Busy busy.

Yeeks, it's been since Thursday that I've posted. Well, here's what's going on:

• I'm building a combo shed/chicken coop outside. Photos to come. I'm very happy with my design. I should add I'm trying to do all of the coop for less than $100. The recycling store? REALLY a good source.
  
• I just bought a miter saw. I had a smile plastered all up and down my face yesterday (I've wanted one for a long time). Bob does put up with some weird likes from me, but he also realizes that it will let us both do a better job at cutting things more precisely. And between $40 in gift card, a return store credit card, $15 cash I had, and a 10% off coupon, I filled my car with lumber for the coop AND bought the 10" saw for $50. Yes, really.
  
• I have 11 baby chicks in our garage. They are meat birds. Yes, that does mean that around Halloween, they will be no longer. There have been some eyebrows raised on this by our friends... humorously, as they have actually had their mouths full WITH CHICKEN (I kid you not). More on my thoughts about this later.
• I have a broody chicken, who is of the belief that if she sits on unfertilized eggs long enough, they will become chicks. No joke. She's been up there in the old coop since last Thursday, looking like she's stoned out of her mind. But, on Friday, the backyard farmer place I like is getting a shipment of chicks in--- cuckoo marans and speckles sussex, both breeds of which I'd like to have a hen or two. So.... we're going to get a couple and stick them under her on Friday. It's about a 50/50 shot whether she'll take them as her own. If she doesn't, we'll rescue them and stick them under the heat lamp with the meat birdies. Luckily, it's been coolish (70s), so my broody mama isn't overheating, but my goodness is she a warm hen!
• We get to spend the night in a fire lookout in the near future. No joke. Oregon is a pretty cool place.
• Our Indian food night was last Saturday. I made way too much food and it was fun. September we're doing Cajun food. YUM.
• College football starts on Saturday.
  
• We went to Fiesta at a vineyard we like a week and a half ago. So much fun, and we got to eat paella. We also came home with six bottles of wine... all paid for by credits I had from helping them bottle. Nice.
• I found, for free, an old barber or dentist chair base that has working hydraulics. No kidding! I think it's the bees knees and I can totally see the potentially. Others around me think I'm a bit cuckoo (I'm looking at you there, husband).
• Found/got a free craft table for upstairs.
  
• I have a new dog sitting charge who gets to spend the day with us (dog camp!). It's fun for our pups, and a few extra bucks for me.
  
• I did a mirror craft project earlier this week that I think is just about done, and I am SO happy with the results. The title of the post for that one should be "how to spiffy up a $2 mirror from Home Depot." Seriously.
• I bought a $100 coupon to Picaboo online photo books for $5 (it was $35, but I had $30 in groupon coupons, apparently). So, we'll see how scrapbooking 2010 online goes.
• Bought about $450 in meat for $120. Our freezer is stocked.
• Canned up 30 jars of peaches.
  
• Reserved 40 pounds of San Marzano tomatoes for sauce.
• Made homemade crackers.
• Searched for graham flour, but apparently, NO ONE carries it (???). Don't know why they don't.
  
• Fixed my jigsaw. Broke a flat-nosed screwdriver trying to do so. Ended up having to take it to Home Depot and have them work on it (for free). Yes, I am serious.
  
• Trying to find more sources for free/cheap apples so I can try my hand at cider-making.
  
• Our wedding photo book arrived and I LOVE it.
• Bob broke our mop, AGAIN (no wringing it out until it's completely softened with water!!!!). I sewed the old mop back on and anxiously waited and waited for the new heads (yes, we now have two backups) to arrive in the mail.
  
• I learned how to cook bok choy.
• Bob learned how to make and cook gnocchi (amazing gnocchi! fluffy pillows of goodness).
• Bailey hurt his paw, Maddie hurt her ear. Both have recovered.
• Paddington is still gray.
  
• We had our cooling turned off until we had a slew of 90ish degree days and my husband about overheated. The good news? When I turned on the cooling system, I performed an action that was ordinary, but to Bob it was extraordinary. Angelic wife who turned on the cooling. He was happy.
• We figured out what we're going to do with the top tier of our yard. Now we have to do it.....
  
• For our Indian night, I fixed up a bunch of candlesticks using an idea I found online. That post should be titled "how to spiffy up $5 in candlesticks from Goodwill."
• We finally bought a sideboard, and I stuck my grandmother's china in it... and lost it to tears about halfway through.
• Our neighbors threw a pie party. Amazing.
• LivingSocial had a deal for our favorite sushi place-- $20 buys you $40 of sushi. The expiration of the deal was fairly far-off (so we'd have a long while to use them), so we bought six. Yes, six. Bob loves sushi, and this way, we don't have to debate as to whether or not to get it. 30 minutes after we bought, the deal sold out. Hurray for timing!
  
• And I'm behind in getting photos to my in-laws that they requested. Will do!

That is all. Busy busy.