The Whimsy House

 It doesn't get super cold here in NC, but warm backyard chickens mean happy backyard chickens and a light bulb in the coop means increased egg production, so we spent some time last weekend getting the girls ready for those cold, rainy , winter days when they just don't want to leave the chicken coop. It wasn't hard to winterize the backyard chicken coop at all. Owning chickens is easier than you think.

When we built our coop, we used a coop kit very similar to this one so there isn't a lot of space. That wasn't a deal breaker for us because the girls forage around our suburban backyard so really they just needed somewhere to hang out when it's rainy and sleep at night.

Not everybody puts heaters in the henhouse for their girls, but most chicken owners will use a light in the winter because it increases egg production. This is the light we used from the video below.

Before we got the heater the girls piled on top of each other in a single nesting box. They like being cozy, even if it means the hen on the bottom might suffocate, so we figured we might need to go ahead and start finding a way to keep the henhouse a little warmer. We went with this standing heater, because it was safe to use inside of the coop and we didn't want to be stressed out about fire hazards. The heater stands on its own which is perfect. We stood it along one of the henhouse walls to encourage them to use their roosting bars which are near the heater. 

We also added another roosting bar to encourage them to hang out on the bars for easier hen house cleaning and a heated water base for the run, to keep the water from freezing.

We made a strip door using this plastic from Amazon.

Our winterizing checklist, (chick-list 😂):

• Clean out the run and coop. Fresh shavings, wash feeders and waterers
• Run a multiple outlet extension cord from the house, burying the cord when it crosses areas with frequent foot traffic or dog poop
• Close doors & windows
• Make a strip door to keep in heat
• Set up heater
• Set up heated water base
• Mount laying light on a side wall
• Set up timer to run light and put heater on a schedule
• Double-check all of your locks and make sure you are predator proof

Download this free infographic checklist!

These ornaments are so gorgeous, I can't believe I made them. The high pigment alcohol inks keep the colors super saturated, the superfine glitter ads sparkle and if you add a mix of craft paint and watered down Mod Podge at the end it makes it look like vibrant polished stone or raku. 

DIRECTIONS

It's difficult for me to put a recipe online because with the exception of baked goods I don't measure when I cook. Although Apple Pie is technically a baked good, I'm not making my own crust so the process is expedited. In fact, if I have someone work the apple peeler for me, I can make 8 pies in an hour. That's right. 8 pies. 1 hour.

Who in the world needs 8 pies? You do. When you have a holiday potluck, take a pie. When your neighbor is recovering from surgery, take a pie. Your bestie's birthday, family supper or Bosses Day. You can never go wrong with Apple Pie.

You can drizzle it with caramel and make it decadent. Top it with French Vanilla ice cream for a class crowd pleasure or just heat up a slice and have it with your morning coffee. That's right. Pie for breakfast. It has fruit. 

I started the mass production of pies because each year we get a case of apples during picking season and they don't last forever. I make apple butter, apple sauce and apple pie and either freeze and can all of it so we have a good stash until the next apple picking season. 

The Method

I use store bought pie crusts from the freezer section at the grocery store for the bottom crust. I use the roll out crusts for the top crust. 

I wash my apples and put out all 8 bottom crusts. Then put sliced apples in the first shell, second shell, third and on and on until you have the first layer in all 8 pie shells. Mix the sugars together and grab a stick of butter from the freezer. Top with 1/4 cup of sugar mixture, sprinkle with apple pie spice and then use a cheese grater to dot the top with butter in all 8 shells. 

Layer, repeat. Layer , repeat until your pie is the right height. Then drop the roll out crust over the top and seal the edge. Sometimes it helps to brush a little water on the edges to help the edges seal.

Then I put the pies without any covering in the freezer until they are hard, (a few hours) and then in the evening I wrap them with plastic wrap and the a second time with foil. 

The cheese grater and frozen butter is the secret sauce y'all. It really speeds up the process. The set up and clean up are the hardest part of this method, but with set up, creation and clean up, the whole project takes less than 2 hours. 

Apple Pie Recipe (makes 8 pies)

Ingredients

Instructions:

There are a handful of ingredients that I like to keep in the kitchen so it's easy to whip up something on the fly. There are the usual suspects, flour, sugar, milk, but beyond that there are a handful of other items that can always be found in our kitchen. Sun-dried tomatoes for example, last forever in the fridge and can be added to everything from scrambled eggs to calzone.

The CDC is recommending that everyone wear a cloth face covering when in public. Not everyone has access to a sewing machine, but you don't have to sew to create a face covering to protect you and others from germs.

If you ARE able to sew and have the time and have an extra stash of fabric, please consider making as many as you can and passing them on. Everyone needs one, but our essential workers need them more than everyone who is hunkered down at home. You can find a free printable note to put into the bag with the mask.

Here are some ideas to get masks into the hands of folks who need them.

• CMS and Union County Schools have requested handmade cloth masks for cafeteria workers, who are still going into the schools to prepare lunches for children in need. 
• Consider leaving masks (in ziptop bags) out for delivery workers who may be coming by your house. Print a copy of this sign, so they know they can take one.
• When you make a grocery run hand them out (in ziptop bags) to grocery store workers
• Ask your neighbors if they need them, offer one to postal workers or drop them in the mail to send to loved ones.
• Reach out to Facebook group, called Face Masks for Healthcare Providers in North Carolina  to find other locations accepting drop off
• Atrium and Novant Healthcare - Must be sewn: Drop off locations are HERE

MASK TUTORIAL ROUND UP

• Youtube Tutorial for Masks with Wire Nose Piece (Wire can be pipe cleaners, paper clips or garden wire)
• Tutorial from Atrium Health for Healthcare Donations - Video HERE
• Tutorial for Hand Sewn EASY Masks
• Tutorial for No Sew Masks
• Hot Glue Gun Mask Tutorial

I believe in Elderberry. It works. And some say it’s the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola to boot. You can buy it from local health food stores, but it’s pricey. And they won’t be open when your little one starts running a fever at midnight. You can make your own pretty easy. If you are going to trapped in a house with ill children for the next few days you’ll have some time, right?


Make your own. I order the berries online and keep them in the freezer. They are shipped dry and can be left in the pantry, but our pantry is pretty small, so I take advantage of our big box freezer when I can. Then when the mood (or the first cold of the year whichever comes first) strikes me, I make a batch.


Here’s how.

Ingredients

2/3 cup dried black elderberries (if you are using fresh, use 1 ½ cups)

4 cups water

2 TBSP fresh or dried ginger root

1 tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp Allspice or clove powder

½ tsp nutmeg

1 cup honey

Instructions

Add all ingredients EXCEPT HONEY to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer for an hour or less or until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from heat and mash berries with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Allow to cool.

Add your honey to a jar or a bowl. I put my honey in the jar that I am going to store the syrup in, because I don’t like washing dishes. Strain and pour the warm Elderberry infusion on top on the honey. Put the top on your jar and shake. Once the honey is incorporated in the infusion, you have syrup! Store in the fridge. Lasts for up to three months. Long enough to get you through cold and flu season anyway.

To boost immunity take 1 tsp for kids and 1 Tablespoon for adults. To recover from sickness take the above dose every three hours until symptoms begin to subside.

Instant Pot option: Put all ingredients in pot, seal lid, and set manually for 9 minutes on high pressure. Vent pressure and strain.

I had the brilliant idea to put laminate floors in the downstairs bathroom when we ripped out all the carpet and put in the new floors. That was a while ago, but it took about six months for the toilet to overflow and ruin the floors completely. I ripped them out, drank a glass of wine and stared the floor down for a good 20 minutes before I decided what to do with it. I couldn’t bear to tile it. I had spent way more time than I want to admit breaking up the tile in the bathroom and ended up having to have a friend’s Dad come and lend me his hammer and some expertise.

So, I went with plan C. I had some cement leveler & skim coat from another project. I figured regardless of what I did with the floor it was going to need to be level so I started there.

First, I removed the toilet. Then I stirred the leveler and spread it across the floor. The leveler was smooth and filled in all of my uneven areas with just a little help from the smooth end of a trowel… a 12-inch drywall knife would work here as well. Our house is built on a slab, so if yours is not, start by laying some cement backer board down. You can find an online tutorial but basically, it’s a cut and screw down sort of thing.


Once your leveler is down spread it around smooth, clean up your mess, wash your hands and carry on with your day. Once it’s dry - the fun part begins. I didn't like that my area wasn't as smooth as I wanted, so I ran an orbital sander over it a couple of times to make sure it was flush. The sander actually polished the cement and gave it dark and light areas from burnishing... and even a little shine.


If you don’t know by now, I’ll tell you. I have a lot of faith in clear glaze and acrylic paint. I’ve used it here, and then here again. I did spend some time looking at stained and colored cement floors online so I knew which direction I wanted to go.

I took a few plastic party cups and poured about a third of the cup full of glaze. I mixed about two tablespoons of brown and a few drops of black (dark brown) into one, a few drops of yellow, orange and brown (rust brown) to another and then more brown again, this time in more of a medium tone. I’ll tell ya’, I was nervous because I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off or not. Turns out, it wasn’t that hard in fact… a kid can do it. I know this because I wanted something random and I have a tendency to over think things… so I called the then, 8 year old in the room and had him dip a brush in the paints and dribble them on the floor. From there, I grabbed a large painters brush and some of the plain glaze and went to work. I dripped the uncolored glaze on the floor and took the brush and swirled it around.

The floor wasn’t perfectly level which worked out great. You can still see the grid-like pattern from the cement board that was removed, and it looked cool so I left it.

Once the floor was done and dried, I poured floor sealer over the top of it. You can purchase this type of sealer at the grocery store or you can over it from Amazon here.

Clean the floor as you would a regular tile floor and every year or two, add another coat of floor wax like this one to keep up the shine.

Different Heights and Levels

When you are building a vignette, you are trying to lead the eye through your display. Taller items pull the eye in, and shorter items draw and hold the view downward. Remember that they eye is drawn to bright colors as well, so keep that in mind when you are creating. Draw an imaginary line over the area you want to create and then arrange your items accordingly.

Use books, small pedestals or interesting boxes to add height to items that just aren’t high enough.





Odd numbers

It’s true in gardening, it’s true in art and it’s true here too. Odd always trumps even. Odd groupings or numbers of items add interest to your display. This is a rule that can be broken depending on the way the visual line falls, but generally holds true for most things. Keep it odd.




Throw some Light on it

Doesn’t do you any good to create a beautiful display if it’s hidden in darkness. If you want to draw attention to it, don’t hide it in the shadows. Decorators have always known this, making sure that lighting falls directly onto works on art or special features within a room. Put your best picks under a lamp or near a window. If you can’t afford to light specific areas that are great for displays, like bookshelves, make sure the back panel of the shelf is a lighter color, a semi-gloss paint or consider leaning mirrors against the back to reflect light into the shadowy areas.




Vary the depth

One of the mistakes that lots of folks make is to put their items all in a single line. Even if you are varying the heights of your objects, it’s not interesting if everything is all in a row. Push some of your items to the back, bring others to the front, remembering to vary your heights, colors and textures along the way.


Create a theme

It helps to create a theme when building displays. This doesn’t mean that if you are highlight a set of Harry Potter wands that you have to build an entire vignette dedicated to the book series, but you could throw the wands next to the books and a couple of other features that may look antique or mystical. Below the wands sit next to a carved mirror and a modern chess clock. While the chess clock may seem out of place, it’s not an ordinary household item which lends it some interest in the display.

Sometimes you can create a theme just by using muted colors or earth tones, or collections of items. Consider creating a display that tells a story. A set of weathered books, a crystal bowl on top and a pair of antique spectacles leaned against them all carry a sort of “intellectual” theme, making them similar although they are different things.




Find objects you love and you'll always love your results

The final rule, and yes, I’m calling it a rule is only buy objects you love or use objects that mean something to you. Whether it’s your Grandfather’s cigar box or just a bottle brush fox that you think is absolutely adorbs, don’t display it unless you love it. If you only display things that mean something and that you love to look at, it will all come together because you are the common denominator.




Stir it Up

Have fun and change it up. We have a friend that comments, that we always have “something new” every time she comes to the house. We actually don’t purchase new (or new to us) things very often, but I am easily bored and am frequently moving things around from one place to another. It looks like we have new stuff all the time, keeps our decor fresh and interesting and keeps me from being bored. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I have a confession. Our house had popcorn ceilings and we haven’t done anything about it yet. We are trying but seems like we only get around one to one ceiling a year. Last year we tackled our bathroom ceilings.




I know you don’t need a whole story about the project, but it was really quick and easy.  Essentially, I bought a thin bead board cut it to size and used the nail gun to attach it to the ceiling studs. I used a stud finder to find the studs and then put a piece of painter’s tape on the wall next to the ceiling stud to mark the area. My husband came and helped hold the ceiling in place while I tacked it around the left edge with the nail gun. I smoothed it to the center like I was pressing out the wrinkles in paper and then tacked it again with the nail gun. I finished it off by adding nails around the edges. I wasn’t worried about this because I knew I would be finishing the edge with a piece of screen porch molding.




Once everything was nailed into place I gave it a coat of soft white paint in satin. There is no window in this bathroom, so I wanted a little more light bounce. And there you have it. Popcorn ceilings gone. Mischief managed.