Rainy Days

are for hanging out with your best friends!

How do you spend your rainy days?

Rustic Suet Feeder #2

I love making suet for the birds, especially this time of year when it's cold and I know there are not a lot of nuts, berries or seeds left for the little guys to feed on. All you need is a broken tree limb and you can make this little feeder. I found a beautiful cherry limb on the side of our road while I was walking. We had some wind and rain last night and several limbs left from the ice storm of '09 fell. Yes, they are still falling!


Here's what you need to make this feeder.
1 larger limb about 6 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter
2 smaller limbs about 5 inches long 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter
6 small sticks about 7 inches long
4 finishing nails (about 2 inches long)
12 small nails about 1 inch long
2 Screw hooks
Wire for hanging.
Suet

I cut the limbs up with a miter saw. You can use a hand saw but the miter is faster. I measured mine to fit my son's sandwich box. That's what I use for a suet mold from time to time and I happened to have one already made in the freezer. You can change the dimensions to fit your mold. I also have a double feeder like this that holds two suet cakes. Just make your larger limb longer!

I cut notches in the ends of my smaller limbs to fit the ends of my larger one. You can see the cuts in this photo.


Nail the end pieces on with the larger of the nails. I use two nails per per end. Then take the 6 longer sticks and put 3 on each side about an inch apart working from the bottom up. Attach these with a small nail on each end and trim any excess overhang.

It will look like this when you finish.


Add your screw hooks to the top of the two side "posts", attach your wire, add suet, hang and enjoy! I know your birds will.

Rustic......


and cute!

You can find Rustic Suet Feeder #1 here.
and Hey,
I have over 300 followers now! You guys are awesome! Thank you!!!

In a Blogging Rut

I am so ready to see GREEN!

Any of you bloggers ever get stuck in the deep muddy rut of blogger's block? Mine always seems to come this time of year. The time between the holidays and gardening and baby goat birthing time! (Please pardon the reused pics for this post....explanation below!)


I need to order some chicks. I have decided to order instead of incubate this year and see how it goes. I am wanting a few new breeds to add to my hen house. My camera battery has gone dead and my charger has mysteriously disappeared into the same hole that socks go into around here because it's GONE, GONE, GONE, no where to be found, no longer exists! I have a new one ordered and it should be here today or tomorrow.

The new job is going well. I'm putting in 3 days a week right now instead of the 2 originally planned but I'm not complaining, just thankful to have a job....2 in my case. I am still doing the transcription as well. Construction on the new office building has started! We will be so glad to get moved into it and have more space! I get my own office. I picked out my new computer, printer and office chair yesterday! I'm moving up!

I have also lost 21 pounds since Thanksgiving! Go ME! I feel so much better and I am exercising, running and doing Zumba for a total of about 10 hours of exercise a week and gasp, gasp....I'm eating right!! I feel better than I have ever felt! I am training to run a 5K in March! Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!!!


On the yard and garden front, the garden will be plowed up this weekend. It should have been done last Fall, but we got lots of rain and the ground stayed too soft for plowing then. I am planning on getting that small greenhouse I've been wanting and getting it set up within the next week or so.


In the barn, one of my geese is sitting on eggs! Daddy Gander is chasing anything that gets close to her. Nanny is our first goat due and she's supposed to have babies in less than a month! I am so excited!! From the looks of her belly we may get 3 this year!


The bassets go for shots this morning. Can't believe we've already had them for over a year! That's my update for around here and I'm planning on breaking through this blogger's block! The temps have been so Spring like the last couple of days. Is it strawberry time yet?


I wish! I'm itching to get outside and plant something!
So what's going on in your neck of the woods?? Is it Spring yet at your house? If it is, I'm moving in!

Winner of the Gift Card is...

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edmonton jb from

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Please email me using the contact me link in the right sidebar. I need the email address you would like the gift card sent to! Thank you!!!



Thank you to each and every one of you who jumped in and participated on this give away! I loved reading all your comments. The next give away will be in March for St. Patrick's Day!!

A Valentine Give Away!

This graphic is property of Amazon.com.

I promised you a give away and here it is! Since I have men and women readers, I wanted to do something that either could enjoy if he/she is the lucky winner! I am giving away a $20 Amazon.com gift card! I know it's not a lot but hey it's 20 bucks! That buys a bag of chicken feed around here!

I've been playing with the new lens, Photoshop and some free Valentine templates I got from The Album Cafe. I made Jake's Valentine's for his class this year.


I'll have them printed as 3.5 x 2.5 and put them in little Valentine envelopes.

All you have to do to win the gift card is be a follower and leave me a comment. You can tell me what your plans are for Valentine's Day or how you met your significant other or just say I want that gift card!!


Good luck! Winner will be chosen Valentine's Day, Monday, February 14th at 9:00 a.m. Central time!

Tin Can Crafts

Sorry for not posting this on Thursday like I promised. It's been a very busy last couple of days with helping my friend Brooke strip wallpaper at her new house, a trip to Nashville and going to my cousins baby shower today.

So what do you do with your tin cans? Do you throw them in the trash? Recycle? I found a couple of cute uses for them and I'm looking for more!


I made these adorable tin can candles and a pen/pencil holder. They are so cute and easy and reusable! You can see my first candle-making post here. The addiction has only grown since starting to make my own candles.
Hint: I have found that old crayons are great for coloring candles. Just choose your color, toss them in with your melting wax and stir well.
Update: goatmilker had mentioned that crayons should not be used because they clog up the wick and the candle doesn't burn as well. I did some reading and this does seem to be the case. I'm still going to use them for my experimental candles that I will be using here at home but if you make candles to sell you might want to use the dyes made just for candle-making.

I use one of those Pampered Chef can openers for opening my cans and leaving a smooth edge. Then I peeled the labels, washed the cans well and decided on the color paint I wanted to use for the trim on my can. I like the rusted look so I went with an orange-brown color but any color that matches your decor will work. I was wanting a little texture so I searched my kitchen for ideas. I thought of sand but I don't have sand in my kitchen, then I thought of SUGAR!


You can see the texture at the top and bottom of this tin can candle above. All you have to do is spray a layer of paint, sprinkle with sugar and spray a layer over the top. Let dry.


Add the wick. I hot glue mine in the bottom of the can. Fill with melted candle wax, add color and fragrance if you want to) and let harden. Once the candle has hardened, top it off with a little more melted wax if you need to to get a flat candle surface. Find a cute graphic. I use PCCrafter.com for almost all my crafting graphics.


Print on full label sticky paper, peel and apply (or you can Mod Podge to apply the graphic to your can). Rub down well. I spray mine with a couple layers of Krylon Crystal clear acrylic spray and let dry. Tie on a bow, string, raffia, etc. and enjoy your new primitive country tin can candle!

I have the "Welcome Friends" one on my desk holding my pens and pencils. What other crafts could I use tin cans for? I've been collecting them to the point that I can't open the door under my sink without them rolling out! I need more ideas! I think they would make cute planters for herbs in my kitchen window.....to be continued.....

Barn Chicks Who Blog

Patrice over at Everyday Ruralty has been kind enough to feature me on her Barn Chicks Who Blog page! Please go by and check it out. She has an awesome blog. Go by and see how she went from princess to cop to barn chick!

I'm in the kitchen working on a new craft for a craft post and will be sharing it soon! I will also be posting a February/Valentine's give away on Friday so stop back by!

I hope all of you who are getting hit hard by this winter storm stay safe and warm! Knowing what you are going through from our January 2009 ice storm, you are all in our thoughts and prayers here in Kentucky.