Chicken Tip:

After mowing your lawn, add your grass clippings to your chicken coop, or your chicken run. Your chickens will love you. I promise they will eat every last grass clipping. I just love recycling. :)

Silkie Chicken Roosting Box

It looks like a bird feeder doesn't it?  :)

Most Silkie Chickens do not roost like other chickens. My Silkie Rooster DOES roost at night, however the mama Silkies do not. Since Winter is right around the corner,  it was time to make a Roosting / Nesting box. Since, my Silkie doesn't go upstairs to roost at night, this roosting box will be place downstairs in the coop. Plus, now that my Silkie is 8 months old, she laid her first egg. So, she deserves a box for laying her cute little eggs. 

In designing the roosting box,  I wanted the opening to be just big enough for my Silkie Chicken to enter.Yet, not big enough for the rest of my chickens to enter.  I have Rhode Island Reds, and a Plymouth Rock Chickens. My "regular" sized chickens cannot enter this box. Leaving this just for my Silkie girl to enjoy.

What is a Silkie Chicken you say?  Here is our Silkie Chicken Daisy:

She is so sweet, many times I pick her up she sits on my lap, and she falls asleep.  If you are thinking of having a Silkie, you will not believe how much they DO NOT act like a chicken. More like a lap dog. :)

Our entire flock:

Here is a picture of our Chicken Coop:

Since this (above) coop picture was taken, I have added shutters to the window. It helps keep my girls warm at night, and during cold days.  

The coop has a large metal food feeder that holds about a months worth of food at a time.  The watering system is made of plumbing pipe, and chicken nipples. That holds about 3 weeks worth of water.  My family takes a lot of weekend getaway camping trips. So, I wanted to be sure their food, and water was able to stay full while we are gone.  Plus, I don't have to be constantly maintaining the chickens.  Makes life a lot easier!  

Hope you enjoyed taking a look at my chickens. :)

Thank you for checking out my blog,

~Jeannine

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

Muffin Ingredients:

1 Box Lemon-Poppy Seed Cake Mix

1 Box Vanilla Pudding mix

4 eggs

1 Cup Water

1/2 Canola Oil

Glaze:

2 Cup Confectioners' Sugar

2 Tablespoons Water

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Are you ready for the easiest cupcakes recipe?  Simply mix the Muffin Ingredients together.  

If you are making Muffins Bake at 350 degrees, for 12-15 minutes.  

If you are making Bread Bake at 350 degrees, for 25 - 32 minutes.

While baking, stir Glaze ingredients together. 

Insert a toothpick in the muffin, when it comes out clean the cupcakes are done. 

Let cupcakes cool, then glaze.

It is that simple, enjoy. 

Let me know what you think. Leave your comments or questions.

~ Jeannine





Camping Checklist ~ Free Printable

Summer is a coming!  Who needs a free Camping Checklist, with Meal Ideas? If you do, click the "Click Here" below, print, and go.

Packing for camping is not fun at all.  However, this list will make it easy. I have also added meal ideas to make it easier for you.  As soon as our kids are out of school, we are off to the next camping destination. We try to hit different sites to show our kids the beautiful country we live in. The kids ride their bikes around the campground,  hubby and I relaxing by the campfire with a good book. Keep the packing, and cooking easy, and your camping experience will be a relaxing experience also.

CLICK HERE to view and print your camping checklist.  

With this checklist, there is no stress in forgetting a thing. I hope this makes your packing experience a little more organized, and fun.

Please share your camping recipes.  My newest recipe the whole family LOVES is Tater Tot Casserole. I cook everything ahead of time and put in separate Ziploc bags. Assemble once at camp, and bake.  It helps on the dishes, and makes camping more relaxing for me.

Click on this link for Tater Tot Caserol Recipe

For the RVers out there, don't forget to add to this list:
~DVD Movies
~Fill Water Tank?
~Propane Tanks Filled?
~Check Tire Pressure

For New Mommies don't forget to add to the list"
~ Portable Crib
~ Foam Mat (to put under baby when not in crib).  You can find foam mats in puzzle piece shapes. Easy to take with you.
~ Baby Bottles
~ Cups / Bowls / Utensils for baby
~ Diapers
~ Baby Wipes
~ Baby Food


Love your comments, and Happy Camping!
~Jeannine

Peanuts Charlie Brown Christmas Decorations

Easy Charlie Brown Christmas Decorations

To come up with your Stencil simply:

- Find a picture of your favorite character. 

- Using a ruler draw 1 inch by 1 inch grid on your picture. 

- Look at each square and draw only what you see in that square on a blank sheet of copy paper. 

- Once you have done this for all the squares, tape your pages together, and cut the outside edge. 

- Now that the excess paper is off your picture, you now have a stencil!

How to make your decoration simply:

- Lay down a sheet of plywood, and trace your picture.

- Take a skill saw and cut on your lines. Being careful to cut on the line. When the saw is cutting in one direction, you will notice it doesn't turn in the other direction easily. Just stop the saw, pull the blade out of the wood and start sawing in the other direction to obtain the  desired cut.

- Once your object is cutout, sand the edges with an electric sander. If you don't have an electric sander you can use a handheld manual sander. Dust off your cut out once you are done sanding.

- With a pencil draw in your pictures inside lines. This will show you the paint lines. 

- Once your lines are drawn, my favorite part begins ... painting! Use craft paint (the paint found in little tubes at your local craft store). I recommend 3 coats of paint. 



- For the outside edges, and details use puffy paint. (Again found in small tubes at your local craft store).

- Once paint is dried, attach backing. This will keep decoration standing up. Attach a strip of plywood 4" by (your desired length from your board to the ground). Just use a tape measure to obtain your desired length.

- If you live in a windy climate, you can drill a small hole at the bottom of both sides, and attach to a tent steak in the ground. 

It's that easy! Now I am off to make more Peanuts characters. Stay tuned I will post others and I complete them.

Happy Painting!!

~Jeannine

Easy Trailer Kitchen Remodel

Easy Trailer Kitchen Remodel

Follow along to see the entire Motorhome remodel.

When I decided to remodel the Motorhome, I decided the kitchen needed a fun look.  I headed out to my favorite discount home decorating store.  After a lot of fun shopping for my inspiration I found the curtains you see in the above picture....the color scheme was found.

You can use shower curtains (made with material not plastic), drapes, or find your favorite material.  The price of material being as expensive as it is these days, I try to find other options for inexpensive material.

Here is the Motor Home Kitchen Before (yuck!)   

The first step, was to remove the ugly outdated wallpaper. To my surprise there were two layers of wallpaper to remove. Once I was able to remove the bottom layer, the wallpaper came off easily.  I used a razor knife to cut the wallpaper at the ceiling, and around the countertop trim.  This allows the wallpaper that is behind cabinets, trim, and countertops to remain in place. 

I will paint over the wallpaper inside cabinets so I didn't want to remove the wallpaper in some areas.  When it comes to remodeling Trailers you just need to decide what is worth removing vs. what is better to keep and just paint over.  I wanted to keep the trim installed on the countertop, so cutting the wallpaper off around the counter was necessary. If I pulled the wallpaper off around it, it would have pulled off the trim. 

Removed the old curtain track system from all windows. Some needed to be unscrewed. Most of track could be removed just by pulling it off.

I taped off the oven and started painting the upper and lower cabinets.

If your cabinets have any detail, paint the detail with a brush first. Then you can use a small roller. For the upper and lower cabinets I used BEHR Premium Plus Ultra with Primer, color: Vast Desert.

I taped off the oven, sprayed the oven, and oven vent with High Head Rust-oleum Gloss Finish.  The Matte finish will make it difficult to clean. Gloss finish helps to be able to just wipe it clean. 





Once the Heat Resistant paint dried, and the first coat of paint dried on the cabinets it was time for the backsplash to be installed.

Since this glass tile is going into a trailer Power Grab All Purpose Adhesive is the best choice.

This allows the trailer to move without the tiles breaking. Turn the tile square over and apply adhesive.









The curtains were made from store bought drapes.  Just cut off the excess of the material you don't need, and sew the edges closed.

It's that easy!  What a change a little paint and tile can make. 

Happy Remodeling!

And don't forget to share your pictures with me.

~ Jeannine

How To Easily Make A Red Hooded Cape

How To Make A Red Hooded Cape

This cape can be used for a Superhero, Witch, or Little Red Riding Hood costume. This tutorial is for a child size. 

Cut crushed red velvet material in a half oval shape.  From the top of the hood to the bottom is 14".

Have your sweet one hold the cape material around them. Then cut around the bottom at desired length. Keep cutting around the base while keeping a consitant length.

 Very easy to get the right length and easy to make it even.

Cut 2 strips 2" by 22", these will be your tie straps. 

Fold the tie strap material with the nice side IN, and sew the edges. Once done, attach a safety pin to one end, and pull through the middle until it turns RIGHT side out. Sew one end of your strap closed. Do the same to the other tie strap. You're getting closer :)

Sew all the edges under on the cape.

Take the cape material, and FOLD IT IN HALF. This allows you to locate the center easily.

Pin the hood to the cape, and sew. Just be sure you keep the straps going forward while sewing. And, you are done! Watch your little one run around the house and wear it for hours having fun.

Please leave any comments, or questions you have. I love hearing from you all.

~Jeannine