Wal-Mart is Now Selling Caskets and Urns....

Just when I think I have seen it all. I absolutely did NOT see this one coming! Wal-Mart? Caskets? Urns? Yes, it is true. I think a major line has been crossed here. I think someone needs to put a stop to it. I swear, one day Wal-Mart will take over the world. And we'll be forced as a society to wear those blue vests to show our loyalty, or be shot. ;)

I'll admit, I shop there ALL the time. All the time. Several times a week in fact. They are a lot cheaper in so many aspects. And convenient too. But today I am seriously considering not shopping there ever again. That would be a total life challenge as well as having an huge impact on our budget. Understand what I mean when I say they will take over the world?

This may be one of those times that I have to put my personal interests aside and do what I think is in the best interest of the world at large. Maybe that sounds completely silly, but really, where does one draw the line?!?! Wal-Mart? Caskets? Urns? Anyone else think that is totally "off"?

Anyone Else Freak Out at the Thought of Painting the Woodwork?

It is just the thought of covering up that beautiful wood. And knowing that it would take A LOT of work to undo it if I ever were to decide to. Seems so permanent. Such a BIG commitment! HOWEVER. I have seen some gorgeous rooms lately with painted door frames and baseboards and they look so put together and wonderful! I love and long for the look of it! Yet I am pretty sure I lack the courage. What is your take on painting the woodwork? Done it and loved it? Done it and regretted it? Eeeek! :)

By the way, I bought a gallon of paint today! It is called Dark Toast. Yummy name, eh? I swear, pictures are coming soon and I will do before and afters. Currently, I took a paint brush and painted a few splotches here and there to get a feel for and decide if I loved the color before I paint the entire thing. Do other people do this too? Hubby seemed to think it was odd! :) I am not sure it is as dark as I want for the little living room, but I think it may be perfect for the laundry room! I know, a brown laundry room?!?!?! Weird-O! I just really have a thing for brown earthy tones! Pictures. I promise!

The Quandry: Strong Urge to Redecorate but Lacking the Talent! HELP!

I need help. I really want to do a little redecorating around our house. Nothing too fancy, some paint, new curtains, maybe some table decorations and DEFINITELY on a budget! The rooms I am shooting for are the big living room, the little living room, the laundry room and my daughter's rooms.

The only ideas I have so far are....

1. To dye the ugly faded 80's country blue cloth type vertical blinds in the big living room brown or tan with RIT dye. Do you think it will work? I have a snipped off piece and it is soaking in hot water right now to see how it holds up. :) I am thinking of getting the dye tomorrow and giving it a go! We are getting new carpet come spring, and also going to put ceramic tile in front of the deck door and under the wood stove. Currently the also faded old country solid blue carpet runs right up to the door (UGH!) and the wood stove sits on an ugly square black piece of metal stuff. I am going with a dark multi tone brown shag type carpet, and thinking of doing tans/browns for the tile, maybe throwing in a little color, in a circle under the wood stove and a half circle in front of the door.

2. The laundry room. Currently the walls are an old gross pale matte pink and the cabinets are white. It has flat utility type carpet that is a pain to sweep/vacuum, but I am not sure if we'll be changing that anytime soon - just the wall and cabinet color. To what colors? I have no clue! And it has one window that I would like to get a vertical blind for and make a new curtain.

3. Youngest daughter's room. It is currently pink bare walls. See? I am not much of a decorator! She mentioned blue with flowers and butterflies painted on. I am fairly artistic and like to make things, so I could probably manage that. Hubby also wants to add a chalk board painted section. She also recently got a bunk bed and the bottom is full size and folds into a futon/couch thing. I would like to make a curtain to cover the bottom bed so she could use it as a tent or hideout or place to read, etc.

4. Oldest daughter...well she is 16 and is probably going to want to do it how she wants to! Luckily she has a lot of style! :)

Now, a couple of barriers....dust. We live on a farm, use wood stoves, and it gets really dusty in here really quick! I am not a nic-nac person for that very reason - keeping up with the floors, walls, fans, and ceilings is work enough! I actually just packed up the baskets with fake plants in them because they are so hard to keep clean. So stuff has to be easily washable. Money...there is so much I would love to do here, like actually remodel and update! But for now, it is just some surface level tinkering to make things look a little nicer. The cheaper, the better, of course. :)

So if you have ideas or favorite websites sites or tips on how to put a room together or pictures of your own decorating...please let me know!

Three Guineas Down! OH NO!!!!

Two confirmed dead, one unaccounted for but found some feathers with tissue attached in the adjacent barn lot. Not sure what got them, but my main suspicion is raccoons. It rained all day yesterday and got cold, so our black lab was under the carport on the other side of the house last night. He has been sleeping on the deck near the coop and I think he keeps predators away at night. While the Guineas have been sleeping in their coop at night, we have not been locking them in. For sure we will from now on at night. There must have been a ruckus in the coop by whatever got them...their roosting sticks were all knocked down and one bird the only thing remaining was its head and neck.

Ugh. Poor babies!

Guineas on the Loose!!! And What to Name This Flock?

We let them out of their pen! We removed the fence/yard part so they could roam and hopefully stick around! For some odd reason, hubby didn't realize I would want to be part of that process. I called his cell Friday to tell him to come eat dinner, knowing he was around the farm somewhere, and he told me he was right in the yard letting the Guineas out. WHAT? Without me? What on earth would make you think I would NOT want to be part of that? He says 'well, we talked about doing it'. Um, yes, WE did. God bless him, I about strangled him!

So I get out there and NO Guineas. They were all up roosting in the trees, which is exactly what I did not want them to do! Crap. On top of that, he did this at dinner time so then it was dark and we could barely see them. And we could only count 7. Where was #8? Oh dear.

Saturday morning they were in the yard but still only 7 of them. No evidence of any foul play for number 8, it was like he was gone without a trace! I had to be gone Saturday night and part of Sunday for my oldest daughter's sweet 16 party, so hubby texts me Saturday evening and simply says "There's 8!!!" So he found his flock again, or they found him. That made me happy!

Saturday and Sunday nights they roosted for the night back in their coop. WOO HOO! I was so glad! Their food and water are in the coop, as well as a light for heat and branches to roost on. I think after a night of freedom in the tree (and it was cold that night!) they decided the coop was much cozier.

Today it got really warm so our house is being invaded by those orange and black polk-a-dotted beetles. The Guineas are definitely getting their bellies full between those and the crickets!

Now, what to name them? The first thing that comes to mind is The Search & Rescuers - they all get in a line and peck along eating bugs - it reminds me of a search and rescue team! However, they are on a mission to eat bugs, so how about The Search & Destroyers? One other one though...anyone remember the movie The Lost Boys? The way the Guineas go one at a time when they do fly up in or out of the trees reminds me of the train track scene in that movie when one at a time they drop down and then Michael follows. Man, Michael was a hottie! :) Anyway, The Lost Boys is in the running too. What do you think I should name them?

Fertility or Infertility. Another Duck Egg Link.....

I found some more detailed info about how to tell weather your eggs are fertilized or not at this site.

As much as I believe that we do not have any male ducks or fertilized eggs, I gave another friend some eggs and told her they are not fertilized....after she cracked some this weekend she said she thinks the eggs are fertilized. She did like eating them and commented on the bright colored yolks! ! :) I'm in the process of finding out what she is seeing and thinking. Until then, of course I am doing more Internet research and egg cracking to compare pictures!! :) I am certainly no egg expert, but I was really confident that they aren't fertile. I may attempt incubating just to be super sure. It wouldn't bother me if they are fertilized...they are still fine for eating, but then they could also be hatchable too - I'd just like to know so that I can tell people if they are or aren't and be sure about it! I thought I was sure, now I am not so sure! LOL :) Story of my life.

Yesterday I hard-boiled some Duck Eggs....oh man, were they delicious! The kids loved them! Going to try making deviled eggs with them soon!

Just a Friendly Reminder....

Depending on where you live....it is either 72 or 73 days until Christmas. :) How is your holiday prep going? Mine is just so-so!! :)

Welcome to the World!!

Please welcome the newest members of our family.....

From left to right....Little Miss Calie, Big Sissy Sam, and Little Mister Kain. Gorgeous & healthy! :) Hooray!!!!!