Shed Building Plans

Why Not the Nest Boxes

We painted them red so they would be fun to lay eggs in. And about half of the girls use them regularly. The other half..... not so much.









And finally we have our first broody hen. She is one diligent mama wanna-be. She has been at this sitting thing for weeks. I thought she was sick and dieing when she first started and even took her to the vet. He got a good laugh out of it, refused to take my money and thanked me for being one of the first to ever bring him a chicken. I guess folks around here eat their questionable birds. I happen to like mine too much to do that but I can see their point. Plus my muscle is in Alaska and I cannot do that kind of deed myself. I have toyed with slipping some day old chicks under her at night so she will finally stop this madness but I dont have the heart to possibly go out and find that she wasnt a good mother after all. Seems a little like murder if the experiment does not work. I have been kicking her off the nest all day long on the days that I am home. She seems to like it in there.


Why Not the Nest Boxes

Lonely at Christmas Youre not alone

Well, here we are, only a few hours away from the hustle and bustle that is December 24th & 25th.  Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year - there is just a feeling in the air and in the heart that cannot be replicated by any other of the 364 days.  No matter what has happened in my life, that feeling has never left me.  On Christmas Eve, I love to go outside late at night and just stand in the snow (not this year) and look up at the stars and just "feel" Christmas.  Hear the "Christmas quiet".  There is such a beautiful air about the night, reflecting on the journey of Mary and the Christ child, that magic fills my heart.  I am probably writing this post more for myself than my readers but if it can allow one person  to feel better reading it, it will truly warm my heart with joy.


But Christmas has changed for me.  As a child, it was always our favorite time of the year.  Lights outside, multiple trees and garlands inside, holiday music always and signs of Christmas were just everywhere.  On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we always hosted a house full of people and laughter and gifts galore.  Family, neighbors, friends, even the mailman would stop in for a hot cocoa.  It was something out of a Hallmark movie and it was truly magical.


I can recall putting on our holiday best and heading out as a family to celebrate Christmas Eve mass even when the wind chills were 20 below and the snow would crunch beneath my high heels.   Then we would watch Its A Wonderful Life and finish wrapping and cooking for Christmas Day.

But then life got in the way.  At 31, I was diagnosed with my first cancer and a few months later, my Dad died very suddenly at a New Years party.  My parents were SO in love that when I lost my Dad,  my Moms shining spirit was never as bright, now dimmed by grief and heartbreak.  Three years later, my older brother passed away and then the following week, my beautiful Mom was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.   She lost her most courageous battle the following November close to Thanksgiving.  So my magical holiday world was forever changed as my parents deaths now bookend the most wonderful time of the year.  Then one year later, I was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer.  And my last round of chemotherapy was the week before Christmas.  I remember, on Christmas Eve, sitting on the kitchen floor at my boyfriends house, crying, bald and sick with mouth sores so awful the only thing I could stand to eat was frozen watermelon.  How quickly my wonderful life had changed.   But I stopped crying, and laid on the couch in a room a glow by the Christmas tree and hope was restored.  And now here, six Decembers later, I am here to write this post.  My miracle.


My crazy love life could be a Lifetime Movie so as of right now, I am not married (YET) and treatments for both breast and ovarian cancer has robbed me of my ability to have children or even adopt.  So here I am.  Just me.  Dont get me wrong, I have a lot of special people in my life whom I love very dearly along with two older sisters I cherish.  But Christmas is hard knowing I will never have my own children.  I always envisioned myself being THAT Mom - with five Pottery Barn  stockings hanging on the fireplace and making snowman pancakes on Christmas morning.
















But I LOVE Christmas.  It is not what is used to be and it never will be that way again but it still means SO much.  I get excited for Christmas on November 1st as I take down the Halloween decorations.  I love the lights, the music, the incessant Hallmark Christmas movies.  I love the sound of sleigh bells, Church bells and the smell of Christmas cookies.  I still cry when they play Silent Night at mass on Christmas Eve and I still smile when I put the ornaments on the tree - some of the same ones from when I was a child.  I still dance around the kitchen when Mariah Careys carols come on the radio and I still make snow angels in the yard.  No matter how broken your heart may be, no matter if you have financial problems, family troubles, health challenges marital problems, unemployment or whatever, no matter what - you must always have hope, faith and trust.  And if your life is wonderful and you have no adversities, be thankful for Gods gifts and the peace and love that graces your home.  For if we have learned nothing from this Christmas season, we should at least know that our lives can change in an instance through no fault of our own.  I pray for those parents who have lost their children this month.


My parents gave me the most wonderful gift when they taught me to enjoy the "wonder" that is not only Christmas but in life and love throughout the year.   To love and to be loved it the greatest gift.

My inner child really never goes away and it allows me to find the magic in every single day.  Be it a robin in my birdbath, the first tulips pushing through the snow in the Spring, finding the perfect paint color, or laughing so hard your stomach hurts.  It allows me to be silly and truly have fun everyday.  I still find myself envious of those homes full of people and family but I have learned that just because you are surrounded by people, doesnt mean you still cant be lonely.  Or if you are alone that you cant be happy.  I recall with such happiness the ghosts of Christmas past and am so grateful for the life gifts my parents gave me and to God for giving me my Mom and Dad.  I have learned that life doesnt have to be perfect to be wonderful and no matter how bad things get, we really do all have our own version of Clarence - AS 2 watching over all of us.  It just may be harder to believe this on our bad days.


But this year is especially hard with the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook school.  To see those shining faces and to know they will not be opening their gifts this year, or having another birthday or sleeping in their bed ever again - that is so difficult to bear.  All we can do it pray and cry and pray some more.


When my Dad died, we came home from the hospital and his gifts were still under the tree and his dirty socks were on his bedroom floor.  My Mom wrapped her rosary around those socks and she laid them on his pillow for a very long time.  Then she moved them to the headboard and then to the drawer in her nightstand.  Then one day she removed the rosary and threw the socks away.  Mourning comes in stages and whether it is under our own roof, in our own hearts or in a small town in Connecticut, Christmas doesnt make everything better.  But no matter how bad things get, we should rejoice in Jesus birth, celebrate the joy and sing and dance to Christmas carols when home alone.  But the most important lesson for a joyous holiday season  -  always, always believe in Santa Claus!




Lonely at Christmas Youre not alone

The distractions of not being a shedworker

A third of workers in traditional offices say they are regularly distracted for up to three hours a day, according to research by budgeting account provider thinkmoney. 

The biggest source of distraction is chatting to colleagues about last night’s television, relationship problems, and plans for the weekend.

Smart phones are also blamed for interrupting concentration, with workers admitting to answering personal phone calls and replying to text messages. The temptation to do online shopping or to browse the internet to look at YouTube videos, book holidays or check  football scores proves too much for many people, the report shows.

Meanwhile, poor office technology, with slow internet connections and systems that crash are a frustrating disruption to the working day, along with uncomfortable chairs and buildings that are too hot. ----------------------------------------------------
Wednesday posts are sponsored by The Stable Company®, the UKs premier supplier of garden offices and garden rooms. Click here


The distractions of not being a shedworker

Cancer Check Up Im NOT dying!

Hello!  I dont normally ever blog about my cancer and the journey it takes me on everyday, but today, I feel compelled to do so.  I spent the day at the University of Chicago cancer center and, if cancer has never touched your life or someone you love, you cant begin to understand how daunting it is to live with this disease.


I am a survivor of both ovarian cancer and stage 3 breast cancer.  It doesnt mantter how far out your survival is, you still live everyday with a bit of fear hovering just below the surface.

The majority of this summer has been spent dealing with sciatic pain and being sidelined due to this new malady and a few other symptoms which caused me to believe that my cancer had returned.  It literally sucks the life out of you!  It is hard to find joy in the little things and when people start talking about Halloween, Autumn hay rides, apple cider, Christmas parties, college football, etc.  it just adds to the anxiety.  All you can focus on is going back into treatment.  Losing your hair AGAIN, radiating that skin that is so sore and thin from the first round of treatment.  It robs you of your sleep, your appetite, you zest for life.

Today, I received good news.  As far as they can tell, there is no sign of active disease.  Whoo hoo.  You walk out of that exam room, the oncology department and out the doors of the hospital into the summer breeze with the warm sun on your face and you cannot believe the weight of the world that is lifted off your shoulders.  Sitting in the waiting room, you see people with no hair, thin and tired, worried, scared, crying, etc.  It is daunting just to be in the room with all of these people in the midst of treatment and you are instantly transported back to the time when you were in the fight for your life be it chemo, radiation, surgeries, etc.  You sat in these same chairs, waiting for test results, waiting for your first chemo treatment, your first injection, etc.  You cannot believe how much pain and suffering you can endure when you know that the gift of "cancer free" or health is on the other side.  When youre going through hell, keep on going - its the only choice you have.

Those people who sit next to me with their oxygen tanks, in wheel chairs, I just want to stand up and scream, "Its ok.  You are going to be ok.  I was in your shoes a while back and its true, the hair does grow back!


I just feel so relieved that I am given another 6 months until my next check up!  I am looking forward to a good nights sleep!  The return of my appetite and disappearance of my extreme anxiety.  Thanks for the read - I just felt the need to let people know how my day was.  It was quite spectacular!  Now, back to projects!  ;-)


Cancer Check Up Im NOT dying!

Pixies at the OSCARS To Cut or Not to Cut

So watching the Academy Awards, I really noticed a great deal more short pixie haircuts on the women than usual.  And I love each one more than the next!  The amazing host, Ellen Degeneres - LOVE her - has always rocked the short cut and she looks gorgeous in it.  Although, back in the 1980s, she also had it quite a bit longer.  I think we have all had some version of this haircut at one point or another.....


The three women I noticed last night were Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron, and Kristin Chenoweth
First off, I love her.  I love that she seems like a normal person and yet she was super stunning at the OSCARS looking totally Hollywood glam.


I love that this cut is SO versatile that it can be worn in a bunch of different ways from casual to classic.








I remember reading when Anne Hathaway chopped off her hair for Les Mis and she sobbed for days.  (It was REALLY short) but alas, she has kept it and I think it is gorgeous.  Although, I cant help but miss her old hair too - she had such beautiful, long hair.








Pixies at the OSCARS To Cut or Not to Cut