turning a trampoline into a chicken run

Confession: my once-given status of "crazy chicken lady" has been significantly reduced to "woman that once bought chickens and eventually left it to her husband to be the one who remembers to feed and water them" (clearly that's a conceptual reduction and not one of title, yeesh).

But let's not talk about that.

I built a run for the chickens over a year ago out of some pretty crude materials. I've been amazed it's lasted as long as it has and how sufficient is has been, but two nights ago we had insanely strong winds whipping about our spot on the map. When Ava and I went out yesterday to play in the back yard I discovered that the run had completely collapsed on one side, likely from those strong winds and just being past its prime. Moreover, there was a gaping open space at the top of it so that if the unclaimed treasures pooled their collective brain power they could possibly figure out that one good hop straight up would be their path to freedom and danger. I realized all of this at about 1:45 yesterday afternoon. I'm headed out of town for the weekend today, but I knew the chickens couldn't stay exposed and vulnerable until Monday - and I couldn't leave my husband and kids with the potential of having to chase errant chickens around the back yard - so a quick plan had to be devised.

Here's what we did. The kids had a trampoline that the previous homeowners generously left. We got a lot of mileage out of it, but it has really seen its last day, at least by way of safety measures. I got the idea that if I took the mat off, I could move the frame over to the chicken coop, cover the entire area in chicken wire, and the girls would have a new, sturdier, very weather-proof, bigger run.

Here's how Anthony decided to finish off the destruction of the trampoline mat . . .

This is what had happened to the existing run. It looks like a pile of trash.

"Hey, what the flock is going on here?" - chickens

The only materials I needed to purchase for this project was two new rolls of metal chicken wire. On this previous run I used a combination of metal and plastic wire. What I learned from the experience was that within a year the plastic wire becomes completely brittle and just tears apart if you look at it cross-wise. So again, I purchased only the metal fencing and one spool of cuttable wire so that I could affix all of it together and knit up any gaps. All total it cost me $50.00 and three to four hours of time spread out over yesterday afternoon, evening, and this morning.

Here's the finished product.

I may have been demoted from crazy chicken lady, having lost a little fervor. But this work was so cathartic and a reminder of how much I love being outside, working with my hands...and those silly birds.

Saturday's New Tradition

Saturday arrived once again, and once again we took our stroll to the Statham Farmer's Market.  This is our fourth week shopping at the market, and for the last two weeks Ma Luffin' Mayun's brother and his wife, Phillip and Becca (and the resident bun-in-the-oven we get to meet in late August) have come along for the venture.

Little Big Man decided to wrestle up
some cowboy boots and a ten-gallon hat
and mosey on down to the market.

Last week, everyone was encouraged to bring their pooches for the "Dog Days of Summer".  Though we opted to leave our two wiley coyotes at home, there were some cutie dogs.  If I remember correctly this one is named "Maggie".

This week there was a wonderful local saxophone quartet playing patriotic music.  Ma Luffin' Mayun is a UGA Redcoat alumnus, so he was all too thrilled to sit and listen.

Becca the patriot in front of the band stand.

Listening to the music

We've tried all kinds of new things throughout the weeks, including honey with the honeycomb.  Truly delicious.  It melts in your mouth like butter and after you've chewed it for a while, you just spit out the wax.

Trying the honeycomb

And here is our haul from last week and this week...

From top center going clockwise: bunch of sage,
two bags of lambsquarters (absolutely one of our new favorites), zucchini,
kale, pesto, crookneck squash, turnips, roma tomatoes, bowl of honeycomb,
bag of lettuce, and our cups of sweet tea
(from the market on 6/25/11)

Fourteen ears of corn
(from the market on 7/2/11)

From the top center going clockwise: kale, heirloom varieties of squash
including Peter Pan squash (shaped like flying saucers), sweet banana peppers,
all-natural lotion bar, handmade castille soap, all-natural skin cream,
honey, tomatoes
(from the market on 7/2/11)

Along with all the veggies we are picking up each week, sticking to our goal of only eating local produce from June through September, I love coming across products like these: handmade soaps, lotions, and creams made with ingredients that are natural and that I can use for myself and the kids (especially Little Big Man with his eczema).  This particular soap made by the Bartons of Sweet Tea is purely olive oil without any added perfumes which is perfect for his skin.  They also made the lotion bar that is absolute divinity.  The skin cream in the jar is made from olive oil, bees wax, water, tea tree oil, and vitamin E by the folks at Blue Sky Honey.  I have used it as facial moisturizer the last two days and love it.

I can't say enough about the market and our growing affection for our community as a result.  It is a blessing each week to see familiar faces, to learn the names that go along with them, and to happen upon old friends.

Here are some more shots from our last two weeks at the market...

My first batch of fresh pickles made from our
farmers market harvest

Ma Luffin' Mayun's BLT made with farmers market goodies

Here is a list, certainly not complete, of some of our favorite vendors.  We are proud to be their regular customers...
Lazy B Farm
Blue Sky Honey
Back In Time Farm
Sweet Tea
Bear Creek Farm
JessAnne Heirloom
Double Bridges Farm

Bouncin' and Behavin'

Since I know all of you are waiting with bated breath for instructions on all-natural, shampoo-free hair care -- or perhaps none of you -- I have this enlightening post for you today.

This information is made possible by a contribution from my dear friend Burnsy. She and I worked together about a decade ago, not realizing then that we were at the precipice of a lifelong friendship. We are usually separated by quite a lot of miles, seeing each other only a handful of times over these years. But the physical distance in no way parallels my affinity and outright love for her.

She's increbibly talented and a consummate professional in her field. Her career requires some atypical things of her hair, so when I found out she had sought out and found a natural, user-friendly, and economical hair care regimen that still left her hair looking good, I was all on it like white on rice.

Here's what she has to say:

Ok, I promised this info to Jessi weeks ago, but better late than never!! This is my current routine, devised from the "Curly Girl" hair care advice and adjusted for my now straight hair (thanks to pregnancy...). **NOTE: This note is not for the faint of heart. Read only if you have a serious bent towards the natural and hippie-esque.**

The thing to know before changing your routine is the cycle of "wash, condition, repeat" that shampoo companies have gotten us into. Simply put:

1. The main ingredient in standard shampoos is Sodium Laureth Sulfate. This is a harsh cleansing agent that essentially strips your hair and scalp not only of dirt and excess oil, but of ALL oils. This disrupts the natural balance of your scalp. (Note: SLS is also the main ingredient of dish soap. Squeaky clean is good for dishes, bad for hair and skin!)
2. In order to restore moisture to squeaky clean hair, you need to condition. Standard conditioners usually include ingredients like Dimethicone, which coats the hair with "moisture" but can only be removed with - you guessed it - Sodium Laureth Sulfate. If you condition with a "-cone" conditioner and don't use a Sulfate shampoo, you get build-up and your hair looks limp and lifeless.
3. A good Sulfate wash strips away the bad -cones, and the cycle starts all over again. No matter how expensive a product is, if it contains sulfates or -cones, you'll get stuck in this cycle.

So, how to break the cycle?? And what in the world can you use to wash your hair??

Let's start with the 2nd question. Basically, here's the rule: Make sure everything you put on your hair is water-soluble.

For WASHING:

Level 1: The most important thing needed for a clean scalp is a good scrub. Use your fingertips under running water to give your scalp a good massage, making sure to cover your whole head and really get under your hair. Rinse with warm water. Most days, that will be enough!

Level 2: If you've been camping, working outside, exercising, etc., you may need a bit more help. Use a pea- to dime-sized dollop of CONDITIONER (see below for which kind) and use that while scrubbing as you would for a "water wash." Rinse well.

Level 3: Every couple of weeks you may need to clarify your hair to give it a boost. For this we turn to our old friends, baking soda and apple cider vinegar!
- Add 1 tsp (ish) of baking soda to your dollop of conditioner and scrub as you would for a Level 2 wash. Rinse completely.
- Rinse your hair again using a mixture of 1 Tbsp ACV per Cup of cool water. This will close the hair folicle and restore the pH. Follow with conditioner.

For CONDITIONING:

Get used to reading labels. A good place to start is the Suave Naturals line of conditioners. A big bottle is usually less than $2, and it's totally water-soluble. I prefer the Aloe & Waterlilly or Tropical Coconut. Organic conditioners are also water-soluble, but more expensive, i.e., Burt's Bees, Alba.

To condition: Take a good palm-full of conditioner and work through your hair, including your scalp. Rinse with COLD water if you can stand it. (I do this but turning my head upside down in the shower; water gets my hair but not my body... mostly.)

That's it!! Cheap, mostly natural hair care.

So, how to get started? The first couple weeks might be serious ponytail or hat time as your natural oils come back, but it will be worth it in the long run to tough it out.

1. First step: one final SLS shampoo to get rid of all the build-up.
2. Then give you hair a good dousing with a non-"cone" conditioner (see above).
3. Rinse with cold water.
4. Carry on your merry way!

You'll have to experiment to find the best balance that works for you! For me, I water wash and condition every other day, codish-wash once a week, and Clarify once a month. That may change when the baby's born, but for now, I've got good shiny hair - for CHEAP!!

As for products, I still use some to control frizz, but that is complete trial and error. Again, just make sure things are water-soluble so they rinse out when you do a water wash. I'm still spending $14/bottle on a good gel, but it now lasts me over a year. When it runs out, I'll explore the cheap drugstore products in this awesome list.

And there you have it. Pretty awesome, huh? You can see her curly hair at the top of the post and her straight hair here.

I have been using this regimen for my own hair for nearly two weeks and I LOVE it. Also, I can tend to struggle with dandruff, but I have had none since starting this. I mean, NONE. Here's my most recent pic since making the switch. It's certainly not one of my better days, but the hair is clean and shiny and not plastered to my head with oil as I was afraid it might be. I say give it a try. You most assuredly don't have anything to lose and may find out you have fabulous, luxurious hair naturally without having to strip out and then add back to it a sundry skunah. (What? Everybody doesn't say "skunah"?)

In parting, I leave you with some amazing photos of Burnsy doing what she does, opera. Yeah. She's kind of a big deal now. But then again, I've always known that.

P.S. ACB, easier to get forgiveness than permission for ganking your pictures? Please forgive me. I'm proud of you.


in the part of Yum-Yum, production of The Mikado, Arizona Opera 2008


far left, in the part of one of the The Nymphs, production of Ariadne auf Naxos, Metropolitan Opera 2010


production of Candide, Wolf Trap Opera Company 2008 (and yes, that is this fella)


production of Le Nozze di Figaro, Opera Grand Rapids 2008 (and that fine-looking gentleman with her, in the immortal words of Beyonce, "put a ring on it" and they were married one year later)


...and the lovely pair preparing for the role of their lifetimes...parenthood.

A Breather

I just wrote a super long, extremely boring post.

DELETE, you are my friend and have served the best interest of all of us here.

Moving on . . .

Monday is the hubster's and my thirteenth wedding anniversary. How awesome is that?! Pretty awesome. We have always tried to be diligent and intentional about getting away; from things, to things, for things. It gets more tricky with more us-es, but it also gets more crucial. We love and are in-love. That's our reality everyday. We laugh and we talk and we work together and we support one another. But the getting away, the selah moments, just simply afford something to us, to Us, that we just simply need.

He and me. That's it.

We love the kids; passionately, wholey, unconditionally. But they will grow up. They will leave. They will become transient in our home. And He and Me will remain. If we want to know each other then we have to keep learning each other now. If we still want to see each other then we have to make eye contact now. Then, I want to still remember the rightness I feel in holding his hand and having mine held in his. We can cultivate these things in the everyday, but getting away is good.

Getting away is really good.

We had an awesome plan that would've included planes and unbelievable accomodations (sniff, sniff, operamama...) while pretending to be native New Yorkers. It was a fabulous plan. But it didn't work out.

I know. Everybody take a minute to groan and mourn the failure of the plan. It's okay. We had to, too. But this ends well, I assure you.

We regrouped, put our game face back on, and made another plan. And though I would've loved to escape to NYC and to show Ma Luffin' Mayun new sights and sounds, the new plan is lovely and organic and simple and comfy and right. And coincidentally, it totally falls in line with all things winnowish (hey, it could be a word. Need I remind you "bootylicious" made it into the dictionary? It's the end of the world as we know it...but I feel fine).

We will take Brilliant Beauty to school as usual on Monday and then take Little Big Man and Pretty Baby to KakiBlackBarry's, one of the Us-es' homes-away-from-home, second only to Tunan's/Papa's and Nana's/Pawpaw's. After that we will depart for the north Georgia mountains, to a place called Amicalola Falls. There is an awesome spot we have wanted to go for years, but just haven't until now. It is called Hike Inn and the only way to access it is to "hike in" a little over five miles, where dinner and a sunset await. You can read more about it here, but let me show you some pictures.



Nice, huh? I think so. The room accomodations are certainly rustic. We will sleep in bunk beds (this makes me laugh just to type it). There are no TVs or computers or phones, etc. Just trees and sunshine and mountains and us (and likely some "granolas" running the place). This is where we will spend Monday night. Apparently if the sunrise is particularly spectacular (or maybe even mediocre...can sunrises be mediocre?) on Tuesday morning, someone will beat a drum loudly to wake us all up to see it. Could you imagine anything more romantic? Okay, maybe not the drum, but whatever...

On Tuesday we will hike another five+ miles back out and spend Tuesday night at the Amicalola Falls Lodge. Where Hike Inn promises a simple and rugged experience, the Lodge will afford us a king-sized bed, jacuzzi tub, kitchenette, private balcony, electricity in general, and other great amenities. We will be occupying the executive suite on our visit. Here's some pictures I snagged of the Lodge and, again, the falls.



I think it's pretty nifty to get such a spread of experiences in one three-day/two-night excursion. In addition to the accomodations we will have dinner and breakfast provided at Hike Inn, and breakfast provided at Amicalola Lodge. Those are nice perks.

Here are a few things that make this trip winnowish:
-it's more affordable because of it's nearby location
-the total cost for our accomodations (including the three meals mentioned above) falls under $350.00
-the obvious absence of technology and even creature comforts at Hike Inn provides us with a good quantity of time that we will hopefully chock full of quality

So, yeah. I'm pretty excited. Actually, I'm really excited.

It's hard to leave the kids. But it's harder to not break away every so often and to remember and experience a fuller otherness than being Daddy and Mommy.

Afterall, it started with Us...
Once upon a time (1997) . . .

And they lived happily ever after (2010) . . .

Frugal Friday

I'm not a motor cross fan, but this shirt sums up my super-awesome fun I'm having with couponing. The man half of our BFF couple, upon being regaled with yet another of my couponing success stories, said, "Wait. Is this an addiction?" KakiBlack and I just laughed. Like all good addicts might say, "NO! I can stop anytime I want". But with savings like these, why would I?

Seriously, I do have to check myself often because there are deals and freebies and coupons and special offers all over the place and every time I turn around on the world-wide-tangled-web. They're all great, but they aren't all necessary for the life of our FabFive. If the couponing is helpful at winnowing our spending, GREAT. If the couponing is creating mental clutter and sucking time better spent somewhere else, NOT SO GREAT. Once again, it's an area in which I will have to continually refocus and reset my aim so I don't just go cuckoo with it...or become an addict.

Having said all of that, I am so pleased with the results of this week's shopping excursions. To help frame up the success, here are my goals in the area of shopping:
-Spending no more than $100.00 per week on food, toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies combined

-Not compromising healthy snacks and meals for convenience or expense

-Stockpiling items, BUT only when they are at their lowest cost (like FREE)

-Keeping an organized system for coupon and sales flyer storage

-Maintaining an organized system of coupon sorting for the week's shopping list

-Compiling an orderly and concise shopping list, covering three+ stores, that can be shopped in two hours or less

I'm working through all of these goals, tweaking here and there. I'm still finding my way through the process, my style, my coupon comfort zone.

***Wait. I just realized I'm writing a post about coupon shopping. For my family. Of five. Huh. I'm really not twenty years old anymore. The weirdest things drive that reality home. Anyway...***

So here are this week's totals:
Kroger
18 items purchased
$ 64.36 total retail value
$ 32.56 total spent
$ 31.80 total saved
That's a savings of 49% off of the retail value.

Target
45 items purchased
$156.50 total retail value
$ 70.35 total spent
$101.15 total saved (I got back $10.00 in gift cards and will receive $20.00 in rebates - that was added to the $70.15 that I saved at checkout)
That's a savings of 64% off of the retail value.

Publix
44 items purchased
$105.24 total retail value
$ 32.01 total spent
$ 73.23 total saved (Shut UP. What, then?!)
That's a savings of 70% off of the retail value.

My combined totals are:
107 items
$326.10 total retail value
$134.92 total spent
$206.18 total saved (including $10.00 gift card and $20.00 in rebates)
That's a savings of 63% off of the retail value.

Hip, hip, hooray, I've got to say. Here's just a sample of some of the loot:
14 jars of organic baby food
formula
fresh produce
fresh frozen vegetables
shampoo and conditioner
deodorant
2 Frog Princess DVDs
band-aids
cereal

And here are items that I have stockpiled enough to last AT LEAST through summer:
shampoo and conditioner
deodorant
toothpaste
dental floss
toothbrushes
soap
dish soap
laundry detergent
cereal

I have other smaller stockpiles of other goodies (laundry detergent, granola bars, paper products, cake mixes...). I LOVE it. Three times this week the us-es and our fabulous neighbor kiddos were out playing and I had snacks aplenty for them. Ah, the joy.

Thus concludes this week's installment of Frugal Friday. Oh, happy day!

P.S. I am not a candidate for stockpiling ready-to-bake cookie dough or canisters of cake frosting. My selected mode of storage is my belly. I had my suspicions to this fact. I removed all doubt last week by plowing through the stash. Ouch. Talk about driving it like you stole it...

Who Takes Pictures Of Their Groceries?

Um, that would be me.

Not always. Just this time.

In another move of utter self-exposure, I am telling (or showing) you exactly what I got at the grocery store(s) yesterday. There is actually a point to this.

One of the entities I perpetually try to winnow is our budget. Well, let's be honest. Perpetually is definitely a wrong word choice. It evokes in my mind images of constancy; toiling without letting up until something's accomplished or achieved. I whimsically buy enough overpriced 20-ounce beverages when I'm out and about, lah-dee-dah, to rule out using "perpetually" to describe my budget-winnowing efforts. So to be a realist about it let's replace perpetually with "frequently".

Okay, whatever. I frequently try to winnow our budget, looking for where we can cut cost or spend less, or even shift spending from one area to another. And I love when the trying actually materializes into doing and we find new ways to loosen up some funds we may be wasting or overlooking or putting towards the wrong things. My SisterFriend isn't much different (of course, we do share DNA). Along these same goal lines, she started the epic adventure of extreme couponing around two months ago. She is pysching all of us out with her ridiculous savings and huge hauls of depletable resources for her zoocrew of six to use. Her kids have recently commented on her couponing adventures saying the deals are so good it's like she flat-out stole the stuff.

Alas, as is often sometimes the case with siblings, I took the ol' big sister's cues and started my own journey into the vast dimension of couponing. Believe me, it is another dimension and I hear Twilight Zone music every time, but it's starting to pay off.

I have no desire, and even less the energy needed to explain all of the ins and outs of couponing methods (Ma Luffin' Mayun is out of town for this from Tuesday through Sunday, thus leaving me with...well, everything...thus the lack of energy, verily I say unto thee). I certainly can do that at a later time if any of you show interest. But I do want to just whet your appetites to see what an awesomely great couponing experience can look like and result in.

If you enjoy the recap, thank you, thank you very much. If you don't, blame it on SisterFriend. She started it.

Let me show you everything I got. Then I'll tell you what I spent.

FRUITS & VEGETABLES
19 bags of fresh-frozen veggies

2 bunches of fresh asparagus
3 cartons of prewashed sliced mushrooms
3 heads of broccolli
2 bunches of bananas
5 cameo apples (and since they're cameo apples they came with a free bright red thingy that I'm not sure what to do with...here's how this dude decided to use his...and a cassette tape of "Word Up!")

DAIRY PRODUCTS
1 dozen eggs
2 gallons of milk
2 blocks of natural cheddar cheese
26 containers of yogurt

BREAD
6 loaves of wheat bread
4 bags of pita bread

MEATS
2 icky, disgusting lunchables Brilliant Beauty couldn't be more thrilled about
3 packages of sirloin steak
4 packages of all-natural boneless, skinless chicken breast
4 packages all-natural sandwich meat

PANTRY MISCELLANY
1 bottle extra virgin olive oil (I can't call it "evoo". Actually, I refuse. I also can't pay $137 for a bottle of it just because Rachael Ray's face is plastered on it. Uh, oh. Did I just alienate some readers? Do I have readers? Did he just call himself "the talent"?)
1 bottle vegetable oil
5 cans soup (I actually think I lost a can somewhere between Here and There)
2 boxes instant oatmeal
2 pouches single-use dried potatoes

FROZEN NONSENSE (a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men)
5 bags frozen biscuits
2 bags cinnamon rolls
2 bags mini cinnamon rolls

JUNK (read: What My Butt Won't Thank Me For Later But My Us-es Will)
2 boxes of brownie mix
2 bags of cookie mix
3 cake mixes
3 cake frostings
2 2-pack single serve desserts
4 packages of ready-to-bake cookies
2 bags of flavored snack mix
2 boxes of crunchy granola bars
2 boxes of popcorn
5 boxes of chewy granola bars
1 bag of tortilla chips

TOILETRIES
3 bars of kid soap
4 containers of floss
4 deodorants

HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES
4 bottles of dish soap
1 box of trash bags

Pretty good looking pile o' stuff. I shopped at Kroger and Publix. Here's my spending breakdown per store:
Publix
$125.99 total retail value
$ 58.28 total spent
$ 67.71 total saved
That's a savings of 54% off of the retail value.

Kroger
$207.91 total retail value
$108.33 total spent
$ 99.88 total saved
That's a savings of 49% off of the retail value.

My combined totals are:
106 items
$333.90 total retail value
$166.61 total spent
$167.59 total saved
That's a savings of 50% off of the retail value.

Wowzers. I saved more than I spent, and stuck within the amount I wanted to spend on groceries. And actually, $166.61 is LESS than what we have been spending the last several months on groceries without couponing, buying virtually nothing name brand, and absolutely not stockpiling any items. Nice.

So I've winnowed some grocery cost. I aim to get even better at it. I know I can reduce the spending even more as I figure out what I'm doing a little more in this surreality of couponing.

How about you? Are you saving money in some way? Saving time? Winnowing your own "too much" of something, making room and space for something better? Let me hear from you.

P.S. Laundry's backed up. Dishes are dirty. I'm stepping over toys and clothing the us-es seem to teleport out of. BUT my pantry's full.

Don't despise the process...