Chickens!

Earlier this year, we decided we wanted to build a coop and raise chickens.  Mainly for their eggs.  So Here is the chronicle of our coop.

March 28th
I started getting holes for a the posts of a new chicken coop we decided we wanted to build.  The next day, We started the building!

March 29th
We took some 4x4's and cut them down and cemented them into the holes, then put one of those large pallets on it (7.5 ft x 3 ft)

Afterward, my son and I put down some plywood and then added some simple framing.

By the time we got that done, we'd basically ran out of daylight and had to wait to do anymore till the next day.

March 30th
My son and I measured and cut out the sides, and got them hung.

Later, one of my friends came over and helped me get the sheet metal installed and I was able to get a few pictures taken before dark.

April 1st
Tuesday after work, I got home and got the doors and the vents installed.  (I took pictures, but it's too dark to really mess with posting here.

April 2nd
After work again I managed to get the window and front door installed.

April 10th
There had been several things come up, so I didn't get to do much work over the weekend. I did manage to start getting things wrapped up and it was getting close to be ready for some chickens!

You can see we got the laying boxes built and I put some some chicken wire to keep them from roosting above the boxes.

I also go the roosts installed.

My grandson seems to like it.

My wife also did some painting on it

And we got the basic yard laid out.  So that would be the next step.

April 11-13th
Over the next few days, we got the yard walls up and secured with chicken wire.  We also got netting installed on the top hoping it would keep out aerial predators.

My wife did some more painting and the previous fall, we had some water barrels given to us, so we decided to install them.

April 15th
April 15th was the day we got our chickens.  We got some ISA Browns.  My wife found some on craigslist for $6/each if you get ten birds.  So one of our friends decided to split the 10 between us.
They were 14 months old, and going through a molt.  However, I thought these would be good to start with.  They're cheaper than a lot we had seen and if there was a problem with the coop or the yard, The loss would be better.  We also go our first egg that day!

April 19th
My uncle who has a guttering company came over and installed some guttering on the coop.  I really wanted to be able to collect rainwater if at all possible from the coop to be used in the garden.

April 20th
We had some tree's growing up in places I didn't really want them, so I moved three of them close to the coop to help provide shade (one day in the future).

Today (April 27th)
So far, so good.  We've done a few things that have not worked out so well, but overall, everything has been great.  We're getting between 2 to 3 eggs a day (with a max of 5).

The Coop is right by the compost bins and garden.  We're both pretty excited.

Gentlemen, Start your Gardens

Today was the first warm weekend we've had lately.  I've been thinking about this years garden, but just hadn't done anything but finish cleaning up the garden from last year.  So, with the warmer temperatures, I got out, and got some of the compost I made last year mixed in, and then got some spinach, lettuce, onions and peas planted outside.

Peas are in the left bed, everything else in the right.

After getting those planted, I went inside and planted 3 kinds of tomato's and some jalapeno's from seed.  I've not started them from seed in a very long time, so we'll see how it goes.

Decided to try starting the seeds in some left over containers we had.  The tomatoes are planted in a spinach container, and peppers in some lunch meat containers.  They should help keep the moisture in till they sprout.  Assuming they work, we'll have to take the lids off as there just wont be enough room otherwise.

I also have to decide if I'm going to build a new raised bed this year.  I had planned on it last year, but I don' think it's going to happen this year.  Though Blackberry bushes will be planted this year!

We also spent part of the day researching chicken coops.  We've come up with some ideas, now it's time to get the materials and get it built.

Things to come

I've not made any posts lately.  I've just been so busy.  A few weeks ago, I picked up a couple of online programming courses.  I've completed the first of the 2, but the second is really time consuming.

I expect the blog to get more content as we go into the Spring as the garden will really get going.  Also, we are looking to into get chickens this year, so as we do that, I'm sure there will be more than one blog post on that.

14 years!

Today is my boy's 14th birthday!

14 years, where does the time go?  I remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday.  Waking up early.  Cooking a big breakfast for my wife and driving to the hospital so they could induce my bride.  I remember how beautiful my bride looked.  How much she hurt.  I remember keeping my wife from killing a nurse and how absolutely perfect my boy was as he was born just before noon on that beautiful January day!

I remember them taking him away to clean up and how happy I was.  The heartbreak and the fear I felt when they told me he had stopped breathing twice to the point of turning blue and that he was put into NICU.

I remember how large he was compared to other babies, but how small he was in my arms.

I remember how happy I was when we took our boy home just a couple days later, and how scared I was that this small, helpless boy was now our responsibility.

He has brought so much joy into our lives.  Into my life.  He's no longer the small, helpless little boy.  He's growing into a tall, strong, capable young man.  A young man that I love so very much!

3 days old

13 years, 341 days old (24 days short of 14)

Food Prep

I am trying to lose some weight and get into shape for a canoe/hiking/camping trip this summer.  Also, we bought a new pickup truck yesterday and need to save some money by not going out to eat for lunch.

Because of that, I spent some time today doing some cooking.  I cooked up 6 pounds of chicken this morning.  I grilled 3 chicken breasts and put some hot wing rub on the rest and put them into the smoker.

6 pounds of chicken is a lot to go through before it goes bad, so I used my wife's vacuum sealer to store a bag of each the smoked and grilled chicken.

I'm ready to eat some chicken!

Picture Details of Grilling Chicken

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Hello, Goodbye

Happy New Years!  I hope everyone has a great year!

For me, I'm glad 2013 is over, and I hope and pray 2014 is much, much better than 2013 was.

However, I did have some great points of last year

My son turned 13.  He had a small party and his cake was Minecraft Psy

I took some pictures of my son and grandson.  They were the first pictures I've every had printed.

Found a small sink hole in my backyard

I did my first ever 5K with me running the Warrior Dash!

I was able to take my grandson to his first ever soccer game when we went to watch the Tulsa Athletics.

My second grandson was born!

My wife, son and I took a cross country trip to AtlantaFest.

On one of my many Boy Scout campouts, I got to sleep in a cave!

My son started his last year of middle school!

I enjoyed going on a trout fishing trip with my dad, uncle and grandfather.

I did a lot of work on our pickup.  It's really cool to be able to do the work and know it's possible without having to pay someone else to do it.

Over Fall break, we went to Greenleaf State Park for our annual camp out.

My wife did a great job making an elf costume for our son for Halloween!

We got a new dog named Ziggy!

Our son was in All District Choir!

My son earned his Black Belt in Karate

Had a wonderful Christmas time with all my family!

We ended the year with me buying a new truck for my wife as an early birthday present.  We replaced our 93 GMC Sierra which we've had for around 12 years with a 2011 GMC Sierra

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read 36 books this year.  I managed to read 51!!!

Flour Tortilla's

I've been doing a lot of things lately to find ways to save money.  One thing I've been doing is a lot of cooking.  Instead of buying a lot of mixes or pre-made food, I've been making stuff from scratch.

Since my son started school, we've have breakfast burrito's almost ever morning.  So, this week, I decided to try my hand at making some flour tortilla's.

I told one of my friends at work about it, and he gave me the recipe that this family really likes that he got from the Homesick Texan.

They're very good.  They're not thin tortilla's but they're a bit thick, but they tasted very good.  My family really enjoyed them.

Today, I decided to try a recipe I got from The Pioneer Woman's site.

These are much more along the lines of what I buy when I go to the grocery store to buy flour tortillas.  They're thin and seem to roll up well.  We've had several of these as well, and we've enjoyed these too.

I asked my wife, what she thought, and which she liked the best.  She liked them both.  She thought that depending on what you were going to have them with would determine which she'd want us to make.

So, there are 2 really good recipes for you.  1 thick, and 1 thin!  Take your pick, but you're winning either way!

Refrigerator Problems

Several years ago when we moved into this house, we bought a new Refrigerator.  We got a GE bottom-freezer refrigerator with water/ice in the door.

It's been a good refrigerator, but earlier this year, we started having a few minor problems with it.  I'd never gotten around to messing with trying to solve them till this weekend.

Water under produce bins

We've had problems with water collecting under the produce bins to the point it comes out of the fridge and either down to the floor, or into the freezer.  It has been annoying, but not a lot.  We'd pull out the bins, and clean out the water.

Ice maker not working properly

Well, it didn't completely stop working.  But it might only make 1 tray of ice a day, if that.  This has been more troublesome.  We've had to start buying ice and either fill the bin or just leave it in the bottom freezer to scoop out.

Repairs

Today, I had some time, to I've attempted some repairs.  First on tap:

Water under produce bins

Initially, I thought it was related to the ice maker as I thought it started about the same time.  But after I did some research, it appears that it's almost always related to the evaporator coil drain.  I had read several board were people were describing the problem, but it wasn't until I found this video that I decided to give it a try.

Though the video talks about, as did the message boards, having ice in the drain hole, I never found any.  I made sure I had good drainage, cleaned up other ice buildup in the area and put the fridge back together.

I feel pretty comfortable that I've corrected the problem.

Ice maker not working properly

After tackling the drain problem, I moved on to see what I might can find with the ice maker.

I pulled out the ice tray in the door, and looked closely at the ice maker.

There was a lever under the ice maker, a test button, and that was about it, and a tab at the top of the ice maker.

I started with the tab.  I pulled it down and was able to slide out the ice maker, but only a couple inches because of the water supply lines.  I turned the ice maker a bit trying to look at it, but didn't have much luck.  So, I slid it back in till the tab locked into place.  I have found a site that explains how to remove the ice maker.

I looked at the lever next.  It pulls down several inches and immediately goes back up.  I was able to push it up just a fraction of an inch.  I believe this arm is what tells the ice maker to stop making ice.  When it gets full, the ice pushes up on the arm stopping the ice maker.

Last step, I took a look at the test button.  I pushed it a few times and nothing seemed to happen.  I did some more research and found a video that didn't really help too much, except it said to push and hold the test button for 5 seconds to "reset" the ice maker.  I did that, and little bit later, I heard the ice maker empty.  After that, I'm feeling a bit more confident.  However, while typing this, I found another article that said if pressing and holding the test button for 15 seconds, I should hear the ice maker cycle and that if I don't, I may need a new ice maker.

So, it appears that the jury is still out on whether or not I fixed the ice maker.  I'm hoping so as I don't want to buy a new one.

I'll update more as we see how well (if at all) these repairs work.

First Day of Eight Grade!

Well, it's that time of year again... School Time! 8th grade!  Big dog on campus and last year of middle school!

As usual, you can click on the pictures to make them larger!

8th Grade

7th Grade

6th Grade

5th Grade

4th Grade

3rd Grade

2nd Grade

1st Grade



Kindergarden


Pre-K

Cutting the cable

A few weeks ago we decided to drop our Dish Network.  We enjoyed Dish.  I wasn't displeases with them, but we were spending over $110/month.  That money could be used in many other places.  And in my opinion we just didn't spend enough time watching it to justify the expense.

So, a couple of years ago, I found an interesting YouTube video on making an antenna to pick up the over the air signals.  So far it's not too bad.  But we've still not watched a lot.

Besides over the air, we have Netflix (disk and streaming) which helps a lot.  There are so many shows and TV series that I've either never watched, or never watched all of them.  Netflix alone can help fill in a lot of the gaps.

We also have a Roku.  A Roku 2 XD actually.  With it, there are tons of free programming we're able to get.  There are also pay channels we can get (like my MLS package which is great, but only if you like soccer).

Because I have a Playstation 3, I watch You Tube videos on our TV as well.  You'd be surprised at what you can find on You Tube.

Both the PS3 and the Roku allows access to Amazon on Demand.  Another great way to get movies or TV series that you might want to watch!

Several years ago, I had bought a piece of software called PlayOn.  It's a server that runs on one of my computers and will stream movies to it from websites (like ABC, NBC, Syfy, etc.), then serve them back up to a machine that can connect to the media server (PS3 and the Roku both can do this).  I've never used it much, but hope to now take advantage of it much more.

One other option is my laptop.  It has HDMI out which will allow me to stream TV shows from my laptop and watch them on the TV.  Which I plan on doing for Duck Dynasty if all goes well!

While the Roku and PS3 both cost money (one time fees), as well as some of the channels you can get (like my MLS channel which is a once a year fee).  I already had spent money on those items on top of our Satellite bill!

So, we're just a few weeks into it, and I like it.  And I love the money I'm saving!

Family Pictures

I love to take photo's.  Usually, I love scenery photo's the best, though my wife loves friends and family.  Well, this year I decided to take my son's photo that we try to buy every year.  Normally, we get them from the school, either in the Fall or Spring.  This year, his pictures were horrible.  He was wearing his big, puffy blue coat during the Fall and some ratty old t-shirt for the Spring.

Anyway, my photography has been getting better, so we decided I'd just take pictures this year.  And personally, I think they came out great.  I took pictures of my son, my grandson, and my wife.  My bride even took some of me and the boys.

We took them on Easter, and had a great time doing it.  I expect to take more in the future!

Picture Details

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exposure 1/100

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Picture Details

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exposure 1/160

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Picture Details

Focal length 50 mm

exposure 1/125

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