Summer Vacation – Week 3

I am still trying, and I think succeeding, in making our summer fun, eventful, entertaining as well as a learning experience in the process.  So far I keep getting a big thumbs up from the kids. 

Monday – we started out our day with a little tidying up around the house and then we got busy and got started.  We headed to the library to return our books and pick out some new ones to check out.  The girls turned in their first reading program voucher and received some great prizes.  After the library we headed to the grocery store for milk and cream to make homemade ice cream and a box of cones.  We headed home and made the ice cream.  Then rode our bikes to the park and ate lunch.  After we got home the girls enjoyed some down time to read their library books and I sewed.  I was able to make the girls two more sundresses. 

Tuesday – I made applesauce bread and banana bread for breakfast.  We had that with homemade yogurt and frozen raspberries I thawed.  Delicious!  Then we got dressed and the girls set up at the patio table for some watercolor art.  That project kept them busy until it was time to ride our bikes to the park and eat lunch.  After we got home we had just enough time to unload our daypacks and put our bikes away before heading out to catch a matinee.  It’s $1 Tuesday at our neighborhood theatre.  We saw Chimpanzee – great movie! 

Wednesday – we spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  I took a pan of lasagna, a salad and fresh made garlic bread.  It was a great time spent visiting with my parents and checking out my mom’s garden and flowerbeds.  I was also able to go through my dad’s scrap lumber pile and score pressure treated wood to build a new strawberry bed.  Mom gave me some raspberry plants and when I get my strawberry bed built she has starts for me too.  Yeah for me! 

Thursday – our day was spent working around the house.  My oldest elected to work inside cleaning the bathrooms and dusting.  This left the outdoor chores to me and the young one.  We started out by mowing and raking the lawn and then hanging up a load of clothes on the line.  Then we headed to the very backyard to water the garden and pull weeds (fortunately there weren’t many).  We got the raspberry bed turned up and amended.  Then we planted the raspberry starts.  We were so motivated after that we ended up building a four foot raised bed extension to our garden!  We even got the soil in.  Now we are ready for the strawberry plants.  Next we got the end roll of wire fencing my dad gave me out of the back of the pickup and made tomato cages out of it.  In the late afternoon (we were completely pooped out at this point) my parents came by to check out the chicken coop idea and it looks like we are going forward with it!  We found the perfect spot for it and I already have the coop planned out.  The girls are very excited.  We are going to be urban farmers. 

Friday – I can’t believe it is Friday already!  I started my day out sorting and going through my canning jars and supplies.  It looks like I’ll need one more box of lids and a box or two of pints.  That should do it.  I’m glad I have that $3 coupon for the jars. 

After breakfast went to the feed store for chick starter and feeders; then off to Home Depot for chicken wire.  We cleared the area for the new chicken coop and built the base frame.  We put wire under it so the raccoons, skunks and voles won’t dig their way into the coop and the chickens won’t dig big holes when they dust.  I plan to cover the wire with a nice dirt and sand mixture so they can dust and it won’t get sticky muddy when it rains.  We constructed a brooder out of a huge box my next door neighbor had.  I had plastic quart sized mayonnaise jars for the chick feeders so we go those set up and the brooder all ready. 

After lunch I took the girls to the Dunlap Hatchery in Caldwell, Idaho.  dunlaphatchery.net They were able to look at a huge variety of peeps and make their selection.  We are now chick parents to three of the cutest little peeps.  The girls are absolutely thrilled with them.  They gave us a catalog with care information in it and the girls have already gone through it cover to cover.  For them this is very exciting. 

It is hard to believe this week is already over but what a way to end it.  We’ll spend the weekend working on chicken coop construction and tending our flock.  We are definitely becoming urban farmers. J