 

Especially when the outside temperature is -2 degrees!  As you can see, Dixie was not a happy girl.

Jasmine and Daisy were not up for any winter games either.

Tara and Madeline tossed them into the freshly fallen snow, and they literally just sat there.  Looking at us as if to say "Are you KIDDING me?!!"  Pick me up and put me back into my heated coop!!

Chickens aren't like kids after all.  They don't have warm boots on their feet or fleecy hats on their combs.  Madeline was totally okay with laying on her soft bed of snow.

Tara, who's not feeling well at all (she's been running a fever on and off since last night and has a persistent cough), was totally fine in the snow. . .for a little while.

Even when Dixie had a little pathway to walk on, she just flapped her wings indignantly while saying "Pick me up!  Pick me up!  Pick me up!!"

Which Tara did. . .

And then she put her in her chicken run, while Madeline followed with Daisy and Jasmine.  All told, the chickens spent about 7 minutes in the snow and they Did. . .Not. . .Like it!!  But I can't blame them.  Dixie and Daisy are molting and with the brutal temps, how could they enjoy it?!

Snow is for kids, not chickens.

This is one of only a literal hand full of snowfalls we've had all winter.  It has been so unusually mild temperature wise as well as precipitation wise this year.  I can't even remember in my lifetime ever having such a mild winter.  The chickens have not had much exposure to snow and they clearly expressed to us that they prefer spring, summer, and fall far better than winter.   I feel the same way as them!