April Upcycles on Maple Valley Farm



$30 Loot from Auction = Upcycles!



My front porch was looking sort of drab, so I decided to revisit this old table that was part of a great auction haul recently. It was only $2. Totally worth it!

I got into the cellar to see what colors of paint leftovers I had to choose from and found this really pretty red. I like red. My husband accuses me of painting everything red! So, I cleaned it up, painted it, and used wax to antique and protect it. It really brightens up a drab corner on the front porch, don't you think?

You may remember a few other upcycles from the same auction haul:


Potatoes in a $1 Basket

$2 Chair Painted by My Kiddos

I'm pretty happy with how they've all turned out!

Let's take a look at some other up/re-cycles happening at Maple Valley Farm:

OLD FISH TANK/SAVED SEEDS


Fish Tank Upcycle = Saved Seeds

The seeds we saved last year from organic veggies have done really well in our make shift green house (read = old fish tank upcycle). I've started to hardy them off and they should be ready to be transplanted outside in a few more weeks. (The eggs you see contain eggplants... I may be a dork, but I think that's funny.)

RECYCLED MASON JARS/FROZEN ORGANIC FRUIT DEALIO

Happiness is a Full Cupboard

I got a really good deal on some frozen organic fruit, so we decided to use up some mason jars that a friend gave us (her husband was cleaning out the garage!). We had a great time making jam! My daughter is in charge of all the measuring and my son is a champion fruit squisher (we use a potato masher).

I found some cupcake liners after Easter on clearance for a quarter, so we tried them out as jar decoration. Very springy, huh? After the jars are sealed, you simply turn the cupcake liners upside down and screw the ring down over the lid as usual, so that the bottom of the liner hangs out. You could also add ribbon and/or labels to jazz the jars up.

OLD WINDOW SCREENS MULTIPLIED

Larger Screens Catch More Pooh

The screens we tried first in the chicken coop worked so well, that we upsized. I got three larger screens which were being tossed, and replaced the smaller ones. These cover more area and keep the chickens from walking in yuck. Once a week I hose them off and it's so much cleaner!

SCRAP WOOD RE-USE


Wood Scraps into a Chicken/Duck Wrap

Fluffy, one of our Buff Orpingtons, demonstrates how to use her chicken ramp. Our friend constructed a nice ramp out of scrap wood from our cabin reconstruction. The girls seem to love it!

OLD BOOTS OR AN HERB PLANTER?

Walk Down Memory Lane

Does anyone else ever look at the items that your kiddos outgrow nostalgically? This pair of rain boots really held a lot of memories of my beautiful daughter stomping in the mud and playing in the creek in our yard. I couldn't bear to hand them down...

So, I propagated some herbs in them and kept them in the back yard to enjoy. I have to smile each time I see those boots.

THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO ON MAPLE VALLEY FARM. Very soon, we will be able to plant more in the garden, which I'll post about. And remember our broody Bantum mix hen, Willow? The one trying so hard to hatch golf balls?

Willow on Her Nest

Well it's time to put her to work! I won 7 Ameraucana eggs in a contest and they should be here any day. We plan on slipping the eggs under her and letting her hatch them. Stay tuned!

I LOVE OUR BLUE AMERAUCANA EGGS!

I enjoy the benefits of organic free range eggs, of course, but I have to admit that even though they do not taste any different, I do LOVE the different colors in our brood.

Speaking of the girls... I know you want photos. You do, right? You must. Who wouldn't love these drama queens?

Not sure why, but this photo of AFLAC makes my son laugh out loud, and he asked me to include it.

Rare photo of Dominique, our Mayflower hen

Three Tetra Tint chicks enjoy the sunshine. They will begin laying in about a month.

My RIR brat, Gertrude, is always ready for a close up... or a treat.

I hope you are enjoying Spring as much as we are! Family photo shoot tomorrow, so look for kiddo photos soon. Peace be with you!!!

REduce, REuse, UPCYCLE!

This spring, we are really concentrating on using what we already have, or re-using old items. UPCYCLING! We went to an auction the other day, and although Tim and I wimped out early, our good friends (Lisa and; Gary) stuck it out for the entire day and, with my shopping list in hand, scored us a few awesome finds!  



Old Sandbox Converted to a Salad Garden

Check out this $5 chair the my kiddos painted ALL by themselves. What a neat upgrade! 



NEXT, my 10 year old diva decided that she needed a salad garden all her own that no one else could touch and that I couldn't plant any nasty garlic or onions and that her brother couldn't put his cabbage in (can you hear the 10 year old girl in there???).  So, I racked my brain and remembered that I'd been trying to get rid of an old sandbox my 6 year old outgrew this summer. BINGO!

 

Little Man's Cabage Box far right

I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and Ms. Diva Green Thumb has already set out several kinds of lettuce (and she snuck some onions in too... hmmm....).

Not to be outdone, my son claimed an old wooden box and demanded that it contain ONLY cabbage. The boy loves cabbage! 

Raised Beds with ReUsed Material



I LOVE using things we already have handy to accomplish tasks! 

Speaking of gardens, let's take a look at mine. Mulched, check. Top layer of soil scratched and aerated by chickens, check. We created these raised beds last year from old tractor tires and they work really well!

Two raised beds contain a variety of lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower and broccoli have been planted in the ground. This is going to be a great garden year! I can feel it in my bones:)

Next week we can seed radished and turnips outdoors! What are you growing? Are you following the advised schedule or did you get a jump on the growing season with the early spring?


How are the birds? Wonderful, thank you for asking! Spunky and Aflac have been spending their days outside swimming in the creek.

This weekend, we plan on moving them to the chicken coup. I'll let you know how that goes! They have very much outgrown their plastic duck habitat (read plastic box).

Today the little rottens discovered a waterfall in the branch. This quickly turned into a slip n slide! They wore themselves out and took a nap in the sun.

The kids and I made a makeshift "chick tractor" out of some things laying around. The girls (I'm stressing GIRLS even though my daughter asserts she spies a rooster!) enjoyed their first trip outdoors.

And we must have done a really really good job on the tractor, as it garnered a lot of attention.

So what are you doing this spring? Send me a picture of a project you've accomplished using recycled or reused material and I"ll post it. We'll pick a random picture and that person will win some organic carrot seeds!

Greening Our Weekend

 

"Chitting Potatoes"

 We have a few neat projects planned for this weekend! First, we're going to an auction with our friends who just bought a farm... I wonder what treasures we will find!

Next we are going to "chit" potatoes. All that means is that we're going to sit them in egg cartons with a little soil and dampness in order to promote a few sprouts.

In just a couple of weeks, we'll try our hand at potatoes in a container garden. We are using Organic Yellow potatoes. We will be sure to choose terra cotta or recycled containers which have really good holes in the bottom for draining, so that the potatoes will not rot. I will post pictures of the progress. We should be able to harvest these potatoes in June.

"Starting Seeds in Organic Egg Shells"

Also, it's time to seed Egglplant indoors, so it's the perfect time to try out some recycled/organic eggshell containers. I have a feeling these are going to work REALLY REALLY well.

Our lettuce and tomatoes are up, so it's time to get them all under a light. A few varieties did not sprout, so I may try again with the red lettuce & red stripey tomatoes..

SURPRISE PROJECT: We're going to reclaim an old sandbox that the kids have outgrown... Stay tuned and see how we recycle and reuse it in our garden! It promises to be a fun project.

Sounds like a fun weekend, huh? I will continue to mulch, compost, and clean up. I will post pictures of how our garden is coming along in a day or so... And introduce you to the newest member of Maple Valley Farm.

Aflac and Spunky are growing so fast! They love playing in the creek on warm days, but have to settle for the bathtub when the temperature drops below 70...

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!!!

Where Did Eden Go?

Going off the grid doesn't have to be a BIG step. In fact, every little step counts. Whether you made your own laundry soap, shopped local produce, recycled plastic, or used recycled shopping bags, you took a little back. You took back a little control of your life, your home, your country, your planet. Isn't that beautiful?

So, for our inaugural blog, I'd like to know what small steps you're taking in your lives, homes, offices, and dreams to take control? How are you giving Mother Earth a little break or honoring God by being thoughtful to His creations? Can't wait to see the comments!

My goals? My goal for March 2012 is to 1) get our non recyclable trash down to a Walmart bag per week through upcycle, recycle, burning, and recycling and 2) to work on our garden, prepping it for the planting which is very near future! Today, in fact, I'm finishing up soil amendment via mulching and spreading the last round of chicken poop.

Did you know chicken poop is touted a THE best fertilizer ever? Lucky us, as I have TONS. Lots of natural much too. Let me know if you need either!

Thanks for stopping by! I am excited about this blog, which will chronicle how the kiddos and I are restoring Maple Valley Farm and honoring God, Mother Earth, and ourselves by keeping it simple. WWJD? I like to ask myself every day in every decision I make. I have a feeling he wouldn't be living on the grid:)

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till and keep it," Genesis 2:15