Not Me Monday

I love chickens.

There I said it.

Out loud even.

I do not believe in going overboard and I live completely with everything in moderation. 

I am easily able to keep myself in check and don't ever have the urge to "overdo".

Obviously owning 31 chickens would be more then plenty and I wouldn't feel the need to bring more home.

Of course I oohhh and awwww over the brand new chicks.

They are adorable little balls of fluffy cuteness.

I certainly wouldn't scheme and plan in an attempt to bring them all home with me.

So...

You certainly wouldn't find me at the feed store, waiting impatiently for them to open on the day that their chicks arrived.

I wouldn't go in "just to look" and end up bringing home a dozen of the cutest little chickens that you ever did see.

It was "for the kids" after all.  What kind of a mother would I be if I never gave my kids the opportunity to own baby chicks?

Not that I did that, mind you.

When the chicken population got to be over 40, a normal person would not buy any more chickens.

So, being normal, I of course, would not have purchased anymore.

The following week, during a trip to a nearby town, I wouldn't have popped into a different farm and garden store to check out their chick sale.

I would have been aware of my limits.

Buy 2, get 1 free specials on chicks do not call out to me.

6 chicks would not have literally called my name, gotten down on their little yellow knees and begged me to take them home. just so you know...that is my story and I'm sticking to it

I would not have been afraid to tell my husband and I would not have smuggled them into the existing pen.

I wouldn't  have hoped that he would not notice the much smaller, totally noticeable additions.

When he immediately noticed I did not try to use the shoe trick and say "These old things?  I've had them forever!" 

That did not work, by the way.

Chicken jokes did not start after the smuggling incident.

"Do I need to call the chicken hoarder show?"

"Are you the chicken equivalent of the crazy cat lady?"

"Do they make a nicotine style patch for a chicken addiction?"

"Maybe you should look into a 12 step program."

Like I haven't heard all those before.

Geesh...

So...I definitely wouldn't have been cruising Craigslist for more chickens.

Because...really...I would know when enough is enough.

I wouldn't have seen the ad for chickens that were so cute that it ought to be illegal.

I wouldn't have made arrangements to go pick them up while my husband was gone

I wouldn't have smuggled them into the pen with the existing chicks...again...if at first you don't succeed, try, try again

I wouldn't have felt EXTREMELY guilty when he texted me a picture later that night of one of my new chicks...telling me that it looked like one of my chickens was molting...

I would have immediately folded like a lawn chair and confessed!

I wouldn't have let him believe that lie liar, liar, pants on fire

Sigh...

I, apparently, need to get a grip.

Excuse me while I go confess...

A whole new level of cheap

Using up what I already have.

This is my mantra for the year.

Mostly because I have a whole lotta stuff.

Stuff that has possibilities...

I feel like my eyes have been opened.

And I can see options in items that never before had existed.

Like turning a headboard into a puppet theater.

Refashioning an old dress into a skirt.

But...with this blessing comes a curse.

Because, all of a sudden...all kinds of things have value.

And it's a fine line between collecting projects that have value and becoming a hoarder.

I'm just totally for sure that I haven't crossed that line yet.

Just don't look in my barn.

Ahem...

Anywhoo...

I'm going to change subjects here.

Just wanted to warn you so that you can keep up with me.

Easter is coming.

Which means putting together Easter baskets.

Which means buying candy.

Not much, mind you.

But some.

Usually I buy them a little chocolate sampler that runs about $1.19.

It has 1.75 ounces of chocolate in it.

But, after Valentines Day, I spied clearance chocolates.

Please forgive the poor quality pictures as I am hiding in my closet.

Not from the in-laws that was last week.

But, I am hiding the candy.

I bought 4 of these 14 ounce candy boxes on clearance...$2.24 each.

I needed some little boxes to put them in.

But, I didn't have any.

Bummer.

Determined as I was, not to go out and buy anything, I went on-line and found a great tutorial for making little boxes out of scrapbook paper.

I picked out pastel colored paper from my stash I know...I know...this makes me look like a hoarder and folded up a bunch.

Click here to go to the tutorial.

Here are my boxes...all ready to go.

Just look at all that chocolaty goodness.

I had to test out a few one.

Just to make sure they were yummy.

I needed some shredded paper to fill up most of the box and then set the chocolates on top making it look like it was really full of chocolates but it really isn't.

Just like they do it in the stores.

But...I didn't have any shredded paper.

So...in a moment of weakness, I called Corey and asked him to buy some on his way home.

He called me, while in the store, to tell me that the little sacks of shredded paper were $2.29 each.

I think not.

So...back out came my stash of scrapbook paper.

And I sent some through the paper shredded.

It worked perfectly.

And, again, I was using stuff that I already had.

I would have wrapped them all up in clear cellophane except I didn't have any.

But, I did have green.

So, that is what I used.

Here they are...all pretty and ready to go into the baskets.

If I can just stay out of them in the meantime...

Happy 16th Michael and Joseph

The twins have turned 16.

This is hard for me to wrap my brain around.

Seem just like yesterday we were bringing them home from the hospital.

And I was saying "I can't believe that they just let us bring them home!  Don't they know that we have no idea what we are doing?"

They just got their permits so obtaining the actual license will be a while in the future.

Which is just fine by me.

The twins sat down to open their gifts...and got mobbed.

The "littles" adore their big brothers.

Especially when they are holding presents.

They requested chicken pot pies (homemade of course) for dinner and pies for dessert.

Joseph asked for the white chocolate raspberry pie and Michael requested the 1st place Apple pie.

Happy Birthday Twins! We sure love you!