My Chicks salute the Arrival of Their First Spring

our unkept lawn on which the chicks free-range New England Red flowers sprouting Americana Buff Orpington my deck-lookout where I have to lookout for hungry chicken hawks who want to kill my chicks while they free range... frolicking in the yard... EGGS!!!!!!

Life With my Backyard Chickens

As you raise sassy organic-fed humane backyard chickens, you start to gain an appreciation for the cackling of a murder of crows, delightful cookbooks, the ultimate chicken dessert (scratch), the wing span of a hawk, moss terrariums, the color turquoise on a new earthy skirt and beautiful baskets to collect eggs in made by a friend. Enjoy these snapshots of my Saturday.

A Moss Terrarium by my Rena from the White Weathered Barn My Moss terrarium reaching up as it grows... my sweet stash as I sit watching my ladies, with a dark chocolate peanut butter cup and a mug of Chai tea Isis and the other girls during a photo-op a new SECOND-HAND skirt with turquoise stones My Easter-Eggers

Some of My NEW Favorite Things

I had a restful and great Sunday this past weekend, which is slightly rare. My best weekender experiences usually fall on a Saturday, the day of the week that I would normally call one of my favorite things, but not this time. So I declare that Sunday is making the also-one-of-my-fave-things list.

So this Sunday I woke up early enough to do some morning reading. I'm currently taking a reprieve from my usual cerebral, booky, mystery fiction and I'm reading something that reads rather quickly due to my pressed time schedule this month. Since I am determined to be an author/illustrator combo some day, I'm now reading a fun young-adult graphic novel WONDLA illustrated and written by the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tony DiTerlizzi. Best of all, this book has a phenomenal interactive website and it was one of my surprise b'day gifts from my hub!

Then I got to brew a whole tea pot of some of my newest addiction TEAVANA Rooibos Cocoa Praline Tart tea The ultimate zero calorie, caffeine free sweet tooth satisfaction! Try Haute Chocolate tea too- ooh la la is all I gotta say! Teavana Cocoa Praline Tart Rooibos Tea And thanks to that husband of mine I got to enjoy that tea in another awesome Bday gift- check out my new porcelain tea thermos from TEAVANAMy new procelain thermos

This Sunday Morning we also had a delicious omelette, a gift from my ladies and my hub:

our eggs my handmade ipad case by me

I made major progress (though I'm still not finished) with a daunting sewing project that I wanted to tackle now for a while, a handmade case for my iPad. I wish I could have done a tutorial for you all, but I seriously had no idea what I was doing! I just made it all up along the way and struggled to boot, which is something I usually don't do as an autodidact, but hey I can't always be sunshine and roses!

span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable">latch open openPropped up for viewing

Lastly this is going to be a GREAT thanksgiving week because my ART children are coming home from college and I get to see those fresh eyed babes who hold such a special place in my heart!

- Ciao Amarettogirl

My First EGG!!

Portrait of My First Chicken Egg hatched myteriously by one of my ladies on Hallloween Portrait 2 of my first egg Portrait of My first Egg born on Halloween 2010

So YES! My first egg came on HALLOWEEN :)) My only sadness is that I don't know which of my 12 ladies gave me the gift of this beautiful egg. I wish I did, just so I could thank her, maybe with a strawberry (they are WILD about strawberries). Fertilized or not, I think giving away your eggs can't be completely easy. I love my girls so and I'm learning so much from them. But, I'm scared to eat the egg- I read somewhere that the first few eggs wouldn't be worth much-that they would be small, shaped awkward and possibly even wonky looking...but this looks like perfection. If there are any chicken raisers out there that can give me more tips I would LOVE THEM!!!

which of these lovely ladies laid the first egg, If I only knew??

Coming Home to Chick Coop Dreams

While I was away my amazing husband printed out my coop design plans and got to work making the fairytale-cottage-coop dream, a reality.

Obviously, we're still not done, but all my hub did on his own is absolutely stunning :))

I'm in awe of it every morning when I look out my bedroom window to my yard.

Since I've been home we got the run built and added a roosting pole into both the coop n run, the quirky 20-something yr. ol' (7-8wk old) chicks love it! and So do my babies Chulo and Chica!

What's left to do:
Well I already ordered the small operable window and that should be arriving later this week.
We're going to place it on the front rightside of the coop.
Then I'm going to make shutters & a window flower box.
Siding n lots of paint.
Inside- we're adding 2 more roosting poles and insulating the inside walls in Sept.
A few nesting boxes still need doors and the run/coop door needs a pulley system...
then I think we can call it done. Hooray!

Starting with Raising Chickens

Opening the Package from MyPetChicken.com Brooder Introduction Beginning to Eat Meet Colina Meet Varaka

Chicken Coop Plans - Dreams

As I research, learn and price materials at Home Depot, I continue to modify, change, throw out and start over with designing my chicken coop.

My goal is to get started building in the next two weeks. But before I do that I have to commit to a style and well - I have commitment issues- As my hub knows I have to REALLY love something to commit - hence he is in the picture!!

Coop Plan Idea number 2 drawn with Google Sketchup by m.diaz Idea number 3 The Classic by m.diaz

So PLEASE TELL ME - WHICH COOP PLAN

#1- The Chicken Adirondack throne Coop,
#2 The Zen Den or
#3 The Classic Garden Duplex Coop
DO YOU LIKE so FAR????

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Ciao Amarettogirl

Water and Weed Wednesday - Strawberries & Coop Dreams

Wednesday's fresh strawberries- whipped cream anyone?? My yard and where the chicken coop is going to go! an original sketch of a shape that is as close a proximity to what is in my head for a coop that I want

Chelsea Gallery Tour Part II

Baby Chick Starter kit by My Pet Chicken

Ok so- the performance that I am in is only 48 hours away! I hope I don't get stage-fright! I'm still on antibiotics, I'm lusting to get some new drawings done AND I ordered the baby chick starter kit! WOO HOO!!!

Soon I will show you the locale for the coop that I'm going to design and build so stay tuned. Tomorrow will be a full dress rehearsal and Thursday and Friday we're on. I play Betty Chumley (Doctor Chumley's wife) in Harvey (yes the same 1950 Harvey film with Jimmy Stewart).

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During the Chelsea tour I just so happened to stop in front of the Claire Oliver Gallery in which I had seen Judith Schaechter's work before and to my surprise there was a new, freshly mounted Judith Schaechter exhibit entitled Beauty and the Beef just mounted!! I hope you like my pics!

Using traditional copper foil and soldering techniques, Schaechter balances tradition and medium that harken back to the middle ages with an unmistakably contemporary style, aligned with those of underground comics and political satirists.

-The Claire Oliver Gallery

Judith Schaechter's You Are Here Stained Glass Lightbox Judith Schaechter's The Cold Genius (detail) Judith Schaechter's Widow Graphite on Paper Judith Schaechter's The Minotaur (detail) Judith Schaechter's Lockdown Stained Glass Lightbox

Getting Ready to Raise Some Chickens!

As soon as my seniors graduate this year I am going to console my achy breaky heart by beginning a new venture - Raising Chickens! I've given this a whole lot of thought for almost a year now and it took about a year and half of convincing my hub!

Keeping Pet Chicken by William Windham & Joe Stahlkuppe

Thanks to an awesome informative site like My Pet Chicken and one spontaneous episode of Martha Stewart on raising chickens when both the hub and I happened to be home and watching...the decision has been finalized.

As of two minutes ago - I just clicked purchase and have placed an order with MyPetChicken for a dozen chicks (knowing I will most likely have only 8-10 to raise since they all don't always make it). They are scheduled for shipping on June 7th and graduation is June 6th.

One of the great aspects of this venture is that I'm a blogger - so if you ever wondered if you could venture into raising chickens you can follow this chicken novice (moi) here on my blog- from delivery, to creating the initial brooder to building a coop - in June its all going to happen right here!

Now check out the new soon to be members of my fam:

4 Easter Eggers - ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 SL Wyandottes ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 RhodeIlse Reds ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 Australorps ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 Buff Orpingtons as Chicks ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC.

All the chickens will arrive as 72 hour old chicks, and I am so excited and nervous (whenever another living creature is involved I think its wise to be a bit of both).

I can't wait to start building the coop. I found another blogger that is a serious inspiration for a beginning chicken caretaker like me- her blog is Vintage Garden Gal and I urge you to check out her stunning coops!

You know with the bee-keeping laws lifted off of NYC and quite a few people finding creative ways to raise chickens in urban dwellings - it seems remiss to not utilize my Jersey yard like this! The hub and I have decided this is the BEST anniversary gift, one that keeps on giving!

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Ciao Amarettogirl