Yesterday, to my horror, I found 3 dead chickens in their pen.  This morning hubby found 6.  We have thought and thought and looked and checked over the chicken yard high and low. No signs of entry whatsoever.  The only clue is that hubby says he's smelled the faintest hint of a skunk late at night and early in the morning for a few days.  So we started looking at how a skunk might could get in.  There was a small space around the top between the roof and the top of the coop wall that we boarded up.  The only chickens that have been killed are the little bitty bantam Mille Fleurs.  We only have 3 hens and 2 roosters left.  Only 1 of those is from the new batch we hatched last spring.  I'm sad and so mad I could cry and then cuss.  11 chickens total dead within a few days.  I don't think a dinner out on the town is gonna make me feel any better. 

Day before yesterday I had some chickens get out of their gate and I caught all but 2.  Hubby had to work late and it was after dark before he made it home and went down there to see what he could do.   He couldn't catch them without waking up all the others who had already roosted for the night so we waited to try together yesterday morning after light.  (You know where this story is heading.) 

Sadly something had gotten to the 2 hens before we did and killed them and we found them in the pasture.  Not a good way to start the day out here in the country yesterday.   I'd been sad and mopey all day afterwards and felt to blame for the fate of my sweet hens.  ~~~~~~~changing the subject real quick:

The weather has been so nice.  I've not been running the air conditioner much at all.  Yesterday I didn't have to turn it on and I've even worn houseshoes inside instead of going barefooted as usual. 

Other than doing some wash and hanging it out to dry it was a quiet day of reading for me.  I can hardly believe October is here!  This month is my mother's, oldest daughter's and grandson's Birthday month.  I'm also anxiously looking forward to a big annual flea market and craft fair thats fast approaching!

My hubby  called on his way home from work yesterday afternoon and might've picked up on my mood though I really did try to hide it.  Then again he'd already seen me cry a little in the pasture.    He told me to get dressed and that we were going to drive to our favorite seafood restauraunt for supper.  I said, "Really?" kinda feeling my frown try to turn upside down just a bit.  We hung up and I did cry some final tears in the shower for my red and white hens and let the water wash them down the drain.  Once we were out and driving to the restaurant on the lake I began feeling almost 100% better.  It's a long but not too long drive over there and I love it when we are in the SUV or pick up truck together.  I have a captive audience.  So does he.  The conversation about this and that, who remembers... was just what I needed.  By the time I was finishing off that delicious seafood platter I wasn't even thinking about.......hmmm....well, I lost my train of thought I guess. 

By the way!  Go here for a nice Christmas giveaway contest! 

This was the largest re-enlistment ceremony ever held in military history.   The ceremony was held on the 4th of July, 2008 at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, Iraq . General David Petraeus officiated. This amazing story was ignored by the 'mainstream' media.

When I blogged here about an Italian themed dinner I helped host recently, I mentioned that "Popover Pizza" was one thing on the menu for the night.  A friend  made it and it was so good and the recipe can easily be doubled.   I had some of you ask for the recipe and last Sunday she brought it to me.  So here it is:

POPOVER PIZZA

1 lb. ground chuck

1 large onion, chopped

1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix

1 large can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

TOP LAYER:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tbs. oil

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400*.  Grease a square casserole dish.

Brown meat with onion; drain.  Stir in sauce mix, tomato sauce and water, simmering 10 minutes.  Spoon meat mixture into dish and top with cheese.  {Optional:  Before topping with cheese you could add bell peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni slices, etc.)  Place in the oven to keep hot.

Beat eggs, milk and oil in small bowl until foamy.  Beat in flour until batter is smooth.  Pour batter over meat mixture, spreading evenly.  Place mozzarella on top of batter then sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake @ 400* for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

If I didn't know any better I would think from the looks of him, " That sure must be a mean old rooster!"  But I do know better and I love him and all the rest of the roosters we raised from day old chicks this past Spring.  Somewhere buried in my archives is probably a story of how I got spurred by a mean little rooster that someone gave us and was scared all roosters would be like him.  But so far so good and they all seem to just love me too and they expect me to sing to them every day.  And I do. 

I shocked the roosters and hens alike this past week when I walked in their coops sporting my brand new rubber boots. Though reliable my pink flip flops and hot pink Crocks just weren't sufficient enough and my hubby and I found these on our way back into town last week when we stopped by a feed and seed store we'd not been in before.  These are the first white boots I've had since I was about 9 or 10 after begging Santa Claus to bring me some white "Go-Go Boots"!    My hubby teases me and got out little 2 year old grandson to call them Mamaw's Go-Go Chicken Boots. 

Well, I like 'em and believe me or not, but I know I had a couple of roosters giving me a double take when I walked in the coop wearing them. 

You Choose the Special Ingredients Brownies                        

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup melted butter

4 eggs

SOME OPTIONAL SPECIAL INGREDIENTS: 

1/2 cup chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter or butterscotch chips

1/2 cup chocolate chunks

1/2 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped or whole walnuts or pecans

(1/2 cup whatever else you like)

DIRECTIONS

*Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9x9" baking pan.

*Mix flour, baking powder, salt, melted butter and eggs in a large bowl.  Add in sugar, cocoa powder and any optional special ingredients if desired.  Mix all ingredients until well blended.

*Spread brownie batter into baking pan.

*Bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Depending on what special ingredients you add, cooking time may vary.  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.  Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

My special ingredients were pecans and marshmallows.  I had some pecans in the freezer and I had some large marshmallows.  I took my kitchen sissors and cut the marshmallows into small pieces to improvise for the miniature marshmallows.  Yum~Yum.

I have forever been confused by what kind of apples to use when cooking or baking.  I know certain kinds hold up better in pies and other apple dishes that are cooked.  Seems like once I learn again though I forget by the time I need to remember! LOL!  I think I've finally got it now.

Cooking apples have rounded bottoms with no "legs". 

When cooked, these apples keep their shape and don't get mushy. 

Examples are Granny Smith, Gala, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, and Braeburn.

Red Delicious apples have pointed bottoms with knobs or "legs", and they tend to get mushy when cooked. 

COOKING APPLES = SMOOTH, ROUNDED BOTTOMS

 WITH NO KNOBS OR "LEGS".

I went to a couple of flea markets recently and these are the treasures I came home with:

It is amazing me what chain of events  took place after these purchases!  The pretty hen inspired me to get outside and really get things looking spiffy, all the while trying to decide where I would place the hen.  The cooler temperatures and slight feel of fall in the air made it even better.  By the time I was done I'd spent 2 days weeding all the beds,  trimming shrubs, transplanting, watering, hosing off the patio and carport, hanging fall decorations, and the list goes on....

Now I just have a thing for retro kitchen items and love little dishes with lids.  I got this old Corningware wondering where in the world I would put it with my cabinets already so full.  Boy did I make the right choice to go ahead and get it because one thing led to another and as you will see to your shock and horror at the pictures below, I got inspired!  (Once again, the cooler temps and changing season helped a lot!)    WARNING:  Photos are graphic

Everything got pulled out of lower cabinets.

Cabinets were scrubbed clean.  I moved all these jars and lids out.

Woa-ho!  I wish you could've seen this cabinet before!  I got a cookie sheet organizer and love it.

I can hardly believe the space I have now!

The last flea market find was this cool wire basket that slides out and holds the glass lids for the casserole dishes. 

I think I should make it a practice to go to flea markets from time to time! 

Our newest little one, Calvin~

I haven't posted here in nearly a year, but a new baby was recently added to our family, so I thought I would share it for all my old friends here at HSB. This photo was taken at eight weeks (about 10 days ago). He is heading on 13 pounds now and is a very good (and cute!) baby. He gets lots of loving care and attention from his 10 older brothers and sisters. Amazingly, he appears to have red hair...my husband had curly red hair during his growing up years (it's dark auburn now); but all 10 of our other children had various shades from ash and strawberry to dark blonde.

Something different with my childbirth experience this time was that it was my first c-section. During labor the contractions were stressing the baby (long decels in the heart-rate after contractions), and when he was delivered the cord was wrapped around his neck and body several times. Not only that, but there was a knot in the cord- likely a negligible factor, but interesting nonetheless. Thankfully the Lord kept us safely and he was *perfectly fine,* scoring 9 on his apgars. I was sorry to have not been awake when he was born, and wasn't even sure he was ours when I first saw him since he had so much hair (compared to our other babies). But since there was only one other baby in the nursery, there wasn't much room for debate on that one!

The day he was born & with older brother Isaak