Solar project.

So phase one of the solar project was getting the frame up.

Digging Post holes.

Then we had to put up the support frame. These are heavy 4x6 post about 8 feet tall.

Then you gotta put the panel supports up.

Then you can finally put panels on. Oh yeah!!

Home upgrades!

We have been so busy this fall that I haven't really had time to update this old blog. I thought I might get it going again since we have some fun stuff going on.

We are upgrading to solar panel electricity for our house. Part of this upgrade includes trying to get our home more energy efficient in general. We replaced our windows over a year ago and it was finally time to do the deck door. It was an old sliding door that really leaked hot and cold air. We upgraded to a french door that has built in mini-blinds. LOVE IT!

Photo Book

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7 months

 Giovanni is 7 months old now (almost 8!) it is going by so fast. I can't believe he is so mobile and funny! He can sit, crawl and stand! Loves to nurse and we call him the Pterodactyl because he likes to shreech! He loves to take a bath and play in water, so this summer should be pretty fun for him. He is such a happy baby. We are really blessed to have him in our family!

6 months old!

Giovanni is six months old. He can now sit up alone, crawl and he has 2 bottom teeth! He loves to eat real food and will eat about anything. He is so smiley and funny. He has got to swing at the park a couple times and he loves it. He loves to hear his sister sing. If we are in the car and he cries she will sing. He usually stops crying. Its very sweet.

Poultry babies and DUCKS!

 All of our poultry babies are growing fast. I don't know if I will ever get tired of taking pictures of chicks. It's kind of like taking pictures of human babies. They change so quickly that you just want to capture it!

This first picture is our future egg layer babies. We currently have 7 hens and these 11 girls and 1 boy will be added soon. They are ready to move to the chicken tractor and start eating grass.

 Next up is what I like to call "Bowling balls with legs". I think this photo sums up how round the meat chicks look. 4 weeks and approximately 2 pounds already. WOW!

 Here is another shot with the Turkey in it.

 Introducing our new friends, the Ducks! They are Welsh Harlequin Ducks and supposed to be very friendly and great egg layers. The yellow billed ones are the boys and the dark billed ones are the girls. They are fun already. They make such cute quacking sounds.

 Last but not least, our garden. We have already harvested radishes. We have 24 tomato plants, 8 eggplants, lots of bell peppers, hot peppers, kale, lettuce, green beans, herbs and soon sweet potatoes and okra.

New things I have recently made.

 Over the past month I have made several little projects. In all of them I have learned something new.

I made these cute fingerless gloves for my 6 year old son. He loves them. I learned how to make thumb holes or casting off a few stitches in an area and joining them back up later.

 

Next I did my first knitting with Bulky yarn. It was great because it went fast. I knitted this flat and then had to seam it. I have never done that before so it was a great learning experience. This is a Kindle case I made for my Mom. The buttons are old buttons I upcycled from a stash I got from my Great Aunt. 

Third but definitely not last. I broke out my neglected sewing machine and made this dress for Gioia this week. It is a fabulous way to use up lots of cute fabric. Its a Knotted Strap Dress made patchwork style. First time doing any buttonhole work. I also found a new nice way to gather fabric.
(Click on her picture to make it bigger if you want.)

Luca Scrapbook 1st and 2nd year

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Gardening 2012. Round 1

 A few weeks ago we got this load of compost from Missouri Organics. It has been a real challenge to keep the kids out of it. After all it is a giant pile of dirt. Except, if I pay for dirt, you don't get to spread it all over the yard. Sorry. :)  Ha ha! So, it is finally warm enough to plant some cool weather veggies so I made some beds and got to it.

 I planted Spinach, Kale, Radish and Lettuce. Then I started cleaning out the chicken house and putting about a 2 inch thick row of bedding mulch in between the beds. Both the beds and the mulch are about 2 feet wide. This is our first time trying it this way so I will report back if the chicken mulch stuff (which is pine bedding) keeps the weeds away.

I was getting a little help from my friends. This is Silvia. She is a Silver Laced Wyandotte. She is the head hen around here. She comes running to me when I am out there. You never know if I have some tasty treats for her. :)

Knitting - Doll skirt.

 So my new project has been learning how to knit. As my mom says, I have a boring life and need another project. HA HA! But it is really fun and so far I have been sticking to small projects that are easy to finish. I think this keeps me going with it. I really DON'T have the time for super long projects. Since it is spring we will be gardening and doing more chickens.

Anyway, my first finished project is this cute doll skirt for Gioia's doll. Gioia even knitted a few rows on it. It is a 3 tiered skirt that has 3 different colors of yarn in it. I took only a couple days to do.

Pattern from here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/three-tiered-doll-skirt

Giovanni is now 5 months old! How does time go so fast?! He is such a fun baby. Full of smiles and giggles. He is also such a big guy. He is currently 15 lbs and 26 inches long. He is wearing 6-9 month clothes. He can roll over both ways. He is also trying to scoot a little.

This week he tried bananas and sweet potatoes and declared them both a hit. He would laugh and smile each time I gave him a bite. He likes to jump in his Johnny Jumper. When his dad comes in the room he giggles and cries for him. It is really sweet.

Zoo day!

Last Thursday we went to the Kansas City Zoo. We have a membership and almost never get to go in the Winter time. However this year we have had unseasonably warm weather. This last week on Feb. 2nd we had 60's so we went to the Zoo with my Mom. She hadn't been since I was a kid. She really enjoyed it. The KC Zoo was very run down in the 80's and very depressing. They have made it so nice now with most animals having a natural type of habitat. The weather was so great. All the animals were out lounging around. Here are a few pictures. 

Giovanni! 4 months old!

My sweet funny face is 4 months. I can't believe it! He is rolling over and scooting around. He has tried out the Johnny Jumper seat and loves it. He is starting to drool and chew, teeth are just around the bend. I love this little guy so much! He is really a joy of a baby.

Locks of Love

Several weeks ago Gioia and I went to get our hair done. I was getting some color and she wanted to go shorter. Luckily she had enough to give to Locks of Love. They require 10 inches. Wow! So here are the before and after pictures. She is loving her short do. She says its easier to brush with no tangles.