Next Project ??

I've gotten antsy and need a new project to keep me from doing anything crazy like go get a pilot license. Here are my suggested projects:

1. Enclose the deck, and make a new living room. Our living room is too small, so it could now become a study. The study could become the dining room. The dining room could be the expanded kitchen. This project would keep me busy for a little while.

2. Put granite down. I don't want other people to do all the work, so I would consider purchasing a quarry and digging my own granite. After that, I would need to cut and polish it somehow. I'm not sure how to polish it. For some reason, Lettie doesn't want granite countertops in the kitchen.

3. Build a fence in the backyard. This is my parent's vote because they have a tendency to let the traffic on the road in the front do all the babysitting. We would fence the whole backyard, for equal hatred between the 4 neighboring yards.

4. Build a detached garage. Aww. That would be nice. We would move the driveway, and then the current garage could become the new living room.

5. Sprinkler system. Brian inspired me, but I'm afraid since last time we went days without water due to my plumbing inabilities. I could run the whole neighborhood out of water this time.

6. Build a full-size chicken house to fulfill my dreams.

7. Create an in-wall salt water aquarium using the space beneath the steps.

8. Bring in enough dirt to fill the front of the 1st floor of the house, and then call it the basement. Take the roof off, and build a 3rd floor which we would call the 2nd floor.

I have other ideas too, but they can be later.

What's your vote?

What's that crazy lady doing in her front yard?

That's what my neighbors were thinking last Saturday.

So, we have this couch and she's a khaki colored denim fabric. I really love this couch, but I bought her way before I had any inkling that I would be bringing 2 boys into this world.

The slipcovers on the cushions are removable, so they have seen many trips to the washing machine, but the rest of the couch is definitely not washable. I was "smart" enough to have a stain resistant coating put on the couch when I bought it, but apparently this means that any time it is spot cleaned, even with just water, it leaves a bleach spot. So, after many spills and paw prints and spot cleanings, we were left with a nasty looking splotchy couch that was very discolored and just not pretty.

We thought about getting a new leather couch, but I love this couch and she has been such a good couch for the last 6 years, so here was my solution:I dragged that baby out into the front yard and put the hose, some oxiclean and Jackson to work. I figured I had nothing to lose since my neighbors already think we're crazy, and it actually worked! I can tell she's proud to be back in our living room and I saved Alex a couple of thousand dollars that he can spend on useful things like chickens.

More Chickens...

Ok, I am honestly a little sick of hearing about chickens, talking about chickens, looking at chickens, preparing for chickens and you probably all are too. I think Alex is more excited about this than he was about finding out we were pregnant-and that took a lot of time and effort!

If you know and love Alex like I do, then you know that he has a tendency to go a little overboard with everything he does. The chickens are no exception. When we started this journey last Friday, he called me and said that he found a free chicken coop and 2 free chickens and could he please have them. I gave in and said if it is all free that he has permission, but he will be responsible for the care of them, especially anything poop related. I have enough poop to clean up around this house.

Fast forward to this week. The free chickens had already been taken and of course the free coop is just not up to Alex standards. Is he going to use the materials he has and just improve the coop? No! He has to buy all new materials and start from scratch. Did he find any other free chickens? No! He bought fancy pants chickens on-line and the number has been upped from 2 to 4. I just have to shrug my shoulders and smile.

Here's a picture of our chicken coop with our little monkey in it. That's our neighbor Gabe playing with him. Please enjoy this simple man's coop while it lasts.

I would also like to add that Alex owes me an apology for making fun of the chicken fabric I re-upholstered our chair in. I obviously knew we were chicken people long before he realized it.

Chicken Update

I have some great chicken news to announce. I have the coop, and our chickens will be here in a few weeks. We are receiving 1 day old chicks, which could be considered a little crazy by some of you. That's ok if you think this. You are the same people that will be jealous of my easter egg laying chicken in a few months.

Here are few pictures of our 4 hens. We've been told that the adult color of chickens can't be nailed down from the chicks, so these might not exactly match our chickens. But I expect these to be pretty close.

d'Uccle Bantams


Buff Silkie


Easter Egger


Barred Plymouth Rock (rooster is in front of the hens)

I know you're thinking that these chickens are awesome. I KNOW. That's why we're getting them. I'll talk about the coop after I decide on my course of action.

We are currently considering names for each chicken. We have a few ideas, but you know we don't like to name things until they have arrived. If you have ideas, we'll listen unless you're Drew. Drew, your ideas are terrible.

Excitement

Tomorrow is chicken coop day. I can hardly contain myself.

I'll get back to drinking mint juleps, wearing my oversized hat, watching race horses, and of course sitting on the deck.

EOB

I would like to take this time to announce that this is now an equal opportunity blog.

It doesn't matter who Lettie currently has a crush on. I realize that sometimes we might have awesome celebrities, such as Nester, stop by and read about my crush on chickens, and salt water aquariums, and getting my private pilot license, or whatever disease I have contracted. We appreciate the celebrities just as much as we appreciate those who have terrible ideas, and nothing much to talk about.

Who cares if most everyone we hang out with is a loser. The point of this blog is not to ridicule or create divisive blog entries.

From this moment forward, I will try to keep all blog authors from playing favorites. All comments are created equal, unless they discuss the feasibility of astroturf flooring.

Starstruck

Oh...my...gracious!
I can't believe the nester posted a comment on our little old blog!

I haven't posted anything about the nester's blog on here before because I didn't want to give away where I've been getting all my awesome, cheap, cute decorating ideas lately, but I guess the secret is out and I really should be nice and share her awesomeness with everyone! So...here it is...the nester.
Everyone should definitely check out her blog-you will love it!

I have spent hours of precious naptimes lost in the world of her "window mistreatments," tassels and lots of other fun stuff. I guess that explains the current state of my house. "Nester" has become a part of my everyday vocabulary!