Firecracker Sign

Everybody loves the Fourth of July! Decorate your home with a homemade firecracker sign. Your house will surely stand out this Fourth of July. Supplies 1×6 boardGlidden color samples (red, white, blue)Impact paint rollerExtra rollersArtist brushesGluePaint traysPaper towels Instructions Start by cutting four pieces of board.We used one 12” x 18”, one 3” x 8”, and two 2” x 4”. Then, shake your base color of paint well.We used blue paint as our base. Pour the paint into one of your paint trays and roll your brush into the paint. Make sure to cover all sides of the roll....

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Outlet Covers for Dad

This month, it’s all about dad! We have a fun and simple project for you to gift to your dad this Father’s Day. Follow along below! Supplies Spray paintSealing spray paintRubbing alcoholPaper towels or napkinsOutlet/light switch coverGloves Instructions Put your rubber gloves on and grab a paper towel or a couple napkins. Douse them in alcohol.Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area! We did our project outside. Grab your outlet/light switch cover and clean it with alcohol using your napkins. Grab the spray paint color you want to start with and shake it well before use. Start spray...

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Bath Bombs for Mom

This month’s Buchheit Buddy project makes for the perfect Mother’s Day gift! Grab mom and head to Buchheit to get the following supplies you’ll need to make some bath bombs for mom. Supplies ½ cup citric acid1 cup baking soda2 tsp shea butterColored tablets (optional)2 Grandma Bea’s essential oils1 spray bottle with waterMuffin pansZiploc bags Instructions Pour your citric acid in one large mixing bowl. Add the baking soda to the mixing bowl. Put the shea butter in the microwave for five seconds at a time until it is melted to a creamy consistency and add to your mixing...

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We May Be Friends!

Crop Spraying Part 2 A call came in at 6 am. The AG dealer who had been contracted to spray the field to the north of my new homestead had lost my number. He called my neighbor for my contact information that morning, and the race was on for me to drive over to my land to quickly cover my tender plants before the farmers could continue their work. The refill truck was also waiting at the top of the road. So, I am holding up not just one, but two workers that are sitting on their hand waiting...

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Can We Be Friends?

This is a photo of the kindest act any farmer has done for me. My new plot of ground is long and narrow with the house and gardens surrounded by fields that are sprayed with chemicals regularly throughout the growing season. I am going to work with and not against these hardworking farmers who do their best to raise a crop to support their families. In spring, I was working in the gardens when I noticed the spray rig behind my neighbor’s tractor. I ran to start covering my organic spinach in the cold frames and the broccoli in...

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Broody Hens: What Not to Do!

This hen has gone broody. It means she is going to stay on this clutch of eggs and not move until she hatches out baby chicks. See the glazed fixed expression in her eyes? Nothing will force her off her brood. Going broody should be a natural part of most hens’ lives. Unfortunately, hens not going broody stop laying eggs for at least three weeks and often longer as she nurtures her new chicks. Most large egg productions would shut down if all their hens decided to go broody in spring, so that God-given trait has been selectively bred...

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How to Set a Broody Hen

It’s spring! Have any of your laying hens gone broody? Broody means that they are going to stay on their nests and hatch out some chicks. I hope you have a rooster, as it’s the one time he’s an essential part of the equation. Your hen needs some fertilized eggs. Did you know that if your rooster were to succumb to a predator that your hens would be able to continue to produce fertile eggs for up to one month? It’s because the hen has “sperm nest” areas located in her oviduct that collects and stores semen for later...

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Rock Decorating

This month’s Buchheit Buddy event is super easy and fun. You only need a few supplies to make this project ROCK. We called in our special Buchheit Buddies, Kali and Kayda to help us with this month’s event. Kali and Kayda, take it away! Supplies Rocks (we just scoured our yards for some interesting looking rocks)MarkersWashers/screws/bolts/old keys etc.Hot glue gunCotton ball and/or small pom pomsTweezers Here’s how I made my rock fish. Instructions – Fish My rock looked like a fish! Look and see how my rock friend turned out. Grab your markers and your washers and color them...

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Speckled Sussex, Wyandottes and Quirks

I am still talking about chickens! There are over 60 recognized true breeds of chickens worldwide, not including countless hybrids and crosses. One of my favorite kinds has a connection to an old movie, The Egg and I, a great tale of romance on a poultry farm. Fred McMurray raised Speckled Sussex in the movie and at the time of the film, they were considered a tremendous dual-prupose egg layer for large productions. That was before Leghorns hit the scence and the Sussex fell out of favor. They were on the endangered conservancy list, and when I first started...

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More Brown Egg Breeds

Some of the best breeds of chickens are not necessarily the highest egg producers. Let’s look at three more breeds that lay brown eggs. Buff Orpingtons Everyone should have a “Buff” or two in their flocks. Orpingtons are the quintessential homestead chicken. They are great bird for beginners and are popular worldwide. They come in many colors. Pros They have a friendly, docile nature that makes them great family birds. The Buff Orpington is a steady egg producer of between 200-280 eggs annually, but the rare-colored birds like a Lavender or Jubilee Orpington are more for show and lay...

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