Labor Day Weekend!!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

This time of year always gets me. There is so much canning to do and then on top of all of that, the craft fairs and festivals have started. I know why I needed to take a break for 2 years from sewing and doing all of this now. I have been canning tomatoes for the past 3 weeks now. Nothing but stews and chili I see for the Winter months! 

I finally had my Cosmos to bloom. It is really late in the season for them to just start blooming, but they look so beautiful. Just one of those moments to 

take in the beauty of the farm.

If you have been following my Blog, you know that the garden is now a jungle. Between going on vacation and then being diagnosed with Lyme Disease, the garden took care of itself mostly. In among the weeds I found these guys trying to show off their beauty. One of my most favorite flowers to grow are Zinnias. Even though the rest of the jungle is very hard to look at, this was a reminder for me that everything will be fine.

This I have no idea what it is, so if anyone has any ideas, please contact me. A plant started to grow out of my compost, so I let it grow, well at first I thought pumpkin, but now I know it is some type of gourd. Just a crazy, but wonderful looking critter, just have no idea what it could be!

This is Ms. Chocolate and Ms. Spot! After the rain had stopped, they ran out to the water bowl to drink. It was just funny to think with all the rain, they still wanted water from the bowl.

Ms. Griffin! She is a chicken chaser and tail puller, but she's cute. I have been trying to break her of it, but her mother JoJo seems to have been teaching her the ropes on how to do all of this. Let's just say I'm not winning and we have some chickens that have less tail feathers then they started out with.

One of the cutest little birds we have this year is our Silkie chicken, Ms. Coal. If she was candy she would just be to sweet to eat! Every night we put the chickens up. Ms. Coal and Ms, Copper have their own cage, Ms. Puffy Cheeks and Short Stuff also have one too. They are just so tiny that I get worried that something would happen to them in the larger coop, so we tuck these chickens in at night. Probably they only chickens to be tucked in every night in Virginia! 

Ms. Lovey the duck, also has a bedtime cage, come on she's blind, so she needs one too. I know, I have the worlds most spoiled birds! My husband is convinced I have lost my mind.

Ms. Coal allows Ayla to do whatever with her whether it is being put on a goat or on a toy, this time she is modeling the "Camp Migraine" sign. As I said cutie of a bird.

Update on Ms. Silver, after keeping her in the house for about a week, she seems to be doing better. We had her on Probiotics and a medicine called VetRX, which has saved many a bird in this house. I would recommend having this on hand if you have chickens, seem to be an all purpose miracle when I need it to be. Ms. Silver is pretty much back to normal as far as scratching and running the pasture, so she is now back out with the flock and she is really happy. Was a long and scary week for me.

Oh Happy Day!!!

We had some hay delivered last week and a couple of the bales were very loose and feel apart, so everyone in the barn yard got hay!

It was funny, because this was the first time the chicks have been able to play in the hay. They stood around for awhile watching the goats, chickens and the guineas play in it, but never tried to get in it it. They all did this until, Short Stuff came running into the pile, I guess they figured if a tiny bird like her was going to do it, then it was safe. They are so silly.

I gained new chickens for my collection!

My Step mother had these guys 

and

this guy in her house and they needed a new home so they are now on my front porch!!

The collection is growing fast.

I realized this weekend that I never take pictures when I go to these craft events that I go to, so I broke out the camera to show everyone what my set up looks like. It's funny how you get so wrapped up in going to the events, but forget to take pictures of it. 

Here are my pretty bird feeders on there stand that Wayne had made me. This stand has been a great asset for me at these events, I just love it.

My mason jar lights and some other things that I sell. I just realized while posting these, that I did not get a picture of the sewing goods I have. Maybe at the next event, which will be this Saturday.

We are busy, busy, busy here on Cranberry Acre, as I know every farm is right now. This week is canning grape jam and getting some new sewing done before the next event!! I do plan to have a tutorial for the jam, I just need to remember to take the pictures as I am making it! Oh how the memory goes when you get older, such a pain really. If you are out and about next weekend, Sept 6, 2014, come by the Matthews Farm in Galax, VA for the Quilt Show, Stories in Stitch. I would love to sit down and talk to you. The event goes until 4 PM.

Have a great Memorial Weekend and be safe.