Recently in Favorite Things Category

My Favorite Roosters 101

By Angie on October 9, 2007 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Want to hear what I hear every morning?

Cool, huh?

Please pardon the quality of the video, it is grainy. The small digital camera takes a quick film clip but when it is uploaded and changed from one format to another the picture quality really bites it. I am going to use the videa camera and try to get a better film later today.

When I left Georgia and came to Virginia I had to get rid of my flock. That was hard. I loved my chickens but I loved Steve more and so I moved up here and married him. I am the lucky one.

It has been four years since beginning this new adventure and just this year I have been able to begin building another flock of hens.

This spring when I got chicks from McMurray I ordered a few of several breeds. I wanted to remind myself what it was I liked and didn't like in certain birds. Buff Orpingtons have long been a favorite but for some reason I am just not in a BO raising mood up here -although I do have four pullets now. I love BIG birds. I don't like bantums and I don't like fru fru chickens either. No real particular reason why other than I just prefer the bigger breeds.

If it were possible to raise roosters without mayhem in the coop I would in a heart beat. I love those guys! I have 3 rooms for chickens in my barns and I don't think Steve would build me runs for every breed I take a fancy to.

I thought I would show you two of my favorite boys that I have now.

This is Buster. He is a Barred Plymouth Rock.

This is Laf (as in Lafayette, Marquis De La). He is a Cuckoo Maran.

They are pretty big boys at 19 weeks, suprisingly large to me. I guess it shows how well they eat.

I can't wait to see how their tails feather out. It is so exciting to watch them grow! I especially like the way the red of their combs and wattles really stands out against their black and white barring.

Both are pet quality and nothing special for the breed. I raised them and I love them and so that makes them super duper in my book.

So now can you point out the differences in the roosters? Can you see what characteristics mark them for one particular breed or another?

It is very easy to confuse a barred plymouth rock, a cuckoo maran or a dominique - unless you know what to look for.

I'll help you out.

First, look at their combs. Both have a single comb. So obviously they are not a Dominique which has a rose comb (but in a few cases can have a single comb).

Second, look at their legs. Barred Rocks have yellow legs. Cuckoo Marans have white legs. You can see the leg color follows through with the beak.

Thirdly, look at the pattern (or barring) of the feathers. The barred rock has a more consistant pattern whereas the cuckoo maran has a 'cuckoo' or irregular pattern.

Forth, typically cuckoo marans are much lighter in color, especially when compared to the hens of the same breed.

Learning to identify the different breeds isn't hard if you are interested in learning. It really isn't much differnt than someone looking at a dog and quickly being able to identify the breeding. When something strikes your interest it is easy to learn about them.

I don't know how to take the photos so that you get a true idea of the size of these two roosters. When they straighten their necks out to crow they are somewhere around 2 foot tall. When you pick them up and tuck them under your arm it is like carrying a basket ball. At 19 weeks they weigh in at around 8lbs or more each. I love watching and noting the changes in their growth. They won't be at full size until around two years old. They will go through one or two molts in his first year but then when they feather out they are going to look incredible.

While these roosters are docile and gentle to us now as they age it is possible for them to become aggressive. Roosters are preprogramed by nature to act and react, to protect their flock and their territory. They do learn some behavior but it isn't always possible to condition the birds. Natural temperment plays a big roll. These birds can seriously hurt a human, even a human that feeds and cares for them. It is the equivalent of a bull or a stallion or a hog or a male guard dog. My birds seem to know that we are the head roosters and so far they treat us that way. The hens squat by us indicating they are ready for mating - it is their submission to us - which is a good thing.

We watch carefully when the children, especially Steven, are out in the coop with us. He can quickly become a target of the birds. They could seriously injure him and then I would have to kill them all (the roosters). You can't train it out of them when they decide to make one thing their target.

It is also nearing the time when all of the extra roosters have to be culled. Only one rooster to a hen house and I am lucky that I have such a big place and can have several hen houses therefor several roosters. We had a bit of a shake up in the coop yesterday. I'll be telling you about it later. The pecking order has changed and will change again.

I am curious to see who comes out on top as the king of the hen house.

My Front Porch

By Angie on September 23, 2007 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

My mood is very light today*. Start the video below if you want a taste of the mood that has filled me inside out this afternoon. It's music to read by.

I was out on the front porch watering my plants. Gracie and Steven were in the driveway, Gracie pulling him along in his red wagon, their voices punctuated with bursts of laughter. The cool breeze in a grey sky stirred the leaves on the trees making the hanging baskets swing gently back and forth as they dripped water from the long soaking drink the shower hose provided just minutes before.

I love my front porch. I love the rockers. I love the plants. I love everything about it (except maybe those aweful lamps at the front door but those can be changed one day when I remember to pick something new up from Lowes. Perhaps this but with a brighter brass finish to match the hardware on the glass door. There are some very high priced things that I love but, get real, I am not spending that kind of money on some outdoor lights when these will work and look just as nice.)

There is something so completely southern and victorian and charming about ferns on a long front porch of a big white house. It is gentile. Even on a very hot day it looks cool and inviting. White rockers, white wicker, green ferns and tall glasses of lemonaide filled with cracked ice, sweating into cool puddles on the side tables as the creak of the rockers make harmony with the birds and crickets - soothing and serene is how my brain interprets it.

My grandmother always had tons of plants on her front porch. It was like a jungle. Passersby would see a big white house with a long white front porch filled with baskets and baskets upon baskets of various plants. She had pots of mother-in-law tongues, wandering jew (varigated and purple), swedish ivy, rubber tree plants, string of pearls, peace plants, bridal veil, spider plants, several types of begonias (angel wing is my favorite begonia), corn plant, hen and chicks, moses in the cradle -just to name a few. Her plants where monster sized. She fed dozens of plants weekly with a drink of water mixed with Peter's plant food (back when it came in little white cups). I can see her now with her gallon milk jug full of blue water and a large tumbler in her hand. Every plant got a full tumbler of water.

I remember that during the winter the room she kept them in had lots of light and was filled to brimming with her collection of plants. She would see something she liked somewhere and would pinch off a piece and bring it home and stick it in a pot of soil. She would plants seeds from her grocery store fruit just to see what she could grow.

My grandmother had a green thumb beyond belief. The vining plants she grew were amazing. Some of the plants would hang from their pots and measure over five foot in length. She would eventually get around to snipping them off and starting yet another plant or give them away to someone who was awed by her plants.

My grandmother never had ferns. I don't know why. I never asked her and she never actually said but she never had ferns on her front porch. I have always loved ferns. Especially boston ferns.

The boston ferns I picked up in early spring when it might have been a bit too cool for them to be outside. I had brought home two ferns and I broke them up into four pots. In this area ferns are at a premium in price. You could have knocked me over with a feather when one plant nursery had theirs marked at the low discount price of $19.95 each. Um, no thanks. Not interested. I found my two little baskets at walmart's garden center and repotted them myself. I have spent the summer periodically breaking them up and setting new pots. Now I have eight ferns in various stages of development.

I have no idea where I will put them when the weather changes and they need to be brought in. I love the hanging baskets they are in. The baskets are lined with cocoa fiber so watering them in the house will be a mess. It is a nusance to me to have to take all the plants one at a time to the tub and water them and then have to wait for them to drip dry before rehanging them.

The large ferns on either side of the door are two I picked up at Lowes garden center. The plants had been marked down for clearance for quick removal. I always try to have something large and green on either side of the front door. It just looks inviting to my eye. These two large plants need to be broken up and put into at least 20 inch pots. Where I would put 4 twenty inch pots so that they get good light and are easily accessible for watering? I hate dripping mess after watering plants but I love the plants. LOL I don't mind all the care they need when outside I just dread bringing them in and the leaf dropping and dripping water mess they can create. Any suggestions?

On the wicker tables are peace plants, I started those from 2 little tiny $2 pots (small small plants lol). They should be transfered to larger pot also. I don't know if a larger pot will as nice on those tables. I guess I need to break them apart and make new pots, too.

I don't think I can justify the need of new (more) flower pots to Steve. He won't understand that the square ones on the chains are outdoor pots and just won't do in the house. Also have you looked at the price of large pots? Plastic ones just will not do either. Added to the problem is the need for them to match the decor in the room in which they are to rest over the late fall and winter. See? Always something in need of beautifying. He completely won't understand and will suggest some of those old ugly green or white plastic pots most hanging baskets come from the nursery in. I want something ceramic and lovely to set on a dresser or side table upstairs. I want something fullbodied to set in the downstairs hall which floods with light. I can hang two of the plants in the kitchen in new hanging baskets but the rest will have to be transplanted to regular pots with a drainage saucer. Steve just wouldn't understand the need of it.

You know, you could save me from all of this headache and send me one of your own lovely 10 inch pots and take the chore right out of my hands. Email me at big red couch (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll tell you were to send them. Haha! Just kidding! I am not scarfing for free flower pots! Who am I kidding? Yes, I am! Ummm ...

See this little rocker? I know someone is going to ask me where I got it. This is one sweet deal. This is a rocker for Steven. At nine years old Gracie is still able to sit comfortably in it so it isn't as small as you might think it is. I had seen these rockers at Tractor Supply in early summer. I refused to pay the price they wanted for it. Nearly 100 bucks. The hell? It is a small rocker not an adult sized rocker. Every time I would go in I would look longingly at them but just could not pay the price for them. I watched and waited. One day there were two left and the store had marked them down 25%. The price was still not nearly good enough for me to bring one home with me. I was waiting and watching every time I went into the store until one day there was one left and it was marked down to 25% of the original price. Score! So I brought it home.

I love the look of my front porch. It makes me happy to be out there. I love water the plants and wonderful smell that rises with water, wet soil, plant food, and the fresh air. I even like the chore of sweeping the porch as I wait outside for Gracie to be picked up by the school bus.

Now that you have seen my front porch would you show me yours?

Post a photo of your front porch (or back porch or side porch or patio) and leave a link in the comments section of this post. I'll come visit and post your link here in the main body so others can come visit your porch.

*This post was written early saturday afternoon

Porches

Badger's front porch

Trash

By Angie on December 15, 2006 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Christmas is the time of year when thoughts turn to night time snacks, warm drinks and toasty fires. It is the time when I usually make trash. Although since moving to Virginia somehow it got left behind. This year it is front and center. Trash is a treat my best friend and I made together every year from the time I was 17 until my late thirties. This year I make it alone as she is no longer with us. Gather together worcestershire sauce, butter, garlic, salt (or Lowry's season salt).

I forgot to buy the Lowry's. Melt a stick of butter and pour in a bottle of worcestershire sauce. Add garlic and salt to taste. Some of us believe there can never be enough garlic.

Worcestershire makes my mouth water when I smell it. Choose and assortment of cereals. Hard dry cereals that will retain their shape. Not flakes. Some people believe that it isn't good if name brands are not used. I have made this stuff for 20 years and I promise you the generic cereals equal to chek's cereal works perfectly. Add pretzel sticks , butter squares, nuts, cherrios (generic) and any other hard square or round cereal that strikes your fancy. At times I have added cracklin oat squares for a bit of a sweet flavor.

Generic cereal works just as well. Put it all in a large roaster. Mix well. Drizzle the melted butter/sauce mixture and toss well inbetween stirrings. Don't pour it in all at once. The cereal will be gross and soggy and will fall apart.

Stir and turn gently lifting from the bottom to the top. Set the roaster on low. Periodically throughout the day give it a stir. Let the cereal cook until it is dry.

Slow roasted snacking goodness. At the end of the day you have made a wonderful snack for your family. This is also a great recipe to let kids help with. Spread it out on paper and let it cool making sure the cereal is dry. Store in a big air tight container. It will keep for months -if you don't eat it all within a week. I will be bagging some of this into decorative bakery bags and giving it as hostess gifts for the holiday parties we attend. I will also be giving some to our neighbors. It really makes a nice food gift. Note: This roaster by GE is on sale now at Walmart for under $30. There is also an insert to make this into a buffett steaming tray for hot foods. Little did I know when I purchased this that it would be by far one of my best investments. If you don't have a roaster spread the mix out on baking pans and bake in a slow oven stirring until the mix is roasted dry.

Arrgghhh!

By Angie on November 8, 2006 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

1. Home alone from 7:30 am until 9 or 10 pm for the past 2 days. No help whatsoever with a baby who doesn't want to take a nap, refuses to take a nap and as soon as I do get him to take a nap someone who lives in this house calls and wakes him up at the very beginning of the nap!! Arrghhh! Note: I am NOT complaining about the baby I am pissed off about the damn phone callers who KNOW not to call in the middle of the afternoon unless it is a life threatening emergency situation. 2. NaNoWriMO? Hahahahaha! See #1. I am going to try and crank out some more words today. I'll try (I said TRY) to post what I have for the last four days sometime this afternoon. 3. Trying to get ahead with my Christmas organization. Ordered my cards and they have been delivered. When will I get them addressed? Hahahahaha! See #1 and #2. 4. I have chosen and ordered the kids Christmas pajamas. For those who are new here every Christmas the kids get new pajamas just for Christmas morning. This year we are doing plaid. When Colby and Grace were little I made all the pajamas and pj's for my neices and nephews as well. Now it is easier to buy them because the flanel material I have seen and used in the past few years has been poor quality that for unexplained reasons blew a hole after a couple washings. What is up with that? 5. I have items in the shopping carts of a couple websites for all my Christmas gifts from Santa. I just need to review, type in the credit card information and be done with my Christmas shopping for the season. Free shipping! Saves me a huge amount of trouble! 6. Thanksgiving will be with my in-laws. We are bringing the dessert. I plan to go get me some more of those stayman apples. I am in love with this apple. Steve has asked about planting a tree or two as I am smitten with them. I will be taking apple pies and pumpkin bread as my offering. 7. Which do you think Steve would like more - a plow or a disk harrow from Santa? Isn't that a damn fine and romantic Christmas present? 8. While I do spend a huge amount of time planning and preparing for Christmas I anticipate Thanksgiving just as much. It is the gateway to the most wonderful time of the year. I get so excited watching old Thanksgiving and Christmas TV specials. 9. I need to cut the grass one last time before everything is put away for the season. Good thing it is raining because I am not in the mood for grass cutting today. Maybe I will get a chance to come around and visit your journals today. 10. Do you plan ahead or wait till the last minute for your holiday preparations? I will post the prime rib/standing rib roast recipe on the recipe journal. Updated: Standing Rib Roast Recipe

"Tell me How Much You Love Me ...

By Angie on November 6, 2006 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

... and then I'll tell you how much I love you," I said to Steve Sunday afternoon. He looked up from his laptop and said, "I love you so much it is unquantifiable." "Oh," I turned from my place in front of the fire, "mine is quantifiable and two words. Apple. Pie." The light bulb went on and his eyes gleamed. Yes, he is spoiled. I made his favorite for Sunday supper dessert -apple pie. I used the Virginia Staymans. Goodness but that is a most excellent apple. We also are had roasted potatoes, salad and a standing rib roast served with horseradish. Mmmmmmm mmmm.

Apples, Soup and Bread

By Angie on October 31, 2006 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I have a new favorite apple. I like it better than the apples in my orchard. It is a Virginia Stayman. The stayman is the perfect all purpose apple I have ever cooked with.

Virginia Stayman The photo just cannot show you the detail in the color. This apple is not one grown commercially for grocery stores and the like. The skin it not perfect and has a bit of texture. The skin is also prone to splitting.

Gorgeous yellowish white flesh The flesh is beautiful. I picked these up yesterday from a grower down in Nelson County. These are so very juicey. I can't begin to even relate the beauty of the yellowish white flesh. Nor can I even begin to describe the perfect tartness when you bite into it. I have never been much of an apple lover. I like apples and do cook with them but I am not much of a pick an apple to eat kind of person. These have made me change my ways. They are an awesome vintage apple developed from an 1866 winesap from Kansas (I think). Simply delicious. I am thinking about making a batch of applesauce for the baby and maybe some applebutter to have at Christmas.

Yummy! Last night I cooked pork chops for supper. As a side dish I sauteed a few apples in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon. It was a perfect addition to the meal.

Time to mash the pumpkin I went yesterday and purchased two more cushaw pumpkins like Steve asked. The guy was so very nice and gave me a third one at no charge. I baked one last night and one this morning.

Mini bread loaves and a quart of soup I made a batch of pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup. I took him down a quart of soup and a few loaves as a thank you. The cushaw pumpkin soup recipe is very similar to thePumpkin and Potato Soup I made last fall. The cushaw pumpkin bread recipe is also posted over on the recipe journal. Now you know what has taken me so long to get this post published this morning ... errr.. afternoon.

Look! A sweet baby pumpkin. Well, that and trying to type with a baby banging on my keyboard. Or pulling my mouse cord. Or wanting to nurse. Or learning how to open the cabinet doors and pulling out a gazzion things.

I do mean sweet. But he was so darn cute while doing it I couldn't resist smothering him with kisses and making him giggle. I have to go get ready for the trick or treating tonight. I'll have plenty of photos tomorrow. Happy Hallowe'en to you all.

Walton's Mountain

By Angie on October 25, 2006 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

My very most favorite television series of all time is The Waltons. I can identify with the Walton family as it is very similar to my own. You can't even begin to understand how similar it was growing up. My love for the Waltons has followed me from childhood to adulthood. It is probably one of those things about me I have never really let you all in on. I don't even really know where this rambling is going other than to tell you what I did this past weekend. I had remembered reading that the anniversary of the Walton's Museum was coming up. I took a minute to check the website. Yes! It was and so with a word to Steve we found ourselves dressed and headed down highway 29 going south. The Waltons is a television series that I have been trying to get my children to watch with me. Colby loves it and always has. Gracie not so much right now. The series was written by Earl Hamner and the characters are based somewhat on his own family members. The real Waltons Mountain is in a tiny little cross in the road in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, about an hour south of my house. The real Waltons Mountain is the village of Schuyler in Nelson County. Charlottesville, Covesville, Rockfish and the river, is all real. So saturday we went to the museum.

We stopped here and took in what there was too see.

This happened to be one of the more interesting exhibits.

We even got a copy of the Balwin Sister's recipe. It is made with apricots, don't you know. Not the standard apples. As happy as I was to visit and see everything there was to see I was also a bit disappointed. The museum is the old elementary school turned community center/museum that houses memorabilia and stage sets and props from the series. We saw John-boy's room, the family room, the kitchen and the real radio on loan from the Smithsonian. But something was missing. Amidst all the celebrating and bluegrass/gospel singers it just didn't feel right. We made our way through all the rooms and the exhibits. We read everything and looked at it all. Perhaps the very most entertaining was the room dedicated to the Balwin ladies and The Recipe. There was plenty to see and read in that room. My photos do not do it justice. We took a walk down the road and stopped at the Walton's Mountain Country Store which really wasn't much of a store. It was a small building that supposedly is a country inn with rooms for rent and the store part was a tiny room not much bigger than a closet filled with a few postcards, Earl's books, a few tapes and cd's and some overpriced t-shirts for sale. Not a country store at all. Down below the store the church is beautiful. The Hamner home is in need of some TLC. The little store that is like Ike Godsey's is further down the road. I tried to take a photo of the Rockfish road sign but it came out blurry. The house across the way, in a village that thrives on the tourism that it can draw, was big and yellow and sat on the corner. As you turned the corner the back of the house and yard was visible. In the back, up against the house, was rotten furniture, the stuffing of which was laid out in a pile and left the main intersection looking like a slummy junk yard. Maybe my expectations were too high. I really don't know. I felt so lost and let down with the exhibition. I could still now almost cry over it. I walked into that museum and felt like I had walked into a room full of elementary bulletin boards put together by children. There were so many displays and the walls covered with things but it wasn't presented very well in my opinion. Knowing what I know now, should I ever return (which I will) I will not be going to the museum (I use the term loosley). The normal admission is $6 per person and children under 6 are free. It is over priced. In good faith I cannot send you and let you spend your money to walk into that building. It is not a $6 per person show. From what I understand the cast of the tv show and Mr. Hamner himself have very little to do with the place. They have made appearances in the past but now not so much. Perhaps they too are a bit shamed by it all. I am nearly in tears now. I was heart broken by the experience. On a brighter note the trip down our mountain and up to their mountain was breathtaking. I wanted to show you the amazing blaze of color from the mountains from where I live but the camera and my skill just could not capture the sheer magnificance of it all. Instead here is a rose in my orchard.

October and roses are blooming. How lucky I am to live here where I do.

And this tree in my front yard out shines all of the mountain views for miles and miles around. It is the first one to deck itself in glorious color. It is often said you can never go home. This I know to be true. Georgia for me no longer is home. Virginia and the Blue Ridge Mountains is now home. The ideals I learned growing up and shared by watching a television show with the rest of the nation are the same ones I teach my own children. The innocence of that time in America is long past and nearly forgotten by many. At my house it is still living and thriving.

The Wheels On The Bus

By Angie on October 14, 2006 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

When Steven was born we were blessed with so many gifts. At the age of 6 months we were still recieving gifts. People were very kind to us.

Hi, Auntie Hope! So many of the clothes were just the cutest things. So many of the clothes were purchased out of season I feared we would not get use them.

I love my schoolbus sleeper! Stevens growth is right on track. At 8+ months age he is wearing 9 months sized clothing. Which is most excellent because fall has come with blustery temperatures of winter. Frost has been on the pumpkins two mornings in a row. Living in a 98 year old farm house you can see how long sleeved, footed, one piece pajamas are very important with a baby who kicks off the covers all night long.

How cute am I? The sleeper in these photos is one Hope sent when Steven was born. I kept it folded in the drawer by my bed hoping that he wouldn't outgrow it before he even got to wear it. This is one of my favorites because of the school bus motif and the plush little red car that came with it.

The End Thank you again, Hope. We love this sleeper. It is soft and comfy and keeps a baby with sweaty toes the perfect temperature to sleep well. BTW, notice anything wrong with these photos? Steven hates playing inside the play yard. He wants to be outside of it. What a major waste of $65. The only reason we bought it was to be able to keep him away from the fireplace. Which we have had no problems doing. I am beginning to think we are looking at the most expensive Christmas tree barrier to keep small hands away from delicate ornaments. Other than corralling his toys I can think of no other use for it. :-/

Picnic on the Potomac

By Angie on August 28, 2006 7:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I drug everyone off with me Saturday to Mount Vernon in Fairfax Co., Va. About a 45 minute to an hour drive from our house.

On the front veranda of Mount Vernon. I packed a picnic supper for us to have later in the day. I packed a cooler of drinks. I packed the diaper bag for the baby. There was nothing anyone had to do at any time in the day. It was for once a truely 'free' day. I loved seeing everything there was to see. The house, the outbuildings, the gardens, the farm, the wharf, the washington's tombs, the view of the river. Everything was just as I expected and wanted it to be. Except - To my huge disappointment everything was "General Washington this" and "General Washington that" so much so that only at one point was Patsy Washington mentioned and she wasn't mentioned in a nice way. The historic interpretors only mentioned her contribution to the plantation as the decorations in their personal bedroom suite -and not in a nice way. (FYI - The Washington's bedroom is the most lovely in the house. Cool white walls, pale blue trims, beautiful flowing white bed curtains and linens, the seats of chairs covered and the furniture polished.)

My Martha with Martha. I found it offensive that no one thought to mention that George had little personal wealth. It is because Martha married him that he came into the money (her money) to restore and build Mount Vernon into what it was in his life. Martha had great wealth and no need to marry again. She chose to marry him and in his personal writings he is always concerned with her choices and wishes when things were selected for their home. Now for the times, I am sure Martha would have never wanted the spotlight on herself. She would have stood back and let George shine -as she did all the time. In interpreting history there is a responsibility to tell a story as truthfully and completely as possible. At Mount Vernon no one seemed interested in telling the part of the story that was Martha (Patsy).

My children on the Potomac River. I had a long discussion with Steve as we walked the grounds. We discussed many facets of her life and what it must have been like to live at Mount Vernon. The day grew late and Steven woke from his nap. He needed to nurse. I headed to a bench far from the foot traffic, tucked inot the wall near the upper gardens. Down at the entrance to the garden sat a woman in period dress. No one approached her. Steve struck up a conversation. Finally someone wanted to talk about Patsy Washington. The living history interpretor did a beautiful job in character and it was the highlight of our visit.

Steve and Steven picnicing on a saturday evening. We chose a spot along the Potomac River north of Mount Vernon, south of Alexandria and had a wonderful picnic supper. The wind blew off the river and smelled of salt and the sea. Gracie loved it and stood with the force of the wind on her face and inhaled deeply trying to save the scent for some memory to be tucked away. Steven laughed and squealed. Colby was smiling and happy. Steve was relaxed. We supped on cold fried chicken, cheeses, fruits, breads, sweets and many drinks. I had a wonderful Saturday with my husband and children. How was your weekend?

Musical Chairs

By Angie on August 17, 2006 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

We are now overflowing with seats. Seats for a baby. Seats and seat covers for a baby. Just to warn you this post is mostly about baby products and if you are not interested I suggest you scroll down and enjoy the pictures of the baby. I own all of these seats. I chose the Profile Travel System (Tahoe Print) by Baby Trend as our infant seat stroller of choice. I chose color based on what matched my Excursion. Steven chose the brand and model due to safety. Every other brand of stroller with baby seat if you grasp the front with baby seat attached the babyseat would tilt and the stroller would slam to the ground. Not this one. This stroller is heavy. It has rubber tires not plastic formed wheels. It is not as easy to fold and stow as it takes 2 hands and you can pinch your fingers if you arenot careful. I wouldn't trade it for any other stroller. It has served us very well. The baby seat also has the car seat base with latches that hook to the frame of your vehicle. This thing isn't going anywhere once you have it installed. I have never felt better about having my baby in a car.

Roomy undercarriage for lots of shopping bags. Steven is now over 20lbs and 29 inches long. He is too big for the baby seat. We now have had to buy a bigger infant/toddler car seat that can be rear or forward facing. In Virginia a baby has to be 20 lbs AND 1 year old to ride forward facing. I have a Brittany Spears problem because my baby is too big for an infant seat and too small for the regular carseat. He is already too big for a rear facing seat at 6 months old. His feet push against the back seat. Time for a new seat. I have purchased the Triumph DLX Convertible Car Seat in Marimba Print by Evenflo as the new car seat for the next stage of growth of my baby boy.

It has a cup holder! He will eventually out grow this seat and I will have to purchase yet another car seat to accomodate him but no expense is too much when you are talking about the safety and life of your child. I do not have a review of this carseat as we have not used it to be able to base our opinions an every day experiences. This seat was chosen for comfort, Consumer Reports rating (as good as ifnot better in some cases than the far more expensive Britax) and the fact that is it rear and forward facing and should contain my son safely for the next year or more. Next in our musiucal chairs line up is the Bumbo Seat. Who invented this thing? It is fabulous!

NEVER WALK AWAY AND LEAVE YOUR BABY UNATTENDED!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME????!!!!! Once your baby is old enough to hold his head up without wobbling you can put him in this foam support seat and the baby will be able to sit upright keeping your hands free. It is perfect for those times when you really need to do a few things but the baby is crying to be held or to be near you. Folding laundry is easy as pie when you put this on the table top right beside you and put the baby in it. NEVER WALK AWAY AND LEAVE YOUR BABY UNATTENDED!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME????!!!!! The baby can sit on the countertop or tabletop or on the floor while you are doing immediate chores. NEVER WALK AWAY AND LEAVE YOUR BABY UNATTENDED!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME????!!!!! If you have a new baby or will be having a new baby put this on your list of items to have. You will be glad you did. We also have a floppy seat. Oh, the floppy seat!

No more germy shopping carts! I get so grossed out when we go places and see the nasty shopping carts. I refuse to let Steven anywhere near one. Now that he is able to sit up on his own I purchased a floppy seat so I won't have to gag and cringe at the thought of putting my baby in a filthy shopping cart seat. Steven loves his Johnny Jump Up.

The first few months of his life the Carter's Bouncy Seat was heaven sent.

Nice soothing colors. As he got older and before he could sit up we used the bouncy seat in the upright position to feed him and to let him play. One thing about this seat though is the vibration does nothing to sooth a baby and the music makes you want to scream. They should continue to make this seat without those things. I chose this seat because I hate loud garish colors for baby things. Primary colors are great for toddlers but they overstimulate babies and no one needs an overstimulated baby. We have lots of other seats. The high chair is used from when J. was a baby and the grandparents had the seat at their house to use and they gave it to us. It is not attractive but perfectly functional. Steven sits in it just fine at meal times. The walker he is using to scoot all around the house is from when Gracie was a baby. It works just fine. No need to buy a new one.

The bathtub ring is awesome! It is also from when Gracie was a baby. It is the FisherPrice stay n' play. I don't think they make these any longer. Hence why I saved mine. I was always hoping to have one more baby. Maybe one could be found on ebay if you want the retro baby goodies. (Yes, I am a saver of things. I even have Gracie's pack n' play. The original portable play pen. It is still in excellent condition.)

Tapioca at bath time - yummmmm! There are things I wish I had never wasted money on. The biggest being the Circle of OverStimulation and Frustration.

After about 10 minutes he is completely over wired by this thing. It is for ages 4 months and up. At 4 months he hated it -and still does. Two other seats we have ordered have not come yet. We chose a very inexpensive (yet safe!) standard rear bike seat for Steve's bike and for myself I got the european Bobike Mini seat so Steven can ride up front and I can keep an eye on him. Plus he can see where we are going and not my big old butt. Do we need this many seats? Heck no! But they sure make life a whole lot simpler and easy. BTW, my baby is not in a seat all of the time. Many days we use only 1 seat and maybe even no seats. Over time we have collected these things. The bouncy seat is now put away and not used. The bathtub ring will soon be retired as he can now sit on his own. Steven plays in the floor with his toys and he rolls over and flips on his tummy and gets mad when he can't sit back up but does a good job of struggling to try to sit up. Any day now I suspect he will be sitting up from his laying down position all on his own. When he sits up if he can get a grasp of a solid object he tries to pull himself up. I do wonder if he will be like Colby and walk at 7 months or more like Gracie and walking at 8 1/2 months. P.S. A baby bathtub is a big waste of money and does nothing but take up space. I learned that with Colby, tested it again with Gracie, and proved myself right with Steven. All my kids hated the exersaucer type things.

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