Snow, snow, and more snow!

Like much of the United States, Colorado is experiencing an abnormal amount of February snow.  We have been cooped up.  I believed we passed cabin fever a few days back, and are now in full blown rabid-cabin-plague-fever.

Poor Chickens

We have run out of activities..... we already demolished the master bathroom and completely renovated it.  We cleaned out closets, dressers, and under the beds.  We have even gone as far as cleaning out the laundry room. While I am sure you would love all the morbid details of what I found during these cleaning episodes, I do have some pride.
While the forecast continues to predict more snow in the coming week, here is what I did this afternoon. Cloth napkins.
Yes, cloth napkins.

The Great 1960's Bernina

Why would I make cloth napkins?  Sit down and let Shanny tell you why.  We figure over here at the Urban Improv Farm that every little bit counts.  After looking over our new recycling company's list of what they will take, we learned that our most tossed out bit of trash in the kitchen was napkins and paper towels- (having a compost, and chickens we don't have that much kitchen waste) and while they are made out of paper, they are not recyclable. I haven't made cloth paper towels yet, but they are on the list.  Since there are no trips to the craft store in the near future, I used fabric scraps from the scrap pile.  I cut them in 8x8 squares, and sewed two pieces together.  We love them.  I have made several stacks before, but it was a good winter's day craft, and if you have kids interested in sewing, its a great started project! Just some scrapes and straight sewing!

Finished product

Manic Colorado Weather

     Last week in Colorado, our temperatures reached a record breaking high.  We enjoyed almost two weeks of beautiful spring-ish type weather.  Right now, I look out at a melting five inches of snow.  I do believe my beautiful state is confused.  It is reminiscent of the Katy Perry lyric, "You're hot and your cold, you're yes and you're no....." Oh dear, I just went on a singing rabbit trail. Apologies. Regardless (not irregardless, because that is a double negative and NOT A REAL WORD), Colorado can't decide what season it is, like I can't decide what I am going to wear.
      However, those few beautiful days got me a hankerin' fur plantin'. I can't wait to get my seeds sown, and things growing!  This is a common problem I have.  One would think I would have adjusted to it, but no- I can't wait, and you can't make me(life lesson: if you are/or have purchased baby chicks it is the same feeling you get when you are waiting for them to lay their first egg).

Egg Shell Seed Starters

     For others out there that are eagerly anticipating the garden season, I have hope for you.  I have already begun planting some of my seeds indoors, and you can too.  I have found that getting my "squashes"(like Mimi says, or "squarshes" like my grandma says), and tomatoes started early, helps them produce a few weeks earlier.  But I aways start my first wave of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower by the end of February so that I have a few early spring veggies to enjoy while I wait for the rest of the garden to catch up.

Rolled Newspaper Seed Starters

       I have found that by becoming an egg carton hoarder (I am sure there is a clinical name for this sickness, I just don't want to know what it is), there are lots of early planting options.  I use the non-styrofom egg cartons to start my seeds so I can cut them apart and put the entire piece in the garden, where it will breakdown.  I also found that using egg shells (and we have A TON) as early seed starters worked wonders for my peppers and tomatoes.  It's not to late to start collecting your egg shells, and if you live in these here parts, I would love to share some of ours with you.  Give me a holler!
      There are lots of cheap and easy ways to start your seeds.  And I hope to share as many as possible with you.  Similar to the cartons and eggshells, look through your trash (here I go sounding even more like a trash hoarder..... sorry), coffee cans, milk jugs, and even water and soda bottles can be repurposed to either plant your seeds (make sure you have holes for draining), or for a miniature greenhouse over your tiny seeds.   I even used  newspapers rolled into seed pots, and again, I could put the entire thing into the ground.
       If you haven't ordered your chicks, or your bees,  you should do that real quick-like.  Here in the "719" most places have a waitlist for hives.  You want to get on that list as soon as possible.

       
   

How it all began.....

    A few years ago I was a newbie adjunct history professor at two local colleges.  It was during that time that my wee family went through some major changes.  We learned that our sweet daughter had mild cerebral palsy, and she was going to require a lot of her mama.  As a result, the Leupp Family had to evolve.  I was going to STAY HOME *insert scary organ music*.
    I had never really cooked before, or even had an interest.  I didn't sew, killed the cactus in our kitchen, and if I did make dinner, it was a frozen lasagna. A few months into staying home, I was having such an adventure I briefly had a blog full of my many cooking/domestic mishaps.  There was the time I thought polenta was cheese, when I accidentally burned a crepe into part of my pan-permanently, and the time attempting to reattach a button looked similar to a rubber band ball.... There were some issues. But I wouldn't change a moment of it.  I am having the greatest adventure right in my backyard. And I am intensely happy, even when I am cleaning chicken poop out of my hair (life lesson: don't try to clean the coop when chickens are in it).
    Fast forward to February 2015.  The Leupp's have a small urban farm, lots of chickens, we rarely eat out, and essentially reinvented our life.  I feel like the artist formerly known as Prof. Leupp. Now I am just a mama with a garden, lots of friends, and here in a few months we will have lots of veggies, fruits and honey.  I actually know how to sew!  We up-cycle as much as we can, reuse as often as possible, and hope that our silliness will be helpful to other families out there who are like minded.
     The point of this blog is to be a funny encouragement to families who want to go a different path, maybe not the "no-shave" path (I am Irish, so if I don't shave, I may become proof that yetis do indeed exist), and definitely not the "family cloth" path (if you don't know what that is, just search it on Pinterest). We just want to give our kids the best shot at health, happiness, and a lot of love.  So join us in the Leupp Circus!  It will be a good time.