WOO HOO!

What Else Could Go Wrong?

Well, Christmas has come and gone. WOW...that went by FAST!  I remember it being the middle of July and now it's December 28th.   I wish time would just slow down a bit.

These past few days have been interesting for us here on the farm.  Monday morning Skippy went to the coop to let the ladies out and give them feed and fresh water.  He came back in quickly there after, holding Queen Latifah in his arms, her had just hanging there all limp.  When I asked what happened, he said he found her hanging in the coop.  I immediately pictured her hanging by her neck and started to cry, but that is not what happened.  Skippy found her hanging by her wings on the wires we have the food and water containers hanging by that keep the shavings and the droppings out.   I still don't understand HOW it happened nor really how long she was in that position.  Earlier I had heard some commotion going on out in the house, but just thought it was their usual melodious, "COME NOW AND SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE" song.  I should have gone!

Well, we wrapped Queen Latifah up in a towel to get her warm and to see if we could get her to perk up.  She was in shock so we were going to keep a very close eye on her for awhile.  We got an empty tub from the porch and put some clean bedding in it and put it in the bathroom, out of the way of the dogs and cats.  As we lifted her up, Skippy noticed something strange on her backside. There was some blood and it looked like her insides were hanging out.   If you have never raised chickens, it can be a scary sight to see that first time.  After the harrowing experience of her being hung up by her wings, now come to find out the poor thing has what is called an oviduct prolapse, a condition in which the lower part of a hen’s oviduct turns inside out and protrudes through the vent.   Prolapse is a very serious condition that is treatable if caught early and is more than likely going to recur.   Talk about a DOUBLE WHAMMY!

After a quick bathing of Queenie's hind area, it was time to put everything back in its proper place.  Just how I wanted to spend my Christmas Eve morning!  lol  Before we began, we covered Queenie's head with a hand towel.  Since chickens can not see in the dark, they won't move.  We place a hand towel over their head to subdue them, preventing them from thrashing around and hurting themselves.

Armed with latex gloves, a hand towel, My Skippy Man, and Preparation H, it was time to begin. When you have a prolapse, everything becomes inflamed and swollen.  The Preparation H helps to shrink the swelling allowing the oviduct to remain inside the vent instead of bulging back out.  Very slowly, I gently pushed everything back inside, cleaning the area again with warm water, then applying a little more Preparation H.  We waited another minute before flipping her back over and removing the towel, making sure she didn't prolapse again.  SUCCESS!   Now to get her back in her tub and limit her light and feed so she will not lay for a time so she can heal.  When we were finished and everything was cleaned up, Skippy turns to me with a big smile on his face and says, "DR. DOLITTLE, STRIKES AGAIN!"  lol  Such a funny guy!

Ok, now with her all taken care of and in her nice clean tub, it was off to Wal-Mart for some last minute grocery items and prescriptions.  Fast forward three hours!  URRGGHH! 

Back home and groceries unpacked, we check in on our precious baby girl.  Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water, we realized we had another problem......Queenie's wings were hanging to the ground.  After a quick search on Yahoo, we found what we had expected......both her wings were broken.  Time for another fix-it session, bandaging and binding her wings to her body.  We didn't have any gauze handy and another three hour trip to Wal-Mart was NOT an option, so we had to improvise.  My very helpful Skippy Man, gently gathered her wings and drew them up close to her body, putting them in place.  I then took a piece of fabric, ripped it into strips, and tied it around her middle, holding up her wings.  Not too bad for an impromptu sling.  Skippy gave her a small bite of oatmeal since it was very low in protein, but she only took two bites and was done.  It was time to go back into her bed.  She will have to be separated from the flock for about two weeks, giving her wings a chance to heal.  If she goes outside, it will have to be with supervision. 

Queenie Latifah did very well the rest of Monday and through the night.   She's just soaking up all the attention.  And, as you can see from the picture below, she was enjoying herself on Christmas day, just chillin' on my lap and hangin' with the family!   (ooops, sorry.....no pun intended) lol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! 

Thank you for this special day we celebrate because of YOU!

How Time Flies

I can't believe that it is already the 17th of December. Where does the time go?   It really hasn't felt like December around here.  The weather has been so CrAzY.  One day it's in the 70's then in the 40's the next.  My poor body is in a constant state of confusion!  lol

Today has been a slow day so far for me.  I must have been exhausted because I slept just over 12 hours, not waking till 10:30 this morning.  I ate breakfast and since then, can not seem to get motivated.  I have been trying to do some crafting but it has taken me forEVER to do one simple thing.  Hmm......not sure what gives.

I am working on some Christmas gifts so I can't post any pics or directions.  I did that last year since me family never read my blog, only to find out that Bean had just started reading it and saw my post on her gift!  ROFLOL!  Good thing she liked those personalized coasters!!  lol
 

Can you find Rascal?  LOL

We didn't do much decorating this year as the house is so small.  Just the tree, the entertainment center, and garland wrapped with lights on the front porch.  Oh, and two small candle holders that belonged to my mom on the dining room table.    Tear down is going to be a breeze!  lol

Blessings to all for a very wonderful and productive day! :D

Oh, BTW.....does anyone know why only three posts are showing up now?  Or how to get my edit button back to change my header?  I can't seem to get away from the eggs! lol

We have been trying to put up some of our CHRISTmas decorations today.  We were able to get the tree up last night before Skippy went to bed.  We decided not to put up too much as our home is very small.  We had to do some moving of furniture and put things where they don't look that good, but it's only for a short time so I am ok with it. 

I took a short break this morning to enjoy a hot cup of tea and some chocolate chip cakies I made over Thanksgiving.  (recipe to follow)  It was cold here this morning, 32* degrees when I woke up, but is almost 60* now, however, it doesn't feel like it at all.

So, how is your holiday decorating coming along?

Sugar-Free/Gluten-Free Almond Flour "Snickerdoodle" Cookies

This afternoon I was searching the internet, looking for a dessert to make for our couples Bible study tonight that I could eat.  I found this recipe on "Kalyn's Kitchen" and knew I just had to make these.  They are very easy to make they taste delicious too. Even Skippy liked them!
WOO HOO!

For this recipe, you will need the following:


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal (almond flour gives it a more finely-textured cookie
3/4 cup granular Splenda
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used Ideal Brown Sugar Substitute)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

For Rolling Cookies
2 T granular Splenda
2 tsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

In mixing bowl, combine the butter, 3/4 cup almond flour, 3/4 cup Splenda, 1/4 cup brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar and blend well with mixer until well combined. Beat in the other 3/4 cup of almond flour, until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. (The mixture will be stiff.)

Scrape the beaters to remove all the dough, then cover bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and chill one hour or longer. (I've gotten distracted and chilled it for nearly 3 hours, which didn't seem to matter.)

When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Combine 2 T Splenda, 2 tsp. brown sugar, and cinnamon in small dish.

Scoop out heaping teaspoons of dough, and roll dough into balls about 1 inch across. Roll each ball in the Splenda/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and put on cookie sheet 2 inches apart

For flatter/crisper cookies, smash each one down with your fingers, keeping them about 1/4 inch thick. You can also bake them without smashing for a more domed-shaped cookie. Bake cookies about 14-16 minutes, until they're starting to brown and are slightly crisp-feeling to the touch.

Remove cookies to a rack and let cool 20-30 minutes before serving.  They're fairly crumbly when they're hot but they stay together well once they're cool. These cookies will keep for several days in a plastic container if you can manage to keep them around that long.

ENJOY!

Friday's Photo File

     

    This remind me that as we each follow our life's track, God has already been there,  preparing the way!     * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *   I am linking up today with Hope from "The Simple Life of Hope" - a place to share your new or old treasure photos. 
If you'd like to join in on the fun, please click HERE to link up!

Today I Will Make Time....

REPOST: Gettin' Crafty - Handmade Personalized Picture Coasters

I have had requests for the directions for these coasters so here it is!  

I absolutely LOVE to make things whenever I can, but I truly enjoy it most of all, when I get to create gifts for those special people in my life for their birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and Christmas, etc.  Here is one of the gifts I made for Bean coasters  Don't worry, she won't see these pics.  My family doesn't read my blog unless I tell them too!  lol

Why have BLAH looking coasters , when you can have BEAUTIFUL and PERSONALIZED coasters instead?  Remember.....you can you decorate these with any picture, graphics, you want!

These coasters are SOOO CUTE and SUPER UBER EASY TO MAKE!  For these personalized coasters, you will need the following:

4 ceramic tiles in your choice of color, texture, and size (I like the textured 4x4 ones from Home Depot @ .31 cents each)

4 squares of scrapbook paper and cut these whatever size you want for your tile. I wanted a nice border of tile to be seen because I thought it was really pretty, so I cut mine paper smaller, leaving about a half inch tile border.

4 pictures printed to your smaller than your paper so you will have a pretty decorated border.  I had to finagle these with my printer because I am COMPUTER ILLITERATE and couldn't figure out how to work the darn thing to make them the size I wanted, where I didn't have to cut them down.

OUTDOOR Mod Podge - it's very important you get the outdoor kind so it will make the coasters waterproof (you can get this at Michael's)

Foam paint brush

Felt (whatever color you like) - this goes on the back or each coaster so they won't scratch your table/counter surface

Aileen's tacky glue - or whatever kind of craft glue that you can use to adhere the felt to the back of each coaster

Directions:

Apply a layer of OUTDOOR Mod Podge to your tile, not real thin, but not goopy - somewhere in between.  If you have too much, your picture will move.  Lay your scrapbook paper down, smoothing from the inside out to the edges of your paper . . . . . .I used my Pampered Chef scraper for my stoneware!  lol  Set tile(s) aside and go do some wrapping, bake some cookies, or take a moment and have a nice hot cup of coffee.

After your Mod Podge and paper layer have dried, apply another coat to the entire tile, making sure to completely cover the paper.  Now you are going to put your picture right on top of your background paper, making sure to again, smooth out the wrinkles working form the inside, out to the edges of your picture.  Again, set aside and go do something FUN while it dries.

Now apply another coat of Mod Podge over your tile, completely covering the paper and picture.  Set aside and go give your kiddos a big hug and tell them how much you love them!   : > )

Ok, now we are down to the final steps.  After your tiles dries, you are going to apply two (2) more coats of Mod Podge, allowing your tile to dry in between each coat.  Now that you have finished your coasters, you need to allow them to cure for a day or two.

Now that your coasters have cured, it's time to put on the finishing touch, the felt.  Lay your coaster on top of your felt and trace around all four edges and cut out.  Apply your craft glue to the back, then adhere your felt.  When the glue has dried, trim off the excess felt so it will be flush with the sides and not visible.

Now you are ready to wrap up your handmade personalized picture coasters all nice and pretty.   See....that wasn't that hard, was it? I know you will really like these coasters and end up making a set for yourself.  I also bought bigger tiles and will either make trivets or get those little tabletop stands and put them up as pictures to decorate the piano!

Don't forget, if you make these coasters, please come back and leave a link so we can come by for a visit and see your beautiful work! 

Been very Busy......But It's A Good Thing

I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately, but that's a good thing.  Rather then tell you what I've been up to, I'll show you.

"Children make your life important!"
~ homeschool fall portraits ~

A heart that loves, is always young!
~A young newlywed couple~

"My precious niece.......an exact mini version of my sister!"
~ My niece, Boog~

"A moment in my tummy....a lifetime in my heart!"
~A maternity session~

"Just Shootin' My Friend"

~Sharing our passion for photography~

Thank you, S.......this shot is AMAZING! 

 
This is where I prefer to be........behind the camera!  

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit!

GOD BLESS!