Category Archives: Bees

Frosted Chickens – Nope, Not a New Dinner

Posted on February 2, 2019 | 12 comments

It’s early morning and I made a trip out to the coop to take care of the girls needs.  You know, water, food and treats.   I live in Ohio so, right now, there is snow, lots of frost and thick fog this morning.  It can be pretty but the girls don’t particularly like it.  A handful of the them ventured out to ask me for treats as I entered their yard.  Yep, they have their own yard, own chicken run and large coop.  They are all princesses and don’t like snow on their feet.

All of my white girls are current brown since we had lots of rain before the big freeze hit us this week and their entire yard was mud for days.  So, these princesses are due a good royal bath.  Which they will get when the temps rise and they stand out in the warm rain, lol.

Treat time!  Cracked corn is the treat of the day and it warms their little bodies up.  They get this treat on a fresh shoveled bit of earth, not on a bed of lettuce, lol.

Temperature inside the coop this morning.

This girl does have two legs.  Chickens will tuck one of their legs at a time up in their feathers to keep it warm when they are standing.

They are still laying, mmmm breakfast time!

I’m showing you this picture of my two hives so when you see these northern bees in my later posts this Spring you will know just how amazing they are.

Also, I do take care of the local birds.  Russ probably would wish I didn’t put a big honking bird feeder contraption on our deck but I love to watch the birds during these cold Winter days.  Of course, there is not one bird in this photo because I am standing out there taking photos, lol.  Normally there are at least 30 birds or more out there at any given time.  I probably  spend more money on their feed than I do the people in this house.

Not such a pretty picture right now but I’m keeping it real for you all.  🙂  I have issues.

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$150+ ORDER: PLEASE DO NOT ADD THE HOST CODE SO YOU WILL GET THE HOSTESS CREDITS.  YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFY FOR THE 12 FREE TUTORIALS FOR THE MONTH PLUS THE TOKENS.  Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 9.11.19 AM copy

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PURCHASE THIS MONTH’S TUTORIAL PACKAGE       
TO PURCHASE THIS MONTH’S SINGLE TUTORIALS OR THIS MONTH’S TUTORIAL PACKAGE AT A DISCOUNT CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

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George from Stampin’ Up! shares a close up look at the Craft & Carry Tote Bag in the following video.

Watch the Video

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12 Comments

Posted in Bees, chickens

Honey Harvest – I Love My Bees

Posted on September 27, 2017 | 10 comments

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Yet another hobby to chat about.. . . . . . never a dual moment here!

Being a new beekeeper I was thrilled to extract our very first batch of honey from our hives yesterday.  Just look at it, 4 quarts of the purest clover honey.

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This is what a frame of capped honey looks like.  I got to process 8 1/2 frames and it taste better than any other honey I’ve ever tasted, probably because I have such an investment in it, time and money.  🙂

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Normally you don’t get to keep any of the honey your new bees make in the first year because they may need it to get through the Winter, but one of our new hives is extra strong and made an additional box full.  I also got to harvest our first bees wax too.  I’m looking forward to making something from it this Winter.  I’m so excited!

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This is my bees cleaning up the honey left in the  bowls I used during the extraction and what was left in the frames in the bee box.  No waste!

Helping the bees survive is sure rewarding.  🙂  If you are thinking about becoming a beekeeper, please do, the bees need us.

Thanks for stopping by. . . . .

Huge Hugs,

 

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GET THE WHOLE MONTH WORTH OF TUTORIALS FREE, 12 IN ALL ($21.99 VALUE).  PLUS EARN TOKENS TOWARDS A FREE STAMP SET WITH MY CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM) HOLY COW!

Place a $50 merchandise order between September 1, 2017 and September 30, 2017 using Hostess Code KJRXDDKB and receive the entire month of tutorials (at least 12) free of charge via e-mail.

You will receive all 12 of the project tutorials for the month of September, as they are created.  You will also receive 1 virtual token from me for each $50 in merchandise purchased with your order.  Collect 10 tokens and receive a free stamp set of your choice up to a $30 value from me with my customer loyalty program.   Now, that’s the way to get some bang for your buck!

TO RECEIVE THIS OFFER PLEASE USE HOSTESS CODE: KJRXDDKB When placing your order.   (PLEASE DO NOT USE IF MERCHANDISE ORDERED IS OVER $150 so you receive the hostess benefits plus the 12  free tutorials for the month and your tokens).

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Autumn Owl  Thoughts For You  Graveyard Gate  Snowy Greetings  Wicked Cat-1  Hearts Come Home  DSC_0025      Snow Owl  Brightly Lit ChristmasDSC_0002 2

The first ten tutorials in this month’s tutorial package. Two great tutorials to come!

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TO PURCHASE THIS MONTH’S SINGLE TUTORIALS OR THIS MONTH’S TUTORIAL PACKAGE AT A DISCOUNT CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

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10 Comments

Posted in Bees

Life Has Been Buzzy!

Posted on April 4, 2017 | 16 comments

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Like I don’t have enough hobbies and animals to take care of, I decided I must try to do my part and save the honey bee too.  🙂  Due to pesticides and other things we are losing honey bee colonies at an alarming rate and without them, who will pollinate a great deal of our food?

I started on this crusade last Autumn.   Joined my community Beekeeper’s Association and then attended day long classes to learn more.  I also found a mentor at the Beekeeper’s meetings who has been a blessing, so much to learn.

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Students at the beekeeping class were encouraged to not wear gloves when working the bees.  🙂  This takes nerves of steel at first but then you find it not so bad.  It slows you down witch helps the bees not to be nerves.

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No, this is not an alien, it’s me all geared up at class.  🙂  Crazy Right?

I spent the Winter pouring over Beekeeping catalogs, yes there is such a thing, and I purchased my hives and other necessary tools and protective clothing.

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Well Spring finally arrived and it’s time to start new colonies.  These are my hives right after I installed a 3 pound package of bees in each one.  Just envision that.  Now, just how many bees do you think that is?   Well, it is around 9,000 bees per hive!  That’s just to start the colonies.

I was quite nervous, but pulled my big girl panties up and put all those bees in the hives by myself.    I’ve been asked if I filmed this process, HECK NO!  I had to put every bit of my brain power into what I was doing.  Remember this was my first time.

You might want to know why there are different colors on my hives, well, bees see color and it helps them distinguish  which hive is theirs.    They don’t see red, orange and purple as true colors they see them as black so I chose So Saffron and Pear Pizzazz (it’s a sickness to see all colors as Stampin’ Up! colors) to paint a couple of my hive boxes in.  You really don’t want your bees bouncing from one hive to another so they don’t spread viruses, mites, etc. from one colony to another.

I am happy to report the bees are doing well so far.  Hopefully we will see lots of bee babies soon as the colonies grow.

Wishing you a beautiful and productive day!

Huge Hugs,

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Get the Whole Month Worth of Tutorials Free, 12 in all ($21.99 value).  Plus earn tokens towards a free stamp set with my customer loyalty program, HOLY COW!

Place a $50 merchandise order between April 1, 2017 and April 30, 2017 using Hostess Code F7YUR4X2 and receive the entire month of tutorials (at least 12) free of charge via e-mail.

You will receive all 12 of the project tutorials for the month of April, as they are created.  You will also receive 1 virtual token from me for each $50 in merchandise purchased with your order.  Collect 10 tokens and receive a free stamp set of your choice up to a $30 value from me with my customer loyalty program.   Now, that’s the way to get some bang for your buck!

PLEASE USE HOSTESS CODE: F7YUR4X2  When placing your order.   (PLEASE DO NOT USE IF MERCHANDISE ORDERED IS OVER $150 so you receive the hostess benefits plus the 12  free tutorials for the month).

Free tutorials are an exclusive perk for my Stampin’ Up! customers and Stampin’ Up Team. 

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The first tutorial in the April, 2017 Tutorial Package.  Eleven more to come!

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TO PURCHASE THIS MONTH’S SINGLE TUTORIALS OR THIS MONTH’S TUTORIAL PACKAGE AT A DISCOUNT CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

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Don’t have a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator?  Want to become one of my valued customers and get a copy of current catalogs like the  Occasions Catalog?  Please e-mail your request to me at [email protected] along with your name and address.

16 Comments

Posted in Bees